of Preachers But one place is alleadged out of the Epistle for 16. Sundry after Trinity which hath no ground in the Word of God in as much as it implies that the Father must be Father of himself Answ. That it does not necessarily follow For in that he is said to be the Father of all that is called Father in heaven and earth among this all he is to be excepted who is this Father As when it is said All things are put under him it is manifest that he is excepted that hath put all things under him 1 Cor. 15. Further Observations 1. In the Kalender THe first Exception besides what hath beene answered before is that 188. Chapters of the Old Testament are left out and of the Apocrypha which contains 173. there are read 121. Chapters by the Kalender of 5. 6. of Edward 6. as well as by that of later date The answer hereunto is set down in the Order how the rest of the holy Scripture besides the Psalter is appointed to be read which begins thus The Old Testament is appointed for the first Lesson at Morning and Evening prayer and shall be read through every year once except certain Books and Chapters which be least edifying and might be spared and therefore are left unread 2. That of St. Hierome Caveat omnia Apocrypha relates to matters of Faith not of manners besides that the ordering of the Apocryphall Chapters to be read is intended chiefly for the benefit of the Clergy as appears by the Preface who having not alwayes a competent number to joyn with them at Church are enjoyned neverthelesse to read them at home Besides this generall Exception there 's one or two more against particular Apocryphall places as 1. Against that Tobit 3. of Asmodeus his killing of seven Husbands of Sarah the daughter of Raguel before they had layen with her Answ. I have heard of as unlikely a matter as that but however it 's not impossible 2. It 's excepted against Tob. 3. 8. where it 's said that Almes-deeds deliver from death and purge away all sin Answ. That they do so and that one way is in that they declare at the last day the Saints to be justified in the sight of God Mat. 25. Nay they confesse themselves Title 1. of Doctrine that a charitable construction may be Wyre-drawn out of the words And is not there as much wyre-drawing to be used in making a good construction upon these words Make ye friends of the unrighteous Mammon that when ye faile they may receive you into everlasting habitations another way of expounding the words is in the Homily it selfe namely that God for the doing of Almes-deeds does repute us as clean and pure not that they have any such strength or merit in themselves To the other Exceptions against Raphael vers. 15. and elsewhere and also against Judith I answer that though it were granted that the story were untrue yet the ill quality or carriage of the persons in it are not fit Mediums to discredit the truth of it for then many books of the holy Scripture must be false 2. Of the Rubricks 1. EXception is that the Minister is called Priest I answer That the word Priest is the best and properest word that can be used even in the sense of the Authors of this Exception themselves in as much as it is nothing else but an abbreviation of the French word Prestre which is Presbyter in all words that are French and that end in E feminine as Prestre does the English cannot pronounce the E feminine but by a kinde of stifling of it which in time degenerateth into an E quiescent which at last gives occasion to the leaving of it quite out of the Orthography of the word as unnecessary As in Alarme Baptisme Catechisme Prestre with a number of other words which are now written Alarm Baptism Catechism Prest and to lengthen the word to the French manner of pronunciation the letter I is put in as a Metheg to bridle the over-hasty prolation of the same And as for the word Minister it is taken either generally so it comprehends the Apostles and Bishops themselves for they and we are all Ministers of the Gospel or else specifically wch is the thing here intended and so 't is Diaconus a Deacon and contradistinguished from a Presbyter So that upon the whole the Authors would have us say Deacon instead of Priest Now as for the Scotish Liturgy if it hath hit upon a more unknown name then Priest is we do well to retein this which is better known 2. Except is a meer mistake For the Rubrick prefixed to the Epistles and Gospels runs thus The Collects Epistles Gospels to be used at the celebration of the Lords Supper and holy Communion throughout the year Whence they falsely infer that they were never intended to be read but when there is the celebration of the Lords Supper Whereas the Rubrick at the end of the Communion sayes that when there is no Communion shall be said all that is appointed at the Communion untill the end of the Homily concluding with the prayer for the whole estate of Christs Church militant here on earth with some other Collect But that the Communion is not celebrated throughout the whole yeare is occasioned for want of a competent number of Communicants 3. Exception is That the Rubrick before the generall Confession at the Communion runs thus Then shall this general Confession be made in the name of all those that are to receive the holy Communion either by one of them or else by one of the Ministers