A TRYALL OF PRIVATE DEVOTIONS OR A DIALL FOR THE Houres of Prayer By H. B. Rector of St. MATHEVVâ—S Friday-street MATH 6.7 When yee pray vse not vaine repetitions as the â—â—athen or hypocrites doe for they thinke that they shall bee heard for theyr much Babbeling Gloss. Ordinar in Math. 6. vers 6. In fide interiori dilectione oratur Deus non strepitu verborum sed deuotione virtutum LONDON Printed for M. S. 1628. TO THE MOST BLESSED AND BELOVED SPOVSE of IESVS CHRIST the Church of England my deare Mother DEare Mother SOPHOCLES the Tragedian when being intent vpon his Studies in his Old age hee was of his Sonnes called before the Iudges and accused by them as one vnfit to gouerne his Family and so worthy to bee remoued and dismissed from that charge then the good old man in defence of himselfe produced and recited before the Iudges the Tragedie of Oedipus Colâ—neus which he then had in his hands newly written asking of the Iudges whether that verse seemed to be written by a foole which when hee had recited hee was by the sentence of the Iudges â—reed The like plea seemeth to bee commenced against you deare Mother and that by some who call themselues your Sonnes Your reuerend old Age joyned with a too motherly indulgence as is too vsuall towards your younger Sonnes they requite no better then to sue out such a Writ For proofe hereof may it please you but with your maturest judgement to 〈…〉 so called lately published 〈…〉 â—ou may see how one of your sonnes at 〈…〉 about to reduce you to an vnion with the Church of Rome as your only Mother to entertaine againe a conformitie and communion with her in her superstitious Rites and Ceremonies Wherein â—ow nearely it concerneth you to vindicate and acquit your honour reputation your selfe can best judge Nor need you as Sophocles to produce some new proofes of your old and venerable wisedome in the gouernment of your so noble a Family it being not onely established vpon the pure doctrines of â—he word of God but sealed with the bloud of so mâ—ny Martyrs and witnessed by the â—estimonies and writings of so many of your ancient learned and reuerend sonnes both Bishops Doctors and others Nor onely so but the same Religion anciently and for so many yeares continuance avowed and maintained by such a cloud of Witnesses hath beene withall backed hitherto from the first Reformation and your just separation from Babylon by so many Parliaments all along So that neyther doth your Motâ—erhood need to solicite Gods Vicegerent your royall Gouernour and Protector next vnder Christ to call a nâ—w Synod for the discussing and determining of those Tenents which for so many yeares you haue holden and maintained It was the serpentine Craft of the Arrians to procure a Councell at Ariminum wherein they might if not by number of voyces wherein they exceeded the Orthodox there present cry downe the Conclusions of that famous Councel of Nice touching 〈…〉 with the Father in pugned by 〈◊〉 yet at least so shake waue them by calling them into question as thereby to disable their validity and authority Which fraud the Orthodox part smelling out did openly protest against them avouching that they there assembled not now to dispute or discusse the Decrees of Nice but altogether to ratifie subscribe vnto them by common assent May it please you therfore in your wisedome to resolue whether it were not expedient to petition his gracious and excellent Matieâ—ogether with the Hon Court of Parliament now assembled that an Act of ratification may be decreed for the Religion hitherto maintained and an Act of Prohibition for the suppressing of all Popish Arminian bookes henceforth sith the Arminian section â—ath abused the Kings Proclamation so dishonoured the King as if it gaue liberty to Popish Arminian bookes to be published and restraint to their opposites which maintaine your Orthodox doctrines quite contrary to the intent of the Proclamation and an Act of qualification that in case any Orthodox booke such as tendeth to found edification in piety as in Eltons booke of the Commandements if it be in some one particular or other found faultie may not presently all at a clap be coÌ„mitted to the mercilâ—sse fire as his was but purged rather wheras on the contrary such books as here is answered the whole frame body whereof is Popish and worthy the fire yet vpon the pâ—iring onely of a naile as if now thoroughly purged is suffered to passe without controule to be prinâ—ed and reprinted As if the Truth now were brought to such nice termes so weake an estate as the least straw is enough to stumble it and cause it to fall and wholly to suppresse and bury it in the ashes and contrarily Popery and Heresiâ— so highly aduanced as it can easily leape ouer all blocks Bulwarks of opposition Againe be pleased to take notice of one great inconuenience if not rather mischiefe which is like speedily to incroch vpoÌ„ your indulgence if not preuented Some of your sonnes haue already dared to add to the CoÌ„munion booke as the whole forme of the consecration of Archbishops Bishops Priests Deacons being now inserted in the said book I wot not by what authority Yea and if such may be suffered to goe on they will correct Magnificat For if it please you but to make search you shall find in the great printing house at London a Communion Booke wherin the Author of the booke of private Deuotions and I saw it with mine eyes hath in sundry places noted with his owne hand as they say how he would haue the CoÌ„munion booke altered as in the Rubrick or Calendar he tels where and how he would haue such a Saints day called and where he would haue red letters put for the blacke and so to canonize more Holidayes for you to obserue Also throughout the Book where he finds the word Minister he would haue Priest put in stead thereof such an enemy is he to the very name of Minister as if he would haue the world belieue he had rather be a popish Priest then a Minister of the better Testament as Christ himselfe is called or a Minister of Christ as the Apostles were called I haue ordayned thee a Minister saith Christ to Paul And in Conclusion for those private godly prayers in the end of the reading Psalmes he thinkes them fitter to be omitted then added I doe but briefly touch them leauing them to your fuller inquirie more particular examination But if such liberty may be indulged to such like Sonnes it will shortly come to passe that as neither you can owne them for your sonnes so nor they you for their Mother such a new face of Religion are they like to induce if they bee not the better looked vnto Yea what a Metamorphosis haue wee seene already in these our daâ—es How vnlike is the present time to the
thinke it fit to trouble your Ladiships eares with any tedious canuasses to and fro but rather to recommend it to your Ladiship in one briefe view to peruse the same at your best leasure And here it is in writing praying your Ladiships honour to pardon my rudenesse and plainnesse therein according to your honours promise to my Lady here Cur. Sir I thanke you very kindly wishing I could as easily requite your paines and courtesie as I can hardly otherwise deserue it Ioh. Madam your noble acceptance shall be to me as a most ample recompence Cur. I promise to bestow the reading of it thorowly Ioh. Madam God grant you may reape much fruit thereby The Lady CVRIA reades the Writing of M. Iohannes here set downe concerning the Booke intituled A Collection of Priuate Deuotions OR The Howres of Prayer And hereupon as it seemeth such is â—he affection of the Authour or Authours and Abbetters of this Booke of Deuotion that rather then they will be scrupulous to auow themselues affectionate well-willers at least of the Church of Rome if not rather symbolizers and intercommuners with her yea and to be Authours of reducing this Church of England backe againe to that spirituall Aegypt while all along without difference they shuffle all together in one Church as more particularly will appeare in the sequell They sticke not to prefix the Iesuits vsuall Marke IHS vpon the Frontispiece of their Deuotion and vnderneath it a votarie or two with a Crosse deuoutly erected As if they would with the Name of IESVS Inchanter-like coniure downe the Spirit of Truth and coniure vp the spirit of Pontifician errour and sedition againe in this our Church So that this Booke of Deuotion bearing and wearing the Iesuits badge vpon the Forehead we cannot better parallell then to that egregious dissimulation and counterfeit Deuotion which HENRY the Third of France tooke vpon him when he found that he could not by downe-right force suppresse the Truth with the Professors of it Therefore he attempts what force there is in framing and conforming