else As for the great patterne of the Presbyterians the practise of Geneva or Scotland that appears by Knox's Common prayer-Prayer-Book to have allowed a set Forme of Confession of Faith and designed it for the publick use as the first thing in that Book of Prayers though the truth is the Apostles or other ancient Creeds being set aside one of the Geneva forming is fain to supply the place of them which yet by the setting the severall parts of the Apostles Creed in the margent both there and in the order of Baptisme appeares rather to be an interpretation of it and so still the Separatists must be the onely men in the Church fit to be considered or else apparently there is no such Politicall necessity of this neither Sect 34 For the fifth thing the so frequent repetition of the Lords Prayer and Prayers for the King in our Service this account may be briefly given of it For the former that in our Common prayer-Prayer-Book there be severall Services for severall occasions of the Sacraments c. for severall dayes as the Letany for severall times in the day not only Morning and Euening but one part to be said earlier in the morning and then toward noone a returne to another part as the antient Primitives had three Services in a forenoone 1. That for the Catechumeni consisting of Prayers Psalmes and Readings then a 2. For the Penitents such as our Letany and a 3. For the Fideles the Faithfull our Communion Service and even that which is assigned to one time so discontinued by Psalmes and Hymnes and Lessons that it becomes in a manner two Services clearly two times of Prayer Now our Saviour commanding when you pray say our Father we have accordingly so assigned it to be once repeated in every such part of Service and I remember to have heard one of the gravest and most reverend men of the Assembly being asked his opinion about the use of the Lords Prayer to have answer'd to this purpose God forbid that I should ever be upon my knees in Prayer and rise up without adding Christs forme to my imperfect petitions And whereas this Directory is so bountifull as to recommend this Prayer to be used in the Prayers of the Church and yet so wary as but to recommend it it is thereby confest that it is lawfull to retain a set Forme for that is surely so and then the often using of a lawfull thing will not make it unlawfull but withall that Christs command in points of his Service shall no more oblige to obedience then the commands of men for if it did this would be more then recommended And now why that which may say they commendably must say we necessarily in obedience to Christ be used in the Prayers of the Church and being repeated oftner then once shall be usefull to him who was not come at the first saying or may be said more attentively by him who had before been too negligent should be necessary to be used but once when all mens zeale or understanding of so divine a Forme or perhaps presence at that part of the Service shall not necessarily go along with it I leave to more subtile Divines to instruct us This I am sure of that God hath made a peculiar promise to importunity in Prayer to a coming often to him on the same errand and Luk. 18. 5. by a phrase in the Parable seems to say that he that comes oft to God in this manner will at length force him to shame if he do not grant his Petition for that is the meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And from thence the Fathers use a bold phrase in their Liturgies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I put thee to shame i. e. importune thee Basil in Liturg. and in the Psaltery of the Greek Church which hath many Prayers mixt with it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unlesse thy owne goodnesse put thee to shame c. Now that this will not be subject to the censure of vain repetitions Mat. 6. 7. which is the onely exception made against it if the example of David Psal 136. be not sufficient to authorize the repeating any Forme often which is as faultlesse as that was might largely be evidenced 1. By the nature of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there used which both Hesychius and Suidas apply to an other matter and explain it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 long idle unseasonable formes such as Battus used in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his long-winded Hymnes so full of Tautologies which Munster therefore rendreth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do not multiply words unprofitably or unseasonably 2. By the customes of the Heathens which Christ there referres to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 use not c. as the Heathens and which are evident in their writers especially their Tragedians where 't is plain that their manner was to sound or chant for many houres together some few empty words to the honour of their Gods such the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Bacchannals from the noise of which they were call'd Evantes such in Sophocles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and especially in the Virgins Chorus of AEschylus's Tragedy called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where there are near an hundred Verses made up of meer Tautologies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and an enumeration of the severall names of the Gods with unsignificant noyses added to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and within two verses the same again and much more of the same stile Two notable examples of this Heathenish custome the Scripture affords us one 1 King 18. 26. where the Prophets of Baal from morning till noon cry O Baal hear us and it followes they cryed with a loud voyce and cut themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to their custome or rites that loud crying the same words so long together was as much a Heathenish rite as the cutting of themselves The other of the Ephesians Act. 19. 