A VIEW OF THE NEW DIRECTORIE AND A VINDICATION OF THE ANCIENT LITURGIE OF THE Church of England In Answer to the Reasons pretended in the Ordinance and Preface for the abolishing the one and establishing the other The Third Edition OXFORD Printed by HENRY HALL Printer to the UNIVERSITY 1646. BY THE KING A Proclamation Commanding the use of the Booke of Common-Prayer according to Law notwithstanding the pretended Ordinances for the New Directory WHereas by a Printed Paper dated the third of Ianuary last past intituled An Ordinance of Parliamâ—â—t for taking away the Book of Common-Prayer and for establishing and putting in execution of the Directory for the publique worship of God It is said to be ordained among other things That the Book of Common-Prayer should not remain or be from thenceforth used in any Church Chappell or place of publique Worship within the Kingdome of England or Dominion of Wales And that the Directory for publique Worship in that printed Paper set forth should be from thenceforth used pursued and observed in all exercises of publique Worship of God in every Congregation Church Chappell and place of publique Worship And by another printed Paper dated the 23. day of August last past intituled All Ordinance of the Lords and Commons assembled in Parliament for the more effectuall putting in execution the Directory for publique Worship c. particular directions are set down for the dispersing publishing and use of the said Directory in all parishes Chappelries and Donatives and for the calling in and suppressing of all Books of Common-Prayer under severall forfeitures and penalties to be levyed and imposed upon conviction before Iustices of Assize or of Over and Terminer and of the Peace as by the said two printed Papers may appeare And taking into Our consideration that the Book of Common Prayer which is endeavoured thus to be abolished was compiled in the times of Reformation by the most learned and pious men of that Age and defended and confirmed with the Martyrdome of many and was first established by Act of Parliament in the time of King Edward the sixth and never repealed or laid aside save only in that short time of Queen Maries Reign upon the returne of Popery and superstition and in the first yeare of Queen Elizabeth it was again revived and established by Act of Parliament and the repeale of it then declared by the whole Parliament to have béen to the great decay of the due honour of God and discomfort to the Professors of the truth of Christs Religion and ever since it hath béen used and observed for above fourescore yeares together in the best times of peace and plenty that ever this Kingdome enjoyed and that it conteines in it an excellent Forme of Worship and Service of God grounded upon holy Scriptures and is a singular meanes and helpe to devotion in all Congregation and that or some other of the like Forme simply necessary in those many Congregations which cannot be otherwise supplyed by learned and able men and kéeps up an uniformity in the Church of England And that the Directory which is sought to be introduced is a meanes to open the way and give the liberty to all ignorant Factious or evill men to broach their own fancies and conceits be they never so wicked and erroneous and to mis lead People into sin and Rebellion and to utter those things even in that which they make for their Prayer in their Congregations as in Gods presence which no conscientious man can assent or say Amen to And be the Minister never so pious and religious yet it will breake that uniformity which hitherto hath béen held in Gods service and be a meanes to raise Factions and divisions in the Church And those many Congregations in this Kingdome where able and religious Ministers cannot be maintained must be left destitute of all helpe or meanes for their publique worship and service of God And observing likewise that no reason is given for this alteration but only inconvenience alleadged in the generall and whether pride and avarice be not the ground whether rebellion and destruction of Monarchy be not the intention of some and sacriledge and the Churches possessions the aymes and hopes of others and these new Directories the meanes to prepare and draw the people in for all Wée leave to him who searches and knowes the hearts of men And taking into Our further consideration that this alteration is introduced by colour of Ordinances of Parliament made without and against Our consent and against an expresse Act of Parliament still in force and the same Ordinances made as perpetuall binding Lawes inflicting penalties and punishments which was never before these times so much as pretended to have been the use or power of Ordinances of Parliament without an expresse Act of Parliament to which Wée are to be parties Now lest Our silence should be interpreted by some as a connivance or indifferency in Us in a matter so highly concerning the Worship and Service of God the Peace and Unity of the Church and State and the establish'd Lawes of the Kingdome Wée have therefore thought fit to publish this Our Proclamation And Wée do hereby require and command all and singular Ministers in all Cathedrall and Parish-Churches and other places of publique Worship within Our Kingdome of England or Dominion of Wales and all other to whom it shall appertaine that the said Booke of Common-Prayer be kept and used in all Churches Chappels and places of publique Worship according to the said Statute made in that behalfe in the said first yeare of the said late Quéen Elizabeth And that the said Directory be in no sort admitted received or used the said pretended Ordinances or any thing