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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
prayer_n	lesson_n	morning_n	psalm_n	3,247	5	9.9882	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A48863	The harmony between the old and present non-conformists principles in relation to the terms of conformity, with respect both to the clergie, and the people : wherein a short history of the original of the English liturgy, and some reasons why several truly conscientious Christians cannot joyn with the church in it : humbly presented to publick consideration in order to the obtaining some necessary relaxation and indulgence : to which are added some letters that pass'd between the Lord Cecil, and Arch-bishop Whitgift.	Lobb, Stephen, d. 1699.; Whitgift, John, 1530?-1604.; Burghley, William Cecil, Baron, 1520-1598.	1682 (1682)	Wing L2726; ESTC R23045	77,527	105

only form of prayer to be us'd in publique II. But to be more particular there are many among the Dissenters who are furnish'd with such Arguments as the Reader may find in the Abridgment of that book which the Ministers of Lincoln Diocess deliver'd to the King Anno 1605. as also in a part of the Register and among the reasons for Refusal of Subscription exhibited to Cotton Bishop of Exeter by the Devonshire and Cornish Ministry and in several other discourses as in Bayly's Parallel of the Liturgy with the Mass-book Ames his fresh suit against Ceremonies c. The which have fix'd such strong convictions on the Consciences of some Dissenters concerning the unlawfulness of the present Liturgy that they cannot safely joyn with any in the use of it Though some who have not receiv'd such powerfull impressions from the weight of those Arguments can read the Common Prayer and joyn with such as do to the end they may save themselves from the severity of Penal Lawes yet other Dissenters will rather submit themselves to the greatest extremities than venture to dishonour God by doing what they are convinc'd is a sin That the Reader may be mov'd to entertain some charitable thoughts concerning such persons and that the common objection that is laid in against their Non-Conformity which is Humour and Fancy and a Peevish Obstinacy may be fully answered I 'll give an Historical Account of some of those Arguments which do so fully convince some Dissenters that they cannot without laying an unnatural violence on their Families conform Argument I. I. They are perswaded that according to the Rubrick the same honour is put on the Apocryphal Books which is due alone to the Sacred Scriptures For they are appointed to be read as a part of the Old Testament without any note of difference from the Canonical In a discourse before the Common Prayer concerning the Service of the Church 't is asserted that nothing is ordained to be read but the very Pure word of God the Holy Scriptures or that which is agreable to the same beside this after the order how the Psalter is to be read 't is said in the Title how the rest of Holy Scripture is to be read under which Title several orders are to be found Namely 1. The Old Testament is appointed for the first Lessons at Morning and Evening Prayer so as the most part thereof will be read every year once and in the 3d. order 't is said that to know what Lessons shall be read every day look for the day of the Month in the Kalendar following and there ye shall find the Chapters that shall be read for the Lessons both at Morning and Evening Prayer and in the Rubrick after the Psalms are read 't is order'd that then shall be read distinctly with an audible voice the First Lesson taken out of the Old Testament as it is appointed in the Kalendar whereby 't is evident that what is appointed in the Kalendar to be read for the First Lesson is consider'd as a part of the Old Testament the Holy Scripture the pure word of God But the Apocryphal books are in the Kalendar appointed to be read for First Lesson for almost Two Months together even from the latter end of September untill November 24th beside the Holy dayes on which these books are appointed to be read To which add that this is done to the constant neglect of reading a great part of the Sacred Scriptures namely the two books of Chronicles Solomons Song and a great part of the Revelations That 't is the appointment of the Church to read the Apocryphal books as a part of the Holy Scriptures is farther confirm'd by Archbishop Bancroft in the conference held at Hampton Court where as the abridgment has it he tax'd Jerom for calling these books Apocrypha and said he was the first that gave them that name and called his objections against them the old Cavills of the Jews And the Bishops of Winchester affirm'd at the same time that they must needs be held Canonici ad informandos mores Canonical for the information of manners To these I 'll add what Mr. Hutton in his answer unto the reasons of the Ministers of Devon and Cornwall to this very objection They