of this present Parliament thus to order this great business touching Episcopacy Oh how easily might each Bishop do his work in his Diocess by going to preach sometimes in one Church and sometime in another all over his Diocess to the stirring up both of Presbyters and People to Godliness and what love and reverence would it procure in all men toward them and quell Sects and Factions in the Church whereas heretofore whilst Bishops sate idly at home priding themselves in their Lordly greatness as if they were so advanced to live as the Rich man in the Gospel when his fruits were encreased in eating and drinking and making merry being for zeale to the Truth most cold but very hot for superstitious ceremonies comming as near to the Popish Church as they could they have been hated as the Pope and despised and been the occasions of great Schisms and divisions in the Church of Christ although not so much breaking out as since Episcopacy was put down in these three Kingdomes but lying before us as fire covered over with Embers And hitherto of Episcopal Govenment For touching Archishops I finde no ground at all in the holy Scriptures and the Bishop of Rome was the first that ever took upon him the title of Archbishop then of Oecumenical Bishop anno Dom. 119. as Platina saith inviting all such as suffered wrong in any place to come unto him and he would relieve them and Higinus a successor of his spends a great part of one of his Epistles in magnifying the Bishops of Rome as those that are Princes over other Bishops and so do most of the Bishops of that Sea and Marcus Antonius de Dominis who was himselfe Archbishop of Spalato in his Book entituled De Repub. Christiana sheweth that Bishops only are of Apostolical institution but not Archbishops Now to proceed to speak of the book of Common Prayer That there should be such a book The Book of Common Prayer and thereby an uniform proceeding in all Churches in this Kingdom I suppose it will be granted on all hands unless by such as are transported by zeal without knowledge and Calvin himself is for the Ministers using of one and the same form of prayer in the publick place and his reasons are very good First because the prayers and thanksgiving there offered are not the Ministers only but of the whole Congregation and therefore ought to be such prayers and praises as the people by continual hearing are well acquainted withall and ready to say a men unto whereas if the Minister be permitted to offer up prayers in publick of his owne conception he may happily offer up such Petitions sometimes as his own phantasie leadeth him to that all the people will not say amen unto and it may not peradventure be good for them to join with him therein lest by so doing they be drawn in some petitions that tend to Heresie being for its prevailing for this being considered of of old by the Councel of Bracca a Decree was thereby made against any Ministers using a Prayer in the publick place which was not first seen by the Councel and allowed Secondly Because every Preacher is not alike guided by the Spirit of God in praying but some supposing that the excellency of praying lieth in long praying will draw out their prayers in publick to halfe an houre or an hour or more at a time till all or most of their hearers have their spirits tyred and have their affections made to fag which if they do the Ministers praying is nothing to them but rather is turned into an occasion of offending God as all saying of prayers without lifting up the heart is and this long praying is so far from having any ground in Scripture as that what is written there makes against it because when Christ taught his Disciples to pray Math. 6. he prescribed a short form and condemned long praying in many words and repetitions of the same things as vain babling Math. 23. and hereby upbraided the Pharisees hypocritical praying that they devoured Widdows houses and for a colour made long prayers and the Preacher saith God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth Eccles 5.2 therefore let thy words be few And both Chrisostom Augustine are for compendious praying and not drawing a Prayer out to a great length by using many words for to this end Chrisostom speaks against those that think to be heard the rather if they make a Prayer consisting of a thousand lines And Augustine adviseth to make short prayers and often that they who join in prayer with thee may be able to keep their hearts lifted up all the time and this may serve to beat down the course which now generally takes with the people in most places that he hath the most excellent gift in prayer that stands longest in making his prayers Others there are who prefer humane eloquence in praying and therefore fill their prayers with Flowers of Rhetorick to the pleasing of the ears of the Hearers which is a way that neither Christ the Prophets or Apostles have ever gone in in praying lastly some Ministers have so poor a faculty in conceiving a Prayer that they are not able without an help to do this duty in so good a manner as it ought to be done Thus to such as will be moved by Reason it is apparent that there should be in our Churches forms of godly Prayers and Thanksgivings to be commonly used by all Ministers and sometimes of prayers proper to the present occasion if there be plague or pestilence or other infectious diseases in the land if there be danger by the sword of the enemy or by Civil Wars if there be famine or unseasonable weather too much rain or drought blasts or mildew