in them conteined to the contrary notwithstanding And Wee do hereby let them know that whensoever it shall please God to restore Us to Peace and the Lawes to their due course wherein Wée doubt not of his assistance in his good time Wée shall require a strict account and prosecution against the breakers of the said Law according to the force thereof And in the meane time in such places where Wée shall come and find the Booke of Common-Prayer supprest and laid aside and the Directory introduced Wée shall account all those that shall be ayders actors or contrivers therein to be persons disaffected to the Religion and Lawes established and this they must expect besides that greater losse which they shall sustain by suffering themselves thus to be deprived of the use and comfort of the said Booke Given at Our Court at Oxford this thirteenth day of November in the one and twentieth yeare of Our Raigne 1645. GOD SAUE THE KING A PREFACE TO THE Ensuing Discouâ—se Sect 1 THat the Liturgy of the Church of England which was at first as it were written in bloud at the least sealed and delivered downe to us by the Martyrdom of most of the compilers of it should ever since be daily solicited and
another in his Epistle to the Protector I shall not give my selfe license to transcribe these or multiply more such Testimonies only for the honour not only of Liturgy in generall but particularly of our Liturgy 't will be worth remembring that Gilbertus a German many years since in a book of his propounds our Book of Prayer for a sample of the Formes of the ancient Church And for the purity of it and thorough Reformation that Cranmer procured the King Edwards common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book to be translated into Latine and sent it to Bucer and required his judgment of it who answer'd that there was nothing in it but what was taken out of the Word of God or which was not against it commodè acceptum being taken in a good sense some things indeed saith he quae nisi quis c. unlesse they be interpreted with Candor may seem not so agreeable to the Word of God and which unquiet men may wrest unto matter of contention As may be seen at large in Bucers Scripta Anglicana Upon this occasion that Book of King Edwards was again survey'd and in those particulars that were subject to such Cavils corrected After which time the quarrells about that Book were generally with the Papists not so much with the opposite extreame and therefore John Ould in Queen Maries daies wrote against them in defence of it and of the King Edwards Reformation And Cranmer made a challenge that if he might be permitted by the Queen to take to him P. Martyr and foure or five more they would enter the lists with any Papists living and defend the common-prayer-Common-Prayer-Book to be perfectly agreeable to the Word of God and the same in effect which had been for 1500. years in the Church of Christ This for the reputation of the Book Then for the fruit and benefit that by the use of it redounded to Christians take an essay by M. John Hullier Fellow of Kings Colledge in Cambridge who was Martyr'd in Queen Maries daies Anno 1557. and being at the stake among many other Books that were thrown into the fire to him it happened that a Common-Prayer-Book fell between his hands which he joyfully receiving opened and read till the flame and smoke suffered him not to see any more and then he fell to prayer holding his hands up to Heaven and the Book betwixt his armes next his heart thanking God for that mercy in sending him it the relation is M. Foxes and from thence the plea authentick that the tree that bare wholsome fruit should not be cut down by the Law Deut. 10. 20. even when Warre was to be made on a City and as Maimon addes l. de Idol though it were worshipt for an Idol and if that which was then of so dear esteem be now so necessary to be cast out it is an ill indication of the times into which we are fallen Sect 20 7. The reasons on which the very Heathens themselves took up the same practice which was uniuersall it seems through all the World more Catholick then the Church it selfe To this purpose beside those Authors which M. Selden referres to I shall only adde these three testimonies first of Plato l. 7. de leg where he commands That whatever Prayer or Hymnes the Poets composed to the Gods they should first shew them to the Priests as if they were in a manner leprous till then before they publisht them lest they should aske evill things instead of good an infirmity thâ—t these daies are very subject unto The second in Thucyd. l. 6. p. 434. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Set formes for severall occasions and a common joynt sending them up to heaven The third in Alexander ab Alex. l. 4. c. 17. That the Gentiles read their Prayers out of a Book before their Sacrifices Nè quià praeposterè dicatur aliquis ex scripto praeire adverbum referre solitus est That the work might not be done preposterously Which two reasons of theirs the one lest they should stray in the matter of their Prayers the other lest offend in the manner may passe for Christian reasons as seasonable with us as they were among them And no necessity that those reasons should be despised by us neither Sect 21 8. The irrationall concludings or shortnesse of discourse of those which are against set formes especially in two things the first observed by D. Preston whose memory is I hope not lost among these Assemblers and made use of in a printed worke of his to the confuting of them That while they in opposition to set Formes require the Minister to conceive a Prayer for the Congregation they observe not that the whole