and an addition added to Psa 24. corrupting the text and applying that to Jacob which is spoken of God and divers additions more which we will not reckon Now a taste of Omissions or leavings out Sect. as all the titles of the Psalms being as other holy scripture given by Holy Inspiration and very useful yea and Mr. In his Preface to the Psalmes Bucer learnedly and divinely affirmeth are as so many keys to unlock and open the door that letteth into the understanding of the Psalms Hallelujah is left out of the 72 Psalm the Book omitteth Praise ye the Lord seventeen times and putteth in Gloria Patri Lastly amongst divers other Omissions on which we cannot insist the comfortable Conclusion of the Lords Prayer is left out They have drowned in this Book 160 Chapters according to their own account of Canonical scripture amongst which are whole books as the Chronicles Canticles and the most part of the Apocalyps is left out in place whereof the Apocrypha is placed and that as they say tending more to Edifying yea and some Chapters also wherein are palpable untruths as Ecclesiasticus 49. Judith 9. Tobit 5. the last two of these Books being Fabulous A President of these foul Abuses of scripture are found no where in the world but in the Popish Mass-book To this we may subjoyn that Prophaning grosse abuse of Epistles und Gospels in which there are three strange and remarkable Occurrences for which there is no Ground or Reason but from the Masse-book and Masse-mongers First what reason is there that in the Masse-Book and in our Liturgie the Acts of the Apostles and Prophets yea any book of the old Testament the books of Genesis excepted by them should be called Epistles as Acts 7. on Stephens day Rev. 14. on Innocents day Joel 1. Esay 50. Secondly Sect. there is never a full passage or whole place but scraps and shreads as the beginning of one Chapter and ending of another and in this they deal with the Word as Mezentius dealt with his beds he cut them and lengthened them to serve his own cruel humours and not for the good of his guests If Kings will not have their Writs by confusion of names wronged much less the King of Kings who is the God of Order Thirdly and lastly Sect. at the Epistles there is silence sitting and what every one will but at the Gospels there is standing scraping Ruper l. 4. fol. 49 bowing and a response before and after as every one of these were to serve some piece of Superstition or other so the reasons given by Papists are as ridiculous as the things are Superstitious it is enough to name them in general that the maintainers of the Liturgy may be ashamed to alledge them and better of their own they have not We therefore desire your Honours to cast a regardful eye upon the wronged and much abused Word Ier. 1.12 and not as passers by as Jeremy speaks in a case much like but as supream judges here on earth to vindicate Gods dishonour done to him in his Ordinances Chrysost 2 Thes 2 Gods Word as the Fathers speak in his Epistle not in that sense they call Prophesies Epistle wherein he commends many lovely favours to us yea his Testament wherein he leaves and bequeaths many rich legacies to us If Kings Monarchs should deal so with us would we suffer them to be abused corrupted altered cut in pieces No we would count them our deadly enemies that should do so also traytors to the King What an eye of indignation then should your Honours cast upon such grosse abusing of the Word of the Epistle and Will of the Omniscient and Omnipotent God If clipping corrupting or counterfeit coyning be Treason by the Law how much more and in a higher degree is it to deal thus wiih the Word Yea and more than that to maintain this and cause Ministers to subscribe to it being no less than Treason against the high and mighty God Culpam deprehensam pertinaciter tueri culpa altera est Pertinaciously to maintain a fault openly discovered is a greater fault than the former on whom whether Nation or Person will the Lord rest upon saith the Lord by the Prophet Esay but upon him that trembleth at my word that is a humble soul not onely moved to obedience to it in it self but further out of that reverence that it beareth to the Word it will not as much as in it lyeth suffer the word to be abused by others as one speaks of the Papists that corrupting the Fathers they rather make them their sons to speak what they will have them then Fathers indeed Just so doth that book and the Champions for it Discovery of corrupt translations make the word thus dealt with none of Gods but their own If a Minister adde or take away from the Service-book it is made matter of inditement but they it seems may adde take away alter and corrupt what they will without controlement Preface this course gives a shrewd