thunder lightning or tempests or murrein amongst Cattel of many of which Solomon speaks in his Divine Prayer at the dedication of the Temple which he built Touching Prayers commonly to be used every Lords day they must begin with confession of sins and praying for pardon and mortification of sin in us and for faith to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ and grace to lead holy and new lives and for a blessing upon the Word wherein the Congregation is then to be excercised in reading and hearing thereof that all may give diligent attention unto it hear it with fear and trembling and lay it up in their hearts as Mary did and live alwayes in obedince to it in all things and in praying we must remember all men the people of all Countries and Nations such as already hold the true Faith who are the Church of Christ that they may be preserved from all their enemies and established as upon a Rock against which the gates of Hell may not prevail but fall as Dagon did before the Ark and such as know not Christ that they may speedily be converted and that to this end the true light may rise up unto them and the Christians who
hath the honor of Knight hood conferred upon him so he that hath the honour of a Doctor conferred upon him by the Vice-Chancellor of the University kneeleth before him to be admitted to it and a Son before his Father at receiving his Blessing and why then may not a Christian before Christ his Sovereign Lord offering himself unto him to be received by the hand of his Minister his Representative If the practice of the Apostles at the Institution were obligatory to all Christians Cor. 11. St. Paul in commemorating the Institution would certainly have made mention of it as well as of other circumstances but because he doth not it is apparent that we are not bound to hold us to the same gesture and indeed that the Gesture is not material appeareth for that although at the Institution of the Passeover instead whereof the Lords Supper was ordained standing was appointed yet Christ with his Disciples did not eat it standing but sitting If it be objected against kneeling that is an appearance of evil that is of Artolatria the worshipping of the bread of Christs body held in the hands of the Priest believed by many to be no bread now but the Lords body who is to be worshipped Ans in such as believe so it is indeed Artolatria that is Idolatry but for so much as we do not believe it for substance to be any other than bread till sanctified to an holy use and Christs body only to such as believe it to be so to them when they have received it nourishing them to eternall life In our kneeling only for reverence to the Lord when we receive it cannot carry a shew of Idolatry although if when it is carried about as in the Church of Rome They that fall down upon their knees to it cannot but be guilty of this foul sin whether they believe it to be Christ or not Kneeling therefore in recieving by those that are of the same Faith with us cannot be justly accepted against yet because some weak ones will be scandalized hereby it may be received standing as it is in some Reformed Churches but sitting at the Lords Table is most undecent and unmannerly After the Communion followeth that Service which is to be used in Baptising Of baptism in which nothing hath been by the most scrupulous excepted against but against the requiring God-fathers and God-mothers to answer for them and in such words as they are biden to do and against signing with the sign of the Crosse for the first that there should be Sureties for Infants that cannot yet speak for themselves if they be wise and Godly and make conscience to do their indeavour when the Children are grown to Understanding that they may be taught and stirred up to profess and promise for themselvs what hath bin promised in their behalf it cannot but be acknow ledged to be good Christian care of the Church whereby it is thus provided But the questions asked of them would be a little altered thus First Do ye believe in God the Father Almighty c. and not doest thou as if the question were directed to the Child for this is by many counted ridiculous Secondly Do ye desire to have this Child Baptized in this Faith Thirdly Do ye come to undertake as much as in you shall lye that this Child shall forsake the Devil c. The answer to this last being we do thus undertake all these things for if the Children of believing Parents ought to be Baptized as all the Orthodox have ever held truly there is great need that some faithfull persons should undertake for them as hath been said and help what they can towards the Childrens doing so as is promised till they by learning the Catechisme come to answer for themselves Neither was the name of Anabaptists heard of for the space of 1500 years and upward where John Leyden an ambitious Taylor in the City of Munster in Germany aspired by such means after making himself a King as he did and by other abominable opinions which he then broached And for the baptizing of Infants we have this convincing reason grounded upon the word of God that if Infants under the N. T. who come of Gods people that professe the true faith ought not to be baptized there is no Sanctifying Ordinance for them and they are in worse case than the Infants of the Jews because they had Circumcision whereby they were sanctified and delivered from the danger of death to which they were by nature subject but being circumcised they were saved if they died in their Infancy but the Children of Christians