by authority iâ— the face of the Church who of conscience ought to consent and beare witnesse to the doome First the act of an Apostle Deliver such an one unto Satan it may be that he might have power over his body to torment him as appeares in the Stories of Ananias Sapphira Elimas Alexander Secondly the act of a Bishop put away from amongst you that wicked person that being suspended from the preservatives of his soule in the visible communion of Saints he might have a way to bring him to godly sorrow And thirdly the act of every godly Pastour to mourne that if any be called a brother and bee a fornicator or covetous or an Idolater or a rayler or a drunkard or an extortioner with such an one eate not that is be so farre from countenancing of him in his sinne that yee take him not into unnecessary familiarity Now how from hence can be picked a popular government of the Church God knoweth I cannot yet reach But yet say the Brownists you may reach thus much to confound you that if Paul would not have you eate with such wicked brothers much lesse would he have you to receive the Sacrament with them for he hath more care of his owne supper than of ours This is certaine that God hath a greater care of his own Supper than of ours and therefore though he be willing that all should come both good and bad yet if they come and stay bad and hee come to try them they shall bee bound hand and foot and cast into hell It is certaine also that wee must have a great care of the Supper of the Lord as we can in our places private persons by private communion of Saints Presbyters by publike preaching by Word and Doctrine and by private exhortations as they can and Church-Officers by presentments and punishments fit But it doth not therefore follow because wee may not eate with them that is converse familiarly and unnecessarily with them that therefor we may not eate the Lords Supper with the Saints because wicked persons are there Their wickednesse we countenance when we keepe company with them our goodnes they countenance when they come into publike communion with us we have no need of their eating with us they shew their need of their eating with us in the Sacrament when we have no power to keepe them backe Yet say they still wee have power to keepe them backe for Paul speaking of the incestuous person saith sufficient to such a man is this punishment which was inflicted of many therefore the whole Church had power and used it against him It is true it was inflicted by many assessors and conseÌ„ters to his doom but not as prime executors of that doome The Apostle saith that the Saints shall judge the world by way of life witnesse consent and approbation yet is it not Christ that is the Judge of wicked and good So though this punishment was inflicted upon him by many by way of consent and approbation yet was it primely inflicted by Paul and his authority in those that declared it Thus have I satisfied my selfe if not others in this point concerning the power of governement which lies not in all the congregation for execution and prime officiating but in the chiefe governours who beare the place of Paul and the other Apostles SECT 13. Brownists exceptions against the persons governing in our Church and against the exercise of their governement PVt case that the power of governement were not in every particular congregation yet our governours are not to bee allowed yea to be banished the church say they They are farre from the sweete moderate spirit of Melancthon one of the blessed reformers who so the Pope of Rome himselfe would have admitted of the Gospel of Christ in truth would have permitted his superiority over Bishops by humane right for the peace and common tranquility of christians under him But nothing will serve these people but the damnation of the Pope and the shame and confusion of all Bishops one and the other And there are three things principally in them at which they except and against which they stumble 1 Their name 2 Their degree 3 Their jurisdiction Why say they should they appropriate to themselvs this name of Bishops which belongs to all other Pastours as well as to them There is good cause for there are two sorts of Bishops first ordinary Bishops such as were all the Elders of Ephesus These must not bee blinde watch-men for if they see not they cannot oversee They must not sleepe and bee secure they must have a great care to keepe safe those that are committed to them that the enemy come not and sowe tares Secondly there are extraordinary Bishops such as have precedence jurisdiction not onely over the flock but over the elders and presbyters which are called Angels such were Timothy and Titus the first ordained Bishops of the churches of Ephesus and Creta as appeares in the postscript of those epistles Which though haply they are no part of the canonicall scriptures yet are they authenticall records of matters of fact to help our understandings in the needfull stories of thâ—se times without which we may think amisse From these they justly assume those names which have beene given to men of their order ever since the Apostles dayes But put case they could not make such aclaime if there be the office shall we quarrell about the names The first man that ever found fault with the name would fame have been a Bishop himselfe but when he found himselfe crossed he comforted himself with this that yet as he was a Presbyter he was equall with them But let no good Christians be unquiet for names if there may bee an agreement in things named The Apostles were called Deacons in Gods language yea and Christ himselfe who came to that