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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A82002	A sober and temperate discourse, concerning the interest of words in prayer, the just antiquity and pedigree of liturgies, or forms of prayer in churches : with a view of the state of the church, when they were first composed, or imposed. Together with a discovery of the weakness of the grounds upon which they were first brought in, or upon which Bishop Gawden hath lately discoursed, the necessity of a liturgie, or the inconveniency of altering the English liturgie, the utility of church musick, and the lawfulness of ceremonies : in which are mixed reasons justifying those godly ministers, who forbear the use of the Common-prayer, against the late out-cryes of the said bishop. / By H.D. M.A.	H. D. (Henry Dawbeny); Collinges, John, 1623-1690, attributed name.	1661 (1661)	Wing D449; Thomason E1086_14; ESTC R208152	100,305	119

pure humane composition and that in most corrupt times and only retained upon the reformation to quiet peoples spirits and which in their own confession have for 6. or 700 years before the reformation run through the filthy sink of the Romish Synagogue When God hath himself told them That the earth is his and the fulness thereof And therefore expresly charged us not to use a piece of meat once offered to idols when our brother tells us it hath been so polluted XII But it may be some of our Fathers or Brethren what ever a company of us Puritans do do not think the Church of Rome an idolatrous Church nor her worship idolatrous we have heard of diverse that have lately questioned it We confess for those Protestants that are of that mind our Argument upon this head signifies little to them but we are of another mind in the principle and therefore 't is no wonder we have different thoughts of the Consequents In the mean time those who believe the Church of Rome idolatrous have reason to think of this Argument Those who judge her yet an undefiled Virgin we suppose may have a desire to be married to her And we shall hardly be able to forbid the banes XIII VVhen the Bishop of Exeter can satisfie us That the worship of the Church of Rome in the whole Complex is not idolatrous Or that it is lawful for us to take forms of prayer of meer humane composition so used in an idolatrous service and yet continue them in the true worship of God Gods VVord saying to us as to meat so used Eat it not Or that it is lawful for us to tell our people when they come and tell us Sirs They say this is taken out of the Mass-book will you use it No brethren 't is not taken out there when we know it is I say when his Lordship can satisfie us in these things he may then conclude which as yet he doth very uncharitably That we might easily convince and satisfie our people as well by our Examples as Arguments Our people are a plain kind of Country people that are not to be satisfied with a flaunt tant of high words they have their Bibles and having so plain a Scripture by the end as that of 1 Cor. 10.28 Eat it not they choke us with such things as these Is not the Romish Church Idolatrous have not they used the same forms in their idolatrous devotion how can you then use them without sin So that we profess we cannot answer them We desire the Bishop of Exeter would do it plainly and solidly CHAP. X. The Ministers third Reason Because they have sworn to endeavour a Reformation in worship and to endeavour to Extirpate Superstition and what hindereth the power of Godliness I. BUt further yet to let the Bishop know that it is not out of a meer Anti-Liturgical humour that some of us taking the advantage of his Majesties Declaration and laying hold of his Grace and Favour in it do not yet meddle with the Book of Common-prayer VVe desire his Lordship to consider That we have taken the Covenant and are afraid to bring upon us that vengeance which we are sure first or last will follow perjury If his Lordships loosing St. Peters bands could have loosed our Consciences from that we had been a step nearer then we are but we observe no truth of Divinity in the Principles which his Lordship and others have laid down from which they would conclude that the bond of that Covenant is dissolved we also discern his Lordship and the others abundantly answered by Mr. Crofton and Timorcus and could wish that when any of them write again upon that Subject they would not onely assert positions but give their reasons which may evince the truth of them or else annex some Scriptures to prove them or at least tell us what Divines were ever of their mind II. We have in the Covenant sworn to endeavour a Reformation of the Church of God in England in worship according to the Word of God and the example of the best Reformed Churches VVe think the worship of God in England is as to the Rule and Form of it expressed in the Common-prayer Book and the Forms of devotion there expressed and imposed We cannot find that either according to the Word of God or the example of the best Reformed Churches it is lawful for the Ministers of the Gospel to tye up themselves to forms of prayer nor that such practise is commended to us nor can we conceive how the use of the same forms of Worship should be a Reformation in Worship Nor possibly is it clear to every one that there is nothing in those forms of worship savouring of Superstition or that the use of them is consistent with the promoving of the power of Godliness