Initiation into the Covenant and Church of Christ which none that indeed are the Children of the promise should neglect As Coronation solemnizeth his entrance upon the Kingdome that had before the title And as Marriage solemnizeth that which before was done by consent So Baptism solemnizeth the mutual Covenant which before had a mutual consent and none is authorised to consent for Infants but those that by nature and Gods Law have the power of disposing of them and whose will is in sensu-forensi the Childrens will It solemnly investeth us in what we had an Antecedent right to and therefore belongs to none but those that have that right And this we are ready to make good by any fair Debate that you will allow us Nor is any thing done in private reiterated in publick but the solemn reception into the Congregation with the prayers for him and the publick declaration before the Congregation of the Infants now made by the God-fathers that the whole Congregation may testify against him if he does not perform it which the Ancients made great use of Repl. Do you not say in the Rubr. And let them not doubt but the Child so baptized is lawfully and sufficiently baptized and ought not to be baptized again And after I certify you that in this case all is well done c. And yet you do not renew all the Baptismal Covenant renouncing the flesh c. and ingaging into the Christian belief And that you may see that the Church of England taketh not all Infants infallibly to be regenerated by Baptism unlesse you grant that they repent to the substance of Baptism the Baptismal prayer is here used for the fore-baptized that God will give his holy Spirit to this Infant that he being born again and made heir of everlasting Salvation c. which sheweth that he is now supposed to be Regenerandus non regeneratus Do they pray for his Regeneration whom they account regenerate already You must either confess that there they repeat much of the substance of Baptism and take the Child as not baptized or else that they take the baptized Child to be not-regenerate And then we may well take them for unregnerate that shew no signs of it at years of discretion but live a carnal and ungodly life though they can say the Catechism and seek Confirmation Of the CATECHISM Though divers have been of late baptized without God-fathers yet many have been baptized with them and those may answer the Questions as they are the rest must answer according to truth But there 's no reason to alter the Rule of the Catechism for some mens irregularities Reply If you will have a Catechism proper to those that had God-fathers give leave to others to use one that will teach them as you say to answer according to truth And let us in the same have that liberty of leaving out the doubtful Opinion of God-fathers and God-mothers and that which we think too childish a beginning What is your name and let us use one that speaks more of the necessary Doctrines of Salvation and nothing but Necessaries We conceive this expression as safe as that which they desire and more fully expressing the Efficacy of the Sacrament according to S. Paul the 26 and 27. of Gal. 3. Where S. Paul proves them all to be Children of God because they were baptized and in their Baptism had put on Christ If Children then Heirs or which is all one Inheritors Rom. 8. 17. Reply By Baptism Paul means not the Carkase of Baptism but the Baptismal dedication and covenanting with God They that do this by themselves if at age or by Parents or Pro-parents authorized if Infants sincerely are truly members of Christ and children of God and Heirs of Heaven They that do this but hypocritically and verbally as Simon Magus did are visibly such as the others are really But really are still in the gall of bitternesse and bond of iniquity and have no part or lot in this businesse their hearts being not right in the sight of God This is that truth which we are ready to make good We conceive the present Translation to be agreeable to many antieâ—â— Copies therefore the change to be needlesse Repl. What antient Copy hath the Seventh day in the end of the fourth Commandment instead of the Sabbath day Did King James cause the Bible to be new translated to so little purpose We must bear you witnesse that in some Cases you are not given to change My duty towards God c. It is not true that there is nothing in that Answer which refers to the 4th Commandment for the last words of the Answer do orderlie relate to the last Commandment of the first Table which is the fourth Repl. And think you indeed that the 4th Commandment obligeth you no more to one day in seven than equally to all the dayes of your life This Exposition may make us think that some are more serious than else we could have imagined in praying after that Commandment Lord have mercy upon us and encline our hearts to keep this Law Two only as generally necessary to salvation c. These words are a Reason of the Answer that there are two only and therefore not to be left out Repl. The words seem to imply by distinction that there may be others not so necessary and the Lords Supper was not by the Antients taken to be necessary to the salvation of all We desire that the entring of Infants c. The effect of Childrens Baptism depends neither upon their own present actual Faith and Repentance which the Catechism saith expresly they cannot perform nor upon the Faith and Repentance of their natural Parents or Pro-parents or of their Godfathers or Godmothers but upon the Ordinance and Institution of Christ But it is requisite that when they come to age they should perform these Conditions of Faith and Repentance for which also their Godfathers and Godmothers charitably undertook on their behalf And what they do for the Infant in this Case the Infant himself is truly said to do as in the Courts of this Kingdom daily the Infant does answer by his Guardian and it is usual for to do homage by proxy and for Princes to marry by proxy For the further justification of this Answer See St. Aug. Ep. 23. ad Bonifac. Nihil aliud credere quam sidem habere ac per hoc cum respondetur Parvulum credere qui fidei nondum habet effectum respondetur Fidem habere propter fidei Sacramentum convertere se ad Deum propter Conversionis Sacramentum quia ipsa responsio ad celebrationem pertinet Sacramenti itaque parvulum etsi nondum fides illa quae in credentium voluntate consistit tamen ipsius sidei Sacramentum fidelem facit Repl. 1. You remove not all the inconvenience of the words that seemeth to import what you your selves disclaim 2. We know that the effects of
