the Liturgy because the King hath a compassionate eye to some mens infirmity for them still to foment the Anti-liturgical humour of some men and instead of closing those wounds into which the Kings charity poureth Balme to rip tear them up or to widen and exasperate them is such a part of peevishness and ingratitude that it looks too like Schismatical petulancy and pride from which drosse it is high time to have all our hearts purged after so long triall in Gods fiery furnace to be sure the very appearance and shew of such a frowardness doth not become any good Protestant or worthy Minister who hath no greater objection against the Liturgy then this that he fancies he could in some words or phrases mend it or put some alias's to it and additions which may be infinite Small faults or verbal defects are very venial in any things of humane constitution and very far from making them unlawful meerly because they are not for word or phrase or form the best that may be It is in things of pristine use in Religion that are of true and solid worth for faith morality method and decency as it is with some good Jewells of price but of antique work for their setting or fashion their plainness and antiquity gives so much value to them because though they seem lesse curious and modishly polite yet they are furthest from novelty or affectation of finery Least of all excusable are those Ministers who out of a little point of reputation among some people rather weak then wise and to be pitied more then imitated do still sacrifice their judgments that I say not their Consciences to their credits and out of a fear or lothnesse to offend some people whom they might easily convince and satisfie as well by their examples as by their arguments they make no Conscience to deprive not only the publick of peace but the people themselves as Ministers of the benefit of the Liturgy when possibly they most stand in need of it either to help their frequent infirmities or to restrain their popular desultory levity or lastly to set bounds of discretion decency charity and piety to their extravagancies even in publick â—olemn devotion and Sacramentall celebrations which sometimes to my knowledge are such as are no way becoming the publick worship of God or the honor of the Church of Christ or the sanctity of true Religion or the venerable Majesty of God All which are much abased and slighted yea oftentimes even blasphemed by the rudenesse weaknesse and familiarity of some Ministers devotions whose selfe-confidence abhors all bounds or prescripts but those which their own various fancies troubled inventions and confused judgments set to those duties which they love to perform as they list though to the little benefit of the sillier sort of people and to the great scandal of the wiser who cannot tell how to say a judicious and fiduciary Amen to those extemporary rude confused and yet eager effusions which some men vent either with too much facility and fluency or too much pumping and contention And if they be so sober as to fashion to themselves set formes of devotion in all publick duties as many of them now do it is too much arrogancy to esteem their private and single composures better then what hath been duly weighed and approved by the whole Church and confirmed by many Acts of Parliament in the most screne times and tempers From which while some men have of late years affected to recede in stead of an excellent true-born Liturgy to bring in their uselesse suposititious loose and illegitimate Directory no tongue can express into what a wilderness of sin folly and affectation both Ministers and people have run and with what fiery Serpents they have been stung which venemous inflamations and humors nothing is so probable to heal as the setting up the Liturgy again which some have fancied to be an Idol and so have studied to make it Nehustan when indeed it is more like the Ark of God by restoring of which to its place in Shiloh the Philistines were healed of the shameful Plagues they suffered by reason of their Mice and Emrods Hence it is That the desires of the most learned judicious and best-affected of His Majesties Subjects of all qualities in England are that neither publick Holy duties nor Sacramental mysteries nor their own Consciences nor the Churches honor nor the Majesty and unity of the Reformed Religion nor the publick peace and safety may any longer be exposed to indeed adventured upon such hazards of private Ministers varietys and uncertainties which are many times very flat dull and indevout other while deadly tedious and of a confused length like a great Skain of Yarne course and snarled sometimes they are so dubious between wind and water Sense and Non-sense Faction and Sedition Boldness and Blasphemy that it makes sober Christians who have a due reverence of the Divine Majesty dread to hear them others of looser tempers not so much fear as they laugh at scorn and abhor such incongruous wayes of Worship and Religion in which all things sacred and the eternal Salvation of poor souls most