indued with reason more than the custome that hath heretofore been when our case was not like to that which now is As for the Ornaments as they are called wherein the Minster is injoyned to read and to use them in all his ministration Surplice and Cope viz. The Cope and Surplice and Hood because I hear that they shall no more be injoyned because of the scandal that hath been by them in most parts of the land I will say no more but this they are truly relicks of Popery although the Surplice hath been used very anciently yet not in the first century but altogether without ground in holy Scripture which commandeth to do only in the publick worship of God what he prescribeth without adding or detracting ought which holdeth as well under the N. T. as the old wherein vestments were indeed commanded to be used Deut. 12.32 by the Priests in their ministration about the Altar but now under the new that kind of service being at an end and a new which is spiritual being set up without peculiar vestments for which the Minister is left free as well as other men what was it but a reducing again of a ceremony antiquated long before into the Evangelical Church which was proper to the legal contrary to the Rule given by our Saviour The true worshippers of God John 4.20 shall worship him in spirit and in truth which is not yet so to be understood as if no regard was to be had to externals for we must worship God outwardly in the body also according to that O come let us worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our maker and a man praying or Prophesying with his head covered that is having his hat on his head as when he is only amongst his fellowes for not doing this outward reverence to Christ his head who is in a special manner present in the congregation thus reverencing him lesse than the head of the Kingdome where he liveth dishonoureth his head Cor. 11. and for garments to be worn by the Minister in his ministration that which is most decent may be injoyned for all things must be done decently and in order and if by our governours in the Church a black Gown which hath been proper to a Minister be judged most decent and a peculiar kind of Cloak whereby he may in all places be known from other men and reverenced accordingly what are any that are inferiours to take exceptions thereto and likewise if they inhibet the Clergy from wearing long hair which the Apostle saith is a shame for any man to wear and require that they shew no levity and in their own apparrel by wearing light colours but dark which shewes gravety not in following vain fashions of the time Zeph. 1.8 which shewes exceeding great levity which ought to be reproved by the Minister and threatned Reading of the Scriptures as by Zephany even in the Kings Children For Reading of the holy Scriptures in the Church before preaching there is something which is justly excepted against viz. both the appointing of Chapters to be read out of Apocry phal Books as Esdras the book of Wisdom and of Tobit c. and those not a few but 60 at the least in the year wherein they say that the Service book which now we have is altered from the first appointed in the year of Edward 6. in which were none but canonical Scriptures appointed to be read and that in all Churches the Ministers are required to read Chapters both in the Old and New Testament appointed by the daies of the month which though it may be well in Churches or Chappels where service is said every day yet if the Minister in every parochial Church keepeth himself to this order he shall not in many years by reading the Chapters appointed for the Lords dayes read most of the Chapters of the Bible but passe them over continually And forasmuch as now there is preaching in every Church of the Gospel of Jesus Christ sometimes upon Gospels somtimes upon Epistles this is but an adding of an unnecessary labour to the wearying of the preacher before he commeth to his greatest labour Wherefore His Majesty and the Councel of the Land in whose power only it is are to be desired to see these things amended also And lastly because it is an offence to some Reading of prayers indeed not so commendable in a Minister to read prayers there was not any such thing done in Israel of old for nothing was read in the congregation but Scripture and as for praying and praysing of God it was don memoriter by the Minister Nehe. 8. the saying of the prayers set forth in the Book of Common Prayer without book by the Minister would be enjoyned that comming from his spirit immediately as if they were his own both he himselfe and the whole Congregation may be the better affected therewith and such as know not how to pray by hearing them often so said may be stirred up to learn them by heart also and make use of them or some of them in private which how shall they be put on to do if the Minister himself cannot say them but by the book to read a prayer made by others cannot be praying by the spirit as all praying in the Congregation ought to be but then may one be said to pray by the spirit when he hath laid up the prayer to be uttered in his heart and from thence immediately brings it forth being affected with it as if it were of his own conceiving If it shall be counted sufficient for a Minister to read prayers in the Congregation when his sight groweth dim or he cannot see or the Sky be overcast with darknesse how shall he be able to go on in praying if it be said every one hath not so good a memory I answer He that giveth himself to praying upon paines taking shall attain to a memory snfficient for this and so all Ministers after the example of the Apostles ought to do Act. 6. or else they are not worthy of the Ministry as for the praying in the Pulpit if so much time hath been spent in praying before it will not be requisite now for the Preacher to spend much time in praying again but after a short prayer made for the assistance of Gods holy Spirit and for a blessing to fall immediately to the work of preaching Matt. 5. Luke 4. For when Christ preached in the Mount and in Nazareth we read of spending time in preaching but not in praying and likewise of the Apostle Peters saying much when the people were assembled together to hear him Act. 2. Act. 10. by way of preaching only and of Paul neither do I find that any of the Ancient Doctors of the Church when they stood up to preach did otherwise As for the ten commandements rehersing every Lords day in the house of God to make all