end Christ is called the Arch-bishop and the Apostle of our soules The Apostles are called Elders and Elders were called Apostles and Bishops are called Angels What matters it then for names if wee can agree in other things But say they wee doe not agree in other things for these Bishops are in a degree above Presbyters and so there is an unequall ministery in the Church of Christ which should not bee Now surely they have had this from the Apostles dayes yea the scripture mentioneth a superiority in the ministery of the Church first Apostles secondarily prophets thirdly teachers And this is a sure rule that such a ministery as is most like the ministerie ordained by Christ it not being denyed unto us expressely or by consequent and another commanded may be lawfully maintained by us as Christs ministery But such is an unequall ministery in degree as Prophets Apostles Evangelists Pastours and Doctours one above another in larger authority gifts for those that were called
immediately did excell those that were called by men And among those that were called by men where might bee a rising to an higher degree according as they profited in faith and godlinesse Therefore Paul saith that they that use the office of a Deacon well purchase to themselves a good degree Therefore may wee lawfully maintaine a superiority in the ministery of Christ now But it may be they would not stand so much upon this because for ought I can finde there is some inequality betwixt their pretended Pastors and Doctors but that there is a Iurisdiction in our Bishops not onely over the flock but over the compresbyters their brethren It is true there is so and that justly without which wee should have as many religions as parishes and for that I say this Such jurisdiction as is patterned or prescribed in the epistles to Timothy and Titus is worthily exercised in our church of Christ If it bee said that that jurisdiction was personal in them this takes away the comfort of doctrine in all the otheâ— epistles for it may be as well said that the rules of faith and doctrine in them are personall and belong to that age But as this cannot be said so nor that for those rules tended to the government of the house of God and were to be kept to the appearing of our Lord Iesus Christ Now that that jurisdiction patterned or prescribed in those epistles was episcopal appeareth thus Set aside matters matrimonial and testamentary which are the wise donation of princes for the conscionable ordering of such affaires and the jurisdiction of Bishops doth stand in two things principally First in ordination for the ordaining of ministers Titus was left in Crete to ordeine elders and the Apostle would have Timothy lay hands rashly on none that is ordaine But say they these ordeined not as Bishops but as Evangelists But this they must prove that they were Evangelists strictly so called Evangelists were immediately called so waâ— not Timothy for according to his good report and the prophesies that went of him for his great use of the church hee was ordained by the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery Yea but say they that Paul bids him doe the worke of an Evangelist True but may they not as well prove Timothy to be an Apostle because hee did the worke of the Lord as Paul did know therefore that Evangelist may be taken three wayes for a penner of the Gospel by divine instinct so the Apostles were Evangelists For a preacher of the Gospel by divine instinct so they are accounted so properly And for a preacher of the Gospell by ordinary diligence and assistance and thus Timothy an Evangelist may be a Bishop to ordaine though not properly as a preacher yet as made a great overseer for that use But say the Brownists Bishops claime ordination to themselves alone so did not Timothy and Titus who did it with the eldership Whether these did it alwaies with the assistant presbyters is not yet proved there being no set law knowne to us then nor I doubt ever will Indeed for our Bishops they ordaine Deacons alone and so they may according to ancient custome and neither I nor they know any thing against it But for the ordination of Presbyters as it was in the primitive Church so our Lawes require that the Bishop should have his assistants the power of ordaining being in him and the liberty of approbation in these Secondly the jurisdiction of Bishops stands in redressing things amisse Titus was left in Creta to redresse things amisse not onely in the people but Presbyters Over Presbyters I say they had a power to command as Paul saith to Timothy I left thee at Ephesus that thou mightst charge some that they preach no other doctrine to judge therefore he saith against an Elder receive not an accusation under two or three witnesses which was a juridicall proceeding and to silence as occasion is offered for whose mouthes must be stopped saith Paul to Titus Which power if it be onely by verball conviction as every Minister of the New Testament is bound to doe as he is able and not by reall suspension as hee is over Presbyters the precept is altogether in vaine and idle For words doe but breed words and contentious spirits will never have an end But say they the Apostles would not suffer themselves to be silenced no more should wee If we cannot doe our office in publike we should doe it private This is true of the Apostles and they did well in it but there are two sorts of Preachers such as were immediately called who had their gifts and matter and calling immediately from Christ these none but Christ can silence they are his elect vessels as Paul to carry his Name And such as are