are saith he called Holy Scriptures in a signification at large because the subject they entreat of is God his Love Power our Sanctification and Obedience to him And they may be held Canonical wholsom Doctrines being thence deduced though not simply of themselves yet wherein they agree with the Canon as also because they may serve as they alwayes heretofore have done for a rule to direct and order our Conversation aright In this answer though he seems without the approbation of the Rubrick to make a difference between the Sacred Scriptures and the Apocrypha books yet at length falls in with the Bishop of Winchester asserting that they are a Canon or Rule to direct our Conversation aright But in opposition hereunto 't is generally by sound Protestants asserted 1. That the Apocryphal books are not a part of the Holy Scriptures the pure word of God 2. That there are several things appointed to be read which are not agreable to the word of God nor can be defended by any sound Protestant To make this point the more clear I 'll give the Reader an account of what is reply'd to the distinction of the Bishop of Winchester about the Canon of Faith and Manners and then offer what arguments have been urg'd against this practice of the Church In the second part of the defence of the reasons of the Devonshire and Cornish Ministers 't is thus reply'd to the aforesaid distinction But that we may farther see how heartless and unsound this distinction of Canonical for manners but not for Faith is let us observe how they here make a distinction of faith and manners where none is for all Doctrines of God's word are in this respect Doctrines of faith whether they concern matters of believing or of other Conversation of life wherefore the Apostle hath coupled them together in that place to Timothy saying all Scripture given by inspiration of God c. shewing us thereby that upon one and the same divine Revelation our knowledge and practice both must be grounded And I would entreat these men that give us this distinction to tell us whether it be not a point of faith That we must worship one God and him after his own manner reverencing his Name and keeping his Sabbaths c. And whether it be not a point of faith That we must honour our Parents and Superiors that we must not Kill commit Adultery Steal Slander Covet And whether our Consciences be not bound in these things by the Divine Testimony as well as in any point of our understanding surely unless our Divinity faileth all the word of God is the object of Faith that as well which directeth to manners as that which revealeth

and design of Whitgift as one who acted rather like a Spanish Inquisitor than a good Protestant imposing Articles that were of an ensnaring tendency is what I find in the Letters of the Lord Cecil unto the Arch-bishop with Arch bishops reply Numb 4. 5 6. The which is more generally suggested in Cambden who mentions the dissatisfaction of several noble men with the Bishops proceedings but more expresly by a moderate writer in Queen Elizabeths who in his plea of the innocent doth in the name of the Non-Conformists speak thus of the Lords of the Councill And this is not all that bindes us to their honours for in our private troubles about the Ceremonies and Subscription we the poor and faithfull Ministers of Christ whensoever we have opened our cause and humbled our selves unto them we have found great justice and equity and divers times great relief and ease from our troubles No doubt they seeing our innocency that of meer Conscience without any the least inclination to disloyalty to our Sovereign we did forbear to do those things they have tendered our cause and lovingly effected that we might not be too much over-burdened Moreover concerning the Bishops they say What could we do less or better than to repair to the Reverend Bishops for Counsell and Comfort which for the space of ten years or the most part thereof they did in some good measure afford unto us till as I take it by the relation of some in the same broyles the Papists had cunningly wrested our good Fathers from us that they could and would do no further for us Then yet complaining of our case and opening our doubts unto them we did as the Law affordeth that the cause should be brought before the Ordinary in all doubts about ceremonies of the Church Established by Law and finding not our selves resolv'd by our ordinaries alas what could we do less than quietly to suffer our selves with great grief bewailing our flocks to be suspended imprisoned and deprived And this hath been the cause of all them which have not used the Ceremonies so fully as some other of their Brethren By this 't is evident that as Queen Elizabeth's Education natural temper Interest of State and I verily believe Conscience of Duty unto God inclin'd her to such an establishment in the Ecclesiastical Constitution as might be most gratefull unto the Papist even so some of the Clergy who by Heylin