the French Rubricks upon Sundays in the morning the following Form is commonly used The meaning whereof he tells us there is That it is to be alway used and no other A gloss that sounds marvellous strange to our English ears which have been accustomed to distinguish betwixt Commonly and Always and will not easily unlearn that distinction and so when we hear out of the Harmony of the Belgick Synods a Minister shall pray either by a certain Form proposed to himself or else the Spirit shall dictate we are wont to imagine that the meaning is not that a Minister shall never pray but by a Form it may be Mr. Durell is of another mind if he be he may do well to communicate to the world the grounds of so singular an opinion and when he shall so do he may do well also to give us his thoughts concerning the practice of the Bohemian Churches where it seems the Ritual Books or Formula's are delivered onely to the Pastors the Reason whereof Comenius in his Annot. pag. 101. saith is That the Auditors might be more attent and more profoundly admire the grace of God for says he if onely prescribed things are alwaies recited what is there that may stir up attention Curiosity rather will be stirred up whilst this and the other man attends whether the Minister reads exactly the same things which they behold in their own books nor addeth he must we think that the Ministers are tyed to the very words and syllables of the books delivered to them it is free according to variety of occasions to use any thing drawn out of the Treasures of mystical wisdome which makes for the exciting of zeal whence it eomes to pass that pious Auditors are scarcely ever present at holy Mysteries without a new motion of heart My imagination on the reading of these words is that Comenius was not hugely fond of prescribed Formula's in which the people were as well versed as the Minister he seems rather to be of opinion that if words flow from the mouth of the Minister which the People had not seen before hand they will be heard with the more Devotion whether Mr. Durell's imaginations agree with mine time may discover mean while I may have leave to guess what it was that moved Mr. Durell's pen to run into such excess of riot against the two Houses and Assembly and I conceive it was the extravagance of his Country-man Ludovicus Capellus in his discourse about Liturgies unhappily inserted into the Theses Dalmurienses for his words Mr. Durell has punctually transcribed and done into English a Scholler may find them in the third part of those Theses p. 707. I shall follow Mr. Durell's own Translation pag. 15. One hundred forty years ago when the separation was made from the Church of Rome and that the Christian people coming out of Babylon did cast off the Popes Tyranny the sacred Liturgy was purged of all that Popish Superstition and Idolatry and all such things as were overburdensom or which did contribute but little or nothing to the edification of the Church And so were framed and prescribed in several places divers set forms of holy Liturgies by the several Authors of the Reformation that then was and those simple and pure in Germany France England Scotland the Netherlands c. differing as little as possible from the antient set Forms of the Primitive Church which set Forms the Reformed have used hitherto with happiness and profit each of them in their several Nations and districts till at last of very late there did arise in England a froward scrupulous and over nice that I say not altogether superstitious Generation of men unto whom it hath seemed good for many Reasons but those very light and almost of no moment at all not onely to blame but to cashier and abolish wholly the Liturgy used hitherto in their Church together with the whole Hierarchical Government of their Bishops instead of which Liturgy they have brought in their Directory as they call it On the words thus translated I adventure to say First That I am not much in love with the Professors Chronology He gratifies the Papists too much to say or but to intimate that no secession was made from their Church till an hundred and forty Years before he put forth those Theses some Churches had gone out of Babylon much sooner some not so soon Secondly I am less in love with his jumbling together of the Liturgies of Germany France England Scotland Belgia for if the Germans did purge their Liturgie of every thing that was over-burdensom and troublesome or which did contribute but little or nothing to the edification of the Church let a reason be given me why we leave any thing out of our Liturgies which they retain did this Professor of Divinity think that nothing is retained in the Lutheran Liturgies that is burdensom and operosous or that makes little to edification or did he conceit that none of the Lutheran Churches are German do the Lutherans Latine Songs contribute much to edification are their Images apt to teach the soul did ever any one get much good by having the bread put into his mouth instead of having it broken and delivered into his hand what is I wonder the advantage of Exorcism certainly if the Lutheran Liturgies recede as little as may be from the Forms of the Primitive Church other Churches have receded very much from them Thirdly It was a great misadventure to affirm that the Reformed had with profit and happiness each of