that perhaps because he would not have the Church of England nor the Worshippers of God by the said Book to have the honour to be thought to share with them in the happy events of their ways Verily I think none shall need to be offended at their secluding them from their Fellowship or Fraternity therein for both Presbyterian and Independant in most of their undertakings were but like Simeon and Levi brethren in Iniquity and at the last day without repentance must have the same doom they had from their father Jacob Gen. 49 vers â— Cursed be their anger for it was fierce and their wrath for it was cruel Well but to take it in his own terms that it was offensive to many Christians This term of Christian was the ancient and best name was given to true believers in Christ after his Assension this name is in the opinion of Divines that St. James spake of in 2d chap. vers 7. which he saith was the worthy name whereby believers were called And Divines describe a Christian as followeth namely to be one that is endowed through Grace with Faith and the holy Ghost serving God in righteousness and true holiness all his days as a person dedicated to Christ Now if the Author should produce any Christian according to this description which I am confident he cannot do or according to any description hereof congruous to the Scripture sence that ever was offended at the worshipping of God in this Form of Prayer yet there 's but little said to the Author's fore-mentioned purpose namely of that Book being an offence to many Christians it being but an offence taken where none is justly given I can easily grant that the Book of Common-Prayer was offensive to such Christians as this Author means and as himself was and so was many parts of the whole Bible In the 1st Book of the Kings chap. 22. vers 8. Ahab loved not to enquire of the Lord by Micaiah because he prophesied no good concerning him but evil And if the Author and others offended at the Book would publish the reason thereof from their hearts 't is probable 't is because there 's nothing of good for them there but evil being in those perverse ways For as I said before should they have used that Liturgy in the time of the Wars using the Forms of Prayer they must as much as in them lay have been blessing them they were fighting against and cursing themselves and their cursed undertakings And truly from those Lessons Epistles and Gospels culled out of the Scriptures and injoined by the Liturgy to be read in our daily Service The whole Book is but a Micaiah to them prophecying no good to them but evil for therein they must have found themselves an Army fighting against the Almighty God to their sudden both present and eternal overthrow and confusion without repentance Now to have done speaking to the groundless exceptions against the Common-Prayer Book in this 12th Consideration I have this following Opinion That if the Author and his Party could upon the two former reasons have procured our Church and the Civil State of the Kingdom to have serpentized the Book of Common-Prayer as Hezekiah did the Nehushtan they would be soon Scribling and Printing either to have the Scriptures the full set and stinted Rule for Faith and Obedience to be taken away and destroyed they having the Spirit in a more abundant measure than formerly as to help to call upon God as in Consideration the Fifth So also to set up upon their Assertions another fuller and righter Rule for Faith and Obedience leading to salvation or else at least to have the Romish Priviledge of an Expurging Index to have the Texts in the Scriptures expunged and left out in the Printed Bibles that make for Obedience and Subjection to the higher Powers either in Church or State And also all places that command or commend Unity Order Peace or Conformity in or to the Churches of Christ and whatsoever in the Bible make against their Opinions and Practices Which Opinion of mine may be looked upon as charitable or true considering among other things of that kind I could instance and prove was acted at Much-Hâ—â—â—…um Church in Hartford-shire by Mr. Hardwick Chaplain to the Earl of Warwick usurping the Cure after Doctor Pask Master of Clare-Hall was outed and sequestred for the said Hardwick reading in the Church for part of his own or the Morning-Service before Sermon the 1â—2 Psalm having read to the last Verse which contained God's Promise of clothing the Enemies of his anointed with shame c. he passed by the Verse and then went on Which Mr. Hern there present observing went out of the Church immediately and according to his resolution upon Hardwick's not owning one place of Scripture as well as another heard him no more the time he lived in Town And thus the Dissenters from the Church of England that have lived and do live among us through pretence of their New Light which is the blackness of darkness here their contrary Revelations to those in the time of the Gospel and before and through