fault with it and while we took it to be a defective disorderly and inconvenient mode of Worship it would be our sin to use it of choice while we may prefer a more convenient way what ever we ought to do in case of necessity when we must worship God inconveniently or not at all And as to our people for whose edification and not destruction we have our power or offices we have taken that course as far as we are able to understand which most probably tended to their good and to prevent their hurt and separation from the Church and consequently that course which did most conduce to his Majesties ends and to his real service and the Churches peace none of which would be promoted by our obtruding that upon our people which we know them unable to digest or by our hasty offending them with the use of that which we are forced to blame and are endeavouring to correct and alter And we see not how it can be justly intimated that we use no part of it when we use the Lords Prayer the Creed the Commandments the Psalms the Chapters and some other parts and how much more you expect we should have used that we might have escaped this brand of Ingratitude we know not But we know that Charity suffereth long and thinketh no evil 1 Cor. 13 4 5. and that we have not attempted to obtrude any mode of Worship on our Brethren but desired the liberty to use things of that nature as may conduce to the benefit of our Flocks And as we leave them to judge what is most beneficial to their own Flocks who know them and are upon the place so it is but the like freedome which we desire We are loath to hurt our people knowingly The time is short if you will answer our reasonable Proposals it will not be too late at the expiration of our Commission or the date of the reformed Liturgie to use it greater liberty hath been used about Liturgies in purer times of the Church with less offence and accusation It can be no just cause of offence to mind them of their duty as they do us of ours telling us It is our duty to imitate the Apostles practise in a special manner to be tender of the Churches peace and to advise of such Expedients as may conduce to the healing of breaches and uniting those that differ for preserving of the Churches peace we know no bettter nor more efficatious way then our set Liturgie there being no such way to keep us from Schism as to speak all the same thing according to the Apostle If you look to the time past by our Duties we suppose you mean our Faults for it is not Duty when it 's past If you in these words respect onely the time present and to come we reply 1. The Liturgie we are assured will not be a less but a more probable means of Concord after the desired Reformation then before the defects and inconveniences make it less fit to attain the end 2. VVhether the Apostle by speaking the same thing did mean either all using this Liturgie of ours or all using any one form of Liturgie as to the words may easily be determined This is of much later date unless you will denominate the whole form of the Lords Prayer and some little parts And those that affirm that the Apostles then had any other must undertake the task of proving it and excusing the Churches for loosing and dis-using so precious a Relict which if preserved would have prevented all our strifes about these things And in the mean time they must satisfie our Arguments for the Negative as 1. If a Liturgie had been indited by the Apostles for the Churches being by universal Officers inspired by the Holy Ghost and so of universal use it would have been used and preserved by the Church as the Holy Scriptures were But so it was not Ergo no such Liturgie was indited by them for the Churches 2. If a prescript form of words had been delivered them there would have been no such need of exhorting them to speak the same thing for the Liturgie would have held them close enough to that And if the meaning had been see that you use the same Liturgie some word or other to some of the Churches would have acquainted us with the existence of such a thing and some reproofs we should have found of those that used various Liturgies or formed Liturgies of their own or used extemporary Prayers and some express Exhortations to use the same Liturgie or Forms but the holy Scripture is silent in all those matters It is apparent therefore that the Churches then had no Liturgie but took liberty of extemporate Expressions and spoke in the things of God as men do in other matters with a natural plainness and seriousness suiting their Expressions to the subjects and occasions And though Divisions began to disturb their Peace and holy Orders the Apostle in stead of prescribing them a form of Diâ—ine Services for their unity and concord do exhort them to use their gifts and liberties aright and speak the same thing for matter avoiding Disagreements though they used not the same words 3. Just. Martyr Tertull. and others sufficiently intimate to us that the Churches