them in their several Nations and Districts used set Forms till lately the Liturgy was Cashired in England Had not Calderwood told the world long since that for many years he had not used set Forms whilst he was Minister in Scotland was not the Liturgy laid aside in Scotland before in England Fourthly It is a sign of no great humility for one Professor so severely to censure the actings of a whole Assembly of Divines in which were many Superiour to himself in Learning but let not Episcopal Divines much glory to find the Assemblies Reasons so vilified they will find the Reason of Mr. Hooker their Oracle as much vilified in this Censor's Thesis de Festis Fifthly It is very Probable the good Professor had never read the Directory else he would not have left it on Record that the Directory contains onely the Arguments of things to be said and done in the Administration of the Sacraments for in the Directory the words for Administration of Baptism are prescribed so are the words for the Administration of the Lords Supper Mr. Durell therefore by translating Capellus into English hath but uncovered his nakedness exposing him to contempt who was before become too contemptible by decrying the Hebrew points and Scripture Chronology so opening a door to down-right infidelity Yet as if he had not done him spight enough He not only gives us his Text but also draws six Observations from it pag. 15 16.
Ezra and from the time of Moses Secondly That they are not commonly necessary but for order and Decorum Thirdly Where and when there cannot be had learned Pastours who are able to teach the people by their Sermons and proper Prayers that there Formula's are plainly necessary Fourthly Where there are learned and skilful Pastors a publick Form of Liturgy is very profitable and necessary to the Common Edification of the Church in the same Communion of Divine worship Fifthly That the use of such Forms cannot justly be condemned or disaproved nor ought it seeing it may be alwaies and every where profitable and most convenient and has obtained in the whole Christian Church all the world over for above 1300 years and does every where now obtain but with those Independant Novices Let Mr. Durell after this take heed how he commends Liturgies by the pen of his most applauded forreign Divines and let him know that all the pains he takes to make the French and Dutch Liturgies the same or near a kin with and to ours doth indeed tend to the reproach of Archbishop Laud. For if there were no difference or but small betwixt them why was he so zealous as his Historian represents him in prosecuting and pressing the French and Dutch Churches to have our Liturgy translated into their Language and used by them in all their Churches granted them in England however let me warn Mr. Durell to take heed that he do not go on with that designe he hath so oft acquainted us with I mean the design of Printing together the Formula's and Agenda's of all the Reformed Churches in Christendome for though this design might perhaps please himself as who is not pleased with the issue of his own Brain yet I much question whether it would be any way pleasing to the most Reverend and Right Reverend Prelates of our Church Certain I am that it is not many years since some of our greatest Ecclesiasticks plainly enough declared that such a designe would not much rellish with them for when the Prince Elector Palatine came over to visit his Unckle King Charles I. in England which was about 34 years ago some busie heads as Dr. Heylin calls them published a book intituled A Declaration of the Faith and Ceremonies of the Palsgraves Churches What was the effect of the Publication a course was forthwith taken to call it in for the same cause and on the same prudential grounds adds Dr. Heylin on which the alteration I before mentioned was made in the Letters Patents But I needed not so long to have insisted upon Liturgies having before told you what he must do that hopes to bring the Nonconformist to subscription he must prove that the Church of England hath left Ministers any power to make use of their gifts in prayer for if that be not proved they will shrewdly argue against the lawfulness of promises to bury their gift in a napkin but whether this be proved or no the Nonconformists that I speak with will be but Nonconformists not forsaking the publick Assemblies but rejoyceing to hear Christ Preached though not without some bitter reflections upon themselves I come to Ceremonies and the first of them that occurres is the Surplice concerning which my Nonconformists Friends say That if they used it as enjoyned by the Liturgy they must receive it as a vestment apt by some notable signification it hath to stir up the dull mind Now that I might satisfie their Scruple I have gone to some Conformists and enquired of them whether ever they experimented any such aptness in it to stir up their dull minds they most of them wondred at my Question telling me that by assenting and consenting they meant no more but onely to promise that they would not openly contradict any thing in the Liturgy you may easily imagine what motion this reply stirred up in my dull mind onely one answered that though he would not boast of his own experiences yet he doubted not but the holy Vestment had a fitness in it to stir up the dull mind but I