evidencing that fervor and intention which can never be more necessary then throughout that Service of which I shall in passing say these three things and justifie them against any gain-sayer that there is not extant any where 1. a more particular excellent enumeration of all the Christians either private or common wants as far as is likely to come to the cognisance of a Congregation nor secondly a more innocent blamelesse Form against which there lies no just objection and most of the unjust ones that have been made are reproachfull to Scripture it self from whence the passages excepted against are fetcht as that particularly of Praying for Gods mercy upon all men from 1. Tim. 2. 1. nor thirdly a more artificiall composure for the raising that zeal and keeping it up throughout then this so defamed part of our Liturgie for which and other excellencies undoubtedly it is and not for any Conjuring or Swearing in it that the Devil hath taken care that it should drink deepest of that bitter cup of Calumnie and Reviling which it can no way have provoked but onely as Christ did the reproach of the diseased man What have I to do with thee c. when he came to exorcize and cast out the Devill that possest him And for this to be thrown out of the Church sure there is no other necessity then there was that there should be Scandalâ— and Heresies in it onely because the Devil and his Factors would have it so Sect. 27 5. For the dividing of Prayers into divers Collects or Portions and not putting all our Petitions into one continued Prayer these advantages it hath to give it authority 1. the practice of the Jews whose Liturgie was dispensed into Lessons c. and 18 Collects or short Prayers 2. The example of Christ prescribing a short Form and in that saith St Chrisostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 teaching us the measure or length due to each Prayer of ours Hom de Annâ—f 965 and setting a mark of Heathenisme Mat. 6. and of Pharisaisme Matth. 23. 14. on their long Prayers 3. The advice of the Ancients who tell us St Peters Form used for a great while in the Roman Church was a short one and that Christ and S Paul commanded us to make our Prayers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 short and frequent and with little distances between And so Epiphanius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 orat 6. 24. directs to offer our Petitions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all frequencie and Cassian de instit mon. l. 2. 10 from the universall consent of them Vtilius censent breves orationes sed creberrimas fieri The way that is resolved to be most profitable is to have short Prayers but very thick or frequent And he addes a consideration which prompted them to this resolution Ut Diaboli insidiantis jacula succinctâ brevitate vitemus That by that means the Devils darts which he is wont to find and steal his time to shoot in to our breasts may by the brevitie of our Prayers be prevented To these many more might be added but that the no-advantage on the other side above this save onely the reputation of the labour and patience of speaking or hearing so much in a continued course in one breath as it were will save us the pains of using more motives to perswade any that sure it is not necessarie to exchange this pleasant easie course of our Liturgie for the redious toilsome lesse profitable course in the Directory Sect. 28 Sixthly for the Ceremonies used in the severall Services much might be said as particularly for that of kneeling in opposition to sitting at the Lords Supper designed in the Directory 1. that it is agreeable to the practise of all Antiquity who though they kneeled not because the Canon of the Councell of Nice obliged all to stand in the Church between Easter and Whitsuntide or on the Lords day all the yeer long which by the way absolutely excludes sitting as also doth that saying of Optatus l. 4. That the People may not sit in the Church and of Tertullian l. de Orat 〈◊〉 12. That 't was an Heathen custome to sit in the Church therefore ought to be reprehended yet used the Prayer-gesture at receiving i. e. bowing their bodies and heads which the Fathers call adoration kissing of the hand is the proprietie of the Latin word but the ordinary denotation of it bowing the body the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is more then the former the cultus major among the Learned For as Herodotus observes of the Eastern Nations that the manner of equals was to kisse one another at meeting of inferiours to kisse the hand of the Superiour but of the Suppliants or Petitioners that would expresse the greatest humility to bow themselves before him so was this last of the three continued among the primitive Christians in their Services of the greatest piety and humility Climacus p. 298. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When I receive I worship or adore Agreeable to which the great men in the French Churches who receive it passing or going a meer Egyptian Passeover custome do first make a lowly cringe or curtesie before they take it in their hands 2. That Christ's Table-gesture at the delivering it is no Argument for sitting both because it is not manifest by the Text that he used that save onely at the Passeover from which this Supper of the Lord was distinct and was celebrated by blessing and breaking and giving the bread c. to which some other gesture might be more proper and more commodious and because Christ's gesture in that is no more obligingly exemplary to us then his doing it after Super was to the Apostles who yet did it Fasting Act. 13. 