quickly after the Apostles did use the personal Abilities of their Pastours in Prayer and give us no hint of any such Liturgie of Apostolical fabrication and imposition and therefore doubtless there was nothing for it could not have been so soon lost or neglected 4. It is ordinary with those of the contrary Judgement to tell us that the extraordinary Gifts of the Primitive Christians were the reason why there were no prescribed forms in those times and that such Liturgies came in upon the ceasing of those Gifts and 1 Cor. 14. describeth a way of publick worshipping unlike to prescript forms of Liturgie so that the matter of Fact is proved and confessed And then how fairly the words of the Apostle exhorting them to speak the same thing are used to prove that he would have them use the same Forms or Liturgie we shall not tell you by any provoking Aggravations of such abuse of Scripture And indeed for all the miraculous Gifts of those times if prescript Forms had been judged by the Apostles to be the fittest means for the concord of the Churches it is most probable they would have prescribed such considering 1. That the said miraculous Gifts were extraordinary and belonged not to all nor to any at all times and therefore could not suffice for the ordinary publick Worship 2. And those Gifts began even betimes to be abused and need the Apostles Canons for their regulation which he giveth them in that 1 Cor. 14. without a prescript Liturgie 3. Because even then divisions had made not onely an entrance but an unhappy progress in the Churches to cure which the Apostle exhorts them oft to Unanimity and Concord without exhorting
them to read the same or any Common-Prayer-Book 4. Because that the Apostles knew that perilous times would come in which men would have itching ears and would have heaps of Teachers and would be self-willed and unruly and divisions and offences and heresies would encrease and ergo as upon such fore-sight they indited the holy Scriptures to keep the Church in all Generatioâ—s from errour and divisions in points of Doctrine so the same reason and care would have moved them to do the same to keep the Churches in unity in point of VVorship if indeed they had taken prescribed Forms to be needful to such an Unity They knew that after their departure the Church would never have the like advantage infallible authorized and enabled for delivering the universal Law of Christ And seeing in those parts of VVorship which are of stated use and still the same Forms might have suited all Ages as this Age and all Countries as this Country in the substance there can no reason be given why the Apostles should leave this undone and not have performed it themselves if they had judged such Forms to be necessary or the most desirable means of unity If they had prescribed them 1. The Church had been secured from errour in them 2. Believers had been preserved from divisions about the lawfulness and fitness of them as receiving them from God 3. All Churches and Countries might had one Liturgie as they have one Scripture and so have all spoke the same things 4. All Ages would have had the same without innovation in all the parts that require not alteration whereas now on the contrary 1. Our Liturgies being the Writings of fallible men are lyable to errour and we have cause to fear subscribing to them as having nothing contrary to the Word of God 2. And matters of Humane Institution have become the matter of scruple and contention 3. And the Churches have had great diversity of Liturgies 4. And one Age hath been mending what they supposed they received from the former faulty and imperfect So that our own which you are so loath to change hath not continued yet three Generations And it is most evident that the Apostles being entrusted with the delivery of the entire rule of Faith and Worship and having such great advantages for our unity and peace would never have omitted the forming of a Liturgie of universal usefulness to avoid all the foresaid inconveniences if they had taken this course of unity to be so needful or desirable as you seem to do Whereas therefore you say you know no better or more efficatioâ—s way then our Liturgie c. We reply 1. The Apostles knew the best way of unity and of speaking the same thing in the matters of God But the Apostles knew not our Liturgie nor any Common-Prayer-Book for ought hath yet been proved Ergo the said Liturgie is not the best way of unity or speaking the same thing c. 2. The Primitive Church in the next Ages after the Apostles knew the best way of unity c. But they knew not our Liturgie Ergo our Liturgie not known till lately is not the best way of unity If it be said that our Liturgie is ancient because the Sursum Corda the Gloria Patri c. are ancient We answer If indeed it be those ancient sentences that denominate our Liturgie we erave the Justice to be esteemed Users of the Liturgie and not to suffer as Refusers of it as long as we use all