Book or to read or learn it or to beware that he add or diminish not whereas the holy Scriptures that were then given to the Church men are exhorted to read and study and mediate in and discourse of and make it their continual delight and it s a wonder that David that mentions it so oft in Psal. 119. doth never mention the Lyturgy or Common Prayer Book if they had any And that Solomon when he dedicated the house of Prayer without a Prayer Book would onely beg of God to hear what Prayers or what Supplication soever shall be made of any man or of all the People of Israel when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief and shall spread forth his hands in that house 2 Chro. 6. 29. and that he giveth no hint of any Lyturgy or Form so much as in those common Calamities and talks of no other Book then the knowledge of their own sores and their own griefs And in the Case of Psalms or singing unto God where it is certain that they had a Lyturgy or Form as we have they are carefully collected preserved and delivered to us as a choice part of the holy Scripture And would it not have been so with the Prayers or would they have been altogether numentioned if they also had been there prescribed to and used by the Church as the Psalms were would Christ and his Apostles even where they were purposely giving Rules for Prayer and correcting its abuse as Mat. 6. 1 Cor. 14 c. have never-mentioned any Forms but the Lords Prayer if they had appointed such or desired such to be imposed and observed These things are incredible to us when we most impartially consider them for our own parts as we think it uncharitable to forbid the use of Spectacles to them that have weak eyes or of Crutches to them that have weak Limbs and as uncharitable to undo all that will not use them whether they need them or not so we can think no better of them that will suffer none to use such Forms that need them or that will suffer none to pray but in the words of other mens prescribing though they are at least as able as the prescribers And to conclude we humbly crave that ancient customs may not be used against themselves and us and that you will not innovate under the shelter of the name of Antiquity Let those things be freely used among us that were so used in the purest Primitive times Let Unity and Peace be laid on nothing on which they laid them not let diversity of Lyturgy and Ceremonies be allowed where they allowed it May we but have Love and Peace on the Terms as the Ancient Church enjoyed them we shall then hope we may yet escape the hands of uncharitable destroying zeal we therefore humbly recommend to your observation the Concurrent testimony of the best Histories of the Church concerning the diversity of Lyturgy Ceremonies and modal observances in the several Churches under one and the same civil Government and how they then took it to be their duty to forbear each other in these matters and how they made them not the test of their Communion or Center of their peace concerning the Observation of Easter it self when other Holy-days and Ceremonies were urged were less stood upon you have the judgement of Irenaeus and the French Bishops in whose name he wrote in Eusob. Hist. Eccl. l. 5. 6. 23. Where they reprehend Victor for breaking peace with the Churches that differed about the day and the antecedent time of Fasting and tell him that the variety began before their times when yet they nevertheless retained Peace and yet retain it and the discord in their Fasting declared or commended the concord of their Faith that no man was rejected from Communion by Victors Predecessors on that account but they gave them the Sacrament and maintained Peace with them and particularly Policarp and Anicetus held Communion in the Eucharist notwithstanding this difference Basil Epist. 63. doth plead his cause with the Presbyters and whole Clergy of Neocesarea that were offended at his new Psalmodiâ— and his new order of Monasticks but he onely defendeth himself and urgeth none of them to imitate him but telleth him also of the novelty of their own Lyturgy that it was not known in the time of their own late renowned Bishop Greg. Thaumaturgus telling them that they had kept nothing unchanged to that day of all that he was used to so great alteâ—ations in 40. years were made in the same Congregation and he professeth to pardon all such things so be it the principal things be kept safe Socr. Hist. Ec. l. 51. c. 21. about the Easter difference saith that neither the Apostles nor the Gospel do impose a yoke of bondage on those that betake themselves to the Doctrine of Christ but left the Feast of Easter and other Festivals to the observation of the free and equal Judgement