the Old Testament from the apostles at their first conversion but suddenly they could not be translated into every language and till they were translated they could not be read in the congregation unto edifying The books of the New Testament could not be delivered untill they were written but they were not written all at once and when they were all written being sent to severall churches it must be some time before they could be gathered together and translated And if nothing be allowable in the church but what was found in the primitive churches planted by the apostles by record of scripture I fear the reading of the scriptures in a known tongue must be cast out of the congregations I go not about to equalize stinted Liturgies with set translations of the holy scriptures but I would intreat such as oppose a stinted Liturgie by these reasons to consider whether they do not put weapons into the adversaries hands to fight against the scriptures Again set forms of catechismes publick or private composed by the minister or devised by others used with liberty to adde or alter as occasion requireth are no more commanded of God then set forms of prayer nor no more in use in the apostolick churches Christ our Saviour the Prophets or Apostles have no more appointed the one then the other if all parts of holy and spirituall worship may be performed without a stinted Liturgie they may be performed also without a stinted or set catechisme and if a set form of prayer must be disallowed a set form of catechisme publick or private composed by the minister or devised by others must be condemned also But the antiquity excellency and necessity of catechizing is known to them who are exercised in the building and governing of the house of God the use and profit of a set form therein is both manifest by reason and confirmed by experience at home and abroad in publick and private to them who have laboured to lay the foundation of Christian religion and train up the people committed to their charge in sound wisdome and understanding And in these things we swerve not from our pattern because we teach and professe the same doctrine and worship God with the same worship and substantiall means of worship that the primitive churches and Christians did There is the same reason of reading the Apocrypha books of Maccabees and those that follow them in the congregation and of reading a stinted form of Liturgie and the same reasons that silence the Apocrypha will silence stinted prayers as well and as much When we prove the lawfulnesse of a stinted form of prayer by the stinted forms of psalmes and blessing mentioned in scripture it is thought answer sufficient to say There is great difference betwixt blessings or psalmes and prayer and yet here it is enough to match things unlike together and to say of them without all proof There is the same reason of both But if it have any sinews it will silence the singing of psalmes sermons professions of faith and conceived prayer no lesse then stinted especially the use of notes to help memory and forms of catechisme by whomsoever and howsoever used For there is the same reason of reading and uttering by heart in the congregation And if nothing but the canonicall scriptures must be read in the congregation nothing must be uttered by heart or strength of memory but the scriptures alone But sermons professions of faith conceived prayer are not canonicall scripture The reason is one and whatsoever can be answered truly in the one will put the other to flight If it be said That it is the prerogative of the scripture to be the rule of faith and manners and therefore nothing is to be read in the congregation as the ground undoubted and immediate of faith and manners but the scripture alone this openeth way for stinted prayer as well as for sermons or conceived prayer The substantiall means of worship both publick and private are determined of God It is unlawfull to set up an image for worship either publick or private The scripture must be acknowledged the sole rule of faith and manners both in publick and private It is unlawfull to devise sacramentall signes in private as well as in the congregation And if it be unlawfull to reade any other book in the congregation because the reading of the scripture is the onely approved medium cultûs by the same reason all forms of catechismes and singing of psalmes and reading or use of stinted praiers in the family are unlawfull And if the one be an image in the congregation the others are so in the family When the Lord had devised and appointed a perfume saith the authour of the Letter all men are forbidden to make a composition like that perfume Exod. 30. 35 37. So if it could be proved that Christ had made a form for the churches and believers alwayes when they pray then the offering up of any other prayers made by others or of our own devising would seem to be as unlawfull as the offering of strange incense Exod. 30. 