13. and therefore should be continued still as well as Te Deum Ruffin Apol. cont Hieron or Veni Creator which they do not object against as Apocryphal Reply You much discourage us in these great straits of time to give us such loose and troublesome citations you turn us to Ruffin Apol. in gross and tell us not which of the Councils of Tolet among at least 13. you mean but we find the words in Council 4. But that provincial Spanish Council was no meet Judge of the Affairs of the universal Church unto the universal Church nor is it certain by their words whether quem refer not to eadem rather than to Hymnum but if you so regard that Council remember that Can. 9. it is but once a day that the Lords prayer is in joyned against them that used it on the Lords day only and that Can. 17. it is implyed that it was said but once on that day The Benedicite is somewhat more cautelously to be used than humane Compositions that professe to be but humane when the Apocryphal writings that are by the Papists to be Canonical and used so like the Canon in our Church we have the more cause to desire that a sufficient distinction be still made In the Letany Sect. 1. The alterations here desired are so nice as if they that made them were given to change Reply We bear your Censure but professe that if you will desert the products of Changers and stick to the unchangeable Rule delivered by the Holy Ghost we shall joyfully agree with you Let them that prove most given to change from the unchangeable Rule and Ensamples be taken for the hinderers of our unity and peace Sect. 2. From all other deadly sin is better than From all other hainous sin upon the reason here given because the wages of sin is death Reply There is so much mortal poison in the Popish distinction of mortal and venial sin by which abundance of sins are denied to be sins at all properly but only Analogically that the stomack that feareth it is not to be charged with niceness The words here seem to be used by way of distinction and all deadly sin seemeth not to be spoken of all sin And if so your reason from Rom. 6. 23. is vain and ours firm Sect. 3. From sudden death as good as From dying suddenly which therefore we pray against that we may not be unprepared Reply We added unprepared as expository or hinting to shew the reason why sudden death is prayed against and so to limit our prayers to that sudden death which we are unprepared for there being some wayes of sudden death no more to be prayed against than death it self simply considered may When you say from sudden death is as good as from dying suddenly we confess it is But not so good as from dying suddenly and unpreparedly we hope you intend not to make any believe that out turning the Adjective to an Adverb was our Reformation And yet we wondred to hear this made a common jest upon us as from those that had seen our papers Would you have had us said from sudden and unprepared death you would then have had more matter of just exception against the words unprepared death than now you have against dying suddenly A man may be well prepared to die suddenly by Martyrdom for Christ or by War for his Prince and many other wayes Sect. 4. All that travel as little lyable to exception as those that travel and more agreeable to the phrase of Scripture 1 Tim. 1. 2. I will that prayers be made for all men Reply An Universal is to be understood properly as comprehending all the Individuals and so is not an Indefinite And we know not that we are bound to pray for Thieves and Pyrates and Traytors that travel by land or water on such errands as Faux or the other Powder-plotters or the Spanish Armado in 88. or as Parry or any that should travel on the Errand as Clement or Raviliac did to the two King Henry's of France Are these Niceties with you Sect. 5. P. 16. The 2d Collect c. We do not find nor do they say what is to be amended in these Collects therefore to say any thing particularly were to answer to we know not what Reply We are glad that one word in the proper Collects hath appeared such to you as needs a Reformation especially when you told us before that the Liturgy ws never found fault with by those to whom the name of Protestant most properly belongs which lookt upon our hopes of Reformation almost as destructively as the Papists Doctrine of Infallibility doth when we dealt with them As for the Collects mentioned by us you should not wonder that we brought not in a particular Charge against them For first we had a conceit that it was best for us to deal as gently tenderly as we could with the faults of the Liturgy and therefore we have under our Generals hid abundance of particulars which you may find in the Abridgement of the Lincolnshire Ministers and in many other Books And Secondly we had a conceit that you would have vouchsafed to treate with us personally in presence according to the sense of his Majestie 's Commission and then we thought to have told you