therefore we speak of a visible Church be it Catholick National or Parochial it is Coetus evocatorum a Company of Men called not invisibly internally but externally sensibly and such as have manifested their complyance with that Call Not a Company but a Society of Believers joyned together by a mutual profession of Faith For as Vnity of a sincere Faith is necessary for the Constitution of the Church invisible so is Vnity of profession of Faith necessary for the Constitution and being of a visible Church And to avoid rash unanswerable expressions and unbecoming behaviour it is both reasonable and necessary that words and actions should be reasonably agreed upon and determined The thoughts of our Souls like the eyes of our Bodies without an Object to terminate them will wander to the ends of the Earth therefore the prime work of Piety and Religion in the Rational Soul is to set God before the eyes of its Understanding That upon serious consideration seeing and concluding him the Best and the Greatest man may rationally both think and speak most honourably of him and behave himself most reverently towards him For Vniformity then in Religious exercises of necessity there must be the same Object GOD who is infinite must be proposed That our considerations and respects may be terminated upon him And of necessity there must be Rules and Forms agreed upon and fixed to direct and limit all associated Professors that their considerations and respects may be united either in knowing God or worshipping him Circumstances cannot be left indefinite and undetermined for mans Thoughts are as diverse naturally as their Faces and Tempers Their Words and Actions usually wild and extravagant and not only different but contrary also unless all these be bounded and terminated what Vnity can there be An arbitrary Will-worship will follow according to every mans fancy and in every meeting instead of a well-ordered Unity there must necessarily happen distraction and confusion And these things are obvious to every man that rationally considers them for never any Nation that had Religion true or false but alwaies agreed on a Common Ministration And in all their Sacrifices either propitiatory or gratulatory they have united together by certain Rules in a common Service and a joynt concurrence in it to that Deity which they adored And certainly all those Reasons formerly alleadged to urge an open profession of Faith return with new vigour strictly to oblige every Visible Church to acknowledge the necessity of fixing and observing Rules of Vniformity in every respective Congregation That the infinite Majesty of GOD may be generally and worthily glorified That our Neighbours and our selves may be most probably edified and comforted That those that are Vnbelievers may have their Conversion best furthered there must be Canons and Forms prescribed by Rulers to carry on a general Uniformity To conclude this Section then Governours must Rule by a Law their Laws can reach only to Externals in the exercise of Godliness In which Exercise of Godliness the first aim of Governours by their Laws is to promote Vniformity in Religious Assemblies To settle and continue an Vniformity there must be Rules to limit and direct SECT II. That the Canons and Forms in our Liturgy prescribed to the ends above-mentioned are most agreeable to the Rules of the Gospel is the next considerable LITURGY in its etymologie if rightly understood gives its full import and signification It is a Form or Rule of Administration in some publick Office Sometimes it is put in Scripture for Ministration in offices of Humanity and Liberality But our discourse and common Acceptation leads us to take it for that kind of Ministration that relates to Holy things about the Service and worship of God So here we understand it to be the Canons and Forms prescribed in a Visible Church of external profession of Faith by an evident demonstration of Obedience For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quod fit per populum sit publicum a publick Religious Ministration in a Congregation of Believers So the People must be understood concerned in the Ministration as well as the Priest And those of the People that would be accounted of the Visible Church are to submit and conform to such Canons and Forms as are prescribed in the Ministration And when a Church is not an Assembly only but a Society of the Faithful not internally Faithful only for that is not discernible by us but externally by publick Profession either by words or actions What our Judgments must be of them that in Assemblies neglect and despise Profession according to Rules prescribed is easily to be concluded For whatever good opinion others blindly may have of such or they may have of themselves yet not giving in their Assemblies any evident signs of external Profession they are in reason not to be judged of the Visible Church of Christ And this shews how unjustifiable the Meetings of our Separatists are when there is no publick exercise of Religion no vocal confession of Faith no express desires of Obedience in any of their Congregations To give evidence of any Assembly that it is a part of the Visible Church there must be a sensible Profession an apparent submission to the Canons and Forms of a Liturgy And conformity of the People to those Rules gives satisfaction who are to be reputed but wilful omission and neglect declares who are not to be reputed of the Church of Christ And blessed be God we have as it is necessary and expedient from our wise Governours considering our infirmities and extravagancies Canons and Forms prescribed in our Liturgy for