9. Where it is implyed that seeing God hath determined no certain form therefore forms devised by men are not necessary but lawfull In the same manner they may be answered from their own grounds That seeing God hath sanctified and set apart the canonicall scriptures given by immediate Divine inspiration to be the sole and perfect rule of faith and manners therefore the scripture alone must be read and acknowledged as the sole ground of heavenly instruction But seeing he hath determined no certain form of prayer or sermons professions of faith or thanksgiving therefore either none at all must be made or forms devised by men are lawfull to be heard in the congregation yet not as immediate and undoubted grounds of faith for that is proper to the scripture but as instructions and exhortations builded upon or petitions framed according to the scripture as present occasion doth require In sermons who doth not put a difference betwixt the text whereupon the discourse instructions exhortations rebukes comforts be grounded deduced the exhortations rebukes comforts which are propounded in method phrase of speech devised by men The first is ought to be canonicall scripture the other not so But it would argue great ignorance if not perversenesse if a man should cavill in this manner against the preaching of the word That the scriptures alone are to be read in the congregation therefore the minister of the Gospel must simply reade the scripture but never give the meaning nor make application In the Primitive church sundry councels have forbidden the reading of any books as parts of Divine worship but canonicall scripture onely of the Old and New Testament but no councel ever condemned the use of a stinted Liturgie Those churches which forbad the reading of any books which be without the canon did
that dislike a stinted form of prayer will not allow of the conclusion which M r Smith would inferre As for the reason it self whatsoever can be truly spoken of the excellency profit and use of conceived prayer we freely and willingly admit but betwixt it and stinted prayer there is no such disagreement that if the one be praised the other must needs be cast out of doores if the one be allowed the other must needs be a breach of the second commandment Nature teacheth that from the abundance of the heart the mouth should speak and in the use of a stinted form repeated by memory or read upon a book the mouth speaketh from the abundance of the heart else in the stinted use of psalms prayers or prayses the saints of God recorded in scripture spake not from the heart If no example of any holy man since Christ be recorded in scripture who hath tendered his prayers to God in a stinted form of words or read them out of a book is this any thing against that practice Is not the approved practice of the church of the Jews grounded upon reasons common to them and us and of perpetuall equity sufficient to justifie an act or order though no example can be brought for it out of the new testament I have not heard nor read of such an exception in a matter of this nature in any writer old or new Popish or Protestant and consider I pray what dangerous consequences would follow thereupon I will not presse them because upon second thoughts I make no question it will appear farre amisse If in that particular of stinted prayer we find not example will it not suffice if from grounds of scripture we can prove it lawfull and that all things required in prayer may be observed in a stinted form If in that particular there be none examples will it not suffice that analogicall examples of things of the same nature and kind may be produced And then it will not be hard to find examples since Christ for the use of stinted prayer as we shall shew hereafter But what if none example could be produced of that or the like practice The scripture doth not descend to give particular commandment or example for every thing perteining to order or manner of administration of Divine things It is sufficient that there be generall rules found for that purpose according to which particulars must be directed Nay which is more sundry things are not onely lawfull but necessary for which you can bring no example out of the word of God neither before nor since Christ I will spare to mention particulars because I would not teach profane men to wrangle God may have as much honour or more in our publick assemblies if a stinted form were not used And this is a certain truth That whatsoever the worship and service of God may spare without detriment either to the honour of God or edification of Saints is superfluous and so but a vain invention If all this be granted it will not follow that a stinted form is against the second commandment of the same common nature with an image For in publick administration of Gods service in the outward order method and phrase many things are laid aside by the most and might be spared by all men which are against no commandment And the like may be said of sundry observations The custome of godfathers and godmothers in baptisme of calling an assembly by the sound of a bell of buriall in church-yards might be spared and yet not against the second commandment When there be many wayes or means whereby a thing may be atteined it is not an idle invention ordinarily to choose the one or other as seemeth expedient M r Robinson disputeth thus against our stinted form of prayer It cannot be an ordinance of Christ because the church may perfectly and entirely worship God without it with all the parts of holy and spirituall worship as did the apostolick churches for many yeares before such Liturgie was devised or imposed I should think both these reasons carry the same sense sc That that may be spared without which the church may perfectly and entirely worship God with all parts of holy and spirituall worship And if that be the meaning then I deny that to be a superfluous or vain invention which might be spared without detriment either to the honour of God or edification of Saints For set forms of blessing catechismes administration of the sacraments be not superfluous and vain inventions and yet all parts of Gods