randcounter to our learned and Orthodox Writers against the Papists witnes Doctor Fulk his Answer to Campian discovering the evils of the Apocripha Gregory Martin recoils thus upon the learned worthy that by those words he condemned their own service-Service-book which appointed those Books to be read Having thus proceeded against the servick-Servick-book Sect. for its false translations additions omissions misnominations we come now to some more particular untrurhs in the Book and that partly by false or misapplication of Scripture partly by coyning things that have no shew or ground for them partly by establishing some Popish expositions Lastly by confirming and pressing upon Ministers and people a heap of Popish and Idolatrous Ceremonies a touch of every one will suffice For the first Sect. be pleased to look upon that egregiously abused place or Christ abused and dishonoured by their dealings with the place namely Rev. 12.7 Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon c. which words the Book appoints for the Collect for Michaels day where they make Christ by misapplying the place a created Angel for the place is meant of Christ neither can it agree to any other for which we have a cloud of witnesses not only from the universal concourse of the learned and Orthodox Writers as Fathers and modern Authors as Austin Ambrose Musculus Calvin Beza Doctor Fulk Doctor Willet and many others but also from the very name Michael proper only to Christ who vers 10. is called Christ And further from the scope of the place to set out Christ and his Angels encountering Satan and his Angels And lastly other places of Scripture parralleling the truth of this sense Dan. 10.13 12.1 1 Thes 4.16 Judg. 9. Angels here under their General Christ are said to be on Earth in the Church Militant for that is meant by Heaven and here they are said to die which suteth not with Heavenly Spirits the Rhemists indeed hold
A Minister to preach in his own charge without a Licence or in a cloake 2. A Father at Baptisme to offer to the Minister his own child and undertake for the Infants education and so prevent an high presumption of others who may be witnesses but not undertakers promising for the child that which they neither can nor ever intend to do 3. Some going to another Parish to hear Sermons which at baptisme they are exhorted unto when they have none at home 4. Some meeting together to read the Scriptures and good Bookes allowed to be printed to sing Psames and pray together 5. A poor man and in need to work vpon an holy day for reliefe of his poor family 6. A Minister or a Deacon having unworthily taken those callings upon them to leave the same upon trouble of Conscience because they find themselves to be utterly unfit and to betake themselves to some more fit course of life 7. One for having his Hat on 8. An other for not standing up at the Creed others for not bowing or not putting the Hat off which they may not have on more at the name of Jesus than at Lord and Saviour Christ These and other such like who dare to present for sins offences crimes and faults before God And yet Church-wardens and Sidemen do so to the grievous wronging of their own souls Oh take pitty take pitty of this their perjury and sinful swearing bringing a curse upon them That a Bishop in his visitations do go abroad to visit and not force all Ministers and many old men to come to him many miles when he is but one and they very many for this is a making of them to visit him and not he them but all this is to spare his own pains and his own purse that which he gets at such Visitations may be his without any expences Provident Prelates SECT VI. Of the Praelatical Churches THe Praelatical Churches besides their private Chappels are the great and vast Cathedrals or other Collogiate Churches Dependents of these 26. Great Deanes next unto Bishops with their Attendents and Servants 544. Canon Residents and Prebendaries The rest also are many hundreds As Their Vicars Peticanons Singing men and boyes Choristers Organists Gospellers and Epistlers Virgers and who else appertain to this idle and fat fraternity A 300. or 400. Thousand pounds yearly in lands Rents Leases and other Revenues and profits do thereto belong Quaere Whether such idle Droans are worthy of so much for their service such as it is Whether Jesus Christ cannot be better served with farr less cost and better pleased Whether all these thousands might not be better employed to greater good in the training up of thousands in divine and humane Learning As thus 1 That never a Dean have any Pastoral charge but be continuall resident at the Cathedral Church being a godly and learned Doctour there to read twice or thrice a week a Divinity Lecture and interpret the