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A49329
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Look unto Jesus, or, An ascent to the Holy Mount to see Jesus Christ in his glory whereby the active and contemplative believer may have the eyes of his understanding more inlightned to behold in some measure the eternity and immutability of the Lord Jesus Christ ... : at the end of the book is an appendix, shewing the certainty of the calling of the Jews / written by Edward Lane.
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Lane, Edward, 1605-1685.
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1663
(1663)
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Wing L332; ESTC R25446
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348,301
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421
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much obtruded upon the people of this Nation But those times of darkness are not within the verge of this Vindication But for our present Liturgy which hath been established since the Reformation that it should be originally taken out of the said Missal and consequently transmitted to us from Rome as they would make us believe is clearly as manifest an Untruth as that we have originally received our Religion from Rome True it is that that breviary as it is called secundum Salisburiensis Ecclesiae usum doth agree in some things with our Liturgy But it will not therefore follow that our Liturgy is a poor puisne extract taken out of it Sober and discreet men would rather infer thereupon that our Liturgy and as much of that Popish Portifory as is incorrupt are taken out of the Primitive Christian Liturgies which were devoutly used in several Churches persecuted for the faith of Christ long before any Romish Superstitions were in Being whereunto if there be with us a holy desire of Conformity to shew that we are in communion and fellowship with that poor persecuted Church of old that was valiant for the Truth resisting the enemies of Christ even unto bloud and upon whose unwearied labours and sufferings we are happily entred What offense is it Now that our Liturgy is such we might alledge the faithfulness of the Compilers of it who according to the trust reposed in them as master Fox reports it in his Martyrology had in this important business as well an eye and respect unto the most sincere and pure Christian Religion taught by the Holy Scriptures as also to the usages of the Primitive Church which the Act of Parliament made for the Confirmation of it attesteth in these words 5. 6. of Ed. 6. c. 1. The Common Prayer established by Law in England is agreeable to the word of God and the Primitive Church And as the King a Zealous and Religious Prince to satisfie some of his mutinous Subjects about it saith It is altered from that the Popes of Rome for their lacre brought it unto But it may be this will not be accounted argumentative with our techy Opponents though the faithfulness of some of those very Persons is by them oftentimes proposed unto us for our imitation We shall therefore here produce somewhat that is more convincing And first that we may see it is no new thing to follow the example of the Primitive times in the forms of Divine worship let an instance be considered by us out of Eusebius an Authour of good account as he is well known in all the Churches Eccl. Hist lib. 2. cap. 17. This Eusebius having taken notice of what Philo the Jew who lived in the dayes of Claudius Caesar above 200 years before him had observed in the religious Exercises of the Christians in his time about Alexandria where Saint Mark had then newly constituted a Church how they in their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a place set apart and dedicated to Holy uses devoted themselves with marvellous austerity to the Service of God which they celebrated with a certain Order and form peculiar unto them Omnis geneâ—s metrorum carminum rythmis Uno cum rythmo psallente reliqui quiete auscultantes posteriores hymnorum partes ad extremum una decantent and with what Gravity and reverence they sang their spiritual Songs and Hymns of all sorts of tunes He I say noting these observations of Philo addeth thereupon Quae etiamnum apud nos durant which devout Order of religious exercise is in use amongst us to this very day Et praecipuè circa salutaris Domini Passionis Festum diem in jejuniis c. especially those which we use upon the Solemn day of the Lords Passion yea the very Hymns themselves and the manner of their singing Eusebius saith A nobis recitari solebant we our selves have been accustomed to recite in our Church-Assemblies Much more to this purpose is written in the said History But from hence we may infer First that the Christians in the purest Primitive times had places set apart for divine worship which were reserved onely for that use Secondly That they had their Forms of Divine worship when they met together in those places Thirdly that there were some special times of the year as appears by the instance of our Saviours Passion wherein they had their Forms proper for those times Fourthly which is the cause of the inserting of this Story the manner of their worshipping God and the very subject matter of their Forms were taken up and continued by the Church in the following ages Furthermore it will be requisite that an apologie be premised and admitted which is this It is not to be expected that the whole Frame of our Liturgy should be found in those Historians and others that have written of the Church in the Primitive times The dispensations of Gods providence towards his people are much varied now from those of old and therefore we are not obliged precisely to follow their exemplar in the whole Form of any of their Liturgies but are to make our Supplications according to the present state and exigency of the Church wherein we are concern'd They prayed heretofore pro mora finis That the final consummation of all things might be deferred because as it is supposed they were afraid to come under the tyranny of Antichrist which they knew would make havock of the Church in the last dayes But we on the contrary have reason to pray That the end may be hastned that so Antichrist may be destroyed If therefore we can finde that that spirit of devotion which we use in our Liturgy in the order of Prayers Psalms Lessons Collects Letany Versicles Responds c. be the same with that of the antient Churches before Rome usurp'd Authority over the Churches and that in their Ecclesiastick Ministrations there be sparsim found some of the same express terms which we use in ours I hope we shall not be far from giving a clear testimony in this matter As for reading the holy Scriptures and singing of Psalms no man can deny that we therein do conform to the practice of all Churches ever since the beginning And for our Collects this we shall say of them When the order of Sarum which probably was the ancientest wherein there was a compliancy with Romish Superstitions when I say that was first framed by that Osmund aforesaid the Tradition that was then generally received concerning some forms of Prayer that were derived from Primitive Liturgies was the less regarded and so might be swallowed up by time because they were in that Ordinale collected together and brought thereby into Common and Publick use whence it came to passe that the Collects of it which we have gathered into our Liturgy though according to the significancy of the term it is like they were collected from the Catholick Prayers of the Primitive Church yet have no certain Constat for them that