What is this say they but to admit a private person to assist and bear a share in the administring of the Lords Supper against the 17. Article of Religion I answ. That the confession to be made by one of them or by one of the Ministers presupposeth the Priests speaking first the which confession made by one of them is as much as if it were made by the Clerk who does not alwayes communicate and consequently in that case is to absent himself Or were it made without the Priests leading them yet it concludes not a liberty to Lay-men to administer the Sacrament in as much as to confesse and to consecrate are two distinct things 4th Exception is That before the proper Prefaces at the Communion it is said that upon Christmas and seven dayes after upon Easter day and seven dayes after c. the same shall be read As if every one of the seven were the same with the first and what was done the first day were done every day following I answer That the first of those dayes is the Originall the rest are all Copies thereof the Feast continuing the rest are the same in Ecclesiasticall account though the first be the principall 5th Exception is That every Parishioner shall communicate three times in a year of which Easter shall be one yet the Minister is required every Assembly day to
invite them to come to the Lords Table Therefore say they the foresaid Rubrick seems to dispense with Gods invitation How rightly say they let all sober men consider I answer That whether that be a Dispensation with Gods invitation let all sober men judge too and of these three Easter is to be one because though every Lords day be celebrated in memory of our Lords Resurrection yet Easter day according to the judgement of the Church comes nearest the day of his Resurrection But 6ly where it is added in that Rubrick He shall receive the Sacraments and other Rites c. This say they is no other but non-sense or worse for what other Sacraments are then to be received or what other Rites I answ. 1. That by Sacraments are understood the two signes Bread and Wine which being partes integrales similares receive the denomination of the whole as every part of water is water because 't is a similar part So that were there nothing more then this piece of Phylosophy in it it were not to be accounted non-sense But there 's Divinity too to make it good For first you must grant the Sacrament of the Lords Supper and the holy Communion to be in substance the same but now sayes the Apostle 1 Cor. 10. 16. The bread that we break is it not the Communion of the body of Christ The cup of blessing that we bless is it not the Communion of the blood of Christ Wherein you see that both the integrall parts of the Communion receive the denomination of the whole 2. For other Rites the party to communicate may need and desire absolution in case of scandalous and Conscience-wasting sins He may receive confirmation in case he hath never received that or the Communion before And are not these rites or can these be done without rites 7. Exception is this The last Rubrick before the Catechisme in order to Confirmation concludeth thus It is certain that children baptized have all things necessary to salvation and be undoubtedly saved Is this a truth say they Answ. That it is a great truth inasmuch as no other ceremony is required on our parts and the promise of God makes it sure on his part wherefore if they cast not themselves into doubtings charity binds us not to doubt of their salvation 8. Exception is That the Rubrick after Matrimony says that the new married persons the same day of their Marriage must receive the Communion and yet no man is bound to receive it above three times a year Answ. 1. Why may not this day be one 2. They are not ordinarily to receive above three times a year but in this extraordinary case they are and many do desire to do it but there is not alwayes a sufficient number to communicate a thing required by the Rubrick 9. Exception is That in the last Rubrick for the Communion of the sicke in the time of Plague or any other contagious disease when none of the Parish can be gotten to communicate with the sicke for fear of infection the Minister may onely communicate with him By this say they the Minister is bound not onely to visite him but to communicate with him a thing no way agreeable 1. To Christianity in as much as the very nature of a Sacrament requires a publique administration besides that other Rubricks require a greater number of Communicants even when the Sacrament is given to a sicke person 2. No way agreeable to common humanity in as much as a Minister is bound to hazard his health and life to gratifie an infectious person I answ. 1. That this is not disagreeable to Christianity because that God has promised to be in the midst of two or three gathered together in Christs name 2ly The Rubricks require greater numbers in other cases where they are more likely to be procured as in ordinary diseases they may which cannot be done in this and that 's the reason why the Rubrick here requires it not 2. 