the observation of Lent as a Religious Fast the Example of Christ's fasting forty dayes and nights being no more imitable nor intended for the imitation of Christians than any other of his miraculous works were or than Moses his forty dayes Fast was for the Jewes and the Act of Parliament 5 Eliz. forbidding abstinence from flesh to be observed upon any other than a politick Consideration and punishing all those who by Preaching Teaching Writing or open Speech 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 VI. That the Religious observation of Saints dayes appointed to be kept as holy dayes and the Vigils thereof without any foundations as we conceive in Scripture may be omitted that if any be retained they may be called Festival and not Holy dayes nor made equal with the Lords day nor have any peculiar Service appointed for them nor that the People be upon such days enforced wholly to abstain from work and that the names of all others not inserted in the Callendar which are not in the first and second Books of Edward the Sixth may be left out VII That the gift of Prayer being one special qualification for the Work of the Ministery bestowed by Christ in order to the edification of his Church and to be exercised for the profit and benefit thereof according to its various and emergent necessities It is desired that there may be no such Imposition of the Liturgy as that the exercise of that gift be thereby totally excluded in any part of publick worship and further that considering the great age of some Ministers and the infirmities of others and the variety of several services oft time occurring upon the same day whereby it may be inexpedient to require every Minister at all times to read the whole it may be left to the discretion of the Minister to omit it as occasion shall require which liberty we find to be allowed even in the first Common Prayer Book of Edward the Sixth VIII That in regard of the many defects which have been observed in that Version of the Scriptures which is used throughout the Liturgy many fold instances whereof may be produced as in the Epistle for the first Sunday after Epiphany taken out of Rom. 12. 1. Be you changed in your shape And the Epistle for the Sunday next before Easter taken out of Phil. 2. 5. Found in his apparel as a man As also the Epistle for the first Sunday in Lent taken out of the fourth of the Galatians Mount Sinai is Agar in Arabia and bordereth upon the City which is now called Jerusalem The Epistle for Saint Matthews day being taken out of the second Epistle of the Corinthians and the fourth We go not out of kind The Gospel for the second Sunday after Epiphany taken out of the second of John When men be drunk The Gospel for the third Sunday in Lent taken out of the eleventh 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 is called Barren and many other places we therefore desire instead thereof the Translation allowed of by Authority may alone be used IX That in as much as the Holy Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation to furnish us thoroughly unto all good works and contain in them all things necessary either in Doctrine to be believed or in Duty to be practised whereas divers Chapters of the Apocryphal Books appointed to be read are charged to be in both respects of dubious and uncertain credit It is therefore desired that nothing be read in the Church for Lessons but the Holy Scriptures in the Old and New Testament X. That the Minister be not required to rehearse any part of the Liturgy at the Communion Table save onely those parts which properly belong to the Lords Supper and that at such time onely when the Holy Supper is administrated XI That the word Minister and not Priest or Curate is used in the absolution and in divers other places It may thoroughout the whole Book be used instead of those two words and that instead of the word Sunday the word Lords day may be every where used XII Because singing of Psalms is a considerable part of Publick Worship we desire that the Version set forth and allowed to be sung in Churches may be amended or that we may have leave to make use of a purer Version XIII That all obsolete words in the Common Prayer and such whose use is changed from their first significancy as read who smote thee used in the Gospels for the Monday and Wednesday before Easter Then opened be their witts used in the Gospel for Easter Tuesday c. may be altered into other words generally received and better understood XIV That no portions of the Old Testament or the Acts of the Apostles be called Epistles or read as such XV. That whereas throughout the severall offices the Phrase is such as presumes all persons within the Communion of the Church to be regenerated converted and in an actuall state of grace which had Ecclesiasticall Discipline been truly and vigorously executed in the exclusion of scandalous and obstinate sinners might be better supposed But that there having been and still being a confessed want of that as in the Liturgy is acknowledged it cannot rationally be admitted in the utmost latitude of Charity we desire that this may be reformed XVI That whereas orderly connexion of Prayers and of particular Petitions and expressions together with a competent length of the formes used are tending much to edification and to gain the reverence of people to them There appears to us too great neglect of this Order and of other Just Laws of method particularly 1. The Collects are generally short many of them consisting but of one or two Sentences of petition and those generally usherd in with a repeated mention of the Name and Attributes of God and presently concluding with the Name and Merits of Christ whence are caused many unnecessary intercessions and abruptions which when many Petitions are to be offered at the same time are neither agreeable to scripturall example nor suted to the gravity and seriousness of that Holy Duty 2. The Prefaces of many Collects have not any clear and speciall respect to the following Petitions and particular petitions are put together which have not any due order or evident connexion one with another nor suitable with the occasions upon which they are used but seem to have fallen in rather casually than from any orderly codtinuance It is desired that instead of these various Collects there may be one Methodicall and entire form of Prayer composed out of many of them XVII That whereas the Puplick Liturgy of a Church should in reason comprehend the summe of all such sins as are ordinarily in Prayer by
