unbecoming a Minister of the Gospel who may wear certainly White as lawfully as Black without placing Holyness or Unholyness in any Garment If we see not so great reason for the imposition or continuance yet we may see sufficient reason for the submission It is not used by us as by the Papists who must have it hallowed or consecrated by Praying over it that it may defend him that wears it from the Devil They use it indeed with a Superstitious opinion of Holyness but we have no Consecrating Surplices nor any such opinion that it is a fence against the Devil or preservative from his assaults and temptations Several Nonconformists have said they would be content to Preach the Gospel in a Fools coat rather than be silent as the Famous Mr. Daille of France being asked his judgment by some Nonconformists of England said as I am told by a French Minister and that he had seen it mentioned in a Book wrote by one of our Bishops That our Ceremonies were good and before he would make a rent in the Church for such things as the Surplice c. If the King of France would give him leave to Preach at Paris which the King forbid him he would Preach though it were in a Fools coat As to the Lawfulness of the Sign of the Cross at Baptism It is I Baptize I Baptize thee in the Name of the Father c. which is all that is Essential to Baptism or the Substance of that Ordinance Then it follows We receive this Baptized Child into the Congregation of Christs Flock as the Priviledge Baptism makes him a Member of the Catholick Church and particularly of that Church into which he is Baptized But the owning and receiving into Communion is the Churches Act. Then follows and sign him with the Sign of the Cross in token c. as significative and with the words declarative of that Duty which he is obliged and bound unto by Baptism to own the Faith of Christ Crucified c. And though the Words are In token that he shall not be ashamed to own c. It is only in the Judgment of Charity what the Church hopeth and expecteth from him hereafter when he is come to years to know Good and Evil his Faith Profession and Obedience to the Trinity according to his Baptism And thus Dr. Bourges in his Subscription with Explication of his meaning allowed by King James the First and the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury and declared to be the sense of the Church of England Where the Book saith And do sign him with the Sign of the Cross in token c. I understand saith he that Book not to mean That the Sign of the Cross hath any Vertue in it to effect or further this Duty but only to intimate and express by that Ceremony by which the Ancients did avow their profession of Christ Crucified what the Congregation hopeth and expecteth hereafter from that Infant And therefore also when the Twentieth Canon saith That the Infant is by that Sign Dedicated unto the Service of Christ I understand that Dedication to import not a real Consecration of the Child which was done in Baptism it self but only a Ceremonial Declaration of that Dedication like as the Priest is said to make clean the Leper whose being clean he only declared There was undoubtedly a lawful use of the Cross in some Primitive Christians while they lived among professed Jews and Heathens Enemies of the Cross of Christ as Phil. 3.18 upbraiding the Christians that their God dyed upon a Cross It began at his Crucifixion Matth. 27.41 42 The Chief Priests mocking him with the Scribes and Elders said If he be the King of Israel let him now come down from the Cross and we will believe him The more others scoffed at the Christians for their Crucified Saviour with the greater Courage Resolution and Constancy did the Christians own and make profession of him And this was a sign professing Christ which at the sight of Jews and Infidels in the Markets and any where else was of common use among the Christians used at their Meals many times and Translated to Baptism When the Empire became Christian Constantine used it and others in their Ensigns of War to signifie Christ Crucified was the God they owned and expected Victory in Battel from him In their Coats of Arms in their Coynes at this day it is used as of Old to shew the Religion of the Persons or the Countries that they were Christians If any Object that was a Civil use of it and not Religious I say it was of Religious signification there Yet indeed with Peter Martyr for mine own part I wish that all things may be done simplicissime most free from Humane mixtures in the Worship of God Again Its signification and use is ad hominem and not ad Deum For first If it were permanent and imprinted on the Forhead which in Scripture is used to signifie boldness and confidence in a good and in all ill sense as Ezek. 3.8 Jer. 3.3 And so the sign of the Cross made there signifieth of the Child boldness Christian Courage and Confidence that he shall not be ashamed c. it would signifie to Men and not to God unto Christians that he was one of their number Secondly The use of it among the