that is found in it of such true antiquity This experience of former and latter times hath taught us when the Liturgie was duly observed we lived in peace since that was laid aside there hath been as many modes and fashions of publick Worship as fancies we have had continual dissention which variety of Services must needs produce whilst every one naturally desires and endeavors not onely to maintain but to prefer his own way before all others whence we conceive there is no such way to the preservation of peace as for all to return to the strict use and practise of the Form Pardon us while we desire you to examine whether you speak as members that suffer with those that suffer or rather as insensible of the calamities of your Brethren that is as uncharitable you say you lived in peace but so did not the many thousands that were fain to seek them peaceable habitations in Holland and in the deserts of America nor the many thousands that lived in danger of the High-Commission or Bishops Courts at home and so in danger of every malitious Neighbour that would accuse them of hearing Sermons abroad when they had none at home or of meeting in a Neighbors house to pray or of not kneeling in the receiving of the Sacrament c. We would not have remembred you of these things but that you necessitate us by pleading your peace in those days as an Argument for the imposing of the Liturgie 2. Might not Scotland as strongly argue from this Medium against the Liturgie and say Before the Liturgie was imposed on us we had peace but since then we have had no peace 3. When the strict imposing of the strict use and practise of these Forms was the very thing that disquieted this Nation taking in the concomitant Ceremonies and Subscription when this was it that bred the divisions which you complain of and caused the separations from the Churches and the troubles in the Churches it is no better arguing to say We must return to the strict use of that Form if we will have peace then it was in the Israelites to say We will worship the Queen of Heaven because then we had peace and plenty when that was it that deprived them of peace and plenty we compare not the Causes but the Arguments nor is it any better Argument then if a man in a Dropsie or Ague that catcht it with voracity or intemperance should say While I did eat and drink liberally I had no Dropsie or Ague but since my appetite is gone and I have lived temperately I have had no health Ergo I must return to my intemperance as the onely way to health Alas Is this the use that is made of all our experiences of the causes and progress of our Calamities What have you and we and all smarted as we have done and are you so speedily ready to return to the way that will engage you in violence against them that should be suffered to live in peace If the furnace that should have refined us and purified us all to a greater height of love have but enflamed us to greater wrath wo to us and to the Land that beareth us What doleful things doth this prognosticate you that Prisons or other penalties will not change mens Judgements And if it drive some to comply against their Consciences and destroy their Souls and drive the more conscientious out of the Land or destroy their bodies and
that a convenient conjunction of both might be a well-tempered means to the common constitutions of most But still we see the world will run into extreams whatever be said or done to hinder it It is but lately that we were put to it against one extream to defend the lawfulness of a Form of Liturgie now the other extream it troubleth us that we are forced against you even such as you to defend the use of such Prayers of the Pastors of the Churches as are necessarily varied according to subjects and occasions while you would have no Prayer at all in the Church but such prescribed Forms And why may we not adde That whoever maketh the Forms imposed on us if he use them is guilty as well as we of praying accordiâ—g to his private Conceptions And that we never said it proved from Scripture that Christ appointed any to such an Office as to make Prayers for other Pastors and Churches to offer up to God and that this being none of the work of the Apostolical or common Ministerial Office in the Primitive Church is no work of any Office of Divine Institution To that part of the Proposal That the Prayers may consâ—st of nothing doubtful or questioned by pious learned and Orthodox persons they not determining who be those Orthodox persons we must either take all them for Orthodox persons who shall confidently affirm themselves to be such and then we say First the Demand is unreasonable for some such as call themselves Orthodox have quâ—stioned the prime Article of our Creed even the Divinity of the Sâ—n of God and yet there is no reason we should part with our Creed for that Besides the Proposal requires impossibility for there never was nor is â—or can be such Prayers made as have not been nor