Learning have heard of such Men as King Pippin and his Son Charles the Great and that they laid aside the French Service and established the Roman in its place and that by such Laws as passed in those times And Charles in his constitution de Emendatione Librorum Ecclesiasticorum expresly ratifies the Service Book so corrected by a Law nostra eadem volumina authoritate constabilimus vestraque Religioni in Christi Ecclestis tradimus ad legendum It was likewise by Law that the Roman Office was Established in Spain under Alphonsus the 6th much against the grain of the Church which could not part with its old Office without Tears Therefore to conclude this Point that there are things in their nature alterable I would desire this Gentleman to alter these Passages if he thinks fit in the next Edition of his Letter Now that you may not think that we shake hands here at setting out in order to part presently I do willingly agree with the same Author P. 1. â— That nothing is more dangerous to Religion than frequently to make alterations in things pertaining thereto Nay though it were in outward Circumstantials only that the Church of England may be justified in her proceedings hitherto that she has not been forward on every demand of the Dissenters to unhinge those of her Communion from her long received Establishments but has to the utmost resisted all alterations from them hoping by less dangerous methods to cure c. When I met with so many passages in these Letters reflecting with great sharpness upon our Service and present Constitution I began to be affraid that we might have been in the wrong ever since Edward the 6th Days But I took courage when I found that hitherto all had been well and provided we yield our selves tractable upon this occasion all our past proceedings and stifness against Dissenters may be justified It is well for the Church that she needs not apprehend any retrospect into her behaviour since as Times go with Churchmanship it must be acknowledged to be no common favour But good Sir how can this Liberality consist with those Reflections you make upon the past Conduct of the Church how can it consist with your Censure of that unreasonable Rigor whereby we have hitherto maintained them P. 5. or with this kind Expostulation have we not already lost our Reputation with the People of the Land by insisting too rigorously on those things How can it agree with the frightful Representation you are pleased to give of the faults of the Liturgy P. 15. for if me are forced to read such ridiculous things to our People instead of the Word of God if by reading the old Translation of the Psalms we impose that on our People for true Scripture which in so great a Number of places quite differs from it and if there be many Grievances and Defects of this Nature which he could tell us of to which we are bound If all this be in earnest I must needs confess that I cannot see how we may be justified for the Time past for were these ridiculous things less ridiculous or these reading Psalms less differing from true Scripture a hundred years ago Was it allowable to retain most Religious and Gracious King in the last Reigns and is it now grown a Flattery not to be warranted Those things that are now such Grievances and Defects were they of another Nature in the Days of Queen Elizabeth In short the Liturgy and Constitution of the Church of England are they grown worse and more intolerable now than when these Gentlemen thought fit to declare their Assent and Consent to them Yet both give the Church and Liturgy very good words a Church says one which I am certain of in respect of its Doctrin Worship and Order is inferior to none upon upon the Face of the Earth P. 1. As to the Liturgy of our Church says the other I freely acknowledge and I think no Man can contradict me herein that it is the best which was ever yet used in any Christian Church P. 12. Now if this Liturgy so faulty so ridiculous so wicked as to impose false Scripture upon the People be yet the best of any and if this Church with all the Faults here represented so unwary as to turn the Sign of the Cross into a Sacrament be inferior to none God help the rest I say I am afraid that I should be tempted to have a very sorry opinion of Churches and Liturgies if I had not some hopes that our Authors might be mistaken in many of those things they expose for the Defects of the Church of England But I must confess that I cannot see how 't is possible to reconcile the Complement with the Reproach Weigelius indeed pretends that in the School of Grace Contradictories may be reconciled and united by the mind but the matter being passed my Skill all the Service I can do him is to refer him to that Mystical Divine I once thought these alterations so much talked of were intended by way of condescention and favour but when I find these Advocates for the project lick up the Venome of the Dissenters and spit it in the face of their own Church when they try to give new strength to