Religious Ministration which are most agreeable to the Rules of the Gospel The Rules of the Gosple given by Christ and his Apostles are of so different natures such different sorts The Canons and Forms ordering our Common-Service in the publick exercise of Religion are so numerous and various as it were the work of an Age to discourse distinctly and pertinently of every particular that may be comprehended in this Section But first let us consider what we understand by the Rules of the Gospel to which our Canons and Prayers are to conform Now our Blessed Saviour at the first planting of the Gospel upon the Apostles and Seventy before his Passion and upon some Chosen Vessels for his Honour after his Ascension having all power given him did in those daies plentifully pour out his Spirit upon them and gifts graces and ability he gave to them in an extraordinary manner and measure for the work of the Ministery and edifying his Body by the prevalence of his Word and Gospel which he sent them abroad to preach confirming the Word by signs following That the whole power of the World was not able to resist the wisdom and Spirit by which they spake divers Gifts he distributed of miraculous operation For different Administrations as Gifts of Healing working of Miracles Prophesying discerning of Spirits diverse kinds of Tongues Interpretation
their own and Subjects satisfaction This concerns the whole Congregation and is to be done not only by the Clergy but Laity not only Priest but People not only Men but Women nor only they that are grown up but Children Out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings God thus hath his praise perfected and in his Temple when met for Gods worship every one must speak for his Honour of such as have received the Faith of the Gospel And this we are led unto by the eminent Examples of Angels and Saints who served and pleased God that Church triumphant in Heaven Thus when we knew not where we were before the foundations of the Earth were laid every Angel signified his consent and delight he had in the enjoyment of God Job 38.7 All those Morning Stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for joy No Dignity exempted any of those from Duty They all sang together they all shouted together for joy And the multitude of that heavenly Host that appeared to the Shepheards commended this practice to every particular Saint it being observed and recorded for an imitation that every one was praising God and saying Glory be to God on high on earth peace good will towards men Luke 2.13 14. And the Vision that St. John recorded that glorious Divine that now is equal if not above Angels is for direction and imitation of us and others to the end of the World and what he heard Revel 5.11 12 13. And I beheld and heard the voice of many Angels round about the Throne and the Beasts and the Elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousand of thousands crying with a loud voice Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power c. and every Creature which is in Heaven heard I saying Blessing Honour Glory and Power c. Certainly this was recorded to instruct us that this ought to be the duty of every particular Saint on Earth which does the work of every Saint and Angel in Heaven That every man of Christs Temple below as well as of that above should speak to his Honour set forth his Praise And thus they thought it and practiced the Apostles and Disciples of Christ in their first meeting who made confession of their Faith in that Article of the Resurrection Luke 24.33 34. not only the Eleven but they that were with them were saying The Lord is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon The Disciples come from Emmaus were they silent They told what things were done in the way and how he was known by breaking of Bread And thus they continued speaking till Christ came among them Acts 13.2 3. the Church met together at Antioch and there we find them met at their Liturgy there was a publick ministration they all agreed in That ministring was not touching the People then it would have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something done for Gods honour and service and it was Fasting and Praying To instance in one more 1 Cor. 14.24 they were all Prophesying In their holy Assemblies at Corinth the Apostle St. Paul supposeth that there was a business they were all imployed in it is set forth in the word Prophesying what can we in reason understand by that word Sure it was not Preaching for if all were preaching who could be hearing It was not fore-telling things to come this was given about that time to some extraordinarily upon the plentiful effusion of the Spirit but not commonly or generally to every Believer It was not extatical effusion from gifts of Tongue given to all to speak that was not given to all and the Unbeliever if he upon his coming in had found them all thus busied would have accounted them mad but Laity and Clergy Women as well as men might be imployed in this Prophesying But this work every Believer was busie about it must be therefore some open and plain declaration either of some Article or Articles of Religion or some acknowledgment of the divine Perfections or some speaking freely in praising of God or praying unto him for they were publickly ministring to the Lord they were falling down and worshipping him as the Apostle supposeth that being convinced by the joynt actual concurrence of every Believer the Vnbeliever coming in would fall down and worship God with them saying of a truth God was in the midst of them He supposeth it done by the Believers and Saints at