Congregation is by that means as much stinted and bound to a set Forme to wit of those words which the Minister conceives as if he read them out of a Book 2. That the persons with whom we have now to deale though they will not prescribe any Forme of Prayer yet venture to prescribe the matter of it in these words pag. 14. the Minister is to call upon the Lord to this effect Now why the prescription of the matter is not the stinting of the Spirit as well as the forme of words unlesse the Spirit like the Heathen Mercury be the God of eloquence and be thought to deale in the words only or why the promise of dabitur in illâ horâ it shall be given you in that houre should not be as full a promise for matter as for expressions especially when that Text forbids care or provision 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not only how but what they should speake and the promise is peculiarly for the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it shall be given you what you shall speak and this is it that is attributed to the Spirit v. 20. from whence if I should conclude that the Holy Ghost taught the Disciples onely the matter of their answer and they themselves were left to put it in Forme of words there is nothing in that Text against that assertion and that it was so in their penning of the New Testament many probable Arguments might be produced if it were now seasonable and consequently why the prescribing of one should not be unreasonable in them that condemne all prescribing of the other I confesse is one of those things which my charity hath made me willing to impute to the shortnesse of discourse because I am unwilling to lay any heavier charge upon it Sect 22 From all which considered and a great deale more which might be added from the usefulnesse of known Formes to those whose understandings are not quick enough to go along with unknown and if they have no other are fain oft times to return without performing any part of so necessary duty of prayer in the Church from the experience of the effects of the contrary doctrine the many scandalous passages which have fallen from Ministers in their extemporary Prayers of which meer pity and humanity civility and mercy to Enemies
else As for the great patterne of the Presbyterians the practise of Geneva or Scotland that appears by Knox's Common Prayer-Book to have allowed a set Forme of Confession of Faith and designed it for the publick use as the first thing in that Book of Prayers though the truth is the Apostles or other ancient Creeds being set aside one of the Geneva forming is fain to supply the place of them which yet by the setting the severall parts of the Apostles Creed in the margent both there and in the order of Baptisme appeares rather to be an interpretation of it and so still the Separatists must be the onely men in the Church fit to be considered or else apparently there is no such Politicall necessity of this neither Sect 34 For the fifth thing the so frequent repetition of the Lords Prayer and Prayers for the King in our Service this account may be briefly given of it For the former that in our Common prayer-Prayer-Book there be severall Services for severall occasions of the Sacraments c. for severall dayes as the Letany for severall times in the day not only Morning and Euening but one part to be said earlier in the morning and then toward noone a returne to another part as the antient Primitives had three Services in a forenoone 1. That for the Catechumeni consisting of Prayers Psalmes and Readings then a 2. For the Penitents such as our Letany and a 3. For the Fideles the Faithfull our Communion Service and even that which is assigned to one time so discontinued by Psalmes and Hymnes and Lessons that it becomes in a manner two Services clearly two times of Prayer Now our Saviour commanding when you pray say our Father we have accordingly so assigned it to be once repeated in every such part of Service and I remember to have heard one of the gravest and most reverend men of the Assembly being asked his opinion about the use of the Lords Prayer to have answer'd to this purpose God forbid that I should ever be upon my knees in Prayer and rise up without adding Christs forme to my imperfect petitions And whereas this Directory is so bountifull as to recommend this Prayer to be used in the Prayers of the Church and yet so wary as but to recommend it it is thereby confest that it is lawfull to retain a set Forme for that is surely so and then the often using of a lawfull thing will not make it unlawfull but withall that Christs command in points of his Service shall no more oblige to obedience then the commands of men for if it did this would be more then recommended And now why that which may say they commendably must say we necessarily in obedience to Christ be used in the Prayers of the Church and being repeated oftner then once shall be usefull to him who was not come at the first saying or may be said more attentively by him who had before been too negligent should be necessary to be used but once when all mens zeale or understanding of so divine a Forme or perhaps presence at that part of the Service shall not necessarily go along with it I leave to more subtile Divines to instruct us This I am sure of that God hath made a peculiar promise to importunity in Prayer to a coming often to him on the same errand and Luk. 18. 