'T is not dis-agreeable to humanity in as much as it is said that the Minister may communicate only with the infected person it doth not say that he must do it and therefore he 's not bound hereby to do it unlesse he finds himself bound in conscience or can secure himself from infection 3. Of the body of the Book THe first Exception is That the first words of it are these At what time soever a sinner doth repent c. This in the Rubrick before it is called a sentence of Scripture but say they 't is not onely no sentence of Scripture but it is also dissonant from another To day if ye will hear his voice c. and besides it implies that a man may repent when he will I answer That 't is a sentence of Scripture rendred according to the sense of the place for the If is indefinitely taken it is not if to day onely or if to morrow onely if at this time only or if at that timeonely but if at all if at any time that is to say at what time soever God often in mercy calls us to repentance if at any time at what time soever we answer his call he will receive us graciously yet this does not argue that it is in our power to repent when we will after our refusall of Gods severall gracious invitations But this is not all for after our regeneration and first conversion unto God we fall into sin we go astray and that every day yea seven times a day which makes vs every day confesse and pray to God to forgive us our trespasses according as we are taught by our Saviour And therefore the If signifies not onely At what particular time soever but as often as a sinner shall repent c. so often will God forgive Now nothing that hath been said is dissonant to that place To day if ye will hear his voice c. For though it be the surest way to hear Gods voice to day that is at present lest any should be hardened through the deceitfulnesse of sin Yet God was grieved forty years with his people in the wildernesse before he sware in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest The refusall of the present invitation may prove a means of hardning of us through the deceitfulness of sin but it enforceth no present shutting of the door of mercy against us 2. Exception is against that expression in the Confession there is no health in us as if it were not to be understood by the common sort Answ. That no body can understand this of bodily health but of the salvable condition of the soule which is taken away by sin 3. Exception is against the reading of Te Deum and the Benedicite as interrupting the continued reading of the holy Scriptures which the Preface of that Book say they beareth us in hand is provided against Ans. That there it is provided against breaking of one piece of a Chapter from another and after such
Tribe of Judah and therefore before this time all did not know so much nor could every man fish so much afterwards out of so mysterious a prophecy The third is That the Homilies call the Apocrypha the teaching of the Holy Ghost Answ. 1. That the book of Homilies speaks according to the common Language of those times which so spake of them because they were reckoned in the Canon not of Faith but of Manners 2. They themselves confesse the things there quoted to be true in a charitable construction omnis veritas à spiritu sancto est The 4th Exception is That the Articles contain no discovery of Popish doctrines being the first tenets of Arminius c. Answ. That the Doctrine of Arminius is not the Doctrine of Popery the Articles condemn both and therefore are no breasts at which Popery and Arminianisme may be suckt in as is pretended The 5th Exception is That all things necessary to salvation are not comprised in the Articles Whereunto I answer that the same Exception may lye against the confessions of any Reformed Church but these that are suffice to shew their Harmony with those of other Churches and what is wanting in the Articles is made out in the rest of the Catechisme Hereunto may be added their exception of not enumerating the Books of the New Testament as well as those of the old Answ. That the Canonicall books of the Old Testament are enumerated to distinguish them from the Apocryphal but in the N. T. there being no Apocryphals there needed no enumeration And if Popery may be grounded upon the Articles as is pretended they need not fear any tacite rejection of St. James his Epistle or calling of it stamineam Epistolam as Luther does nor yet of the 2d of Peter in as much as the compilers of the Articles are adversaries to those that are {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} 2 Ep. 2. 10. nor of the Revelation neither in as much as the seven Angels of the 7. Churches are taken to be a cleer proof of Episcopacy The 6th Exception is That the Articles are not proved by places of Scripture Answ. They are known to be sufficiently proved by others and therefore they might have done so too bnt had they done it cavils would not have been wanting against the proofs themselves where none could be found against the things II. For WORSHIP THe maine exception is That it doth not appear by any enrollment or otherwise that this is the book of Common Prayer Answ. That if this be not the book I pray produce another If you do it will be one which in your own judgement will be lesse Orthodox But it seems by what follows that you are displeased with any alterations though for the better Your designe appears to be not a reducing so much as a new moulding of the whole a thing which I must confess I like not of lest we should seem thereby rather to set up a new Religion then reform the old between Reformation and Innovation there 's a great deal of odds Of Alterations c. in the present Book of Common-prayer from that established in 5. 