weaknesse by some unapt Expressions or disorder Which is an evil no way to be compared with the fore-mentioned good considering that it is but in the weak and that if that weaknesse be so great as to require it forms may be imposed on those few without imposing them on all for their sakes as we force not all to use Spectacles or Crutches because some are purblind or lame and considering that God heareth not Prayers for the Rhetorick and handsome Cadencies and neatnesse of Expression but will bear more with some Incuriosity of words which yet we plead not for than with an hypocritical formal heartlesse lip-service For he knoweth the meaning of the Spirit even in the groans which are not uttered in words And for the Common-Prayer our Observation telleth us that though some can use it judiciously seriously and we doubt not profitably yet as to the most of the vulgar it occasioneth a relaxing of their attention and intention and a lazie taking up with a Corps or Image of devotion even the service of the lips while the heart is little sensible of what is said And had we not known it we should have thought it incredible how utterly ignorant abundance are of the sence of the words which they hear and repeat themselves from day to day even about Christ himself and the Essentials of Christianity It is wonderful to us to observe that rational Creatures can so commonly seperate the words from all the sense and life so great a help or hinderance even to the understanding is the awakening or not awakening of the Affections about the things of God And we have already shewed you many unfit Expressions in the Common-Prayer-book especially in the Epistles and Gospels through the faultinesse of your Translations as Eph. 3. 15. Father of all that is called Father in Heaven and Earth And that Christ was found in his Apparel as a man That Mount Sinai is Agar in Arabia and bordereth upon the City now called Jerusalem Gal. 4. 25. This is the Sixth Month which is called Barren Luke 1. And when men be drunk John 2. with many such like which are parts of your publick worship And would you have us hence conclude that the mischiefs of such Expressions are worse than all the benefits of that worship And yet there is this difference in the Cases that weak rash Ministers were but here and there one But the Common-Prayer is the service of every Church and every day had we heard any in extemporary Prayer use such unmeet Expressions we should have thought him worthy of sharp reprehension yea though he had been of the younger or weaker sort Divers other unfit Expressions are mentioned in the Exceptions of the late Arch-Bishop of York and Primate of Ireland and others before spoken of And there is much in the prejudice or diseased Curiosity of some hearers to make words seem Idle Impertinent or Ridiculous which are not so and which perhaps they understand not some thought so of the inserting in the late Prayer-book the private opinion of the Souls departed praying for us and our praying for the benefit of their prayers As for the security which you call for though as is shewed you have given us none at all against such errors in your forms yet we have before shewed you that you have as much as among imperfect men can be expected The same that you have that Physitians shall not murther men and that Lawyers and Judges shall not undoe men and that your Pilate shall not cast away the ship you have the power in your hands of taking or refusing as they please or displease you and of judging them by a known Law for their proved miscarriages according to the quality of them and what would you have more To prevent which mischief the former Ages know no better way than to forbid any Prayers in publick but such as were prescribed by publick Authority Con. Carthag Can. 106. Milen Can. 12. Repl. To what you allege out of two Councils we answer 1. The Acts of more venerable Councils are not now at all observed as Nice 1. Can. ult c. nor many of these same which you cite 2. The Scripture and the constant practice of the more antient Church allowed what they forbid 3. Even these Canons shew that then the Churches thought not our Liturgy to be necessary to their Concord Nor indeed had then any such form imposed on all or many Churches to that end For the Can. of Counc Carth. we suppose you meant Council 3. Can. 23. mentioneth Prayers even at the Alter and alloweth any man to describe and use his own Prayers so he do but first cum instructionibus fratribus eas conferre Take advice about them with 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 may say de Concil Male Can. 12. If they were but a prudentioribus tractata vel comprobata in Synodo new Prayers might by any man at any time be brought in which sheweth they had no such stated publick Liturgy as is now pleaded for And even this seemeth occasioned by Pelagianisme which by this Caution they would keep out We hope your omission of our 8th 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 mortality it is heartily to be wished that Sermons were as good if their fear be that by this meanâ— 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 Church's testimony which teacheth us this difference and to leave them out were to cross the practice 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 Book 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
