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A50109
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The spiritual house in its foundation, materials, officers, and discipline describ'd the nomothetical & coercive power of the King in ecclesiastical affairs asserted the episcopal office and dignity, together with the liturgy of the Church of England vindicated in some sermons preached at St. Clement Danes and St. Gregories neer St. Pauls, London / by Geo. Masterson.
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Masterson, Geo. (George)
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1661
(1661)
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Wing M1073; ESTC R30518
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52,267
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136
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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 received open'd and read till the flame and smoak suffered him not to see any more and then he fell to Prayer holding his hands up to Heaven and the Book between his Arms next his Heart thanking God for that mercy in sending him it Acts Men. pag. 18 18. Doctour Taylor in the Conference between him and Gardiner Jan. 22. Anno 1555. There was saith he set forth by the most innocent King Edward for whom God be praised everlastingly the whole Church-Service with great deliberation and Advice of the Learned Men of the Realm and authorized by the whole Parliament Which Book was never Reformed but once and yet by that one Reformation it was so fully perfected according to the Rules of our Religion in every behalf That no Christian Conscience can be offended with any thing therein contained Acts Mon fol. 1521. Mind the words of this Holy Martyr No Christian Conscience can be offended with any thing therein contained and yet what Swarms of Exceptions fly in the Face of it A plenteous showr of Rain seldom brings forth more Mushroms or Toad-Stools then the late Luxuriant Age hath produced Exceptions against this Book Concerning which take the Judgment of Mr. Hooker Whosoever doth measure them by number must needs be out of love with a thing that hath so many faults Whosoever by weight cannot choose but esteem very highly of that wherein the wit of so scrupulous Adversaries hath not hitherto observed any defect which themselves can seriously think to be of moment Eccles Pol. B. 5. Sect. 27. The examination of these Exceptions will be our third Step. III. The Exceptions commonly brought against our Liturgie are either general or more particular First In general two things are chiefly laid to its charge 1. It is a Superstitious Worship In answer to this First I presume that as they say Proverbially Every man that talks of Robin Hood never shot in his Bow So every one that cryes out Superstition doth not well understand what Superstition is for Superstition in the proper and strict Notion and signification of the Word is the Worship of Idols or Dead Men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Superstites Thus St. Paul tells the Athenians I perceive that in all things you are too superstitious Act. xvii 22. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Thus I suppose no man hath the Fore-head to charge our Liturgie with Superstition Superstition in an improper and more generally-received Notion is when things are either abhor'd or observed with a zealous or fearful but erroneous relation to God By means of which the Superstitious serve either the true God with needless Offices or defraud Him of Necessary Duties or bestow such honour and service upon others as is proper for and should be peculiar to him onely That our Liturgie confers any Honour or Service proper and peculiar to God upon others no man hath yet affirmed That it requires needless Offices to be performed to the true God no man can say who believes that God who made oar Bodies as well as our Souls requires the external Worship of our Bodies as well as the inward Service of our Mind A man cannot express too much in the out-side provided the invisible part come not short of it and I must-say I know not how the stifness of the Knee can be 〈…〉 from defect of Humility at least if not of true Piety also Secondly There may be as much Superstition in rejecting of our Liturgie as in retaining it as much Superstition in opposing as in asserting Ceremonies A Negative Touch not Taste not Kneel not Bow not may be Superstitious as well as the Affirmative An ignorant fear of displeasing God 〈◊〉 such a Form or Circumstance of Worship â—ay be Superstitious as well as a Blind Zeâ—â— or Fear is of all Affections Anger excepted the unaptest to admit any Conference with Reason While a man Superstitiously fears lest he should offend in doing this or that he sins against God and his own Soul in leaving that undone which his Reason if he hearkened to the Voice of it would tell him he might and ought to do This is the first and great but you see groundless Exception against our Liturgie The second is like unto it namely that Our Liturgie is Popish or too near Popery being taken out of the mass-Mass-Book To this I answer First In the words of Learned Mr. Hocker It were violent and extream to say that in nothing they may be followed who are of the Church of Rome They acknowledg the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the Word of God They make Profession of all the Articles of the Faith one God one Saviour one Baptism it will not I hope be deemed Popery in Us to do so because they do it Some things they do as men some things as wise men some things as Christian men in these we may follow them Some things they do as misled and blinded with Errour As far as they follow Reason and Truth we fear not to tread the same steps in which they have gone and to be their followers While Rome keeps that which is antienter and better others whom we much more affect leaving it for newer and changing it for worse we had rather follow the perfection of them whom we like not then in their defects resemble them whom we love Eccles pol. B. 5. Sect. 28. We are sorry saith Learned Doctour Covel that their weakness taketh offence at that which we hold as an honour and a virtue in the Church of England namely that we have so sparingly and as it were unwillingly dissented from the Church of Rome with whom if the Corruptions of that Church would have given us leave we would have willingly consented in their whole Service which being unsafe and unlawful we follow them notwithstanding in all wherein they follow those Holy and Antient Fathers which first planted the Truth among them Modest Exam. pag. 185. Secondly It is no ways probable were our Liturgie Popish that the Papists would be such violent Opposers of it We are assured by an Argument of Christ's own making that it is not Popish for saith our Saviour Every Kingdom divided against it self is brought to desolation and an house divided against an house falleth Luke xi 17. John Ould in Queen Mary's days wrote against the Papists in Defence of the Common-Prayer-Book And Cranmer made a Challenge That if he might be permitted by the Queen to take to him P. Martyr and four or five more they would enter the Lists with any Papists living and defend the Common-Prayer-Book to be perfectly agreeable to the Word of God and the same in effect which had been for fifteen hundred years in the Church of Christ Thirdly It is a known truth that our Reformers retained not any part of the Popish Service but reformed their