old weak Objections and affect new Quarrels and Cavils against the Liturgy there is too great reason to be jealous that they do not intend to mediate an Accommodation but to procure a Conquest for the Dissenters Many therefore that seemed not averse to make some Concessions provided it might have been to any good effect were extreamly discouraged by the method which these undertakers took to perswade them For if this new pretended Reformation cannot be introduced but upon the Disparagement and Condemnation of the old if it must reflect blemish and infamy upon the Memory of the preceeding Generations of our Church if it must through Contempt and Ignominy upon so many excellent Persons who have not only consented to this Constitution but defended and justified it against the frivolous Exceptions of Dissenters if this be the Case you must pardon me if I have not now that inclination to alterations which I own my self to have had heretofore Neither would I be thought so punctilious as to prefer a Point of Honour to a Case of Necessity If it be so necessary to make these Changes if it will unite all Protestants and create an universal Concord I am content to discharge all these Circumstantials and bid them stand out of the way of such mighty Blessings That so it is a certain Person positively affirms to a Friend P. 2. I think now to make such alterations as are proposed so absolutely necessary as ought no longer to be deferred and then P. 8. That these things administer only to Schism and Division in the Church and to Distraction in the State and again P. 9. They become mischievous too in the Evils that they bring upon the Church and State Nay
further P. 10. I here plainly aver that the Church of England cannot be guiltless in this matter if â—he do not alter some of these things And to conclude The present Posture of Affairs require it For the greatest hopes of the French for our Destruction is from our Divisions and what remedy have we left to prevent this terrible Ruine but to come to as firm a Vnion among our selves as we are able and the hopes of preserving Church and State from the great dangers under which they are both involved do in a great measure depend upon what we shall do P. 5. Who could have imagined that these little things should be of so great Consequence either for good or hurt If these Trifles had but sense enough to understand the Charge layed against them they could not but wonder with the Fly upon the Coach-wheel at the mighty Dust they made and could they but speak for themselves they might plead with the Officers of the Children of Israel Exod. 5. 16. Behold thy Servants are beaten but the fault is in thine own People However since they are so positively accused of having raised the Tempest and there is no way to calm it but by throwing these unhappy occasions overboard Let us consent and by way of supposition lay all these things aside Now Sirs it is all done as you have ordered Call the Dissenters in that the Church may be full Go to the Quakers for they are a numerous and very compact Party and let them know that there is now neither Apocrypha nor obsolete Translations nothing but Scripture in the Lessons that there are now Collects more spiritual than the old and in short a Liturgy and a Church better than the best What Answer think ye the Foreman of a Quaker Assembly would probably return to such an Invitation You may reasonably expect something to this purpose Friend go to thy Steeple-house and thy dead Letter again thou mightest have kept thy old Lessons and thy Prayers for us and forbear tempting and troubling our Spirit any further But pray Sirs be not so far discouraged by the obstinacy of one unmannerly Sect as not to proceed to a Trial of the rest Carry then your reformed Liturgy to the Anabaptists and acquaint them what glorious Alterations you have made and that it is now quite another thing from the old one at which they were so justly offended Nay the Sign of the Cross in Baptism that great Stumbling-block is removed and the Surplice that offended tender Eyes is turned into Aprons for the Church-warden's Wife Come Brethren let us all go into one Church and then we shall beat the French and save the Nation When you had said all you could the Pastor on behalf of his sworn Congregation would gravely tell you that you were much mistaken if you intended to gain them by your Alterations For you could not but know that their Exceptions were not against this or that passage in the Common-Prayer but against the whole all Forms of Prayer in their opinion tending to suppress the free motions of the Spirit Besides what could it avail in respect of them that the Cross in Baptism was removed since Infant Baptism was to them a greater Offence than all the Ceremonies of the Church of England and as for the French they were willing to joyn against them but there was no necessity of making the Church the General Rendezvous The Design is great and generous I beseech you do not sit down and