will be questioned by sâ—me whâ— call themselves pious learned and Orthodox if by Orthodox be meant those who adhere to Scripture and the Catholick Consent of Antiquity we do not yet know that any part of our Liturgie hath been questioned by such And may we not thus mention Orthodox persons to men that profess they agree with us in Doctrinals unless we digress to tell you who they be What if we were pleading for civil coâ—cord among all that aâ—e loyal to the King must we needs digress to tell you who are loyal We are agreed in one Rule of Faith in one holy Scripture and one Creed and differ not you say about the Doctrinal part of the 39 Art And will not all this seem to tell you who are Orthodox If you are resolved to make all that a matter of Contention which we desire to make a means of Peace there is no remedy while you have the Ball before you and have the Wind and Sun and the power of contending without controul But we perceive That the Catholick consent of Antiquity must go into your definition of the Orthodox but how hard it is to get a reconciling determination what Ages shall go with you and us for the true Antiquity and what is necessary to that consent that must be called Catholick is unknown to none but the unexperienced And indeed we think a man that searcheth the holy Scripture and sincerely and unreservedly gives up his Soul to understand love and obey it may be Orthodox without the knowledge of Church-History we know no universal Law-Giver nor Law to the Church but one and that Law is the sufficient Rule of Faith and consequently the test of the truely Orthodox though we refuse not Church-History or other means that may help us to understand it And to acquaint you with what you do not know we our selves after many Pastors of the Reformed Churches do question your Liturgie as far as is expressed in our Papers And we profess to adhere to Scripture and the Catholick consent of Antiquity as described by Vincentius Liniensis If you will say that our pretence and claim is unjust we call for your Authority to judge our hearts or dispose us from the number of the Orthodox or else for your proofs to make good your accusation But however you judge we rejoyce in the expectation of the righteous Judgment that shall finally decide the Controversie to which from this Aspersion we appeal To thâ—se Generals loading publick Form with Ch. pomp garm Imagery and many Superfluities that creep into the Church under the name of Order and Decâ—ncy iâ—cumbring Churches with Superfluities over-rigid reviving of obsolete Customes c. We say that if these Generals be intended as appliable to our Liturgie in particular they are gross and foul Slanders contrary to their profession page ult and so either that or this contrary to their Conscience if not they signifie nothing to the present business and so might with more prudence and â—andor have been omitted You needed not go a fishing for our Charge what we had to say against the Liturgie which we now desired you to observe was here plainly laid before you Answer to this and suppose us not to say what we do not to make your selves matter of reproaching us with gross and foul slanders Onely we pray you answer Mr. Hales as Mr. Hales whom we took to be a person of much esteem with you especially that passage of his which you take no notice of as not being so easie to be answered for the weight and strength which it carries with it viz. that the limiting of the Church-Communion to things of doubtful disputation hath been in all Ages the ground of Schism and Separation and that he that separates from suspected Opinions is not the Separatist And may we not cite such words of one that we thought you honoured and would hear without contradicting our Profession of not intending depravation or reproach against the Book without going against our Consciences If we cite the words of an Author for a particular use as to perswade you of the evil of laying the hurches unity upon unnecessary things must we be responsible therefore for all that you can say against his words in other respects We suppose you would be loath your words should have such interpretation and that you should be under such a Law for all your Citations Do as you would be done by It was the wisdom of our Reformers to draw up such a Liturgie as neither Romanist nor Protestant could justly except against and therefore as the first never charged it with any positive Errours but onely the want of something they conceived necessary so it was never found fault with by thâ—se to whom the name of Protestants most properly belongs those that profess the Augustine Confession and for those who unlawfully and sinfully brought it into dislike with some people to urge the present State of Affaires as an Argument why the Book should be altered to give them satisfaction and so that they should take advantage by their own unwarrantable Acts is not reasonable If it be blameless no man can
