brought away the hollowed things out of mine house and so on from the 13. to the 15. verse of the same Chapter And to all this they were to add a set and a formal Prayer look down O Lord from thy holy Habitation from Heaven and bless thy people Israel and the Land which thou hast given us as thou swarest unto our Fathers vers 15. And then lastly as concerning the Sons of Aaron the Priests their Office was in Gods name to bless the Congregation after the daily Service was finisht and their custome was to go up together upon an eminent place for that purpose and there all of them lifting up their hands and the People bowing their heads one of the Priests was to pronounce the Blessing and he was tyed to a certain Form which is still Visitation of the sick retained in our Liturgy On this wise ye shall bless the Children of Israel saying the Lord bless thee and keep thee the Lord make his face to shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace From all these instances it doth plainly appear that the whole publick Service of God in all its Parts whether they did concern the People or the Levites or the Priests was of Old transacted by them according to set and solemn Forms at the Temple It is well known that besides the Temple at Jerusalem which was the only place of Sacrifices the Jews had especially after the long Captivity many Synagogues up and down in Cities at home and abroad where they were dispersed and we are told that in Jerusalem it self there were no less than an hundred and eighty Synagogues The exact time is not known when they were first Erected but that the Moral and standing Service of God was ministred in those Synagogues is altogether out of Question and some are of opinion that this Moral Service was answerable to that which was but with more solemnity celebrated at the Temple However that this Service Mr. Thorndike Rel. Assemb p. 227. was performed by Book is evident and plain For in every Synagogue there was an Officer part of whose business it was to read the Service This was that Minister spoken of in Luke 4. 20. One who was inferior to the Rulers and Elders of the Synagogue and correspondent to a Deacon in the Christian Church as the Learned Grotius tells us And Buxtorf affirms In Loc. Buxt in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rel. Assemb p. 56. that Precibus cantu Ecclesiae praeibat he went before the Congregation in Praying and Singing And the Learned Author before mentioned tells us out of Maimonides that when he stood up to Prayer he had his back to the people and his face towards the Elders and the Sanctuary and thence he rationally collecteth that he prayed according to a prescript Form because it is not to be supposed that an Inferiour Officer in the Synagogue should direct the Prayers of his betters but upon this ground because the Prayers had been composed afore by fit and competent persons and so might be Ministred by their Inferiours the Deacons of the Synagogues Besides the Noble and Learned French Protestant Du Plessis hath given us this account of the ordinary De Missa lib. 1. c. 3. Synagogue Service that it began with that general Confession of Sins which was used at the Temple over the Sacrifices the Form whereof is fetcht by him out of P. Fagius and by Mr. Ainsworth out of Maimonides O Lord thy people the house of Israel have sinned In Levit. 16. 21. and done iniquity and trespassed before thee O Lord make Attonement now for the sins and for the iniquities and for the trespasses that thy people the house of Israel have sinned and unrighteously done and trespassed before thee as it is written in the Law of Moses thy Servant Then followeth the singing of several whole Psalms composed by David and other Prophets together with set Prayers of Thanksgiving I conceive he meaneth those eighteen Benedictions which we find frequently mentioned and which the Jews say Ezra composed after the return from Babylon and if I mistake not Dr. Hammonds sense where he Citeth Seldens Notes upon Entychius these Prayers were begun with View of the direct Psal 51. 15. O Lord open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise the very form of words retained in S. James Liturgy and in ours before the Introite and concluded with Psal 31. 6. Into thy hands I commend my Spirit for thou hast redeemed me O Lord the God of Truth After this followed the Reading of the Law and the Prophets which was not Arbitrary left to the Readers pleasure what parts of Scripture to make choice of but certain Lessons were appointed for the day and the Law was divided into fifty four Sections and the Prophets into as many portions for every week a portion so that the Office was prescribed for the whole year Moreover the Scriptures being read at large they went to their Prayers again for the Church and for the Common-wealth for publick blessings and for particular private Mercies and so the Ruler of the Synagogue dismissed the Assembly with the usual and solemn Benediction I cannot imagine what more is needful to shew that the publick Service of God among the Jews was ordered into certain and set Forms both at the Temple and in their Synagogues that is that they had their Liturgy and Common-Service Book as the Christian Church had in after Ages and as the Church of England hath still Only I shall add Ex abundanti that even their more private Devotions were Prescript and Formal also And I instance in the solemnity of the Passover which was kept in their Private houses they had set Forms of words whereby they declared the meaning of the Mystery and of the institution of the Lamb the bitter Herbs and the unleavened Bread and this Declaration was called a shewing forth of the Passover to which the Apostle alludeth when he saith of the Lords Supper that it is a shewing forth of the Lords death 1 Cor. 11. 