spirituall worship may perfectly and entirely be performed without them The use of a set translation of holy scripture to be read in the congregation by such or such portions or sections is no vain invention the distribution of it into chapters and verses the quotation of chapter and verse the marginall references are no superfluous devises and yet the church may perform all parts of Gods worship entirely and perfectly without these as did the apostolick churches The prescribing of a set form of psalmes to be sung by all the people jointly together is no superfluous devise and yet it may be spared without detriment either to the honour of God or edification of the people as it was in the apostolick churches for many years Of which more in the next chapter Set forms of confessions of churches set forms of professions of faith to be used in the publick worship of God be not vain inventions and yet you may say of them as you do of stinted forms of prayer They may be spared There is no example for them in scripture since Christ The word consubstantiall is not necessary as without which the doctrine of that truth of the Divinity of our Saviour Christ cannot be mainteined for that were to accuse the holy pen-men of scripture yet was it not an idle or superfluous invention In some reformed churches before preaching-time the church assembled hath the scriptures read in such order that the whole canon thereof is oftentimes in one yeare run through In others there is no such order of simple reading but besides their set sermons two chapters are paraphrastically expounded with the principall points thereof taken and applyed unto their auditours Neither of these simply necessary nor yet superfluous inventions To kneel in prayer yea to prescribe that men shall ordinarily kneel in publick prayer if with conveniency they may is not an idle invention and yet men may pray sitting standing falling upon the face Men may meet together to worship God at fit time in convenient place observe due order method moderation in length according to the abilities and necessities of the people without rules and prescriptions for that purpose and yet rules prescriptions and precedents are not idle inventions And though it be possible to worship God aright and further the edification of his Saints as much without as with a set form yet a set form of prayer devised
derogatorie to the honour fruit and benefit of Christs ascension Christ ascending up on high hath given gifts unto men for the work of the ministery as well for prayer as for doctrine and preaching added also for baptizing administration of the Lords supper catechizing blessing confession and profession of faith and singing of psalmes And if a stinted form of prayer be derogatory to the honour of Christs ascension for the same reason a stinted form in all or any of these is derogatory likewise Christ hath given gifts unto men for doctrine or preaching is it therefore unlawfull for the minister of the Gospel to make use of translations commentaries linguists controversie-writers c. to help and furnish him the better in this work is this to derogate from the fruit and benefit of Christs ascension Ability to preach is a gift which Christ bestoweth upon his servants but I hope they will not say he is unmeet to be a minister of Christ that doth penne his sermons and ordinarily deliver them in that method and stinted phrase which he hath premeditated or that his so doing is dishonourable to the fruit and benefit of Christs ascension And it will be a difficult thing to give a substantiall reason why a stinted prayer and not a penned sermon should be so challenged Christ hath given to his ministers ability to pray in their measure but not in such measure as they should need no help nor such abilities of speech or utterance as that every minister should be so enabled to pray in fitting words according to present occasions as not to need some help studie and meditation yea to digest his meditations into a stinted form of words And this stinted form delivered upon premeditation out of memory is a prescript form in the judgement of our brethren But let us grant what can never be proved that every minister hath the gift of speech and utterance that he needeth no help or furtherance upon any suddain occasion what will follow If they be so endued it will be said there is no warrant for others to prescribe nor for themselves to reade over such stinted prayers What not An able minister hath discretion and wisdome to know what portion of scripture is meet to be read and how much hath the church no warrant then to appoint what books chapters or sections shall ordinarily be read nor the minister warrant to observe that appointment A learned Grecian or Hebrician is able to translate a book or chapter in the Old or New Testament as well peradventure better then it is in our ordinary translations may not the church then ordain one translation usually to be read Let me intreat our brethren to view the strength of this reason in another of the same form which I certainly perswade my self they will not allow and it is this Reading of translations in the worship of God is unlawfull because it doth contradict the gifts bestowed by Christ upon the church for the work of the ministery and derogateth from the vertue of Christs ascension and dignity of his kingdome and blemisheth Christs bounty to and care of his church and may be performed by a child perfectly well For it may be said If Christ hath given gifts unto men for the work of the ministery he hath given ability