are called Melancthonians of whom Whitgift and Bancroft were principal in their times did their utmost by insisting so very much on the Ceremonies Subscription c. to the same end the Queens Majesty did whereby to the great grief of many Sound Protestants the Service of our Church was made to resemble as much as possible that of the Church of Rome But 3. I 'll now consider the reasonings of some Protestant Dissenters from this similitude likeness and agrement there is between these two service books against the ordinary use of the English Liturgy Whoever will make a due enquiry into the History of the Reformation will find that in Edward the 6th his dayes Hooper Lord Bishop elect for Glocester scrupled the Episcopal Vestments because they had been invented cheifly for celebrating the Mass with much pomp and had been consecrated for that effect In Queen Maries time the exil'd Protestants at Frankford such as Knox and those of his perswasion refused to Minister the Communion by the book of England for that there were some things in it placed only by warrant of man's Authority or no ground of God's word for the same and had also a long time very Superstitiously in the Mass been wickedly abused See discourse of the troubles at Franckford Moreover in Queen Elizabeth's and King James's dayes several manifested their dislike of our Liturgy for this very reason because 't was so like unto the Romish Service I 'll give some particular instances with those reasons that were by 'em urg'd against a complyance with a Service Book so like that of the Papists In a part of the Register you have the sense of Mr. Edward Deering who sayes that The similitude that this book has with the form of Prayer which the Papists used I think declineth from the equity of these Lawes Deut. 7. 25. Deut. 12. 30. Deut. 18. 9. which things our fathers so much regarded in the Primitive Church that their books are full of great complaints against all similitude to be had with the Gentiles Yea the second Councill of Bracca made a decree that no Christian should have either Bay-Leaves or Green Boughes in their houses because the Gentiles so accustomed And at this day all Reformed Churches in France Polonia Helvetia Scotland and other places have changed that form of Prayer which prudence of all ages if we shall condemn the rebuke of the Apostle I think will touch us 1 Cor. 14. 36. Came the word of God out from you or came it else to you only Secondarily we have the Psalmes Venite Benedictus Magnificat nunc dimittis usual in our Ministry of which we can give no good reason Nor I see no cause why we should more leave out the Ave Maria. And because of parting the Scriptures again into the Epistles and Gospels which was not heard of before the dayes of Popery I dare not avow that this is that reverent handling of the Scripture and the right dividing of the word of truth which St. Paul requireth 2 Tim. 2. 15. But the Abridgment is much more full on this Subject shewing what are the many Scriptural Arguments against all complyances with the Superstitions the which is farther confirm'd not only from the Fathers the Transmarine Protetestant Divines but also by our own Old Protestant Doctors of the Church of England Take it as in the Abridgment where 't is asserted that 't is contrary to the word of God to use such ceremonies in the worship of God as man has devised if they be notoriously known to have been of old and still to be abused unto Idolatry or Superstition by the Papists especially if the same be now of no necessary use in the Church Where note that the Ceremonial part of the English Service that is like unto that of the Romish is what has been abused by the Papists to Idolatry or Superstition but yet are not so necessary to Divine Worship but that the worship may be compleat decent and orderly without em but to their reasons this may appear say they 1. By the Second Commandment which forbids all provocation unto spiritual fornication as the 7th doth unto that which is Carnal 2. By the Commandment and direction God hath given us in his word to separate our selves from Idolaters and be as unlike to them as may be especially in their Religious Observations and Ceremonies to abolish not only all Idols but also all the Ceremonies and Instruments of Idolatry and that so as we may best shew our utmost detestation to them and root out the very