2. and generally took it before the agapae and as by Plinies Epistle it appears so early in the morning that the congregation departed and met again ad capiendum cibum promiscuum to take their meals together As also 3. that the contrary gesture of sitting as it was not many yeers since by a full Synod of Protestants in Poland forbidden if not condemned because they found it used by the Arrians as complying with their opinion who hold our Saviour to be a meer Creature so is now profest by some of our late Reformers writings to be a badge and cognisance of their believing in the infallibility of Christ's promise of coming to reign on this Earth again and take them into a familiar and a kind of equall conversation with him the Doctrine of the Millenaries once in some credit but after condemn'd by the Church and though favoured by some Learned men both anciently and of late is not yet sure clear enough to come into our Creed or Liturgy or to be profest and proclaimed by that gesture when ever we receive the Sacrament The evidence or proof of it being primarily that in the Revelation which by the rest of that Book I am very apt to suspect may signifie
mentionâ—d but 〈◊〉 that they are of it which is but in effect as the same Hâ—â—kâ—t did shewing no evidence of his being a Prophet but onely his confidence which produced all kinde of direfull Oaâ—bes that he was and hideous imâ—recations on himself if he were not so That which is added by way of honour to those Martyrs that they were excellent instruments to begin the â—â—â—ging and building of his house may be but an artifice of raising their own reputation who have perfected those rude beginnings or if it be meant in earnest as kindnesse to them 't is but an unsignificant civilitie to abolish all the records of their Reformation and then pay them a little praise in exchange for them Martyr their ashes as the Papists did Fagius and Bucer and then lay them down into the earth again with a dirge or anâ—â—em defame the Reformation and Commend the Reformers but still to intimate how much wiser and Godlier you are then all those Martyrs were Sect. 25 Thus farre they have proceeded ad amoliendam invidiam Now to the positive motives of setting upon this great work of innovation and those are 1. To answer in sâ—me measure the gratious providence of God which at this time calleth upon them for farther Reformation What they should mean by the gracious providence of God in this place I confesse I cannot guesse if it be not a meer name to adde some credit to the cause unlesse it be the prosperity good successe of their Arms which if throughout this War they had reason to brag or take notice of as sure they have not but of Gods hand many times visibly shewed against them in raising the low estate of the King without visible means and bringing down their mighty strengths as the Septuagint makes God promise to fight against Amalek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by secret hand by invisible yet sure would not that justifie the taking up of those Arms much lesse be able to consecrate all other sins that those Arms may enable any to be guilty of T is the Turks Divinity as before I intimated to pâ—â—â—e sentence on the action by the prosperity of the man to make one killing of a Father villany and sacriledge because the designe it aim'd at miscarried and another of the same making an heroick act that God was pleased with because it brought the designer to the Kingdom And therefore I beseech you look no longer on the cause through the deceivable and deceitfull glasses of your conceited victories but through that one true glasse the word of Christ in the New Testament and if that call you to this farther reformation go on in Gods name But if it be any else that calleth you as sure somewhat else it is you mean for if it were Gods word you would ere now have shew'd it us and here have call'd it Gods word which is plain and intelligible not Gods providence which is of an ambiguous signification if any extraordinary revelation however convey'd to you this you will never be able to approve to any that should doubt your call and therefore I shall meekly desire you and in the bowels of Christian compassion to your selves if not to your bleeding Countrey once more to examine seriously what ground you have in Gods word to satisfie conscience of the lawfulnesse of such attempts which you have used to gain strength to work your Reformation and this we the rather desire to be shewed by you because you adde that having consulted with Gods holy word you resolve to lay aside the former Liturgie which cannot signifie that upon command of Gods word particularly speaking to this matter you have done it for then all this while you would sure have shewed us that word but that the Word of God hath lead you to the whole work in generall which you have taken in hand and therefore that is it which as a light shining in so dark a place we require you in the name of God to hold out to us After this there is a second motive the satisfaction of your own consciences This I cannot speak to because neither I know them nor the grounds of them save onely by what is here mentioned which I am sure is not sufficient to satisfie conscience phancy perhaps it may onely this I shall interpose that it is possible your own consciences may be erronious and we are confident they are so and then you are not bound to satisfie them save onely by seeking better information which one would think might be as feaseable a task as abolishing of Liturgie Sect. 27 Next a third motivels mentioned that you may satisfie the expectation of other Reformed Churches To this first I say that this is not the rule for the reforming of a Nationall Church 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and independent And such I conceive the last Canon of the Councell of Ephesus will by consequence conclude this of England to be and its being so is a sufficient plea 1. To clear us from all shew of Schisme in