and the worship done by it is idolatrous First they condemne it in generall and then in particular In generall they mislike for fiue things First because the prayers are read The reading of prayers they say can not bee with sighes and grones nor come of faith nor proceede from the motion of the spirite nor haue any feeling ioyned with it and hath no warrant by commaundement or practise from Christ and his Apostles Prayers read they say are onely for meditation and not for inuocation This is their accusation against the prayers that are read out of a booke When our Sauiour sayeth The true worshippers must worshippe the father in spirite and trueth and Paul the spirite helpeth our infirmtties then they suppose that prayers read are excluded as though they proceeded not of the spirite Prayers are not so much vsed of the people nor of any of vs as they ought to be It is the chiefe meanes to obtaine Gods fauour to keepe our selues in his feare and to worke all goodnes in vs. If prayers by the booke were no praiers we should be much more barren in this exercise then we are This were a good meanes for the deuill to bannish prayer from a great number altogether I would know in respect of the hearer what great difference it is if the prayer be read to him or pronounced out of thy heart Neyther way doth it come out of his heart as the fountaine It commeth thus to passe also with many that vtter conceiued prayers that for the most part they vse the same fourme of words the same matter in most points of their praiers Againe what would this liberty of euery mans praying publike at his owne motion hauing that office bring vpon the Churches Infinite intollerable babling in some dānable most heretical petitions in a great number But they say praiers read are not of the spirite nor with sighes nor feeling The very reading is not praying but the motion and desire to God in reading is praying This motion is not hindered but furthered by reading because it bringeth to the vnderstanding that which the heart longeth after As one candle receiueth light of another so euen in prayer the heart receiueth light and heate by meanes of the words read and heard Christ set down a fourme of words and sayd when you pray pray thus Nowe he that vseth the wordes and matter and affection prayeth thus rather then he that vseth the matter and affection onely And the words of some petitions we vse of necessitie as forgiue vs our sinnes or trespasses and therefore may well vse all Christ himselfe in the garden prayed thrise saying the same words Dauid made diuers Psalmes to be sung in Gods seruice and intitleth them to the parties that should be leaders in them The hundred thirtie and sixt psalme was cōmonly sung in time of thanksgiuing for great and extraordinarie victories first Dauid himselfe vsed it then Iehosaphat and after that Iudas Maccabeus Ioel in the publike fast telleth what the priestes should say and biddeth them pronounce these words Spare thy people Ioel 2.17 O Lorde and giue not thine heritage into reproche that the heathen shoulde rule ouer them wherefore should they say among the people where is their God Hose 14.2 Hoseah biddeth the people take vnto them words and say to the Lord Take away all iniquitie and receiue vs graciously so will we render the calues of our lippes Asshur shall not saue vs neyther will wee ride vpon horses neyther will wee say any more to the worke of our hands yee are our Gods for in thee the fatherlesse findeth mercie God prescribed a fourme of blessing to Aaron and his sonne Num. 56.23 wherewith they shoulde blesse the people commaunding them to say The Lorde blesse thee and keepe thee and so soorth Moses vsed a fourme of wordes as a prayer at the going forwarde and resting of the Arke Numb 10.35 36. and Dauid in his prayer hath the same Seeing these things are so Psal 68.2 prayers read may be vsed a man by them may perfourme vnto God spirituall and acceptable seruice The second thing for which they mislike the booke is because it is prescribed and imposed and vsed continually This cutteth off the libertie of the Church they say and bringeth it into bondage this is tedious to men and Penrie is not ashamed to say it is lothsome to God to be serued so oft as it were with one dish The libertie that these men chalenge is such as that they will be bound to nothing especially in religion in things indifferent neither by prince nor by any law of man be it neuer so good godly the thing is misliked because it is prescribed and imposed vpon vs. Doth the very imposing and bond by law make it vnholy Then acknowledge not the Trinitie nor receiue the canonicall Scripture nor seeke to knowe Gods commandements nor Christian faith For these things by law are imposed vpō vs. But this diminisheth not our liberty nor taketh away our willing seruing of God in these things imposed but rather maketh vs more willing And as for tediousnesse to the Lord because these prayers are old