26. They had set Forms of words for the Consecration of the Bread and the Wine over the Bread they said Blessed le thou O Lord our God the King of the World which bringest forth Bread out of the Earth and over the Cup they said likewise Blessed be thou O Lord our God the King of the World which Createst the fruit of the Vine Lastly the whole action was concluded with singing of Psalms beginning at the hundred and thirteenth and so on to the end of the hundred and eighteenth which six Psalms were called by them the great Hallelujahs And I question not but as our Saviour used the usual or the like Form when he blessed the Bread and Wine so also that they used that great Hallelujah when the Evangelist tells us that He and his Disciples sang an Hymn and
still retained and defended in the Church of England is undoubtedly the old and the good way The truth is Aerius was the first man that ever durst affirm that a Bishop is not above a Presbyter in Power Order and Authority but he was counted a mad man for his pains and was ranked by the Church in the black Catalogue of Hereticks not onely for his Separation from the Catholick Bishops nor onely for his condemning of Catholick Customs nor onely for embracing the Heretical Sentiments of Arius but also for affirming that Presbyters were of equal power and authority with Bishops And yet I much question whether he spake his free opinion or onely said so out of envy and spight to Eustathius For Aerius would fain have been a Bishop himself but Eustathius stood in his way and for that reason he grew sullen dogged and envious and such men commonly vend some new opinion to be revenged for their disappointments and so did he this because he had not Merits enough to advance himself from a Presbyter to a Bishop he had it seems impudence enough to degrade a Bishop into a Presbyter I will not make any untoward Reflections upon those Disciples of Aerius who in these our days have greatly wounded Christianity by the same groundless and singular but confident Assertion Yet I think 't is no uncharitableness to wish for the Peace and Interest of Christendom that their tallons were well pared who are not content to scratch and deface the Walls of the Church unless they undermine the very pillars of it too those ancient and strong Pillars upon which the Church hath rested and by which Religion has been upheld even from the beginning 2. Having said thus much touching the Antiquity of our form of Government I proceed now to that which is another most material part of our Establishments that is the form of our Service-book or Liturgy Concerning which I will be bold to affirm and be bound to maintain against all parties whatsoever that whosoever doth either deprave or dis-esteem it must of necessity be either a very Ignorant or a very naughty person Very Ignorant if he doth not see that our Service is so correspondent to that of the Ancient Churches that no Church in Christendom this day can shew a more lively Monument of Antiquity than our Common-Prayer Book But a very naughty person if seeing and knowing this he doth presume yet to condemn it because he cannot in this respect condemn the Church of England but he must likewise condem all the Old Churches in the World which whether it be not an Argument of an Vnchristian and naughty Spirit I leave to all moderate men to Judge I am apt to hope that those calumnies and reproaches which our Liturgy hath been laden with have been occasioned by mens Ignorance of its excellencies And therefore to prevent those aspersions for the future if it be possible I shall endeavour to shew First the Antiquity of set forms of publick Prayer in general Secondly then the Antiquity of our English Liturgy in particular And when these two things be made to appear I hope the Church of England will be acquitted in this respect as following the Old way of serving God 1. Touching the Ancient use of set Forms of publick Prayer in general three things are proveable for the satisfaction of all Modest and Ingenuous People 1. That set Forms of Divine Service were used among the Ancient Jews 2. That set Forms of Divine Service were used also among the Primitive Christians 3. That after our blessed Lords Ascention in that interval between the Burial of the Synagogue and the setling of the Christian Church set Forms of Divine Service were allowed also even by the Holy Apostles These three Heads I shall insist on the more largely and particularly because they may serve to inform and satisfie many even prejudiced persons who have not searched into the bottom of things but have contented themselves with many superficial not to say groundless and impertinent Notions 1. First then it is manifest that the whole Body of Divine Service among the Jews did consist of several Prescript and set Forms At their Temple though a great part of their Service was Ceremonial and Typical consisting of divers kinds of Sacrifices and offerings which in the fulness of time were to be done away yet this was attended with Moral and Spiritual Services consisting of Praises and Prayers which were to continue for ever For the Levites whose office it was to stand every morning to thank and praise the Lord and likewise at the Evening were wont to perform their parts as with a world of 1 Chron. 