admirable Bishop Andrewes that will tell him b Sermon of Worshipping Imaginations p. 37. That without Set Forms which are tantomount to him we are dealing withall with Liturgies we cannot serve God in spirit whereof his reason is because saith he it is plain that those that give themselves to imagine c Concerning their stops and humines and demurres of humane imperfection intituled to the unutterable groans of the spirit among the ablest of this opinion See Thorndike of Assem p. 216. 217. See also p. 218. And Dr Laâ— Wom Beaten â—yâ—e c. p. 16 17. prayer at the same instant do so occupie their minds with devising still what to say next their spirit is unfruitfull a The Minister may better pray reading than they pray studying as they must aâ— where is his zeal when he hath sense to look and scarce knows what comes next Mr D. Whitby 's Vindic. of the Form of Com. Prayers c. p. 27. no lesse than the others Papist understanding And both these 1. the understanding of the mind 2. and the affection of the spirit are there necessarily required Neither will the Scriptures he cites afford him the least countenance for this his daring charge Worshiping in spirit c. S. Joh. 4. 20 24. being set in opposition only to the appropriating of worship to some singular places Jerusalem or that Mountain b See Josephus lib. Antiq. XII c. 1. not to bodily worship nor is producible as any apologie or excuse for the omission thereof c The Reader is intreated â—o see Mr Mede's Diatribe on John 4 23. where p. 198 199 200. he asserts the commendablenesse yea requisitenesse of bodily Worship under the Gospel shewing that this Text is abused as alledged against it and gives us two interpretations of it the first p. â—01 is That to worship God in Spirit and Truth is to worship him not with types and shadows of things to come as in the Old Testament but according to the verity of the things exhibited in Christ according to that Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ See the same Evangelist c. 17. v. 17. and Ephes 1. 13. and Rom. 15. 8. no longer with bloody sacrifices and the Rites and Ordinances depending thereupon but in and according to the verity of that which these Ordinances figured c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saies Eusebius Demonstr Evang. l. 1. c. 9. and correspondently diverse other of the Antients The second interpretation which the said learned Mr Mede most approves is in spirit that is conceiving of him no otherwise then in Spirit And in truth that is not under any corporeal or visible shape as of a Dove 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not fancying him as a Body but as indeed he is a Spirit See Rom. 1. 25. Amos 2. 4. Isay 28. 15. Jer. 16. 19. From which latter sense he frames this argument for bodily Worship To worship what they know as the Jews are said to do and to worship in Spirit and truth are taken by our Saviour for equivalent else the whole sense will be inconvenient But the Jews worshipped not God without Rites and Ceremonies who yet are supposed to worship him in spirit and truth Ergò to worship God without Rites and Ceremonies is not to worship him in spirit and truth according to the meaning here intended This is his demonstration p. 209. The Homily against the peril of Idolatry p. 3. peculiarly applies the Text against worshipping of God in an Image however frequently vouched by sundry Asâ—matists and by a lusty wrench directed by them against the conjunction d Adoratio corporalis in Spiritu fit in quantum ex spirituali devotione procedit ad cam ordinatur Aquinas 2dae 2dà qu. 84. art 1. There should be such correspondency 'twixt soul and body as between the Living Creatures and wheels When those went these went c. Ezek. 1. 21. See Ps 95. 6. S. Luke â—â— 41. Rev. 4. 10. and 11. 16. See Bishop And. on Comments Addition 8. p. 103. of the body with the spirit in the service of God And yet never that I before heard of was it urged against Set Forms for so he takes Liturgie as is apparent p. 4. l. 9. And then for his other places Isaiah 29. 