Separating from the Roman Church to which we were not according to the Ephesine rule subjâ—sted as a part though we reformed our selves when the Pope vehemently required the contrary and would not himself be reformed and from the Church universall of which we still remain a member undivided 2. To answer this motive of our Assemblers by telling them that in the reforming such a Church as this of ours if not by others yet by them is acknowledged to be the care must be to do what the head and members of the Church shall in the fear of God resolve to be fittest and not what other Churches expect for if that were the rule it would be a very fallacious and very puzling one the expectations of severall Churches being as severall and the choice of some difficulty which of them was fittest to be answer'd But then secondly what the expectation of other Churches have been in this point or what the reasons of them we do not punctually know onely this we do that after your solliciting of many which is another thing somewhat distant from their expecting we hear not of any that have declared their concurrence in opinion with you in this But on the contrary that in answer to your Letter directed to the Church of Zeland the Wallachrian Classis made this return to you that they did approve set and prescribed forms of publique Prayer as profitable and tending to edification quite contrary to what you before objected of the Offence to the Protestant Churches abroad and now of their expectation c. and give reasons for that approbation both from Texts of Scriptures and the generall practice of the Reformed Church avouching particularly the forementioned place of Calvin and conclude it to be a precise singularity in those men who do reject them And now I beseech you speak your knowledge and instance in the particular if any Church have in any addresse made to you or
concord which their Kings and Governors had contracted with their Neighbours And again that for the maintenance of their friendship they have not feared to break their solemned oaths made unto others To which I might adde from another Confession that Whoredome and adultery are but pastimes of the flesh crafty dealing deceit and oppression is counted good conquest c. but that it would look too like a Satyre against some part of that Nation at this time thus to specifie 2. Their great sence and acknowledgement of obligations from this Kingdom of England and not onely prayers for continuance of peace between England and Scotland but even execrations on all and so sure on those their successors of this age which should continue or contribute ought toward the breaking of it the words are these Seeing when we by our power were altogether unable c. thou didst move the hearts of our neighbours of whom we had deserved no such favour to take upon them the common burthen with us and for our deliverance not onely to spend the lives of many but also to hazard the estate and tranquillity of their Realm Grant unto us that with such reverence we may remember thy benefits received that after this in our default we never enter into hostility against the Nation of England suffer us never to fall into that ingratitude and detestable unthankefulnesse that we should seek the destruction and death of those whom thou hast made instruments to deliver us from the tyranny of mercilesse strangers the French Dissipate thou the counsels of such as deceitfully travail to stir the hearts of either Realm against the other let their malicious practices be their own confusion and grant thou of thy mercy that love and concord and tranquillity may continue and encrease among the inhabitants of this Island even to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ Thirdly that some of their forms of words are directly all one with ours others with some small additions retaining our forms as in the Prayer for the King and the Exhortation before the Sacrament and the adjuration of the Parties to be married will appear Fourthly that on their day of Fast though that be with great care provided and ordered to be the Sunday twice together quite contrary to the Canons and custome of the Primitive Church yet 't is then appointed that the Minister with the People shall prostrate themselves c. a posture of most humble bodily adoration made to reproach those who will not so much as recommend or direct any one kind of corporall worship or gesture of humiliation in all their Directory The inlarging to this mention of particulars I acknowledge to be a digression But the presenting to your knowledge or remembrance this Scottish Liturgy is not By which superadded to the former and by much more which might from other Churches be added to that it briefly appears what is or hath been the uniform judgement of the Presbyteriansin this matter directly contrary to the concluded necessity of abolishing Sect. 5 Which necessity on the other side the Independents have still asserted and for that and other such differences have avowed their resolutions to be the like scourges to them as they have been to us professing and ad homines unanswerably proving the reasonablenesse of it to â—eform the Geneva reformation as a first rude and so imperfect draught just creeping out of Popery there and therefore not supposeable to be compleat at the first assay as the Presbyterians upon the same pretences have design'd and practiced on our English Reformation Sect. 6 All this I have said against the concluded necessity in case or on supposition that the premises were true but now I must adde the falsnesse of those also and then if the necessity will still remain I must pronounce it a peice of Stoicall fatality an insuperable unruly necessitie indeed that will acknowledge no Laws or bounds or limits to confine it Sect. 7 And first for the