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A37416
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A defensive vindication of the publike liturgy, established ceremonies, and setled patrimony of the Church of England against such as (putting themselves to an ill occupation) have unjustly impeached or oppugned them / by a peaceable sonne of the same church, no way addicted to novelty or innovation.
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Peaceable sonne of the same church.
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1641
(1641)
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Wing D823; ESTC R17218
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23,627
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39
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great disturbance of the Church there f The copy of the letter is extant in Dr Cowcls brief answer to Mr Burges Reasons p. 69. he wrote back unto him in this milde yet passionate manner Alas that our brother Knox cannot bear with our Book of common-Common-Prayer in matters against which although I grant a man of wit and learning may finde to make some colourable exceptions yet I suppose he cannot soundly by the Word of God disprove any thing in it Bishop Iewell in his Apology for the Church of England professeth g â—â—el Apol. pro ceeâ—â—sia Angl. Accessimus quantum maxime potuimus ad ceelesiam Aposâ—lâ—rum vâ—tevum Catholicorum Episcoporum Patrum nec tanâ—um doctrinam nostram sed etiam Sacramenta precumque publicarum formam ad corum râ—us instituta diâ—eximus That in our Doctrine Discipline and Service we come as neer as we could possibly to the Apostolicall Church and ancient Catholike Bishops M. Dering in a book of his called A spare restraint makes this challenge to Mr. Harding look saith h Derings answer of Hardings Epist tâ—â—uell fol. 5. he if any line be blameable in our Service and take hold of your advantage our Service is good and godly every tittle grounded upon holy Scripture and with what face dare you call it darknesse Lastly Dr. Taylor was so in love with the Service-Book that he i Acts and Monâ—fol 1385. I might adde to these that at Franckford when some exiles disliked our Service Book and some of our Church ceremonies other most reverend persons stood strongly for them as Thomas Leaver Iohn Mullins Iohn Parkhurst Lausence Humfrey Iames Pilkington Alexander Nowell Iames Haddon Edwin Sands Edâ—â—â—â—d Grindall c. who being exiles at Franckford wrote to the like exiles at Zurick perswading them to stand to the death for defence of our Church service and ceremonies and Master Fox was one of them that subscribed to the letter Discourse of the troubles at Franckford Fol. 16 17 22 23. c. used it to his comfort all the time of his imprisonment and at his Martyrdom commended it as the last token of his love to his dear wife And these men were in that age the Diamonds of the Churches ring and many of them sealed the truth they held not onely with danger and exile but with their blood Yet now he is but a mean silly man in repute that cannot spy much superstition much Popish trash and idolatry in that godly book which the holy Martyrs and best learned men of our Church k And not onely of our Church but sâ—me also of forregin Churches as Alexander Alesius a worthy Scotsman of great account and note who much commends our Book of Common prayer and the ordering of our Church according thereunto calling it praeclarissimum divinum factum and he complaineth that any contentious mindes should move any to mislike it and saith that the contention of brethren about this Book comes from the divel who failing one way seeks another way to do mischief to the Church Proem before his translation of the common-Common-prayer Book in Script Anglican Bucer fol. 373 375. then living did highly commend and approve to be in all things agreeable to the Word of God and to the most ancient and best reformed Liturgyes in all ages Polycarps speech shall end this point O Deus in quae tempora reservastinos Oh God for what times hast thou reserved us wherein that Service of thine which hath heretofore had the high approbation applause and commendation of many learned Divines and glorious Martyrs is now in every Parish almost thorowout the Kingdome neglected vilified contemned as popish and superstitious by persons of mean quality meaner knowledge I beseech those who have power in their hand to redresse things amisse both in the Church and State that they would not suffer this sacred Form of Gods Service to be exposed any longer to the carelesse neglect to the proud contempt and scorn of newfangled and misaffected persons whose particular exceptions against