how to pray For Doctrine is Teaching And Prayer it is when a faythfull soule breathes it vp vnto God Mentally or Vocally also That Repetition of wordes vsed before euen the selfe same wordes continueth still Prayer consider it not onely in the Apostles Prayer inculcate in seuerall Epistles namely Grace be with you and peace from God our father c. but also in our Sauiours practise who in the time of his agonie when most effectuall Prayer was to be vsed is sayd of S. Mathew in chap. 26. 44. to haue Praied the third time saying the same wordes euen the selfe-same wordes which he had vsed twise before And the reason lieth in this that Prayer receaueth not his Forme from wordes old or new for one may Pray without any wordes at all but from the Spirit of Christ aduancing our Spirit to God in Fayth whether with words or without Which caused the Apostle to say in Rom. 8. We know not what to pray as we ought but the Spirit it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes vnexpressable And yet I could round some Separist in the eare and tell him true of Teacher and Teached that haue ordinarily vsed a set forme of Prayer that I speake nothing of him who in his Prayer concluded till by mee he was better informed thus To whom togeather with thee and the sanctified Spirit be all glory c. But let that frantique Ieronymo goe by The other Aduersarie is at home who graunting the lawfull necessarie vse of a Leitourgie doth insurge against some what in Ours as not well fitting his fancie His obiection ariseth first against Methode secondly against Matter For Methode take this his maine Obiection In the beginning of our Seruice a Confession of sinne is vsed by the Minister in the name of the Congregation and that before the CongregatioÌ„ be present I answere first it may be a ranke lye that the Obiector propoundeth for some Congregation may be present Before though not euery member of the Congregation no more then some-times at their Conuenticles Whereat though their Tom and Sib be present yet happily lynkin and Sicily may be absent Secondly our Minister taking his fittest time doth desire such as be present not absent to ioyne in that Confession with him Thirdly if any be absent that should and might be present it is their sinne not the Ministers much lesse the Bookes seeing Confession of sinne is exceeding necessarie in the Exordium of our deuotions And that Nehemiah and Daniel had well learned when they begun their Deuotions with the Confession of their sinnes and the sinnes of the people For exception against Matter it is fourefold First for Omission Secondly for Addition Thirdly for Translation Fourthly for certaine Capital-letters 1. For Omission as in passing by the Psalmes Titles I answere first it is not repugnant vnto Gods word that some Scripture be read and othersome omitted in the Common seruice seeing neither all Scripture is Then to be read witnesse the seuerall Leitourgies of their owne drawing nor is our Minister debarred to handle any Scripture Secondly the Lections in a Leitourgie require the playnest scriptures because generally for the vse of the common people But that the Psalmes-titles be not a plaine Scripture will appeare thus The Hebrew word Lame natséach is turned To him that excelleth Yet according to the Septuagint who should best vnderstand it it is turned by that which as in auncient Latine translations valueth Vnto or Vpon the end By Targum and some other Latines otherwise Hereupon Frier Faelix vnto Pope Leo the tenth is bold to say Anullo Aucthore hactenus recte expositam inuenj nam haec dictio manasséach participium est verbj nizeach I change not his forme of spelling quod quidem verbum cum a nomine nessach descendat velè conuerso diuersas habet significationes The Rabbines of the Iewes who should best vnderstand it being at no vnitie in this poynt amongst themselues nor Greeke Church nor Latine Church nor others daring to determine of it peremptorily as beseemeth in cases of Fayth what saucinesse is it not in this poynt to taxe our Church when the Taxers themselues can at best but guesse how the Title may be translated Againe we haue in some Translation to him that excelleth on NegÃnóth or on NechÃlóth Who can assuredly determine whether these were Instruments or Tunes or what If the Minister will preach vpon it he may But to be ioyned with ordinarie Lections I see no necessitie howsoeuer it may be lawfull 2. For Addition there be in the 14. Psalme three Verses moe in our Common-seruice Booke then be in the Hebrew namely the 5. 6. and 7. verses the whole so being deuided into eleauen verses I ingeniously confesse that once I conceiued how that Exception of Addition had risen against the three last Verses as it lieth in our ordinarie Bibles where the whole besides the Title be but seauen But now it is cleare that they meane the three Verses inserted into the Psalme immediatly vpon the fourth beginning thus Their throate is an open sepulchre c. Hereto I answere It is not repugnant to Gods word that these Verses be there read in our Common seruice once for that the same Verses are Scripture so alleadged by S. Paul in Rom. 3. Secondly for that they be inserted where for the argument they be as fitting as they were in the other place for the Apostles purpose 3. As for Traslation they excerpe sundry places Two principall be fetcht from the 105. 