13. not 33. it serves as little to his turn for 't is boundlesse calumny to say That all those that use the English Common-Prayer-Book honour God onely with their mouth or lips without the application of their heart and for the latter part of the Text their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men 't is onely a perstriction a Homines nempe à Deo non instituti qui in nudis ritibus sine animi emendatione cultum Dei collocant Tales doctores erant falsi illorum temporum prophetae Grot in loc or rebuke of the false Prophets of those times as men who being not ordained instituted or sâ—nt of God placed the worship of God in naked rites without the betterance or amâ—ndment of the Soul Now whether all that love the Liturgie be men of this sad character and base alloy I leave to the conscience of this Objecter to passe verdict when he communes with himself in his Chamber and is still His Fourth Reason is Because that onely which is needfull in the service of God is to be made c. A worthy reâ—son But he abets it out of Act. 15. 28. It seemed good c. to lay upon you no greater burden then these necessary things Was ever Scripture more sottishly applyed For shame know or acknowledge that those words concern a particular emergencie and case the danger of the tender-Jew-Christians being scandalized galled or averted from Christianity if those Precepts given to the Sons of Noah Of obstaining from meats offered to Idols c. as they follow vers 29. were not for a while observed by the Gentile Converts Now will this Author against his own marginal Rule p. 12. argue from a particular to a general and because these onely Necessaries such in that juncture or at that turn were then imposed conclude that therefore a Form of Prayer must not be made or imposed because none of these or not necessarie as these were at that knot of time 'T is pity to insist longer and distinguish of Necessary or Necessity that some things are necessary to the Beeing or absolutely others to the wel-Being comparatively on condition or in a more remiss degree Who pretends that Liturgies are absolutely necessary or to the Being Of what needfulnesse Liturgies are see in the Preface of a Church or Child of God as such but then to the solemne publick worship of God they are very hugely requisite and needfull if that signify as sure it do's lower than necessary and which Mr. P. when necessary was in the Text of the Acts ha's put in his proposition instead thereof as ashamed sure to pretend that every thing in the service
Common-â—rayer-Book that there was nothing in it but what was taken out of the Word of God or which was not against it being taken in a good sense Upon which occasion that Book was re-surveyed and in the particulars subjects to cavils or contentions corrected 3 Gilbertus's e Preâ—um fol. 302 312. a German who in a Book of his published many years since propounds our Book of Prayer for a Sample of the Forms of the Antient Church 4 Alexander Alefiut's a learned Scot who translated it into Latine in K. Edward's time where by the way our Book is observed to be translated into more languages than any Liturgie in the world again whatsoever it be 5 Peter Vermilius surnamed Martyr-his who was also one of the Compilers of it in the above-said pretious King 's time 6 Gualter's and the Tigurines-theirs 7 The Strasburgians-theirs and even a Our Service is good and godly every tittle grounded on holy Scripture and with what face do you cal it dark nesse look if any thing be blamable in our Service-Book 8 Deering's who in his Defence of Bishop Jewel against Harding defending this Venerable Book against him calumniating onely in general and calling it Darknesse c. Yea 9 b See Troubles of Frankfort p. 30. Calvin's himself who when from Frankford he had received an odious malicious account of many particulars in our said Book as will be acknowledged by any that shall compare and confront the narrative in that matter with what he finds though he who as Arch-Bishop Williams would say and 't is visible had his tolerabiles morositates were so far esmoved as to call them ineptias follies yet he added the Epithete of tolerabiles that though such they were yet tolerable c I might add also the mention of H. Grorius who was known to be a great admirer of the Church of England â—â— setled under K. Charles I. and other Princes of H. M. See Dr Hammond's Continuation of the Defence of Grotius p. 29. Who that he also highly reverenced Mr Hooker appears by his Letter to Dr Casaubon Hereto we not amisse nor very uncoheringly annex 10 Peter du Moulin the Father his interpretative testimonial of it who as his worthy Son gives us d Letter of a French Protestant to a Scotishman of the Covenant p. 28. lin 17. the Storie being in London in the year 1615. and observed withal by some discontented Brethren that the Reverend man was highly favoured by his Majestie King James who sent for him they came to him with a Bill of Grievances to be represented to the King which saies the Narrator my Father having perused returned it to them again saying That the exceptions were frivolous e In A. B. Bancrofts Sermon at Pauls on 1 John 4. 