also to translate the scriptures or else translations are not necessary And if Christ hath given gifts to his servants to translate the scriptures or translations be not necessary then they have no warrant to reade nor others authority to prescribe any set translation It may also be added That God will be worshipped with our own not with another mans with that which cost us something not with that which cost us nothing with our own gifts not with other mens But for one ignorant of the originals to reade the translations is to offer unto God that which cost him nothing to serve God with other mens not with his own gifts The conclusion our brethren will not acknowledge but whatsoever they can soundly answer to the premisses will with the same labour untie the knot of their own argument God is to be served with the best But a minister is enabled to pray better according to the occasion then possibly he can be in a stinted form Cursed be the deceiver which hath a male in his flock and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing If these ministers then and others have a better sacrifice of prayer and thanksgiving then their service-book as their own practice both publick and private when they have liberty sheweth they have and that so themselves judge let them learn to fear him that is a great King and whose name is terrible even the Lord of hosts The Lord will be worshipped with the best we have and he is accursed that having a male for sacrifice doth offer a corrupt thing to the Lord Mal. 1 14. If this be granted that every minister is enabled to pray better according to the present occasion then possibly he can be directed in a stinted form which can never be proved by text of scripture or sound reason drawn from thence in like manner a man may and some have argued against the reading of translations God will be served with the best we have but there is no one translation the best we have for a minister may be able to render a chapter sentence or verse more significantly then the translation hath it And yet I suppose no minister will refuse to use a sound and good translation though it be here and there lesse significant nor take liberty in reading to alter it at pleasure lest liberty herein should teach gracelesse and ungodly people to wrangle against the scriptures themselves In preaching and disputing men may and do note the significancy of the phrase which cannot so fully be expressed in a translation and more fully interpret what is not so plain and full as might be desired but in reading the scriptures in the congregation great warinesse is to be used lest boldnesse to correct occasion doubts in the weak and embolden the ungodly to carp against religion And if a minister may be tyed to the use of a sound good translation though not in every jot or tittle the best that may be this reason hath lost its sinews Universall propositions duly limited may be of great use whereas if extended too farre they are dangerous in application It is true if we speak of Gods incomprehensible goodnesse excellency glory and dominion that more love and service is due to God then he requireth in his word or possibly can be given by men or Angels It is true we are bound to whatsoever duty the Lord requireth in his law for matter manner and measure to whatsoever he obligeth us unto upon speciall occasion or inciteth us unto by the heroicall motions of his Spirit which must not be resisted It is also most true that the creature cannot
maketh our joyning with the assembly sinfull to us whereas if the evils were unexpected the danger would not be alike And thus it was with them who congregated to heare the scribes and Pharisees It is not for them that earnestly oppose all humane inventions to ward off a blow by humane devises When God commandeth my presence at his ordinance why should the corruption foreknown in the manner of administration without my consent or approbation any more defile then that which falleth out unexpected Or if it should nothing can be alledged more impertinently For the corruptions of the Pharisees in perverting the law were ordinary and common well known to all men and so reproved by our Saviour as a thing notorious And the like may be said of the disorders in the churches of Corinth and Rome for if the knowledge thereof came to the Apostle absent and at that time in prison by the information of the brethren of necessitie it must be known to the members of the churches The faithfull therefore when they joyned in the ordinances of worship with these assemblies neither did nor could pretend ignorance of these things There is a broad difference to be put betwixt the sinne committed by persons with whom I communicate and the corruption put upon the ordinance in which I communicate If the sinne of him with whom I communicate be manifest and known the ordinance of God is corrupted by it one way or other And if I be defiled with all known corruption whatsoever it is not materiall to the point in hand how those corruptions differ in their specificall nature The question is Whether all presence at the ordinances of God in some respect corruptly or disorderly administred contract guilt in him that is onely present in obedience to Gods commandment and hath no calling from God to testifie peculiar or speciall dislike It may be of some use here to shew what corruptions be fundamentall and what not what pernicious to be tolerated and what not when a man hath a calling to testifie against abuses and when not But to speak of the specificall difference betwixt