Church of Rome If then that Cause so much pleaded for had such ill Consequents attending upon it may we not well say Sublatâ Causâ tollitur Effectus When the Cause is taken away the Effect will follow At least as I said before there is great hope it shall follow especially now when God hath in Mercy set over us a Man of Understanding and Knowledge Pro. 28.2 to lengthen out the State and Tranquillity of our Countrey when for the Transgressions of it it was by the Intrusion of Usurpers neer unto utter ruine A Man I say after his own heart Tutour'd and Bred up by him like David in the school of affliction Whose Heart is also fixed upon God to serve him in Righteousness and true Holiness A Prince so pious that he makes it his work and accounts it his glory to have true Religion established amongst his people in the Power and Purity of it See his Majesties Proclamation May 30. 1660. Witness his extreme dislike of Profaness which he hasted to publish the very next day after his happy Return unto us Commanding it to be read in all Churches monethly for six moneths after But well worthy indeed to be set up in them as a perpetual Monument of Piety to all Generations Wherein he declares the Purpose and Resolution of his Religious Heart in these words We will not exercise just Severity against any Malefactours sooner then against men of Dissolute Debauched and Prophane lives with what parts soever they may be otherwise qualified and endowed Requiring all Majors Sheriffs and Justices of the Peace to be very vigilant and strict in the Discovery and Prosecution of all Dissolute and Profane Persons such as blaspheme the Name of God by profane swearing and cursing or revile and disturb Ministers and despise the publick worship of God Witness also the Declaration which his Majesty set forth Octob. 25 immediately following concerning Ecclesiastical Affairs wherein he hath made known to God and the world That his Resolution is and shall be to promote the Power of Godliness to encourage the Exercises of Religion both publick and private and to take care that the Lords Day be applied to Holy Exercises without unnecessary divertisements and that Insufficient Negligent and Scandalous Ministers be not permitted in the Church Which being so What is it but a profane slander of the footsteps of Gods Anointed both of Christ himself and his Vicegerent over us to amuse the world with false reports of a return to profaness as if the Times were now become so loose that Wickedness should be established by a Law Whereas there was never more likelihood then now if the Devil through the turbulent spirits of factious Schismaticks did not hinder it for Religion to prosper and Holiness to flourish Away then with Profaness and let Superstition pack together with it for what entertainment is it like here to finde When King Charls the Sufferer L. Bishop of Winton the sonne of King Charls the Martyr as a Reverend Father of our Church hath worthily proclaimed him is new by the Divine Power and Goodness settled upon his Throne to be the Defender of that Faith for which he suffered That Faith I say which the Church of England professeth in opposition to the Church of Rome From which as it was observed by that Loyal and Peace-making Parliament that first so happily brought the Nation under his Majesties Government neither the Temptation of Allurements Perswasions and Promises from seducing Papists on the one hand nor the Persecution and hard Vsage from some seduced and mis-guided Professours of the Protestant Religion on the other hand could at all prevail upon him to make him swerve in the least Degree But chose rather still to suffer Afflictions though never so grievous as Moses did then to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season by so doing For which his Name shall be sweet and his Memorial precious in all the Churches of Christ to the end of the World I say then again Is it like that Superstition in any kinde should be Tolerated much less shall it be Established under the Government of so famous a Sufferer for the Protestant Profession yea and so active a Defender of it who hath made it manifest that his Care and Study is for the propagation thereof And who hath solemnly professed that nothing shall be proposed to testifie his Zeal and Affection for it to which he will not readily consent It will be objected What do we hear Words when we see Deeds Is there not an Actual return to Superstition in this Land now when the Ceremonies which were cast out are brought in again and the Liturgie restored And what are these but either the Issues of Will-worship which the Holy Scripture doth condemn or the Bratts of Babylon which should be taken not to be cherisht but to be dasht against the stones Besides Is not the Government also by Bishops set up again in its former Height which is not warranted by the word of God If we then should consent to these things How shall we like unto Jesus Christ our Pattern in the Text continue faithful with God in our Conformity to his Rule which he hath set us I answer First we may be still the same in a constant Adherency to the Foundation though we may as Divine Providence leads us whether it be in Judgment or in Mercy vary sometimes from that which is Circumstantial of which nature are those things that are here objected unto us and our fidelity to the former wil certainly entitle us to a faithful Imitation of Jesus Christ notwithstanding our change in the latter Nay is it not a great weakning of the Foundation and an injurious imputation put upon the Master-Builder to lay so much weight upon Circumstantials as to make them Unchangeable when they are not of his particular appointment though allowed by him to be annexed to his Building It is Superstition doubtless so to set up External Rites in competition with the Everlasting Rule of the Gospel as if they were not upon any Emergency whatsoever to be altered or removed And it is as ranck Superstition on the other side after they have been removed and restored again Superstitio ex super stando qua significatur nimium ese Sen. Epist 123. pertinaciously to stand in opposition against them especially when Experience hath made it manifest that the removal of them hath introduced much disorder and profaness in the service of God But we may appeal unto Christ himself to Judge in this Case Whether or no when a Christian Magistrate that truly feareth God taking notice of a great decay of Religion which by a wild and lawless Liberty hath been brought amongst his Subjects shall for the improvement of Piety recommend unto them a Form of Divine Service accompanied with such Rites and Ceremonies as are in force by Law and in the observing whereof True Religion hath formerly flourished Whether I say