Corinth what he desired might be done by the Saints at Jerusalem that they did not decline their Assembling themselves together for Religious purposes nor in their Assembling did any one decline the profession of his Faith which every one was to hold fast without wavering In probability there was some Liturgy they agreed in at Corinth as there was among the Believers at Jerusalem and at Antioch and Alexandria and every Believer accounted himself obliged to give his attendance on it and joynt concurrence with it to the honour and worship of God Every one offered a Sacrifice not private or mental which was not discernable by man but vocal the fruit of his lips and Unbeliever might sensibly perceive it and this tended to the service of God though external and well they were assured that with such Sacrifices which was every Christians duty to offer when they were offered God was well pleased Thus every Believer by the practice of the Church of Christ in purest times is led to profession of Faith and I appeal to any mans Reason or Experience to determine if he be a Christian whether upon a wilful omission of this Duty any true Believer can rest satisfied For if I be a sincere Believer I can never satisfie my self unless as I owe so I give all unto Gods glory The Hypocrite will to his power keep back something but the Christian which is sincerely holy will give all He knows and considers that his Body is created redeemed sanctified and shall be glorified to present them a living sacrifice to God is but reasonable service That it is not a gift but a debt he owes and is bound to pay that as with his Soul he is to know God and love him so he is to offer his Tongue to praise God and his Body to worship him But if I be diligent in the Profession of my Faith I forthwith feel a content and satisfaction attending and accompanying my holy imployments and a delightful pleasantness spreads it self over my Soul while my Body is busied in religious exercises It s the most relishing meat and drink for Gods Children thus to do their Fathers will and these Services are their greatest freedom Those that are beloved of God and after his own heart feel their Souls satisfied as with marrow and fatness while their Mouths freely praise him with joyful lips No such full content as in those exercises of Godliness which hath the greatest profession of delight in this life
sin and misery wherewith the Earth is overspread as once out of the Ark so now out of the Church there can ordinarily be expected no Salvation The Ark was cemented within and without with Pitch and the Church with Charity Sometimes they have likened her to a Coat to Josephs Coat that was polymita divers coloured to Christs Coat inconsutilis without seam rents or divisions In Holy Scripture in several places the Church of Christ is compared to an House or Temple Many distinct stones and several pieces of wood make up one Building for the protection entertainment and comfort of the Owner so many Believers make up one living Temple one spiritual House for Christ and his Spirit to dwell and delight in As no number of Planks can make up a Ship an Ark without close joynting No multitude of Threds can make a warm Garment without close weaving No Stones can make up an House without close cementing No Members or Parts can make up a Body without close compacting so no number of Men can make up a Church without Conjunction or Vnity And this the Holy Spirit of Christ intimates unto us in that heavenly Song Cant. 6.9 My love my undefiled is but one the only one of her Mother the choice one of her that bare her yea so we believe and so we teach there is but one Catholick Church Let the Sectaries and Separatists that think to drown the cry of their sin with the noise of Conscience Let them boast vainely of their Multitudes that every one of their Congregations though of different Perswasions is the pure Church while they study to be many and make Divisions they are not the true Spouse and Church of our Lord Jesus Christ The Devil may have many Synagagues but Christ hath but one Church one Wife one Spouse one Royal Priesthood one holy People one People of his purchase There is but one Catholick Church One invariable from the beginning of the World as to Substantials and so will continue to the end of the same and rather than there should be an appearance of two Christ our Peace shed his Blood to make those that seemed twain both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us Eph. 2.14 One End to be attained by the same Means One People to be governed by the same Laws One Body to be actuated by the same Spirit Of that one Body one Head one Faith one Baptism One Eve the Mother of all living Men One Church the Mother of all Believers No wonder St. Paul should so pathetically beseech the Ephesians that if they would walk worthy of the Vocation whereunto they were called that they should hold the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace No wonder our Blessed Saviour in his last Agony in the Garden should pray so earnestly for those especially that had received the Laws which he had given them from the Father that they might be One as they were John 17.23 That all that believe on him through his word might be made perfect in one If we see rightly we may behold Christ's Heavenly Jerusalem that is incompassed with holy Angels as Walls like a City that is compacted with the same Rules as so many ligaments and actuated with the same Spirit accounts it not only good and joyful but necessary for all the Members of the Society to be joyned together in Vnity It not only continues the welfare but upholds the