5. by a phrase in the Parable seems to say that he that comes oft to God in this manner will at length force him to shame if he do not grant his Petition for that is the meaning of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And from thence the Fathers use a bold phrase in their Liturgies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I put thee to shame i. e. importune thee Basil in Liturg. and in the Psaltery of the Greek Church which hath many Prayers mixt with it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unlesse thy owne goodnesse put thee to shame c. Now that this will not be subject to the censure of vain repetitions Mat. 6. 7. which is the onely exception made against it if the example of David Psal 136. be not sufficient to authorize the repeating any Forme often which is as faultlesse as that was might largely be evidenced 1. By the nature of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there used which both Hesychius and Suidas apply to an other matter and explain it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 long idle unseasonable formes such as Battus used in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 his long-winded Hymnes so full of Tautologies which Munster therefore rendreth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do not multiply words unprofitably or unseasonably 2. By the customes of the Heathens which Christ there referres to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 use not c. as the Heathens and which are evident in their writers especially their Tragedians where 't is plain that their manner was to sound or chant for many houres together some few empty words to the honour of their Gods such the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their Bacchannals from the noise of which they were call'd Evantes such in Sophocles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. and especially in the Virgins Chorus of AEschylus's Tragedy called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where there are near an hundred Verses made up of meer Tautologies 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and an enumeration of the severall names of the Gods with unsignificant noyses added to them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and within two verses the same again and much more of the same stile Two notable examples of this Heathenish custome the Scripture affords us one 1 King 18. 26. where the Prophets of Baal from morning till noon cry O Baal hear us and it followes they cryed with a loud voyce and cut themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to their custome or rites that loud crying the same words so long together was as much a Heathenish rite as the cutting of themselves The other of the Ephesians Act. 19. 34. who are affirm'd to have cryed with one voice for two houres space 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great is Diana of the Ephesians and 3. by the designed end that Christ observes of that Heathen custome 1. That they may be heard by that long noyse for which Elius scoffes them 1 King 18 27. Cry aloud perhaps your God is a talking or a pursuing c. 2. That their Petitions may be more intelligible to their Gods to which Christ opposes your Heavenly Father knoweth what you have need of and so needs not your Tautologies to explain them to him Much more might be said for the explaining of that mistaken place but that it would seem unnecessary to this matter the exception being so causelesse that the Vindication would passe for an extravagance Sect 35 Of the Prayers for the King the account will not bee much unlike St. Paul commands that prayers and supplications and intercessions and thanksgivings be made
for Kings c. 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. where though the mention of those severall sorts of Prayers signified by those foure words might be matter of apology for the making severall addresses to God for Kings in one service supposing them proportion'd to those sorts in that text yet have we distributed the frequent prayers for him into the severall services one solemne prayer for him in the ordinary daily service and only a versicle before as it were prooemiall to it another in the Letany another after the commandements of which though our book hath two formes together yet both the Rubrick and Custome gives us authority to interpret it was not meant that both should be said at once but either of the two chosen by the Minister another before the Communion where the necessity of the matter being designed for the Church militant makes it more then seasonable to descend to our particular Church and the King the supreame of it just as Herodotus relates the custome of the Persians l. 1. p. 52. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they pray for all the Persians peculiarly for the King To this practice of ours so grounded in the Apostle we shall adde 1. The reward promised by the Apostles intimation to such Prayers if not as I conceive by those words that we may live a peaceable and quiet life c. that peaceable and quiet life of all blessings the greatest seeming to be a benefit or donative promised to the faithfull discharge of that duty of praying and supplicating and interceding and giving thankes for Kings yet certainly somewhat else in that high Declaration made concerning it in the next words for this is good and acceptable before Good our Saviour whose acceptation is reward sufficient to any action and yet who never accepts but rewards also 2. The practice of the antient Christians set down by Tertull. Sacrificamus pro salute Imperatoris pura prece our prayers are sent up a pure sacrifice for the prosperity of the Emperor and that quoties conveniebant in another place at every meeting or service of the Church precantes semper pro omnibus Imperatoribus vitam prolixam Imperium securum domum tutam exercitus fortes Senatum fidelem