it or any passage in it have received full particular abundant satisfaction by the learned pens of l Many things our non-conformists say are â—â—â—ssâ— many instances they give of things in our Common-prayer not agreeable as they pretend with the Word of God It hath in their eye too great affinitie with the forme of the Church of Rome it differeth too much from that which Churches elsewhere reformed allow and observe it is not or derly read nor gestured as beseemeth attire disgraceth it it requireth nothing to be done which a childe may not lawfully do it hath a number of short cuts or shreddings which may be better called wishes then prayers it intermingleth prayings and readings c. it is too long and by that means abridgeth preaching it appointeth the people to say after the Minister it spendeth time in singing and in reading the Psalms by course from side to side it useth the Lords-prayer too oft the Song of Magnif Beaedictus and Nâ—nc dimittis it might very well spare it hath the Letany Creed of Athanasius and Gloria Patri which are supersluous it craveth earthly things too much some things it asketh unseasonably as deliverance from thunder and tempest when no danger is high Some in too diffident manner as that God would give us that which we for our unworthynesse dare not aske Some which ought not to be desired as deliverance from sudden death riddance from all adversity and the extent of â—aving mercy towards all men all which exceptions Hooker answereth punctually and fully and so as may give any intelligent and indicious Reader abundant satisâ—action Lib 5. p 241 242 c. Hooker Cowell Hutton Fisher c. II Now secondly for the Ceremonies as they are used in our Church howsoever some do take offence at them yet they can give no just offence for we put no merit no matter of salvation no worship of God in them we use them not for exercises of piety but onely for m These ceremonies are retained for a discipline and order which upon iust causes may be altered and changed and therefore are not to be esteemed equall with Gods Law in the Preface before the Book of common-Common-prayer Vain then and ignorant is there doubt that think our ceremonies are imposed as parts of Gods proper worship order and decency according to that generall Church Canon of the Apostles wherein he prescribes that all things in the Church be done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14.40 which Apostolicall Canon being a Canon of Canons by which all Ecclesiasticall Canons are to be n Râ—gnla est ad quam omnia quae ad exâ—ernam politiam spectant exigere conveait Calv. in Loc. regulated and squared cals for comelinesse and order in the Church and requires that all outward duties of Gods publike worship and service be performed in the face of the Church after a decent comely and
A DEFENSIVE VINDICATION OF THE Publike Liturgy Established Ceremonies And setled Patrimony OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND Against Such as putting themselves to an ill occupation have unjustly impeached or oppugned them By A peaceable Sonne of the same Church no way addicted to Novelty or innovation If any man lust to be contentious we have no such custome neither the Churches of God 1 Cor. 11.16 Quarein praecisione vultis magnificare nomen domini quare duos populos ex uno vultis facere Why will you in a scismaticall precisencs magnifie the Name of God Why will you make two divided nations or people of one London Printed by J.R. for R.W. and are to be sold at the signe of the Kings-Armes in Pauls Church-yard 1641. I FOr the publike Liturgy of our Church which is the first thing I undertake to defend some there be that except against it because it is a set a The best stratageme that Satan hath who knoweth his kingdome to be no way more shaken then by the publique devoute prayers of Gods Church is by traducing the form and manner of them to bring them into contempt and so to shake the force of all mens devotion towards them from this forge hath proceeded a strange conceit that to serve God with any set form of Common prayer is superstitious Hooker lib. 5. eccles polit § 26. prescribed Liturgy but these men who mislike that any set form of Prayers should be imposed in the publike Service of God may do well to consider that God himself not onely allowed but prescribed set forms of Prayer to the Priests of the old Law teaching them with what form of words they should blesse his people Numb 6.23 and deprecate his Judgements Ioel 2.17 Hosea 14.2 that our blessed Saviour in the new Testament prescribed a form of prayer to his Apostles as St. Iohn the Baptist his immediate fore-runner had formerly done to his disciples Luke 11.2 that the prayer which