minde 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 better nor more efficatious way than our set Liturgy there being no such way to keep us from Schism as to speak all the same thing according to the Apostle Reply 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 only the time present and to come we Reply 1. The Liturgy we are assured will not be a less but a more probable means of Concord after the desired Reformation than before the defects and inconveniencies make it less fit to attain the end 2ly Whether the Apostle by speaking the same thing did mean either all using this Liturgy of ours or all using any one form of Liturgy 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 losing 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 Liturgy 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 Liturgy was indited by them for the Churches 2ly 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 Liturgy would have held them close enough to that And if the meaning had been see that you use the same Liturgy 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 Liturgy but took liberty of extemporate expressions and spoke in the things of God as men do in other matters with a natural plainess and seriousness suiting their expressions to the subjects and occasions And though Divisions began to disturb their Peace and holy Orders the Apostle instead of prescribing them a Form of Divine Services for their Unity and Concord do exhort them to use their Gifts and liberties aright and speake 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 Pastors in prayer and give us no hint of any such Liturgy of Apostolical fabrication and imposition and therefore doubtlesse there was nothing for it could not have been so soon lost or neglected 4. It is ordinary with those of the contrary judgment 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 worshiping unlike to prescript forms of Liturgy So that the matter of Fact is proved and confessed And then how fairly the words of the Apostles exhorting them to speake the same thing are used to prove that he would have them use the same forms or Liturgy 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 Liturgy 3. Because even then divisions had made not only 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-Common-Prayer-book 4. Because that the Apostles knew that perillous 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 generations from error 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 Worship if indeed they had taken prescribed forms to be needfull to such an unity they knew that after departure the Church would never have the like advantage infallible authorized and enabled for delivering the universal Laws of Christ And seeing in those parts of worship 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 error in them 2. Believers had been preserved from divisions about the lawfulnesse and fitnesse of them as receiving them from God 3. All Churches and Countries might had one Liturgy 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 error 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
is ancient So there wants not a Bign Bellarm. c. to tell us of S. James his Liturgy that mentions the Confessours the Deiparam the Anchorets c. which made Bellarm. himself say de Liturgia Jacobi sic sentio Eam aut non esse ejus aut multa à posterioribus eidem addita sunt And must we prove the Antiquity of Liturgies by this or try ours by it There wants not a Sainctetius a Bellarm. a Valentia a Peresius to predicate the Liturgy of S. Basil as bearing witnesse to transubstantiation for the sacrifice of the Masse for praying to Saints c. When yet the exceeding disagreement of Copies the difference of some forms from Basils ordinary forms the prayers for the most pious and faithful Emperours shew it unlikely to have been Basils many predicate Chrysostomes Masse or Liturgie as making for praying to the dead and for them the propitiatory Sacrifice of the Masse c. when in one edition Chrysostom is prayed to in it saith Cook in another Nicolaus and Alexius that lived 1080 is mentioned in another doctrines are contained as de Contaminata Maria c. clean contrary to Chrysostoms doctrine must we now conclude that all is ancient that is Orthodox when one Copy is scarce like another or can we try our Liturgies by such as this The shreds cited by you prove a Liturgie indeed such as we have used while the Common Prayer-book was not used where the Psalms the words of Baptism and the words of Consecration commemoration and delivery of the Lords 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 Minister's present or prepared Conceptions than Ite missa est will prove it The Gloria patri Bellarm. himself saith according to the common opinion was formed in the council 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 shewes that in other things they were left at liberty If the Benedicite the Hymnes or other passages here mentioned will prove such a Liturgy as pleaseth you we pray you bear with our way of worship which hath more of Hymnes and other forms then these come to That these Liturgies had no original from generall Councils addes nothing with us to their Authority but sheweth that they had an arbitrary original and all set together shews that then they had many Liturgies in one Prince's Dominion and those alterable and not forced and that they took not one Liturgy to be any necessary means to the Churches unity or peace but bore with those that used various at discretion We well remember that Tertull tells the Heathens that Christians shewed by their conceived Hymnes that they were sober at their religious feasts it being their custome 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 then for praying yet even in this the Christians in publick had then a liberty of doing it de proprio ingenio and 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 Liturgy from which they fetch so much as their Hymnes And the same Tertul. Apol. cap. 