Primitive Christians was to signifie to Christians among themselves or more especially to Jews and Heathens their Christian Profession Thirdly The Dissenters call them significant teaching signs and bring that as an Argument against them but do we teach God or Man surely Man is fit for Instruction And as to Addition the Curse is equally against diminishing as adding But the Love-kiss Signaculum reconciliationis Washing the Disciples Feet a token of Humility The Feasts of Charity mention'd at the Sacrament by St. Jude the Community of Goods the Deaconesses c. Things of this Nature are not of the substance of the Word or the Ordinances but are Circumstantials and may be changed added or taken away safely I could cite too an Eminent Nonconformist where he saith it cannot be called an Addition in Scripture sense unless the Governours stamp Holyness upon it or Necessity as a necessary Duty Doctrinal Necessity he means Or unless by adding they mean giving the same Efficacy to Humane Institutions as God doth to his by making them to confer Grace upon the rightly disposed and by diminishing that the Service is not compleat without it I shall conclude with a saying of Mr. Calvin Let not any think me so austere or bound up as to forbid a Christian to accommodate himself to the Papists in any Ceremony or Observance For it is not my purpose to condemn any thing but what is clearly Evil and openly Vitious I have said thus much lest some that are uncharitable to our Church should think I wrote Because I was pinched and could not tell how to satisfie my Conscience in Conformity Doctor More 's Mystery of Godliness Pref.
A New SURVEY of the BOOK of Common Prayer Humbly proposed to this Present PARLIAMENT In Order to the Obtaining a New Act of UNIFORMITY By a Minister of the Church of England LONDON Printed for the Author 1690. THE PREFACE GOD hath wrought very graciously and in an Extraordinary manner for the deliverance of this Church and State from Popery and Arbitrary Power in such a way of Peace as other Ages can scarce parallel But Beneficium postulat Officium God's great Goodness calls for some suitable return in the way of Love Thankfulness and Obedience And no doubt but the Lord expects some Work that is Great and Excellent somewhat more than ordinary for the good of that Church which he hath so wonderfully preserved And if you would know what we shall render unto the Lord for all his Benefits What more What better than for Protestants with one Heart and one Mouth to glorifie God the Father of all our Mercies and to Worship him with one consent And oh that the All-wise God would inspire this Great Council of the Nation with Wisdom from above what and how to act effectually for this Blessed Vnion Which as Mr. De L' Angle in his Letter to his Lordship the Bishop of London will rejoyce Men and Angels and bring down a Thousand Blessings of Heaven and Earth upon those that shall contribute the most unto it Vnreas of Separ p. 424. It is to be hoped that the Glory of so Great and Good a Work will be due to our present Governours next under God And since we are told in the Preface before the Common Prayer that in the Reigns of several Princes of Blessed Memory since the Reformation the Church upon just and weighty Considerations her thereunto moving hath yielded to make such Alterations in some particulars as in their respective times were thought convenient Therefore I have added Arguments for such Concessions and Alterations in this Worship as may be effectual in order to the Desired Vnion Though I have had God's Glory for my end yet I know no Mans Integrity in the Cause of God and of Religion nor the most unfeigned Desires and Endeavours for the good and Peace of Church and State can exempt him from the common fate that attends things of this Nature which are sure to be unacceptable with some if not pass for an unpardonable Offence against the Church of England If I knew that there were any thing but Truth and Charity I would blot it out If it be possible and as much as in me lyeth I would live peaceably with all Men. The Motives and Inducements to write were these First A Zeal for God God's Honour is intimately concerned in his Worship What Soul that hath any sense of God and Religion can bear so much dishonour as is done to God in his Worship Several casting a contempt upon it by their unhandsom Speeches and ill Examples prejudiced and prejudicing others against it Many scarce look upon it as the Worship of God and mind nothing less than to be devout in it And since the Worship of God lies under contempt or a great abuse and unprofitableness in the performance of it is there not reason to be offended at it I am not satisfied and cannot be satisfied without some endeavour to redress the Evil. Second Motive was a desire to discharge this part of my Ministerial duty to my own and the Peoples better Edification Does the VVorld think it is nothing to Ministers that have a concern for the Peoples Souls to see how little this VVorship is done to