34. who are affirm'd to have cryed with one voice for two houres space 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great is Diana of the Ephesians and 3. by the designed end that Christ observes of that Heathen custome 1. That they may be heard by that long noyse for which Elius scoffes them 1 King 18 27. Cry aloud perhaps your God is a talking or a pursuing c. 2. That their Petitions may be more intelligible to their Gods to which Christ opposes your Heavenly Father knoweth what you have need of and so needs not your Tautologies to explain them to him Much more might be said for the explaining of that mistaken place but that it would seem unnecessary to this matter the exception being so causelesse that the Vindication would passe for an extravagance Sect 35 Of the Prayers for the King the account will not bee much unlike St. Paul commands that prayers and supplications and intercessions and thanksgivings be made
one Ordinance would convince the most seducible mistaker of these two sad truths Sect 49 1. That the preservation of Lawes so long and so speciously insisted on was but an artifice of designe to gaine so much either of authority to their Persons or of power and forte into their hands as might enable them to subvert and abolish the most wholesome Lawes of the Kingdome and in the mean time to accuse others falsly of that which it was not their innocence but their discretion not their want of will but of opportunity that they were not really and truly and perfectly guilty of themselves that so they most compleatly own and observe the principles by which they move and transcribe that practice which hath been constantly used by the Presbyterians wheresoever they have appear'd to pretend their care zeale to liberty that by that means they may get into power like Absalom a passionate friend to justice when he had an itch to be King or like Deioces in Herodotus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his ambition of Magistracy made him content to be just which as soon as they attain they inclose and tyrannically make use of to the enthralling and enslaving all others Even Lawes themselves the only Bounds and Bulwarks of Liberty which alone can secure it from servitude on one side and licentiousnesse on the other which very licentiousnesse is the surest way to servitude the licentiousnesse of one implying the oppression and captivity of some other and being it selfe in a just weighing of things the greatest slavery as much as the mans own unruly passions are greater Tyrants then Lawes or lawfull Princes are to be levell'd in their Jehu-march to be accused and found to be at last the only guilty things and the same calamity designed to involve the pretended Enemies of Lawes and the Lawes themselves Sect 50 The second truth that this unhappy Ordinance hath taught us is that which a while ago had been a Revelation of a Mystery indeed which would without any other auxiliary have infallibly quencht this flame which now like another Aetna and Vesuvius is gotten into the bowells of this Kingdome and is there likely to rage for ever if it be not asswaged from Heaven or determin'd through want of matter by having devoured all that is combustible but now is a petty vulgar observation that hath no influence or impression on any man and therfore I scarce now think it worthy the repeating and yet to conclude this period fairly I shall 't is only this That the framers of this Ordinance that have so long fought for the defence of the establisht Protestant Religion will not now have Peace unlesse they may be allowed liberty to cast off and repeale every of those Statutes that of the second and third of Edward the sixth that of the fifth and sixth of the same King that of the first of Qu. Elizabeth that of the fifth that of the eighth of the same Queen though not all at once yet as farre as concernes the matter in hand by which you may be assured that the fragments of those Statutes which remain yet unabolished are but reserved for some other opportunity as ready for a second and third sacrifice as thus much of them was for this by which the Protestant Religion stands established in this Kingdome and in which the whole worke of Reformation is consummate And all this upon no higher pretence of Reason then only a Resolution to do so a not being advised by their Divines to the contrary and to countenance the weaknesse of those two motives a proofelesse scandalous mention or bare naming of manifold inconveniencies which might as reasonably be made the Excuse of Robbing and Murthering and Damning as farre as an Ordinance would reach all men but themselves as of abolishing this Liturgie Lord lay not this sinne to their Charge CHAP. II. Sect 1 THe Preface to the Directory being the Oratour to perswade all men to be content with this grand and suddain change to lay down with patience and aequanimity all their right which they had in the venerable Liturgy of the Church of England and account themselves richly rewarded for doing so by this new framed Directory begins speciously enough by seeming to lay down the only reasons why our Ancestors a hundred yeares agoe at the first Reformation of Religion were not only content but rejoyced also in the Booke of Common Prayer at that time set forth But these reasons are set down with some partiality there being some other more weighty grounds of the Reformers framing and others rejoycing in that Booke then those negative ones which that preface mentions viz. the perfect Reformation wrought upon the former Liturgy the perfect conformity of it with and composure out of the Word of God the excellent orders prescribed and benefit to be reaped from the use of that Booke and the no manner of reall objection or exception of any weight against it All which if they had been mentioned as in all justice they ought especially when you report not