particularly of such matters but you have forc'd us to confess that we find our selves deceived The Communion Service Sect. 1. P. 17. Kyries To say Lord have mercy upon us after every Commandment is more quick and active than to say it once at the Close and why Christian people should not upon their knees ask their pardor for their life forfeited for the breach of every Commandment and pray for Grace to keep them for the time to come they must be more than Ignorant that can cruple Reply We thank you for saying nothing against our four first requests though we are thought more than Ignorant for our scruple we can truly say We are willing to learn But your bare opinion is not enough to cure Ignorance and more By your reason you may make kneeling the Gesture for hearing the Scriptures read and hearing Sermons and all If you will but interweave prayers he must be more than Ignorant that will not kneel The universal Church of Christ was more than Ignorant for many hundred years that not only neglected but prohibited Genuflexion in all adoration each Lords day when now the 20th of Exod. or 5th of Deut. may not be heard or read without kneeling save only by the Clergy Sect. 2. P. 18. Homilies Some Livings are so small that they are not able to maintain a licenced Preacher and in such and the like Cases this provision is necessary nor can any reason be given why the Minister's reading a Homily set forth by common Authority should not be accompted preaching of the Word as well as his reading or pronouncing by heart a Homilie or Sermon of his own or any other mans Repl. When
scandalous sinner may come to make this thanksgiving THus have we in all humble pursuance of his Majesties most gracious endeavours for the publick weal of this Church drawn up our thoughts and desires in this weighty affair which we most humbly offer to his Majesties Commissioners for their serious and grave confideration wherein we have not the least thoughts of depraving or reproaching the Book of Common-Prayer but a sincere desire to contribute our endeavours towards leading the distempers and as far as may be reconciling the minds of Brethren And in as much as his Majesty hath in his gracious Declaration ond Commission mentioned new Forms to be made and suited to the several parts of worship we have made a considerable progresse therein and shall by Gods assistance offer them to the reverend Commissioners with all convenient speed And if the Lord shall graciously please to give his blessing to these our endeavours we doubt not but that the peace of this Church will be shortly setled The hearts of Ministers and People comforted and composed and the great mercy of Unity and Stability to the immortal honour of our most dear Soveraign bestowed upon us and our posterity after us August 30. 1661. FINIS To the most Reverend ARCHBISHOP AND BISHOPS And the Reverend their Assistants Commissioned by his Majesty to treat about the Alteration of the Book of Common Prayer Most Reverend Father and Reverend Brethren WHen we received your Papers and were told that they conteined not onely an answer to our Exceptition against the present Liturgy But also severall Concessions wherein you seem willing to joyn with us in the Alteration and Reformation of it Our expectations were so far raised as that we promised our selves to find our Concessions so considerable as would have greatly conduced to the healing of our much to be lamented Divivisions the setling of the Nation in Peace and the satisfaction of tender Consciences according to his Majesties most gracious Declaration and his Royal Commission in pursuance thereof but having taken a survey of them we find our selves exceedingly disappointed and that they will fall far short of attaining those happy Ends for which this meeting was first designed as may appear both by the paucity of the Concessions and the inconsiderablenesse of them they being for the most part Verbal and Literal rather then Real and Substantial for in them you all allow not the laying aside of the reading of the Apocrypha for Lessons though it shut out some bundreds of Chapters of Holy Scripture and sometimes the Scripture it self is made to give way to the Apochryphal Chapters you plead against the addition of the Doxology unto the Lord's prayer you give no liberty to omit the too frequent repetition of Gloria Patria nor of the Lord's Prayer in the same publick Service nor do you yield the Psalmes be read in the new Translation nor the word Priest to be changed for Minister or Presbyter though both have been yielded unto in the Scottish Liturgy you grant not the omission of the Responsals no not in the Let any it self though the Petitions be so framed as the people make the prayer and not the Minister nor to read the Communion service in the Desk when there is no Communion but in the late Form instead thereof it is enjoyned to be done at the Table through there be no Rubrick in the Common Prayer book requiring it you plead for the bolinesse of Lent contrary to the statute you indulge not the omission of any one Ceremony you will force men to kneel at the Sacrament and yet not put in that excellent Rubr. in the v. and vj. of Edw. 6. which would much conduce to the satisfaction of many that scruple it And whereas divers Reverend Bishops and Doctours in a paper in Print before these unhappy Wars began yielded to the laying aside of the Crosse and the making many material alterations you after xx years sad calamities and divisions seem unwilling to grant what they of their own accord then offered you seem not to grant that the clause of the fourth commandement in the Common Prayer book the Lord blessed the seventh day should be altered according to the Hebr. Exod. 20. the Lord blessed the Sabbath