immediately called who have their matter and gifts by reading and industry and their calling by and from the testimony of man Now because some mens sinnes goe before and some mens follow after they that gave power and testimony according to appearance may according to after appearance take testimony away from the unworthy except they could prove themselves Apostles But yet say they grant all this true yet are there divers exceptions against our Bishops what such as may justifie a separation Let us heare them Put case Timothy and Titus were Bishops yet were they not such as ours that is Diocesan Bishops what then were they parish Bishops I wish them read in Church stories of the best times without which they can never understand some passages of scriptures of the practise of the Church I am sure this they should finde that Timothy and Titus had some compasse of jurisdiction allotted wherein there were Churches at least according to cities wherein there were many presbyters to be overseene and ordered and what was this but a Diocesse which as the Church increased increased with it But these say they for all that had no princely authority and Lordly command over their brethren That is true neither is this absolutely necessary to the calling or of the essence of it yet doth it not overthrow it but adorne and strengthen it when it is well used If a Bishop were called a beggar it doth not overthrow his calling so neither if he be called a pallace who knowes not that that proceeded from the favour of our Princes that they might be Barons of the parliament to direct the conscience in deepe matters of state But say they this is against the word of God Be not Lords over Gods heritage saith Peter and saith Christ the Lords of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them and they that are great exercise authority over them but it shall not be so among you but whosoever wil be great among you let him be your minister and whosoever would be chiefe among you let him bee your
kept back none of thy counsell I have not strengthened the hands of wickednesse I have loved the godly as such though I have hated their indiscretions as well as my owne J have been kinde and courteous to those that have ill rewarded me Onely this is the truth J have loved the Church of God amongst us and the whole governement ecclesiasticall and temporall If any thing have appeared harsh I have excused it aâ— I was bound I have not indured to heare publike scandalls to bee layed upon them I have opposed gainesayers with earnestnesse of spirit others will say like a man but J will say and J am sure like a minister This hath fallen upon darke melancholick high lookt and sowre natures and so hath suffered a disgust Some have beene sowred but sweetned againe with the trade of the good word of God and the practise of affability Some have beene estranged till this contracted folly hath beene digested Some have complayned of chiding when my nature can chide nothing but sinne and disorder and some have hardned themselves in error and schisme To crosse me I feare and my tenets for the Church they have revenged upon themselves What these few will gaine in the issue I doe not know This I doubt that they will repent if greatnesse of stomack will let them looke backe againe when it is too late But for you my good people in whose hearts God hath writ mee by the preaching of Christ and his truth ye have not so runne in vaine Ye will not be deluded with their pretences and sweet words Yee have heard formerly from me all these grounds and oppositions of Brownisme which here J present unto you and here have J thus addressed them for you that they may keepe you from that snare of simple ones and that they may ever lie by you when J am dead and with my Christ to keepe you upright in the waies of our blessed Church I know that some of you beare a deare and tender affection to these few seduced ones though now they will not heare you Ye have lived in the same Church together like friends ye have delighted in the same word of God prayer and sacraments yee have sweetly comforted one another in the private communion of Saints and ye see that still they seeme to live unblameable lives towards men and that they pretend to delight still in the word of Christ which is the onely rule of salvation These things will give great advantage to them to worke upon you and to you to keepe intimate familiarity with them But in the feare of God I beseech you take heede weigh well what in this discourse J say and God give you understanding in all things Jt is no small charge to unchurch a church to unminister a ministery and to unworship a worship They must be sure of their hands that they can and will answer it to Christ with confidence when they have done it To doe it with a trembling heart is to doe it against conscience To doe it with full assurance of understanding is to doe it with sure warrants and precepts of Christ If they have such against our Church I am sure we shall finde them if not let them goe if they will but follow not them in the breach To keepe you out of it I have done as J doe and to gaine them too if they will not bee resolved without grounds J am sure they shall have no iust cause to except against my dealing with them They may except against me as an English Priest and Bishops creature as I heare but shall never against my course with them I have dealt with them with matter more then with words and because they pretend to two things to the scriptures and to conscience and I know a third thing in them weakenesse Therefore have J dealt with them accordingly J have compared