23. 30. solemnity so also with Hymns and Songs that were composed and set to their hands Most of these were Psalms endicted by David some were framed by Asaph and other Prophets and all were put together into a Book out of which the Levites were appointed in the Name of the Congregation to worship and praise God in one of the outward Courts of the Temple while the Sacrifices were offering by the Priest within Hence it is that we find many Psalms directed to the chief Musitian for Tunes to be set unto them that the Sons of Jeduthun Korah and other Levites in their courses might sing them in Consort with wind Instruments and stringed Instruments of which there were divers kinds as Flutes Cornets Trumpets Cymbals Harps Psalteries c. according to the commandment of the Lord by his Prophets 2 Chron. 29. 25. And hence it is too that we find some Psalms framed on purpose to be used on some special occasion as particularly the 92 Psalm entituled a Song for the Sabbath day which was intended questionless to be sung solemnly on the Sabbath in memory of Gods rest upon that day and to give him thanks for his wonderful works of Creation and Providence And Lastly hence it is that the fifteen Psalms immediately following the Hundred and Ninetenth are called Psalms of Degrees or steps because the Levites were wont to sing them upon the fifteen Stairs upon each Stair one which were between the womens and the mens Court. Briefly we find it said expresly of King Hezikiah that he commanded the Levites to sing praises unto the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the Seer 2 Chron. 29. 30. So that it seemeth to be without question that all Acts of Divine Worship done by the Levites were performed in Prescript and set forms And let me add touching the People of Israel that when they presented their first fruits at the Sanctuary the offerer was to make an humble acknowledgement of Gods mercy to him and to the whole Nation in a set Form of words Deut. 26. 5. Thou shalt speak and say these words a Syrian ready to perish was my Father and so on to the Tenth Verse inclusively And at the end of their Tithing every man of them was to say these words before the Lord I have
deliver this City from evil days from famine from pestilence and from invasion Compare this Prayer with S. Cyprians words and then judge if he did not point to this or to some other Form to the same purpose and of the same strain Again whereas Celsus the Pagan slandered the Christians as men given to Magical Arts and Sorceries Origen who was but one remove from the times of the Apostles affirmes positively and upon certain experience that they who worship Orig. adv Cess lib. 6. the Lord of the Vniverse by Jesus Christ and live according to the Gospel using night and day constantly and rightly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Prayers which were Appointed cannot come under the power of Devils There is little Reason to doubt but that by these Prayers he means the Nocturnal and Diurnal Offices which we then prescribed and ordered by the Church and less Reason there is to fancy that such were not used in his time and for confirmation of this it is observeable that Origen himself else where quotes a customary Form then in use We frequently Orig. Hâ—om 11. in Jerem. say in our Prayers Grant us O Almighty God grant us a Portion with the Prophets grant us a place among the Apostles of thy Christ grant that we may be found followers of thine onely begotten Questonless this was an usual Form in the Alexandrian Liturgy and though we do not now find it in so many express words in the Liturgy ascribed to S. Mark yet we find in it a form to the same purpose grant us O Lord to have our Portion and inheritance with all thy Saints And in the Aethiopick Liturgy it is twice Lit. S. Marci in Anaphorâ Be propitious unto us O Lord and vouchsafe to make us joint-Possessors and partakers of the inheritance of the Apostles and cause us to follow their steps And again Lord write our names in the Kingdom of Heaven and joyn us with all thy Saints and Martyrs Furthermore Tertullian another African writer and somewhat Elder then Origen speaking of the Jam vero prout Scripturae leguntur aut Psalmi canuntur aut Adlocutiones proferuntur aut Petitiones delegantur c. Tert de Anima c. 3. Divine-service in his time which he calls Dominica Solennia reckons up four parts of it the Reading of Scripture the Singing of Psalms Allocutions and Petitions This place being throughly understood is very pregnant and full to our purpose 1. Here we have the reading of the Scriptures which in those early and pious times was perform'd not with that conciseness and brevity which was usual in after-ages but 't was Lectio fusissima and Lit. S. Jacob. large potions were read both out of the old and the new Testament 2. They Sung whole Psalms not only those composed by David and other Prophets among the Jews but as we shall see hereafter several Hymns and Songs of Praise which had been framed in the beginning by Faithful Christians and more immediately relating to the Christian Religion 3. But then a doubt may be moved what Tertullian means by those Allocutions which were made to the people and uttered at large for that I conceive to be his sence And the difficulty may be easily assoiled if we call to mind that in the Primitive times it was a general custome for the Deacon that read the service to direct the people in their devotion to tell them what they should pray for and to stir them up