manifold inconveniences if that phrase denote those severals which in the Preface to the Directory are suggested I shall in due place make it appear 1. That there are no such inconveniencies 2. That greater then those may easily and hereafter shall be produced against their Directory and consequently that although true inconveniencies were supposed sufficient to infer a necessitie of abolition yet such onely pretended names of inconveniency such Chimaera's and Mormo's especially over-ballanced with reall ones in the other scale would be abundantly insufficient to do it But if the manifold inconveniences have a larger prospect to refer to we shall conclude it very uncharitable not to mention those which might possible have had the same effect with us as with them convinced us also to be their Proselytes and in the meane time very unjust to put so uncertain an equivocall phrase into a law which we have no Criterion or nomenclature to interpret but beyond all very imprudent to mention and lay weight on such slight and such no inconveniencies afterward specified when others might have been produced better able to beat the envy of the accusation Sect. 8 As for your resolution if it went no higher then the Covenant and that but to reform Religion according to the word of God and the example of the best reformed Churches I am sure it cannot oblige or so much as incline you to take away that Book there being nothing in it 1. Contrary to the designe of Reformation 2. Contrary to the word of God or 3. Contrary to the example of the best reformed Churches Not 1. to Reformation for Reformation is as contrary to abolition of what should be reformed as cure to killing and if it be replyed that the abolition of Liturgy as unlawfull may be necessary to the reforming of Religion I shall yeeld to that reply on that supposition but then withall adde that Liturgy must first be proved unlawfull and that testified from divine infallible principles which because it is not thorow this whole Book so much as pretended both that and the second suggestion from the word of God must necessarily be disclaimed and then the example of the best reformed Churches will soon follow not onely because all other Reformed Churches ordinarily known by that Title have some kind of Liturgy and that is as contrary to abolition as the continuing of ours without any change but because no reformation is to be preferr'd before that which cuts off no more then is necessary to be cut off and which produces the Scripture rule the sword of the Spirit for all such amputations and therefore the Church of England as it stands established by Law is avowable against all the Calumniators in the world to be the best and most exemplarie reformed so far that if I did not guesse of the sense of the Covenant more by the temper then words of the Covenanteers I should think men that have Covenanted to reform after the example of the best
perfectly noxious till ill or no examples uncharitablenesse schismaticall cutting our selves off from being fellow members with the Saints and even with Christ our head till ingratitude ignorance and Atheisme it self be canonized for Christian and Saint-like and the onely things tending to edification in a Church there will hardly appear any so much as politick necessity to turn these out of it Sect. 37 7. For the reading of the Commandments and prayer before and the responses after each of them though it be not anciently to be found in the Church as a part of the Service but onely retained in the Catechisme till King Edwards second Liturgie and therefore sure no charge of Popery to be affixt on it yet seemeth it to me a very profitable part of devotion being made use of as it ought The Priest after a premised prayer for grace to love and keep Gods Commandments is appointed to stand and read every of the Commandments distinctly to the people as a kind of Moses bringing them from God to them These are they to receive in the humblest affection of heart and posture of body as means to try and examine themselves and to humble themselves in a sense of their severall failings and thereupon implore every one for himself and for others even for the whole Kingdome first Gods mercy for pardon for all that hath been committed against the letter of each Commandment or what ever Christ and the Gospel hath set down under any or reducible to any of those heads 2. Grace to perform for the time to come what ever may be acceptable to Christ in that particular This being thus distinctly and leisurely done to each perticular precept the heart enlarging to every particular under that proves an excellent form of confession of sinnes and of resolution and prayer for strength to forsake them And let me tell you were Gods pardon thus â—ervently and often called for by each humble soul in a Kingdome for every mans personall and the whole Kingdome Nationall sinnes the Atheisme speculative and practicall the impiety iufidelity want of love and fear and worship of God c. in the first Commandment and so throughout all the rest and the grace of God to work all the contrary graces in every heart in the heart of the whole Kingdome as humbly and heartily invoked the benefit would certainly be so great and so illustrious that none but Satan who is to be dethroned and part with his kingdome by that means would ever deem it necessary to cast out this part of Service and have nothing at all in exchange for it 8. For the order of the Offertory it must first be observed that in the Primitive Apostolick Church the Offertory was a considerable part of the action in the administring and receiving the Sacrament the manner of it was thus At their meetings for divine service every man as he was able brought something along with him bread or wine the fruits of the Season c. of this part was used for the Sacrament the rest kept to furnish a common table for all the brethren and therefore in Ignatius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to celebrate the Feast is to administer that Sacrament being joyn'd there with the mention of Baptisme Rich and Poore to eat together no one taking precedence of other or challenging a greater part to himself by reason of his bringing more this is discernable in Saint Pauls words chiding the Corinthians for their defaults in this matter 1 Cor. 11. 