Scriptures II. That all the Canon residents be also without Pastoral charges and that they be learned grave and godly Divines or else others in their stead chosen out of the Universities to assist the Doctour Deane in and about spiritual and divine exercises daily to study controversies cases of conscience and some special Tracts of Divinity c. that other Ministers in the Countrey may come thither for help and for better information of judgement as need shall require III. That the greater part of the rest of the Prebendaries be turned into special selected Schollers Graduates out of either University such as for natural gifts their Learning in Tongues and Arts and pious disposition by grace do give very good hopes to become good Divines and here trained up under the Deane and the other Divines for the ministery IV. That seven of the best Prebends be allotted to seaven learned men to become Schoolemasters to teach Scholers Every Schoolemaster to be accurately skilful in one Art and secondly to have ability withal to teach the said Art to his Scholers with some speed and dexterity The 1 To teach to write very fair 2 To teach Musick 3 To teach Grammer only 4 To teach Rhetorick 5 To teach Poetry 6 To teach the Greek tongue 7 To teach the Hebrew That their Schollers may come thus furnished to the Universities there to learn Logick and other Arts and to take the degrees of Schooles Every Master must make known the aptness and untowardnesse of every Scholler that the Master may not be troubled with uncapable boyes V. That the Vicars Peticanons singing men and boyes with the rest be turned into Schollers ingenious Lads pickt out here and there from among mean mens children to be brought up under the aforenamed Schoolmasters to be after sent to the Vniversities and maintained there by some Revenues belonging to the Cathedrals that so they may be taken thence if they prove not unworthy and brought back again as places be void to be trained up for the ministry By all these in the Cathedral Churches Gods publick worship Morning and Evening might be performed And by this pious and profitable transformation of these Cathedrals 1. When any Benefice falls void hither may the Patrons come for a learned and godly Minister taking their choise 2. If any Pastour happen to be sick or have just occasion to be absent hither may he send for one to supply his place for preaching and prayer he till be well or return home Were this so happily done who could but approve thereof if godly and wise hearted The humble Petition THat the goodly Revenues belonging to these Cathedrals be employed to some such good and godly use as the wisdome of the state shall think fit for better advancement of Gods glory Learning and Religion then now they be That the so many needles Prebendaries might not be allowed nor to take up so great summes as some do for preaching 2. or 3. Sermons a year either by themselves or by some other whom they can hire for a noble or an angel a time That the so many gifts of livings in the hands of Bishops Deanes Archd. and the rest be looked into for better bestowing thereof then they commonly be SECT VII Of the Praelatical Service THe Praelatical Service is the Cathedral service consisting in these things 1. In a long wearisome Liturgie read after a finding manner syllable and words drawn out unto a tedious length wh ch Liturgy is framed out of 3 Romish books the Breviary Purtuis and the mass book so as King James said of it that its an ill said Masse from which it needeth purging and from some vain repetitions and from a corrupt translation of holy Scriptures and other abuses thereof 2. In an unedifying singing and piping on Organs 3. In superstitious crynging to the name Jesus towards the Altar towards the East 4. In a formal observation of Habits Surplesses Hoods Copes variety of gestures and ceremonious devotious devised by men Quaere Whether such a
Book to inform thee of the Truth and as the Scripture saith if the Truth make us free we shall be free indeed THE ANATOMY OF THE COMMON-PRAYER-BOOK CHAP. I. The Preface AS Loyalty to King and Country is the very fortress and wall of Polity being Commanded and commended both by the Laws of God and nature so Pure and undefiled Religion James 1.27 is the Fountain and Rock of approved Loyalty yea equity charity sobriety and loyalty are the Virgin daughters of unspotted Piety as the foresaid place witnesseth we could be large in this Theme but wee hasten to the Particular the subject whereof is one of the weightiest Peeces that yet hath been presented namely The Service-book which notwithstanding the present surfeit of Books yet we hope it shall finde a place in the most serious and judicious thoughts we may well call it with the Comick Fundi nostri