to beg such and such things of God calling upon them after this manner Let us pray let us pray earnestly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 let us pray on yet further and with an intense Zeal and other such Forms there were which he frequently used and then dictated to them the matter of their devotion to which all the people gave their Suffrages readily and with much fervency of Spirit Litany-wise Now these Forms of exhortation were called by the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which the Latines rendred Allocutions We call it Bidding of Prayers And though the custome be for certain Reasons grown much out of use among us yet there are many plain footsteps of it to Clem. Const be seen in our Liturgy especially in our Litany and Communion-service in which offices it was most used of old for the Minister is often ordered to say Let us pray let us pray And as to the custome it self it is so Ancient that I cannot find the beginning of it and 't was so universal that 't was observed in all the Primitive Churches for in all the Liturgies which I have yet seen either of the Eastern or Western or African Churches such Allocutory Expressions are still extant more or less Sometimes the Minister used short and concise Forms saying Let us Pray let us behave our selves reverently Lift up your hearts let us give thanks unto the Lord and to these the Congregation gave their customary Answers Sometimes these Allocutions were more large as for instance in that Prayer for Persons who intended to be Baptized to which several others did correspond the Minister said on this wise as we find in an African Liturgy Let us that are Believers pray for our brethren who prepare themselves for holy Illumination or Baptism and for their salvation let us beseech the Lord And the People answered Lord have mercy That our Lord God may please to confirm and strengthen them let us beseech the Lord Ans Lord have mercy That he may please to illuminate them with the light of knowledge and godliness let us beseech the Lord Ans Lord have mercy That he may please in due time to vouchsafe them the Laver of Regeneration and forgiveness of their sins let us beseech the Lord Ans Lord have mercy That he may please to regenerate them with water and the Holy Ghost let us beseech the Lord Ans Lord have mercy That he may please to give them a perfection of Faith let us beseech the Lord Ans Lord have mercy That he may please to gather them into the holy Fold of his Elect let us beseech the Lord Ans Lord have mercy O Lord save pity help and keep them by thy good Grace Ans Lord have mercy These and such Forms as these were undoubtedly used by the Churches of Christ in the first Ages of Christianity And these were the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Allocutions which Tertullian speaks of as used in his time and anon I shall make it probably appear that they were used before his time too 4. In the mean time it is observable that in the place before-cited he makes mention of Petitions also used in the Publick Assemblies of Christians By which I understand certain entire Prayers called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Collects when the requests of the Church were cast into one Body of Prayer offered up by the Minister to which the People answered Amen In the use of these he was the Apol. c. 30. mouth of
to pray by delivering to them a most perfect Form of his own conception And then that the Apostles themselves who were acted by the same Spirit should likewise conceive and give unto Christians Forms also I think no wise man will wonder and that they used not the Lords prayer themselves in all their Services I think none but a mad man will have the confidence to assert All which things being duely considered I will take upon me to affirm that as Set Forms of Divine Service were used by the Jews before and in the life-time of our Saviour and by all Christians after the Age of the Apostles so in that intermediate juncture of time between the Ascention of our Saviour and the setling of Christianity set Forms of divine service were for certain allowed and in all probability practised used and transmitted unto the Church by the Apostles themselves and their Fellow-labourers whose names were written in the Book of life And so the first thing is dispatched which I undertook to make out touching the Ancient use of Set Forms of Divine Service in General Thus far to be sure we tread in the old ways in that we worship the God of our Father as our old Fathers did by a set and prescript Form 2. Next I proceed to speak of this form in particular I mean our English Liturgy about which there have been longer contentions then were once between the Angel and the Divel disputing about the Body of Moses I shall not insist either upon Jude 9. the Order or the Expressions contained in our Service-book because all Churches of old have taken the liberty of varying somewhat in these respects though the main Body of their Liturgies was in a manner the same But my intent is to take notice of the substance of our Service-book and to observe what an Eye our Learned and pious Reformers had to the Ancient Model when they compiled this and to shew how agreeable our standing and ordinary offices are to those of Old in their general Frame and Contexture The incomparably Learned and Moderate Grotius though he was a Foreigner Grot. Ep. ad Gedeon a â—oet yet did us the right to affirm as a thing that was clear and certain that the Liturgy of the Church of England