21. every man saith he takes and eats before another his own supper i. e the Rich that brought more eats that which he brought 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as if he were at home eating his own private meal without respect to the nature of those 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which were a common meale for all and so while one is filled to the full some others have little or nothing to eat which is the meaning of that which follows one is hungry and another is drunken after the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ceased and the bringing of the fruits of the season which were as a kind of first-fruit offering was out-dated whether by Canon of the Church or by contrary custome this manner was still continued that every receiver brought somewhat with him to offer particularly bread and wine mixt with water Justin Mart Apol. 2. p. 97. sets down the manner of it clearly in his time 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. the bread and wine of the brethren i. e. Communicants is brought to the Priest or Prefect not as in the Latine interpreter reads Praefecto fratrum as if 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 were to be joyned with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which belongs to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he receiving it gives laâ—d and praise unto God in the name of the Son and the Holy Ghost and all the people ioyn in the Amen then do the Deacons distribute that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the bread over which he hath thus given thanks and then saith he over above the richer sort and every one as he shall think good contributes that which is so raised is left with the Priest who out of that stock succors the Orphan Widow and becomes a common provider for all that are in want This clearely distinguisheth two parts of the Offertory one designed for the use of all the Faithfull in the Sacrament another reserved for the use of the poore the former called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oblations in the Councell of Laodicea the other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in that of Gangra and proportionably the reposicory for the first called Sacrarium in the fourth Councell of Carthage Can. 93. and by Possidonius in the life of Sâ— Augustine Secretarium unde altari necessariâ— inferuntur where those things are laid and from whence fetcht which are necessary to the Altar the other Gazophylacium or treasury the first St. Cyprian calls Sacrificia sacrifices the second Eleemosynae Almes l. de op Eleem. parallel to those which we find both together mentioned Act. 24. 17. I came to bring almes to my Nation and offerings This saith Justin Martyr is our Christian Sacrifice which will more appear to him that considers that the feasting of the people their partaking of the Sacrifice having their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was alwaies annexed to sacrifices both among Jews and Heathens which the Apostle calls partaking of the Altar and consequently that the Sacrifice and the feast together the sacrifice in the offertory the feast in the eating and drinking there do compleat and make up the whole businesse of this Sacrament as farre as the people are concerned in it and all this blest by the Priest and God blest and praised by Priest and People and so the title of Eucharist belongs to it Thus after Justin Irenaeus The Offertory of the Christians is accounted 〈◊〉 pure sacrifice with God as when St Paul
the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the head of the Congregation And the Patriarchs among Christians are taken from the heads of the Tribes among them called ordinarily by the 72 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and in the Testament 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Adde unto these the Christiaâ— Censure of Excommunication answerable to their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether it were from sacred or onely from civill Assemblies among them it matters little for the civill among them may be accommodated to Ecclesiasticall among Christians as in some of the fore-mentioned is acknowledged and as the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies primarily any kind of Assembly is so taken Matth. 6. 5. is appropriated to a place of divine worship in other places and the severall degrees of it in the Christian Church answerable to their Niddui Cherem and Schammatha And so for Absolution also All this I have said and might adde much more to make the demand appear no unreasonable one that it may be lawfull for the Church to use a custome which hath some resemblance of some Ceremony in sorce anciently among the Jews viz. that of the Purification of Women in our Churching Which objection being removed there will remain no other and then that it should be simply unlawfull or unedifing to take notice of the deliverance of each Woman or to pay acknowledgement to God for it and necessary to set up such Schools of ingratitude in the Church is more then ingenucus nature will suffer any Christian to believe upon the bare authority of these Assemblers Sect. 44 14. The Cummunion of the sick if it be superstition Popery also as sure is