calamitas The overwhelming storm of the Purity of worship for as it is true No Ceremony no Bishop because the Ceremonies are the pitchy wings whereon they fly so it is as true that no Service-book no Ceremony for that is the Magazine of nimble Ceremonies Doctor Boyes in his Epistle Dedicatory to Richard Canterbury upon his Exposition of the Lyturgy complains heavily yet causelesly that the Lyturgy is crucified between two Malefactors on the left hand Papists on the right hand Schismaticks meaning Puritans both of these hee calls Foxes but by a just retortion wee shall set the saddle on the right Horse and shall make it appear that the Purity of Christ his worship in this Land hath long been crucified between two Theeves namley that Superstitious and Popish Liturgy and rank Atheism varnished with Superstition to whom wee may well apply that saying of Luther Praefat. in Com. in Gal. They are tied together by their tayls to do mischief though by their heads they seem to bee contrary and though wee have no time to run over the Common Places of Atheism and Superstition and to shew how like Pilate and the Superstitious Jews they concur to the crucifying of Christ in his Worship yet thus much the Scripture witnesseth and experience proveth and we humbly desire your Honours to mind it That all Superstition and the Purity of Gods Worship ever have been and shall be at continual wars and can no more dwell under one roof than a chaste Spouse and a Proud inveigling Strumpet or no more in one Temple than Dagon and the Ark. Geneca Superstitio est res insana Superstition saith one is a mad thing and so indeed it is for it is contrary to the wisdome of the Word and of the Spirit which are the ground and life of the Worship of God Superstitio est vitium contrarium Religioni Superstition is a sin opposite to Religion saith Aquinas which is very clear from the nature and rise of it Sere secund q. 92. Art 19 for as Religion is a worshiping of God according to his will Quisquis praeceptis Coelestibus obtemperavit is culior est Whosoever follows the Divine Precepts hee is a worshipper of God saith Lactant. but superstition carrying the very nature in the name of it Lib 6. c. 2 tels us that it is Supra statutum over and above the Statutes of God the word in the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if it should signifie the sear of the Devil and the signification suits very well with the nature of the thing for when a Man coyneth a Worship to himself he recedeth so far from the fear of God and whereas the Devil is the Author of all Superstitious worship whether it be of another God or of the true God after a way of self-device or will-worship then it may be truly called the fear of the Devil as the true Worship of the true God is notioned under the name of his fear this Superstition shutteth up the way to the Jews conversion and openeth the mouths of Atheisticall Gentiles against the Profession of all Religion in derision whereof Averroes speaks tauningly thus In Metaphys 12 Sit anima mea cum Philosophis quia Christiani adorant quod edunt Let my soul be with the Philosophers because the Christians adore that which they eat So may the Jews take occasion to say Let our souls be with the Old Ceremonies sith the Christians New Ceremonies are so foppish and ridiculous having no footing from the Word of God But to bring the charge to the Particular in hand if our Lyturgy be not a Mass of Superstition and Superstitious Ceremonies we profess we know not what Superstition is to instance it in one Particular namely in the grand Ceremony of Adoration or kneeling at the Sacrament hath it not been the staff and strentgh of that abominable Idol the breaden God and if the Masters of the Ceremonies disavow that opinion yet the Sermons and Writings of divers of them do testifie to their face how they go as far yea and farther than many Papists in that particular Lib. 36.12 De missa li. 2 c. 23.48 p. 242. As it is true that the current of Popish Champions do maintain the bodily Presence as Innocentius the Father of that Monster Bellarmine and Haiga the Expositor of the English Mass by changing and choping that Fiat corpus so divers of the Canterburian faction as himself Mountague Pocklington Lawrence agree with the Papists and Lutherans in this point namely concerning the Matter leaving the Manner as a Cabalistical Mystery devocibus dixi ne de missa quidem Antid P. 10. imo nec transubstantiationis certamen moverimus for words saith Mountague as the Mass yea or Transubstantiation it self Serm. P. 17 18. we will not contend I like not those saith Doctor Lawrence that say his body is not there and to explain himself he addeth Substantially Essentially not by way of Commemoration or Representation but