of them that had received the benefits And therefore because men use to keep some Festivals for the relaxing themselves from labours several Persons in several places do celebrate of custom the memorial of Christs Passion Arbitrarily or at their own choice For neither our Saviour nor the Apostles commanded the keeping of them by any Law nor threaten any mulct or penalty c. It was the purpose of the Apostles not to make Laws for the keeping of Festivals but to be Authors to us of the reason of right living and of Piety And having shewed that it came up by private custom and not by Law and having cited Irenaeus as before he addeth that those that agree in the same Faith do differ in point of Rites and Ceremonies and instancing in divers he concludeth that because no man can shew in the monuments of writings any command concerning this it is plain that the Apostles herein permitted free Power to every ones mind and will that every man might do that which was good without being induced by fear or by necessity And having spoken of the diversity of customs about the Assemblies Marriage Baptism c. He tells us that even among the Novatians themselves there is a diversity in their manner of their praying and that among all the Forms of Religions and parties you can no where find two that consent among themselves in the manner of their praying And repeating the decree of the Holy Ghost Act. 15. To impose no other burden but things necessary he reprehendeth them that neglecting this will take fornication as a thing indifferent but strive about Festivals as it were a matter of life overturning Gods Laws and making Laws to themselves And Sozomen Hist. Eccl. l. c. 18. and 19. speaketh to the same purpose and tells us that the Novatians themselves determined in a Synod at Sangar in Bythinia that the differenoe about Easter being not a sufficient cause for breach of Communion all should abide in the same concord and in the same
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-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
them to read the same or any common-prayer-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
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-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
misery and the use of Gods Ordinances for his recovery The Burial of the Dead It is not fit so much should be left to the dâ—scretion of every Minister and the desire that all may be said 〈◊〉 the Church being not pretenâ—ed to be for the ease of tender Consciences but of tender heads may be helped by a Cap better then a Rubrick Rep. We marvel that you say nothing at all to our desire that it be expressed in a Rubrick that Prayers and Exhortations there used are not for the benefit of the dead but onely for the comfort and instruction of the living You intend to have a very indiscreet Ministry if such a needless circumstance may not be left to their discretion The contrivance of a Cap instead of a Rubrick shews that you are all unacquainted with the subject of which you speak and if you speak for want of experience in the case of souls as you now do about the case of mens bodies we could wish you some of our experience of one sort by more converse with all the members of the Flock though not of the other But we would here put these three or four questions to you 1. Whether such of our selves as cannot stand still in the cold Winter at the Grave half so long as the Office of Burial requireth without the certain hazard of our lives though while we are in motion we can stay out longer are bound to believe your Lordships that a Cap will cure this better then a Rubrick though we have proved the contrary to our cost and know it as well as we know that cold is cold Do you think no place but that which a cap or clothes do cover is capable of letting in the excessively refrigerating air 2. Whether a man that hath the most rational probability if not a moral certainty that it would be his death or dangerous sickness though he wore twenty Caps is bound to obey you in this case 3. Whether usually the most studious laborious Ministers be not the most invaletudinary and infirm And 4thly Whether the health of such should be made a jest of by the more healthful and be made so light of as to be cast away rather then a Ceremony sometime be left to their discretion And whether it be a sign of the right and ingenuine spirit of Religion to subâ—ect to such a ceremony Both the life of godliness and the lives of Ministers and the peoplesâ—souls much of this concerneth the people as well as the Ministers We see not why these words may not be said of any person whom we dare not say is damned and it were a breach of charity to say so