implyed by the no mention of it at the visitation of the sick in the Directory 't is sure of a very long standing in the Church the Canons of the Councels about the Lapsi and Excommunicate that generally take care that they should have the Peace of the Church in extremis answerable to our Absolution at that time and if with expressions of penitent hearts they desire it the Sacrament also are evidences so clear of this custome that I shall not need produce any testimonies those that are moved with the practice of Antiquity being sufficiently furnisht with them If any may be unsatisfied in this let him read the famous story of the dying Sâ—rapion in Eusebius l. 6. c. 36. And that it should be necessarie to the edification of that Church that this viaticum as the Fathers call'd it should be denied every hungring and thirsting traveller at that time when it might yield him most comfort and our charity most inclines us to allow it him nay that the Church should be thought to suffer by that in any eminent manner if it were ill which is done privately onely to some particular and order taken that all publickly should be warned to receive the Communion frequently in the Church and so not want it on the bed or trouble the Minister then for it and consequently the Church perhaps never hear of it this is again a new kind of necessity to be fetcht from some under-ground Fundamentall Laws of I know not whose laying that the Christian Church never heard of till these times Sect. 45 15. As for the Service of the Commination fitted for the first day of Lent which by denuntiations against particular sinnes under the Law appointed to be read to and attested by the people with an Amen of acknowledgement that every such offender is by the Law cursed not of Prayer that he may be so dealt with in Gods justice is designed to bring men to humiliation contrition for sin the speciall duty of that day and the ensuing season and closeth with most affectionate prayers for such penitents it is matter of some panick sencelesse fears to some ignorant men which are very tender and passionate friends to their beloved sins and dare not subscribe to the condemnation of them but very usefull to awake even those and all others out of this security as a Feaver to cure the Lethargick to kindle a fire about mens ears that they may see their danger and make out to the use of all Christian means of repentance and devotion and laying hold on Christ to avert it and if such a bug-bear as that of being thought to curse our selves and freind in the saying Amen to the threatnings which will be true to all impenitents whether we say or no be sufficient to exercize such an exorcist to cast out of the Church such a powerfull means of bringing sinners to repentance or if bare prejudice of the Assemblers without either hearing or objecting against it be enough to make it necessary to be left out of our service the Devill will never be in danger from his enemies as long as he may have but the spell of the Directory to put them thus to flight for him Sect. 46 Lastly for the observation of Lent c. if they be consider'd in generall as Fasts there will sure be no necessity to renounce them the Jews had their Fasts as well as Feasts and those set publick not onely voluntary private Fasts and not onely that great day of Expiation appointed by God himself but occasionall ones appointed by men and yet when appointed as constantly observ'd as that other the Fast of the fourth moneth of the fifth of the seventh and of the tenth moneth Zach. 8. 19. and under Christianity though in the time of Christs presence with the Disciples they fasted not yet the fasting of Johns Disciples nay the twice a week of the Pharisees themselves is not though mentioned yet reprehended but implicitely approved by Christ and of his own saith he they should not have that immunity long The dayes should come when the Bridegroome should be taken away and that is ever since Christs Ascension and then shall they fast in those dayes 'T were easie to iustifie this through the writings and by the practice of the whole Church of God till these dayes of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let loose till these dayes of animosities and Epicurisme have made the usage of Fasts by Papists a command to us not to use them and concluded the abating any thing of our gluttony to be an intrenchment on our Christian Liberty and both those deceits together quarrell'd all Christian times of fasting out of our practice first then out of our Kalendar This being said in generall of fasting the application of this to these fastâ— of the Church will be indisputably satisfactory to any that shall but consider the occasions of each of them of the Lenten-fast the known fourty dayes example of abstinence in Christ whereupon saith St. Jerome Vnam quadragesimam sec traditionem Apostolorum c. jeâ—unamus We fast the Lent according to the tradition of the Apostles And Epiphanius joyns with him to make the Lent fast an Apostolicall tradition others of the Ancients concurring for the practice of