should not this be their opinion since they act what they hold by a material Altar Priest and Sacrifice had not that Hydra of the Scottish Lyturgy made a greater Monster by the addition of some more heads and that very cunningly by the English Authors and sent out to take in the Church of Scotland had not that we say lost all the heads and had the brains dashed against the stones the aforesaid Authors made no question but that all the power of both Head and Tayl should have had room enough to domineer here in England the Pope having such a large Army both of Legionary and Auxiliary Forces to maintain it But blessed be God who brake the head of that young Dragon in our Neighbour Nation and wee hope will by you crush out all the blood of the old one here who was the Mother of that and the Masse-book the Mother of both There is a Proverb amongst the Naturalists 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Except a Serpent eat a Serpent it cannot become a Dragon so except our Lyturgy had been full of Serpents it
the worship of Christ as it is partly begun and shall be more fully accomplished when they have done all that they can all is but lost labour they shall not prevail the world shall go after Christ CHAP. IV. Of the Matter NOw we come to the third particular namely the Subject matter of the Liturgie the graine is like the ground it grows upon the fruit must be like the Tree it is not possible that any wholsome sap of life should come out of a noysome and poysonous root To give a delineation of the matter in general Troubles of Frankford p. 36 we can use no better expression than that of Calvin in his pithy Letter to the Church of Frankford much troubled with this Service-book where he calls it the Reliques or leavings of the Popish dregs this may be made to appear without contradiction by scanning some particulars for to go through them all would fill up a great volumn then to give a touch as briefly as we can the matter is partly false partly rediculously frivolous yea and some part of it is not without a tincture of Blasphemy To this effect a worthy and zealous Pastor to that people of Frankford regrating fore the troubles brought upon them by that Service-book after that he had told them that nothing must be thrust upon any Congregation without the Warrant of the Word and forasmuch as that in the English Book there were things both superstitious impure and unperfect P. 38. ib. which he offered to prove before all men he would not consent that of that Church it should be received To come then to the first particular of the charge Sect. concerning the falshood of the Matter which we will first discover in the generals and then come to some particulars For the generals we lay down these three instances In false or corrupt transledons of the Word additions to the Word and substractions all which the Service-book not only allows but injoyns subscription to them being so rendered in the old Latine Bible which translation the Service-book injoyns to be used and no other yea to which the Ministers were to subscribe it being the most corrupt piece of all the Latine Translation none of them being found witness the current of the learned Fathers and others yea the very pleaders for the Book and that Bible Ad Damas iâ— praesat ad 4. Evang Si in Latinis exemplaribus fides est adhibenda responderit quibus c. If we must believe Latine translations you must first tell us which of them saith Jerome Which argues the Latine one fathered upon him not to be his but of all other Latine translations he damneth this most which we are forced to follow as Erasmus testifieth of him Damnat superiorem translationem quae nos tamen maxime utimur he condemneth saith he that translation meaning the vulgar translation condemned also by the grand Pillars of Popery Burgensis Lyra Jansenius and others yea and by two Popes Sixtus the fifth and Clement the eighth Lastly we have the dict of the defendants themselves Doctor Sparke diebus illis complaining of the corruptions of the service-Service-book instanced in these two particulars First for omitting much Canenical Scripture and putting Apocrypha in the place of it Secondly for appointing a corrupt translation to be read To some particular instances we come and amongst many places we must give but a touch we will begin with that palpable falshood Psalm 105.28 which the Book hath thus They were not obedient to his Word but the Scripture saith They were not disobedient to his Word what directer contradiction can there be than this The Scripture given by inspiration of the Spirit admitteth no contradiction Doctor Spark told the Arch-bishop of Canterbury that it was apparent by the History of their dealing in Egypt that to read They were not obedient