Constitution and being of the Church of Christ to banish Division and hold fast this Vnity SECT II. There must be in the Catholick Church Vnity of Faith THus the Church of Christ began in the last Dispensation and so it is to be continued in Vnity They were all that were believers with one accord in one place The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul As taught of God so of Christ they were taught to love one another and to do unto others as they would be done by like members of the same Body mutually sympathizing weeping with those that wept and rejoycing with those that did rejoyce bearing one anothers burthens and thus fulfilling the mind of Christ Neither had they of the Church of Christ a like respect to each others persons but the same respect to the Objects that were presented before them They did unanimously agree to chuse and refuse to love and hate the same thing They had a like hope a like fear the same joy the same sorrow Like Travellers tending to the same End they agree to walk in the same way and had the same will the same mind the same affections As they of the Church of Christ are to agree in the desires and affections of the appetitive part so ought they to agree in the conclusions and perswasions of the intellective part that nobler part of the Rational Soul of man if they will be knit into that Society that will hold professed subjection to the Rules of the Gospel The Society of Believers are to agree in the same Faith the same Judgment the same Conscience Thus St. Paul desires and expects of the believing Corinthians that they should be perfectly joyned together in the same mind and in the same judgment and of the Ephesians that they should endeavour to keep the Vnity of the spirit in the bond of Peace Eph. 4.3 There being meant by Spirit as elsewhere 1 Thess 5.23 the superiour faculty of the Rational Soul the conclusions of which were to be kept one and the same For but one Body and one Spirit even as ye are called into one hope of your calling One Lord One Faith One Baptism For Christ being ascended and set at the Right hand of God in heavenly places and having all things put under his feet as Head of the Church in it appointed several Orders and to them gave several Gifts for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministery for the edifying his Body till every part might come in the Vnity of the Faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man c. Upon this Rock Christ hath promised to build his Church meaning St. Peters Faith not his Person or Office As Christ hath but one Church so that one Church is founded upon one Rock and that unmovable unchangable alwaies the same The Rain may descend the floods may come down and the winds may blow and waves of opposition may split themselves with their own violence but the Faith of Christs Servants stand unmovable rather confirmed than hurt The Church of Christ is but One built upon one Rock But the Synagogues of Satan are built upon heaps of Sand Such is their Faith if I may say they have any as is like heaps of Sand whose forms are changed upon every pressure tossed up and down with every wind ready to receive either augmentation or diminution upon external Contingencies They are alwaies Changable But those that are truly Members of the
the Righteous but also punishing the wilful Sinner and pouring out wrath and tribulation upon the Vnrighteous giving them that Recompense which is meet And therefore we see not only Scepters and Purses and Crowns as Emblems of the Judges Honour but also Rods and Swords and Axes to signifie the design of their Office to be as well a terrour and avenger of them that do Ill as a Countenancer and rewarder of them that do Well The Sword is not to be born in vain but to manifest the Rulers intention to Righteousness He ought to discover it by his threatning and the determination of Punishments against wilful Offenders Fourthly The religious Ruler is to shew himself like God in exactiness of Justice and to evidence himself no respecter of Persons and to do all things without partiality Righteousness is best when in a Land like the Sun in the Firmament it shineth with equal influence upon the thatched Cottage as on the Ivory Palace Justice shews all the same countenance weighs all things with an equal balance Gold and Dirt Pibbles and Diamonds according to their weight turn her Beam Diverse weights and measures the accounts an abomination Gods Deputies are to incline to exact Judgment and to shew themselves ready to punish the rich and mighty as soon as the poor and contemptible And this is best done by Governours fixing and predetermining of Punishments upon the Offence without respect to the quality or relation of the Offender Thus Impartiality and Justice Wisdom and Purity these Divine graces are best discovered in Gods Deputies which unquestionably is the most reasonable thing in the World One thing remains yet to be proved which is asserted in this Proposition That threatning and determining of Punishments by Rulers upon such wilful Transgress orts is according to the constant practice of the Church of God And if we consult the prophane Histories of all Ages and Nations we shall find never any People joyned in Society of any Religion true or false but had their determinations of Punishments upon those that were openly disobedient upon those who wilfully neglected and contemned such Services and Duties enjoyned that they judged expedient and necessary to procure the favour and blessing of that Deity which they agreed to adore And this is so evident as is confessed of all and needs no further proof or illustration