Unity Restor'd TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND By JOHN MAYER D. D. Minister of the Church of Roydon in the County of Suffolk and Author of the Exposition of the Church Chatechism and the Comentary on the Old and New Testament contained in Six Volumes Matth. 5.9 Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God Psalm 122.6 Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love her LONDON Printed for A. Rice and are to be sold by Book-sellers 1661. Unity Restor'd TO THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND Matth. 5.9 Blessed are the Peace-makers for they shall be called the Children of God Psalm 122.6 Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love her LONDON Printed for A. Rice and are to be sold by Book-sellers 1661. To the KING 's most Excellent Majesty CHARLES the Second of England Scotland France and Ireland King Defender of the Faith c. Grace and Peace in Jesus Christ MOst Gracious and dear Sovereign so soon as I saw Your Majesties Declaration of October 25. I could not but rejoice greatly for Your Care and holy Solicitude expressed therein and wisdome like the wisdom of Solomon about setling unity and uniformity in the Church of England and devising the means of effecting it And whereas some have in writing cast aspersions upon Your Sacred person I could not but be greatly grieved at it and to see how that notwithstanding this Your Majesties most serious profession to have inform'd your self what you could by consulting with many both grave and learned beyond Sea and of your own Land by what means most probably Vnity may be restored to the Churches under your Majesties Dominion yet may remain unsatisfied who although they are not reverse from Episcopal Government reformed yet at hearing of Suffragens and rural Deans they are much troubled as at Officers not formerly heard of either in the time of Queen Elizabeth King James Your Grandfather or of King Charles Your Father And as for the book of Common Prayer although the Prayers therein contained are most pithy and pious yet the multitude of them and often repetitions of some c. are offensive and above all the Ceremonies therein prescibed which they will never abide to see used although they be not urged upon them and so the seeds of dissention will still continue in our Churches which will in time spring up again the peace and unity desired will never be setled for to settle it must be as but on God so but one way under one Vice-gerent of God upon earth and that must be the best approved of by the word of God which being so and Your Majesties gracious inclination such that you have condescended so far as to consult with some of your own Subjects what way might be best to introduce Vnity about matters Ecclesiasticall which hath been so long wanting My Humble Sute unto your Majesty is that You would vouchsafe to cast Your favourable aspect upon this little book which I a Subject of yours as loyally affected to your Majesty as any other man have written in concurrence with Your Majesty in the earnest desire of Vnity to be restored to our divided Churches before the comming out of your Pious and Learned Declaration having no opportunity hitherto to present it to your Royall view being 78 years of age and full of grievous Diseases so as that I cannot Travell And in this little Book I hope your Majesty shall see good reason to be inclined to go the way therein pointed out to prevail for the restoring of Vnity so much desired and indeed so necessary to promote a setled and lasting peace which God grant unto us under Your Majesty Our Supream Head next unto Christ Jesus And to this end that you may live Usque ad miraculum gloriously reigning upon earth as you have been miraculously brought to this Throne of Your Fathers continuing constantly zealous for the propagation of the true Religion to the end of your days and finally be Crowned in Heaven with a never fading Crown of Glory Your Majesties most Humble and Obedient Subject and dayly Orator before the Throne of Grace IOHN MAYER How Vnity may be restored to the Church of England WE having now by God's singular blessing Unity restor'd to this our Commonwealth under one Head in whom for his gracious disposition and undoubted right to this Diadem we all agree What remains now so much to be desired as Vnity in our Churches also for want of which such bloudy dissentions hath been so long amongst us to the great disgrace of our most true reformed Religion and to the setting of these three Nations in a most fearfull Combustion Upon this consideration therefore I though the least able among many of my Brethren An. Dom. 60. Jacobus frater Domini fuit Episcopus Hierosolymitanus illo inter fecto Simeon Cleophae filius Hieronimus in Catalogo cap. 23. Marcus Praesul Alexandriae an 67. ibid. post Petrum linus Epist 2. Romae an 70. lib. 3. cap. 3. huic successit annacletus vel Cletus an 89. Crescentius Episcopus Moguntinis an 72. Euseb l. 3. c. 4. shall endeavour to shew my good will to restore this desirable Unity amongst us The main differences I suppose at this day are about Ecclesiasticall Government and the Liturgy or Book of Common Prayer For the first there will not be I perceive any great relucting against Episcopal Government because it hath so ancient and such pregnant proofe hereof is brought from holy Scripture and the practice of the Catholick Church ever since the Apostles dayes and whilst they lived and ordered the Government of the Church of Christ if we will give any credit to the most ancient and most credible History-Writers touching Church-matters But about their election to this high and weighty Office who are to govern herein and what power they ought to have above other Bishops or Presbyters their Brethren and what Assistants they ought to use in exercising their power and whether by any other means they ought to have power to punish notorious Offenders than by delivering them to Satan and not by imprisoning or any pecuniary punishment and whether a Bishop may deliver any over to Satan for any other cause but scandalous living or blaspheming and lastly whether there ought not to be a Bishop in every City and great Town that is for the more Churches therein as a City with the Villages about it and so large Diocesses to the putting both of Clergy and People to such tedious travell to have their Causes heard First touching the electing of a Bishop what better President can there be to follow than that of the first Assembly of Apostles and Believers Acts 1.23 being 120 to chuse one into the room of Judas who was chosen by praying first and propounding two known men amongst them and casting lots which was done by the Apostles and the whole congregation of Believers For let an Election be made