scripture with scripture to finde out the truth but cannot finde theirs I have dealt conscionably with them in fighting with that onely weapon against them of their owne choosing the word of Christ And because they are weake I have not shewed my selfe a man in giving them any bitter language or exasperating termes As the barking of one dogge begets the barking of another though it bee against the Moone so is it with high words and therefore it were glorious and above a man if it were layed downe on all sides and partakings But as the waves of the sea when they meete not with a rocke but with the sands they returne backe-againe with a watery flash so have J done by them that all our matters may be done in love Indeede I have taken their affected name out of their mouthes separatists and given their right one unto them Brownists and this J have done out of conscience I finde by experience that the word Separation doth winne to their cause For when people of strong affections and weaker Iudgements doe reade of the necessity of separation in the scriptures and can not discerne how we have made separation from heathenisme and when we have beene thrust out of Rome because wee were unwilling to bee so bad as shee have maintayned our just standing from her in a divided way they have beene willing to hearken to a separating plott Therefore Browne being the leader amongst us to this breach if now time hath not made it worse then he intended it J can not nickname but inconscience call the childe after the fathers name Jt was Christs course ye are of your father the Devill his children ye are and so must I. Jt is true also that afterwards yee may finde some opinions gone against that are held by some that keepe Communion with our Church as of a true Church But I am sure they are the Brownists opinions also to whom I speake All that I can say therefore for that is this Jt may bee that some of you know or have heard of that Noble Moralizers fable of Amphiolus who when hee was in all his military accoutraments to give combate as hee thought to Argalus a Knight of the Sunne This mans wife dressed her selfe in her husbands armour and gave her husbands enemy meeting Amphiolus encounters valiantly gave a wound in the necke closeth overthrowes and gives a mortall wound in the body But when hee opened the armour viewes his Conquest and saw it was faire Parthenia Argalus his wife he could have no comfort of the day it became not a man so to ruine a woman Such is my case heere J say as a father of old I dare not write against a Bishop of my communion the love of brotherly peace is glorious in the Church even among men that otherwise differ in opinion But if they put on the armes of an enemy because they will bee so with whom I fight for truth I cannot helpe it if they meete with a blow though I glory not in it yea am sorry that there should be any such cause I
was come home to God command Iudah to serve the God of Israel Did not Iosiah cause and make his people to stand to his covenant to serve even to serve the Lord our God Is it not lawfull for good Princes in reforming to follow these examples may not they binde their people some way by oath bond subscription or taking and giving hands for better performance of duties of religion why may not our good Princes follow those old patternes in reforming They say because it is not found in the new testament Bee it so yet it is found in the old testament and not condemned in the new nor any other order prescribed in such a case Surely seeing in this new devised way they will bee tried by none but the new testament they shall be cast at this bar in their own courses Let them give but one text to prove any man called or ordained to a Pastours office in the church by a company of private men alone and I shall give them another text to prove any thing they please I can yet reade of none but Apostles Evangelists and the eldership that made ministers there If they can shew no text I am sure they have no such Pastours as they ought but I am sure we have true kings who have power in reforming to compell wicked people to be better then they are because they beare not the sword for nought Yea but say they lastly put case they entred upon necessarie knowledge that they made a covenant in receiving the word and sacraments that they were voluntarily or forced yet lawfull professours when they stated a visible church yet they were many of them baptized when they were the seed of them that were not members of the visible church Conceive it thus If a man be a member of the visible church then his children have a right to baptisme before they actually professe the faith by vertue of that promise I will be thy God and the God of thy seede But if hee bee not a member of a visible church as a Iew Turke or Pagan then have they no right to it before they actually confesse as the Eunuch did Now the Brownists keeping a great coile about the jointing of members into a church as if it were all one to be jointed into the body of Christ coapted and fitted to our head Christ for life and salvation and to bee a member of the visible church in outward communion and fellowship of Christ for the outward priviledges of the church they have I say espied among many others this one crime in the Dutch and French churches that they baptize the seede of them that are no members of the visible church much more when they looke upon us whom they account not members of a true visible church must they quarrell if all bee of his mind if our first reformers be not members of a true visible church and yet their children are baptized before they