despair after but two Denials Go on to the Independents for they are civil Men and tell your Story to the best Advantage Tell them that now you have Prayers that Angels would be content to joyn in Prayers that must make all men Saints that use them come then to our Church and see the new and heavenly Face of things these Alterations have made You cannot possibly find fault now with our Parish Churches Besides there is an absolute Necessity now for our joyning in one national Church otherwise the French and the Philistins will be upon us Parish-Churches and national Churches reply the Independents and what can the French and the Philistins do worse You know we are in Covenant with God and with our Pastors from which we cannot recede though all the World should be destroyed Those mixed Companies and Parish Assemblies our Souls hate and therefore do not urge us We have our Liberty now to meet in our own way and for ought I know this Disturbance you have given us may fall within the Compass of the Act You know the Forfeit therefore be wise But before you go take your Answer in the words of the Prophet who has required this at your hand Now Gentlemen if you are weary of walking send for T. F. and the Socinians he perhaps may owe you a Visit and will be glad of an opportunity to shew his Coach Let him understand his Obligation to you how for his sake you have either taken away the Athanasian Creed or pulled out the Sting of it It is therefore more for their Credit to joyn with us upon this occasion than to make themselves odious to all Christians by joining interest and Friendship with Mahometans A Man of less Pertness than T. F. would return upon you That you cannot expect any compliance from them as long as the Nicene Creed the Spring of all the Doctrin which makes up your Mystery and their Abomination does remain they will do you the civility to hear you Preach provided you confine your selves to Morality and forbear the Doxology at the Conclusion Unfortunate Enterprise yet surely thou deservest a more favourable Providence and a more suitable success But Sirs be of good comfort there is yet one hopeful reserve that can never fail you I mean the good Presbyterians make haste therefore to Mr. A. and Mr. B. before the Scotch Covenanters have engaged them make them sensible that the Gates of Iron are broken down and the Trojan Horse may now enter in with all that he has in his Belly without any hard Examination that may discover a Conspiracy Now the Ceremonies are given up as useless and mischievous now the Communion may be given you Standing or Sitting or Lolling if you think it more for Edification all Superstition and Offence is taken out of the way and all the old Demands yielded nay there is nothing left in our new Book that ever fell under your displeasure Come in now for we have engaged for you and all our Credit is at stake Methinks I see Mr. A. draw his Mouth and put this sly Question And must this new Book be imposed Why you will say it is so absolute and so perfect that it were to be wished that it were imposed upon the whole World Nay saith Mr. A. do you not know the mischief of impositions Can you be ignorant that it is our Common Doctrin from which we can never depart That Command changes the nature of the thing
REMARKS FROM THE COUNTRY Upon the Two LETTERS Relating to the CONVOCATION AND Alterations in the LITURGY LONDON Printed and are to be Sold by most Booksellers 1689 90. REMARKS FROM THE COUNTRY I Am sorry to find the Abilities of our English Convocation so much distrusted by some of their Brethren that it should be thought necessary to send publick Letters of advice by way of charitable assistance to direct them what to do had they been left to themselves they might possibly have erred dangerously concerning those Fundamental Points of the Kalendar the old Translation of the Psalms the Surplice c. and have retained a too favourable opinion of the Service and Constitution of England which is now become the only intolerable and unpardonable Heresy That Reverend Assembly will I hope pardon me if at present I wave all vindication of the capacity they may be presumed to have for the setling of these profound Points for it would reflect too much upon the wisdom of those Directors if the Convocation should appear to stand in no need of their charity and their Letters look like a too forward and solemn impertinence It is a Thousand Pities so instructive and so Eloquent Papers should ever fall under such an imputation and be ranked among the Scriblings of Elenor James with this only advantage of having better Language whereas the Woman Counsellor is judged to have the better meaning But supposing the Convocation so weak indeed as this way of Proceeding does suggest and that the matters to be brought before them like Childrens Meat must be chewed before-hand and put into their Mouths yet the charity had born a better grace if it had been conveyed more privately and had concealed those defects of our Church