asking him further whether it was apt to stir him up as a man or as an English man he gave me to understand that he was not willing to be pressed further I comforted my self however in this that Mr. Durell would tell me some stories of some great liveliness put into men by the wearing of the white Garment but he quite deceived me onely giving me to understand pag. 24 25. Of some of other Reformed Churches that to comply with the Lutherans do somtimes wear Surplices This is but cold kindness and that I may not be in debt to him for it I give him to understand That no Lutherans in the Low Countries do wear Surplices and they forbear to wear them not because the Magistrate would not give them leave to wear them but because they want a will to wear them which makes me think that they have no high opinion concerning the usefulness of them nor can I think that our own Ministers have any huge apprehensions of this exciting vertue of the Surplice for whereas they are enjoined to wear it as oft as they officiate I find few of them so to do many of them never wear it but when a Sacrament is to be Administred Perhaps I shall be able to afford my Nonconformists more help and assistance against his Scruples about the Cross in Baptisme His Scruples are founded upon this bottom That the Cross is made asign of the Childs Dedication to God and also a sign of his perseverance in Grace and such a sign they say is Sacramental which kind of sign the Church has no Commission from God to institute I have taken some pains that I might be able from the writings of Conformists to assoile this Objection Mr. Durell tells us Serm. pag. 29. That the Cross is indeed a visible sign but there is no invisible Grace answering to it and so no Sacrament I could not acquiesce in this for I thought Dedication to God and Perseverance were graces and if they be Graces I am sure they are invisible Graces I have also somtimes wondred seeing Baptism it self was instituted as a Dedicating sign and seeing by it we engage our selves to perseverance and God also engages to give unto Believers the Grace of Perseverance what might move our Church to institute the Cross as a new sign of any of these things especially seeing yet I never had the hap to meet with any who could from their experience averre unto me that the sign of the Cross with which they were signed at Baptisme had added to them any degree of manfulness nor by comparing several Baptized persons could I ever observe that persons Crossed at Baptisme were less inclined to be ashamed of Christ Crucified than those that were Baptized not being Crossed Indeed this sign of the Cross hath Ministred more matter of Scruple to the Nonconformists then any other Ceremony besides and therefore Mr. Durell
he hath said Episcopi he adds seu Doctores which renders it very uncertain what kind of men he means by Bishops And Mr. Petoy a late Historian hath adventured to say That our Church as well as the Scottish Church was at first planted and Governed without Bishops till Bishops were sent to us from Rome But be this as it will certain I am our great Kingdome could not be said to honour and reverence Bishops till by the Preaching of Augustine and his Associates the Nation ceased to be Pagan since which time Bishops have not alwaies been so reverenced and honoured as the Reverend Author of this Epistle pretends Their disloyalty and pride rendred them so odious in the Reigns of many Kings that had it been put to the Vote whether there should have been Bishops or no Bishops it is easy enough to see how it would have been carried Nor is it truly said page 133. That we owe our Reformation to the Care and Zeal of our Bishops who did so wonderfully well repurge the Church of England an hundred years ago The first dawnings of Reformation we owe under God to Wickliff who was no Bishop nor friend to Bishops as Bishops signifie men of a superior Order to Presbyters those who sealed the Truth with their Bloud in King Henry the eighths dayes were none of them Bishops We can prove from the writings they have left behind them that they were against Bishops Seeing this Letter is so well penned Mr. Durells anger will not wax hot if I dwell upon it a little longer The Author of it tells us page 139 That he fears not to say if the French had kept Bishops and as many Ceremonies as would serve to fix the attention of the people without Superstition they should have seen for certain far greater progresses of Reformation and the resistance of a great many persons overcome who are frighttd from their Communion by the irregularity of their Government and the bareness of their Service I design not to put this Reverend Pastor into any fright because of any thing that he hath said but really I do not understand what he means by the Reformed French keeping their Bishops for I never heard that they had any Bishops of their Religion to part with much less do I understand upon what he founds his certain asseverations that more Papists would have come over to them if they had had Bishops and more Ceremonies We had before the Wars Bishops in our Nation and Ceremonies enough yet did we not find any great additions made to our Churches by the coming in of Recusants I hope they in France can reckon up more Converts from Popery than we can here in England or else Conversions have been but