miserably depend upon nothing but private Ministers opinions and spirit attended God knows too often in the ablest and best of them with many indispositions and indiscretions excesses and defects For the pious and prudent avoyding of which the ancient Churches from the very first Century did use such publick wholesome formes of sound words in their Sacramental celebrations especially and afterward in other holy Administrations or publick Duties as made up their solemn devout and pathetick Liturgies Which paterns all modern and reformed Churches of any renown have followed according to the many Scriptural examples and expressions in set forms of prayers Praises Psalms Confessions and Benedictions commended to us by holy men in all Ages and by Christ himself whose most absolute Prayer suffered of late a strange and unheard of Ostracisme in many Congregations of England out of an ametrie or vulgar transport against all set forms though of Divine institution and without which of old throughout the Christian world no consecration in any Sacrament was thought complete or duly performed unless this most perfect Prayer were added to the words of Institution Hence it was thought fit to be repeated in every distinct Office or Service of the Church of England to the causeless offence of many simple people who make it a vain repetition for want of a renewed intention or constant devotion in their own hearts as they counted the Liturgy a dull manner of Worship when the dulness indeed was in their own spirits as they may as easily find in reading of the same Scriptures which are divinely inspired and are far from any deadnesse or dulnesse in themselves Certainly the design and use of all our Liturgis old and new was not only to keep all the members
one or two Verses there cited in the Margin to which they refer the Reader and believer of those words which are great Evangelical Truths clear both in Old and New Testament and confirmed by the joynt suffrage of many Scriptures not to be denyed by any sober Christian nor to be abused by any presumptuous sinners who dayly harden their hearts by deferring their repentance turning that Grace into wantonnesse which God offers and the Church declares to draw men to repentance by the Cords of Divine Love referring I say not only to those single Verses figured in the Margin but to others both in that same Chapter and elsewhere fully to that sense as Verse 27 28 30 31 32. So Ezekiel 33.11 so Isaiah 1.16 17 18. and in many other parallel places as Acts 3.19 promising free and full pardon of sins past to those that fully repent of their sins from the bottom that is with sincere and upright hearts having no reserve of sin under any pleasure or power which is inconsistent with true repentance and sure pardon Is this to be called a lye which is the result of so many Evangelical Scriptures or is it new to find in the New Testament places cited out of the Old not word for word but to the sense scope and summary of one or two united together as Heb. 10.5 6. cited out of Psalm 40.6 7 8. let these supercritical censors compare the words a like allegation or reference is made yea by name cited out of Jeremiah as spoken by him Mat. 27.9 and fulfilled when the place is not verbatim to be found in Jeremiah but most in Zach. 11.12 13. and little in Jer. 1.8 save onely the historical mention of the Potter and the parabolical applying of his work to the Jews so that Mat. 2.23 of being foretold by the Prophets that Jesus should be called a Nazarene which is not literally read in any of them yet collectively is in them as Christ is called Netzer Isai 53.2 or as he was typified in Sampson the Nazarite or sacred to God These and many like places well considered upon which no brand of lye or falsity may be fixed though they do not literally and syllabically agree with the quotation but are verified either in a partial or concurrent sense may sufficiently justifie that place in the first front of the Liturgy to be no lye but a Divine Scriptural Truth and may sufficiently shame the popular petulancy of those Ministers who dare cast such high reproches upon the Liturgy and the whole Church upon so true grounds or merits at all which is so vile a rashness in men pretenders to Learning and Sanctity as is infinitely to the disgrace of their persons and profession so to abuse the common people and maintain faction by calling good evil and branding Gods Truth with the Devils mark of a Lye As then the present Liturgy cannot justly be exautorated and abolished without infinite inconveniencies and mischiefs so nor may it as I said before and again cautiously repeat be rudely changed as to the main beyond any want that really is in its matter or forme which are holy and comely which would be an over-pragmatick boldness much to the reproch as of all times and duties past so to the great dissatisfaction of the present Age in which many yea most judicious and steddy Christians do highly desire justly approve love and devoutly use the Liturgy as a very excellent publick form of