day you will not change the word Sunday into the Lord 's day nor adde any thing to make a difference between Holidaies that are of Humane Institution and the Lord's day that is questionlesse of Apostolicall practise you will not alter Deadly Sin in the Letany into Heynous Sin though it hints to us that some sins are in their own nature Venial nor that Answer in the Catech. of two Sacraments onely generally necessary to salvation although it intimates that there are New Testament Sacraments though Two onely necessary to salvation you speak of singing David 's Psalmes allowed by Authority by way of contempt calling them Hopkins Psalmes and though singing of Psalmes be an Ordinance of God yet you call it one of our principal parts of VVorship as if it were disclaimed by you And are so far from countenancing the use of conceived prayer in the publick VVorship of God though we never intended thereby the excluding of set Forms as that you seem to dislike the use of it even in the Pulpit and heartily desire a total restaint of it in the Church you will not allow the omission of the Benedicite nor a Psalm to be read instead of it nor so much as abate the reading of the chapters out of the Old Testament and the Acts for the Epistles But rather then you will gratifie us therein you have found out a new device that the Minister shall say for the Epistle you will not so much as leave out in the Collect for Christmas day these words this day though at least it must be a great uncertainty and cannot be true stylo veteri novo In publick Baptism you are so far from giving a liberty to the parent to answer for his own child which seems most reasonable as that you force him to the use of sureties and cause them to answer in the name of the Infant that he doth believe and repent and forsake the devil and all his worke which doth much favour the Anabaptistical opinion for the necessity of an actual profession of Faith and Repentance in order to Baptism you will not leave the Minister in the visitation of the sick to use his judgment of discretion in absolving the sick person or in giving the Sacrament to him but enjoyn both of them though the person to his own judgment seem never so unfit neither do you allow the Minister to pronounce the absolution in a Declarative and conditional way but absolutely and conditionately And even in one of our concessions in which we suppose you intend to accommodate with us you rather widen then heal the breach for in your last Rubr. before the Catech you would have the words thus altered That Children being
of affairs or if you will not hear us we beseech you hear the many Ministers in England that never medled against the Liturgie and the many moderate Episcopal Divines that have used it and can do still and yet would earnestly entreat you to alter it partly because of what in it needs alteration and partly in respect to the Commodity of others Or at least we beseech you recant and obliterate such passages as would hinder all your selves from any act of Reformation hereabout that if any man among you would find fault with some of the grosser things which we laid open to you tenderly and spiringly and would reform them he may not presently forfeit the reputation of being a Protestant And lastly we beseech you denie not again the name of Protestants to the Primate of Ireland the Archbishop of York and the many others that had divers meetings for the Reformation of the Liturgy and who drew up that Catalogue of faults or points that needed mending which is yet to be seeu in print they took not advantage of their own unwarrantable Acts for the attempting of that alteration The third and fourth Proposals may go together the demand in both being against Responsals and alternate Readings in Hymns and Psalmes and Letany c. And that upon such Reason as doth in truth enforce the necessity of continuing them as they are namely for edification They would take these away because they do not edifie and upon that very reason they should continue because they do edifie If not by informing of our reasons and understandings the Prayers and Hymns were never made for a Catechism yet by quickening continuing and uniting our devotion which is apt to freeze or sleep or flat in a long continued Prayer or form it is necessary therefore for the edifying of us therein to be often called upon and awakened by frequent Amens to be excited and stirred up by mutual exultations provocations petitions holy contentions and strivings which shall most shew his own and stir up others zeal to the glory of God For this purpose alternate Reading Repetitions and Responsals are far better than a long tedious Prayer Nor is this our opinion only but the Judgement of former Ages as appears by the practice of ancient Christian Churches and of the Jewes also But it seems they say to be against the Scripture wherein the Minister is appointed for the People in publick Prayers the peoples part being to attend with silence and to declare their assent in the cloze by saying Amen if they mean that the people in publick Services must only say this word Amen as they can no more prove it in Scriptures so it doth certainly seem to them that it cannot be proved for they directly practise the contrary in one of their principal parts of Worship singing of Psalms where the people bear as great a part as the Minister If this way be done in Hopkin's why not in David's Pslams if in Meetre why not in Prose if in a Psalm why not in a Letany Reply What is most for edification is best known by experience and by the reason of the thing For the former you are not the Masters of all mens experience but of your own and others that have acquainted you with the same as theirs We also may warrantably professe in