populum probum Orbem quietum quaecunque hominis Casaris vota sunt praying alwaies for the Emperours and begging of God for them long life secure reigne the safety of his house couragious Armies a faithfull Senate a good people a quiet world all those severalls which would make up more prayers then our book hath assigned all that either as Man or King they can stand in need of and so Athenagoras and others to the same purpose especially when they have occasion to justifie the fidelity of Christians to their unchristian Emperours having no surer evidence to give of that then the frequency of their prayers for them which they which thinke necessary to abbridge or supercede must give us leave by that indication to judge of somewhat else by occasion of that to pick to observe their other demonstrations of disloyalty to those that are set over them by God And to any that are not guilty of that crime nor yet of another of thinking all length of the publike service unsupportable I shall refer it to be judged whether it be necessary that the King be prayed for in the Church no oftner then there is a Sermon there Sect 36 6. The Communion of Saints which if it were no Article in our Creed ought yet to be laid up as one of the Christians tasks or duties consists in that mutuall exchange of charity and all seasonable effects of it between all parts of the Church that triumphant in heaven Christ and the Saints there and this on earth militant which he that disclaimes by that one act of insolence casts off one of the noblest priviledges of which this earth is capable to be a fellow-citizen with the Saints and a â—llow-member with Christ himselfe The effects of this charity on their parts is in Christ intercession and in the Saints suffrages and daily prayers to God for us but on our part thankesgivings and commemorations which 't is apparent the Primitive Christians used very early solemnizing the day of Christs resurrection c. and rehearsing the names of the Saints out of their Dipticks in time of the offertory before the Sacrament besides this so solemne a Christian duty another act of charity there is which the Church owes to her living sonnes the educating them in the presence of good examples and setting a remarke of honour on all which have lived Christianly especially have died in testimony of the truth of that profession and again a great part of the New Testament being story of the lives of Christ and his Apostles and the rest but doctrine agreeable to what those lives expressed it must needs be an excellent compendium of that book and a most usefull way of infusing it into the understanding and preserving it in the memory of the people to assigne proper portions of Scripture in Lessons Epistles and Gospells to every day every Sunday every Festivall in the year which are none in our Church but for the remembrance of Christ and the Scripture-Saints to infuse by those degrees all necessary Christian knowledge and duties into us the use of which to the ignorant is so great that it may well be feared that when the Festivalls and solemnities for the birth of Christ and his other famous passages of life and death and resurrection and ascension and mission of the Holy Ghost and the Lessons Gospells and Collects and Sermons upon them be turn'd out of the Church together with the Creeds also 't will not be in the power of weekly Sermons on some head of Religion to keep up the knowledge of Christ in mens hearts a thing it seems observ'd by the Casuists who use to make the number of those things that are necessariò credenda necessary to be beleeved no more then the Festivalls of Christ make known to men and sure by antient Fathers whose Preaching was generally on the Gospells for the day as appears by their Sermons de tempore and their Postils To all these ends are all these Festivals and these Services designed by the Church and to no other that is capable of any the least brand of novell or superstitious and till all this antidote shall be demonstrated to be turn'd poyson all these wholesome designes to be perfectly noxious till ill or no examples uncharitablenesse schismaticall cutting ourselves off from being fellow-members with the Saints and even with Christ our head till ingratitude ignorance and Atheisme it selfe be canonized for Christian and Saint-like and the onely things tending to edification in a Church there will hardly appeare any so much as politick necessity to turn these out of it Sect 37 7. For the reading of the Commandements and prayer before and the responses after each of them though it be not antiently
past through the Ordinance and the Preface and in the view of the Ordinance stated and setled aright the comparison betwixt the Liturgy and the Directory and demonstrated the no-necessity but plain unreasonablenesse of the change and so by the way insisted on most of the defects of the Directory which are the speciall matter of accusation we professe to find in it I shall account it a Superfluous Importunity to proceed to a review of the whole body of it which makes up the bulk of that Book but instead of insisting on the faults and infirme parts of it such are the prohibition of adoration toward any place p. 10. that is of all adoration while we have bodies about us for that must be toward some place the interdicting of all parts of the Apochryphall Books p. 12. which yet the ancient Church avowed to be read for the directing of manners though not as rule of Faith the so frequent mention of the Covenant in the directions for Prayer once as a speciall mercy of God p. 17 which is the greatest curse could befall this Kingdome and a great occasion if not Author