of this Reformation This is the opinion of the Papists exprest in a Book call'd Babel and Jerusalem or Monarcho-machia Protestantium subscibed by P. D. M. but conceiv'd to be Patisons p. 314. that they might conceive that the Service and Religion still continued the same but was translated into English onely for their hetter edification and so saith he 〈◊〉 was indeed very politickly handled 2. Whether that which drives away all Papists from all kind communion or conversation with us from all hearing of our Preaching or Doctrine be more likely to work them over to our side then that which permits them to come to our Churches with us For this is notoriously known that as our Liturgy now is and was framed in Queen Elizabeths dayes the Papists did for ten years together at the beginning of her Reign come to Church with us and so continved till the Popes excōmunicating the Queen and our Nation made it so appear unlawfull for them And perhaps but appear too for an account might be given of this businesse that it is no way unlawfull by his own principles to a Papist remaining thus to come to our Churches and be present at our Liturgy and if that be thought an objection or reproach against us I shall then adde not onely to ours but to that Service which is performed according to the Directory also the onely difference being that if both by them were conceiv'd lawfull as by mistake I beleeve in them neither now is our Liturgy would be more likely to attract them then the Directory And this we conceive not such a fault as to offer any excuse for it for if S. Paul by being a Jew to the Jew could hope to gain the Jew why should not we without being Papists to the Papists but onely Christians in those things wherein they are so too expect to gain the Papist also For supposing this to be as you call it a compliance with them sure 't were a more probable gaining way then to denounce enmity to all whom they ever converst with I mean to the primitive Liturgies for no other crime but because they made use of them Who are best Diviners in this matter they or we experience may perhaps hereafter prove In the mean I cannot imagine but Liturgy and moderation charity may be able to bring in as fair a shole of Proselytes to convert as many Papists to us or at least to confirm Protestants as an Ordinance for Sequestration of all their goods Halter a Directory will be able to do yea with an Ordināce for the ordinatiō of Ministers by meer Presbyters too cal'd in to assist th◠Sect. 16 And whereas 't is added in that same Section that the Papists were very much encouraged in that expectation when upon the pretended warrantablenes of imposing of the former Ceremonies new ones were daily obtruded upon the Church 1. I demand an occasion of that phrase pretended warrantablenesse of imposing of Cerémonies May any Ceremonies be imposed or no if they may then an Act of Parliament may certainly do it and such was that which confirm'd our Liturgy so the warrantablenesse not pretended if not why then do you impose entring the Assembly not irreverently p. 10. and taking their places without bowing For that generall and that negative is notation of some Ceremony if it have any sence in it The phrase not irreverently prescribes somé reverence there being no middle between those two consequently the forbidding of the one being a prescription of the other For I shall ask Is keeping on the hat irreverence at that time If it be then pulling it off or not keeping it on is a Reverence then required And if this be avoided by saying that this is onely there directed not cōmanded I reply that an Ordinance prefixt for the establishing that direction requiring that what is there directed shall be used amounts to a prescription The same may be said of causing the man to take the woman by the right hand in marriage in the Directory which is the prescribing of a Ceremony as much as if the Ring had been appointed to be used there also 2. I answer that we know not of any Ceremonies which have been obtruded or forced on any which the Law hath not cōmanded or if there had this had been nothing to the Liturgy nor consequently to be fetcht in as a part of a charge against it That of bowing at the entrance into the Church is the most likely to be the Ceremony here spoken of and yet that is neither a new one never by any Law or Canon turn'd out at the Reformation but onely not then imposed under any cōmand and since disused in some places nor yet was it lately imposed or obtruded on the Church but on the other side in the Canon of the last so hated Convocation which alone could be said to deal with the Church in this matter it was onely recōmended and explained and vindicated from all mistake and then the practice of using of it left to every mans liberty with the caution of the Apostle that they that use it should not condemne thē that use it not nor they that use it not judge them that use it 3. That the warrantablenesse of imposing the former Ceremonies was no means or occasion of obtruding new daily but rather an hedge to keep off such obtrusion for when it is resolved by Law that such Ceremonies shall be used 't is the implicite intimation of that Law that all other uncōmanded are left free that without authority as the word daily supposes the discourse here to mean no other can be obtruded For sure 't is not the quality of Law to steal in illegall pressures but to keep them out rather to define and limit our Liberty not to enthrall us to set us bounds and rules of life not to remove all such But then 4. That it may appear of how many truths this period is composed every one of them with the help of one syllable a not set before the principall verb able to become such I shall adde that the very obtrusion of such Ceremonies if they had been obtruded would never have encouraged a rationall Papist to expect our return to them but only have signified that we meant by complying with them as farre as it was lawfull to leave them without excuse if they did not do so too comply with us in what they might and restore the Peace and Union of Christendom by that means This with any moderate Papist would most probably work some good and for the more fiery Jesuited I am confident none were ever more mortally hated by them then those who were favourers of the Ceremonies now mentioned and for the truth of what I say you are obliged to believe that passage in Romes Masterpeece which you appointed to be set out wherein the King and the late Arch-bishop of Canterbury were by the popish contrivers designed to