to his word were to charge Moses and Aaron with falshood Another place abused Sect. Luke 10.1 being their Gospel for that Evangelists day After these things â—he Lord appointed other seventy also and sent them two and two before them but the common Book read seventy two which though it be not in matters of Faith as the defendants answer yet it is a corrupting of the Scripture May we tear a mans skin from his flesh because we cut not the sinews nor beak not the bones In a word this is the answer of the Papists upon the place which our Writers take off But now we will evidence in a place as matter of Faith Sect. as we take it Epistles the Sunday after the Nativity Eph. 2.3 Gal. 4.5 the Service book readeth that we through election might receive the adoption that belongeth to natural sons where the Church-Bible according to the original hath it thus That we might receive the adoption of the sons For natural sons of God we cannot be said to be Nam non nescimur sed renescimur Christiani for we are not born Christians but born again yea by nature we are the children of wrath is there not matter here of flat contradiction that in a high point of Faith We will trouble you but with one other place Sect. and that upon matter of Faith too namely Luke 1.28 and 48. the Text hath it Hayle freely beloved or having found favour but the Service-book will none of that but read it Hayle full of grace just with the Rhemists and the defenders of it go upon the same grounds that they do crossing the true signification of the words all sound and learned Expositors antient and modern as Pagninus Vatabalus Chrysostome Beza Doctor Fulke Doctor Whitakers and others sorting full with Gregory Martin Reynolds and the rest and gives incouragement to Stafford in his Female Glory to tell the Puritains railingly that till they be good Marians in his sense they shall never be good Charistians There are fifteen places more in the Service-book of this cut but these are enough and too many to be so abused Now we come to a touch of Additions Sect. as the Book adds three whole verses to the 14. Psalm where a great difference is to be thought on between a Paraphraster and a Translator The former may amplifie but yet in different letter from the Text but the Translator may not adde no not from other Texts of Scripture The grand Papists the justifiers of this and other such stuff dare not avouch these Verses to be in the Hebrew or Greek Copies no not in the Greek Bible set forth at the command of Sextus Quintus 1587. for the justifiing of the Vulgar Latine as appears by his own Copy written by Cardinal Carraffe and another Cardinal namely Cajetan Pag. 154. avoucheth that Paul in the third to the Romans had taken them from divers places of scripture Sed ignorans nescio quis adjunxit haec Psalmo 14. But some ignorant party I know not who hath added them to Psal 14. So there is a whole Verse added to Psal 13.
〈◊〉 or Letany the defenders of it will have it to be a more serious and cordial Prayer then others It is observed by the Learned that the Antients had the order and manner of the Letany from the Heathens Serarius in Litan Cassan in Liturgy P. 244. Exercit. p 237. as Dionysius Halioarnassius witnesseth and Causabon observeth in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Letanies or Supplications about the Altars of their gods Polybius renders the words very handsomely and significantly by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to intice the gods by blandishing allurements these words others used by human writers to the same purpose as by Homer and others falls in with the same fault that our Saviour accuseth the Pharisees of namely vain repetition and multitude of words for which saith Christ Mat. 6.7 they think to be heard Now this Letany is a very facinating fardel of Tautologies and Battologies besides its other faults in this Latany there is Lord deliver us eight times hear us we beseech thee 20. times to omit many desires to be delivered from things from which there is not the least appearance no more than of the French pox the danger of being drunk at a Whitson-ale or a purse cut at a stage play and not so much In that prayer to be delivered from fornication what meaneth that addition from all other deadly sin as though some sin were not deadly Again after a tautolog cal suming up and repetition of the titles and Elogies of the Trinity tossed with responses they fall on in a Heathenish way to act the word Letany or Maggany as it is well rendered namely as it were to conjure and as if the devil were now to be dispossest which no Priest must dare to do by the Canon without license from the Ordinary they would use the very same pieces namely By the mistery of the holy incarnation by thy