should be altogether without any sanctifying Ordinance and so continue Children of wrath as all are by nature and if they die before they be baptized in danger of being cut off John 3.5 for unlesse one be born again of water and the Holy Ghost he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven 1 Peter 3.19 and St. Peter saith that baptism is as Noah's Ark that saveth and how absurd is it to say that none can be saved till they they be grown up and attain to actual Faith for to say they ought not to be baptized til then is in effect to say so Now that Children born under the N. T. are not in a worse but a better case than they under the Old appeareth by this that we have now a better Mediator and a better High-priest and a more glorious Ministry for then Moses was the Mediator Aaron the High Priest and Moses had his face covered when he spake to the people but now the Son of God is Mediator and High Priest and layeth Heaven open more plainly by his Ministry and the way for Parents and Children to attain unto it viz. by baptism after that the Parent believeth administred both to him and them If this were not so what comfort could believing Parents have although they themselves were baptized but their children not for fear of their dying unbaptized and unsanctified for their children are as dear to them as their own souls If any shall think that they are sanctified by the faith of their Parent because it is said to believers at Corinth In case but that one Parent were a Believer otherwise your Children were unclean but now they are holy It is to be understood that the Apostle said so because that immediately after the Parent was baptized the children were baptized also and this is more than probable because Origen who lived about an 200 saith that it was held to be a Tradition of the Apostles that Infants ought to be baptized Secondly The Crosse touching the Crosse in baptism although it hath been very anciently used and God hath sometimes wrought miraculously thereby for the confirmation of the Faith as Chrysostom saith yet for so much as it hath been in time of Popery turned into an Idol by being adored and trusted in Godly zeal cannot indure it any longer but as Hezekiah that
that Dungeon where there is utter darkness there to remain in wailing and gnashing of teeth for evermore and upon serious and hearty repenrance to release the sinner again from this grievous judgement if he be humbled and professeth his penitency without delay and if we believe our Lord Jesus that which is done herein by the Bishop according to his direction is done by God For what ye bind saith he upon earth Math. 18. shall be bound in heaven and what ye loose shall be loosed in heaven most certainly As for any punishment corporall or pecuniary inflicting it is proper to him that bears the Sword Rom. 13. and a Sword-man an Apostle or Bishop must not be as our Saviour shewed when he gave Peter a check for drawing his Sword and smiting For he that smiteth with the sword shall perish by the sword that is he who is sent out to preach peace Fifthly touching the cause of excommunicating although this power hath been heretofore used for not appearing at the Bishops Court when he hath been summoned without any regard to the Calling or Righteousness of the man or for money or to bring in money which was an abuse intollerable yet there is no warrant by the Word of God to deliver over to Satan for any cause but scandalous living or blasphemous Heresie but for either of these causes there is as appeareth 1 Cor. 5. by the Apostles writing to have the incestuous person delivered over to Satan till he repented and to have all scandalous brethren Adulterers Railers Drunkards c. put from amongst them although Erastus denieth this to be a ground for excommunicating or putting the scandalous liver from the holy Communion for although but a Physitian he would seem to have so much skill in Divinity as to assert that none although most wicked who hold the true faith may lawfully be put from it because none such were kept from the Passeover but only such as were legally unclean 〈…〉 which uncleanness is now ceased therefore saith he none are now to be accounted unclean who are believers as though if legal uncleanness which was much lesser makes one unclean 〈…〉 but the uncleanness which is by sin doth not much more whenas that uncleanness which was only outward of this extending to the very conscience witness the Apostles saying to the unclean all things are unclean yea the very conscience is defiled and this is not clensed but by the bloud of Christ that by the bloud of buls goats For not keeping from the Passover the notoriously wicked by express Precept there may be this Reason yielded the keeping of the Passover was but a legal Ceremony and was to be eaten by all that were circumcised although not circumcised yet in heart and therefore neither Children nor Fools were debarred therefrom nor wicked livers it sufficed that they who did eat hereof were not legally unclean but the Lords Supper is so holy and separate from prophane use that whoso eateth and drinketh of it unworthily eateth and drinketh damnation to himself and this he doth whosoever doth not first examine himself and finding what a grievous sinner he hath been sorrows not therefore with Godly sorrow and confesseth it not neither is converted therefrom And if it be so how can they that rule in the Church but be accessary to their sin whom they know to be unworthy but put them not from participating of this