of Alexandria makes mention of the Hymns used by the Christians in his time now these were Forms of Prayer or Praises De Orat. Dom. p. 152. That Cyprian doth sufficiently intimate the use of some Forms in the Carthaginian Church by describing the entrance or beginning thereof saying Sursum corda Lift up your hearts and the people Answering Habemus ad Dominum We lift them up unto the Lord. That Eusebius informs us concerning Constantine that he would take Books in his hands for the expressing with his Court 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De vita Constant l. 4. c. 17. the appointed Prayers and that he by so doing ordered his Court 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the manner of the Church of God That the Council of Laodicea decreed that there should be always the very same Service of Prayers Morning and Evening i. e. that there should be the same Morning Service Can. 18. and the same Evening Service continually And to assure us that the Council had a particular respect to FOrms of Prayer then in use in the next Canon Can. 19. it gives an account of some part of the order of that Service viz. that after the Sermon or Homily they had first the Prayer for the Catechumeni then the Prayer for the Penitents then three Prayers for the Faithful And that this Canon was received into the Code of Canons of the universal Church which was cited confirmed and established in the General Council of Chalcedon A. D. 451. Can. 1. That the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the three prayers of the faithful were then so well known L. 2. cap. 59. that in the constitutions of the Apostles they are represented as saying the three Prayers standing every Lords Day without reciting what they were That when Paulus Samosatenus about the year 262. Euseb ubi supra took away the Psalms and Hymns which had been used to be sung in the Church pretending they were new and made by men of later date by a numerous Council called at Antioch he was censured for it and cast out of the Church of God Lastly that whereas the Constitutions Apostolical were first composed saith our incomparably Learned Bishop Pearson from the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vindic. Ignat. p. 60 61 62. or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the instructions orders and constitutions made by Apostles and Apostolick men much changed indeed and interpolated in the seventh and eighth Books of those Constitutions we find Forms of prayers under their names for all Church Offices for the Catechumeni the Baptized the Penitents the Faithful the Ordination of Bishops Priests and Deacons the Celebration of the Lords Supper So that unless this whole eighth Book be wholly spurious and not only interpolated Haer. 45. n. 5.11 12.80 n. 7. we must have evidence of Forms of prayer like ours still used in the Church not only from the Fourth Century when Epiphanius cites thess constitutions but even from the days of the Apostles and haply these were the Liturgies of the Apostles so much spoken of and since so much encreased § 8 Moreover to convince men from plain evidence of reason in this matter it only will be needful to advertise them 1. That all premeditated Prayer in which we do consider what to say and in what words we should express our thoughts to God is in effect a stinted prayer for it is not the Writing or the Printing but the ordering and composing of the words which makes the Prayer a Form if therefore this be be done before we pray our prayer must be a Form 2. This being so the true state of the Question can be only this whether in our addresses to the most immense infinite eternal God we should use consideration or pray and praise him inconsiderately Whether we should deliberate and take good heed that we offend not with our tongues or speak without deliberation whatsoever cometh first into our thoughts Hos 14.2 Whether we should take unto our selves words and speak unto him as the Prophet Hoseah doth advise or should present our selves before him not knowing what to say And for our better satisfaction the Wise man doth advise us Eccles 5.2 not to be rash with our mouths nor let our hearts be hasty to utter any thing before God and that for an eternal reason viz. because God is in Heaven and we are on Earth Now what man in the world is hasty to offer any thing before God if he be not who prays ex tempore or who speaks rashly with his mouth if he doth not who speaks without deliberation or consideration what to say Secondly our own experience will inform us how natural it is to all mankind to take such good advice before hand when they present their thanks or their petitions to an Earthly Prince as may secure them that they deliver their requests in grave and decent Forms of words and can it therefore stand with the reverence we owe to the most Glorious Majesty of Heaven and Earth to use to him what we durst not present unto a Prince or prudent Governour in such a serious matter as ought to be the subject of our Prayers This is the Argument by which God pleads against the lame and the imperfect sacrifices of his people saying if ye offer the blind for sacrifice is it not evil and if you offer the lame and sick is it not evil Mal. 1.8 offer it now unto thy Governour will he be