1. See also E. P 's testimonie mentioned in a Pref. to Arch-bishop Cranmer 's Book of Un written Verities And Bishop Ridley 's words which he thought should be his last against Knox a man of nature too conteâ—tious c. their quarrels and perverse exceptions to the Book-Yet saies the H. Martyr he cannot soundly by the word of God disprove any thing in it Take also that very popular Preacher Mr Baxters f See his Book of Disputations concerning Church-Government dedicated to Richard P. of somewhat a like nature Who hath Printed his expresse approbation of sundry things in our Service-Book and Church-Politie as Organs Ring in Mariage which were and are matters of strange dislike stick with them like meat offered to an Idol to his dear Disciplinarian Brethren as also who professed as himself hath attested in Print g In Post-script to Ep. before his Vain Religion of the formal Hypocrite to Dr. Gauden That the â—iturgie was unquarrellable as to Doctrine taking things in a candid sense h Well imployed therefore were the Assemblers when they attempted to correct Magnificat reform â—ur Articles and the Reasoners for Reformation when they corped at so many severals in the Doctrine of the Ch. 5. Consider what that most religious and blessed Martyr-Prince K. Charles I. hath delivered about this concernment in his most Excellent and Divine Soliloquies a Meditation XLV mihi p. 124 125. As to the matter saith â—e contained in the Book of Common-Prayer Sober and Learned men have sufficientlie vindicated it against the cavils and exceptions of those who thought it a part of pietie to make what profane objections they could One instance may be mortal sin in the Litanie and deadly sin Articles of Rel. Art XVI against it especially for Poperie and Superstition wherein no doubt the Liturgie was exactly conformed to the Doctrine of the Church of England and this by all Reformed Churches is confessed to be most sound and orthodox 6. Consider the admirable unanswered indeed unanswerable labour of a Member and Son of our Church who hath most learnedly and satisfactorily answered all the little and great exceptions and charges to and of our Book levied and exhibited by the Disciplinarians in all their Pamphlets or Pasquils gathered together by him Of which Authour and book now under mention the Reader shall pardon me to annex very much to the interests of our cause the words of the choicely learned Dr Meric Casaubon b In his Vindocation of the Lords Prayer p. 81 82. In very deed saith he such is my opinion of that incomparable Work that did not I believe the World that is the greatest number of men really mad in the true Stoical sense and that it is some degree of madnesse especially after long Wars confusions and alterations of States to expect it otherwise I would perswade men that have been buyers of books these 15 or 16 years to burn one half at least of those books they have bought they were as good do so as sell them for nothing and betake themselves to the reading of Hooker not doubting but by that And that incomparable Hooker concerning whom I may much rather sâ—y than of hiâ— Woâ—ks of whom it was said and made by Paulus Thorius Praeter Apostolicas post Christi tempora chartas Huic peperere libro secula nulla paâ—em Mounâ—â—gu's Gagg p. 324. time they had read him once or twice over accuratelie they would thank me for my advice but God much more that put it into their hearts to follow it 7. Consider what was said and hath been admirablie and unanswerably mâ—de good so far as his design led him by another Person c Dr Hammond View of the New Directorie Pref. § 3. of our Church a great Saint of a most Heroick most Primitive pietie as well as mighty most sterling judgment and most diffused researched learning That ever since the reproaches of men have taken confidence to vent themselves against this book the English Liturgie there hath nothing but air and vapour been vomitted out against it objections of little force to conclude any thing but onely the resolute contumacious either ignorance