the name of our selves and many thousands of sober pious persons that we experience that these things are against our edification and we beseech you do not by us what you would not do by the poor labouring servants of your family to measure them all their dyet for quality or quantity according to your own appetites which they think are diseased and would be better if you work'd as hard as they And we gave you some of the reasons of our judgment 1. Though we have not said that the people may not in psalmes to God concur in voice we speak of prayer which you should have observed and though we only concluded it agreeable to the Scripture practice for the people in prayer to say but their Amen yet knowing not from whom to understand the will of God and what is pleasing to him better than from himself we considered what the Scripture saith of the ordinary way of publick worship and finding ordinarily that the people spoke no more in prayer as distinct from Psalmes and praise than their Amen or meer consent we desired to imitate the surest pattern 2. As we find that the Minister is the mouth of the people to God in publick which Scripture and the necessity of order do require so we were loath to countenance the peoples invading of that Sacred Office so far as they seem to us to do 1. By reading half the Psalmes and Hymnes 2. By saying half the Prayers as the Minister doth the other half 3. By being one of them the mouth of all the rest in the Confession at the Lords Supper 4. By being the only Petitioners in the far greatest part of all the Letanie by their good Lord deliver us and we beseech thee to hear us good Lord while the Minister only reciteth the matter of the prayer and maketh none of the Request at all we fear lest by parity of reason the people will claim the work of preaching and other parts of the Ministerial Office 3. And we mentioned that which all our ears are witnesses of that while half the Psalmes and Hymnes c. are said by such of the people as can say them the murmure of their voices in most Congregations is so intelligible and confused as must hinder the edification of all the rest For who is edified by that which he cannot understand we know not what you mean by citing 2 Chron. 7. 1 4. Ezra 3. 11. where there is not a word of publick prayer but in one place of an Acclamation upon an extraordinary sight of the Glory of the Lord which made them praise the Lord and say He is good for his Mercy is for ever When the prayer that went before was such as you call a long tedious prayer uttered by Solomon alone without such breaks and discants And in the other places is no mention of prayer at all but of singing praise and that not by the people but by the Priests and Levites saying the same words for he is good for his Mercy endures for ever towards Israel The people are said to do no more than shout with a great shout because the foundation of the house was laid and if shouting be it that you would prove it 's not the thing in question Let the ordinary mode of praying in Scripture be observed in the Prayers of David Solomon Ezra Daniel or any other and if they were by breaks and frequent beginnings and endings and alternate interlocutions of the people as yours are then we will conform to your mode which now offends us But if they were not we beseech you reduce yours to the examples in the Scripture
that on Sunday that is so called by Heathens the Christians hold their meetings See the usage of the Church in this point in August Cont. Faustum Manithaeum Lib. 18. Cap. 5. Singing of Psalms in Meeter is no part of the Liturgy and so no part of our Commission Repl. If the word Liturgy signifie the publick Worship God forbid we should exclude the singing of Psalms And sure you have no fitter way of singing than in Meeter when these and all Prayers conceived by private men as you call the Pastors whether prepared or excemporate and by purity of reason-preaching are cast out what will your Liturgy be We hope you make no question whether singing Psalms and Hymns were part of the Primitive Liturgy and seeing they are set forth and allowed to be sung in all Churches of all the people together why should they be denyed to be part of the Liturgy we understand not the reason of this N. 13. 14. The 13. and 14. we suppose you grant by passing them by The phrase is such c. The Church in her Prayers useth no more offensive phrase than St. Paul uses when he writes to the Corinthians Galathians and others calling them in general the Churches of God Sanctified in Christ Jesus by vocation Saints amongst whom notwithstanding there were many who by their known sins which the Apostle endeavoured to amend in them were not properly such yet he gives the denomination to the whole from the greater part to whom in charity it was due And puts the rest in mind what they have by their Baptisme undertaken to be and what they profess themselves to be and our prayers and the phrase of them surely supposes no more than that they are Saints by calling sanctified in Christ Jesus by their Baptisme admitted into Christs Congregation and so to be reckoned members of that Soeiety till either they shall separate themselves by willful Schisme or be separated by legal Excommunication which they seem earnestly to desire and so do we Repl. But is there not a very great difference between the Titles given to the whole Church as you say from the greater part as the truth is from the better part though it were the lesse and the Titles given to Individual members where there is no such reason we call the Field a Corn field though there be much Tares in it because of the better part which denominateth But we will not call every one of these Tares by the name of Corn. when we speak of the Church we will