O Lord and the people make their Answer Because there is no other that fighteth for us but only thou O God as if Almighty God alone had not been able to defend them in the time of War whence they Pray unto God for the sending Peace But cannot that God who sendeth Peace by putting an end unto Wars preserve and protect in the day of Trouble If he can to what purpose is this Argument urg'd Again an alteration is made in the State of this Affair The Minister gives instruction or rather as a beginner of the Prayer mentions the Matter or Thing to be prayed for and the people must proceed to the making it a formal Prayer whence 't is that whereas the Minister in the publick Assembly should be the Mouth of the people unto God The Minister being silent the people altogether with a loud voice a distracting Murmur are their own Mouth Thus From Fornication and all other deadly Sin as if some sins were not Mortal but Venial and from all the Deceits of the World the Flesh and the Devil so far the Minister proceeds and then make a stop from whom the people take it adding Good Lord deliver us Again O Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the World says the Minister with the greatest seeming fervour and affection but yet in the midst of the sentence his warm affection is ended and the people proceed to say Grant us thy peace O Lord. Again they must be as they were in Statu Quo and the Minister prayes O Lord let thy Mercy be shewed on us to which Petition the people either add their sence or Limitation or Reason of the Prayer as we put our Trust in thee Beside at some one meeting of the Assembly the Pater-Noster or Lords Prayer is to be repeated Six or Eight several times and the Gloria Patri Twelve beside the many Kyrie Eleesons and Christe Eleesons Lord have mercy on us Christ have mercy upon us the Responces the Versicles c. Alas how ridiculous would this be interpreted by the generality of those who are now Sons of the Church should the Dissenters have us'd such a practice This Argument receives strength from what I find insisted on by by some of His Majesties Commissioners in the Account of all the proceedings of the Commissioners of both perswasions where 't is thus Argued Vid. 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 are loath to Countenance the people's Invading of that Sacred Office so far as they seem to us to do By reading half the Psalms and Hymnes 2. By saying half the Prayers as the Minister doth the other half 4. By being the only Petitioners in the far greatest part of all the Letany 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 least by purity 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 until half the Psalms and Hymns c. are said by such of the people as can say them the Murmur of their Voices in most Congregations is so unintellgible and Confused as must hinder the Edification of all the rest for who is edified by that which he cannot understand This you 'l find page 29 but in page 60 we have account of the Rule and Order of Prayer with a full Demonstration That the Common Prayer is not agreeable unto any just Rule or Order There are say they 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 dayly Vse is Confused by whichsoever 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 by Matter and Order to be the only Ordinary and Perfect Rule We know about particular Administrations where it is but certain select Requests that we are to put up suited to the partcular 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 form'd to that perfect Rule that your Letany which is your Comprehensive Prayer and that the Body of your dayly 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 so Admire this and be so tenacious of that which is conceived Prayer you would call by worse names than Confusion this sheweth us the power of prejudice By this the Reader may perceive how much the Non-Conformists are for a decent Order and Comely Method in Prayers but the Conformist against it and how much the Non-Conformist are for the right use of the Lords Prayer even when the Conformist are not at least practically for it Whence we may see how unreasonable it is to make such a Noise and Clamour as if the Dissenters rejected the Lords Prayer or were against its use whereas in truth the Dissenters are much more for the Right use of the Lords Prayer than the Conformists are Whoever will understand the true State of this Controversie must consider what the great design of the Disciples in Asking and of Christ in granting their Request about Prayer was the which he can no sooner with just deliberation and impartially do but will be satisfied that the thing the Disciples desired was to be Taught how to Fray Lord Teach us as John taught his Disciples How to Pray and they desire to be taught not that they prescribe unto Jesus Christ a Method in which he should teach 'em for that became not Disciples even Scholars who are to Learn but not to teach This being the desire of the Disciples to be taught to pray not to have a form of VVords to be Verbally and Syllabically rehearsed or repeated but Rules or Presidents for the directing 'em how to pray The answering of their Request was the Design of Christ in giving 'em the Lords Prayer which was principally intended for the Direction of the Disciples who were as Matthew expresseth it Oblig'd by that Command when ye Pray say Our Father so say after that manner when you pray or whenever you pray The Command is perpetual Obliging at all times of prayer so far as the particular Occasions