judicious humble holy united and pathetick Devotion I am sure we all need it as to our common relations and publick devotions and truly those commonly most need it who are most inconsiderately eager to be rid of it some alledging If nothing else yet the great length and burthen of it if all parts must be used by each single Minister in one Lords Day besides other duties of praying preaching and chatechising expected from him to all which a man aged or infirme will hardly be sufficient For Answer to this Truly I never knew any such rigor or exaction used toward any Minister that did soberly and ingenuously shew his conformity to the use of the Liturgy as occasion required and as his strength or time would fairly bear but to crowd all or most of it quite out of the Church onely to make way for the pomp and ostentation of mens private gifts this is not to obey but to baffle and affront the authority of Church and State by a most preposterous pride and disobedience Therefore there might be an appointment of some parts which shall never be omitted others appointed on some days and occasions only in the Sacramental forms all Ministers should be commanded to use them wholly and solely This is in Reason and Religion in Order and Church-polity evident that private Ministers prayers should not be as great trees over-dropping the Church Liturgy but only as small grafts or little inocculation added to it and growing modestly with it as the main standard test and measure of publick devotions upon the unity and harmony of which setled by due authority and preserved with efficacy depends the peace and unity of this Church and State as much as the house did on its pillars which Sampson pulled down Nor doth any Minister upon due examination if he pray soberly and judiciously add any thing in his particular forms which is not for the main and general parallel fore-comprised in the Liturgy There is no outward conservation of Ecclesiasticall and Civil peace comparable to that of united Religion whose orbe or sphear is true Doctrine its center holy Devotion and its circumference good Government or Autoritative order and polity The one is best set forth in a few clear Articles the other in a constant Liturgy and the last in Catholick Episcopacy all must be conform to the word of God for the main contrary to which nothing is to be believed prayed or obeyed in the Church of Christ Our Doctrine blessed be God as a Christian and Reformed Church is not much shaken or can be justly disputed by men of any worth for it is Scripturall primitive and Catholick if to this union of Doctrine we can be happy to adde and enjoy that of an uniform Liturgy and to joyn to both for their preservation a setled Church Government by learned pious industrious and authoritative Bishops assisted with grave humble and choise Presbyters nothing will be wanting by Gods blessing to Englands happiness or the honour of his Majesties most welcome person and government whose wisdom doubtlesse never intends either to exautorate the Liturgy by leaving all to Liberty or to Enervate Episcopacy by sending Bishops to govern without any jurisdiction or coercive authority either Spiritual or Ecclesiastical which is indeed to make both King and Bishop despised Add to all this How not only comely and convenient but even necessary it is in order to publick peace that people of all sorts should be thus united as
to each other in their publick Liturgies and devotions so chiefly to their King or Prince and chief governour that as they have the honour of one God and Saviour so they may have the comfort to enjoy the same Sacraments and holy mysteries in the same method manner form and words without any envy or offence cavill or contention censure or uncharitablenesse emulation or jealousie against each other Yea doubtless Subjects cannot be so tite and firm or so zealous and forward or so chearful and constant in their Loyalty love and duty to their Soveraigns if they either think themselves commanded to serve God in a worse way then their Princes use or that their Soveraign and Prince serve God worse and lesse acceptably then themselves certainly the greatest honour love and safety of Kings is from the samenesse of true Religion with their Subjects as to the main though Princes may use greater pomp and solemnity in the publick worship From this seed of Schisme or Serpents teeth of division in Devotion and so in Religion arise the armed men and minds of Civill Wars of both which the good people of England cruelly sore and circumcised are now equally weary sick and ashamed Infinitely blessing the eternall God for his miraculous mercies in redeeming us from the later by the most happy Restauration of our gracious King and passionately praying yea hoping for the other deliverance of this Church from being any longer sawn in sunder with factions in Religion and divided devotions by the excellent wisdom condescention and moderation of the King who as a common Father is of all men in the world the fittest to make us all as Brethren friends by his