Moses pronounced at the removall and resting of the Ark was a set form of Prayer Numb 10.35 36. that all the Psalms of David are prayers or praises of God in set forms and words answering the length and number of Musick notes that Saint Paul often used the same set form of prayer without variation Rom. 1.7 1 Cor. 1.3 2 Cor. 1.2 Gal. 1.3 Ephes 1.2 and it is vain to think that a set form of prayer should not be as pleasing and acceptable unto God as that which is varyed or that God should be so delighted with varying of words and phrases that when we have the same suits and requests to make unto him dayly Yet we must alter our words and manner of asking otherwise he will be displeased with our prayers Surely our Saviour was of another minde who best knew the minde of his heavenly Father for though he had a better gift in praying than any man in the world and could have varyed his words better than any other yet when he had the same suit to make unto his father he used the same words divers times saying once again and yet a third time Father if it be possible let this Cup passe from me Matth. 26.44 But say these men we cannot pray with the spirit and use a set Form of Prayer why not There are but two acts of the spirit about prayer the one of direction to direct us how to pray the other of assistance to assist us in praying and I hope those that use prescribed set Forms of Prayer do pray by the direction of the spirit as well as those that use conceived extemporary prayers nay we are bound to beleeve that the Spirit of God was rather with the b Carolus Magnus I am sure was of this belief who would permit no pravers to be used but those which were allowed by the Church orationes quae abeccâ—sla probitae noâ— sâ—nt reâ—iciantur Microlog de â—câ—â—es observ câ—â— 5 conc Carthag 3. which decreed Can 23. quascuâ—que sibi preces a'iquis deseribit non iis â—tatur nisipâ—ius eas cum iastructâ—oribus contâ—lâ—rit that what prayers soever a man framed for himself he should first acquaint those that were wise and learned with them before be presumed to use them and the reason is given in the twelfth Canon of the Milâ—vitaâ— Câ—â—â—ell Nâ— forte aliquid câ—ntra fidem vâ—l peâ—â—gno â—â—â—iaâ— vel per minus studâ—um sit comâ—ositum Least by a sudden extâ—mporall effusion of prayer without good advice and medication some expressions might slip from him either thorough ignorance or carelessâ—nesse which were not consonâ—â—â— to the faith of Christs Church no noâ— bâ—sâ—eminâ— the â—â—fall Mâ—iesty of Almighty God Church to direct her how to conceive frame and pen set Forms of Prayer for the behoof of all her children than with those who preferre their sudden undigested prayers before the excellently conceived and well digested Prayers or Collects of the Church And for the second why may not the Spirit of God assist us in praying by set Forms of of Prayer as well as in reading set Chapters and Lessons or in singing set Psalms Dic Quinti hunc colorem Others there be who allowing set Forms of Prayer yet will by no means allow of ours but therein they shew themselves to be of a different judgement from the glorious Martyrs and other holy Divines of our Church who did highly approve of our Communion-book c As it was then sâ—t forth by King Edw 6. and were ready to maintain against all opposers that it was in no thing repugnant but in all things agreeable to the Word of God Archbishop Cranmer d Acts and Mon. fol. 1571. offered so he might have the assistance of Peter Martyr and a few others to make it evident and to prove against all gain-sayers that were of a contrary opinion That all things in our Communion-Book were agreeable to the Word of God correspondent to that which Christ and his Apostles delivered and the Primitive Church observed e Librum sacrorum quantum potui per interpretem cognovi nec quicquam in illis deprchendi quod non sit ex verbo dâ—id sumptum aut saltem ci â—on adversetur commode acceptum Buâ— inter scrip Auglic p. 456. Martin Bucer being intreated to give his judgement of our Service-Book resolved upon mature deliberation that there was nothing therein contained which was not taken out of the Word of God or at least consonant to Gods Word being rightly understood and not misinterpreted Bishop Ridley in a Letter of his to Dr. Grindall who was afterward Archbishop of Canterbury writeth thus of the Service-book The Church of England of late saith he hath the whole Service all common and publike Prayers ordained to be said and heard in the Congregation framed and fashioned to the true veins of holy Scripture And when he understood from Dr. Grindall who was then beyond Sea how Mr. Knox took many cavelling exceptions at our Liturgy to the