even of those whose repentance we do not see For whether they do not inwardly and heartily repent even at the last act who knows And that God will not even then pardon them upon such repentance who dares say It is better to be charitable and hope the best then rashly to condemn Rep. We spoke of persons living and dying in notorious sins suppose they were Whoredom Perjury Oppression yea Infidelity or Atheism c. But suppose we cannot be infallibly certain that the man is damned because it is possible that he may repent though he never did express it Will you therefore take him for a brother whose soul is taken to God in mercy You are not sure that an excommunicate person or an Heathen doth not truly repent after he is speechless But will you therefore say that all such dye thus happily This is a most delusory principle The Church judgeth not of things undiscovered Non esse non apparere are all one as to our judgement We conclude not peremptorily because we pretend not here to infallibility As we are not sure that any man is truly penitent that we give the Sacrament to so we are not sure that any man dyeth impenitently But yet we must use those as penitent that seem so to reason judging by ordinary means and so must we â—udge those as impenitent that have declared their sin and never declared their repentance It seems by you that you will form your Liturgy so as to say that every man is saved that you are not sure is damned though he shew you no repentance and so the Church shall say that all things are that are but possible if they conceit that charity requireth it But if the living by this be kept from connversion and flattered into Hell will they there call it charity that brought them thither O lamentable charity that smoothers men's way to Hell and keepeth them ignorant of their danger till they are past remedy Millions are now suffering for such a sort of charity Lay this to the forementioned Propositions and the World wil see that indeed we differ in greater things then ceremonies and forms of prayer Churching Women IT is fit that the Woman performing especial service of Thanksgiving should have a special place for it where she may be perspicuous to the whole Congregation and near the holy Table in regard of the Offering she is there to make They need not fear Popery in this since in the Church of Rome she is to kneel at the Church-door Reply Those that are delivered from impenitency from sickness c. perform a special service of Thanksgiving c. yet need not stand in a special place but if you wil have all your Ceremonies why must all others be forced to imitate you we mentioned not the Church of Rome The Psalm 121 is more fit and pertinent then those others named as 113 128. and therefore not to be changed Reply We have proposed to you what we think meetest in our last pages if you like your own better we pray you give us leave to think otherwise and to use what we propounded If the woman be such as is here mentioned she is to do her penance before she be Churched Reply That is if she be accused prosecuted and judged by the Bishops Court to do penance first which happeneth not to one of a multitude and what shal the Minister do with all the rest all tends to take away the difference between the precious and the vile between those that fear God and that fear him not Offerings are required as well under the Gospel as the Law and amongst other times most fit it is that oblations should be when we come to give thanks for some special blessing Psal. 76. 10 11. such is the deliverance in Child-bearing Reply Oblations should be free and not forced to some special use and not to Ostentation This is needless since the Rubr. and Common-Pr require that no notorious person be admitted Reply We gladly accept so fair an interpretation as freeth the Book from self-contradiction and us from trouble but we think it would do no â—urt but good to be more express The Concessions We are willing that all the Epistles and Gospels be used according to the