in their Papers The Law for imposing these Ceremonies they would have abrogated for these Reasons Repl. To what you object to intimate your suspicion of us from N. 7. we have before answered We must profess the abatement of Ceremonies with the exclusion of all Prayers and Exhortations besides what 's read will not satisfie us The Liberty which we desired in all the parts of Worship not to add to the Lyturgy or take from it but to interpose upon just occasion such words of Prayer or Exhortation as are requisite and not to be tyed at every time to read the whole we are assured will do much to preserve the Lyturgy and bring it into more profitable use and take off much of mens offence And pardon us while we tell you this certain truth that if once it be known that you have a design to work out all Prayers even those of the Pulpit except such as you prescribe it will make many thousand people fearing God to be averse to that which else they would have submitted to and to distaste both your endeavours and ours as if we were about drawing them into so great a snare And as the Proverb is you may as well think to make a Coat for the Moon as to make a Lyturgy that shall be sufficiently suited to the variety of places times subjects accidents without the liberty of intermixing such Prayers or Exhortations as alterations and diversities require Sect. 2. First It is doubtful whether God hath given power to men to impose such siguificant signs which though they call them significant yet have in them no real goodness in the judgement of the imposers themselves being called by them things indifferent and therefore fall not under St. Pauls Rule of omnia decenter nor are suitable to the simplicity of Gospel-Worship Secondly Because it is a violation of the Royalty of Christ and an impeachment of his Laws as unsufficient and so those that are under the Law of Deut. 12. Whatsoever I command you observe to do you shall take nothing from it nor add any thing to it You do not observe these Thirdly Because sundry Learned Pious and Orthodox men have ever since the Reformation judged them unwarrantable and we ought to be as our Lord was tender of weak Brethren not to offend his little ones nor to lay a stumbling-block before a weak Brother Fourthly Because these Ceremonies have been the Fountain of many evils in this Church and Nation occasioning sad divisions betwixt Minister and Minister betwixt Minister and People exposing many Orthodox Preachers to the displeasure of Rulers and no other fruits than these can be lookt for from the retaining of these Ceremonies Repl. We had rather you had taken our reasons as we laid them down than to have so altered them E. G. having told you that some hold them unlawful and others inconvenient c. and desired that they may not be imposed on such who judge such impositions a violation of the Royalty of Christ c. you seem to take this as our own sense and that of all the Ceremonies of which we there made no mention You refer us to Hooker since whose Writings Ames in his fresh Suit and Bradshaw and Parker and many others have written that against the Ceremonies that never was answered that we know of but deserve your Consideration Sect. 3. Before we give particular Answers to these several Reasons it will be not unnecessary to lay down some certain general Premises or Rules which will be useful in our whole discourse First That God hath not given a Power onely but a Command also of imposing whatsoever shall be truely decent and becoming his Publick Service 1 Cor. 14. After St. Paul had ordered some particular Rules for Praying praising prophesying c. he concludes with this general Canon let all things be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in a fit Scheme Habit or Fashion Decently and that there may be Uniformity in those Decent performances let there be a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rule or Canon for that purpose Rep. As to your first Rule we answer 1. It is one thing to impose in general that all be done Decently and in Order This Cod himself hath imposed by his Apostle And it s another thing to impose in particular that this or that be used as Decent and Orderly Concerning this we add It is in the Text said let it be done but not let it be imposed yet from other Scriptures we doubt not but more Circumstances of Decency and Order as derermined time place Utensils c. which are common to things Civil and Sacred though not the Symbolical Ceremonies which afterwards we confute may be imposed with the necessary cautions and Limitations afterwards laid down But 1. That if any Usurpers will pretend a Power from Christ to impose such things on the Church though the things be lawful we must take heed how we acknowledge an Usurped Power by formal obedience 2. A just Power may impose them but to just ends as the preservarion and success of the Modified worship or Ordinances And if they really conduce not to those ends they sin in imposing them 3. Yet