6. Edw. 6. 1 Eliz. 1. Exception is against Saints dayes put into the Kalender which though in Black letters there yet in Dr. Cosens Kalender and the Scotish Liturgie some of them are in red Answ. For our Kalender or the Scotish what ever characters the dayes are put in they are not enacted to be kept holy And as for Dr. Cosens his Kalender that 's intended for private offices not for publique devotion What ever he hath done concerning the name of Jesus I cannot think that so great an assertor of the Protestant Religion as he hath proved himself to be should intend Popery or Superstition The thing it selfe infers it not there being no name JESVS in writing tendered to be adored which was the onely thing that Calvin complains the Sorbonick Sophisters to have been guilty of 2. Exception is That upon certain Holidayes some Chapters of Apocryphal Scripture are appointed to be read the Canonical being left out there Answ. Whether it was done to please those that hold the dayes to be Apocryphal I cannot tell If so they need not be displeased at it However those Canonicall Lessons are not left out of the Rubrick for daily reading 3d Exception is That the book established 5. 6. Ed. 6. nameth onely the Surplice to be worn but the book of Canons enjoyneth other ornaments Answ. That nothing but the Surplice could be universally enjoyned inasmuch as all Priests were capable of that but want of degrees made many incapable of others 4th Exception is against even usefull prayers put into the Liturgy which happily might be done upon the Conference at Hampton-Court though the inquiry to me is needless as long as I see the Kings Proclamation to it 5th Exception is That in the prayer for the Queen c. the word Elect is left out perhaps because it distasted the favourers of the Popish Arminianisme Answ. That neither the Arminians nor Papists are against the word Elect and that in a more comprehensive sense then ours 'T is not they therefore that would exclude the Royall stem out of the number of Gods Elect but such as fought for the setting up of Christs Kingdome and of his Elect against such Reprobates as they esteemed the KING and all his family to be 6. Exception is against the continuance of the Old Translation of the Psalms which is not so correct as the new Answ. That it proves the antiquity of the Translation no wilfull corruption of the same neither doth it contain any thing contrary to the analogy of Faith 7. Exception is That notwithstanding the corruption of Translations the Preface of the book runs thus That nothing is enjoyned to be read but that which is the pure word of God or that which is evidently grounded thereupon which is false and a meer cheat put upon the people of God Answ. That the Preface of the Book runs that nothing be enjoyned to be read but that which is the pure Word of God or that which is evidently grounded thereupon in opposition to uncertain stories legends and such like vain and superstitious things neither in Canone fidei nor morum which have no ground in the word of God yet had been before that time commonly read And albeit some things now to be read are not evidently to all grounded upon the word of God it follows not that the people of God are cheated thereby for then St. Paul had cheated the Thessalonians Acts 17. 11. To whom before search made his Doctrine did not appear to be the Word of God Nay then most Sermons are cheats in as much as there be very few wherein every thing delivered is clearly made out to be grounded upon the Word of God The same may be said of prayers before and after them wherein horrible absurdities and heterodoxies have fallen from the mouths
interruption reading forward again like the interposition of a Selah or {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} things wherof we have examples in the Psalms but no where else 4th Exception is against Te Deum and Benedicite because they are both Apocrypha and taken out of the Masse-book from whence they would argue the unfitness of Bishops to govern who not able to express their thanksgiving to God for extraordinary mercies do it in this superstitions formall dress usually sung in Popish Churches I answ. That the best service that any man performs besides the saying of the Lords Prayer and the reading of the holy Scripture is Apocryphall nor is there a better piece of service in the Church of God except before excepted then that piece of Apocrypha viz. Te Deum is Then which had the mass-Masse-book no worse it would need no Reformation And many of those that have gone about to make expressions of thanksgiving for Gods extraordinary mercies in termes and methods of their own have performed it so ill that they had better have contented themselves with a bare Te Deum If they say It 's but a generall and ordinary forme of praising not applicable to the occasion I answer That at such times we in like manner use to sing Psalmes in meter which quatenus such are Apocryphal and generall formes or at most not in all things applicable to the present occasion As for the Benedicite they except not so much against the matter of as the title given to it in the Bible not here as also against some alterations made in it none whereof are against the Analogy of Faith I therefore passe it over for it answers it self 5th Exception is That the many Antiphonies and Responds except the peoples saying Amen have no pattern nor warrant in the Word Answ. That they have a pattern 1 Sam. 18. 