pleased with thee or accept thy person implying that the great King of Heaven and Earth must be served with the best sacrifices we can tender to him and therefore with the best prayers and praises which we can conceive and that what earthly Princes may slight as beneath them must be unworthy to be offered to the King of Kings Moreover if we compare together both these kinds of prayer by Form and by extemporary effusions we shall find the former to be more expedient in our publick Worship for several momentous reasons concerning both our selves and others For 1. The Apostle doth require us 1 Cor. 14.15 and even reason doth inform us that we should pray with the understanding and that we cannot say Amen to that Prayer we understand not now what assurance can the people have in joining with a Minister who prays ex tempore and oft in mystical expressions of the Old Testament that he shall understand the meaning of his words whereas if constant Liturgies be used we may be well assured by our own reading or by the information of others of the meaning of them 2ly The Apostle intimates that 't is the duty of the hearer to say Amen to the Prayers offered up in publick and indeed otherwise we cannot well be said to join with the Minister in Prayer now this we cannot do sincerely unless we do approve the matter of the Prayer now what assurance can the people have in that great difference of
of by any but Dissenters 2ly If this be true I know not any thing more forbidden by this Commandment than this Book of Dr. Ames so full of Phantasies of his own devising that nothing can be more all which undoubtedly were intended by him for some religious use Nay this very Interpretation is forbidden here it being certainly a Phantasy of the Mind without all ground from the Commandment Nay all our pious Books our conceived Prayers our Method in composing Sermons and an hundred things of like Nature will be here prohibited The Argument whereby the Dr. Labors to confirm this fond intepretation is p. 297. that the Word likeness used in the second Commandment is General and comprehendeth under it all religious similitudes because they are Homogeneal to Images they are expresly forbidden Answ The Foundation of this Argument is a plain falshood for the Word Likeness is not General but by the Text is plainly limited to Images or Likenesses of Male or Female Deut 4.16 17 18. The Likeness of any Beast that is on the Earth The Likeness of any winged Fowl that flyeth in the Air The Likeness of any thing that creepeth on the Ground The Likeness of any Fish that is in the Waters The Likeness which may be seen is that which is forbidden v. 15. 'T is the Likeness of any thing in Heaven above or in the Earth beneath or in the Waters under the Earth Exod. 20.4 Dr. Ames goes on to Argue from the Affirmative part of the second Commandment thus p. 299. This Commandment enjoyns Obedience to all the Worship appointed by God all which was significative for it served to the Example and Shadow of Heavenly things Heb. 8.5 Heb. 10.1 The Law having a Shadow of things to come Therefore it forbiddeth any significative Ceremonies to be brought into the Worship of God devised by man Answ to omit the Illogicalness of this Argument and the many terms in the conclusion which are not vertually contained in the premisses which every fresh Man may perceive I Answ 1. That it is falsly or at least precariously affirmed that this Commandment enjoyns Obedience to all the Worship appointed by God It is the first Commandment which commands us to have God for our God that is to give him all the Internal Acts of Devotion and the External Acts of Piety which are proper to God and are in Scripture signified by loving God with all our Hearts by fearing worshipping and serving him The second Commandment doth limit the manner of exercising and expressing our Devotion to the true Object of it interdicting that mode which in the Practice of Antient times had so generally prevailed of representing the Deities they apprehended to be such in some corporeal shape thereto yielding such expressions of respect as they conceived suitable and acceptable to such Deities The Affirmative part of this Precept seems therefore to be chiefly this Thou shalt give outward Religious Worship by bowing humbling of thy Body or falling down to me so that our kneeling at the Sacrament or bowing to the Lord Jesus when we hear his Sacred Name which minds us of the great Blessings which he hath procured for us and of the Honour due unto him for them our bowing of the body to him when we go into the place of Worship is only doing what in the General is here commanded which if Dissenters well considered they would see the vanity of their Exceptions against those laudable Practices of the Church of England Farther the positive part of this Precept may imply that in our Devotions and Religious Services of God we should raise our mind above gross Sense and Phancy that we should entertain high and worthy conceptions of God that we should apprehend him incomparably Superiour to all things which we see and know in a word that we should worship him in Spirit and in Truth not as the Samaritans in the Image of a Dove who therefore are said to worship they knew not what nor as the Jews by Types and Shadows of