are of yeares to professe their owne faith SECT 9. A question by the way about baptizing Bastards of impenitent Christians I Confesse I never yet talked with any Brownist about this particular yet because I finde too many conscious people hanging after forraigne novelties and gazing upon with admiration the membring and dismembring in visible churches who when they heare of Christians lawfully begotten children denied baptisme beginne to wonder that christians bastards should be admitted Therefore to cleare both as God shall in able I shall labour to satisfie others as I have done some in this question whether bastards are baptizable while their mothers are in their sinnes of adultery or fornication and whether men ought not to stay their baptisme untill they be reconciled to God in open church which is publickely scandalized by her fact and from which she hath dismembred her selfe by her misdeed In this I finde two questions inwrapt in one whether bastards are baptizable and whether men ought not to stay such baptisme till the harlot bee reconciled to God and this be done in the open church scandalized from which by her fact she hath cut herselfe off by her sinne I shall first labour to state these questions and then the cases will more easily appeare The estate of the first may be thus set By bastards such children are meant as come not into the world by lawfull acts of marriage and by baptizable is meant such as have a right to the sacrament of baptisme in the church And the question is not whether bastards in generall are baptizable for so it is certaine that all are not as the bastards of Iewes Turkes and Pagans who have no right to baptisme but by personall confession But the question is whether the bastards of the professours at large in a christian church which is in covenant with God for the outward priviledge of the church at least have right to baptisme of these the inquiry is because in the second part of this question is spoken of the mothers reconciling to God in the open church offended The state of the second question must be laid by considering two things 1 The persons enquired of· 2 The duty of these persons The persons enquired of are Men and it is too generall a terme For it cannot meane any men of that assembly where such a bastard is presented for they have no authority knowne to mee from scriptures to meddle in any censure ecclesiasticall These onely are to meddle heere who are sent and inspired with delegated service and mininistery from Christ either immediately or mediately Neither can it meane the Pastors and deputed teachers of that assembly for they have but a dependent authority according to the lawes of Eutaxy and good order in the church Presbiters under Bishops Bishops under Synods Synods under Councels and Councels under the word of Christ in plaine scriptures Our highest appeale is to our head Christ Iesus For if ordinary Pastours had such independent power in such cases thinke whether it would not set up a Pope in every parish especially considering that wee have neither precept nor president in all the new testament of such power given to any assembly or Presbiter that ever I could yet finde By men therâ—fore wee must understand the publick governours of that church that is the King Prince state Bishop and convocation by their lawes ecclesiasticall for the good of the church The question enquires of those in respect of order decree and command and of these in respect of Canons and executions accordingly Thus I take up the minde of the question or else I know not what it would have Next consider in the question the duty of these persons whether they ought to stay bastards from baptisme By this two things may bee meant denying baptisme but no man would utterly exclude such and suspending baptisme and of this is the question for it makes a double limitation first till the harlot be reconciled to God In this
such as the Apostles converted in the first planting of the Churches of the Gentiles It is certaine that it is as true a conversion from any sinne to sanctification as from infidelity to faith For Iohn Baptist was sent to turne the disobedient Iewes and Peter after his fall was to be converted and Ephraim was to say turne thou me and I shall be turned and the remnant of Iacob was to returne to the mighty God But say they this may be done by private persons as by the woman of Samaria and by the good wife who winnes her husband by her conversation Who doth doubt that as the base carriage of Christians doth make religion blasphemed so the faire carriage of theÌ„ doth win aliens to like it Who doubts but the perswasions of others may draw men to Christ or his followers to bee informed in good wayes Who doubts of Aquilas and Priscillas taking Apollos a man mighty in the Scriptures and making him understand the wayes of Christ better Yea and Christ if hee please may use them as meanes for thorow conversion But what is Christs ordinary way hee hath now given Pastors and Doctors not onely for the setting of the Saints in joynt and edifying of the body of Christ but for the worke of the Ministery and what is that It is to open mens eyes and to turne them from darknesse to light that they may receive forgivenesse of sinnes and inheritance among them that are sanctifâ—ed by Faith in Christ Therefore our Ministery having done thus are not these true Ministers No say the Brownists and therefore doe they make exceptions against us They like not our ordainers our titles our callings our infirmities nor our maintenances therefore we are not true Ministers Let us follow them with Christs light It is as