the Subjects are bound to obey a true Authority in such impositions where the matter belongs to the Cognizance and Office of the Ruler and where the mistake is not so great as to bring greater mischiefs to the Church then the suspending of our Active obedience would do 4. But if these things be determined under pretence of Order and Decency to the plain destruction of the Ordinances Modified and of the intended end they cease to be means and we must not use them 5. Or if under the names of things Decent and of Order men will meddle with things that belong not to their Office as to institute a new worship for God new Sacraments or any thing forbidden in the General Prohibition of adding or diminishing this is an usurpation and not an Act of Authority and we are bound in obedience to God to disobey them 6. Where Governours may command at set times and by proportionable penalties enforce if they command when it will destroy the end or enforce by such penalties as destâ—oy or crosse it they greatly sin by such Commands Thus we have more distinctly given you our sense about the matter of your first Rule Sect. 4. Not Inferiours but Superiours must judge what is convenient and decent They who must order that all be done decently must of necessity first judge what is convenient and decent to be ordered Repl. Your second Rule also is too crudely delivered and therefore we must adde 1. A Judgement is a Sentence in order to some Execution and Judgements are specified from the ends to which they are such means When the question is either what Law shall be made or what penalty shall be exercised the Magistrate is the only judge and not the Bishop or other
is here directed by the Church which they may well do considering that this Exhortation shall be read in the Church the Sunday or Holy-day before Rep. But we can and do desire that many that have a troubled Conscience and cannot otherwise quiet it should come to the Communion for remedy and not be discouraged or kept away Sect. 6. Ministers Turning Answ. The Ministers turning to the People is not most convenient throughout the whole Ministration when he speaks to them as in Lessons Absolution and Benedictions it is convenient that he turn to them when he speaks for them to God it is fit that they should all turn another way as the ancient Church ever did the reasons of which you may see Aug. lib. 2. De Ser. Dom. in monte Repl. It is not yet understood by us why the Ministers or People for which you meant by they all we know not should turn another way in Prayer for we think the People should hear the Prayers of the Ministers if not Latin Prayers may serve and then you need not except against extemporary Prayers because the People cannot own them for how can most of them own what they hear not whatever it be As for Augustins reason for looking toward the East when we Pray ut ad moneatur animus ad naturam excellentiorem se convertere id est ad Dominum cum ipsum corpus eâ—us quod est terrenum ad corpus excellentius id est ad corpus caeleste convertâ—ur we suppose you will not expect that we should be much moved by it If we should why should we not worship towards any of the Creatures visible when we can pretend such reasons for it as minding us of Superior things and why should we not look Southward when the Sun is in the South And we fear the worshipping toward the Sun as representing or minding us of Christs Heavenly Body is too like to the prohibited worshipping before an Image and too like to that worshipping before the Host of Heaven in which the old Idolatry consisted or at least which was the Introduction of it of which our Protestant writers Treate at large against the Papists on the point of Image worship See also Vessius de Idolat lib. 2. cap. 2 3. c. Sect. 7. Exc. 3. Ans. It appears by the greatest evidences of Antiquity that it was upon the 25. day of Decemb. S. Aug. Psal. 132. Repl. It is not August alone in Psal. 132. that must tell us which way the greatest evidences of Antiquity go And his reasoning that John must decrease and Christ must increase as proved by Johns being born when the dayes decrease and Christs being born when the dayes increase doth not much invite us to receive his testimony We conceive the ancient opinion of Jerusalem and other Eastern Churches that were nearest to the place is a greater Argument for the contrary then you have here given us for what you thus affirm we might set Epiphan against Augâ—st and call the Greek Churches till the midst of Chrysostoms time when they changed their opinion and in our time the Judgement of the Famous Chronologers Scaliger Berraldus Broughton Calvisius Cappellus Clopenburgius with many others are not contemptible as set against such an unproved Assertion as this Sect. 8. Ans. That our sinful bodies c. It can no more be said those words do give greater efficacy to the Blood then to the Body of Christ then when our Lord saith This is my Blood which is shed for you