of all the rest which are now upon it then as a means of a strict and religious Vnion p. 21. which is rather an engagement of an irreligious Warre then as a pretious band that men must pray that it never be broken p. 21. which is in effect to pray that they may never repent but continue in Rebellion for ever Then as a mercy again p. 37. as if this Covenant were the greatest treasure we ever enjoyed Then the praying for the Armies by Land and Sea p. 38. with that addition for the defence of King and Parliament and Kingdome as resolving now to put that cheat upon God himselfe which they have used to their Fellow-Subjects that of fighting against the King for the defence of him Beloved be not deceived God is not mocked Then affirming that the Fonts were superstitiously placed in time of Popery and therefore the Child must now be baptized in some other place p. 40. while yet they shew not any ground of that accusation nor never will be able to do Then that the customes of kneeling and praying by and towards the dead is superstitious p. 73. which literally it were Superstitum cultus if it were praying to them but now is farre enough from that guilt And lastly that the Lords day is commanded in the Scripture to be kept holy p. 85. the sanctification of which we acknowledge to be grounded in the Scripture and instituted by the Apostles but not commanded in the Scripture by any revealed precept The first that we meet with to this purpose is that of Ignatius Epist ad Magnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let us therefore Sabbatize no longer Let every Christian celebrate the Lords day which saying of an Apostolick writer being added to the mention of the Lords day in the New Testament is a great argument of the Apostolicke institution of that day which the universall practice of the Church ever since doth sufficiently confirme unto us and we are content and satisfied with that authority although it doth not offer to shew us any command in the Scripture for it And then you may please to observe that the same Ignatius within a page before that place forecited for the observing of the Lords day hath a command for Common-Prayer and I conceive for some set Forme I shall give you the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Let all meet together to the same whether action or place in Prayer Let there be one Common-Prayer one mind c. and Clem. Alex. to the same purpose the Altar which we have here on Earth is the company of those that dedicate themselves to Prayers as having 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a common voice and one mind which cannot well be unlesse there be some common Forme by all agreed on Instead I say of pressing these or the like frailties upon this work which will argue the Composers of it to be men and fallible I shall rather desire to expresse and evidence my charity my endeavor to read it without any prejudice by adding my opinion that there be some things said in it by way of direction for the matter of Prayer and course of Preaching which agree with wholsome doctrine and may tend to edification and I shall not rob those of that approbation which is due to them nor conceive our Cause to need such peevish meanes to sustaine it Being not thereby obliged to quarrell at the Directory absolutely as a Booke but onely as it supplants the Liturgy which if it had a thousand more excellencies in it then it hath it would not be fit to do And being willing to give others an example of peaceablenesse and of a resolution to make no more quarrells then are necessary and therefore contributing my part of the endeavour to conclude this one assoon as is possible And the rather because it is in a matter which if without detriment to the Church and the Soules of men the Book might be universally received and so the experiment could be made would I am confident within very few years assoon as the pleasure of the change and the novelty were over prove its owne largest confutation confesse its own wants and faults and so all but mad men see the errour and require the restitution of Liturgy againe This I speak upon a serious observation and pondering of the tempers of men and the so mutable habits of their minds which as they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easily changed from good to evill so are they which is the difference of men from laps'd Angels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 easily reduced also to their former state again when reason comes to them in the coole of the day when the heat of the kindnesse is past and a satiety hastning in its stead or if it prove not so well yet falling from one change to another and never coming to stability How possible this may prove in this particular I shall now evidence no farther then by the parallel vehement dislikes that the Presbyteriall Government hath already met with among other of our reforming Spirits very liberally exprest in many Pamphlets which we have lately received from London but in none more fully then in the Epistle to the Book entituled John Baptist first charging the Presbyterians who formerly exclaimed against Episcopacy for stinting the spirit that they began to take upon them to establish a Dagon in his throne in stinting the whole worship of the God of Heaven c. and in plain words without mincing or dissembling that they had rather the French King nay the great Turk should rule over them then these The only use which I would now make of these experiments is this to admire that blessed excellent Christian grace of obedience and contentment with our present lot whatsoever it be that brings not any necessity of sinning on us I mean