and vsuall it is not to be feared For in his seruice he requireth not newe words but a newe heart The worshippe and prayer is newe to God so oft as our heart is renewed with zeale and true repentance and good affection to it For the prayer to God is not the outward word but the inward desire and affection The third thing in generall for which they condemne the booke is for that it is mans inuention Whatsoeuer man deuiseth that they count vncleane and not to be vsed in prayer When mens traditions and inuentions are reprooued in Gods seruice by scripture hitherto by all godly writers those things haue bene vnderstood which are contrary to Gods word Things agreeable are not so accounted mens inuentions that they should be condemned For if simply to come from the wit and braine of man be naught thē were preaching to be banished and then euen conceiued prayers must be excluded and so much more because they be new inuentions euery day and this if it be any it is but one It is not a deuise of man therefore to be reiected which is agreeable to the word of God as those things in this booke are whereby we worship God The fourth generall cause of reiecting the booke is for that it is in many points taken out of the Popes portesse Therefore Barrowe calleth it a great colloppe or a pigge of that mezeled hogge In this behalfe another of them sayeth wee beare the image of the beast for that we vse some part of his forme of liturgie It is certaine that a great part of the publike prayer in that booke which the Romanes vse was practised in the Church before the beast came in that chaire And often times Gods people haue eyther taken or resumed
those things to Gods worshippe which haue bene abused by idolaters The spoiles of Egypt of Iericho the vessels of the tēple abused by the Babylonians were againe applied to Gods seruice If we vsed any thing wherein the Pope sheweth himselfe to bee the beast as his worshipping of dead Saints and images and the Masse and such like then we might be sayde to beare his image or his marke But in the prayers that wee haue there is no part no limme no clawe of that beast The people of God must not fashion themselues like the Cananites nor the heathen about them in any thing wherein they are idolatrous and impious but in that they haue as men Gods people may be like them As they are Papists we will not be like the Romanes but as they are Christians we may be like them In taking good things from them wee take not any thing that was theirs but we take to our selues that which was our owne We must not vse the Bible nor the name of God or Christ nor Baptisme if we will haue nothing that they had The fift and last thing for which in generall they cast away the booke is for that it mainteineth a reading ministery A booke of common prayer is no cause of a reading Minister The chiefest cause is that preachers will not be had nor can be made in this slender maintenance of sundry Churches the next cause is the couetousnes and wicked dealing of many godlesse patrones and a third cause is this contention and strife that is raised in the Church This hath cast out manie that were in and hath driuen backe manie that were comming on this hath caused diuerse to forsake the studie of Diuinitie and learning altogether But the booke of Common prayer is no cause of it for the preachers with vs vse it and where all are preachers there is a set forme obserued and is necessarie to bee had of all well ordered Churches These are the thinges for which they condemne the booke in generall Now in particular they trifle about many things As first about the holy dayes whereof some they call double Idoles and double feastes Hallowmas Christmas Candlemas Easter Whitsonday Trinitie sonday Then there are the Ladies dayes Saints dayes with the Eues fast and feastes and deuised worship vnto them Last of all they reckon the celebrating of dayes to Angels as Michael and the naming of manie Archangels This cauil will easily be answered For first wee make not the Calender anie parte of Gods worship Wherefore it is vaine to accuse vs of a false worship by that when wee put no parte of his worshippe in it That distinguisheth the times and directeth vs to the Psalmes and Scriptures but is no parte of Gods seruice no more then a marke by the waye to direct them which goe by is a parte of the way The names maye bee somewhat offensiue where Masse is added but in the olde tongue from whence our language came long before the corruptions of the Masse were crept in the worde signified nothing but Tide or some solemn time and the common people haue vsed to speake so and the name Missa from whence that is supposed to come is read in ancient fathers in a good and a godly meaning yea and in most Calenders those names are reformed The Saintes wee worship not nor Angels neither with prayers fastes nor any such thing But God wee worship and take occasion at such times when wee call to minde them by whome