himselfe to be a patterne of Deuotion to others Hereupon he builds Monasteries vndertakes Prilgrimages confirmes the Brotherhood of Penitents erects the Order of Hieronymites is daily and familiarly conuersant with the Capuchins and Fueillans called Iesuites carries a Crucifix and Beads in Procession with a whip at his girdle causeth many Bookes of Deuotion to be printed and to conclude he institutes the Order of the Knights of the Holy Ghost founded vpon such conditions as tye them by a strict and sacred bond to the Church of Rome And wherefore all this Saith the Storie to omit other complementarie ends For the entertainment of a number of Minions and Horse-leeches to whom they must rather weigh then tell money but chiefly to pull downe the Protestants to vndermine them by this lure of worldly greatnesse withdrawing the chiefe Heads who could not attaine to this high and stately degree of Knighthood but by renouncing of their Religion But see the mischiefe of it this dissembled Deuotion not so well suiting with his other hâ—mours of Feasts Maskes sumptuous pastimes drawing on new impositions to maintaine them led the first dance of rebellion While saith the Storie the Queene-Mother and those of Guise seeing the King drowned in these delights of Court did willingly entertaine him in that humor that either busying himselfe in numbring his Beads or treading the measures of a dance themselues might hold the Raines of Gouernment and dispose of affaires of State without controule What way also this made for the Spanish-faction working by his Indian-Gold the Storie sufficiently toucheth But this by the way The parallell I confesse is vneuen in regard of the persons compared the one a Prince the other meane Parsons But the things compared are not so vnequall as Popish deuotion on both sides that adorned with the Badge of the Holy Ghost this of Iesus in both those two Diuine Persons in the Trinitie most hellishly and impiously prophaned being made the Badges of those who are professed Vassalls of Antichrist that Man of Sinne and being worne by such as would still be reputed Protestants they are the verie Ensignes of Apostacie from CHRIST to Antichrist and therefore how true Seruants and Subiects such can be to Protestant Princes who by their Order of Knighthood are sworn Liegemen to the Pope I leaue to others to iudge Onely that King caused to be published sundry Bookes of Deuotion yet all of one meale But this Booke hath no fellow must alone be published for a singular and vniuersall Platforme of all Deuotion silencing and suppressing all other Bookes of the like nâ—ture So that what entertainment in time is this deuout Booke like to find in the world when none else shall be permitted to be printed yea when as not onely Bookes of religious Deuotion but also of sound Doctrine may not be allowed to see the light As therefore Popish Deuotion is the Daughter of blind Ignorance So on the contrarie this Deuotion is like to proue the Mother of Ignorance verifying that Riddle of the Water and Ice mutually bred of each other Mater me genuit eadem mox gignitur ex me And so plausible is this Booke of Deuotion to all Papists as they begin to triumph not sticking to say that they hope ere long these faire and towardly beginnings will grow on apace to the full and vniuersall reestablishment of their Roman-Catholicke Religion here in England telling their seduced Disciples as one of them now reformed blessed be GOD told me that we had now already at London a Booke of Seuen Sacraments publickly allowed In summe therefore let not the Authours of that Booke disdaine to be vulgarly reputed and reported for the Seruants of the Church of Rome whose Badge specially that of the Iesuites they sticke not to put vpon the Front of their Deuotion And so much for the first Frontispeice of the Booke Now to the next Page wherein they father this Septenary horary forme of deuotion vpon the practise of the ancient Church And these houres of prayer are compiled much saith the Booke after the manneâ— published by authoritie of Quéene ELIZABETH 1560 c. First for the ancient Church of CHRIST No Church did anciently obserue or precisely prescribe these Seuen houres of prayer duely and daily to be vsed as the Authour or Athours would beare vs in hand How ancient I pray you is this Canonicall obseruation Forsooth Pope PELAGIVS the Second was the first instituter of the Seuen houres and that was towards 600 yeeres after CHRIST This somewhat ancient But what authoritie haue we for it PAMELIVS vpon CYPRIAN saith They say so that this PELAGIVS was the first instituter Onely They say so Though POLYDOR VIRGIL speake a little more confidently Satis constat It is apparant enough but tells vs not whence Nor doe I find this Septenary to be more ancient then Pope GREGORY the Ninth who composed the Decretals about 400
rate no doubt much sweat much oyle hath beene spent in this laborious Collection of priuate Deuotions Such a worke as this may be a rich price for such a purchase But Mr. Printer are you sure the Author accounts it a reproachfull imputation to be a way-maker to Popish Deuotion Is not that your bare imagination as perhaps not discerning the Serpent lurking vnder the greene leaues of Deuotion or perhaps hauing some sparke of loue to your Mother Church left as to judge your Author in tâ—is case by your selfe if it were your owne Nay doth not your Author account it an honour to him to be a deuout instrument among others to bring in again and re-eâ—ect the Religion of Rome in England Onely it may be two or three words doe not well relish with him to wit Popish Apish Romish superstition and perhaps imitation too All these put together in this forme the Author may account it a reprochfull imputation as to be a way maker to Popish Deuotion and Apish imitation of Romish superstition But let Popish be turned into Catholicke and apish imitation into absolute refoundation and Romish superstition into Religion of the see Apostolicke Then set the sentence in more handsome tearmes thus and for a reproachfull imputation will he not trow you account it an honourable commendation of way-making to Catholicke Deuotion and an absolute refoundation of the Religion of the Apostâ—licke see You goe on And howsoeuer he may be requited for his paines herein he shall neuer depart from his good intention of wishing that the Reader may at all times and for all occasions be assisted with diuine grace obtained by continuall prayer It seemes you are very intimously priuie to your Authors good intentions and no lesse solicitous of his rich requitall for his paines herein And pitty but he should be requiâ—ed to the full as he hath deserued and if not in this world he may looke for it in the world to come But hath he but a good intention of wishing c. But this good intention it seemeth bath relation to his worke wherein his intention was good to occasion vnto the reader at all times and for all occasions assistance of Diuine grace obtained by continuall prayer namely by continuall prayer out of this booke of priuate Deuotions in obseruing his 7. Canonicall houres Neuer will he depart from thâ—s his good intention of well-wishing And as for the misdeeming censures and detractions of any say you he feareth them not but rather hopeth that his prayers to God for them will be more beneficiall to them then any their censures or detractions can be preiudiciall to him He that durst publish such a popish booke as this was armed before hand from top to toe not to feare any mans censure or detraction when not euen the armed lawes of the Land could deterre him from aduenturing vpon such a bold attempt as to go about to bring England backe againe to Popery But yet he hopeth that his prayers to God for his Censures wil be more beneficiall to them then any their Censures or detractions can be preiudiciall to him You know that the Fox the more he is cursed the more he thriâ—eth Their Censures and detractions cannot preiudice the Authors rising higher and higher to preferments for his good demerits to the Church But yet he hopeth his prayers will be beneficiall to his Censurers No doubt but the Author hath learned the Art of Deuotion to a haire But what prayers hath he in that kind He must not pray of his owne head but what the Church puts in his mouth And surely I find but one prayeâ— in all his booke except the repetition of it in sundry Letanies a prayer borrowed from the Church too and not from his owne bowells for such as he calles his censurers and detracters as That it may please thee to forgiue our enemies persecutors and slanderers and to turne their hearts But sâ—ing his hope of doing tâ—em good by his pâ—ayâ—rs stands rather vpon comparatiue then