Edifying How great a guilt lies upon their Congregations upon that very account Surely guilt enough to lay them low in misery And the sense of this put me upon another Design which was first in my intention a short piece Argumentative for Conformity to the Prayers And therein first to satisfie Peoples Consciences in a peaceable Submission and Communion in this Worship though they do not like every thing in it best I urge that they themselves will not suffer their Children and Servants to leave their Worship in their Families under pretence that anothers is better But the Governours Authority over the several Families in the Nation reacheth as far as theirs in their own Family in all things Sin only excepted so far as they may be obeyed without disobeying God Secondly To excite them to a Devout use of the Prayers with some Helps and Directions for their Edification in it Thirdly To keep them within the Bounds of Christian Charity towards those that differ from us as knowing that without Charity all is nothing worth Time and Opportunity called for this first though less studied or accurate and plain in its Language Third Motive was a compassionate Concern for some who have suffered much by the severity of the Laws and a desire to prevent their future sufferings I know there are those that dissent from this Worship that would very heartily would if their Consciences had been satisfied have Conformed to it If they did not they knew they were like to pay for it But by such Concessions as to take them in they will be safe for the future from fear of Trouble and Sufferings Fourth Motive was a desire to do my part towards the remedying the Evils which have eventually followed the Act for Uniformity And surely in an Age that hath smarted so much as this hath done for Contentions about these Common-Prayers it concerns every one to put to his helping hand I shall conclude with a Pathetical and Affectionate Speech of that Reverend Prelate Dr. Hall who used to say War with none but Rome and Hell and was a true Son of Peace Bishop Hall's Works p. 426. But thou O Lord How long How long shall thy poor Church see the Dear Sons of her Womb bleeding about these Apples of Strife Speaking of some things in the Common Prayers Ceremonies especially Ye Men Brethren and Fathers help for Gods sake put to your hands for the quenching of these Common Flames The one side by Humility and Obedience the other by Compassion i. e. to the weak and unsatisfied both by Prayers and Tears that so that Passage in His Majesties Declaration may take Effect for Establishing such Laws as should make a good Agreement between the Church of England and Protestant Dissenters May that Agreement be in the Worship of God The Great God of Heaven and every True-hearted Protestant say Amen to it Arguments for Concessions and Alterations in the Common-Prayer and in the Rites and Ceremonies of the Church of England in order to the desired Vnion in Worship CErtainly that man is no friend to Church and State who is an enemy to their Peace and Union in matters of Religion For as the Eminent Mr. Le Moyn of Holland saith in his Letter to his Lordship the present Bishop of London at the end of Vnreasonableness of Separation In England the good of Church and State depends absolutely upon Vnion
Church the unhappy contentions about it the worst of Devils would soon hasten its destruction Mr. Jekylls Sermon on Jer. 5.29 p. 21. But there is one thing which if not speedily prevented will before we are aware let in that which we so much fear and cry out against viz. Popery and which perhaps too too many of us more or less may be accessary to I mean those unnatural heats and divisions amongst our selves amidst which though we are not altogether swerved from the Form yet we are strangely degenerated from the true Spirit and Power of Godliness and Christianity How sad the effect and consequence of these heart-burnings and animosities unchristian strifes and debates will be I am afraid to think of Item p. 25. We are distracting our own Devotions yea and provoking I had almost said devouring one another whilst our Adversaries in the day they look for which God grant may never come will make no difference but swallow us up together Principles and Practices p. 10. of Ep. It is high time to be reconciled to Moderation and Sobriety to lay aside our uncharitable and therefore unchristian heats against each other and to throw water upon those flames that threaten our destruction and but for Gods infinite Mercy would have effected it before now instead of adding more fewel unto it Mr. Kidder on 1 Pet. 3.11 p. 29. The several Sects and Quarrels of the Jews among themselves and the fury of their Zealots were but a prologue to their miserable destruction Bishop Taylors Coll. of Discourses Ep. before Liberty of Proph. For my own particular I cannot but expect that God in his Justice should enlarge the bounds of the Turkish Empire or some other way punish Christians by reason of their pertinacious disputings about