But if we will consult Sacred Writ which may content us we cannot but observe that GOD himself can rarely be found to have taken care of the Conduct of any persons or People to direct them in the exercise of an acceptable Religion but he fenced up their way with Thorns to limit their aberration and restrain them from sin with a Commination of Penalties Thus that our First Parents might fear to eat of the forbidden Fruit he threatens them with Death as a certain effect and consequence of their Disobedience Thus to Cain If thou dost not well Sin lies at the door Thus to move Abraham and his Seed to keep his Covenant of Circumcision God threatens Gen. 17.14 That the uncircumcised Man-child whose flesh of his Fore-skin was uncircumcised that Soul should be cut off from his People for he hath broken my Covenant Thus in that Theocracy over Israel every where we read Curses denounced upon Disobedience And by Moses and all the Prophets he threatens to visit their sins with Rods and their offences with Scourges So Levit. 26.14 c. If you will not hearken to me and will not do all these Commandements If you shall despise my Statutes I will set my face against you for evil c. saith the LORD And if you will walk contrary unto me and not hearken I will bring seven times more Plagues upon you according to your sins And certainly it cannot be bad or unreasonable for Rulers to use the same method in governing their Subjects that GOD used in ruling his own People Israel If we consult the method Christ used to govern his Church in this last Dispensation it is impossible but we must acknowledge That a coercive Power by Commination of Judgments to restrain from evil and quicken to good cannot be unlawful for the Christian Magistrate when it was practiced by Christ himself John the Baptist that Messenger sent by Christ before his face to prepare his waies presseth upon his Auditors the Gospel duty of Repentance and this he inforceth from this reason because the kingdom of Heaven was at hand Which is not to be understood of Mercies and Priviledges only that were promised that might attract and encourage them to Gospel Duties but of Judgments and Punishments threatned to be executed which might inforce them to receive and obey the Gospel And there Matt. 3. this Holy Preacher tells them The Axe was laid to the Roots of the Tree Fire and Wrath was coming upon the unbelieving World which could not be escaped but by Repentance and bringing forth fruits worthy of Amendment of life And Christ himself preacheth the same Doctrine and urgeth the necessity of it from the same Motive For except they Repented they should all likewise perish And when Christ had cured the Impotent man to make him every whit whole and to restrain him from sin he affrights him with a Commination of a worse thing coming unto him And to quicken his Disciples to work the works they were sent about while it was day he minds them of a night coming when no man should work Thus to awaken his Country-men at Jerusalem to know and consider the time of their Visitation and to mind the things that concern their Peace he tells them of a time when Peace should be hid from their eyes and their Houses should be left to them desolate And thus did the Apostles in the Primitive times who knew the mind and had the Spirit of Christ they threatned the Impenitent with a day of wrath a day of vengeance a day of punishing those with everlasting destruction that knew not God and obeyed not the Gospel of Jesus Christ So the Author to the Hebrews to deter and terrifie those Baptized persons from Separation and forsaking holy Assembling not to decline mutual exhortation and profession of Faith he tells them of a day of Judgment a day of Vengeanee was suddenly approaching And this course was used by Christ and his Apostles in the Primitive times at the planting of the Gospel by threatning of Judgments and Vengeance to drive their Followers to Repentance Certainly upon sober consideration it cannot be lookt upon as unwarrantable if pious Governours affright from evil those Subjects that else would be disobedient with menacing and determining Punishments to be inflicted upon them Those frivolous Objections we meet with against this Truth are not worth the mentioning and if throughly perpended we may conclude them the issue of heat and passion of men bent to Opposition and not the words of sober Reason And what Spirit they are led with let any sober man judge who
of Tongues All these in an instant wrought that one and self same Spirit dividing to every man severally as he pleased And several Rules he gave them that trusting to the supply of the Almighty in all their exigence upon this Heavenly design they should provide neither Gold nor Silver nor Scrip nor Coat nor Shooes nor Staves No care what to speak dabitur in illâ borâ whatever they needed the Heavenly Father that called them to the work would supply them in all those things But these Rules were extraordinary and so were the Assistances needful only for those Persons in those daies of Persecution when they were hated of all men for his Names sake and were to trust only to a support and a supply from the All-sufficiency of the Almighty But blessed be God we are not now incompassed with these streights God hath provided better things for us That although the malice of some men would bring us to walk according to these Rules and support our selves with the expectation of such Assistances and those mistakes have caused no little disturbance in the Church of Christ yet now the Gospel hath found a free passage and reception we have an happier juncture of Affairs We need not