the Imposal be the thing still stuck at besides the reason already assigned we say according to the XXXVIIth Article of the Church of England That our Chief Magistrates the Kings and Queens of these Kingdoms have that prerogative which we see to have been given alwayes to all godly Princes in holy Scriptures by God himself c. Now we know our of the Sacred Code the Scriptures that one of those godly Princes Josiah besides his destroying of Idolatry and Repaire of the Temple a Regiâ suâ authoritate obstrinxit quamvis propensos Judaeorum animos ne ipso vivo ab externo Dei cultu deficerent tantam adhibuit disciplinae severitatem Tremell Junius in 2 Chron. 34. 33. made or compelled all that were found in Israel to serve the Lord their God Another of them King David b 1 Chron. 24. divided the Priests into orders c 1 Chron. 25. constituted the number and offices of the Singers c. Nay and which is remarkable made a change in a constitution or Law of God concerning the Levites viz. d Num. 8. 24. That whereas God appointed e 1 Chron 23. vers 24. 27. the attendance of the Levites that they should serve and do the work of the Lord from the age of but five and twenty years and upward till the age of fifty years old and then they should cease waiting v. 25 they were by Him f And the 28th inordered to serve from the age of twenty years and upward upon a ground there specified v. 25. Now as this alteration cannot that twenty fifth verse forbidding g See Doctor Hammond 's exact Account of Mr. Cawdrey 's Triplex Diatribe Sect. â— 105 106. to which what Mr. Cawdrey ha's return'd in his Account andited and discounted Sect. 4. of Wilworship p. 160. is utterly shifting and unsatisfactory as any that hath his eyes in his head and not bleared with prejudice will upon collation soon discern and confesse reasonably be pretended to be done by any other than Kingly Authority not Prophetical as one h Mr. D. Cawdrey would have it though the pretention be evicted of falsity by his very learned Adversary so one would think it should for ever stop the mouths of this and all other pretenders against the Authority of the Magistrate about things Sacred and Divine One would suppose that I need nor add the mention of the instance of King Hezekiah and the Princes a 2 Chron. 29 30. Examples of Magistrates Compelling the people to serve God Abraham Gen. 17 18. Jacob Gen. 35. 2 3 4. Moses Joshua 24 23. Gedeon Jehosaphat 2 Chron. 19. 4. Josiah 2 Chron 34. 32 33. Asa 3 Chron. 14 15. Ch Manasseh 2 Chron 33. 15 16. Darius Dan 6. 26. Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 3. 29. See S. Augustine Epist 127. Cont Crescon Gram l. 3. c. 50. contr Literas Petiliâ—n l. 2. c. 86. 83. Codex lib. 1. tit 5. de Haeretic Socrates l. 1. c. 34. Gr Lat 21 22. Euseb de vit Constantini l. 1. c. 37. Theod l. 5 c. 20. commanding the Levites to sing praises to the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph though Hezekiah and the Church then had not the very same occasions to use them that David c. had But we shall have farther occasion to speak to this afterwards We come now to his Reasons Why 't is not lawfull to impose a Liturgy whereof The First is Because no Magistrate can produce any Authority Divine we must suppose he means for so doing not Commands Instances or Examples if not then followes none must presume upon their utmost peril to introduce the same To this we Answer We have commands What King Josiah did he did by command of the Moral Law which binds under the Gospel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to serve God by prayer and prayse in whatever convenient usefull manner composed And what bound Josiah binds our Princes What should I recount Rom. 13. 1. Let every soul be subject c. or Hebr. 13. 17. Obey them that have the over-sight or rule over you c b See also 1 Tim 2. 3. 1 Pet 2. 