naturall gentlenesse Christian charity and Princely clemency seconded with Kingly Majesty just Empire and vigorous authority For if His Majesty trust too much to peoples good natures it is most certain they will never agree but onely in this to destroy each other and at length their King the whole Church and their own souls neither Religion must be arbitrary nor government precarious As is apparent in the late inordinate zealotries and desperate frolicks of Religion which under pretence of some mens various and vertiginous Reformations contrary to our laws no lesse then against the will command and conscience of the King run themselves with this famous and florishing Church and Kingdomes into most miserable confusions yea and exposed the late incomparable King to those infinite Tragedies which only Gods grace and his own Christian Heroick constancy to our Laws and Religion could turn to and crown as they did with the honour of Christian Martyrdom for the truth of Jesus setled in the doctrine devotion and discipline of the Reformed Church of England And we see this piece of policy was early used by some Jesuitick engines to foment our sad divisions the Liturgy must be laid aside and people taught to differ from to be jealous of yea to despise the devotion of their Prince which is the flower spirit and quintescence of Religion For the preventing of which Iliades of miseries in Church and State for the future which some mens tongues and pens of late did not obscurely threaten I have as much as in me lies adventured thus freely to express my humble sense in this great concern for an establishment of an uniform Liturgy now under his Majesties and his Loyal Houses of Parliaments consideration Not but that it may be I might as easily dispense with the want of a Liturgy in respect of what is counted by some the gift of prayer as most of those who so gloriously contemn this and all other set forms of publick devotions yet in reference to the publick interests of this Church and State of my most dread and indeared Soveraign and of my Country-men also of our Religion as Christian and Reformed I do in all humble and conscientious freedom declare my judgment as highly approving yea and admiring since I lately perused it most seriously the piety prudence compleatness and aptitude for the main of the Liturgy of the Church of England as the best of any ancient or modern that ever I saw and I think I have seen the most and best of them Some modest and discreet alterations in some words and expressions with some small additions may soon tender it most compleat and polite both for matter and forme yea and satisfactory to all sober Protestants and to true Catholicks But I can never counsel or consent in conscience or prudence in piety loyalty or charity either rudely to innovate or totally to abrogate the Liturgy of the Church of England and as little to leave it free and arbitrary to every Minister whether he will vouchsafe to use it or refuse it For first I shall never live to see any thing set up comparable to the former Liturgy if this be once nulled and destroyed and if after its being reviewed it be not by Law re-established and authoritatively enjoyned but every one is left to ramble as they please I never hope to see Truth or Peace setled in the Church of England which had nothing in it of greater improvement ornament or muniment to the Christian and reformed Religion than this excellent Liturgy was Which I hope and believe His Sacred Majesty as a great and constant Defender of the true Faith will maintain and establish with no less Christian care and Kingly Authority than His Royal Ancestors King CHARLES King JAMES Queen ELIZABETH and King EDWARD did for in this both His Majesties and His Kingdomes welfare as well as the Churches is bound up Nothing will be considerable in England for publick Piety Honour Order Beauty and Solemnity much less for Charity and Peace if in this point of publick Devotion and Worship Ministers and People be left to eternal variations and mutual vexations Farewell the Glory Charity Unity and Safety of England farewell both Reformation and true Religion Other Objections or scruples which some sober men make are easily either satisfied or charitably smothered nor may things of publick consent and legal constitution be every day shaken or altered by every mans supercritical curiosity and needlesse severity things that are safe and setled in the circumvallation and defence of what is true and good are not every day to be put upon the tenters of new mutations in order to mend or better their condition or under an ambition of aspiring to the Acropolis or pinacle and height of what by some is thought absolutely best in its kind many times as St. Augustine observes the novelty in these things doth not compensate the scandal difficulty and trouble of attaining it much less of onely ayming at it with fruitless essaies of mendings which leave all things worse then they found them Our first pious and wise Reformers and the best Parlaments of England since that time with the people of all sorts heretofore justly thought it an high degree of happinesse to have by