106. Psalmes From the 105. 18. this Vèlô marû aeth debárau word for word thus And they bittered not his word or They bittered not at his word Now as it is questionable who be They there spoken of whether the Commissioners or the People so the phrase bittering not his word as not prouoking the word or bittering not at his word as being not prouoked by his word is so doubtfull a phrase as no temporate spirit specially of no greater guiftes then the Obiectors will easily dare to oppose in this poynt or the like to the body of an whole Church In Psal. 106. 30. we read Phyneas stood vp prayed They say it should be turned Hee executed judgement I answere the originall word is Palal which the Iewes Targum as Pagnâ—â— noteth doth turne Hee prayed And Hithpallel in 2. Chro. 30. 18. is properly turned Hezekiah prayed In Psal. 5. 2. Vnto thee aeth-pallal I will pray So Psal. 32. 6. and Substantiuely it is very often vsed in the Psalmes for Prayer The Septuaginâ— whom the common Latine in Austens times did follow is Exilasato whereof commeth Hilasterion turned Propitiatory Now seeing Placation and Propitiation is properly by Oblation and Prayer the Septuaginâ— must needes also so well as the old Latine intend with vs Prayer rather then Execution of Iudgement Nor could his executing iudgement haue found rest with the Lord otherwise then the same were sanctified with
sooner hath crept out of the shell but labours to picke out the eyes of thy Mother Looke for the curse of Canaan and to be rooted out for a defiler of the nest thou vvast bred in My Mothers sonne can doe nothing that can content thee for thou canst doe nothing that vvill long content thy selfe I novv this is the true Discipline anone that I novv some translation of the Bible may be brought into the Congregation i novv none but the liuely voyce of Gods spirit in the Teacher that is the liuely voyce of his ovvne priuate fancie I novv the Minister may haue no set kind of maintenance I novv he may I novv the Apostate from that Church may vpon his returne not be admitted into somuch as a Collecters roome vvhom they call Deacon anone he may One-vvhile Psalmes may not be songe in the Congregation another vvhile they may One yeare it is as lavvfull for a man to preach in our Temples as for the Prophet of Iudah to prophecie at Bethel but next yeare such an act must be tearmed Idolatrie and Antichristianisme In a vvord for thy fooleries are infinite thy ovvne Apocryphall inuentions must be held Canonicall and I must not seeke to content thee VVere not a VVhirelygig in thy braine as may appeare by thy trundling from Country to Country from shop to shop pratling inueâ—â—iuing rayling our vvritinges vvould be read more soberly and iudged of more conscionably VVhatsoeuer vnconscionable Spirit thou bee I turne my selfe from thee saying no more then Michael did to Satan The Lord reprooue thee CHAP. I. Touching the word CHVRCH THe word CHVRCH is deriued of the word Kyrk This latter beeing still retayned both of Germaine our North-brittaine That the letter K. comes so to be written with CH. the reason is plaine when as it is remembred that the word is originally Greeke their letters Kappa and CHI we confound vsing the one indifferently for the other As for V. in the word Church it hauing in stead thereof Y. in the word Kyrk that falles out by same reason as some pronounce the letter Vpsilon others Ypsilon The Greeke word is Kyriake of Kyrios Lord for that the place so tearmed is the Lords-house or Temple Goropius Becanus in his Amazonica findes fault with Nannius for being on this minde and thereupon presseth two words of their owne language Car signifying Amiable and Rac I touch But this is too farre fetcht and to no good purpose and the rather for that it is no noueltie to find both their tongue and ours and others to borrow of Iauan I meane the Greekes Amongest hundreds take one familiar example We haue a certaine Fruit which we call Cherry marke heere also Ch. for K. the French call it Cerisâ— the Italian Ciriegia frutto the Spaniard Ceresa fruto the Latine Cerasum the Germaine Kirse And all these deriued from the Greeke word Kerásion or Kêrasos And if this haue falne out in wordes of such qualitie how much more is it like that the language of the New Testament and it also the most vniuersall Language of â—aphets people should vnto the New Testaments house of Religion so well as to the people giue the name of Kyriake by Contraction Kyrk In latter sound Church CHAP. ij Touching the vse of the word CHVRCH c. THe word Church in our language is taken either for the Place set apart for the Lordes publique worship as was the Tabernacle to Israel therefore styled Ohel mognedh the Tabernacle of Congregation or conuention