if they should have said though we cannot overthrow the substance of your Ministery yet we reject you because of the circumstances of it as the children of Israel who could not out-face Elishaes calling from God yet could in scorne say come up thou bald-pate thou art not without thy blemish till the Beares stopt their mouthes Let them take heede If a King have all the substance of right and Kingshippe yet if in his inauguration hee have not a pleasing â—nnointer title acclamation maintenance or have some infirmities is hee not a right King I doubt if these spirits had power in their hand neither true King nor true Priest nor true people should scarcely be found to stand before them But to the particulars They say wee are ordained by Bishops who are as they are such the very limbes of Antichrist That they are the blessed governors of our Church according to the patterne and rules Apoâ—tolicall of Timothy and Titus I have shewed before And by whom should wee be ordained but by such Can a good man dreame that the body of a people of men and women have a power to ordaine and consecrate presbyters when if he runne thorough the whole new testament he can never find but bresbyters ordained by presbyters If ours bee Bishops yet they are presbyters and more They have an order and jurisdiction by right above us as Titus in Creta yet I hope that doth not exclude presbytership from them The inferiour orders may stand alone but the superiour comprehends all A Bishop may reade administer sacraments and doe other offices of the inferiour orders and often doth whereas the other inferiour offices have no jurisdiction over their brethren where the blessing of Bishops may by the favour of times and Princes bee setled according to the word of God That which is their weapon heere I suffer to runne unto my heart not to wound it but to comfort it that I have not beene brought up in other Churches to receive my ordination from the presbytery which yet is good in case of necessity when our way cannot be had but that I have received it by the hand of a Bishop as well as presbyters which makes the practises and rules of scriptures about ordinations the lesse defective the more compleat But these Bishops of ours say they doe ordaine us Priests which is not a ministery of the new testament And what if we be so called in our ordination Is it so contemptible a name which is put upon all Christians both kings and beggars may not we be called so as ministers as well as we and they too as Christians Indeed popish Priests had an ill name when they ruled our people which made it a name of disgrace and proud and scornefull people will cast it upon us with disgrace who doe deserve better but by Christs helpe I shall never bee ashamed of that name which I must labour to answer in my office if I will bee found faithfull Christ as a Priest maketh intercession and I as a Priest must pray for my people as Paul did often Christ as a Priest did offer a sacrifice I as a Priest must minister the Gospel of God that the sacrificing of my people may be acceptable as Paul of the Gentiles And why should any bee offended at that name by which the holy Ghost calls us for when Esay speaketh of the ministers of the new testament hee saith of them will I take for Priests and Levites saith the Lord. What matters it what wee are called so long as wee offer no idolatrous sacrifice but onely in our office commemorate the sacrifice of Christ and doe other services for his honour Put case wee may bee Priests in name and Presbyters indeed yet say they wee are not called by the people whose souls we feed but are put upon them by lawes and Canons This is in part true but not fully for while Presbyters are put into parishes by law they come unto them by their owne consent For have not the people chosen knights and Burgesses to draw up and to consent to lawes for them And have not Presbyters chosen clarkes synodically to meete to make rulâ—s and Canons for them And doe not both these settle Presbyters in every parish Therefore they are inducted by all ministers and peoples consent But put case it were fully true were wee not therefore true ministers Did we never heare of a man and woman that were married together against the will of one party by the power of parents who yet being married were true man and wife and by an after combining lived lovingly together so may it bee in this case a free consent of minister and people after in the true worship of God may supply and make up that defect But is it certaine that the people have such a right in calling their Presbyters Let us looke into the sure word of God I see the right of Christian Magistrates in choosing them unto their places Take thou unto thee Aaron for the Priests office saith God and thus did Moses See also