for those few Ceremonies which the wisdome of this Church thought fit being very ancient and innocent to retain and fix as signall markes of faith or humility or purity or courage and constancy upon some parts of the worship and service of Christ For these ceremonies sake the Liturgy fared the worse yet I have known many grave and learned men very reverently and constantly use the Liturgy who scrupled at some or all of the ceremonies which yet in time they grew reconciled unto and used not as any Sacramentall signes conferring any grace which the Church of England never dreamed of and oft declared against as that which could not be but where there is a word of God instituting a duty and promising grace but meerly as visible tokens or memorials apt by a sensible signe to affect the understanding with something worthy of its thoughts as signified thereby which not only sacred but even civil ceremonies and all motions or formes under the empire of reason do import among all rationall men when they come to be by use and custome instituted and as it were imposed upon them in any Country or Church for meditation or reverence or comlinesse as I am no enemy to decent ceremonies in Religion of Ecclesiasticall institution use and custome when such as S. Austin would have them and our Church had them few in number easy in practice apt in signification and fixed by the laws of Church and State So I judge them as the Church of England oft declared to be no parts essential or necessary in their nature to any divine duty or Worship That they fall not under the first or second command but under the third fourth and fifth as reverentiall in the solemn calling upon Gods name as decent in Gods publick worship on the Lords day or any other and as instances of our obedience to superiours in Church and State commanding things not contrary to Gods word in faith mysteries or manners And thereby reducing the vagrancy rudenesse or incertainty of necessary circumstances as time place vesture gesture measure and manner which are as the naturall skin or hair necessarily growing on all things done under the Sun and inseparable from them to some fixation unity comliness or fashion as we fit clothes to our bodies and perukes to our heads and tunes to Psalms so as seems to the Church most comly for the nature of that duty for the conveniency of the people and the honour of the Ministery in things indifferent Certainly Humane or Ecclesiasticall Ceremonies like shadows neither fill nor burden any Conscience of themselves that which is considerable in them is as they are in their nature and use comly for the duty and instances of either our obedience or our charity and unity And it is no lesse certain what ever indulgence as to penalty for non-practise of ceremonies His Majesties clemency may please to grant to some men of weak minds and scrupulous consciences in these things which Royall charity no good Christian will repine at provided it be used with meeknesse and humility not insolence and factiousness yet as to the principle which the Church of England went by in matter of ceremonies it is most true and undeniably to be maintained even to the death That this National Church as all others hath from the word of God liberty power and authority within its own polity and bounds to judge of what seems to it most orderly and decent as to any circumstance and ceremony in the worship of God which the Lord hath left unconfined free and indifferent in its nature and onely to be regulated or confined by every such Ecclesiasticall polity within it self where the consent of the major part of Church and State both in Councils and Parlaments includes the whole and may enjoyn its rules and orders in these things upon all under its jurisdiction and within its communion as well as a Master of a family may appoint the time place manner and measure gesture and vesture wherein he will have all his family to serve God with him But I have gone too much beyond my first design which was onely to consider the book of Common-prayer and to expresse the just value I have of it which truly is so great that I think the Church of England had far better want the so cryed up gifts of particular Ministers in their prayers then want the use of the Liturgy if the question were which should be laid aside or used I should for those many reasons before expressed prefer the Liturgy as the sure constant and complete measure of publick devotions before any private mens abilities Nor do I find that anciently the Bishops and Presbyters of the Church used any other or very little and those but short forms of publick prayers or praises save those which were in the setled Liturgies of their Churches which were most apt and adequate to every publick duty and to the satisfaction of all sorts of Christians But God be thanked by the divine permission as well as by the custome of this Churnh and His Majesties allowance people may enjoy and Ministers may