are Idolaters may be undeceived and turn from deifying of the Bishop of Rome unto us whom they for our being against him count Hereticks and that the ancient People of God the Jewes may have the vail taken away from their eies that they may see into the end of the Law Christ Jesus and believe 2 Cor. 3. and be saved as the Apostle Paul saith that they shall then we ought to pray for Kings and Magistrates under whom we live and for the Ministry of the Word for all such as are afflicted whether within our Land or without that be our brethren being sorry for their sufferings as for our owne Thus for publick Prayers For Thansgivings they are also to be made commonly 1 Tim. 2. first for gracious and godly Kings when such are set over us and like Magistrates under them for the light of the Gospel shining amongst us by the Preachers thereof beseeching the Lord of the Harvest from time to time to send forth Labourers into his Harvest We ought also to have Thanksgivings for Rain and fruitfull Seasons for deliverance from Plague Pestilence or Famine for Victory over our Enemies and Cessation of War which hath been in our Land and particularly for Women preserved from the great danger of Child-birth when God hath made themable to come again to his house to give him thanks as we ought to pray for them that are labouring with child and for such as we have in their dangerous sicknesses prayed for when they are restored to health again and if we look into our Book of Common prayer injoyned every Minister to use in his Church under a great penalty by statute Law made 10. The book of Common-Prayer of Elizabeth we shall find therein formed a Common Prayer prescribed in confessing of our sins and in all the particulars beforegoing so pious and effectual as any that can be conceived that only which can by any that are conscientious be excepted against is so great a multitude of prayers to the tiring of the spirits both of the Minister and people although for the most part they be but short yet being so many and some often repeated the saying of them all cannot but be a wearinesse to most men whose devotion is but weak and therefore it were to be wished that his Majesty and his great Councel would refer the amending of this fault to some Godly judicious Divines in whom there is no prejudice against a reformation herein as there is in some who are so addicted to our Liturgy as it is that they say it cannot by all the Divines in England be amended which I grant is true for the matter and form of these Prayers but for the multiplicity and repetitions it must needs be yeelded for the reasons aforegoing that the Book may be amended to the better liking of the whole Nation for when the reading of all these Prayers was injoyned there were but few able Preachers in England but abundance of Churches and Parishes to meet there to offer up their Prayers to Almighty God and to hear his holy word read and taught insomuch as that in most Churches Sermons were seldom preached but only Divine Service said and some homily read in the forenoon and in the afternoon only Divine Service said wherefore that a competent time might be spent both times the Liturgy used of old before the Reformation of Religion when in most Churches they came only to hear Masse was translated into our mother tongue that which was Idolatrous being left out so appointed to be used in all Churches with the prayers therein contained being so good and effectual could not but be a commendable way for that time but now thanks be to God the number of learned and able preachers being greatly increased who labour almost in every Church in preaching forenoon and afternoon it were too great a burthen to enjoyne them the reading of so many prayers an Epistle and Gospel beside Psalm and Chapters every forenoon and it would be too great tediousnesse to the people and wearying of their affections to the making of them to worship God with their bodies but not with their spirits which is vain for what difference between their praying Esay 9. that are so long and full of repetitions condemned in Scripture as Pharisaical and such a multitude of prayers and some again repeated being altogether as long as their own prayer yea doth it not come near to the superstitious devotion of the Papists who pray upon beads saying a great number of prayers at once thinking for the great multitude of them to be the more accepted before the Lord we have no hint given us in Holy Scriptures of multiplying many prayers when we come together in the publick place but of praying there together and then spending the greatest part of the time in reading and preaching the whole time for the most part in preaching and expounding the Scriptures For when at any time Christ came into a Synagogue on the Sabbath day we read of a lecture of the Law and the Prophets then Read and then of his Preaching but of Praying we read nothing at that time Luke 4. although there was certainly praying also for my house saith the Lord shall be called the house of Prayer and as he did so he gave Commission to all his Disciples to do saying Goe and teach all Nations Baptizing them c. But of saying any prayers before preaching he said nothing although the Apostles after his Ascension and other believers assembled together to pray Act. 1.14 and they again after the converting of 3000 continued together