or it is taken for the people of God who are by calling the House of God as the Apostle speakes to Timothie or as to the Corinthes a Temple to the Holy Ghost As it is a materiall House so it is necessarie for fitnes of conuening vnto publique exercises of Fayth Charitie as was the place of the Corinthes meeting remembred of the Apostle to such purpose And so the House in respect of his vse is the Lords-house a place Ecclesiastique nor lesse truly then the Temple may be called an house of prayer In the Primatiâ—e times the Christians hauing no Kings for Patrones it so came about that the places of their meeting fell out as they might not as they would But the ten Persecutions ouer so many as the Plagues in Egipt it then fell out that the meeting places were not onely more publique but also some and some became very seemely and sumptuous About some 300. yeares after Christ the Christians began to build them but within a few yeares after euen in the time of Constantine the great they became more countenaunced rich And will any but the Atheist or Satan transformed into a professor of light will any but such find fault with their state and riches they being Houses deuoted vnto heauenly purposes Shall it be lawfull for vs to seele and trimme our common Houses and to neglect the House deuoted to the Lords peculiar seruice Hinc hinc procul ite Prophani And heere let me remember a triuiall Obiection cast in by the Brownist and such other They first affirme that these materiall Churches in their phraze Synagogues were originally euen from the very foundation deuoted to Idolatrie and therfore in the second place from their vnderstanding of Deut. 12. 1. c. they conclude them to be Idolothytes and so our duties to pull them downe Some others of them haue taught that they may be conuerted for ciuill vse to Barnes or Stables Nor is this latter opinion otherwise then wel-ny vniuersall amongst them I might answere them thus First agree flatly on the poynt your selues and then I will shape an answere Secondly seeing the most principall of you do hold that they may be conuerted to Ciuill vses whereupon at Campin and Narden in Netherland you were contented to dwell in Monasteries and so did I might demaunde how that standeth good with Deut. 12 Yea I could thirdly say they themselues are one in opinion but another in action for in such Monasteries raysed vp in far more corrupt times theÌ„ were the Churches themselues did conuene weekely for acting their publique Deuotions Yet I must needes confesse that old Abbot who was of opinion that the Prelates of England could coniure and had by such course sent a Diuell among the Brownists for stirring vp amongst them all cutthroate contentions he would neither enter such place for spirituall exercise nor any other ciuill respect But alas sillie soules the Commaundement in Deut. 12. for Israels pulling downe all Idolatrous places was not meerely Morall and perpetuall but stood in force for the time wherein one house as Tabernacle or Temple was alotted to the Lords spirituall worship For they were pulled downe for teaching and driuing all people to that One place where God put his name As God gaue no such Commaundement to his people before he appoynted One such publique place to be repayred vnto so neither after the Lord abolished
Prayer specially he being a Priest vnto God and deuoted to Prayer By this little taste iudge of our Aduersaries learning and discretion though I of many be most vnfitted to propound it 4. Touching their exception at Capitall letters an exception now very vulgare the case standes thus There be in the Common-seruice Booke certaine great Letters within whose Circumference the Grauer of these Letters hath sometimes put certaine Pictures resembling Triton Hercules c. For which diuers doe charge the Booke for an vpholder of Idolatrie I answere it is nothing to the Matter because not of the Bookes matter Nor is the Matter a pinne the worse though the Manner of conuaying it be not so sutable as may be If there be a fault in the Fashion blame the Taylor not the Wearer These Spirites by like proportion may rayle vpon euery Bible as an vpholder of Corruption Why for that euery Printer wil be found to haue fayled in something as in mistaking a Letter displacing a Poynt c. Secondly if they so stumble at the Pictures of persons that haue been idolatrized why not also at the Picture of a Rose which some Mahumetistes venerate as sproung of the blood of the most lasciuious Goddesse that the Gentles ouer had namely Venus others of them for that it had as they say the originall from the sweat sweete sweat of their Prophet Mahomet a sweete sweatie Prophet vpon which superstitious conceites the Rose may not forsooth fall to the ground And why with as good reason doe they not reiect the two Capitall letters T and X the first hauing been idolatrized as the Crosse of Christ the other as the Crosse of S. Andrew Or why contend they not about the Capitall I which being the fashion of a Piller vnder which forme it is sayd of Clemens