rare I also hope that so many have not apostatized among them as have apostatized among us If they have Rome hath more to boast of than I could wish But there is one thing more marvellous than all this The Author of the Letter thinks That if the English Dissentors have any Charity they would consent to the Re-establishment of the Episcopal Government though there were something in it they could not approve of if it were but for the sake of those that follow the Confession of Aspurg For can this learned man think that Hierarchy as an Order superiour to Presbytery and as founded upon a Divine Institution would be an Offering well pleasing to the Lutheran Divines he is not so unacquainted with their Writings as that he can so think If Episcopacy upholds the Lutheran Churches as he tells us page 138. I am sure it is not such an Episcopacy as we have here in England for such an Episcopacy hath no place among them And oh that it could be said That they in Denmarke Norway Sweden and Germany were very quiet under the Episcopal Government seldom seen to slander and tear one another We know they have their differences and that none are more molested than the moderate party among them so far was Episcopal Government from keeping us quiet in England that the Divisions and Animosities did arise and grow to a great height among the Bishops themselves Some were told that nothing but their Bishopricks kept them from being Puritans Others were told that nothing but their Wives kept them from being Papists Sundry Parliaments complained to the King of the growth of Arminianisme and what did the Church do to prevent or take away the ground and cause such Complaints truly Dr. Heylin in his History of Laud tells us that there was a Consultation whether it were meet to bring the thing to a Convocation but it was concluded that it was not safe so to do because there were too many Members of the Convocation inclined to Calvinisme though there were some that were as strangly inclined to Arminianisme our Pulpits had not failed to ring with Declamations against Pelagianisme in some places and against Stoicall Fatality in others had not the King by a Proclamation put some stop to those Controversies so that the quietness which the Church enjoyed was rather due to Monarchy than Epispacy Now of late indeeed Arnold Polenberg in his preface to the second Tome of Episcopius his works gives us to understand that he designed to dedicate that great Folio to our English Clergy and particularly to both our Universities promising himself that almost all the Bishops of our Churches do defend that Opinion concerning Predestination which was condemned in the Synod of Dort Whether he be out in his account 't is not for me to enquire who have work enough to do at home but it seems even in this Gentlemans account all our Bishops are not become Episcopian and therfore preserve Unity among themselves by having their knowledge in those matters unto themselves Now if it be found necessary to tolerate difference of Judgment among the Bishops themselves in Doctrines of so high concernment it may be worth the Consideration of those who are in Authority whether they also may not be suffered to enjoy Ecclesiastical preferment who differ from their Bretheren only in some few points of Discipline I say in a few points of Discipline for as to the essentials of Discipline I am not so quick-sighted as to find that we disagree The things that breed discord among us are said by those who are the chief causes of their imposition to be Adiaphorous i. e. such things as are therefore good because imposed rather than imposed because good On the other hand those who suffer for not yeilding to the Impositions do judge there is some evil in the things imposed and desire they may be indulged not to Practise them A Bookish man who is not much versed in the Intrigues of Ecclesiasticall Pollicy would think no bigger a breach than this might easily be stopped up I shall dismiss this Letter only adding That I would not have Mounsieur Le-Moyn estimated by it having certain knowledge that he hath both with his tongue and pen
to be found and had not this man then well read and studied the Book to which he so solemnly gave assent and consent I profess where-ever I come I make it my business to reconcile people to the publick Assemblies my Conscience would fly in my face if I should do otherwise but I find my self unable to prevail with them through the prejudice they have taken up against the Liturgy and their prejudices are grounded for the most part upon the wicked lives of those that are the most constant Readers and frequenters of it I shall never upon this account cease to joyn in prayers and to hear Sermons but yet I rejoyce that a great Prelate lately in his Visitation openly declared in his Speech his resolution to proceed and deal more severely against those who should be found loose and profane than against those that differed from him only in Ceremonies The Lord give hearts to those whom it concerns to think immorality worthy of presentment and to set a mark upon all whose feet run into all excess of Riot and whose Tongues are set on fire from Hell that so we may have wherewith to stop the mouths of those who are bent upon Separation and employ their Rhetorick in nothing more than in perswading the people that God