positiue tearmes for he rather hopes good to them by his prayers then feares euill from them by their Censures therefore we leaue his prayers as doubtfull of their successe it being rather to be hoped for by his Censurers that his prayers shall doe them as little harme as good In the meane time let him looke that he wrong not his Censurers in miscalling their Censures Misdéeming Censures For Conclusion Hee doth in this and in all things else humbly submit himselfe to the judgement of the Church of England whereof he is a member though inferior vnto most yet a faithfull Minisâ—er I like your conclusion well yet that your Author doth in this and in all things else humbly submit himselfe to the Church of England· But I hope that he doth not meane that the Church of England is pend vp in a corner or ingrossed by Monopoly to this or that man or that any one man hath a Papall definitiue voyce to determine the doctrines of the Church of England for I remember your former apology That he will defend the faith of the present Church of England by law established 〈◊〉 oppose Popery and Romish superstition Well I hope then that the Church of England whose body representatiue is now happily assembled â—n Parliament I meane not onely the representatiue body Ecclesiasâ—iâ—k but ciuill both together ioyntly representing the Church of England will take such order with this booke of Deuoâ—ion as he shall haue no just occasion to complaine he and his booke are vniustly dealt withall censured or iudged but that he will be as good as his word himselfe· Onely two things I heartily pray for as fruits and effects of his humble submision that he may henceforth approue himselfe a better member of the Church of England and a more faithfull Minister and that hee may striue as much to excell others in the best indowments as he is not inferiour to most in temporall preferments Which that he may be and doe a more ingenuous and humble confession is requisite then is made vnder your name of a slip or misprision of a word or two Now to conclude all in a word with his owne Conclusion pag. 417. The blessing there he is not content with the peace of God c. The blessing of God Almightie the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost but he addes the vertue of Christs blessed Crosse c. This forme of Blessing he hath no where learned out of the Communion booke The vertue of Christs blessed Crosse is of his owne addition But the Crosseâ—uâ—ts â—uâ—ts well with his Deuotion He both begins and ends it with a Crosse. And seeing you Mr. Printer haue so well appologised for your Author there is one Crosse for you and another for him whereon you may crucifie at least your slâ—p and misprision But pray rather that laying aside all disimulation and daubing ouer of your rotten booke and that dealing ingenuously with God and Man in the humble confession of your grosse faults and true repentance of the same you may find that Mercy of God which followeth vpon all true belieuers through the only soueraine vertue of Christ Crucified Now the grace of the Lord Iesus Christ and the loue of God and the Communion of the Holy Ghost be with all them that loue the Truth in sincerity Amen FINIS Cicero de Senectute 2. Cor. 11.23 Acts 26.16 Reuel 2. Reuel 3. Prou. 23.34 Iohn de Serreâ— in his History in Henry 3. Decret de Celebratione Missar C. Praesbiter tit 41 Concil Agath Niceph. l. 15 c. 23. Euagrius l. 1. c. 21. See Centuria 5. c 6. de Ceremoniâ—s Compare this with pag. 86. in his later edition where he mentioneth the Decrees of the Church Cypr. de Orat. Dom. Clem. Constit. l. 8. c. 40. for 34. Preface to the Communion booke Ciâ— deseâ—ectute The Authors owne words in is Preface * In the end of the Preface before the booke of CoÌ„mon prayer 1. Tim. 4. 1. Cor. 7.5 a Iudei seruillter obseruant diem Sabbati ad luxurâ—am ad ebrâ—etatem guanto meliùâ—â—emina eorum â—â—nam facerent quà m eo die in Neomeâ—iis Saâ—tarenâ— Al siâ—â—raties vt illos dicamus oâ—seruaâ—e SabbatuÌ„ c. Agu. Tract 3. â—n Iohan. b Sermo 95. de Tâ—mp tom 10. Aug. Epist. 86. Casiâ—lano Prasbytero Sermo super salue Regina Domini Resurrectio promisit nobis â—ternum diem et consecrauiâ— nobis Dominicum diem De â—erbis Apost ser. 15 Math 13 Esa. 55 1 2.3 Esa. 42.23 * As I told my reuerend Ordinary wheÌ„ I was called before him the second time of my Examination about Isâ—aels Fast. Attic. â—â— Cathol Tradition q. 20. P. 119. In his Preface in the 2. reason The Oath of the Kings supremacie in the booke of Ordering of Deacons Psal. 50. Pag. 86. * And i◠〈…〉 see 〈…〉 of it 〈…〉 lately to â—ee at a 〈◊〉 Printing house an old Communion booke â—cored and noâ—ed all along with this Authors owne 〈◊〉 where â—mong other â—hâ—nâ—s which he â—ould haue 〈◊〉 hee 〈…〉 that 〈◊〉 pâ—iuâ—tâ—â—â—aâ—ers 〈◊〉 â—ettâ—r 〈◊〉 â—hen there 〈◊〉 iâ— the CoÌ„munion 〈◊〉 * * Homâ—â—â—7 â—7 〈…〉 Ierom. ad Neâ—otâ—an Epist. 7 Gal. 4.10 As the Pharisee who will neither enter into Heauen himselfe nor suffer those that would to enter in Cent. 1. lib. 2. c. 10. De vitis Doctorum Socratis Hist. Eccl. lib. 5. cap. 21. Also Zorom Hist. Eccl. lib. 7. cap. 19. Eusebu Eccl Hist. lib. cap. 23. Pag. 104. see his first impression * To wit that the old lâ—aues may yet be had for money See the CoÌ„munioÌ„ booke at the Buriall of the Dead * The words of the Printers Epistle * The Prinâ—â—r goes on For 〈◊〉 fundo parsimâ— niapunc * For the Pontificians say that Purgatory is in the suburbs of Hell and that must needs be close to the gates of Hell and that the paines of Purgatory are for the time no whit inferiour to the paines of eternall darknes Nor let any man think the Author would be so grosse to name Purgatory here in plaine termes no more then he doth Limbus Patrum when he sayth the Region of â—ight distiâ—ct from Gods glorious kingdome
sinceerest meaning expressed in clearest and most nâ—ked words yet as J vttered with a cleere voice in the carâ—â— of the Lord Bishop of London at my first examination about Israels Fast I haue done nothing but with a true intent and desire for Gods glory the good of my King and Country and the Church of England whereof we are members and for which I am ready if need were to lay down my life So little doe I esteeme the Serpents hissing or the dogs barking Not to stay thee too long in the threshold here take a full view of my answere to a Popish booke bearing in the Front A collection of priuate Deuotions or The houres of Prayer If I haue not fully vnfolded the mystery of iniquity wrapped therein let thy charity pardon my imperfections and thy sharper judgement supply my defects Onely J confesse J haue purposely omitted many things for breuity sake wherein the Author rather expresseth his popish if not apish affection in symbolizing with Iesuiticall catechismes Officium B. Mariae c. then giueth occasion of solid confutation as being partly ridiculous though mostly superstitious and some erroneous for example The lawes of nature the Precepts of the Church the three theologicall vertues three kinds of good workes seuen gifts of the Holy Ghost the twelue fruits of the Holy Ghost the spirituall workes of mercy the corporall workes of mercy the eight beatitudes seuen deadly sinnes the contrary vertues Quatuor nouissima c. To which he might haue added The fiue senses c. The foure Cardinall vertues as they are set downe in Officium B. Mariae whence he hath the rest and in Las horas del nuestra senora The houres of our Lady As also the 15. mysteries of the office of our Lord Iesus Christ for to meditate and say the Rosary of our Lady whereof fiue joyfull fiue sorrowfull fiue glorious which with the rest are numbred vp by Ledesmâ— the Iesuite in his Catechisme of Iesus Maria. But he would first try how these would relish Yet his seuen deadly sinnes at least deserued to come vâ—der the ferula or censure Wherein wee might haue shewed the absurdity of Popish distinctions of sinnes mortall and veniall yea how it verifies and cryes downe the inestimable price of Christs death and extenuates or annihilates the rigor of Gods law and eleuates or sleights the nature of sinne the least deseruing eternall death Againe we might haue shewed how by Christ al sins are veni-that pardonable but without Christ mortal and vnpardois nable seeme they neuer so small Thirdly we might haue shewed the absurdity of his number of those seuen deadly sins of the of which ye shall not find the breaches of many of the Commandements of the second table ranked nor of any of the first Table as if Athiesme infidelity idolatry blasphemy periury profanation of the Sabboth and the rest were not deadly sins but to be reckoned if the Author account them any sins at all onely among his venials But J hope some other will supply