call it holy as Paul doth But when we speak to Simon Magus we will not call him holy but say Thou art in the gall of bitternesse and the bond of Iniquity and hast no part or lot in this matter c. We will not perswade the people that every notorious Drunkard Fornicator Worldling c. that is burried as a Brother of whose Resurtection to life Eternal we have sure and certain hope and all because you will not Excommunicate them We are glad to hear of your desire of such Discipline But when shall we see more than desire and the edge of it be turned from those that fear sinning to those that fear it not The Connexion of the parts of our Liturgy is conformable to the Example of the Churches of God before us and have as much dependence as is usually to be seen in many petitions of the same Psalm and we conceive the Order and Method to be excellent and must do so till they tell us what that Order is which Prayers ought to have which is not done here Repl. There are two Rules of Prayer one is the nature of the things compared in matter and order with nature and necessity The other is the revealed will of God in his word In general the holy Scripture more especially the Lords Prayer The Liturgy for the greatest part of the Prayers for daily use is confused by which soever of those you measure it You seem much to honour the Lords Prayer by your frequent use of it or part of it we beseech you dishonour it not practically by denying it for matter and order to be the only ordinary perfect Rule we know about particular Administrations when it is but certain select requests that we are to put up suited to the particular subject and occasion we cannot follow the whole method of the Lords Prayer which containeth the heads of all the parts where we are not to take in all the parts we cannot take them in that order But that none of all your Prayers should be formed to the perfect Rule that your Let any which is the comprehensive Prayer and that the body of your daily Prayers broken into several Collects should not as set together have any considerable respect unto that order nor yet to the order which reason and the nature of the thing requireth which is observed in all things else and yet that you should admire this and be so tenacious of that which in conceived Prayer you would call by worse names than confusions this shews us the wonderful power of prejudice We were thus brief in this exception lest we should offend by instances But seeing you conceive the order and method to be excellent and to be willing to hear more as to this and the following exception we shall annex a Catalogue of defects and disorders which we before forbore to give you The Psalmes have ordinarily an observabe method If you find any whose parts you cannot so well set together as to see the beauty of method will you turn your eye from the rest and from the Lords Prayer and choose that one to be your President or excuse disorder on that pretence The Collects are made short as being best for devotion as we observed before and cannot be accounted faulty for being like those short but prevalent Prayers in Scripture Lord be merciful to me a Sinner Son of David have mercy on us Lord encrease our Faith Repl. We do in common speech call that a Prayer which containeth all the substance of what in that businesse and addresse we have to say unto God and that a Petition which containeth one single request usually a Prayer hath many Petitions Now if you intend in your addresse to God to do no more than speak a transient request or ejaculation which we may do in the midst of other businesse then indeed your instances are pertinent But why then do you not give over when you seem to have done but come again and again and offer as many Prayers almost as Petitions This is to make the Prayer short as a Sermon is that is cut into single Sentences every Sentence having an exordium and Epilogue as a Sermon but it is to make the Prayers much longer than is needful or suitable to the matter Do you find this the way of the Saints in Scripture Indeed Abraham did so when Gods interlocution answering the first Prayer called him to
vary his request Gen. 18. But that 's not our case The Psalms and Prayers of David Solomon Hezekiah Asa Ezra Nehemiah Daniel and the other Prophets of Christ himself Joh. 17. are usually one continued speech and not like yours as we said before Why the repeated mention of the Name and Attributes of God should not be more pleasing to any godly person we cannot imagine or what burden it should seem when David magnified one Attribute of Gods mercy 26. times together Psal 36. Nor can we conceive why the Name and merits of Jesus with which all our Prayers should end should not be as sweet to us as to former Saints and Martyrs with which here they complain our Prayers do so frequently end since the Attributes of God are the ground of our hope of obtaining all our Petitions such Prefaces of Prayers as are taken from them though they have no special respect to the Petitions following are not to be termed unsuitable or said to have fallen rather casually than orderly Repl. As we took it to be no Controversy between us whether the mention of Gods Name is deservedly sweet to all his Servants So we thought it was none that this reverend Name is reverently to be used and not too lightly and therefore not with a causelesse frequency tossed in mens mouthes even in prayer itself and that tautologies and vain repetitions are not the better but the worse because Gods Name is made the matter of them It is not you that have expressed your offence as well as we against those weak Ministers that repeat too frequently the Name and Attributes of God in their extemporate Prayers And is it ill in them and is the same and much