and for many for the remission of sins c. and saith not so explicitly of the Body Repl. Sure Christ their intimateth no such distinction as is here intimated There his Body is said to be broken for us and not onely for our bodies Sect. 9. To every Communicant kneeling Ans. It is most requisite that the Minister deliver the bread and wine into every particular Communicants hand and ropeat the words in the singular number for so much as it is the propriety of Sacraments to make particular obâ—ignation to each Believer and it is our visible Profession that by the Grace of God Christ tasted death for everyman Reply 1. Did not Christ know the propriety of Sacraments better than we and yet he delivered it in the plural number to all at once with a Take ye eat ye drink ye all of it VVe had rather study to be obedient to our Master than to be wiser than He. 2. As God maketh the general offer which giveth to no man a personal inâ—erest till his own acceptance first appropriate it So it is fit that the Minister that is God's Agent imitate Him when his Example and the Reason of it so concur to engage us to it Clemens Alexandr Stromat lib. 1. Prope giveth a Reason as we understand him for the contrary That Man being a free Agent must be the Chooser or Refuser for himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Quemadmodum Eucharistiam cum quidem ut mos est diviserint permittunt unicuique ex populo ejus partim sumere and after rendreth this reason 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ad accurate enim perfecteque eligendum ac fugiendum optima est Conscientia And the thing is so agreeable to your own doctrinal Principles that we fear you disrelish it because it comes from us Sect. 10. Kneeling c. Answ. Concerning Kneeling at the Sacrament we have given account already only thus much we add That we conceive it an Error to say that the Scripture affirms the Apostles to have received not kneeling The posture at the Paschal Supper we know but the Institution of the holy Sacrament was after Supper and what Posture was then used the Scripture is silent The Rubrick at the end of the 1. Edw. c. 6. that leaves kneeling crossing c. indifferent is meant only at such times as they are not prescribed and required But at the Eucharist kneeling is expresly required in the Rubrick following Repl. Doubtless when Matthew and Mark say it was as they did eat to which before it is said That they sate down and when Interpreters generally agree upon it this would easily have satisfied you if you had been as willing to believe it as to believe the contrary Matth. 26 20 21 26. the same phrase is used v. 26. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as in v. 21. where it sheweth they were still sitting For the sense of the Rubrick if you prove that the Makers so interpret it we shall not deny it but the Reason of both seems the same Sect. 11. Communion three times a year Answ. This desire to have the Parishioners at liberty whether they will ever receive the Communion or not savours of too much neglect and coldness of affection towards the holy Sacrament it is more sitting that order should be taken to bring it into more frequent use as it was in the first and best times Our Rubr. is directly according to the ancient Counc of Eliberis cap. 81. Grat. de
or become theirs He speaks also of what may be done de eo qui fieri non posse arbitratur But our question is what is done and not what God can do Our great question is what Children they be that Baptism belongeth to After the Catechism we conceive that it is not a sufficient qualification c. â— we conceive that this qualification is required rather as necessary then as sufficient and therefore it is the duty of the Minister of the place Can. 61. to prepare Children in the best manner to be presented to the Bishop for confirmation and to inform the Bishop of their fitness but submitting the judgement to the Bishop both of this and other qualifications and not that the Bishop should be tyed to the Ministers consent compare this Rubrick to the seâ—ond Rubrick before the Catechism and there is required what is further necessary and sufficient Repl. 1. If we have all necessary ordinarily we have that which is sufficient ad esse there is more ordinarily necessary then to say those words 2. Do you owe the King no more obedience Already do you contradict his Declaration which saith Confirmation shall be performed by the information and with the consent of the Minister of the place But if the Ministers consent shall not be necessary take all the charge upon your own souls and let your souls be answerable for all They see no need of Godf. Here the Compilers of the Liturgy did and so doth the Church that there may be a witness of the Confirmation Repl. It is like to be your own Work as you will use it and we cannot hinder you from doing it in your own way But are Godfathers no more than Witnesses c. This supposeth that all children c. It supposeth