what I haue omitted Jn the meane time take this in good part and so Farewell Thine in Christ HEN BVRTON A TRIALL OF Priuate Deuotions OR A DIALL FOR THE houres of PRAYER Charis GOD saue you Madam Curia Lady Charis My loue salutes you much ioying to see you Madam it is newes to see you at Court Some good winde no doubt hath blowne you hither Cha. Madam no other wind but of duety and affection to visit your Ladiship Onely I must confesse that the late Booke of Deuotion which your Ladiship sent mee hath occasioned mee to come sooner then otherwise I should or well could Cur. Madam you are the more welcome And I pray you how doe you like that Booke Ch. Madam it were good manners I should first howsoeuer giue your Ladiship thankes for I dare say whatsoeuer the Booke is your Ladiship out of good Deuotion sent it me as a token of your loue vnto mee Otherwise for the Booke it selfe I must confesse that so soone as I looked but vpon the Frontispeece of it and seeing it to weare the vsuall Badge of Iesuiticall Bookes I had certainly without any more adoe flung it away but for the due respect I bore to the sender your Ladiship And yet I thought with my selfe that haply your Ladiship had mistaken one Booke for another Otherwise I knew not what to thinke whither some might haue gone about if not to seduce yet at leastwise to induce your Ladiship to a friendly opinion of the Popish Religion or I wot not what Cur. But Madam though I haue but little Latine yet I haue learned by rote one Prouerbe Fronti nulla fides The outward front or face of things is not to be belieued But haue you looked within the Booke and read it ouer Then you will be of another mind and conceiue a better opinion of it Ch. Surely Madam to the front or face of it I confesse I gaue but small credit But looking further into the Booke and according to the scantling of my slender capacitie and shallow iudgement taking a view of the whole frame and mould of it it seemed to me to hold sutable enough to the Front and to be much what the same in substance that the Title made shew of Cur. But Madam I hope you are none of those that censure the Booke for Papisticall as Puritans haue slandered it Cha. Madam I dare not take vpon me to passe my censure vpon Bookes Yet I confesse seeing your Ladiship vrgeth me that it smelleth strongly of Poperie Yet not relying vpon mine own conceit I desired some learned Ministers to tell me their iudgement of it and none of them could approue of the Booke Cur. I pray you what Ministers were those Cha. Madam I dare be most bold to name mine own Chaplaine for the rest Cur. But doth your Chaplaine hold the Booke to be Papisticall Ch. Madam I had rather I had some good occasion to be a suiter to your Ladiship for some good preferment for my Chaplein and no better then he deserueth 〈…〉 present occasion which I feare may perhaps preiudice his preferment We poore Countrey-people cannâ—â—â—â—use sometimes when our leasure serueth but as 〈…〉 discerne which way the game goeth 〈…〉 to hazzard our stake where we see such infinite odds of Court-wit to Countrey-simplicitie Cur. Madam you speake merily But in good sadnesse I desire for mine owne satisfaction to heare what your Chaplaine can say to this Booke either in whole or in part I promise you of mine honour it shall be no manner of preiudice vnto him but I will rather doe him all the good I can Ch. Madam vpon these conditions my Chaplaine shall attend you when you please to appoint the time Cur. Madam I thanke you Then if it may stand with your conueniencie I shall entreat your Ladiship to bring him with you on Friday morning by eight of the clocke I will set all other businesse apart for
to be repeated ouer euery day Doth he not hereby rob vs of the rest of the Scripture Chapters and Psalmes Wee like our Communion booke better then so thus to exchange it to our losse All Priests and Dâ—acons are bound to say dayly the Morning and Euening Prayer either priuately or publikely except they be letted by Preaching studying of Diuinitie or by some other vrgent cause Thankes be to God there are plenty of manuall Psalters and Testaments as easie to carry in mens pockets and I am sure farre more profitable to edification then this booke of Deuotion Yea and it will appeare all along this booke howsoeuer he seeme tenderly affected and deuoted to his mother Church and to our diuine Seruice that neuer any though Popish booke published this threescore yeares vnder the name of Deuotion hath more slily and subtilly vndermined the state of this our Church then this doth while it would confound our Church with that of Babylon whereof more hereafter in the proper place So much in generall of the state of this Booke occasioned by the two first title Pages The Preface NOt to intangle our selues with perplexed questions aâ— whither all prayers other then set prayers and those either the Lords prayer or the Churches publicke formes of this Authors priuate formes bee denyed to Gods people or Ministers as vttered from priuate spirits and Ghosts of their owne they are the words of the Preface wherein perhaps the Author takes the liberty to bewray his malice or ignorance or want of experience of the supply of the spirit of Christ helping our infirmities in prayer Rom. 8.26 Phil. 1.19 as not hauing his wits exercised that way we haue occasion giuen in the first place to touch vpon the second reason of these his houres the words are To let the world vnderstand that they who giue it out and accuse vs here in England to haue set vp a new Church and a new faith to haue abandoned all the ancient formes of piety and deuotion to haue taken away all the religious prayers and exercises of our forefathers to haue despised all the old Ceremonies and cast behind vs the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholick Church c. Is not here a sound reason for the bringing in of old Popish Ceremonies and superstitions and such trumperies into our Church to the end that Popish mouthes may be stopt who slander our Church in this behalfe for antiquating all old Ceremonies whereof the obseruation of the seuen Canonicall houres is one Then belike we must set vp Popery againe at least in a good part onely to appease the clamours of Papists accusing vs for Nouelists But take heed what you doe for vnlesse you meane thus by degrees to reare vp the whole tower of Babylon again in England you striue in vaine to stoppe their mouthes who will haue all or none But in the meane time remember what your Mother the Church of England if ye be indeed her true bred sonnes saith Of such Ceremonies as be vsed in the Church and haue had their beginning by the institution of man Some at the first were of godly intent and purpose deuised and yet at length turned to vanity and superstition some entred into the Churh by vndiscreetâ— deuotion and such a zeale as was without knowledge and for because they were winked at in the beginning they grew dayly to more and more abuse which not onely for their vnprofitablenesse but also because they haue much blinded the people and obscured the glory of God are worthy to be cut away and quite râ—iâ—cted c. Heere consider whether your seuen Canonicalls be not of the number of those Ceremonies which haue had their beginning by the institution of man by Pope Gregory 9. as we haue shewed and perhaps for a good intent and purpose yet at length haue turned to vanity and superstition as is manifest both by the doctrine and practise of the Church of Rome or such as hauing entred into the Church by vndiscreet deuotion and zeale without knowledge and for because winked at in the beginning and growing dayly to more and more abuses our Church not onely for their vnprofitablenesse but because of their much blinding of the people and obscuring Gods glory hath thought worthy to cut away and cleane reiect Consider it I say For hath not our Church among many other superstitious ceremonies quite casheered this of your Canonicall houres But thereupon she heareth A nouellist a setter vp of a new Church and a new faith to haue abandoned all the ancient formes of piety and deuotion to haue taken away all the religious â—xercises and prayers of our forefathers to haue despised all the old Ceremonies c. But of whom doth our Church heare this Of the Church of Rome And can she blame Rome for it But charity would or Christian prudence or I wot not what tender care of her owne reputation being thus exposed to the obloquy of her enemy she should salue the wound againe which the venemous tongue hath made How The Authors of this booke her pregnant young sonnes though no small babies I wis can tell their old Mother shee must now after threescore yeares and more seing there is no other remedy in her