abuses of the same kind or degree is quite wide of the mark This will easily be yielded because communion in the ordinances of worship is as well denied when wicked men are admitted to the sacrament as when it is administred in a devised or stinted Liturgie as it is called It was never questioned by right-believing Christians but the faithfull by Gods approbation might hold communion with the churches in the ordinances of worship for some ages after the death of the apostles The church continued a virgin all the dayes of the apostles as Hegesippus noteth But immediately after their death innumerable evils crept in began to spring amain neverthelesse the faithfull might did and ought to hold communion together in the proper and substantiall means of worship That many things were amisse in the churches is not denied and that the faithfull through ignorance did offend in many things but in this that they held communion notwithstanding such abuses amongst them they are blamelesse For a time the faithfull did lie hid in Babylon by Gods approbation untill the exhortation was given from heaven to come out of her and touch no unclean thing Not that they might touch any unclean thing at any time that is either in practice or consent and liking stain themselves with the corruptions of the world But that they might lie hid in the midst of much confusion and neither like nor consent unto the evils which they did bewail but could not reform That exhortation from heaven Come out of her my people come out of her c. some interpret of a locall departing out of the citie of Rome as Lot went out of Sodom and that interpretation the text seemeth to favour because the very outward destruction of the place is in that chapter menaced and therefore the removing out of the very place in avoydance of the mischief coming upon it forewarned But most commonly it is applied to a spirituall coming out of Babylon in separating from the societie and communion of that church wherein they could lie hid no longer without defilement And hence some conclude that this departure was to be made at a certain definite time when God was pleased to go before the faithfull and furnish them for this end and purpose But untill the time of freedome was proclaimed the faithfull did and might so lie hid in Babylon as not to be partakers of her sinnes For there is a certain order of the Revelation fitted to the order of times And as there is a time to speak and a time to keep silence but no time to lie so there is a time for the church to figh and lie hid but no time to dissemble or defile her self And as the Israelites offended not when they removed not out of Egypt before Moses was sent thither of God so neither did the faithfull transgresse in that they departed not out of Babylonish captivitie before they were called of God the time of liberty was proclaimed and God shewed them whither to flie To live in captivitie untill freedome be published is a misery not a sinne In that condition care must be to keep pure and undefiled but not to run away without leave or licence from God Whatsoever is to be thought of this application of the text herein all orthodox interpreters consent and agree that after the church was stained with manifold abuses the faithfull did and ought to hold communion with her in the means of worship But if simple presence be approbation of every thing that is judged to be done amisse in the worship of God a Christian could at no time that can be named in no age since the death of the apostles hold communion with the church of God in the ordinances and means of grace For it is as lawfull to be present at the worship prayers or administration which is read out of a book in some things faulty as to be present at that service where the scriptures are read out of a translation in many things faulty and corrupt in which many things are added diminished altered and changed But in the primitive churches the faithfull must be present if at all at the worship of God when the scriptures were read out of a faulty translation For to say nothing of the corruptions of the Seventy Interpreters which as Bellarmine confesseth had gathered many stains and blots in three hundred yeares of necessity the translations which were derived from it of which sort were most in the primitive church can be no lesse corrupt For no man before Hierome ever translated the books of the Old Testament out of the originall into Latine but out of the Seventy And the same may well be thought of most vulgar translations where the Greek or Latine were not in
ordinary reading of the Law in the assemblies upon the Sabbath is not commanded by Moses either to the priests or Levites no mention is found of any such practice for a long time together We find not for a long time that the Jews had any synagogues for the ordinary assembling of the people and the Law could not be read in their synagogues untill they were built Will our brethren hence conclude either that the scriptures were not read in the assemblies or that it was a devise of man to reade them in their synagogues It is not good to lay grounds for such conclusions If M r Ainsworths testimony be of any value then mark what he testifieth from the famous Jew Maimonie in Misneh treatise of prayer That the church of the Jews had no stinted Liturgie Annot. on Deut. 6. 