holy nativity and circumcision by thy baptism fasting and temptation by thine agony and bloody sweat and by the cross and passion by thy precious death and burial and by the coming of the holy Ghost Good Lord deliver us This piece of the Popish-Masse-book whence we have it is no better than that conjuring or juggling of the Magicians whereby they seemed to imitate Moses his working of Miracles Porph. in his doub which they did not as the learned in that Art testifie without magick-spels they use ridiculous invocations saith the same Author so be the invocations in the Letany and the better the words are as we have said the more grievous the abuse And that we may not come short of the Papists idolizing of this Letany we have not only our ordinary and weekly letanies but also our annual or yearly letanies acted in Procession It is true we have left out the Saints in our Lyturgy that was too gross but had the Laudenses got their Colours fixed ere this the letany had been flancked with this stuffe But why did they expunge that suffrage in King Edward his Book against the Pope From the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome Good Lord deliver us To shut up this cursory trial of the matter for it is no more how can the Service-book-men justisie these words of the Collect on the twelfth Sunday after Trinity Giving unto us that which our Prayer dare not presume to ask It is true we obtain more than we Pray for but what we dare not Pray for either in act or desire we shall never obtain The sum of that which hath been said we bring up into this Argument That Service the matter or bulk whereof is partly false partly foolish and frivolous should not be presented unto God But the parts of the Service-book whether essential or integral are such as hath been fully proved Therefore they should not be presented to God We humbly intreat your Honors to lay this Argument in the ballanoe of truth and if it weigh down the Service-book let the said Book we pray you be cast out of the Sanctuary as light CHAP. VI. Of the Manner NOw we come to the Fourth Particular namely the Form or Manner which is large as exorbitant and offensive as the matter the Form is the essence of a thing say the matter were good and the manner naught God would never like it for the old proverb is true God loves Adverbs better than Adjectives Bene better than Bonum It was a good work in David 2 Sam. 6◠to bring up the Ark from the house of Aminadab but one Philistine Ceremony spoiled the whole Work 1 Chron. 15.13 David therefore acknowledged the breach to be made because they sought him not in order when our Saviour taught his Followers to pray in that Plat-form of Prayer Cyprian which a Father calls the foundation of all our Prayers he layeth not down only the Matter but also the Form when ye pray pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after this manner 2 Tim. 1.13 hold fast saith the Apostle the form of sound words which thou hast heard of me c. Where he layeth down not only the matter of Preaching but also the form even so should Prayer have a Form of sound words Conformers to the service-Service-book make Jonas his his Gourd of one place of Scripture 1 Cor. 14 40. Let all things be done according to order and decency But as the place is no shelter for them so we wonder that they cannot see the gross disorder of the Service-book and Ceremouies and still call for order The Apostle rejoyced to see the order of the Colossians Col. 2.5 but it would have grieved him exceedingly to have seen the disorder of the the Service as he grieved at the superstition of the Athenians for it is Will-Worship which the Apostle condemneth in the same place of the Colossians but to some particulars Vers 23 and first to the Minister whose change of voice posture place is strange and ridiculous For the first he must say some Prayers with a loud voice not all what can be the reason of this but that of the Masse-Priests that there are some Misteries Tanquam sacra Cereris that the prophane Laicks should not hear Secondly for his Posture besides the windings turnings and cringings his face must be sometimes towards the People and sometimes his back Thirdly the Priest sayes somewhat in the Church somewhat in the Chancel getting himself from the People as far as he can as if there were some out-fall between him and the People or as if he were the High-Priest gone into the Holy of Holies In the second place comes the unmannerly handling of the matter First they have many short Collects but a long and tedious Service the persecuted Christians indeed made short Prayers upon the fear of the Enemies Approaches when they were forced to fly A good Foundation we acknowledge Lib. 1. ◠38. Lib. 3. p. 210. but to turn this into a