old age turne ouer a new leafe begin to renew her old acquaintance with her stepmother or elder sister at least the Church of Rome intertaine some of her old ceremonies againe as religious which long agoe she abandoned as superstitious receiue reuiue that faith and religion as the Old which earst she reiected as the New thus after shee hath begun yea so many yeares continued and growne vp to a ripenesse in the spirit she must with the foolish Church of Galatia be made perfect in the flesh But we hope better things of our reuerend Mother that with aged Sophocles accused by his sonnes of carelesse improuidence in gouerning his family she will vindicate her wisdome and motherly authoritie ouer her darling but ouerdaring sonnes As for that other clause of hauing it cast in our dish that we cast behinde vs the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church which cannot be obiected to our Church but onely because we allow no more Sacraments but two a point not a little materiall if well weighed of this we shall haue occasion to speake more when we come to his Sacraments of the Church Onely by the way this is a faire inducement to draw on his 7. Sacraments for otherwise how shall he thereby acquit vs forsooth of the grieuous scandall and imputation which the Church of Rome layes to our charge of our reiecting the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church As if he should say as in effect and almost totidem verbiâ— he doth say They charge vs falsely in saying that we cast behind vs the blessed Sacraments of Christs Catholicke Church alas silly simples these men do little else but bewray their owne infirmities and haue more violence or will then reason or
fashion of Refection 〈◊〉 in the Licentiousnesse of drunken Songs And ibid It is questioned whither a man must not fast on the Sabbath but not whither he must not reuell it on the Sabbath which neither is done on the Lords day of those that feare God although they fast on that day And deuout Bernard Obserue the Sabbath which is to exercise thy selfe in the Holy-dayes so as by the Râ—st present thou mayest learne to hope for that which is eternall And that a prophane person may not flatter himselfe as though his voluptuous keeping of the Sabbath may teach him to hope for those eternall and true ioyes in heauen Heare the same Bernard or rather Gillibert whose Sermons are added to fill vp Bernards vpon the Canticles inserted in Bernards workes where mentioning Esay 58. hee saith Non dicit c. He saith not onely that the Sabbath is a Delight but he addeth And Holy and Glorious to the Lord that these things may not bee in the confusion of thy Glory Non sit desidiosum Sabbatum tuum operare in Sabbato tuo opera Dei Let not thy Sabbath bee idly spent but in thy Sabbath worke the workes of God Opus Dei in die siâ—o And surely the Lords day is not called so for nought If it be Christs day sanctified and founded in his Resurrection as S. Augustine saith then what workes are proper for that day whereby it may bee sanctified of vs and wee of it but such as are the fruits of those that are risen with Christ from the graue of sin to newnesse of life and not those which with the swinâ— would lead vs backe to our wallowing in the mire And is not the hearing and meditating of Sermons a speciall part of the sanctification of the Lords day How come we to be sanctified but by the word of God Sanctify them with thy truth thy word is the truth saith Christ. And as we noted before that Deuotion is blind whose lampe is emptie of oyle to supply the light A plaine argument that the Authors whole booke of Deuotion is but a meere counterfeit And to inuy or inueigh against the due sanctification of the Lords day what is it but to raze the very foundation whereon all true religion is built To heare Sermons and not to meditate of them is to receiue water into a Sieue to be an vncleane creature that chowes not the cudde to receiue the seed vpon the highway side where it being vnharrowed and vncouered is by the fowles of the ayre that fowle spirit that raignes in the ayre and in the vnsetled hearts of aery and windy braines to be deuoured The Lords day is the Marketday of our foules He that stands idle in the marketplace is justly reproued Or he that buyes those spirituall commodities needfull for his soule in hearing of the word and goes presently and squanders it away and brings it not home to dispose of it for his weekely vses is an vnprouident housekeeper a prodigall vnthrift of grace because he heares not for afterwards for the time to come Such are they that either are carelesse of hearing the Word or when they haue heard goe and dance it away about the May-pole or walke and talke it away in idle prate or any kind of prophane or profuse recreation Those are like the Wolfe who neuer attaine to any more learning of God then to spell Pater but when they should come to put together and to apply it to their soules in stead of Pater they say Agnus their mindes and affections running a madding after the profits and pleasures of the world Such are enemies to all Godlinesse and expresse their enmitie in nothing more then in their proâ—anation of the Lords Holy-Day If any man would know of 〈◊〉 estate and condition of any Parish in generall in 〈◊〉 Land whether it bee religious or no let him buâ—â—â—quire what conscience they make of the due sanctification of the Lords day That 's the true touchstone of a truely religious man And although all are not that sincerely whereof they make outward profession for there will euer be some hypocrites among sound Professors yet none can be a true and sound Christian who makes not speciall conscience of a religious and sober keeping of the Lords day For this day well kept sanctifies to a man the whole weeke The seuenth day sanctifieth our six as the tenth of our goods doth all the other nine As Elias his meate made him strong to trauell forty dayes and forty nights to Horâ—bâ— so the hearing and meditating of sound Sermons on the Lords day ministers strength to our soules to serue God all the weeke in our particular Callings But I may not transgresse the bounds of my proposed breuity For Conclusion of the Commandements among other offenders against the sixt Commandement he reckoneth those that be sowers of strife and sedition among any men whatsoeuer Now how farre the Author is guilty hereof or whether he may not merit to be put in the forefront with the most grand Authors of strife and sedition not onely to set priuate men together by the eares but the whole Church and state of England in a most fearefull hurly-burly and combustion I referre to all wise men to judge that doe but read this most pernitious pestilent and Popish Booke As it followeth Of the Sacraments of the Church What Sacraments trow we are these The Sacraments of the Church This is written I am sure fiylo 〈◊〉 This title is no where learned but from the Church of Rome from the Councell of Trent and from the shop of Iesuiticall Catechists He learned not this of his Mother Church of England if so he account her his Mother and not rather that other Church to which he intitles his Sacraments for the Church of England sets downe the title simply Of the Sacraments saying also Sacraments ordained of Christ. So that she intitles the Sacraments vnto Christ the sole Author of them But let vs heare what those Sacraments of the Church be or how many Namely Two and Fiue which put together as euery Arithmetician can tell make seuen Now England thou art come to thy seuen Sacraments againe This euery Papist can now bragge off And haue they not reason for there is more in it then the bringing of vs backe to the seuen Sacraments againe he would hereby knit vs fast againe to be one Church with the Church of Rome For these seuen Sacraments he calls the Sacraments oâ— the Church Oâ— what Church surely no Church euer held seuen Sacraments but the Church of Rome nor doe I read of seuen Sacraments beâ—ore Peter Lombard set them downe All the ancient Fathers knew but two Saint Ambrose writing six bookes of the Sacraments could find but two The Greeke Church neuer held but two yet saith our Author the Church holdeth them yea the Catholicke Church of Christ as before in his Preface Whereupon here he concludes