your own judgements of it but the judgements of those rejoycers of that age who have left upon record those reasons of their rejoycing this Preface had soon been ended or else proved in that first part an answer or confutation of all that followes But 't is the manner of men now adaies to conceale all that may not tend to their advantage to be taken notice of a practice reproached by honest Cicero in his bookes of offices of life in the story of the Alexandrian ship-man that went to relieve Rhodes and out-going the rest of his fellowes sold his Corne at so much the more gain by that infamous artifice though not of lying yet of concealing the mention of the Fleet that was coming after and to cut off the locks of that Sampson whom they mean to bind pare and circumcise the clawes of that creature they are to combate with I mean to set out that cause and those arguments at the weakest to which they are to give satisfaction And yet by the way I must confesse that even these weake arguments which they have named are to me of some moment as first The redresse of many things which were vaine erroneous superstitious and Idolatrous which argues that all is not now involv'd under any of those titles nor consequently to be abolisht but further reform'd only 2. That they which did this were wise and pious which they that were would never take pains to purge that which was all drosse their wisedome would have helpt them to discern that it was so and their piety oblige them to reject it altogether and not to save one hoofe when all was due to the common slaughter 3. That many godly and learned men rejoyced much in the Liturgy which argues that all was not to be detested unlesse either these men now be somewhat higher then Godly or Learned of that middle sort of rationalls that Iamblichus out of
A VIEW OF THE NEW DIRECTORIE AND A VINDICATION OF THE ANCIENT LITURGIE OF THE Church of England In Answer to the Reasons pretended in the Ordinance and Preface for the abolishing the one and establishing the other The Third Edition OXFORD Printed by HENRY HALL Printer to the UNIVERSITY 1646. BY THE KING A Proclamation Commanding the use of the Booke of Common-Prayer according to Law notwithstanding the pretended Ordinances for the New Directory WHereas by a Printed Paper dated the third of Ianuary last past intituled An Ordinance of Parliamâ—â—t for taking away the Book of Common-Prayer and for establishing and putting in execution of the Directory for the publique worship of God It is said to be ordained among other things That the Book of common-Common-Prayer should not remain or be from thenceforth used in any Church Chappell or place of publique Worship within the Kingdome of England or Dominion of Wales And that the Directory for publique Worship in that printed Paper set forth should be from thenceforth used pursued and observed in all exercises of publique Worship of God in every Congregation Church Chappell and place of publique Worship And by another printed Paper dated the 23. day of August last past intituled All Ordinance of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament for the more effectuall putting in execution the Directory for publique Worship c. particular directions are set down for the dispersing publishing and use of the said Directory in all parishes Chappelries and Donatives and for the calling in and suppressing of all Books of Common-Prayer under severall forfeitures and penalties to be levyed and imposed upon conviction before Iustices of Assize or of Over and Terminer and of the Peace as by the said two printed Papers may appeare And taking into Our consideration that the Book of Common Prayer which is endeavoured thus to be abolished was compiled in the times of Reformation by the most learned and pious men of that Age and defended and confirmed with the Martyrdome of many and was first established by Act of Parliament in the time of King Edward the sixth and never repealed or laid aside save only in that short time of Queen Maries Reign upon the returne of Popery and superstition and in the first yeare of Queen Elizabeth it was again revived and established by Act of Parliament and the repeale of it then declared by the whole Parliament to have béen to the great decay of the due honour of God and discomfort to the Professors of the truth of Christs Religion and ever since it hath béen used and observed for above fourescore yeares together in the best times of peace and plenty that ever this Kingdome enjoyed and that it conteines in it an excellent Forme of Worship and Service of God grounded upon holy Scriptures and is a singular meanes and helpe to devotion in all Congregation and that or some other of the like Forme simply necessary in those many Congregations which cannot be otherwise supplyed by learned and able men and kéeps up an uniformity in the Church of England And that the Directory which is sought to be introduced is a meanes to open the way and give the liberty to all ignorant Factious or evill men to broach their own fancies and conceits be they never so wicked and erroneous and to mis lead People into sin and Rebellion and to utter those things even in that which they make for their Prayer in their Congregations as in Gods presence which no conscientious man can assent or say Amen to And be the Minister never so pious and religious yet it will breake that uniformity which hitherto hath béen held in Gods service and be a meanes to raise Factions and divisions in the Church And those many Congregations in this Kingdome where able and religious Ministers cannot be maintained must be left destitute of all helpe or meanes for their publique worship and service of God And observing likewise that no reason is given for this alteration but only inconvenience alleadged in the generall and whether pride and avarice be not the ground whether rebellion and destruction of Monarchy be not the