more well in the Common Prayer O have not the Faith or worship of our glorious God in respect of persons Let not that be called ridiculous idle impertinent or worse in one which is accounted commendable in others Do you think it were not a faulty crossing of the mind and method of Jesus Christ if you should make 6. Prayers of it he 6. Petitions of the Lords Prayer and set the Preface and Conclusion unto each as Our Father which art in Heaven hallowed be thy Name for thine is the Kingdome c. and so over all the rest Yet we know that the same words may be oft repeated as David doth Gods enduring mercy without such tautological vanity when it is not from emptinesse or neglect of order or affectation But in Psalms or Hymns where affections are to be elevated by such figurative elegancies and strains as are best beseeming Poetry or Rapture we are not against such repetitions But if we may according to the Common-Prayer-book begin and end and begin and seem to withdraw again and make a Prayer of every Petition or two and begin and end every such petition with Gods name and Christs merits as making up half the form or near nothing is an affected empty tossing of Gods name in Prayer if this be not We are perswaded if you should hear a man in a known extemporate prayer do thus it would seem strange and harsh even to your selves There are besides a preparative Exhortation several preparatory prayers 1. Despise not O Lord humble and contrite hearts Which is one of the sentences in the Preface And this That those things may please him which we do at this present at the end of the Absolution And again immediately after the Lords Prayer before the Psalmody O Lord open thou our Lips c. Repl. Despise not O Lord humble and contrite hearts is not prayer for assistance and acceptance in that Worship suited to the duty of a people addressing themselves to God But it is recited as a Scripture invitation to repentance and that those things may please him which we do at this present are no words of Prayer but part of an exhortation to the people and O Lord open thou our lips comes after the Exhortation Confession Absolution and Lords Prayer and ergo is not in the place of such an Address as we are speaking of What will not seem to justify what we have a mind to justify and to condemn that which we have a mind to condemn This which they call a defect others think they have reason to account the perfection of the Liturgy the Offices of which being intended for common and general services would cease to be such by descending to particulars as in confession of Sin while it is general all persons may and must joyn in it since in many things we offend all But if there be a particular enumeration of sins it cannot be so general a confession because it may happen that some or other may by Gods Grace have been preserved from some of those sins enumerated and therefore should by confessing themselves guilty tell God a Lye which needs a new Confession Repl. If general words be its perfection it s very culpable in tediousnesse and vain repetitions For what need you more than Lord be merciful to us sinners There 's together a general confession of Sin and a general Prayer for mercy which comprehend all the particulars of the peoples Sins and wants We gave you our reason which you answer not Confession is the exercise of Repentance and also the helper of it And it is noe true repentance which is not particular but only general If you say that you repent that you have sinned and know not where or do not repent of any particular sin you do not indeed repent for Sin is not existent but in the Individuals And if you ask for grace and know nor what grace or desire no particular graces indeed you desire not grace at all We know there is time and use for general Confessions and Requests But still as implying particulars as having gone before or following or at least it must be supposed that the people understand the particulars included and have inward confessions and desires of them Which cannot here be supposed when they are not all mentioned not can the people generally be supposed to have such quick and comprehensive minds nor is there leisure to exercise such particular repentance or desire while a general is named And we beseech you let Scripture be Judge whether the Confessions and Prayers of the Servants of God have not been particular As to your objection or reason we answer 1. There are general Prayers with the particular or without them 2 There are particular Confessions and Prayers proper to some few Christians and there are others common to all It is these that we expect and not the former 3. The Churches Prayers must be suited to the body of the Assembly though perhaps some one or few may be in a state not fit for such expressions What a lamentable Liturgy will you have if you have nothing in it but what every one in the Congregation may say as true of and suitable to themselves Then you must leave out all