Yet for all this he sets downe a farre longer prayer then can be said at the verie point of time when the Soule is departing from the Body Yea and among the rest to lengthen it out he sets downe thirteene eiaculatorie Meditations and Prayers which he will haue said plainly distinctly and with some pawses So that of necessitie the Soule must bee departed before his prayers be halfe ended And what then Is that so great a matter thinke you His first printed Booke which is yet extant and walkes abroad wherewith Iesuites are mightily helped to draw on Disciples after them blusheth not to make a solemne prayer for the Soule and that expresly and distinctly after it is departed from the Body For after his Eiaculatories ending with Lord Iesus râ—ceiue my Spirit He putteth these words of direction next vnder And these to wit the foregoing eiaculatorie Meditations and Prayers to be repeated vntill the Soule be departed Well The Soule being now departed What then Then O Lambe of God that takest away the sinnes of the world grant him thy peace With this Prayer O Lord with whom doe liue the Spirits of them that dye and by whom the Soulâ—s of thy Seruants after they be deliuered from the burthen of this Flesh bée in perpetuall ioy and felicitie Wee most méekely beseech thée for this thy Seruant that hauing now receiued the absoluâ—um from all his sinnes which he hath committed in this world he may escape the Gates of Hell and the paynes of eternall darkenesse That he may for euer dwell with Abraham Isaack and Iacob in the Region of Light and thy blessed Presence where there is neither wéeping nor heauinesse And that when the dreadfull day of the generall Iudgement shall come he may rise againe with the Iust and receiue this dead Body which must now be buried in the Earth to be ioyned with his Soule and be made pure and incorruptible for euer after in thy glorious Kingdome for the merits of thy deare Sonne our Sauiour Iesus Christ Amen Thus runs the Prayer for the Dead word for word But here the PRINTER steps in and setting forth a second Impression he in an Epistle before the Booke styled The Printer to the Reader Excuses the Authour and verie courteously takes all the blame vpon himself Which he is the bolder to doe because this Booke is Censured as he tâ—rmeth rather through false reports and mistakings in them that either iudge before they see or out of disaffection make sinister construction of that which deserueth better vnderstanding and so good intentions are wrested and truth impeached Note here the fruit of the Authours Deuotions how soone they haue blindly led him into Errour which he desireth may be excused by his good intentions howsoeuer it goeth he meant no harme good man Which also the most ignorant Papist is able to plead for himselfe You must take his good meaning Well Let vs heare out his Apologie So hath it befallen this Hand-full of Collections for priuate Deuotions which was compiled out of sundry warranted Bookes c That 's something But out of what warranted Bookes could he collect or compile Prayer for the Dead That he might expile from Popish warranted Booke as out of the Romane Missal and the like wherewith the Authour seemes to be better acquainted then with GODS Booke So that I feare me some hath taught the PRINTER here to equiuocate a little But what followes It was for the priuate vse of an honourable well-disposed Friend He or She Protestant or Papist Or betweene both Or one whom the Authour by the vertue of this Booke was about to conuert to be a Roman Catholike yet being an honourable person it deserues some pardon for their honours sake Nay rather it is the more censurable that the author should dare to attempt to seduce any honourable personage vnder the colour of his painted-popish Deuotions But what more without any meaning to make the same publicke to the world This is one part of his good intentions Published it is but it was not his meaning How then Though to saue the labour and trouble of writing Copies to be sparingly communicated to some few friends a certaine number of them by leaue and warrant of the Ordinary were printed at the charge of the partie for whose onely vse the same was collected Good Pitty but such a Booke with such deuout prayers collected should be copied out and rather then faile for more expedition to be printed but to be sparingly O warily spoken to some and but some and those but a few friends One of the best reasons you gaue hitherto to extenuate the fault for the fewer were printed and the more sparingly and to the more few communicated the better But how comes it to be printed againe and againe and so lauishly communicated and dispersed euery where Is it not but by leaue and warrant of the Ordinary I assure you the author had extraordinary fauour to get the Ordinaries leaue and warrant for such a Popish Booke for beleeue me Orthodox Bookes and such as impugne Popery and Heresie and propugne the established Doctrine of the Church of England cannot haue the fauour to obtaine ordinary leaue and warrant to be printed but vpon to speake mildely extraordinary tearmes But goe on It hath therefore seemed good to AVTHORITY to giue leaue to the reprinting thereof and permitting the same to be sold to such as please to buy it onely for priuate vse as in former times way hath beene giuen to the printing of priuate Prayer-Bookes Stay there Me thinkes Mr Printer you begin to gather a great deale of confidence already I pray you if I may be so bold what authority is that which you so boldly build vpon and which you put in such Capitall Characters as if you would affright the Reader withall But good Subiects and honest men obey honour reuerence loue Authority are not terrified with it It is for such Printers that are so ready to print Mountebanke Arminianisme and cosâ—ning Popery as you haue done to be frighted with Authority for it carrieth not the sword for naught But if thou dost euill feare Did you neuer heare of one Tucker a printer in Queene Elizabeths raigne who for printing a Booke of Popish Deuotion was arraigned and though the Queens mercy saued his life yet he was confined to perpetuall imprisonment Yet you feare not not only to print reprint but to sell your booke to euery buyer to some who exchange it also for all other bookes which a little before was thought fit onely to communicate and but sparingly to some few friends being set forth at first onely for the vse of the party that bore the charge But do you make no more difference betweene this Popish booke of priuate Deuotions and other priuate prayer bookes formerly printed by Authority and as good Authority as you can bring any in this Church I pray you how long haue you beene a Mr. Printer But
a Young one I daâ—e say Or how many such bookes haue you printed by Authority Not many I am suâ—e of it though too many by any Surely it is but newly the change of the Moone siâ—ce such Bookes haue cropen vnder the wingâ— of Authority to fly abroad If you reckon but from seuen yeeres agoe there was then no such Authority extant in this Church that would appeare to giue allowance to such base bookes as this of your printing Therefore you see the case is altered But I trust his Maiestie when he comes to vnderstand how much his Authority transferred vpon others is dishonored will take order for the suppressing of such wicked bookes which you are so ready to reprint But all this while for I cannot but bee iealous of the honour of mine Ordinary in this kind I pray you in what maner was the Licence giuen Speake the truth For I heare that you had onely a loose Paper for your warrant not affixed to the booke much lesse as the ordinary maner is the Licencers hand to the booke So that were ye not deceiued Was it not some other booke of priuate Deuotion mentioned or meant in the Approbation Or if this were meant yet hath not the Author added or altered at his pleasure For the loose paper did it set downe how many sheets it contained A loose Approbation it was And I suspected that your Authority was none of the best or most authenticke you doe so braue it out in your capitall Characters But yet forasmuch as you had no other Approbation of this booke but onely an Indiuiduum vagum written in a loose Paper who I pray you gaue you Authority to set it so fast vpon the booke with the whole strength and waight of your Presse Doe you know what you haue done you haue hereby affixed and impacted such an Aspersion of dishonour vpon our Reuerend Diocâ—san and Ordinary as cannot be easily clawed off againe Therefore if you had had such a reuerend regard to the Ordinary as you ought you might both haue fauoured his honour and saued your owne stake keeping the loose Paper by you in your box as your acquittance or discharge But goe on with your learned Apologie Mr Printer Whereby it is presumed all well disposed Christians may receiue satisfaction that there is not in it such cause of dislike as it seemeth hath beene rumored But what if any yea a great many receiue not satisfaâ—tion Then it is to be supposed they are not of the number of well disposed But is there not in your Booke such cause of dislike as it seemeth hath beene rumored Whâ— Is it