intention of some and sacriledge and the Churches possessions the aymes and hopes of others and these new Directories the meanes to prepare and draw the people in for all Wée leave to him who searches and knowes the hearts of men And taking into Our further consideration that this alteration is introduced by colour of Ordinances of Parliament made without and against Our consent and against an expresse Act of Parliament still in force and the same Ordinances made as perpetuall binding Lawes inflicting penalties and punishments which was never before these times so much as pretended to have been the use or power of Ordinances of Parliament without an expresse Act of Parliament to which Wée are to be parties Now lest Our silence should be interpreted by some as a connivance or indifferency in Us in a matter so highly concerning the Worship and Service of God the Peace and Unity of the Church and State and the establish'd Lawes of the Kingdome Wée have therefore thought fit to publish this Our Proclamation And Wée do hereby require and command all and singular Ministers in all Cathedrall and Parish-Churches and other places of publique Worship within Our Kingdome of England or Dominion of Wales and all other to whom it shall appertaine that the said Booke of Common-Prayer be kept and used in all Churches Chappels and places of publique Worship according to the said Statute made in that behalfe in the said first yeare of the said late Quéen Elizabeth And that the said Directory be in no sort admitted received or used the said pretended Ordinances or any thing in them conteined to the contrary notwithstanding And Wee do hereby let them know that whensoever it shall please God to restore Us to Peace and the Lawes to their due course wherein Wée doubt not of his assistance in his good time Wée shall require a strict account and prosecution against the breakers of the said Law according to the force thereof And in the meane time in such places where Wée shall come and find the Booke of Common-Prayer supprest and laid aside and the Directory introduced Wée shall account all those that shall be ayders actors or contrivers therein to be persons disaffected to the Religion and Lawes established and this they must expect besides that greater losse which they shall sustain by suffering themselves thus to be deprived of the use and comfort of the said Booke Given at Our Court at Oxford this thirteenth day of November in the one and twentieth yeare of Our Raigne 1645. GOD SAUE THE KING A PREFACE TO THE Ensuing Discouâ—se Sect 1 THat the Liturgy of the Church of England which was at first as it were written in bloud at the least sealed and delivered downe to us by the Martyrdom of most of the compilers of it should ever since be daily solicited and
another in his Epistle to the Protector I shall not give my selfe license to transcribe these or multiply more such Testimonies only for the honour not only of Liturgy in generall but particularly of our Liturgy 't will be worth remembring that Gilbertus a German many years since in a book of his propounds our Book of Prayer for a sample of the Formes of the ancient Church And for the purity of it and thorough Reformation that Cranmer procured the King Edwards Common-Prayer-Book to be translated into Latine and sent it to Bucer and required his judgment of it who answer'd that there was nothing in it but what was taken out of the Word of God or which was not against it commodè acceptum being taken in a good sense some things indeed saith he quae nisi quis c. unlesse they be interpreted with Candor may seem not so agreeable to the Word of God and which unquiet men may wrest unto matter of contention As may be seen at large in Bucers Scripta Anglicana Upon this occasion that Book of King Edwards was again survey'd and in those particulars that were subject to such Cavils corrected After which time the quarrells about that Book were generally with the Papists not so much with the opposite extreame and therefore John Ould in Queen Maries daies wrote against them in defence of it and of the King Edwards Reformation And Cranmer made a challenge that if he might be permitted by the Queen to take to him P. Martyr and foure or five more they would enter the lists with any Papists living and defend the Common-Prayer-Book to be perfectly agreeable to the Word of God and the same in effect which had been for 1500. years in the Church of Christ This for the reputation of the Book Then for the fruit and benefit that by the use of it redounded to Christians take an essay by M. John Hullier Fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge who was Martyr'd in Queen Maries daies Anno 1557. and being at the stake among many other Books that were thrown into the fire to him it happened that a Common-Prayer-Book fell between his hands which he joyfully receiving opened and read till the flame and smoke suffered him not to see any more and then he fell to prayer holding his hands up to Heaven and the Book betwixt his armes next his heart thanking God for that mercy in sending him it the relation is M. Foxes and from thence the plea authentick that the tree that bare wholsome fruit should not be cut down by the Law Deut. 10. 20. even when Warre was to be made on a City and as Maimon addes l. de Idol though it were worshipt for an Idol and if that which was then of so dear esteem be now so necessary to be cast out it is an ill indication of the times into which we are fallen Sect 20 7. The reasons on which the very Heathens themselves took up the same practice which was uniuersall it seems through all the World more Catholick then the Church it selfe To this purpose beside those Authors which M. Selden referres to I shall only adde these three testimonies first of Plato l. 7. de leg where he commands That whatever Prayer or Hymnes the Poets composed to the Gods they should first shew them to the Priests as if they were in a manner leprous till then before they publisht them lest they should aske evill things instead of good an infirmity thâ—t these daies are very subject unto The second in Thucyd. l. 6. p. 434. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Set formes for severall occasions and a common joynt sending them up to heaven The third in Alexander ab Alex. l. 4. c. 17. That the Gentiles read their Prayers out of a Book before their Sacrifices Nè quià praeposterè dicatur aliquis ex scripto praeire adverbum referre solitus est That the work might not be done preposterously Which two reasons of theirs the one lest they should stray in the matter of their Prayers the other lest offend in the manner may passe for Christian reasons as seasonable with us as they were among them And no necessity that those reasons should be despised by us neither Sect 21 8. The irrationall concludings or shortnesse of discourse of those which are against set formes especially in two things the first observed by D. Preston whose memory is I hope not lost among these Assemblers and made use of in a printed worke of his to the confuting of them That while they in opposition to set Formes require the Minister to conceive a Prayer for the Congregation they observe not that the whole Congregation is by that means as much stinted and bound to a set Forme to wit of those words which the Minister conceives as if he read them out of a Book 2. That the persons with whom we have now to deale though they will not prescribe any Forme of Prayer yet venture to prescribe the matter of it in these words pag. 14. the Minister is to call upon the Lord to this effect Now why the prescription of the matter is not the stinting of the Spirit as well as the forme of words unlesse the Spirit like the Heathen Mercury be the God of eloquence and be thought to deale in the words only or why the promise of dabitur in illâ horâ it shall be given you in that houre should not be as full a promise for matter as for expressions especially when that Text forbids care or provision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not only how but what they should speake and the promise is peculiarly for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it shall be given you what you shall speak and this is it that is attributed to the Spirit v. 20. from whence if I should conclude that the Holy Ghost taught the Disciples onely the matter of their answer and they themselves were left to put it in Forme of words there is nothing in that Text against that assertion and that it was so in their penning of the New Testament many probable Arguments might be produced if it were now seasonable and consequently why the prescribing of one should not be unreasonable in them that condemne all prescribing of the other I confesse is one of those things which my charity hath made me willing to impute to the shortnesse of discourse because I am unwilling to lay any heavier charge upon it Sect 22 From all which considered and a great deale more which might be added from the usefulnesse of known Formes to those whose understandings are not quick enough to go along with unknown and if they have no other are fain oft times to return without performing any part of so necessary duty of prayer in the Church from the experience of the effects of the contrary doctrine the many scandalous passages which have fallen from Ministers in their extemporary Prayers of which meer pity and humanity civility and mercy to Enemies
gift as under our Liturgy is pretended and so here under pretence of supplying the ships all such idle Mariners in the ship of the Church are supplyed also which it seems was foreseen at the writing that preface to the Directory where they say the Minister may if need be have from â—hem some helpe and furniture 5. That the Preface to this new Work entitled A reason of this work containeth many other things which tend as much to the retracting their former work as Judas's throwing back the mony did to his repentance Sect 2 As 1. That there are thousands of Ships belonging to this Kingdome which have not Ministers with them to guide them in Prayer and therefore either use the Common Prayer or no Prayer at all This shewes the nature of that fact of those which without any objection mentioned against any Prayer in that book which was the only help for the devotion of many thousands left them for some Months to perfect irreligion and Atheisme and not Praying at all And besides these ships which they here confesse how many Land-companies be there in the same condition how many thousand families which have no Minister in them of which number the House of Commons was alwaies wont to be one and the House of Lords since the Bishops were removed from thence and to deale plainly how many Ministers will there alwaies be in England and Wales for sure your care for the Vniversities is not so great as to be likely to worke Miracles which will not have skill or power or gift which you please of conceiving Prayers as they ought to do and therefore let me impart to you the thoughts of many prudent men since the newes of your Directory and abolition of our Liturgy that it would prove a most expedite way to bring in Atheisme and this it seems you do already discern and confesse in the next words that the no prayer at all which succeeded the abolishing of the Liturgy is likely to make them rather Heathens then Christians and hath left the Lords day without any marke of piety or devotion a sad and most considerable truth which some persons ought to lament with a wounded bleeding conscience the longest day of their life and therefore we are apt to beleeve your charity to be more extensive then the title of that book enlarges it and that it hath designed this supply not only to those ships but to all other in the like want of our Liturgy Your only blame in this particular hath been that