13. Our wise men have said saith Maim What service is this with the heart It is prayer And there is no number of prayers by the Law neither is there any set form of this by the Law c. If M r Ainsworth be not crosse to himself he cannot deny the use of a stinted form amongst the Jews in the celebration of the passeover of a stinted form free and voluntary not necessary as prescribed of God And that which is here cited out of Maimonie is no way repugnant thereunto For he speaketh not of the passeover or any observations in the celebration thereof but of prayer and that private by one alone and not publick in the assembly or congregation Now the Jews might well use a stinted form in the celebration of the passeover when yet by the law there was no number set nor form prescribed for private prayer These two may well agree After long search no copy can be found of any stinted Liturgie in use among the Jews till they ceased to be the church of God which is a poore and weak proof of the lawfulnesse of a stinted Liturgie amongst Christians It followeth not that they never had or used a set form because it is not to be found at this day For many monuments of antiquity are perished Again though forms which now are extant were not entire as now they be untill they ceased to be a church yet many things conteined in them might be in use before So it is in the counterfeit Liturgies which goe under the name of James Mark Basil and Chrysostom they contein many things which shew the whole composure to be late in comparison whereas divers things in them mentioned were of more ancient use in the church of God And if this do not please though there never was any stinted Liturgie or form of prayer to be used in all their synagogues and assemblies yet that is no reason to question the truth of that which the learned have observed touching the stinted form used in the celebration of the passeover and the probabilities at least they bring to shew that our Saviour Christ approved the same which is all that is affirmed in the argument and maketh more for the lawfulnesse of a stinted form of Liturgie then any thing that hath been objected against it As for the reformed churches we are not to consider what they do but what they ought to do It is most true but we must consider wisely and not censure unadvisedly The churches of God are companies of men called out of this world in part onely inlightned subject to errour they have erred they may erre their sole testimony cannot be the ground of divine faith and assurance Neverthelesse the constant judgement of the churches of God for many ages in a matter of this nature in the times of reformation when clouds and darknesse are expelled when the sunne is risen and great light given to the scriptures by the benefit of languages translations and commentaries I say the judgement of the churches at these times and in a matter of this nature is not lightly to be regarded A man should try and examine his grounds and reasons and mistrust himself rather then so many wise learned and godly sweetly consenting in a matter of this nature unlesse his evidence be very good He had need be well advised before he charge them to maintein a worship not allowed an idole-prayer for the spirituall worship of God a strange form of prayer which was never approved whereat a Christian may not safely be present against which he is bound to witnesse Be it that the churches do erre herein yet I hope they be not obstinate and such as will not give consent to the truth when it is shewed and manifested How cometh it then to passe that none of them hitherto have subscribed to their opinion and practice Either their arguments are not sufficient to convince and then their Separation is unjust or they generally want eyes to see the light for they will not say they want conscience to acknowledge what they cannot but see and then in meeknesse they are to be born withall if upon well tried grounds a man be assured that they all and not he himself is in the errour The testimony of the church then is not infallible because it may erre and hath erred and some members of it at this day do erre in the particular differences that be amongst them but yet the constant testimony of the whole church in the times of light and reformation is of great weight otherwise the Apostles would never alledge the practice and consent of churches to confirm the faithfull and stop the mouthes of the contentious We must look to the primitive churches planted by the apostles who are patterns to them and us But the apostolick churches for many yeares had no such Liturgie devised or imposed And therefore it is no ordinance of Christ because the churches may perfectly and entirely worship God without it with all the parts of holy and spirituall worship We freely confesse it to be no ordinance of Christ by speciall institution nor part of his worship It sufficeth that it is allowable in the worship and consonant to the generall rules given in scripture but not of absolute necessitie Whether any stinted forms of prayer were in use in the apostolick churches is more then can be affirmed certainly or denyed That the apostles prescribed none as necessary that is easily beleeved because no mention of it That none was in use our Divines will neither peremptorily affirm nor deny But if that be granted it is no prejudice to a stinted Liturgy nor to the churches apostolick who are to be our patterns For it is more then probable that many assemblies had not the scriptures read in a known tongue at their first planting it is more then can be shewed by precedent or example that they were read in any Christian congregation Some churches converted by the preaching of the Gospel had neither books nor letters It may be others received the book of