and that truly that all Children were at their Baptism by water and the Holy Ghost and had given unto them the forgiveness of all their sins and it is uncharitably presumed that notwithstanding the frailties and slips of their Childhood they have not totally lost what was in Baptism conferred upon them and therefore adds Strengthen them we beseech thee O Lord with the Holy Ghost the Comfortes and daily increase in them their manifold gifts of grace c. None that lives in open sin ought to be confirmed Repl. 1. Children baptized without right cannot be presumed to be really regenerate and pardoned 2. We speak onely of those that by living in open sin do shew themselves to be unjustified these you confess should not be confirmed O that you would but practise that If not this Confession will witness against you Before the Imposition of hands c. Confirmation is reserved to the Bishop in honorem ordinis to bless being an act of Authority so was it of old St. Hierome Dialog adv Lucifer says it was Totius-Orbis-consentio in hanc partem and St. Cyprian to the same purpose Ep. 73. and our Church doth every where profess as she ought to conform to the Catholick usages of the Primitive times from which causlesly to depart argues rather love of contention than of peace The reserving of Confirmation to the Bishop doth argue the Dignity of the Bishop above Presbyters who are not allowed to Confirm but does not argue any excellency in Confirmation above the Sacraments St. Hierome argues the quite contrary ad Lucif Cap. 4. That because Baptism was allowed to be performed by a Deacon but Confirmation onely by a Bishop therefore Baptism was most necessary and of greatest value the mercy of God allowing the most necessary means of Salvation to be administred by inferior orders and restraining the less necessary to the higher for the honour of their order Repl. O that we had the Primitive Episcopacy and that Bishops had no more Churches to over-see than in the Primitive times they had and then we would never speak against this reservation of Confirmation to the honor of the Bishop but when that Bishop of one Church is turned into that Bishop of many hundred Churches and when he is now a Bishop of the lowest rank that was an Arch-bishop when Archbishops first came up and so we have not really existent any meer Bishops such as the Antients knew at all but onely Archbishops and their Curates marvel not if we would not have Confirmation proper to Archbishops no one man undertake more than an hundred can perform but if they will do it there is no remedy we have acquit our selves Prayer after the Imposition of hands is grounded upon the practice of the Apostles Heb 62. Acts 8. 17 nor doth 25 Article say that Confirmation is a corrupt imitation of the Apostles practice but that the 5 commonly called Sacraments have ground partly of the corrupt following the Apostles c. which may be applied to some other of these 5. but cannot be applied to Confirmation unless we make the Church speak Contradictions Rep. But the question is not of imposition of hands in general but this imposition in particular And you have never proved that this sort of imposition called Confirmation is mentioned in those Texts And the 25 Article cannot more probably be thought to speak of any one of the 5. as proceeding from the corrupt imitation of the Apostles then of Confirmation as a supposed Sacrament We know no harm in speaking the language of holy Scriptures Acts 8. 15. they laid their hands upon them and they received the holy Ghost and though imposition of hands be not a Sacrament yet it is a very fit sign to certifie the persons what is then done for them as the Prayer speaks Rep. It is fit to speak the Scriptures Language in Scripture-sense but if those that have no such power to give the holy Ghost wil say receive the Holy Ghost it were better for them to abuse other Language than Scripture-language After Confirmation THere is no inconvenience that Confirmation should be required before the Communion when it may be ordinarily obtained that which you here fault you elsewhere desire Rep. We desire that the credible approved profession of Faith and Repentance be made necessaries But not that all the thousands in England that never came under the Bishops hands as not one of many ever did even when they were at the highest may be kept from the Lords Supper for some cannot have that imposition and others will not that yet are fit for communion with the Church The Ring is a significant sign onely of humane institution and was always given as a pledge of fidelity and constant love and here is no reason given why it should be taken away nor are the reasons mentioned in the Roman Ritualits given in our Common-Prayer-Book Rep. We crave not your own forbearance of the Ring but the indifferency in our use of a thing so mis-used and unnecessary These words In the Name of the Father Son and holy Ghost if they seem te make Matrimony a