you would not be so ingenuous as Judas and some others that have soon retracted their precipicous action and confest they did so and made restitution presently while you rather then you will to rescue men from heathenisme caused by your abolition restore the Book again and confesse you have sinned in condemning an innocent Liturgy will appoint some Assembler to compile a poor sorry piteous forme of his own of which I will appeale to your greatest flatterer if it be not so low that it cannot come into any tearmes of comparison or competition with those formes already prescribed in our book and so still you justify your errour even while you confesse it Sect 3 2. That 't is now hoped that 't will be no griefe of heart to full Christians if the thirsty drink out of cisterns when themselves drink out of fountaines c. which is the speciall part of that ground on which we have first formed now labour'd to preserve our Liturgy on purpose that weaker Christians may have this constant supply for their infirmities that weake Ministers may not be forced to betray their weaknesse that they that have not the gift of Prayer as even in the Apostles times there were divers gifts and all Ministers had not promise to succeed in all but one in one another in another gift by the same spirit may have the helpe of these common gifts and standing treasures of Prayer in the Church and because there be so many of these kinds to be lookt for in a Church that those which are able to pray as they ought without a forme may yet in publick submit to be thus restrain'd to the use of so excellent a forme thus set before them rather then others should be thus adventur'd to their own temerity or incurre the reproach of being thought not able and then this providing for the weak both Minister and People will not now I hope be charged on the Liturgy by those who hope their supply of Prayer will be no griefe to others Sect 4 3. That these Prayers being enlivened and sent up by the spirit in him that prayeth may be lively prayers and acceptable to him who is a spirit and accepts of service in spirit and truth Where 1. It appears by that confession that as the place that speaks of worshipping in spirit and truth is not of any force against set prayers so neither is that either of the Spirits helping our infirmities belonging as it is here confest most truly to the zeale and fervor and intensenesse of devotion infused by the Spirit and not to the words wherein the addresse is made which if the Spirit may not infuse also in the use of our Liturgy and assist a Minister and Cnngregation in the Church as well and as effectually as a company of Mariners in a ship I shall then confesse that the Directory first and then this Supply may be allow'd to turne it out of the Church Sect 5 Lastly That in truth though Prayers come never so new even from the Spirit in one that is a guide in Prayer if the Spirit do not quicken and enliven that prayer in the hearer that followes him it is to him but a dead forme and a very carcase of Prayer which words being really what they say a truth a perfect truth and more soberly spoken then all or any period in the Preface to the Directory I shall oppose against that whole Act of abolition as a ground of confutation of the principall part of it and shall only adde my desire that it be considered what Prayers are most likely to be thus quickned and enlivened by the spirit in the hearer those that he is master of and understands and knowes he may joyn in or those which depend wholy on the will of the Speaker which perhaps he understandeth not and never knowes what they are till they are delivered nor whether they be fit for him to joyne in or in plainer words whether a man be likely to pray and aske most fervently he knowes not what or that which he knowes and comes on purpose to pray For sure the quicking and enlivening of the Spirit is not so perfectly miracle as to exclude all use of reason or understanding to prepare for a capacity of it for then there had been no need to have turn'd the Latine Service out of the Church the spirit would have quickned those Prayers also CHAP. III. HAving thus
1. That the conclusion is as illogicall as any that an Assembly of wise men have ever acknowledged themselves to be guilty of no one of the three Motives being severally of strength to beare such a superstructure and therefore all together being as unsufficient for if the conclusion were only of the prudence or expedience of taking it away somewhat might be pretended for that inference from the premises supposing them true But when 't is of necessity and that twice repeated and so not casually fallen from them there must then be somewhat of precept divine in the premises to induce that necessity or else it will never be induced for I shall suppose it granted by them with whom I now dispute that nothing is necessary in the worship of God but what God hath prescribed the necessity of precept being the only one that can have place in this matter and the necessitas medii being most improper to be here pleaded But that there is no such direct precept so much as pretended to by those three motives it is clear and as clear that all together do not amount to an interpretative precept For that a lawfull thing though prest with manifold inconveniences should be removed is no where commanded the lawfull Magistrate but left to his prudence to judge whether there be not conveniences on the other side which may counterballance those inconveniences much lesse is it commanded the inferiour Courts in despight of King and standing Law For what ever of expedience and so of prudence might be supposed to interpose that may be sufficient to incline a Wise Magistrate to make a Law but not any else either to usurpe the power of a Law-maker or to do any thing contrary to establish'd Lawes there being nothing that can justify the least disobedience of Subjects to