Representative which it pretended to supply If these Gentlemen intended only to be Prompters to the Convocation they mistook their part and spoke much too loud and instead of Assisting served only to Disgrace the Actors Therefore when these instructing Papers were publictly exposed among the Toys of Westminster-Hall and Proclaimed by Hawkers together with Scotch News and Observators it is no wonder if the Company at Harry the Seventh's Chappel resented the affront and cryed out a Libel and carryed their Complaints as far as Jerusalem-Chamber there to be decently buried in Oblivion It is doubtless out of pure condescention that one of these Directors is pleased to stile himself a Minister in the Countrey the undertaking does not agree very well with his Character and it is seldom that Persons of that Rank take upon them to direct and Chatechise Synods Country Ministers Poor Men are at too great a distance from the Spring of Business to be so early acquainted with these Mysteries hid from the Country till these Letters Revealed them But the Knowledge of affairs and the assuming that commonly attends too much Knowledge speaks this Author rather of the Commission than of the Country But if the Title be serious it is a great Pity that the obscure Dull Country that knows not how to value such a Treasure should possess him any longer so much to his own disadvantage as well as to the regret of the Court and City The Author of the Letter to a Friend is pleased to give some intimations of his being a Member of the Convocation which some Persons who wish well to the design of the Letter will by no means allow and indeed it seems something odd and preposterous that a Person of so impetuous and irresistible Eloquence should in the First place enter his publick Protestation and make his final Appeal to the People before he had tryed the force of one of his Reasons within-doors But some of our Friends from this rough way of Proceeding guessed him to be an Undertaker who was to prepare Men as well as Matter for this Convocation and not finding the success of his Private application to answer the expectations he had conceived or the assurances he had given grew wroth with the disappointment and fearing to have lost his design lost his Patience and Discretion to that degree as to cry out of Obstinacy and Rigor and in a sort to post the Convocation for Stiff and Inflexible People before any thing had been in due form laid before them You may imagine from this beginning that I shall differ from the sense of these Letters in every Point proposed but to prevent such a Mistake I will let you see at setting out how easily we are agreed for I joyn heartily with the Country Minister in the First thing he lays down p. 3 4. as the Foundation of what he afterwards should propose that there are such things in the Church of England that are in their own nature alterable and the other Letter notes it as a great mistake in us to hold any thing of this nature not prescribed in Scripture to be unalterable I have some exception against the words in us because I do not know the Companions of his Mistake and I dare be bound to free all Church of England men from the imputation For how addicted soever they may be thought to their constitution and their forms I never could meet with any of them so unreasonably stiff as not readily to allow every thing of Humane Institution and use to be in it's nature changeable And because I would not have a Point so evidently true as I take this to be brought under evil suspicion by a False Argument I desire the Convocation-Man pretended to Pray in the Aid of somebody who understands the Language and to look over the Titles of those Twenty Volumes of Greek Liturgies that he calls to witness p. 13. 4. how much the Greek Church has altered Forms for fear all these Volumes should happen to be not so many different Forms of their Liturgies often altered and brought to a Review but parts of one and the same Service because I do not remember many Volumes of Greek Liturgies Printed besides those which as several Offices make up the present Service of the Greek Church There are indeed Three old ones Printed by Morellius but all of them not half so big as our Common-Prayer There is one thing more which I would desire him to consider for the sake of this first Point in which we are agreed and that is what he affirms in the same place p. 14 that the Act of King Edward the 6th was the First Law for an Vniform Liturgy in any Church that was ever Enacted from the beginning of Christianity to that time Such a man as our Author who speaks of M. SS in the lump cannot be ignorant that the Canons of Provincial Synods for Uniform Liturgies had the effect of Laws and especially in these Western parts where Kings were commonly present in Synods and ratified what was there concluded This Men of ordinary Reading may be allowed to know because it is in Print but besides many very ordinary Men without affecting to pry into the Secrets of