their false and groundless Expositions of holy Scripture they have darkned the Heavens of God and the light of his Grace so in this life that they have done in this our Age as our Saviour said the Scribes Pharisees and Hypocrites had done then Matt. 23. vers 13. namely shut up the Kingdom of Heaven before men neither going in themselves nor suffering many that would enter to go in Blessed Lord in whose hands are the heads and hearts of all men lighten the darkness of all their understandings change and soften all their hearts that they may recover their strength and strengthen all them they have seduced before they go hence and be not seen To the 13th Consideration which is this Whether one end of Christ's coming into the World was not to redeem men from the Rudiments and Traditions of men of which this is one And whether it be not against the Blood and Spirit and Gospel of Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Hebr. 9.10 11. The Opinion of the Author in this Consideration may be set forth in two Propositions The first is this One end of Christ's coming into the World was to put an end to the Use and Observation of the Ruliments and Traditions of men and to the Use of the Common-Prayer Book Established in the Church of England by Queen Elizabeth King James and King Charles the First in the years 1500 and 1600 after his coming into the World or going out of it The latter part of the Proposition is evidently a conclusion flowing from the Consideration for he saith that this Book of Common-Prayer was one of the Rudiments or Traditions that Christ came to put an end to In answer to which Proposition I say The end of Christ's coming into the World was to compleat the love and kindness of God to Mankind which was the redemption and
Religion of the Counsil of Belial to use His Majesty's expression to Crucifie the Common-Prayer Book by an Ordinance for had the Liturgy of our Church and their Belial their Army stood together it would have been soon as it was with Dagon when the Ark of God and it stood together which soon fell down and brake in pieces their Army would soon have moulter'd to nothing what a confusion and consternation would have been among them and upon them had that Book or the substance of it either been in use by their Ministers as by the express word of God is commanded should have been 1 Tim. 2. vers 1 2 3. What thoughts of heart would have been in those rebellious spirits when being sent up to fight against his Majesty and his Forces before they had gone to Battel they must have prayed to God to be the preserver of him and them they were going to destroy for so 't is in the Litany according to the Command of God that it may please thee to be the King's defender and keeper and to give him victory over all his Enemies and in the Prayer for him 't is strengthen him that he may vanquish and overcome all his enemies So that had they continued our Liturgy as was their duty to have done or had their Prayers been according to God's direction in his Word they must as much as in them lay have been by Prayer blessing and strengthning his Majesty and cursing and weakning themselves in their Enterprises by preceding Supplications for both To end therefore my Answer as to this in general I confess indeed the former Common-Prayer-Book and almost all Prayers according to God's revealed will in his Word yea and all found Scripture Doctrine were inconsistent with the times of the day and light of the Gospel by the Author's calculation but in the light of the Gospel in the times of Christ and his Apostles they were consistent and justifiable for they had then no contradiction nor discouragement by God in the Old Testament nor by Christ and his Apostles in the New as is sufficiently proved at the beginning of my Tractate This may be sufficient to that fifth Consideration if not go on as followeth But to give the Adversary the fairest play that may be and to save him and his assistants the labour of replication perhaps they will plead their more abundant help of the Spirit to call upon God than formerly from their mode or manner of praying and that in three respects First in respect to the length of their Prayers or Secondly in respect to their Extemporary and Unpremeditated way of praying Or Thirdly in respect to their more powerful and argumentative way they use in their Prayers to prevail with God for the things they ask I will briefly consider what may be said for them and what against them as to the before-mentioned respects First They will say 't is evident they are much more inabled by the Spirit to call upon God than formerly considering the length of their Prayers To which I answer This is of no moment to them that will be guided by the Precedents and Precepts in Scriptures as to this mode of praying For first the practice of the Saints and holy men of God have in the weightiest matters and concerns been short in their Prayers put up to God Abraham's Intercession for Sodom and Gomorrah designed for destruction was but short Gen. 28. vers 23 24 c. Jacob in his great fear that Esau should destroy him and his going to God by prayer for safety his Prayer is past over in four short Verses with all the Arguments he used to prevail with God Gen. 32. ver 9 10 c. Nay Christ himself seeking by prayer for the Cup of Death to pass from him his Prayer was short every time in his Address to the Father Matt. 26. vers 39 42. Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt his Prayer was as short the second time and the third time it was no longer than at first for it was the same The Precepts of God and his Spirit are against this mode of long Prayers and therefore no argument from the length of their Prayers that they are more inabled by his Spirit to call upon God See for this 1 Ecclus 5.1 2. as concerning hearing when men come at the House of God he would have them very attentive as to the length of their Prayers he orders them to be short God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth therefore let thy words be few And our Saviour in his Sermon upon the Mount directing how to Pray effectually orders as well concerning the length of Prayer as to the matter thereof Matt. 6. vers 7. When ye pray use not vain repetitions as the heathen do the Original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is translated ne inania loquaemtra which our Church renders very well use not vain repetitions where our Saviour forbids tautological words variety of Expressions to one and the same purpose Learned Sharpâ—â—s in his Symphonia Prophetaâ—um Apostolorum saith That the word there used by our Saviour is taken from one Battus a soolish Poet in those days whose Verses were tedious to a loathing by means of many divers and vain words to the same signification So that there our Saviour admonished his Disciples and all men that their Prayers be not nauscous through tediousness or multiplicity of words which is abliorred of God and devout souls Vos 9. praedicti Capitis after this manner pray ye that is in a concise and short manner Further If in respect to the length of their Prayers they or their hearers will conclude their more abundant help of the Spirit to call upon God they do deny the Nature and being of God and Christ as described in the Scriptures for James 1. vers 1â— With God is no variablerese nor shadow of change And Hebr. 13. vers 8. Jesus Christ the same yesterday to day and for ever Now if it be through the help and direction of the Spirit that their Prayers are so constantly long over they were by the direction of God and Christ and by the practice of Abraham the Prophets and others inabled formerly by the Spirit to call upon God then it must follow that with God is variableness and shadows of change and Christ is not now the same by his Spirit he was formerly for if they have now help to pray as they do by the Spirit of Christ then it follows he is now for long Prayers and whilst upon Earth by himself and by his Spirit in the days of the Apostles and Prophets he was altogether for short Supplications All therefore that can be granted the Adversary as to the usual mode of long Prayers is this That they are carried and helped thereto either by an heathenish ignorance or by that which is far worse namely by a Spirit of
Pretensions in appointing a Committee of Bishops for that purpose where and when Bishop Reynolds had the Chair So that indeed all that can be said as to the Book in the intention of any of the Composers thereof as concerning net or snare in respect to the Penalties made thereby to be inflicted upon the Nonconformists to it they were only made against perverse obstinate and wilful opposers of the same and so are to be clear'd from the charge of any evil intention against tender Consciences To the 11th Consideration Whether any person can produce any such Liturgy or Form of Prayer from the beginning of the World either among Jews or Gentiles c. As to the justification of Liturgies and set Forms of Prayer I have spoken at large in the beginning of this Fractate and shall therefore answer the Author's Question in this Consideration no otherwise than as our Saviour answer'd the Question put to him in the Temple Mark 11. vers 29 30. And that is by giving a Question to him and his followers to answer and it is this Whether any persons can produce any such long tautological extempory nonsensical Prayers or any such soul-destroying damning Doctrins or Sermons since the beginning of the World either among the Jews or Gentiles or any Churches of Christ till this Rebellion in Scotland and England as theirs were Let any of them answer me this Question and I will answer further to this 11th Consideration To the 12th Consideration Whether if there were no other reason but that this Book hath been so much idolizeâ— by the generality of men and offensive tâ— so many Christians it should not be done with as the