good things to come and such like Carnal Ordinances In these two things seem fully to be comprised the special positive Duty of this Commandment Answ 2. When Dr. Ames adds that all the worship appointed by God is here commanded and that it was all significative and proveth this from Hebr. 8.5 Hebr. 10.1 Which manifestly speak only of Shadows of things to come it clearly follows from his Argument that all Worship of God is now abolished and become unlawful for all the Worship spoken of Hebr. 8.5 Hebr. 10.1 is clearly abolished and rendred unlawful to us by the appearance of the substance of which they were Types and Shadows 3ly 'T is certain that we owe Obedience to all the parts of Worship appointed by God significative or not significative but how doth it hence follow that significative Ceremonies which are declared to be no parts of Gods Worship but only accidental Circumstances may not be required by men any more than it will follow that because God hath commanded Obedience to all the Honour due to my Natural Spiritual and Civil Parents and hath commanded all the Love I owe unto my Brother that therefore I may use no expression of honour to my Parents or love unto my Christian Brother which he hath not commanded Thus have I answered all that is considerable in Dr. Ames on this Head and all that the Dissenters urge from the Old Testament against Submission to the Ceremonies appointed to be used in the Church of England § 4 From this Example of our Lord and his Apostles it doth also clearly follow Coroll 2. that those Texts of Scripture which our Dissenters urge from the New Testament and all those reasons which they plead from the fulness of Scripture the Office and the Faithfulness of Christ in the discharge of that his Office can never prove that 't is a thing unlawful to submit unto or use the Ceremonies appointed by our Church seeing our Saviour and his Disciples whose Practice certainly agreed with their Precepts and who did nothing repugnant to the fulness of the Scripture c. submitted to the use of Ceremonies of a like nature to them when by the Rulers of the Jewish Church they were imposed and they found it best conducing to the promotion of the Gospel to submit unto them Nevertheless I also shall proceed to answer all that they have produced hitherto with any shew of reason from the N. Testament Obj. 4 To this effect then it is objected That Christ himself condemned and rejected the washings of the Scribes and Pharisees altho they were but decent Ceremonies imposed by the Elders of the Jewish Church and not forbidden by the Law of Moses And he not only doth refuse to conform to them but also justifyes his own Disciples in their Nonconformity doth pronounce of all such things that being plants which his Heavenly Father had not planted Matt. 15.13 they should be
every Synagogue where he came that he read in any of them but in this and altho strangers were permitted sometimes to preach in Synagogues yet none did publickly read there but he that was a Member of it we find not any Instance to the contrary in all the Jewish Records saith the Learned Leightfoot who was a diligent Peruser of them Moreover the next Verse tells us that there was delivered to him the Book of Esaias as was the manner of the Master of the Synagogue to do unto the Reader which is a farther Argument to shew he was a Member of the Synagogue Ibid. p. 28. for had Christ gone about to read beside or contrary to the common Custom of the place it cannot reasonably be conceived that the Minister of the Congregation would so far have complyed with him to give him the Book that he might read irregularly or besides the Custom and lastly had Christ intended only to rehearse the Passage of Esaiah to be the Ground of his Discourse there was no need of giving to him any Book but only because he was the Reader of the second Lesson that Day in the forementioned Congregation And § 5 4ly Seeing Christ entred into the Temple both as a private Man Joh. 18 20. and as a Publick Minister since he was dayly teaching in the Temple as he himself informs us it must hence follow that he observed the Customs which by the Jewish Canons were prescribed and in obedience to those Prescriptions were observed by all who did resort unto the Temple Now as the Rulers of our Church by vertue of that Precept of doing all things decently and in order do impose their Ceremonies as thinking they conduce to the more decent and orderly performance of Gods Service so did the Rulers of the Jewish Church by virtue of that Precept Thou shalt reverence my Sanctuary make diverse Canons and Constitutions which they supposed to conduce unto the greater Reverence of God or of that Temple where he dwelt as v. g. That no man should go into the Temple with a Staff Vide Leightf Temp. Serv. p. 115. it being thought unfit that Instruments of striking should be brought into the place of Peace on which account saith Doctor Leightfoot our Saviour drove not out the Merchandizers and Money-changers with a Staff Joh. 2 15. but with a Scourge of small Cords 2. p. 116. That none should come into the Temple with his Shoes on that being Holy Ground and putting off the Shoes being with them a sign of Reverence like to our putting off the Hat 3ly ibid. That none who came to worship there should use a Scrip or bag purse or come with Money tyed up in a purse or come into the Temple till they had wiped the dust off from their Feet to teach them to shake off all Worldly Thoughts and all Incumbrances when they came to worship 4ly p. 118. 