13 14. Instances or Examples we have in the same Josiah and in David in a matter of much higher consideration as some will construe it than imposing such or such a mode or form of God's service agreeable to his will and mind in all things for the matter To the Second Because 't is forbid in the second Commandment and elsewhere in Scripture Liturgies being Ordinances Traditions and Rudiments of men in God's worship all which things are there forbid We Answer by denying the Minor Proposition as in syllogisme challenging any man to prove That Liturgies are Ordinances Traditions and Rudiments of men in the Holy Apostles sense and therefore what-ever the Second Precept c That stinted Liturgies are no wayes against the second Commandment See Mr. John Ball 's Tryal of the grounds tending to separation c. 3. per totum as venerable an Authour sure and of the same Family as Dod or Bifield if they should which 't is certain enough they did not saâ— the contrary forbids it toucheth not those a See 12 Addâ—tional to Bishop Andrews on the second Commandment p. 194 195. Adjuments of Devotion and the Service of God being no such Rudiments c. or if they be all prescript forms of Prayer of what kind soever are involvable under the same charge It were well if men could or would penetrate a little-thought beyond the shell and surface of words and learn or weigh what these words that so amuse and affright the Vulgar do truly import Ordinances Traditions Rudiments Do 's a Liturgie signifie that bill which the Jews were bound by signed as it were by their own hands against themselves by professing to expect justification from the Law and yet this is the very meaning of hand-writing of ordinances b It would better be rendred having by his doctrines blotted out the handwriting against us Hebr. 9. 10. Carnal ordinances is meant of those transient external constitutions of the Levitical oeconomie against eating any unclean meat c. or the vain empty â—roâ—hy and pretended knowledge or wisdom of the Gnosticks tâ—ken out of the heathenish Pythagorean Philosophie as it signifies Col. 2. 8. Col. 2. 14. Do's it signifie external performances about washings c. alone heeded to the neglect of Gods prime Commands or the dubbing those things or inventions with the high style of Gods Commands which are not to the superseding and evacuating of his real Commands Yet so traditions S. Matth. 15. 9. and S. Mar. 7. 7 9 13. signifie Lastly do's a Liturgie signifie or implie the observances of the Mosaical Law very distant and contrary to the Christian Divinity or abstinences out of Heathen or Jewish practises brought-in as rudiments imports Coloss 2. 8 20. If the import and sense of words were considered and not the sound onely we should not
versamur incerta est whom there was nothing poor men I could heartily wish it might have been groundedlie so a Utinam nemo pereat Nazianz. but Heaven-ward ho though a company of facinorous Impenitents Certainly a gracious tenour of a holy life is if not the onely yet the most sure and chief assurance b Altera est Quaestio de certitudine pro futuro Hic datur magis bona spes quà m certitudo spes qualis est in honestâ matronâ quae cum semper casta fuerit etiam in posterum talis esse vult futurum esse confidit ideóque non meâ—uit anxiè ne se maritus repudiet Haec spes sollicitudinem cautionem non excludit Quamdiuâ— vivimus in certamine sumus ut aiâ— l. 2. contra Pelag. Hieronymus Bernard Certitudinem utique non habemus sed spei fiducia consolatur nos 1 Cor. 10. 12 Phil. 2. 12. Grot. Annot. ad Cassand ad Art IV. For his other Instance and charge of imperfection no Prayer for Labourers c. it's also utterly causelesse For has not our Liturgie an excellent Prayer for the Whole State of Christs Church militant here in earth and therein do's not the Chuch beseech the Divine Majestie to inspire continually the universal Church with the spirit of truth c Do's She not pray in the Collect for S. Barnabe's Day c See also the Collect for S. Bartholomew's Day and oâ—hers That the Lord Almightie would not suffer us to be destitute of his manifold gifts nor yet of grace to use them alway to his honour and glorie So we have satisfied his Exceptions and challenge him to find any such Defective Omissions His Eleventh is Because there are so many unwarrantable and offensive things therein Answ For his offensive things I have accounted somewhat in Answ to his Fourth Reas against our Book For his Unwarrantables we 'l view them distinctly and applie Answer to them accordingly The 1. is Adding and diminishing from Scripture endeavoured to be proved by that sentence praeliminarie to our Book At what time soever c. Ezek. XVIII 21. 22. Answ 1. That the Accuser knows not what adding c. is Let him learn it above in my Answ to 's Twenty fifth Reas against Liturgies 2. He adds here for proof Prov. 30. 