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 Mart. 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 encouragements and exhortations given about it and yet no Liturgy or stinted forms except the 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-Prayer-book or to read or learn it or to beware that he adde or diminish not whereas the holy Scriptures that were then given to the Church men are exhorted to read and study and meditate in and discourse of and make it their continual delight and it 's a wonder that David that mentions it so oft in the 119. Psalm doth never mention the Liturgy or Common-Prayer-Book if they had any And that Solomon when he dedicated the house of Prayer without a Prayer-book would onely begge 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 Chron. 6. 29. and that he giveth no hint of any Liturgie or form so much as in those common Calamities and talkes of no other book then the knowledge of their own sores and their own griefs And in the Case of Psalmes or singing unto God where it is certain that they had a Liturgy or form as we have they are carefully collected preserved and delivered to us as a choise part of the holy Scripture And would it not have been so with the prayers or would they have been altogether unmentioned if they also had been there prescribed to and used by the Church as the Psalmes were Would Christ and his Apostles even where they were purposely giving rules for prayer and correcting its abuse as Matth. 6. 1 Cor. 14. c. have never mentioned any forms but the Lord's 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 customes 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
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 Aruians in the reproach of the Orthodox and that Chrysostome not a Synod compiled Hymnes to be sung in opposition to them in the streets which came in the end to a Tumult and Bloodshed And hereupon he tells us of the original of alternate singing viz. a pretended vision 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 Hymnes And that not upon pretence of Apostolical Tradition but a vision of uncertain credit Theodor. also speaketh only of singing Psalmes 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 necessitie of it or of forcing any to it so that all these your Citations speaking not a word so much as of the very Subjects in question are marvellously impertinent The words their Worship seem to intimate that singing Psalms is part of our Worship and not of yours we hope you disown it not for our parts we are not ashamed of it your distinction between Hopkin's and David's Psalms as if the Meetre allowed by Authority to be sung in Churches made them to be no more David's Psalms seemeth to us a very hard saying If it be because it is a Translation then the Prose should be none of David's Psalms neither nor any Translation be the Scripture If it be because it is in Meetre then the exactest Translation in Meetre should be none of the Scripture If because it 's done imperfectly then the old Translation of the Bible used by the 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 than in the Prayers or Readings 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 hindrance of Edification in the Peoples singing than in their Reading and Praying together vocally It is desired that nothing should be in the Liturgy which so much us 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 Saint 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 appeares by the Testimonies following Chrysost Ser. 11. in Heb. 10. Cyrill Catec myst 5. St. August Ep. 119. ut 40. dies ante Pascha observetur Ecclesiae consuetudo roboravit and St. Hierom ad Marcell saies it was secundum traditionem Apostolorum This Demand then tends not to Peace but Dissention The fasting Forty daies 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 daies together either Cornelius his Fast till three of the Clock afternoon or Saint Peter 's fast till noon or at least Daniel 's fast abstaining from Meats and Drinks of delight and thus far imitate our Lord. Reply If we had said that the Church is contentious if it adore God in kneeling on the Lords daies or use not the White Garment Milk and Honey after baptism which had more pretence of Apostolical tradition and were generally used more anciently than Lent would you not have thought we wronged the Church if the purer times of the Church have one Custome and later 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 Custome 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 conforme to If all must concurr to be our patterne 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 the greater number though the worse or hath secured us that they shall not be the worst or why we are not tied rather to imitate the purer Ages than the more corrupt If it be said that the Church hath Authority to command us we desire to know what Church that is and where to be found and heard that may command England and all the Churches of his Majesty's Dominions If it be said to be a General Council 1. No General Council can pretend to more Authority than that of Nice whose 20th Canon back'd with Tradition and common pratice now bindes not us and was laid by without any Repeal by following Councils 2. We know of no such things as General Councils at least that have bound us to the religious observation of Lent The Bishops of one Empire could not make a General Council 3. Nor do we know of any such power that they have ever the universal Church there being no visible head of it or Governours to make universal Laws but Christ as Rogers on the 20. Article fore-cited