the land of our Nativity as Maris told Julian He thank't God that had deprived him of his sight that he might not see the face of such a man Socrat. Hist l. 3. c. 10. So we shall take it as a little abatement of our affliction that we see not the Sins and Calamities of the people whose peace and welfare we so much desire Having taking this opportunity here to conclude this part with these Requests and Warnings we now proceed to the second part containing the particulars of our Exceptions and your Answers Concerning Morning and Evening Prayer Sect. 1. Rubr. 1. We think it fit that the Rubrick stand as it is and all to be left to the discretion of the Ordinary Reply We thought the end and use more considerable than custom and that the Ordinary himself should be under the rule of doing to edification Sect. 2. Rub. For the reasons given in our Answer to the 18th General whither you refer us we think it fit that the Rubrick continue as it is Reply We have given you reason enough against the imposition of the usual Ceremonies and would you draw forth those absolute ones to increase the burden Sect. 3. Lords Pr. Deliver us from evil These words For thine is the Kingdom c. are not in S. Luke nor in the antient Copies of St. Matth. never mentioned in the antient Comments nor used in the Latin Church and therefore questioned whether they be part of the Gospel there is no reason that they should be alwayes used Reply We shall not be so over-credulous as to believe you that these words are not in the antient Copies It is enough that we believe that some few antient Copies have them not but that the most even the generality except those few have them The judgement of our English Translators and almost all other Translators of Matth. and of the reverend B of Chester among your selves putting the Copy that hath it in his Bible as that which is most receiv'd and approved by the Church do shew on which side is the chief authority if the few copies that want it had been thought more arthentick and credible the Church of England and most other Churches would not have preferred the copies that have this doxology And why will you in this contradict the later judgement of the Church expressed in the translation allowed and imposed The Syriack Ethiopick and Persian translations also have it and if the Syriack be as antient as you your selves even now asserted then the antiquity of doxology is there evident and it is not altogether to be neglected which by Chemnitius and others is conjectured that Pauls words in Tim. 4. 18. were spoken as in reference to this Doxology And as Pareus and other Protestants conclude it is more probable the Latrines neglected than that the Greeks inserted of their own heads this sentence The Socinians and Arrians have as fair pretence for their exception a ainst 1 John 5 6 7. Masculus saith non cogitant vero similius esse ut Graecorum ecclesia magis quà m Latina quod ab Evangelistis Graece scriptum est integrum servârit nihilque de suo adjecerit Quid de Graeca ecclesia dico vidi ipse vetustissimum Evangelium secundum Matth. Codicem Chaldaeis Elementis Verbis conscriptum in quo Coronis ista perinde atque in Graecis legebatur Nec Chaldaei solum sed drabes Christiani paciformiter cum Graecis orant Exemplar Hebraeum à docto celebri D. Sebast Munstero vulgatum hanc ipsam Coronidem habet Cum ergo consentiunt hâc in re Hebraeorum Chaldaeorum Arabum Graecorum Ecolesiae contra omnes reliquas tantum tribuitur authoritatis ut quod sâ—la diversum legit ab Evangelitis traditum esse credatur quod vero reliquae omnes concorditer habent orant pro addititio peregrino habeatur And that Luke hath it not will no more prove that it was not a part of the Lords Prayer than all other omissions of one Evangelist will prove that such words are corruptions in the other that have them All set together give us the Gospel fully and from all we must gather it Sect. 4. Lords Prâ—often used It is used but twice in the morning and twice in the Evening Service and twice cannot be called often much lesse so often For the Letany Communion Baptism c. they are Offices distinct from morning and evening prayer and it is not sit that any of them should want the Lord Prayer Reply We may better say we are required to use it six times every morning than but twice for it is twice in the Common morning prayer and once in the Letany once in the Communion service once at Baptism which in great Parishes is usual every day and once to be used by the Preacher in the Pulpit And if you call these distinct offices that maketh not the Lords Prayer the seldomer used sure we are the Apostles thought it fit that many of their prayers should be without the Lords Prayer Sect. 5. Glor. Patri This Doxology being a solemn Confession of the blessed Trinity should not be thought a burden to any Christian Liturgy especially being so short as it is neither is the repetition of it to be thought a vain repetition more than His mercy endureth for ever so often repeated Psal 136. We cannot give God too much glory that being the end of our Creation and should be the end of all our Services Reply Though we cannot give God too much glory we may too often repeat a form of words wherein his name and glory is mentioned there is great difference between a Psalm of praise and the praise in our ordinary prayers more liberty of repetition may be taken in Psalms and be an Ornament and there is difference between that which is unusual in one Psalm of 150. and that which is our daily course of worship When you have well proved that Christs prohibition of battology extendeth not to this Matth. 6. we shall acquiesce Sect. 6. P. 15. Ru. 2. In such places where they do sing c. The Rubr. directs only such singing as is after the manner of distinct reading and we never heard of any inconvenience thereby and therefore conceive this Demand to be needlesse Reply It tempteth men to think they should read in a singing tone and to turn reading Scripture into Singing hath the inconvenience of turning the edifying simplicity and plainness of Gods service into such affected unnatural strains and tones as is used by the Mimical and Ludicious or such as feign themselves in raptures and the highest things such as words and modes that signifie Raptures are most loathsome when forced feigned and hypocritically affected and therefore not fit for Congregations that cannot be supposed to be in such Raptures this we apply also to the sententious mode of prayers Sect. 7. Benedicite This Hymn was used all the Church over Conc. Tolet. Can.