was sufficiently correspondent to the usages of the Ancient-Church And if knowing men would but take the pains to consider and compare the particulars they would find that our Liturgy is not onely agreeable to the oldest and Best but moreover that it is the most pure and most perfect Liturgy that is now known to be in the whole world We begin as it becometh sinners and Penitents with an The Confession De Missa lib. 1. c. 3. humble and hearty confession of our offences And if the Noble Du Plessis may be credited so did the Jews begin their service to which the Apostles and their Disciples did all conform The same was the custome of Christians in following times So the Authour de Autoritate ordine Officii Muzarabici tells us of the Christians in Spain who were mingled with the Arabs that they began their Service with a General Confession And so we find in the Rubrick at the beginning of the service on the Feast of St. De Aut. Et Ord. Off. Muzar c. 37. James faciâ prius confessione uti fit in Missis Latinis juxta usum Toletanum antiquum dicitur Introitus Confession being first made as in the Latine services it is usually done according to the Ancient use of Toledo the Introit is said In like manner Cassander tells Cassand Liturgic Cap. 1. 2. us of the Armenians that their Priest having put on his habits said the Confession before the Altar with bended knees and his head bowed down according to the custome of the Latines In both these Testimonis mention is made of the custome of the Latine Churches that the Confession of the Spanish course was according to the way of the Latines and that the Confession in the Armenian course was according to the custome of the Latines so that in the Latine Churches as well as in these Service was begun as with us with a general confession Now as for the Greek Church St. Basil tells us that Basil ep 63. ad Cler. Neocaesar in his time they did rise betimes a good while before day and went to the house of prayer and there with pain and affliction and incessant tears made Confession unto God and that with one mouth and with one heart every one professing his Repentance with his own tongue Indeed St. Basil saith that when this first course was over at break of day they made Confession again using a Penitential Psalm and so doth our Church order the one and fiftieth Psalm to be used after Morning Prayer and Litany on the first day of Lent and on other special days of See the Commination Fasting but 't is clear from his words that the first thing the Greeks did was to joyn in a solemn and devout Confession of their sins at their publick meeting together In like manner the Lords Prayer is constantly used in the The Lords Prayer â—nirance to our Morning and Evening Service And this is agreeable to the Ancient practice of the Church We meet together saith Tertullian that we may offer holy violence unto Tertul. Apol. c. 39. God besieging him by prayer there Prayer is intimated to have been their first business But then he saith elsewhere that the Lords Prayer was premised and used first as the foundation of their Devotion to which they Premissâ Iegitimae ordinaria oratione quasi fundamento accidentium jus est desideriornm jus est superstruendi c. Tert. de Oratione might add and on which they might build other occasional prayers having used that before And as touching our frequent use of the Lords prayer any man that consults the Ancient Liturgies may see how agreeable it is to the old way That short Address O Lord open thou our lips together with the Response And our mouth shall shew forth thy praise are part of Psal 51. 15. And it has been noted before that The Versicles the Jews used that Form before their Prayers and that Christians continued the use of it and is still to be seen in the Liturgy ascribed to S. James and in S. Chrysostomes The Doxology is a short Confession of our Faith in the The Gloria Patri Blessed Trinity and an Act of Adoration and Worship and moreover an Argument of the holiness of our purposes and therefore is fit to be used often as a signification that all our confessions praises prayers c. are intended and directed all of them to the Glory of God the Father Son and Holy Ghost That it was of Ancient and Vniversal use both in the Eastern and Western Churches is most certain and that it was used at the ends of Psalms before the fourth Council
on the late King Did he say moreover That God himself had eclips'd yea lost the brightest Beam of his Divine Glory that ever shin'd on this lower world if he had not some way or other brought That person to some eminent and preternatural punishment Why to shew by whom those Regicides were acted and whom they gratified and whose Interest they really serv'd we may remember that a Popish Priest mounted on Horse-back at Charing-cross vailed his Hat and flourish'd his Sword saying Now our greatest Enemy is gone And with what joy the news of it was receiv'd by the Romanists abroad and what great hopes they entertain'd of gaining England thereby Dr. Peter du Moulin who was well able to acquaint us hath given Answer to Philanax us a particular Account Have our imprudent Brethren laid all their Irons in the fire to procure a Toleration It was the way which Contzen the Jesuit advis'd That the Romanists in a Protestant Kingdom Subornatio petentium libertatem indulgentiam Contz Pol. 2. c. 18. § 6. Bellarm. in Tort. should suborn some and set them on work to crave Liberty and an Indulgence 'T was that which Cardinal Bellarmine had the confidence to advise K. James That he should grant a Toleration 'T was that which some hundreds of Papists were so greedy of that as Mr. Oates tells us they offered Cromwel that in case he would grant it they would renounce the Interest of the Stuarts such very Loyal good Subjects they were Dedication of his Narrat 'T was that which was once obtain'd by the joynt Interest of some whom our credulous Non-conformists took for their hearty Patrons though it hapned unluckily that one of them at the same time was a Popish Lord. 