the worship of God hath bin spred throughout the world The people of God haue vsed and appointed moe dayes to publike prayer and Gods seruice then the Sabbath Hester Euang. Ioan. without controlement as the feast of Purim and of Dedication Last of all those dayes except the natiuitie of our Sauiour and those that fall vsually on the Lordes day are in most places growne to be equall with the rest Our people are readie ynough to make no difference of dayes in that behalfe The next thing that commeth vnder their censure are the fastes Lent imber dayes Ashwednesday Maundie Holy thursday Goodfridaye and the rest Two thinges are regarded of the Churche in distinguishing these times from others First a time to bee obserued of all for the vse of fishe and refraining from flesh that nauigation might bee maintained and that seeing wee may haue prouision of all kinde of foode wee doe not continuallie vse onelie one to which wee are most giuen to the decaie thereof and hinderance of the other Secondly that there maie bee vsed also a moderate abstinence not to the honour of Saintes nor as though there were anie worshippe of God in it of it selfe but that our bodies maye bee kept vnder and the minde might bee made the fitter to serue the Lorde If all those dayes and others were vsed in a whole or halfe abstinence it were better for mens bodies and soules and for the commonwealth then it is The superstition and merite in such thinges is condemned but either a ciuile or holie vse to the better ordering of our bodies and affections of none that are wise can be mislyked A third matter of reprehension is as they call it a blasphemous abuse of scriptures shredding and rending them from their natural sense and true vse to bend and apply them to the Idole feastes This accusation is both foolish and impudent If they thinke as it seemes they doe that it is not lawfull to print or reade by it selfe some portion of the scripture seuered frō the rest of the whole body it is foolish for what offence can there be in making choise of some parte for instruction seeing the bodie is left whole notwithstanding And to say they are turned from their true sense it is impudent for in the same words meaning are they set downe in the Communion booke as they are in the bodie of the scripture neither doe we apply them to the feastes but to our selues to be instructed by them The fourth crime they set downe in these wordes Abominable Collectes ouer for and to the dead What can bee spoken more spitefull and shamelesse We praye neither for the dead nor to the dead wee praye for our selues at the buriall of the dead In the fist place about Baptisme and that which pertaineth to it they finde many faults They saye it is corrupted with the signe of the crosse with godfathers and godmothers with the Fonte with vnlawfull and vnpossible vowes of gossips to these they ioyne purification or churching of women with their offerings hastie baptisme by Midwiues bishopping and second baptisme by these thinges they iudge that baptisme is corrupted But why should the signe of the crosse corrupt it Is it so odious to expresse the figure of that whereon Christ dyed without opinion of adding grace without giuing any worship to it but onely for remembrance there is none impietie it it And what impossible vowe doe the godfathers and godmothers make They
euil deedes If he be a blasphemer of the name of Christ an open despiser of his Gospel one that refuseth him and acknowledgeth him not as Redeemer and God hee is to be accounted an infidel and by all meanes to be reiected None such are admitted of vs or mingled with vs being once knowen Moreouer Isa 65.11 they thinke that Esay condemneth vs for admitting a whole parish to the holy Communion when he saith Yee are they that haue forsaken the Lorde and forgotten my holy mountaine and haue prepared a table for the multitude and furnish the drincke offering for the number Esay speaketh not of receauing a number into societie to offer to the Lorde but rather of sacrificing to a multitude of Idols in steade of the true God For hee opposeth the onely true God to a multitude whome they serued yea some thinke that the names that are translated a number and multitude doe signifie Mars and Mercurie Wherefore this pertaineth not to the admitting of manie to the Communion It was a commendation for the people and seruice of God when they did all eate the passeouer and offer sacrifices together as at their comming out of Egypt and in the wildernes and vnder Iosias and otherwise It is much more to be misliked with vs that some refraine from the communion then that so many come vnto it They obiect many other things against the retayning of wicked men in the societie of the Church but these are the chiefe To answere all woulde require a seuerall treatise Their thirde note of a visible Church is that it must be gathered in the name of Christ Esai 11.14 Esay did so prophecie In that day the roote of