holy Ordinance till that by repentance and promise of Reformation they be sanctified that so holy a thing may not be given but to the holy at the least so far forth as may be gathered from their own mouths although we cannot but admit of some unworthy whose wickedness is conceal'd but for the commonly known to be prophane or notoriously wicked even the Heathen abhorred from having them come to their sacrifices for one was at such times set to cry thus Procul procul este prophani for excommunicating blasphemous Hereticks we have S. Paul for our example who saith 1 Tim. 1.2 he delivered Hymeneus and Alexander to Satan that they might learn not to blaspheme that is for a chastisement of the blasphemous Heresies which they held that they might be made to recant as is the excommunicating of notorious Offenders that being by Satan terrified who is now let loose upon them they may be made to repent and although they suffer in their bodies this have their souls saved at the last day for some then being excommunicated were grievously handled in their bodies by Satan whereby they were made to know how cruelly they should be tormented in the life to come if they were not made thereby to repent as we may gather that the incestuous person at Corinth was for that he was so terrified after his excommunication 2 Cor. 2. that he was ready to be swallowed up of despair 6. Touching more or fewer Bishops making in this Kingdome It is not so convenient that their Diocesses should be so large as they have been because that although in former Ages it might be necessary when the land was not so populous to enlarge the limits of Bishopricks laying many more Towns together and sometime two Counties to make one Bishoprick and able Shepherds of whom Bishops might be made were more rare yet now thanks be to God Christian people having far more encreased in Cities Townes and Villages and Pastors of great ability both to preach and govern it were much more convenient that there should be more Bishops made in this Land not onely one to a City and the Villages circumjacent but to each City-like Town most Diocesses in England as now they are constituted being too great a burthen to their Bishops to bear as Moses sometime complained of the burthen of so numerous a Nation laid upon him alone and therefore desired the help of more Rulers and had by the Lord added unto him 72 whereby he and the people were more eased and the better enabled to do the work for which they were raised up As Diocesses now are some belonging to their Charge are so far off that they cannot know or ever hear their Bishop preach although he continueth amongst them many yeares neither can he know all the Clergy or their worthiness or unworthiness to encourage or reprove them according to their deserts and what a trouble and weariness is it to the people to be forced to travel some of them 30 or 40 miles to have their Causes heard and to be at the charge to retain Proctors to plead for them yea and sometimes Rectores Ecclesiae also but if more Diocesses should be made whence should means be raised to maintain so many Bishops Even out of the Bishopricks that now are and Deanaries and Prebendaries of which what use is there in the Church of Christ and of which Antiquity was utterly ignorant If it would please God to move the hearts of the Kings Majesty and the right Honorable and worthy Members
Letany and here because some petitions in the Letany are by some excepted against I will say somwhat in the justification thereof some except against this Remember not Lord our offences nor the offences of our fore Fathers As if in so saying we pray for the Dead but they are too captious that make this exception for the Lord threatneth to visit the sins of the Fathers upon the Children to the third and fourth Generation And to the same effect our Lord Jesus threateneth the Jews Matt. 23. to bring all the Righteous Blood that had been shed by their Forefathers upon them Wherefore we pray only against vengeance taking upon us for our own sins or the sins of our Forefathers against which who but a cavellar can speak Secondly They except against this from Fornication and all other deadly sin Good Lord deliver us As if hereby the Popish Doctrine that some sins are venial and some only deadly Rom. 6.23 were implyed when as the wages of any sin is death unlesse repented of and pardoned But although it be so yet there are some sins greater then others of which it is particularly said that they who do such things shall die Exek 18. Gal. 5.19 and never enter into the Kingdome of Heaven of which Fornication is one wherfore every lesser sin indangereth him that committeth it in respect of the second death yet there are some greater sins whereby the Soul is more indangered because few of them that live in such great sins have the grace given them to Repent we pray therefore to be kept from all sin but more especially against the greatest as David Psal 19.12 13. Cleanse me from secret faults and keep me from presumptuous sins so shall I be innocent from the great offence which is most deadly Thirdly They except against praying against sudden death for we ought all to be alwaies prepared for Death and to such as are prepared it can never be sudden But seeing no man liveth and sinneth not who can be alwaies so well prepared as he should be and who then hath not need to pray this Prayer And sudden dying is more uncomfortable to friends surviving and may prevent the setting of our houses in order which was granted in favour