is departed from us It would be a small trouble to me to find the Non-conformists disarmed did I find the Weapons of their Warfare put into the hands of those who would use them more to the disadvantage of the World Flesh and Devil I have mentioned one thing that makes Mr. D. not the fittest person in the World to manage this Controversie that is his not being free from at least the suspicion of Covetousness I will suggest one or two more He seems to be very injudicious and therefore puts into his Book such cold Commendations of Church and Liturgy as do only not dispraise it I instance only in Monsieur Vauqueline whom he brings in Pag. 189. thus extolling our Liturgy The Book of Common Prayer is very far from any Idolatry and there is not in it any formal Superstition Is not this a rare Elogium But above all he disparages himself by giving flattering Titles unto men Pag. 87. he tells us that Monsieur Goyen is as versed in Antiquity as possible a Commendation too high to be given to any man and such as that Reverend persons worth will never suffer him to accept of or so much as to commend the love of him who gave it let any one read the Epistle Dedicatory to his Book he will find the Lord Chancellour so highly commended that any one may see the Commendations were rather given to his Place than to his Virtues all the Authority of the Nation hath lately sentenced him to Banishment and yet Mr. D. could not find so much humility as either to bewail his fault or his unhappiness who had bestowed such praises in a printed letter upon him whom the Kingdom has declared to have deserved ill of it and of the Church too I may well think you will begin to say what is all this to the Latine Book that I sent you Or how can I by all you have hitherto writ perceive your Judgment about it Surely Sir the things I have noted out of the English Book are sufficient to let you see that his 2d Book is not worth your reading Scarcely can you find more words put together to less purpose The very Title-Page sufficiently exposes him either to the scorn or pity of those whom he chose for his Adversaries Vindiciae Sacrae Ecclesiae Anglicanae What is this Holy English Church Does he mean that Company of men and women in England who exercise themselves therein that they may be holy as God is holy Quis Lacedaemoniorum vituperat Why is this Church vindicated that no sober man ever went about to accuse If by the Holy Church of England he mean the late Convocation then he hath written as our Episcopal men are wont to write and by the Canons of 1603. it is made a very dangerous point to deny that a Convocation is the Church of England by Repraesentation and I have no mind to try how near I can come to that danger without incurring it Seeing Mr. D. has professed with thankfulness that he learned Divinity under Amyraldus he may do well to try whether he can confute his Master in his Theses de Ecclesia nomine ac definitione and de ratione convocandorum Conciliorum which do not look very smilingly upon that form of Speech which we use in England or upon the way of constituting our Convocations Mr. Jeanes a man of a very Scholastical Head had called the Convocation The Church of England but in the Second part of his Divinity he wonders upon what account he or any one else could think it to be the Church of England he instances in his own Diocess in which there was one Dean one Prebend three Arch-Deacons whereas the whole Clergy of the Diocess chose but two so that he thinks our Convocations may be rather called Repraesentatives of the Bishops and Cathedrals than of the Church of En-England And he asks whether if the King should chuse two hundred into the House of Commons and the people one that Meeting could be called the Representative of the People of England Mr. D. who has used this Title should have done well to give satisfaction to such kind of Questions is these and to have shewed us Synods in other Churches the Major part of the Members whereof are neither chosen by the people nor by the Clergy instead of doing so he hath left it doubtful what he means by the Church And it is much more doubtful to me whom he means by his Schismaticks against whose vociferations he pretends to defend his Church When you have called a man Schismatick you have call'd him every thing but I believe no man in the world thinks that all those against whom he vents his spleen in this Book deserve to be called Schismaticks I am sure according to the definition of Schisme that is given by Dr. Hammond they are not Schismaticks Mr. D. seems to thrust out his sharpest sting against Mr. Baxter Now it is notoriously known that he constantly went to the publick Congregation it s known also that he has in the publick Congregation received the Sacrament of the Lords Supper according to the form that is by Law established he has Communion with the Church of England in all Ordinances takes a great deal of pains to resolve the doubts of those who scruple Communion with her and yet is in Mr. D's account one of the Heads of the Schismaticks Let him take heed that he do not throw this dirt into such mens faces if he do it will fly back into his own The Case of hundreds of Non-conformists stands thus When they were School-boyes or Under-graduates in the University the King called the so much talked of Long-Parliament in which