in teaching breaking Bread and prayer and many other passages there be which shew that there was Praying in the House of God as well as preaching But most time by far was spent in Preaching and Reading as appeares by Nehemiah 8. where first it is said That Ezra read in the Book of the Law before the people assembled together from Morning till Midday ver 3. Then he prayed all the people saying Amen ver 6. After which by other Ministers of the Lord the people were further instructed in it ve 8 All which considered who can stand yet for saying so many Prayers at every assembling together to the house of God And not acknowledge that the Book of Common Prayer hath need to be corrected by putting out the repetition of the Lords Prayer after the rehearsing of the Creed of the Apostles and then after the Letany which is a most excellent and general Prayer for all things and all persons that we should pray for concluding Morning-prayer with two Prayers only following and the three prayers for Good-Friday which is for the conversion of Jews Turks and other Infidels the versicles and repeating of the Lords Prayer there being left out Against Letay exceptions and the Prayer of the Kings Royal Progeny and Bishops Curates and People as being prayed for before in the
the burial of the Dead Buriall of the Dead what can be excepted against unlesse it be in that prayer that we with this our brother and all other departed in the true faith may have our perfect consummation and blisse in thine everlasting Kingdome but they are too quick of apprehension who say that this is with the Papists a praying for the dead whenas indeed it is not a praying that they may be saved but for the hastning of the time of perfecting our Salvation both in Soul and Body that is that the coming of our Lord Jesus may be hastned when this shall be done and the person deceased being a Christian who in the judgement of charity supposing him to be gone to Heaven in his Soul pray thus for him together with our selves and other believers The thanksgiving for women Thanks giving for Women and their bringing of an offering after child-bearing in way of real thankfulnesse is grounded upon Levit. 12. For although it were a Ceremonial Law and Ceremonial rites are now done away yet there was a moral in the same injoyned which bindeth alwaies that is to shew thankfullnesse in the house of God for so great a deliverance Isa 28.22 as Hezekiah being delivered from his deadly sicknesse went up to the house of the Lord and praysed God And thus by the help of God I have finished the task undertaken to shew how unity may be restored to the Church of England in respect of Episcopal Government and the book of Common Prayer now the God of peace and unity work so in the hearts of his Majesty and Parliament that it may be so done and the doubts and Scruples about the Book of Common-Prayer being taken away as hath been said the same good God work so in the hearts of all his Ministers that all contention being laid aside they may with one heart and one mind agree to serve God in the publick place in such uniformity that the Pristine splendor of this our Mother Church through uniformity may be restored and the foul blemish of differences may be done quite away to the great comfort of all true hearted Christians and the glory of God Almighty And because unity in opinion is no lesse necessary than uniformity indivine worship and there be many Sects in the Church of England at this day although it be not possible for the higher powers on Earth by their authority or for the learned in divine knowledge to make by their most convincing arguments all to be of one mind with the Chatholick Church reformed yet there may be some course taken to keep their erronious opinions from spreading further and their liberty may be so suppressed as that there may in appearance and ex professo be little or no discord and this may be by injoyning all under a penalty to be taken off such as shall afterwards offend to come duly to their own parish Church as is by Law required 2. By not permitting under a greater penalty private meetings in houses 3. By stoping the mouthes of their ringleaders and teachers the punishment of imprisonment or banishment being laid upon them that will not forbear for so godly Emperors have dealt with such disturbers of the peace of the Church in times past good reason for as Elijah said if the Lord be God follow him if Baal be he go after him it is intollerable that there should be more religions in one Kingdome than one generally professed therein under one head because as Religion hath the name a religando binding mens harts together so permit divers religions and although in some politick respects they may live together in external peace yet their hearts not being knit together but seperated from one another this peace cannot alwaies continue but as there is an oportunity offered break out into bloody dissention as was proved by woful experience in the Romish Chatholicks in Ireland and Anabaptists in Germany and when in time of peace so great a Massacre was made in France Anno 1573. To conclude whereas in this Tract I have made some mention of my History of the World from the creation to the end of Nehemiah his principality 2. From thence to the destruction of Jerusalem 3. From thence to the Year of our Lord 1648. His Majesty may be pleased to take notice and all others that delight in the best Histories that I have by Gods assistance finished this great work divers years agoe and have it ready to be published if it might be accepted of as being next unto the sacred history most necessarie for all Christians who are studious to read for the better understanding of the most notable things done in the world both before the Flood and since in the 4 Monarchies and other Kingdomes of the world and of the state of the Church of God in those 500 yeares of which the Holy Scripture saith nothing and lastly of the government that hath been by Emperours and Bishops of Rome and Councels of Heresies corruptions in Religion famous Doctors in the Church and most memorable occurrances in Kingdomes and miracles wrought to confirm faith or superstition true or false FINIS