shews our 21. Article saith that General Councils may not be gathered together without the Commandment and Will of Princes and doubtless all the Heathen and Mahomitans and all the contending Christian Princes will never agree together nor never did to let all their Christian Subjects concurre to hold a General Council It saith also and when they be gathered together forasmuch as they be an Assembly of men whereof all be not governed with the Spirit and Word of God they may erre and sometimes have erred even in things pertaining unto God therefore things ordained by them as necessary to Salvation have neither strength nor authority unlesse it may be declared that they be taken out of the Holy Scriptures And if they may erre in things pertaining unto God and ordained by them as necessary to Salvation much more in lesser things And are we contentious if we erre not with them Our 39. Article determineth this Controversie saying It is not necessary that Traditions and Ceremonies be in all places one or utterly like for at all times they have
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 die 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 Judgment 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 dieth impenitently But yet we must use those as penitent that seem so to reason judging by ordinary means and so must we judge 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 Conversion and flattered into Hell will they there call it Charity that brought them thither O lamentable Charity that smoothers mens 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 formentioned propositions and the world will 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 speciall place for it where she may be perspicuous to the whole Congregation and neer 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 will 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 poposed 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 Bishop's Court to do penance first which happeneth not to one of a multitude and what shall 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 Comm. 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 hurt 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 Liturgy 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 Repl. We beseech you speak as the vulgar may understand you for the Epistle signifieth not plain enough to such that is indeed none of the Epistles That the Psalms be collated with the former Translation mentioned in Rubr. and Printed according to it Reply We understand not what Translation or Rubr. you mean That the words this day both in the Collects and Prefaces be used only upon the day itself and for the following dayes it be said as about this time Reply 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 Com. and the words of the Rubr. be changed into these at least some time the day before Reply Sometime the day before may be near or at night which will not 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 Rubr. according to the 26. and 27. Canons 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 Concessious 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 and the custom 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 Commandments Reply And why not the word Sabbath day be put for the seventh day in the end Must not such a falsification 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 manner of consecrating the Elements may be made more explicit and express and to that purpose those words be put into the Rub. then shall he put his hand upon the Bread 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 them c. nay 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 and 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 til 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 these be all the abatements and amendments you will admit you sell your innocency and the Churche's peace for nothing FINIS Excep Excep Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep 2. Exhor 3. Exhor Excep Rub. before the Confession Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Prayer before that which is at the Consecration Excep Excep Rub. Excep Rub Excep Rub. Excep Excep Rub. Excep Excep Excep Except Excep Excep Excep Excep Excep Excep Excep Rub. Except Rub Except Except Excep Except Except Excep Rub. Excep Excep Excep Excep Rub. Next Rub. Excep Collect. Excep Rub. Lastrub Excep Rub. Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Excep Excep Rub. Excep Rub. Excep Ans Excep Rub. Excep The same Rubrick Excep Sect. 1. Sect. 2. Sect. 3. Sect 5. Sect. 6. Prop. u. 1. Sect. 5. Sect. 2. Sect. 3. Sect. 4. Sect. 2. N. 3 4. Socrat. 1. 6. cap. 8. Theodor. 1. 2. c. 24. 2 Chron. 7. 1 4. Ezra 3. 11. N. 5. Sect. 1. N. 6. N. 7. S. 1. S. 2. 4. 3. §. 4. §. 5. N. 9. N. 10. N. 11. N. 1â— N. 17. N. 16. §. 1. â—◠§ §. 3. N. 17. §. 1. Exc. 1. §. 2. Exc. 2. §. 3. §. 7. Exc. 3. §. 5. Exc. 4. §. 6. Exc. 5. N. 18. §. 1. §. 2. Cor. 11. 2. See Hooker li. 3. Sect. 4. 3. 4. See Hookli 4 Sect. 1. S. 3. R. 1. §. 4. Rul 2. §. 5. R. l. 3. Heb. 13. 17. Rom. 13. §. 6. Rul 4. §. 7. Rul 5. §. 8. Answ 1. 1. Cor. 14. §. 9. â— 2. §. 10. A. 3. Hooker l. 5. Sect. 6. 8. S. Aug. Ep. 23. Sect 6. pag. 24. Sect. 7. pag 24. Tit. 3. 5. Sect 8. Sect 1. p. 2. 26. An. 3. Sect. A. 2. Cor. Sect. 4 pag. 27. Sect. 5. Sect. 6. Sect. 7. pa. 28. Sect. 1. Rub. 1. Sect. 2. Rubr. Sect. 3. Ex. 1 Sect. 5. p. 30. Rub. Sect. 6. Ex. 1. Sect. 7. Ex. 2. Sect. 8. Marriage the Ring Sect. 1. p. 31. Sect. 2. pâ— 32. Ex. 1. Sect. 3. Se. 4. Col. Se. 5. p. 33. Rubr. 18. Sect. 1. Sect. 2. Sect. 3. p. 34 Exc. 1. Sect. 2. p. 2. Sect 3. p. 33. Sect. 1. p. 36. Exc. 1. Sect. 2. Exc. 2. Sect. 3. Exc. 3. Sect. 4. Exc. 4. Sect. 5. Exc. 5. Sect. 1. Sect. 2. Sect. 3. Sect. 4. Sect. 5. Sect 6. Sect. 7. Sect. 8. Sect. 9. Sect. 10. Sect. 11. Sect. 12. Sect. 13. Sect. 14. Sect. 15. Sect. 16. Sect. 17.