at least that it is a due means to promove it all which we have solemnly sworn to indeavour and surely that indeavouring to which we are sworn will at least oblige us not to do any thing to the contrary III. Into which Covenant many Ministers of the Gospel having entred since they used the said forms of prayer something may be said on their behalf disobliging them from a return to their former practice though in these last 20 years time they have learn'd nothing from the many books published to the world examining the said forms in special of offering arguments against imposed forms in the general convincing them of a former in advisedness and error in practice If they then looked upon the use of those forms as indifferent surely the Oath they have taken puts it into another capacity If they now judge the use unlawful it is no great wonder considering how much light hath shone upon the world in that space of time that some of their judgements should be altered the Bishops charge of Schismatical petulancy restiveness morosity c. cleaves not to them IV. If the Bishop sayes they had before subscribed to use it According to his Lordships doctrine and some others of his mind forced ingagements signifie nothing It is true the Godly Ministers of England are of another mind they believe though they were under a force either they must subscribe or loose their livelyhoods yea loose the exercise of their Ministry yet they are obliged by their Act in case it doth not appear to them That it is sinful for them to do what they inadvisedly set their hands to but that is the Case Besides though they cannot think that any Earthly power can discharge them of an Oath made to God yet they believe that the Parliament of England can discharge them of an Engagement entred to an inferiour Magistrate and by Oath again bind them to do the contrary and that 's the case again V. If any say That the Ministers of England are bound by the Law of England to use the Common-prayer Book Besides that it is a great question how far the Laws of

the time it self sheweth wherein they first began to be used in Sacred Offices For Bellarmine himself confesseth that they first began to be used in the time of Pope Vitalian but he brings no reason why none of them were used either in the Apostles or in Constantines time For if they began to be used after the year 660. or 820. we must believe that humane nature had a great wrong in that for so many years it did not apply this Faculty to the praise of God For we believe the Apostles loved Christ with all their hearts The former and more religious ages had weak ones too though no Organs were used to help them I know not whether they encrease or diminish tediousness For men seldom see those Musical Masters godly and those Instruments with their length are troublesom to such as sing with the voice Let the matter be as it will I affirm that Bellar with his distinction of Ceremonies could not answer P. Martyrs reason against these For as the offering of bloudy Sacrifices though common both to the Jews and Heathens was taken away by Christs Bloud on the Cross as unsuitable to the Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedech so though the Heathens used these Instruments in the Solemnities of their Idols as Nebuchadnezzar in the Dedication of his Image yet these were convenient only for the Jewish Ceremonial worship c. XXVI But the truth is all that can be pretended for Church-Musick is the Authority of the Church to add what Ceremonies she pleaseth to the worship of God which we must speak somthing to in the next Chapter Though neither can Church-Musick come under that Notion for it is a perfect Service of it self not alwaies appendant to singing and is so used a perfect Post set up by Gods Posts an Ordinance of mans added to the Ordinances of God for his Worship which our souls shall desire to take heed of CHAP. XVI The Bishops Reasons for the English Ceremonies considered The Churches Power about Ceremonies examined No Principle to be maintained to death Archbishop Parkers Opinion of humane Ceremonies Reasons against them I. VVE are come to the last thing which we shall take notice of in the Bishops Book and that is his zealous Assertion of the Churches power in appointing Ceremonies and Circumstances of Divine Worship This is indeed the root of all the Pandora's Box the very Fountain head of all those Impositions which have bred so much trouble disturbance and persecutions in the Church of God Let us first see how the Bishop asserts it II. He tels us That the last shock of popular envy which the innocent and excellent Lyturgy of England was wont to bear was from the Ceremonies For which the summe of his Plea is this 1. That they are few 2. Retained as signal marks of Faith or Humility or Purity or Courage or Constancy 3. Not as Sacramental Signs conferring Grace but meerly as visible Tokens apt by a sensible sign to affect the understanding with somthing worthy of its thoughts as signified thereby 4. St. Augustine was no enemy to them 5. They are established by the Lawes of Church and State 6. They fall not under the Second but the Third Fourth and Fifth Command 7. They are like Cloaths fitted to our Bodies and Perwicks to our Head and Tunes to our Pslams 8. They do not burden any Conscience 9. It is most true and undeniably to be maintained even unto the death That this National Church as well others hath from the Word of God Liberty Power and Authority