brazen Serpent was by Hezekiah 2 Kings 18. vers 4. The opinion of the Author may be set forth in this Proposition The generality of men have much Idolized the Book of Common-Prayer and 't is a just offence to many Christians also Here the Author chargeth first a great evil to have been committed by most men in praying unto God and in worshipping of him in thaâ— Form of the Common-Prayer Book And that is that they have Idolized it Now to Idolize a Creature or Thing is taken several ways out of mentioning two of them is first to esteem it as their God or Saviour In this respect it may be the Author means the generality of men Idolized the Service-Book To which I answer I am confident there 's not a man will set hiâ— heart to that part of the Consideration for who can think men so ignorant as to esteem that their God or Christ to save them which is that Form whereby they go to God and Christ their Redeemer and Mediator for forgiveness of sins and salvation But then secondly To idolize any thing is inordinately to set the heart upon it trusting in it more than in God and above him in this respect Covetousness is called Idolatry Colos 3. vers 5. Thus Mr. Wilson in his Christian Dictionary But thirdly We commonly say men idolize a thing when they have a greater respect to and esteem of a thing than it deserves In this respect I presume the Author means most men did idolize the Service-Book which he thinks sufficiently manifested by their so constant and frequent Worshipping and Invocating of God thereby To which I answer Considering the Counsel or rather the Command of God as to the frequent performance of this Duty of Prayer and Thanksgiving by St. Paul 1 Thess 5. ver 17 18. where he bids us Pray without ceasing and in every thing give thanks because 't is the will of God in Christ Jesus Considering that I say King Charles the first of most blessed memory in his Observations upon the Ordinance against the Common Prayer Book doth fully make void the Author's fore-mentioned Charge and Reason alledged for defence of it in the Eighth and Ninth Paragraphs The King's words I could never see any reason why any Christian should abhor or be forbidden to use the same Form of Prayer since he prays to the same God believes in the same Saviour professeth the same truths reads the same Scriptures hath the same Duties upon him and feels the same daily wants for the most part both inward and outward which are common to the whole Church Sure we may as well before hand know whâ—â— we pray as to whom we pray and in what words as to what sense when we desire the same things what hinders we may not use the same words our appetite and digestion too may be good when we use as we pray for our daily bread Now considering all this where is any cause for taking away this Book of Common-Prayer from the people as the brazen Serpent from them of Israel and Judah But 't is no marvel that the Author and his Followers charge men with Idolizing this Book in offering in Publick unto God their Prayers and Thanksgivings thereby according to the Order and Authority of the Church when I have heard them charge men with idolizing the Lord's Prayer using it but according to the Command of Jesus Christ himself that is in the several Services and Prayers of the Church fitted and appointed to be used upon several occasions before Mattens or Even song be over whereof by especial command of Christ the Lord's Prayer is to be part Luke 11. vers 2. When I consider the impudent Charge I my self heard from one of the Author 's chief fellow Chaplains against some of the Petitions of the Lord's Prayer in condemning one of them in the Pulpit unlawful as to the matter and another not fit to be used by most Hugh Peters at Norwich said of that Petition thy will be done c. What said he pray for an impossible thing and condemning another Petition said See what the Petitions are of that you call the Lord's Prayer as also when I consider the total neglect of our Lord's Prayer in these mens Devotions drawn up by Christ for a Form of Prayer as well as for an help to compose our own Prayers by I say when I consider these things then what David said seeing the transgressions of the wicked of his heart I say of mine namely thus I have said in my heart that they say in their hearts though not in right down words that Christ in Composing and Commanding that Prayer to be said as oft as men pray is accessary to a very great and general guiltiness of Idolatry in this last respect at least Or if they should not own this yet I am sure the total neglect of using it in their Devotions prove plainly they look upon it as a Prayer unworthy to be used which is no less than in their hearts to blaspheme the Saviour of the World But then further he saith the Book was offensive to many Christians He doth not say it was offensive to the Brethren or the weak Brethren as is usually the Phrase in the Scriptures in such cases as this here of the Author And