119. That none must spit in the Temple nor use an irreverent Gesture there but go gravely to the place where they were to stand and there continue not sitting leaning lying but standing only because that was a Praying Posture Now had not Christ submitted to these Customs we cannot rationally think he would have found so free an entrance into the Temple as he did and they would have been ready to retort upon him when he censured their Irreverence toward this House of Prayer that he also by his neglect of these Particulars was guilty of as great Irreverence had he not put off his Shee s as even Kings were wont to do when they came thither for to Worship they would have made this an exception against him that he refused to do what even Kings and Priests and Prophets did for that this very Ceremony was used in our Saviours time we learn from that of the Poet Exercent ubi festa mero pede Sabbatha Reges and from that appellation given to their Sacred Service that they were Nudipedalia Sacra or Barefooted Solemnities And it deserves to be observed that Christ not only did not charge the Rulers of the Jewish Church with Superstition in these Matters but he himself in Reverence to that Place of Worship would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the Temple Mark 11.16 § 6 5ly Seeing Christ was a Reader in their Synagogue and oftentimes a Preacher too it may deserve to be considered that he did readily comply with the Rules prescribed by the Sanhedrin or those who sate in Moses Chair to be observed by those who should perform the foresaid Offices Leightf Harm part 3. p. 125. as v. g. the Reader by their Canons is bound to stand in Honour of the Law Accordingly the Scripture doth expresly say that as his Custom was Luke 4 16. Christ went into the Synagogue on the Sabbath-day and stood up for to read ibid. p. 138. It also was the Custom of the Teacher to sit down when he instructed others and sutably the Scripture saith that our Saviour closed the Book and sate down v. 20. Yea throughout all the Gospel we never find that he taught the people standing but on the contrary that he continually used the sitting posture as v. g. in his Sermon on the Mount seeing the multitude he went up into a Mountain and when he was set Matt. 5 1.2 he opened his Mouth and taught them when he taught them out of a Ship Matt. 13 2. he sate and spake to them in Parables saith Matthew he sate in the Sea and taught them saith St. Mark Mark 4 1. he sate down and taught the people out of the Ship saith Luke Luk. 5 1. Joh. 8 2. when all the People came unto him in the Temple he sate down and taught them this was his constant Custom in that place as he takes care to let us know saying I sate dayly with you teaching in the Temple Matt. 26 55. so far was Christ from scrupling the observation of this Custom and Institution of the Rulers of the Jewish Church § 7 6ly Our Lord thrice celebrated the Paschal Feast with his Disciples besides his constant Celebration of it with his Parents whilst he continued with them and in this Celebration of it it may deserve to be considered 1. That our Lord did not observe the Passover in all its Circumstances according to the Primitive Institution of the Law of Moses For 1. Exod. 12 3.6 Whereas the Institution expresly doth require that every man should take up the Paschal-Lamb on the 10th day and keep it up till the 14th day of the same month the Jewish Doctors taught that this was not required of the future Generations after Leightf Temp. Serv. p. 127. nor was it done but at the Passover in Aegypt only at least it was not done by the Masters of Families but by the Priests in our Saviours time who provided Lambs for the people taking them up in the Market
the person to whom they are performed are parts of Civil Worship And so also is the case with reference to Religious Worship Nor are our Ceremonies Religious but only Ceremonies used in Religion 12ly Nor would the Command of God to use a Surplice or sign with the Cross to signifie to the Congregation the Reception of the Baptized Person into the Society of Christians make these Ceremonies parts of Divine Worship any otherwise than the doing of them would be an Act of Obedience to Gods Command and therefore the doing of them without that Command can be no Worship and therefore no false Worship Nor is all that God tieth in a particular manner to his Worship any part thereof Obj. 4 To bring in any Ceremonies of Ordained and Mystical signification appropriated to the Worship of God without any License from Christ himself is to Trespass against his Kingly Office for he is the only Law-giver to his Church and hath committed to her no Authority of appointing new things but a Ministry to observe and do such things as Christ hath appointed with order and decency unto Edification It also is a derogation from the fulness of Christs Prophetick Office For Christ is the only Teacher of his Church and the Appointer of all means whereby we should be taught and admonished of any holy Duty and whatsoever he hath thought