things unnecessary undeterminable and unprofitable Causes of the Decay of Christian Piety p. 427. It is the usual Oeconomy of Divine Justice to make our Crimes our Punishment and to give us up to those ills which were at first our own depraved choice And God knows we have too much reason to fear this may be our case that we who have so perversly violated all the bonds of Unity wantonly wrangled our selves out of all inclinations to Peace should never be able to resume them Item p. 428. This alass as it is the fearfullest so is it the probablest issue of our wild contentions such as nothing but the miraculous effluxes of Divine Clemency can avert To conclude as well we may with this as an undoubted Truth from Mr. Kidders Sermon on 1 Pet. 3.11 p. 22. These Contentions have done more mischief than all the Persecutions put together more have fallen and more dangerously this way than by the Swords of Tyrants and avowed Enemies of our Religion Arguments for taking the Ceremonies away or leaving the Vse of them indifferent especially the Sign of the Cross HEre is the most proper place to premise somewhat concerning the Lawfulness of Ceremonies least I should in any thing which follows be thought to condemn my own practice in point of Conformity to these Ceremonies As to Kneeling at the Sacrament I think the Rubrick should satisfie Persons it speaks very plainly It is hereby declared that no Adoration is intended or ought to be done either unto the Sacramental Bread and Wine there Bodily received or unto any Corporeal Presence of Christs Natural Flesh and Blood For the Sacramental Bread and Wine remain still in their very Natural Substances and therefore may not be Adored for that were Idolatry to be abhorred of all faithful Christians and the Natural Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ are in Heaven c. Mr. Bayns Christian Letters p. 201. Kneeling is neither an occasion nor by participation Idolatry Kneeling never bred Bread-Worship and our Doctrine of the Sacrament known to all the World doth free us from suspition of Adoration in it Thus he though a Nonconformist Mr. Tombs Theodulia p. 168. That whatsoever Gesture our Saviour used it doth not oblige us because the Gesture seems not to have been of choice used by Christ 2. Because St. Paul omits the Gesture which he would not have done if it had been binding 3. He mentions the Night and calls it the Lords Supper and if the Time be not necessary much less the Gesture 4. If the Gesture doth oblige then Christians must use the self-same that Christ used i. e. Lying down or Leaning c. Mr. Baxter in his Christian Directory I think speaking of the Sacrament tells us he thinks Mr. Paybodies Book in defence of Kneeling to be unanswerable As to the Surplice Platina mentions it to be brought in very early into the Church in the days of the good Bishops of Rome Anno Domini 250 by Stephen a Martyr under Decius the Emperour And none can deny but that in the Apostles days after Baptism the Baptized in those hot Countries of the East being commonly at least dipped or plunged in the Water with their naked Bodies the persons Baptized put on new white Vestments to shew the Purity of a Christian Whence the Lords day after Easter which Easter was their chief time of Baptizing was called Dominica in Albis the Lords day in White Mr. Leighs Annotations on the New Testament tell you those expressions of putting on the Lord Jesus and putting off the Old Man have allusion to the Garments Peter Martyr speaks in his Answer to Bishop Hoopers Letter The Defenders of this Ceremony may pretend some honest and just signification and Zepperus himself though no Friend to the Sign of the Cross in the Baptismal Office as Mr. Sprint tells us in his Cassander Anglicanus speaking of the Papists saith thus We read nothing of the Superstitious Habits in the Monuments of Antiquity except only of the White Vesture Qua usi sunt sine superstitione in signum Commone factionem honestatis vitae So that if it were a significative Ceremony as it is not in the Church of Englands use of it yet in their judgments the use of it might be innocent Bishop Taylors Ductor Dubitantium p. 668. Great Reason have we to honour the Wisdom of the Church of England which hath in all her Offices retained but one Ritual or Ceremony that is not of Divine Ordinance or Apostolical Practice and that is the Cross at Baptism Which though it be a significant Ceremony and of no other use yet as it is a compliance with the Antient Church so is it very innocent in it self and being one alone is not troublesome or burthensome Archbishop Whitgift said the Surplice was not enjoyned as a significant Ceremony The Canon about the Surplice mentioneth nothing of using it for signification of purity or unspotted innocency We do not wear it as monitory or instructive to keep the inner man pure and clean but as a Garment of use in the Antient Church and transmitted down from them to us and retained at our Reformation And some urge it to be decent and no ways