expect Miracles for our support when we have Means in peace afforded us to carry on the design of God God is and we may well be contented with more reasonable Services And it is unreasonable to think having none of the same necessity upon us and to conclude that in these daies the same Gifts and Assistances should be continued among us is a dangerous and an unsufferable presumption These extraordinary Rules and Assistances were given to those particular Persons during those particular Times but they are now unpracticable and not according to the mind of Christ And there were some Rules given to certain Churches and some particular places but these are not our Canons or Forms to be modelled by The Rules then of the Gospel we are to look after are not particular but universal not temporary but eternal binding for ever to the whole Church of Christ Now the Laws of the Gospel given by Christ or his Apostles are of two sorts some respect internally the regulating Intentions Thoughts and Desires for private Persons singular peace And some respect externally ordering the Conversation of the Visible Church of Christ To the Rules of this latter sort we must have regard unto in this present discourse And these Rules are of two sorts either natural necessary eternal and indispensable and would have been binding if Christ had not revived them As that we praise God fall down and worship him that we keep our Tongues from evil and our Lips that they speak no guile that we keep our Bodies from all filthiness that whatever we would that others should do to us the same c. But some Laws are positive and voluntary receiving their being and constitution from Christ whose goodness wisdom and Authority we are not to suspect but that he will direct those things to his Church that are best and most convenient and such Directions by his Subjects are carefully to be observed As that they should pray in these words receive the Sacraments with those signs and manner of Communication required All these positive Laws of Christ are universal indispensable and though the positive Laws of Men are particular and mutable upon inconvenience yet these positive Laws of Christ are constituted and come from such unquestionable Wisdom as they must be accounted universally and eternally binding to his Church to all Generations The Laws then of Christ be they either those natural Laws that he revived or the positive Laws that he constituted that he hath ordinarily universally eternally left his Church to be ruled by to the end of the World are the Laws we would have our Canons for Uniformity to be tryed by And because our Blessed Saviour knew very well that an Anarchy was unnatural and not to be endured he wisely directs these Laws to two sorts of People that will be in his Church to the end of the World First To Rulers Leaders and Superiours Secondly To Inferiours Subjects and the Generality of the People under Authority 1. For Rulers They be of two sorts some Civil which we call Magistrates Others Ecclesiastical which we call Ministers What concerns Magistrates we treated of formerly For Ministers we have several Orders and distinctions allowed by the Gospel The Laws for them are obvious in the discharge of their several Offices Inferiour Ministers most concern us in the Exercise of Religion These if any we should in this discourse respect And certainly that Obedience which these Ministers shew in their usages as directed in their Rites Ceremonies Habits Gestures observing daies c. are lawful and easily justifiable And these things are made so clear by the pens of sober Learned and Judicious men to any that will not be wilfully blind all the Objections so fully answered as it would be tedious and impertinent for me to insist in a further Vindication It were more reasonable and Christianlike if men would look more diligently to the discharge of their own duties and be less ready to censure and condemn other mens Just observances If any thing were questionable in them viderint ipsi they must answer it to their proper Judge who made thee one Be not curiously inquisitive what others do or should do Tolle quod tuum est do thy own business and seriously consider what thou art bound to do thy self that thou maist inherit eternal life And this I am sure thou art obliged to do to give thy Decent attendance and joyntly to concur in the Publick exercise of Holiness and the worship of God as it is ordered in the Book of Common-Prayer And now our discourse begins to be brought into a narrow compass This is all that remains for us to prove in this Section That the Canons and Forms prescribed to the Common sort of our Believers in our Book of Common-Prayer are agreeable to the universal eternal and indispensable Rules of the Gospel Canons for Uniformity in our Religious meetings and Assemblies which we are not to forsake respect either Words or Actions let us take a quick survey of either and see if both be not allowed and prescribed by the Gospel After a Company is Religiously met and assembled together all admit and approve of a Pastour or Teacher an Exhorter a Leader to holy Services unless they have lost their Reason and Religion also After their Assembling the Minister by Scripture Exhortations prepares the People for their joynt concurrence in the solemn Worship of God After Preparation the whole Congregation is ordered and directed to joyn in an open Confession of Gods Excellency and All-sufficiency of their own Sins of Christs Merits in whose Name they ask forgiveness and of their desire of a full Obedience that they may live a godly righteous and sober life After this upon good grounds