last Translation Reply We still beseech you that all the Psalms and other Scriptures in the Lyturgie recited may for the same reason be used according to the last Translation That when any thing is read for an Epistle which is not in the Epistles the Superscription be For the Epistle Rep. We beseech you speak as the vulgar may understand you for the Epistle signifieth not plain enough to such that it is indeed none of the Epistles That the Psalms be collated with the former Translation mentioned in Rub. and printed according to it Rep We understand not what Translation or Rubr. you mean That the wordâ— this day both in the Collects and Prefaces be used only upon the day it self and for the following days it be said as about this time Rep. And yet there is no certainty which was the day it self That a longer time be required for signification of the Names of the Communicants and the words of the Rubrick be changed into these at least some time the day before Rep. Sometime the day before may be near or at night which wil allow any leisure at all to take notice of the proofs of peoples scandals or to help them in preparation That the power of keeping scandalous sinners from the Communion may be expressed in the Rubrick according to the 26 and 27 Cannons so the Minister be obliged to give an account of the same immediately after to the Ordinary Reply We were about returning you our very great thanks for granting us the benefit of the 26 Canon as that which exceedeth all the rest of your Concessions But we see you will not make us too much beholden to you and poor Christians that will not receive the Sacrament contrary to the example of Christ and his Apostles the custome of the Catholick Primitive Church and the Canons of General Councils must be also used as the notorious impenitent sinners But the Canon requireth us not to signifie the cause but upon complaint or being required by the Ordinary That the whole Preface be prefixed to the Commandements Reply And why not the word Sabbath-day be put for the Seventh-dâ— in the end Must not â—uch a â—alsification be amended That the second Exhortation be read some Sunday or Holy-day before the Celebration of the Communion at the discretion of the Minister That the general Confession at the Communion be pronounced by one of the Ministers the people saying after him all kneeling humbly upon their knees That the mannner of consecrating the Elements be made more explicite and express and to that purpose those words be put into the Rubr. then shal he put his hand upon the Bread and break it then shall he put his hand unto the Cup. That if the Font be so placed as the Congregation cannot hear it may be referred to the Ordinary to place it more conveniently That those words Yes they do perform those c. may be altered thus because they promise them both by their Sureties c. That the words of the last Rubr. before the Catechism may be thus altered That Children being Baptized have all things necessary for their salvation dying before they commit any actual sins be undoubtedly saved though they be not confirmed That to the Rubr. after Confirmation these words may be added or be ready and desirous to be confirmed That those words with my body I thee worship may be altered thus with my body I thee honour That those words till death us depart be thus altered till death us do part That the words sure and certain may be left out Reply For all the rest we thank you but have given our reasons against your sense expressed in Sect. 13. before and for satisfactoriness of the last And we must say in the conclusion that if those be all the abatements and amendments you will admit you sell your Innocency and the Churches peace for nothing FINIS Mr. Hales Reply Answer Sect. 1. Reply Answer Sect. 2. Reply Answer Sect. 3. Reply Answer Sect. 4. Reply Answer Sect. 5. Reply Answer Sect. 6. Reply Answer Prop. a. 1. Sect. 1. Reply Answer Sect. 2. Reply Answer Sect 3. Reply Answer Sect. 4. Reply Answer N. 2. Reply Answer N. 3 4. Socrat. lib 6. caâ— 8. Thâ—â—dor lib. cap. 〈…〉 7. 1 2. Ezraâ— 11 Reply Answer N. Sect. 1. Reply Answer Sect. 2. Reply N. 6. Ans. Rep. N. 7. Ans. Rep. Ans. Rep. Ans. Cor. 14. Rep. Ans. Rep. Ans. Rep. N. 8. N. 9. Ans. Rep. N. 10. Ans. Rep. N. 11. Ans. Repl. N. 12. Ans. Rep. N. 15. Ans. N. 16. Rep. Ans. Rep. Ans. Rep. N. 17. Exc. 1. Ans. Rep. Ans. Rep. Ans. Rep. Ans. Rep. Ans. Rep. Ans. Rep. Ans. N. 18. Rep. Ans. Cor. 14. See Hooker l. 3. sect 4. See Hooker l. 4. sect 1. Rep. Ans. Repl. Answ. Rule 2. Repl. Answ. Rule 3. Heb. 13. 17. Rom. 13 Repl. Aâ—sw Rule 4. Repl. Answ. Rule 5. Repl. Answ. 1 Answ. â— 1 Co. 14. Rep. Ans. 2. Ans. Rep. Ans. 3. Ans. Rep. Ans. Repl. Ans. 4. Ans. Ans. Repl. Ans. Rep. Ans. Rep. Ans. Repl. Answ. Exâ— Sect. â— Page 24. Answ. Tiâ— 3. 5. Exâ— c. Sect. 8. Answ. Sect 9. § 31 p. 56. An. 3. § 22 p. 2. § 3 p 26. 10 Com. Excep § 4. Excep § 5. Sect. 7. Page 28. Sect. 1. Rub. 1. Sect. 2. Rub. Sect. 3. Exc. 1. 24 Sect 4. Ex 2. Sect 5. p. â—0 Rubr. Sect. 6. Exâ— 1. § 7. Ex. 2. Sect. 8. Ex Marriage the Ring Sect. 1. p. 3â— Sect. 2. Answ. Sect. 3. Col. Sect. 4. Sect. 5. p. 33 Rub. Sect. 1. p. 7 Sect. 7. Answ. Sect. 3. p. 34. Exc. â— Sect. 2. Rub. â— Sect. 3. pag. 35. § 1 p. 36. Exc 1. § 2. Ex. 2. § 3. Exc. 3. § 4. Ex. 4 §4 Ex 5 Sect. 2. Sect. 3. Sect. 4. Sect. 5. Sect. 6. Sect. 7. § 8. Sect. 9. Sect. 10. Sect. 11. Sect. 12. Sect. 13. Sect. 14. Sect. 15. Sect. 16. Sect. 17.