to Hezekiah and the parents blessing of his children before he die as Isaac and Jacob did and their giving instructions to those about them which commonly are most memorable to the edifying of the hearers at that time and their own commending of their Souls to God by prayer and the death of the wicked is sometimes spoken of as a suddain going down into the pit as we have heard that some of them have done in the very acting of some great sin Fourthly They except against that petition That God would preserve all Travelling by land or by Water Whenas by land there are some Theeves travelling and by water some Pirates murtherers But by saying all we mean only all that be travelling about their lawfull occasions only Fifthly They except against that wherein we pray That God would have mercy upon all men for which there is a plain place 1. Tim. 2. Let Prayers and supplications be made for all men and a reason added that God would that all should be saved neither doth it make against our praying thus that few shall be saved it is enough for us that God would not have any perish but turn from sin and live and therefore this we must pray for as we would not be found defective in doing our duty herein by God commanded and helping what we can all men towards Salvation leaving the successe to God Some other exceptions also be made against our Book of Common-Prayer Except taken as against the Collect of the second Sunday after Trinity Sunday wherein it is said Give unto us that which our prayers dares not perfume to ask As if there were any thing that we durst not pray for in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ when as he hath bidden us aske and ye shall have and said whatsoever ye aske in faith shall be done for you but the meaning is not that we dare not for our unworthynesse if we had not been warranted thereunto by his promise But thereupon we are made bold to aske the greatest boones in all the World the pardon of all our sins and Justification by faith and Salvation As for the exception taken to the words of the Prophet Ezek. Ezek. 18.21 22. in the beginning of our Divine Service not rightly rendred but so as may make a wicked man bold to go on in his sins till his last sicknesse At what time soever a sinner doth repent him of his sins from the bottom of his heart I will blot out all his wickednesse out of my remembrance saith the Lord Whereas the words of the Prophet are If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my Satutes and do that which is Lawfull and right he shall hereby live he shall not die all his transgressions that he hath committed shall not be mentioned unto him in his righteousnesse that he hath done he shall live Betwixt which and the Book of Common-Prayer there is this great difference there forgivenesse of sin is promised only upon repentance from the bottom of his heart which may be understood of hearty sorrow and no more when he seeth the Ax ready to be laid to the Root of the tree to cut it down which Ahab did when he saw judgements ready to come down upon him and Judas also repented and was exceedingly sorry in the Prophet there is turning from all his sins and keeping all the Statutes of the Lord and doing that which is lawfull and right required in him that would not die but live of wicked he must turn righteous which one being deadly sick and dying hath no time now to do although he be penitent and grieved at his heart for his sins for if it be in truth he hath yet but two parts of Repentance in him which Reprobates may have as in the two examples beforegoing confession of the mouth and contrition of the heart But for want of the third keeping the statutes of the Lord and doing contrary to that which he did before he cannot expect the fulfilling of the promise of Life made to them that do thus wherefore instead of this beginning it is necessary to set down the very words of the Prophet that there may be no occasion given to the wicked to think when they have in the publick place confessed and sorrowed for their sins a while they are forgiven and shall be saved although they turn not from them all no nor from any but return as the Dog to his vomit And hitherto of that which I have thought necessary to be considered and amended or not in our common Prayers and that not without shewing good and solid reason which ought to bear sway with all that are
good King when the people committed Idolatry with the brazen Serpent which had been by Moses set up and miraculous cures had been thereby wrought upon such as were stung by the fiery flying Serpents brake it down so ought every good Christian King to do by the Crosse that such an occasion of Superstition being taken away Laying on of hands the like sin may be no more committed As for Confirmation by the Bishops laying on of his hands in due time upon children that have been baptized there seemes to be a ground for it Heb. 6. where Imposition of hands is spoken of as one of the principles of the Christian Religion and that next to the Doctrine of baptism and therefore it is hereby intimated that Children which had been baptized were to come when they had attained to the knowledge of that which they were in their Baptism bound unto to have hands laid upon them by such as had power committed unto them to blesse them as the Apostles had that they might receive the Spirit of Grace and Sanctification as actual believers as being baptized and having the Apostles hands laid upon them received the Holy Ghost and spake with tongues as is to be seen