their Prince or the Lawes of the Kingdom but that obligation to that one superiour Law of that higher Prince our Father which is in heaven which being supposed 't is not all the resolutions and Covenants in the world that can make it lawfull for any so to disobey much lesse necessary any more then the saying Corban in the Gospell i. e. pretending a vow will free the Child from the obligation of honouring or relieving his Father or then Herod's vow made it lawfull to cut off the head of John the Baptist and then how far the consultation with those Divines may induce that necessity will upon the same ground also be manifest to any especially that shall remember with what caution that Assembly was by the Houses admitted to consult and with what restraints on them and professions that they were call'd only to be advisers when they were required but not to conclude any thing either by a generall concurrence or by that of a Major part any farther then the reasons which they should offer them might prevaile with them to which purpose it was so ordered that if any one man dissented from the rest of their Divines his opinions and reasons were as much to be represented to the Houses as that other of the rest of the Assembly Sect 3 By this I conceive it appears that I have not quarrell'd causelesly with the Logick of this conclusion the premises pretending at most but motives of expedience and so as unable to infer a necessity as a Topicall argument is to demonstrate or a particular to induce an universall That which I would in charity guesse of this matter as the cause of this mistake is my not groundlesse suspition that when the Presbyterians had prepared the premises the Independents framed the conclusion the former of these joyning at last with the other in a resolution of taking away the Book but only on prudentiall considerations not out of conscience of the unlawfulnesse and proportionably setting down those reasons but prudentiall reasons and the latter though restrained from putting conscience into the premises yet stealing it secretly into the conclusion so each deceiving and being deceived by each other I am not sure that my conjecture is right in this particular yet have I reason to insert it 1. Because I find in many places of the Directory certain footsteps of this kind of composition and compliance and mixture of those so distant sorts of Reformers 2. Because the Presbyterians which have sformerly appeared both in other and in this Kingdome whose copy these present reformers of that party hath transcribed have constantly avowed the lawfulnesse of Liturgy and so cannot affirme any necessity of abolishing witnesse Calvin himselfe whom we shall anon have occasion to produce and the practise of his Church of Geneva and neerer to our selves witnesse those foure classes which in Q. Elizabeths daies had set themselves up in this Kingdome These had made complaint to the Lord Burleigh against our Liturgy and entertained hopes of obtaining his favour in that businesse about the year 1585. he demanded of them whether they desired the taking away of all Liturgy they answered no he then required them to make a better such as they would desire to have settled in the stead of this The first Classis did accordingly frame a new one somewhat according to the Geneva forme But this the second Classis disliked and altered in 600. particulars that again had the fate to be quarrell'd by the third Classis and what the third resolved on by the fourth and the dissenting of those Brethren as the Division of tongues at Babel was a faire means to keep that Tower then from advancing any higher Nay even for our neighbours of Scotland themselves what ever some of them of late have thought fit to do since they became Covenanteers in animosity perhaps and opposition to that terrible mormo the Liturgy sent to them from hence we know that they were Presbyterians formerly without seeing any necessity of abolishing Liturgy Sect 4 'T is no newes to tell you that M. Knox wrote a Liturgy wherein there is frequent mention of the daies of Common-Prayer and among many other particulars these ensuing worthy your remarke 1. Plain undisguised confessions of such faults which this age though as notoriously guilty of as they will not put into publike formes or leave upon record against themselves as That for the pleasure and defence of the French they had violated their Faith of breaking the leagues of unity and concord which their Kings and Governours had contracted with their Neighbours and again that for the maintenance of their friendship they have not feared to break their solemne oathes made unto others To which I might adde from another Confession that Whoredome and Adultery are but pastimes of the flesh crafty dealing deceit and oppression is counted good conquest c. but that it would looke too like a Satyre against some part of that Nation at this time thus to specifie 2. Their great sense and acknowledgment of obligations from this Kingdome of England and not only prayers for continuance of peace between England