Alexandrine the Gentiles did worship God they might also entitle it a Monument of Idolatrie The Apostle forbids men to contend about Wordes and these hold it a vertue to make warre about Letters yea about the very Ornament of Letters I perceiue that they will play small play ere they sit out for wranglers Though it be not alwayes of Absolute necessitie that there be a Leitourgie yet respectiuely times may bring with them a deepe necessitie thereof And if any times then these times for if no forme be concluded of but euery one left to his owne discretion herein as the Apostles iustly were they being filled with spirit of Discretion not one Congregation wil be like another But as among the Romanistes the multiplicitie of Monckerie begot multiplicitie of Differences euery one affecting so his owne Order as therewithall grew a contempt of the other so this Church would so affect this Forme and that Church that Forme and a third a third forme c. as therewithall would arise such praysinges dispray singes likinges dislikinges as no one Parioch would be at quiet with another nor any possible vnitie among the Teachers Let it remaine then for Orthodoxall not onely that such a Leitourgie is lawfull but also for begetting and continuing vnitie that such an vniforme Leitourgie is very expedient and needfull With the Apostle to the Corinths he there handling also matters of Order in the Church I thus conclude If any man lust to be contentious we haue no such custome nor the Churches of God CHAP. xij Touching the Beginning of the Christian Chruch c. VVHen the fulnesse of time was come God sent his Sonne made of a Woman who being aged about 30. yeares the age whereat the Koâ—athite began to waite at the Altar did then publiquely fall a preaching and of gathering Disciples vnto him About three yeares a halfe after he suffered and was buried The third day after he arose and for fourtie dayes after he appeared to his Disciples specially to eleuen of them who are called Apostles Then he ascended vp into Heauen and ten dayes after the Apostles then being conuened in an house in Ierushalem he raines downe Guiftes vpon his Disciples by the which they were not onely fitted to Teach and Gouerne the Church but also furnished with all Language and power of Myracles They so furnished doe take to themselues Assistants called Euangelistes or Prophets and the Church of Ierushalem being shaken asunder they to Samaria and so to the vttermost partes of the earth as they were of Christ foretold and commaunded immediatly before his Ascension And as they were before commaunded to cry that as vpon the house-top which he had told them as in the eare so they repaire vnto the most publique and populous Cities which were Head-townes to the Countrie adiacent So they preached in Ephesus Corinth Colossus Philippi Thessalâ—nia Rome c. that so the Christian fayth might not onely beat the Diuel at first hand out of his principall fortes but also from these Head-townes the Law might goe out to their Pagies or Villagies which Pagies receiued the Gospell at second hand and so subiected themselues to the Church in their Citie And because many Pagies were long ere they came to the Fayth being much remote from the holy meanes in the Citie they came to be called Paganes in an ill sense as Infidels whereas before it was but the tearme that belonged to the inhabitants of these Pagies or Country places Heere I could note and it is worthy the noting that the Countrie Christians howsoeuer meeting in some Countrie house might be tearmed a Church as before yet they made not an established Church The Church for plenarie power of doctrine and gouernement was stablished in the Citie that City-church exercising her iurisdiction ouer Country assemblies came to be called the Metropolitane Church and the like Ecclesiastique Histories make this poynt plaine and easily from the Apostles Actes and Epistles the thing may be collected The Bishop of Brownisâ—â— must needes in this ioyne with mee seeing his Established Church at Amsterdam in Netherland exerciseth authoritie ouer some assemblies in England and elswhere which is a Bishoppricke of more length by many hundred myles then any Bishop in England hath besides that betweene him and some of his Sheepes dwelling plots there is a large Sea if not Seas by the which he is not like to ride somuch as once in a yeare through the Suburbes of his Church for keeping Visitations But what doe I following that squeaking Lapwinge As the Apostles were appoynted to take possession for Christ from one corner of the earth to another and to the Romaines he testifieth that their sound then was gone through the earth as Dauid also foretold in the 19 Psalme though in amâ—sterie so that blessed gladâ—tidinges was brought into Britaine and our predecessors then barbarous rude naked and painted with Woad were amongst others of Iaphets seede allured by the sweetnesse of the Gospell to come into Shems Tent and to worship one and the same true God the Father of Christ Iesus That some of the Apostles or