use their own gifts before and after their Sermons in prayer and prayses besides the Liturgie and sure as it were pride in Ministers so to prefer their own as to reject the other so it were a great folly in people and an injury to their souls to be content with one when they may have both or so to dote on any Ministers private spirit and abilities in prayer as to neglect the publick spirit in the Liturgy the want of which as it already appears very much so it will daily more in the ignorance irreverence and uncharitableness of people every where for want of due fixations of their affections and illumination of their judgements by some constant light and sober heat of uniform devotion I have heard it from others and find it my self that many aged poor people being now asked very easie questions of their Faith since the long disuse of the Liturgy the Catechisme and other plain principles of Religion as Creed Commandments and Lords prayer have confessed they had forgot what heretofore they could have given some good account of Nor doth the hand of God onely punish people by gross ignorance fanatick vanities and great retrogradations as to sound and saving knowledge but by horrible Apostasies also as to the morall and practicall the equitable and charitable parrs of Religion yea and many Ministers leaning wholly on their own presumed gifts have grown so dull flat formal and tedious that they have brought and taught people to despise both them and their duties losing the honour and reputation which they might have kept if they had kept within sober bounds but running out to popular ostentations they soon lost themselves and the value of sober people so far that I have known an aged Minister after much noyse and glorying as if he were the delight of
the factious Vulgar reduced to so low an ebbe both as to respect and subsistence that having shifted from one sequestred Living to another at last he was outed of all and having a great charge which hastened the armed man of poverty upon him he made to me with tears and horror of his sad condition this confession That after much tossing to and fro he knew not now which way to turn himself or to subsist that Gods hand was justly against him because he had trusted too much to the arme of flesh and followed popular applause that having against his judgment and conscience for many years forborne to use as other holy forms so that of the Lords Prayer for fear of offending some factious and fanatick people he saw God would teach him to pray for his daily bread by his want of it and by filling him with his own delusions Not only the Liturgie reviewed and setled by Authority will be of great use and concern to the good of the Church but also that short and plain Catechisme which is in the Book of common-Common-Prayer with some few other Questions and Answers added to it that so it might be if not more complete yet more explicate and plain to common understandings and might be distributed into 52. heads that each Lords day might have its portion assigned which every Minister should more or lesse insist upon after he had first asked every question in the Catechism and received the answers from the Cathecumens or younger sort This would certainly keep up knowledge as to fundamentals in all and advance it both with the elder and younger people who might easily by His Majesties command and the care of the respective Bishops and Ministers be digested once for all into two Books or Catalogues one of the Cathecumens the other of Communicants the first rank of Christians to be prepared by constant catechising in the After-noon for confirmation and the standard or proof of their knowledge to be the Church Catechisme thus confirmed they might be admitted to the holy Communion and put in the Roll of Communicants as an honour and advance to their souls hence not to be removed or rescinded unlesse they be for scandal by the censures of the Church excommunicated or are self-excommunicated by not receiving at least once in half a year The expunging of them out of this Book of Communicants to be publick and solemn as a note of Infamy no lesse than of Impiety Impenitency and Apostacy this method to be begun by every Minister in his charge taking once for all a particular account of all those people in point of knowledge of whose defect he hath any cause to be jealous But I fear to seem more forward curious and solicitous than becomes any private person in these times and in so publick a concern which requires publick â—ouncills and these ought not to be forestalled or prejudged My great invitations to these suggestions are 1. First Gods wonderfull mercy to this Church and State offering us miraculous opportunities of being happy if we be not by restivenesse and peevishnesse wanting to his providence 2. The next is the remembrance of the sore tribulations which we have felt and feared and which are still summons to all sorts of men Prince and People Bishops and Presbyters that having been so long in the furnace it is fit all of us should come forth of it