of that whole number of Divines whether I should do them wrong in affirming that there yet are not ten Divines in that number that think all Liturgy unlawfull and consequently that it was necessary not to reforme but to abolish our Booke which is the stile of the Ordinance If this challenge of mine may not be answer'd with a plain punctuall subscription of so many to the condemnation of all Liturgy as unlawfull I am sure this is an Argument ad homines unanswerable And the ground of my challenge and of my specifying that number is the relation we have oft had of the but seven dissenting Brethren i. e. the but so many of the Independent Party among them which upon my former ground I now suppose the only mortall enemies to all Liturgy But if I am mistaken and this be the common sense of those Assemblers then have I reason to add to my former complaints this other of their so over-cautious expressions which through this whole Book hath not once intimated either the whole or any part to be unlawfull but only quarrel'd the inconveniencies which suppose it otherwise to be lawfull Sect 11 And this much might suffice of the first observable in the Ordinance the concluding this abolition to be necessary But because I would foresee and prevent all possible rejoynder and because I would here interpose some considerations which would otherwise take up a larger place I shall suppose the Presbyterians may have another motion of the word necessary of a lower importance then this under which we have hitherto proceeded against them though still the Independents whose judgment is not wont to be despised in the framing of Ordinances cannot be imagined to take it in any other and that is that it shall signifie only a Politicall necessity or that which is necessary if not to the being yet to the well being i. e. to the Peace and prosperity of this Kingdome Now because there be two parts of every Christian Kingdome a State and a Church and so two branches of Policy Civill and Ecclesiasticall I shall not undertake to be so far Master of their sense as to pitch upon either as that wherein they affirme this abolition necessary but say somewhat to both and to shew that it is not necessary in either sense of Politicall necessity Sect 11 And first that the abolition of Liturgy cannot have so much as a benigne influence on the State much lesse be necessary to the prosperity of it I shall inferre only by this vulgar aphorisme that any notable or grand mutation if from some higher principle it appear not necessary to be made will be necessary not to be made at least not to be made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 altogether but only by degrees and prudent dispensings I shall not any farther enlarge on so plain a theme then to mention one proportion or resemblance of this truth in the naturall body observed by the Physitians in the cure of an hydropicall patient who when the body lyes covered with such a deluge of water that it proves necessary to make some sluce to let out the burthenous superfluity do not yet proceed by any loose way of letting out all at once because the violent effluvium or powring out of Spirits constantly consequent to that would certainly destroy the Patient and endanger him on dry ground as much or more then in the midst of those waters but the method is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the making so small a hole in the skin that shall drain the body by insensible degrees by drawing out a little at once and never above a pint at a time though many gallous are designed to passe by this way of evacuation I shall adde no more to this resemblance but that the totall violent illegall abolition of Liturgy in a setled Church is certainly of this nature and being superadded to the change of the Government into a Forme quite contrary to that which for 1600 years hath prevailed in the universall Church of Christ there setled by the Apostles may be allow'd the stile of insignis mutatio a mutation of some considerable importance to a Christian State which being admitted altogether without any preparative alleviating steps will by the rapid suddain motion at least if there were nothing else have a dangerous influence upon the whole body of which the cunningest diviner cannot at this instance foresee the effects or prevent the emergent mischiefes which succeeding times may discover If it be said that this abolition is now necessary to conclude the present Warre and that be affirmed to be the Politick necessity here meant I answer that if it were able to do that I should acknowledge it the strongest argument that could be thought on to prove it Politically necessary this Warre being so unnecessarily destructive and any thing that could rid us of that so strongly convenient that if Conscience would permit the use of it I should allow it the title of necessary But to make short of this no man can believe that these Armies were raised or continued to subdue the Common prayer-Prayer-Booke for besides that there was a time when 't was found necessary for the Houses to declare that they had no design to take away that Book for feare the People should be disobliged by it and another when the Earle of Essex his Army exprest some kindnesse to it 'T is now confest by the pretenders of both Perswasions Presbyterians and Independents one that they doe not the other that they must not take up Armes for Religion and so that kind of politicall necessity of abolishing the Book is and by themselves must be disclaimed also Sect 12 Now for the second branch of this necessity that which is in order to Ecclesiasticall or Church-policy we shall take liberty in this place to consider this matter at large because it may perhaps save us some pains hereafter and because their pretending of this necessity of doing what they do is a tentation if not a challenge to us to do so and then we shall leave it to the Reader to judge what grounds may hence be fetcht for this pretended necessity And this must be done by laying together the severall things that are in our Liturgy and are purposely left out in the Directory and so are as it were the Characteristicall note by which the Directory is by the Assemblers designed to differ from our Liturgy as so much food from poyson Christian from Antichristian if Necessity be properly taken or if improperly for that which is necessary only to the well being as a more perfect and more profitable from that which if it be so at all is not either in their opinion in so high a degree Sect 13 Now the severalls of our Liturgy which are purposely avoyded in this Directory I have observed to be principally these Of those that are more extrinsecall sixe 1. The prescribing of Formes or Liturgy it selfe 2. Outward or bodily worship 3.