purged from all that Popish drâ—sse wherewith iâ— so aboundeth It is imagined no because it hath not yet felt the fire Or is it growne better now or brighter as Iron with wearing Or what I pray you is done to the Booke that all well disposed Christians may receiue satisfaction Now truely I confesse till now my dull pate did not apprehend your far fetcht reason But at last I perceiue it is AVTHORITY you build vpon for giuing satisfaâ—tion I promise you it is a strong argument to conuince the gain-sayer Therefore I pray you goe on And for the auoiding of all mistakings hereafter caâ—e is had to amend such escapes as either by the Printers haste or the Correctors ouersight were committed This clause ioyning close vpon the former confirmes me that I haue not mistaken your meaning in the point of satisfaction by Authority But if this your sentence had begun with For as For for the auoiding c. we should haue expected some spâ—ciall repuâ—gations of your booke as reasons to induce all well disposed Christians to receiue satisfaction But it is And which puts vs out of hope of any reason but downe-right Authority for satisfaction Well we must be faine to make the best of it and instead of expecting the correcting of your booke so backed with Authority begin to correct our owne mistakings What was it rumored that among other exorbitances this booke contained prayer for the dead Alas it was but a mistaking On whose part On the Printers or on the Correctors or on the disaffected Readers altogethâ—r But though disaffected Readers haue beene mistaâ—en yâ—t for the auoyding of all mistaking hereafter care is had That 's well I pray you good Mr Printer haue a speciall care that simple meaning mâ—n may not be mistaâ—en hereafter But what meanes or care will you vse for this preuention Care is had to amend such escapes as either by the Printers hast or the Correctors ouersight were committed Well I see yâ—t you are so iâ—genuous though your mâ—desty â—â—usheth to speak all you know as to acknowledge your selfe and your Corrector if it be your selfe that speakes all this while to be in some fault Although it were but an Escape or so and that committed either by the Printers haste or the Correctors ouersight It is wel yet that it proues not all this while some escape committed by the ouersight of the Collector vnlesse you haue here misprinted being full perhaps of perplexed thoughts howsoeuer you set a good face on it Corrector for Collector But for your part Mr Printer what needed such haste There was no feare least the Wardens comming to search should take your Canonicall houres nâ—pping for you had at least leaue and warrant from the Ordinary for your first edition though not as yet Authority in Capitall letters wherby this your second correction was set forth Nor were you printing then Burtons second part against Mountaguâ— or the like that you should be in such haste Or what haste was therâ— of that Booke It might well haue beene spared hitherto for ought I know As though the Jesuites seduce not fast enough without it But of all things good Master Printer beware of haste Did you neuer learne so much in your Latine Schoole for I am sure you haue learned to speake vnhappy English Canis sestinans caecos parit eatulâ—s And desire your Corrector to beware of ouersight for I haue knowne that betweene the Printers haste and the Correctors ouersight soule escapes haue beene committed as in the great Bible and I beshrow them for committing the least escape in that blessed Booke one tittle whereof shall not passe away nor escape vnfulfilled Iudas was printed for Iesus But I easily beleeue that was in good earnest either the haste of the Composer or the ouersight also of the Corrector without any circumstances or circumlocution Well an escape or ouersight acknowledged and corrected and withall a care had to preuent the like for afterwards makes a full amends for all Well for the care you promise we must take your word Yet forasmuch as you seeme here to speake in your owne defence that all the rumours about your printed Booke was but vpon some escapes of the Printer or ouersight of the Corrector you must giue vs leaue a little to examine the truth hereof by comparing your
first and second Impressions Now reading ouer diligently both the Bookes I find no difference at all betweene them but only about Prayer for the Dead which we last touched And there we caÌ„not come to discerne your escapes better then by setting downe so much of both the Copies one against the other as is requisite at least for the more full satisfaction of all well disposed Christians The first Impression Lord Iesus receiue my spirit And these to bée repeated vntill the soule be departed Then O thou Lamb of God c. The second Impression Lord Iesus receiue my spirit And these with the prayers following to be repeated vntill the soule be departed O thou Lamb of God c. Here wee obserue a huge difference betweene your Impressions And is this but an Escape or ouersight Certainly it is a very monstrous one and such as a man in his right wits could not easily commit vnlesse in some sit eyther of drunkennesse or madnesse But I spare you Let vs compare the rest With this Prayer O Lord with whom doe liue the Spirits of them that dye c. O Lord with whom dâ—e liue the Spirits of them that dye c. And a little after towards the end And that when the dreadfull day of the generall Iudgement shall come he may rise againe with the just and receiue THIS DEAD BODY which must now be buryed in the earth to bée joyned with his soule and â—e made pure and incorruptible for euer after in thy glorious Kingdome c. And that when the dread-day of the generall judgement shall come he may rise againe with the iust his body being reunited to his soule pure and incorruptible and be receiued into thy gâ—orious Kingdome c. Now Mr. Printer I will not alone take vpon me to judge of these your escapes but rather I referre you to the whole Bench of the most judicious and learned yea and those graue and honourable Sages of the Councell-board Onely this I dare say peremptorily that in the first impression there is an expresse and formall prayer for the Dead but in the second it is qualified and corrected and the case quite altered And yet is all this but an escape of the Printer or ouersight of the Corrector But was not the Author himselfe the Corrector was not his naturall affection earnestly busied in licking his young Beere while it past the Presse and receiued the perfect forme Or being an escape of the Printer how came not the Author himselfe or some of those his neere and deare friends for him first to espy the faults and so to haue them corrected before they came to be found out by others For surely he and his had reason first to read ouer that priuate first impression before it should come to open view it being a booke not of an ordinary stampe and which for the admirable ouerdaring of it was like to runne a most desperate hazzard But it seemeth they would put it to a hazzard They imagined that haply it might passe vnespied and then all would haue beene well enough and you might haue spared your labour of printing your Epistle Apologeticall before the second Impression But yet Mr. Printer you should haue done well which would the more haue cleered the credit of your excuse taking all the blame from the Author to haue cancelled all that Paper beginning O Lord with whom do liue c. Vnto these words Wee most meekely c. Putting all those first six lines among your Errata or Escapes For so much is a part of a gratulatory Collect vsed in the Communion Booke at the Buriall of the dead So that vnlesse this prayer stand still in force for a prayer for the Dead as it was in the first Impression it is very improper for your second and corrected Booke For euen your owne reason Mr. Printer may induce you to thinke that it is improper to vse a Collect for a mans buriall for him that is yet aliue vnlesse you would bury the man quicke And therefore me thinkes you were very ill aduised and seeme to haue for hast committed another fowle escape in that you did not thorowly aduise with your Author about a more exact correction of your escapes that so the booke vpon second and more mature cogitations might haue passed currant aboue all exception to the better satisfaction of all well disposed Christians But did you consult with your Author before you set vpon your correction It may be feared noe Otherwise it is hoped that the Author and his learned friends would haue thought better of the matter then to haue suffered such an absurdity to stand still in the Booke and that vpon a solemne correction And therefore what if they come vpon you and disauoning it themselues lay a further