Ishai shall stand vp for a signe vnto the people the nations shall seeke vnto it Whole nations and many nations shoulde come to Christ in steede of one nation Could this be but many wicked and vngodly should be mixed and howe should the nations seeke to him some in shewe some in trueth some by outward profession and some by inward feeling Ioh. 12.32 When our Sauiour sayth If I were lift vp from the earth I woulde drawe all men vnto me hee meaneth that such as come in trueth shall come by his power but hee meaneth not that there should none come in outward fashion onely in word and yet in heart be farre from him in their deedes denie him And as he sayeth againe Mat. 18.20 where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them so are our assemblies in the name of Christ if to come vpon his commaundement to call vpon him to heare his worde and to receaue his Sacramentes bee to be gathered in his name and the wicked comming with vs hindereth not this our purpose nor disappointeth our worke That which Peter saieth To whome yee come as vnto a liuing stone disalowed of men but chosen of God and precious and yee as liuely stones bee made a spiritual house an holie Priesthoode to offer vp spirituall Sacrifices acceptable to God by Iesus Christ This I say is spoken of them which are called of God according to his eternall purpose But none are thus ioyned to Christ but onely such yet for their sakes the rest are so accounted and take the name of that which is the chiefe and so farre are they from making vs to bee separated from God when we consent not to their sinnes that they are tolerated and receaued into some outwarde honor of the Church for vs. These places sufficiently proue that the Church of Christ must be ioyned vnto Christ the head But what exception can bee taken against our Churche howe can it be sayde that wee are not gathered together in the name of Christ They saye our Churches are gathered together not in the name of Christ but in the name of Antichrist This is a most vile slaunder against the Church All that is proper to Antichrist we withstand and therefore Antichrist seeing himselfe cast off and vs not gathered in his name striueth by force and policie to gather vs to himselfe again The name of Antichrist included especiallie his supremacie his humane traditions against the written worde of God his idolatrie his adoration of Saintes his pilgrimages and reliques his prayers for the dead and purgatorie his iustification by workes his satisfactions for sinnes his doctrine of free-will his vowes of pouertie of single life his workes of supererogation his pardons and the like To come together in these opinions and in the practise of those thinges is to bee gathered in the name of Antichrist But thus wee doe not Contrariewise wee come to worship God in the name of Christ alone to bee iustified by him to heare his trueth therefore wee are gathered in the name of Christ The fourth note of a visible Church they make this that it must worship Iesus Christ truelie It is out of question that the true Church of God worshippeth Christ aright But what can they alledge against vs and the worship that we performe to Christ First the commandement Thou shalt make no grauen image They account vs idolaters Then that to the Corinths 1. Cor. 10. If anie man say vnto thee that is sacrificed vnto idoles eate it not because of him that shewed it Our seruice they say was once offered to idoles and therefore now must not be vsed To these they ioine that of Esay Esai 66.17 They that sanctifie thēselues purifie themselues in the gardens behind a tree in the middest eating swines flesh and such abomination euen the mouse shal be consumed together saith the Lord. In their account our prayers the forme of our publike seruice is swines flesh or as a mouse which things were vncleane and might not be offered to God by the law And to this end they heape vp many places of like nature as that of Deuteronomy Deut. 17.1 such other Thou shalt offer to the Lorde thy God no bullocke nor sheepe wherein is blemish or any euill fauoured thing for that is an abomination to the Lorde thy God Such a sacrifice they iudge the seruice that we offer to God by the booke of common prayer to be Therefore they giue names of reproche and disdaine vnto the booke calling it the Statute booke and stinted seruice and staruers booke and such like Against this booke they fight as against a most pregnant idole We worshippe not God aright because we worship him by this booke The worshippe of God is large faith hearing of his worde reading of the Scriptures and euerie good worke pertaineth to his worshippe All the seruice and duetie we doe to God are not done by the reading and vsing of that booke Nay all our prayers in the Church are not out of it The preachers vse the libertie of their mind and motion of Gods spirite So that all our worship and all our prayers are not done by that booke But they say that booke