Booke it hath three degrees the Beginning Middle and End of it In the beginning of it there is reading of Psalmes principally to raise up our affections and of other Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament to confirme our judgements in the truth and to helpe us to search whether things heard are so or no. There is confession of our faith that wee may professe it as a briefe rule from Scriptures to try whether we stand in the faith whereto we may referre the truths of faith in the Scriptures And we have Prayers wherein wee are not long at once or with a breath but have distinct and divided salutations praises and Petitions for our selves chiefe members and the Church that we may the better hold out unto the end without distractions All this I am sure none if they understand can justly blame Onely there is one thing worth notice which doth hardly relish to some fewe and can by no meanes be indured by the Brownists and that is the Litany This stickes most because they are more carefull to make objections against it then answers for it that they may have comfort and peace with us Therefore with Christs helpe I shall indeavour two things to shew the reason of the name and how they may satisfie themselves against such scruples as may arise It is called a Litany which is an humble prayer whose use is most for adversity It comes of a word that signifies to supplicate from whence comes suppliant prayers The ancient Churches were full of them as I could shew which usually beganne with Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us and why should ours be empty seeing wee would be accounted as good Christians as they There are divers exceptions against ours therefore let us see next how they may satisfie themselvs against them There is no Church that I know but must have a favourable construction of some things and so must ouâ—s yet in this I see not but that all excepters may be fully satisfied The exceptions that I have yet met with are against the manner of this prayer and against the matter of it Against the manner they say that it is with repetitions of the people and interlocutary passages As for that I finde that in the scriptures God hath commanded publicke prayers that is that Presbyter and people should pray but he hath not commanded any forme or manner to carry their prayers in but onely that it bee done to edification Therfore he hath left that free to the wisdome and judgement of the governours And this we have often experience of that if a continued prayer be but halfe so long some will bee nodding before it bee done whereas if they be kept busie by the matter in hand they are more vigilant But say they he hath given us the Lords prayer all in one length and set Amen in the latter end This is true yet marke he said to his disciples when yee pray say Our Father and Amen too and hee hath not told them in what manner they should say it when they pray together whether one should say the Petitions and the rest Amen or whether all should say the Petitions and Amen too In this he hath left them to edifâ—cation and us also But it is said that some parts of the Litany are so said that the reader shewes onely what they must pray for and the people make the suite as when they say from such and such a thing good Lord deliver us and this seemes to bee absurd That the people should make it without the minister is not injoyned that the minister doth not intend and make the suite is false except hee bee carelesse and wicked As the people say Amen aloude and the minister saith it too though happly not so loude so the minister intends and saith Good Lord deliver us though the people in turnes exceede in voice Against the matter of this prayer many things are objected few things weighed and nothing proved but evident quarrels There are exceptions against words and phrases and against suites conveyed in them The wordes and phrases are by thy crosse and passion by thy pretious death c. Which some of them out of the leâ—ity of minde call conjuring some out of worse cal swearing as if none could out sweare the Litany Let them take heede how they blaspheme the piety of Gods servants It was none of Elies goodnesse when hee reproached the prayers of Hannah as if shee were drunke when shee made them Let them apply this to themselves It will not be denied but that Christ brought us a great benefit by all these For what hee did as a publicke person hee did for us and our salvation in one degree or other Now what is this but a praying that all these acts and passions of Christ in their vertue and merit bee applyed to us by Gods love that wee may finde the profit of them But now the suites that wee convey in the words of that good Prayer are troublesome to them both when we sue for things and Persons As for things wee pray against two things which they doe not like against sudden death and against the sinnes of our forefathers As for the first there is a double sudden death sudden in time and sudden for want of preparation God hath said that hee will come before that wee are aware like a thiefe in the night His will bee done wee pray not against that But wee pray that his comming may not be so sudden but that through wisdome given we may set our houses in order and bee as the wise virgines having our lampes and oyle in a readinesse and from such sudden death good Lord deliver us As for the sinnes of our forefathers which being dead are now out of the state of forgivenesse wee pray not that their sinnes bee forgiven them but that they bee not remembred to be punished in us God punisheth to the third and fourth generation and the Psalmist saith Let the iniquitie of his fathers be remembred before the Lord and let not the sinne of his mother be blotted out that their posterity bee cut off and in the generations following their names bee blotted out And because these comminations have conditions of Repentance annexed to them doe not wee well to repent and cry to God remember not the iniquity of forefathers for feare of those sinnes that have gone before us But yet they like not the Persons that we pray for when wee say that God would have mercy upon all men For Christ saith he prayed not for the world but our Church cares not whom they pray for Indeed because wee finde that wee have a Precept pray for all men and an holy practise Let the People praise thee O God let all the People praise thee therefore wee doe as wee are bound in praying for all men