blame vpon you then hitherto you haue taken to your selfe For besides that such an improprietie brings their judgement in question they may seeme to take vpon them to be Innouators turning the Collects which the Church of England hath appointed for the publike buriall of the dead to the priuate visitation of the liuing sicke So that Mr. Printer for all your Apologies and Protestations it is to be feared that your Author will disclaime this your correction as not done by his direction but of your owne head it being left so full of Non sensâ—s and Non sequiturs And what if he shall call in this your corrected Booke and either put out those six lines or else bring his Authoritie for the first to stand in full force and then all will hold a due â—immetry and proportion It will then be the more tollerable to borrow a peece of the Church Collect being a thankesgiuing at the buriall of the Dead turne it into a prayer priuate at least for the dead then to vse it for the liuing But how it was shuffled vp among you you can best tell But tell me in good sadnesse Mr. Printer are you perswaded that any man but of common sense giues any credit to your Epistle Or do you thinke your selfe euer a whit the wittier or learneder that like a Parrot you haue powred it out being infused into you But Dignum patellâ Operculum Will any trow you take these grosse alterations and cobled breakes for Escapes of the Printer Neuer so befoole your selfe Notwithstanding one thing remaines vnaltered that in the same prayer he placeth the soules of Abraham Jsaac and Jacob in a certaine place which he calls the region of light but at the resurrection he allowes them Gods glorious Kingdome This Region of light in his prayer for the dead vnaltered may well be taken for some Limbus patrum different from Gods glorious Kingdome in the resurrection And Limbus and prayer for the Dead will well sort together But to returne to the rest of your Epistle I pray you goe on where we left You see what a trouble your Escapes haue put vs too Onely the Collector hereof and
perfection And now when all is done would the author with his bring vs backe at least to the brinke borders of Popery againe by his Canonicall houres and the like Being now men of ripe yeeres would he haue vs to become children againe And after we haue begun and gone on so farâ—e in the spirit now to be made perfect in the flesh by turning back to beggerly rudiments After the cleare meridian Sun-shine of the Gospell would he reduce vs to those duskish dawning shadowes out of which that first Horarium was but newly peeped but to last no longer then till time might more fairely shake hands with all Popish shadowes As the Iewish Ceremonies had a time euen after the establishing of the Gospell for their solemne obsequies But to conclude the plaine truth is to such a passe is Popery now come in these our dayes that if euer the Church of England ought henceforth to haue the least correspondence and conformity with it yea to be so farre from renewing any old acquaintance with it as vtterly to shake hands and if any ragges or reliques of that Whore haue beene patched to our Mothers Robe we ought to rip it off and strip our selues of it Rome is now fully reuealed to be the Whore of Babylon the Pope the head thereof to be that man of sinne that grand Antichrist which for any learned man not to see in these dayes of the Gospell is to stumble at Noone-day yea to be strucke blinde at the cleare light It followeth in the Title Taken out of the holy Scriptures the ancient Fathers and the diuine Seruice of our owne Church Here be three authorities the least whereof not to be contemned The first is that he saith his houres are taken from the holy Scriptures His quotations are strowed all along the booke but so as if we amasse all the generall precepts and particular practises of prayer in Scripture into one Canon or rule there should not be one houre or minute throughout the day and night which we should not spend altogether in prayer So that the abusiue vnderstanding of Scripture in this kinde was that which brought the Euchetâ— to do nothing else but pray The Scriptures commend to vs specially two times of publicke prayer for the day the Morning and the Euening prayer the one about our nine in the forenoâ—ne the other about three in the afternoone which our Church followeth these two were called the Morning and the Euening Sacrifice Hence it is that Christ began to bee offered from the Morning Sacrifice to the Euening Sacrifice as sanctifying all our Sacrifices of Prayer and Prayse Morning and Euening in that Sacrifice of himselfe But he speakes here of Priuate houres of Prayer And where will he find in Scripture any such practise as the obseruation of his Seuen Canonicall houres DANIEL prayed three times a day Yes DAVID saith Seuen times a day will I prayse thee But that 's of Prayse And though it may be meant also of Prayer it signifieth onely his frequent praying farre from a superstitious obseruation of Canonicall houres in those dayes not hatched or heard of But of Prayer he saith Euening and morning and at noone day will I pray c. But for all this mans colouring the matter with Holy Scripture he hath no other Scripture for his Canonicall houres but the Popes Scripture in his Decretalls where the Pope takes all his Canonicall houres from the actions about CHRIST in his death As in the Glosse Haec sunt septenis propter quae psallimus heris Matutina lâ—gat Christum qui crimina purgat Prima replet sputis causam dat Tertia mortis Sexta cruci nectit latus eius Nona bipaertit Vespera deponit tumulo Completa reponit Indeed the Scripture doth so command this excellent dutie of Prayer to vs as that no time should exempt vs from it but that we should be diligent in the practise of it vpon all occasions and especially keepe constantly ouâ— morning and euening sacrifice priuate and publike also as the day requireth Yea to let no oportunitie slip wherein we are not breathing out some eiaculations out of a sense and feeling of our manifold infirmities and necessities But nowhere doth the Scripture prescribe a set septenarie forme of Deuotion as the Authour would impose vpon vs. In the second place he nameth the Ancient Fathers But these faile him as much for his purpose as the Scriptures doe Indeed the Fathers doe euerie where following the Scriptures inculcate and prâ—sse the incessant practise of Prayer Hora nulla a Christianis excipitur quò minùs frequenter ac semper Deus debeat adorari c. saith CYPRIAN No houre is exempted from Christians that God might not frequently and alwayes be adored And he saith indeed that in his time the times and exercises of Prayer were much encreased Yet hee no where setteth downe seuen Canonicall houres Yea CLEMENS ROMANVS a great Authour with him though misquoted in his Constitutions which euen Pontificians themselues haue confessed to bee counterfeit yet fayle him at least in two of his houres as Câ—mplene and the last Onely GREGORY the Ninth fayles him not being as I said his first complete Authour of his seuen Canonicalls But after the Ancient Fathers in the third place hee nameth the Diuine Seruice of our owne Church out of which his Houres are taken Now surely for ought that euer I could learne out of our Seruice Booke I can find but two set Houres of Prayer besides certaines priuate Prayers recommended to priuate Families for Morning and Euening with a godly Prayer to bee said at all times in the latter end of the Booke Vnlesse out of this Prayer to bee said at all times hee would picke out his seuen Canonicall houres But whereas hee seemeth to ground the forme of his Deuotion vpon the Diuinâ— Seruice of our owne Church On the contrarie hee offereth foule violence to that more exact and profitable forme prescribed in our Liturgy For whereas the forme of Prayer in our Communion Booke is so compiled as that by a daily practise thereof the whole or most part of the OLD TESTAMENT is read ouer once in the yeere and the NEVV TESTAMENT three times and the whole Booke of PSALMES once euerie moneth The Authour or Authours of this Booke intruding a new forme of Deuotion hereby coozen GODS People of their allowance in the SCRIPTVRES while in stead of the whole hee cutteth out here a peece and there a peece here a quarter of a Chapter and there a quarter Herein crossing the Communion Booke which in the Preface fâ—atly reproueth this verie practise of the Authour in these words Now of late time a few of the Psalmes haue been daily said and oft repeated and the rest vtterly omitted And is it not so in this Booke of Deuotion Doth he not confine vs to a narrow circle of so many Psalmes so many peeces of Chapters so many Lawâ—eâ— as he calls them