good to teach his Church and the means whereby he hath perfectly set down in Holy Scripture so that to acknowledg any other means of teaching and admonishing us of our Duty than such as he hath appointed is to receive another teacher into the Church besides him and to confess some imperfection in the means he hath ordained to teach us by This I would learn saith Ames how we can acknowledg and receive any means of Religious teaching with Faith except it appear to be appointed by an Authentick Teacher and Law-giver and how our Prelates in appointing means of Spiritual teaching which Christ appointed not can be accounted therein Ministerial Teachers under him as their and our only Authentick Teacher As also if Christ be our Authentick Teacher in all good that we learn about Religion who taught our Prelates so good manners as to put Fescues of their own making into his hand and so appoint him after what manner and by what means he shall Teach us To this objection I Answer Answ 1 That this Argument is grounded upon this false supposition that the Rulers of our Church have instituted any Ceremonies to teach Spiritual Duties by their Mystical significations or to be Authentick means of Spiritual Teaching whereas I know no Ceremonies appointed to be used to that end so that both the use of the Ceremony and the end are matter of the Churches Precept and it were folly for her to make such Constitutions for since the Church cannot discern whether I have learnt that Spiritual Duty by using of her Ceremonies or not She cannot punish the Offenders against such an Ordinance and so must vainly make it She hath indeed appointed such Ceremonies as she conceiveth apt to stir up the dull mind of Man to the remembrance of his Duty Preface to the C. prayer of Cer. c. by some notable and special signification and therefore hath enjoyned them because she so conceiveth of them but she hath no where said that she enjoyns them to Teach Spiritual Duties or assigned any determinate signification of them v. g. she hath enjoyned her Ministers to wear a Surplice when they Officiate but hath not said that she enjoyns it to Teach them Innocence or Purity or any other Spiritual Duty Rubr. after the Communion She enjoyns her People to Kneel at the Sacrament and tells us that we should signifie thereby our humble and grateful acknowledgment of the benefits of Christ but then she doth not say that she designs thereby to Teach us Humility and Gratitude for those benefits but only calls upon us to express that humility and gratitude which she supposeth we have learnt already In a Word these Ceremonies are not by her appointed to signifie at all much less to signifie what being used without her institution they would not signifie but they are appointed to be used as being apt when used to mind us of or bring into our minds our Duty or as fit to excite within us Pious meditations and reflections Answ 2 2ly I answer that if it be no derogation from Christs Kingly or Prophetick Office to stir up our minds to the performance of our duty by things apt to stir them up unto it or to express and signify our duty by things apt to express and signify it then can it be no encroachment on those Offices to impose or require such things as have an aptness thus to signify and mind us of our duties for in it self it cannot be unlawful to require what may be lawfully performed tho it be not required Now if it be a derogation from Christs Prophetick or his Kingly Office to use such things as are apt to put us in mind of our duty it must be unlawful to toll a bell to put us in mind of going to Prayers to keep by us a skull or skeleton to mind us of our Mortality or a pare of Leathern Breeches as Dr. Prideaux did to mind us of our former low Condition to have our vaults or burying places ready fitted and prepared as the Eastern Nations had and some great persons have because these things are apt to mind us of our latter ends or to set apart a closet in our Chambers for private devotions that so our coming thither may mind us of our duty Moreover then the ingenious Meditations of pious Mr. Boyle and Quarles his Emblems and all the History of the five Books of Moses graven in Stone in the Chapter House of Sarum and all things of like Nature which are apt to bring to our Remembrance good things and are not by our Lord in Scripture appointed to be used to these ends must be all Sacrilegious usurpations upon Christs Kingly and Prophetick Office Again then must that pack of Cards which Contains the whole History of the Popish Plot and our deliverance from it be guilty of this Crime because they were designed to stir up our minds to an abhorrence of their wickedness and a Thanksgiving to the Author of our Deliverance and we with equal reason may ask that profound Question of Dr. Ames who taught the Author of them such good manners as to put Fescues of his own making into our hands to mind us of these things Lastly Upon the same account it must be a derogation from Christs Prophetick and his Kingly Office to require men to come gravely into the House of God or be uncovered there or to kneel at their devotions because these things are apt to stir up the dull mind of man to the Remembrance of the Majesty and Greatness of that God with whom he hath to do By these and