7. where it is said that the women answered c. that is sayes Junius Hunc amaebaeum versum alternis canebant they sang interchangeably Saul hath slain his thousand and David hs ten thonsand as it is also Exod. 15. 2. Besides divers patterns that there are in the Psalmes of such interchangeable singing 6th Exception is that from the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome and all his detestable enormities is left out in the Letany inasmuch as he had never more instruments at work then now Answ. That the Act for Uniformity gives notice of an alteration in the Letany but whether herein or no is uncertain Mean time we may very well pray so since the Pope had never more instruments who thinking to do their own work have done his 8. Exception for I omit the seventh here as answered before is that it 's said in the Collect for Christmas that Christ was this day viz. Decemb. 25. borne c. which is evidently grounded on no place of Scripture Answ. On what place of Scripture is it evidently grounded that this day viz. August 19. is the Lords day have you any more then Ecclesiastical tradition for it as for saying the same seven dayes after this hath been spoken to before 9. Exception is against our saying at the Communion Therefore with Angels and Archangels c. the Scripture never speaking of more Archangels then one which is mentioned 1 Thes. 4. 16. This one was Michael Jude 9. to wit Christ the Prince of his people Dan. 10. 21. Which most if not all expound of Christ For answer whereunto I say That that place of 1 Thess. 4. 16. does neither imply that there is but that one Archangel nor yet that that one Archangel is Christ For 1. It is said that the Lord shal descend from heaven {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the voice ef an Arch-angel not {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} In the voyce of the Arch-angell as if there were no more but that 2. If the Lord shall descend in the voice of an Arch-angel and this Arch-angel were Christ then Christ who is meant by Lord there must descend in his own voice and he must be Gods Trumpeter to give summons to his own Tribunal which cannnt be imagined Indeed Jude 9. there is mention made of Michael {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the Arch-angel disputing with the Devill but how by that Christ should be understood is not at all clear as I suppose they themselves will confesse if they consider the {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} in the Text he durst not Sure if it had been Christ St. Jude would have said he would not not he durst not for what durst not Christ say or do Dares not he rebuke his creatures though Devils who hath rebuked so many unclean spirits in his time who trembled at his presence in humane flesh the meaning is then that Michael that good Arch-angel and he of a great sphere too would not rail at the Devill though he knew him to be a damned spirit because he was in great dignity amongst them yet those men spake evill of dignities they understood not And for that Dan. 10. they say most if not all expound it of Christ That if not all was well put in for they know I believe that many learned men understand it not of Christ Now as for the Ecclesiastical Hierarchy of Dyonisius the Areopagite though the book may be supposititious yet the thing it self Gregory the great testifies to be received for Dyonisius his own Hom. 34. in Evangelia 10. Exception is that in the second prayer at publique baptisme we pray that Iufants coming to baptisme may receive remission of sins by spirituall regèneration how can this say they be when remission of sins is received not by or from spirituall regeneration but by and from the blood of Christ I answer That the end of Baptisme is that thereby as an outward means we may receive remission of sins this baptisme whereby we are baptized into the remission of sins is likewise rightly called an outward and Elementary regeneration Now therefore we pray to God that Infants coming to baptisme may receive remission of sinnes not in an Elementary way and signo tenus onely but also truly and effectually by spirituall regeneration or spirituall baptisme these being the Conduit-pipes whereby and through which Christs blood is conveyed unto Infants 11. Exception is That children being not able to perform the things promised for them are said to perform them by their sureties and therefore they repent and believe say they by their Sureties which is a meer tale Answ. That here is no such thing implyed as repenting and believing one for another but a promise of a holding of the Infants baptized to that profession by instruction of and vigilance over them and that they shall perform all outward acts of Christianity when they come of age and this was a very great charge in the primitive times when either for fear or favour or profit Apostacy was so frequent 12. Exception is against the