specially Acts 8. where the Samaritans who believed being baptized by Philip when Peter was come and laid his hands upon them received the Holy Ghost but Philip had not commission thus to do and as was said before Bishops are the Apostles successors and therefore to them only it seemes that this power was given and that they ought to goe about in their limits to do this office and herein the Apostles had Christ for their example to whom little children were brought and he blessed them and required that it should so be done saying suffer little children to come unto me and forbid them not c. as being of availe towards the attayning of the kingdome of Heaven and therefore this is to be believed touching Christs blessing of little children although they were not then intelligent enough to believe actually but the Bishops blessing is to be after some knowledge attained unto as the Apostles laying on of hands was not but upon them that had knowledge and did prosess the true faith wherefore the Ordinance of conformation is not to be disallowed but not to be extolled as it is in the Church of Rome as a Sacrament and that not inferiour to Baptism and as necessary to Salvation it must needs be granted to be very necessary because a necessity is hereby put upon parents to teach their children betimes the ten Commandements the Creed and the Lords Prayer c. and to cause them to come to Church to be examined by the Minister as is appointed that the Catechism which is so short being learned by them they may be blessed and the work begun about them in their baptism perfected whereas if this Ordinance of conformation by imposition of hands and Praying be neglected neither will parents who are ignorant themselves or were not thus brought up have any care of teaching or getting their Children taught these things as by long experience hath proved too true and so many by Baptism received in their infancy to be Christians are for ignorance of the Christian Principles like Heathens differing only from them in this that they have been baptized which when they are grown up will avail them no more to Salvation then circumcision in the flesh did the Jew that was without the circumcision of the spirit wherefore let this most ancient custom of the Church be again revived and Ministers of the Gospel in all Churches streightly injoyned to Catechize as well as to Preach at the least till the children of their Parishes are made perfect in that so short a Catechism set forth by Authority and if any ministers mind moveth him to add more questions therunto he may find above 100 more interlaced in my Catechism put out near 40 years agoe and allowed and along time by many of my brethren in the Ministry used till that unhappy confusion came into our Church and under a pretence of more Reformation much more deformity came to the face of our fair Mother the Church of England and because Parents are generally most negligent in causing their Children to come to be Catechized and much more in teaching them at home it is as necessary to lay some pecuniary mulct upon them if they cause them not as is upon them if themselves be absent from the Church if our higher powers would take this into their serious consideration and strictly injoyn all Ministers to do their parts in Catechizing and Parents in teaching and causing their Children to come to becatechized instead of a most ignorant we should have a most knowing generation and where there is any Grace a more conscionable to live and do as with their own mouthes every one shall acknowledge to be his bounden duty but Bishops diocesses being so large that they cannot in person go about to lay their hands upon all that are instructed will it not be necessary to make deputies in more remote places to do it in their stead Of Matrimony Touching the proceedings and service in Matrimony by the Book of Common Prayer appointed these words which the Husband is bidden to say with my body I thee worship sound so ill as that most men take exceptions to them because they may be taken as implying the husbands making a God of his wife seeing as Christ saith Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve To take away this exception therefore if instead of those words these might be used And I will honour thee as the weaker vessel it would not be without ground in the Holy Scripture and of the going of the Priest immediately to the Lords Table the persons Married following and kneeling there to pray and to take the Communion what reason can be yeelded yea is there not reason against it it is a shew of worshipping and praying to the host as it is called as to Christ made of the Bread standing there Secondly there is danger of their unworthy receiving for want of examining themselves before to which they are then most probably indisposed as having their hearts then taken up with other pleasures Wherefore this also would be considered and no more injoyned they that are to be married being rather required at some other time before when there is a Communion reverently to receive it being duly prepared Now remaineth nothing more to be spoken to in the Book of Common Prayer The Visitatioâ— of the Sick but the Visitation of the Sick the Burial of the Dead and Thanksgiving for women comming to Church after Child-bearing in all which none other but the good spirit seemeth to have been the guid of such as thus ordered it and it is pitty that the order for the visitation of the sick is not generally followed being so Godly and comfortable And for