6. But let him here also take with him Grotius's Note on the words He d Addit qui aliter quà m Deus imperat facit ut dictuÌ„ ad Deut. IV 2 Grot. in Loc. adds that do's otherwise than God commands He brings for proof also Rev. 22. 18. To which we say 1 What if that be onely the adjuration e 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Scribe whereof there are examples which was the learned Mr Lively's conjecture 2 We say â—t is a symbolical and Prophetical form of expressing the certaintie and immutabilitie of this Prophecie and that it imports also the absolutenesse and perfection of it in order to publick use that it should be the one Prophecie given to the Christian Church which should bring Divine Authoritie along with it as sent with a commission from Heaven and therefore now no new doctrine was farther to be expected by the Christian Church and whosoever taught any as a rule a Though many excellent things were written afterwards Josephus cont Appion l. 1. and there might be some Prophets after S. John as Justin tells us That the gift of Prophecie remained in the Church till his time See Dr Hammond in Rev. XXII 18. of Faith and Life and pretended Revelation * for it should fall under the censure denounced on false Prophets Deut. XIII and under S. Paul's Anathema Gal. 1. 8 9. Now let him applie this to his Charge if he can 3. To the particular place contested I say 1 'T is cited according to the sense though not the words And the same petulant censure ever and anon in that manner b Concerning the several wayes of citing in the N. and O. Testament 1 as to the words 2 as to the sense alone 3 as to the type fulfilled 4 as to the analogie 5 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or indefinitely 6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or precisely 7 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or summarily See in Bishop Pâ—ideaux his Fasciculus Controversâ—arum p. 24. See also Hooker l. 5. § 19. p. 213 214. See also concerning the place in Ezek. particularly Bishop Gauden 's Considerations c. p. 24. c. which Answ Mr Firmin has not cannot firmly overthrow For instance see a pregnant place Hebr. X 5 6. cited out of Ps XL 6 7 8. And this Answ may be snarled at but it can never be rationallie everted 2 Thus 't is also ordinarie for the Fathers not to cite precisely the words but the sense onely many times The 2. Vnjustâ—fiable wherewith he charges our Book is Our leaving out many Books of Scripture never to be read thooughout the year charging it as contrarie to 2 Tim. 3. 16 Answ 1. By asking in the learned Thorndike's words c Of the Service of God at Religious Assemblies p. 403. What will any man say now to the Order of reading the Scriptures once a year in the Church Shall this be the thanks of the Church of England for renewing that religious Order of the Antient Church and providing a publike course for the people to become acquainted with the Scripture To say that it is out of the Breviarie or Masse 2. Be it known to him we leave out none of the Scriptures in our yearly lecture or reading of them as if we thought them not divinely iâ—spired or unprofitable but allowing them to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we think that some Chapters may be well omitted in publick as being either 1 such as have been read already upon which score the Chronicles are omitted being for the most part the same d So VII of Nehem. with the Books of Kings read before or 2 such as having for the main been read alreadie either in the same Book or some other the case of certain chapters in some other Books or 3 such as being full of Genealogies a Sâ— for this cause are emiâ—ted Gen. 10 11 24 Exod. 6. likewise S. Matt â— 1. to 18 v. Luk. 3. 22. to end Some Chapters are not read because Ceremonial as Exod 25. to 32 and 35. to the end â—th Book Levit. 1. to 18. and 21. to 26. also the last Chapter in Numb and those two in Deut. 14. and 23. So those are left that describe Places Josh 15. to 23. Those also that are prophetically mystical as all Salomons Song and many Chap. in Ezek especially 9 last and Rev. 2. to 22. or some other matter counted lesse profitable for ordinarie Hearers as the nine last Chapters of Ezekiel the first eight of the first of Chronicles how would such Hearers be edified by Were not men resolved to keep up their animosities though never so causelesse and groundlesse