well refined from our dross lest a worse thing come unto us that God may delight in our constant peace and prosperity to build us up and not pull us down 3. My last encouragement is the great benignity and gentlenesse of our Gracious King who being loth to grieve any friend or foe Trojan or Tyrian whom His clemency may amend or His charity relieve is wholly disposed both in His temper and judgment to win unite reconcile bind up and heal all parts in which is any thing sound sincere and honest that by His Royall hand and Soveraign touch as He daily doth on the infirm bodies of many so on the ill-affected minds of men He may work such cures and recoveries as may make all more devoted to serve God His Majestie and each other in all godliness loyalty honesty and charity which is then best done when mens minds by such gentle means being purged of peevish proud and uncharitable humors and reduc'd to a more humble meek and Christian temper our publick fistula's and ulcers which were fed and inflamed by these distempers may come to be dryed up and healed A mercy to be obtained followed and perfected by our prayers and to which no supplications will be more effectuall then the devout authoritative and uniform use of the Liturgy or common-prayer in the Church of England which unites all honest minds includes all our common necessities craves all spirituall and temporall supplyes keeps Christians warme in their love to God in Loyalty to their King and in their charity to each other it daily propounds the summary of all necessary religion it lays and confirms in the minds of the meanest people the foundations of sound faith and saving knowledge according to Gods word it is so compleat for duties to be done graces to be obtained mercies to be enjoyed both here and hereafter that I doubt not to affirm this truth of the Liturgy That if the common sort of people duly attend it judiciously learn it and conscienciously live up to the duties and graces there proposed to them of which Ministers particular prayers and sermons are but either Commentaries Repetitions or Paraphrases there is no doubt but they shall please God and be well prepared for an happy death and blessed eternity To the advance of all which excellent duties uses and ends nothing next the grace of God on mens hearts will more contribute then Ministers grave reverent deliberate pathetick devout and constant using of the Liturgy with and before their own prayers as an excellent means by little and little to edifie common people by frequent inculcations in faith and charity also to bring in and preserve a good harmony and correspondency among the Clergy who for many years have sounded so confusedly and awkly that they were like bells rung backwards in a conflagration or scar-fire Lastly to consolidate the publick peace of this Church and Kingdome by the uniformity industry and sanctity of Ministers godly lives and orderly labours which I hope will in time by Gods blessing so move the piety and holiness of all other estates and degrees or Nobility Gentry and Commons after the great example which His Majesties charity hath given that they will find out some way of effectual augmenting poor Ministers maintenance to some such ingenuous competency as may become both the worth of an able and painfull Ministry and also the piety and munificence of this populous and opulent Kingdome this great and mighty Nation whose glory is to be furthest from idolatry and sacriledge from
to the Reformed Church of England have made it their joynt designe to despise decry and destroy our Liturgy under pretence of I know not what new Modes and extemporary Abilities yea it was a great Jesuitick Artifice and back blow used by some to averre though falsely that the English Liturgy was nothing else but the Romish Missal or Masse-book turned into English 'T is true some things very Scriptural devout and excellent which the Roman Missal had taken and retained after the forme of the ancient Liturgy of the Church were severed and taken as wheat from chaff and jewels from dresse by our wise Reformers and preserved in the English Liturgy conforme to pious and unspotted Antiquity But nothing of the Romish corruption in Doctrine or Superstition in Devotion was retained in our English Liturgy which took nothing either of our Doctrine out of it but what was first in the Scriptures nor ought of devotional expressions but what were either used in the ancient Liturgies or were agreeable to the true Faith and nature of the duty No nor did the Church of England retain any ceremonies as the Crosse Surplice Standing up at the Creed or Kneeling at the Lords Supper but what were above a thousand years old and most in use when the Church knew nothing of Papal Usurpation or of Romish Superstition as is evident in the Histories Councils and Fathers of the first 600. years and being things in their nature indifferent were for their decent and devout use left by Gods general Commission to the liberty judgment and authority of this as any other Church within its own polity and