'T was that which Coleman again laboured for with all imaginable Zeal and by encouragements from the French King's Confessor endeavoured to purchase at any price and with any hazards and which he cajoled our Dissenters whom he plough'd with into fair hopes of In a word 't is that then which nothing can more oblige or gratifie the Romanists and especially the Priests at this juncture and critical point of time Did the Jesuits and their Complices lay a most horrid and devilish Plot here in England And did not an open Rebellion break out in Scotland at the same time And that we may know by whom those Rebels were acted it is notorious that Ireland and other Romish Priests were dispatcht away into the North to prepare them for Tumults and Hamilton a Jesuited Papist was in the Head of the Rebellion and their publick Declaration did smell so strong of Jesuitism for the Act of Supremacy was condemned the Covenants were revived the observation of the 29th of May was disclaimed and the Kings Authority in Ecclesiastical matters was called an Vsurping Power that we have no reason to doubt but that Declaration was drawn by the Jesuits finger Did the Papists here barbarously murder Sir Edmund-bury Godfrey And did not some Kirk-men in Scotland a little after most barbarously murder the Archbishop of St. Andrews Perhaps they themselves did not understand by what hands they were set on work but the Jesuits would greatly triumph were all the Bishops and Episcopal Divines in this Island served after the same manner 'T is endless and I hope unnecessary to reckon up every particular Instance which serveth to shew how the Disciples of Ignatius Loiola have all-along for many years abused our unwary Innovators and employed them as their Tools and unfortunate Instruments to execute those designes of theirs which we are all highly concern'd to oppose And those Instances which I have mentioned already were not intended to exasperate the minds of any Dissenters or to give them offence but rather to do them service as well as our selves For our common Cause and Interest doth lie at the stake and if they will please to consider things without passion and prejudice they will see but little reason for them to account me an Enemy because I have told them the Truth Were not they concern'd as well as others and were not the Interest of the Protestant Religion in open and extream danger I should not have chosen a Subject of this nature because I know how sharp and picquant Truth is especially when it appears in matters of Fact But though I do sincerely profess that for the well-fare of this Church and for the real good of our Dissenters themselves I could be content to offer up my life yet I do not think my self obliged as things stand to conceal my thoughts although I am sure to reap little thanks at the hands of some for divulging them However as I am perswaded that there are many among them who are men of good mindes and honest hearts so I hope that some of them will do themselves and the whole Nation that Right as both to consider that well-meaning men are sometimes easily impos'd upon and also to beware that they be not cheated by Knaves for the future And such I would beseech by all that is sacred and dear unto us that they would lay to heart the perilous condition of the Reformed Religion not in this Kingdom onely but by consequence in all parts of Europe too And have not our unhappy Divisions from the Old way been a sad occasion of this dismal Calamity Could the Jesuits hurt us were we of one minde and unanimous for that good Old way which did lead so many thousands of our Ancestors to Heaven Is it in our establish'd Churches and conformable Congregations that these Hornets do swarm and buzz and threaten us with Death Is it not in separate Meetings that they build their Nests And are they not those deluded people whom they coax and ride and instigate to do their jobs for them besides their own intentions Why since we are not ignorant of the Jesuits wiles methinks Indignation and Scorn and an English Spirit should be enough to keep us from being shamm'd into the Snare and would we but contend for the Ancient Paths it would be impossible for us to be in danger of those Evils which the common Enemy exposeth us unto or to lose that peace which he rifles us of by leading us a side into Avenues which are uncouth and unbeaten My Brethren when first the story of this Jesuitical and damnable Plot found credit in the world it was hoped by charitable and sober persons of the Church of England that you would have taken hold of that opportunity to have laid down your passions and united your selves with us for the common good of the Protestant Religion and when that worthy Magistrate was so basely assassinated there was reason to conclude that one of the Flock being so worried the rest would have ran together presently and been frighted into an Union But since you hold off still since we hear daily from the Press such ugly Reflections upon our Church which is altogether unconcern'd in the Plot onely