communion to use and inpose As for the real and useful gifts of learned and discreet Ministers in Prayer as to Invention Judgment Memory and Expression as I do very much esteem them when used with humility gravity discretion devotion and sincerity nor doth His Sacred Majesty deny any Ministers such an use of them as may be advantageous to Religion and the peoples souls good according to those many particular occasions and instances which no to all those who in earnest have most need of some boundaries set to them not hereby to stint the spirit of prayer as some fear which consists in a judicious humble holy fiduciary and servent assent to what is prayed agreeable to Gods Word of which hearers as well as speakers and people as well as Ministers are capable but wisely to order and limit the profuseness confusions and straglings of Ministers private spirits which are many times as undevout as indiscreet The serious and speedy review of the English Liturgy much desired by some and not much opposed by others that are learned and sober men which is also graciously promised by His Majesty in his late Declaration as it can be of no more inconvenience then a New Translation of the Bible was if it be to the better so I hope it may be of good use for the explaining of some words and phrases in it which are now much antiquated obscure and out of vulgar understanding which is no newes after 100. years in which Language as all things under Heaven suffer some change Also it may serve for the quickning and improveing of some passages which seem lesse devotional and emphatick than they may easily be made also for the supplying of some things in point of dayly praise and thanksgiving to God which duty seems lesse full and explicite in the Liturgy for the frequent Doxology of Glory to Father Son and holy Ghost as it is ancient very excellent and Angelical so it might well bear some larger Expressions of praise and thanks to God whereby to set forth the grounds causes and just sense we have to give all glory praise and thanks to the Eternal God and the ever-blessed Trinity for his infinite and undeserved mercies dayly bestowed upon such unworthy sinners for this Life and a better This work once well and wisely done as it may by Gods blessing much tend to the satisfaction of all sober Christians so it will not be any thing to the reproach of our Church and of the Liturgy in the former plainer wayes of Worship as either defective or incomplete for the main which they in no sort were but very sober good and sufficient as to necessity only as one day teacheth another so there may be as in all outward forms of divine worship both harmeless additions and innocent variations yea and sometimes inoffensive defalcations of some redundances according as men and times and words and manners and customes may vary Therefore as in lesser things I can humbly and cheerfully consent to such pious prudent and improving alterations of the Liturgy as shall seem meet to the piety and Wisdome of His Majesty whereto all mens piety and prudence in private and publick capacities ought to be servient so my judgment is that the Liturgy of the Church of England as to the main and essentialls of it in Doctrine devotion consecration and celebration for matter order and method may in no case be maimed rudely changed or odly deformed for it was very conform to the Word of God and fitted to the nature of the several duties as may easily be made appear by putting to all the Book of the Common prayer in the margin those parallel places of Scripture which either for Words or sense are very consonant to it which work is easy to be done and prepared by me if it may be thought usefull and acceptable for God forbid we should be commanded to say Amen in any part of the publick service of God to which the Word of God doth not encourage us in faith and so God himself and his Spirit say Amen with us for the Word and Spirit must go together in all our devotions This endevour to fortifie the Liturgy by allegation of Scriptural strength and consent will not onely satisfie the consciences of all that are scrupulous upon that account but also stop the mouthes of those evil speakers and confute the intollerable confidence yea impudence of some who of late as I know one Minister and heretofore have blasphemed the Liturgy and the honour of the Church of England as if it began its publick Devotions with a lye for so these inpudent or ignorant men dare to speak alledging That because the first sentence in the Book of Common Prayer is not word for word in that place of Ezekiel which is cited in the Margin Ezekiel 18.21 22. Ergo It is a lye 'T is very true all the words of that Sentence are not in that place cited in the Margin nor could the Composers be so blinde as not to see the Verbal difference between them nor did they cite that place in the figured Margin to shew the literal samenesse of the words but the Evangelical soundnesse of that sense which is more fully united and comprehensively set down in the Book of Common Prayer than in that