within its own Polity and Bounds to judge of what seemeth to it most orderly and decent as to any Ceremony or Circumstance in the Worship of God which the Lord hath left unconfined free and indifferent in its own nature and only to be confined or regulated by every such Ecclesiastical polity within it self c. III. We must in our examination of this Harangue of discourse crave leave to alter his Lordships method and to begin with the last thing first for if the Lord hath left to the Church or State no such power at large or if it be bounded by some general rules to be observed in the exercise which are not observed in some particular impositions all the former pleas that they are few signal marks c. not Sacramental sign c. come to just nothing Yet we cannot but observe how the Bishop hath provided a way to light upon his legs say what we will For it cannot be denied but the Church hath a full power from the Word of God within its own polity and bounds to judge of what seemeth to it most orderly and decent as to any circumstance in the worship of God which the Lord hath left unconfined free and indifferent in its own nature And only to be confined or regulated by every such Ecclesiastical Polity within it self i.e. The Lord hath left that to be regulated by the Church which he hath left to be regulated by the Church A most momentous and undoubted truth never denied by any But that is not the question This is the question Whether it be the will of God that the Church should regulate and determine all things which the Word of God hath left indifferent as to his worship or whether God by leaving them indifferent hath not declared his will that the Church should so leave them too IV. Yet were the first part determined affirmatively it would not reach the mark for it would then be queried Whether the particular Ceremonies appointed for us be such considering the letter of the Scripture or the circumstances of those Ceremonies with the reason and consequents of Scripture Text that they under those circumstances considered can be lookt upon as indifferent yea or no. V. The Bishop is yet confounding us with the complicated notion of the Authority of the Church and State In England there are no Ceremonies established by any other authority then that of the State which having called together some Ecclesiastical persons heard their advice and by a Law established some Rites and Ceremonies to which no soul is otherwise obliged then to a State-constitution VI. That the Word of God hath left many things not possible to be determined by it to the Authority of the Christian Magistrate cannot be denied whether any Ceremonies or no is a question diverse circumstances relating to the worship of God are undoubtedly so left These are such as relate to order and decency i. e. without which the worship of God cannot be orderly and decently performed and do chiefly relate to time and place the ordinary adjuncts of humane actions Thus we freely grant that the Civil power or the Church orderly assembled may determine at what hours on the Lords day the Congregation shall meet as also it shall determine particular times for fasting or thanksgiving as Gods providence shall administer occasions that places of publique worship shall be erected frequented kept decent and an

but to loath pious souls And indeed those phrases which do this excellent deed are experimentally found to be such as the inwardly affected heart of the Speaker immediatly dictates to his Tongue It being most undoubtedly truth That words coming from the heart of the Speaker find the nearest and readiest way to the heart of the Hearer and the Souls of the hearers shall acknowledge themselves most affected when the Speaker finds his heart most warmed and enlarged as if there were a Sympathy of devout Souls which is indeed from the mighty secret working of the same spirit of Prayer acting both and at the same time preparing the Speakers heart and tongue to dictate and speak and the Hearers souls to hear sigh groan and to give a fiducial assent Rom. 8.26 CHAP. II. The Gift of Prayer is partly Natural partly by Industry acquirable That it is promised by God denied to none that will duely use means to attain it but they may so far attain it as in publick to pray without forms so as God shall accept it and none have just cause of Scandal That none worthy of the office of the Ministry need to want it nor do but through their own Sin and Negligence I. THE Gift and Grace of Prayer are two things The Grace of Prayer is a spiritual ability in the Soul from which it is enabled from the Spirit of Adoption to go unto God saying Abba Father with an holy boldness fiducial confidence fervency of spirit begging of him things according to his Will This Nature doth not teach Industry will not necessarily bring us to for this God must send forth the spirit of his Son into peoples hearts crying Abba Father Gal. 4.6 And none can do this but those who have received the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.15 But the gift of Prayer is nothing else but an ability of mind to form words expressive of such desires of our hearts as are according to the will of God conjoyned with a faculty of memory and of expression and elocution II. Hence it appears that the gift of Prayer is partly natural for from nature is the faculty of Meditation and Speech partly by Industry attainable For let us duly consider what he hath to do that prayeth more than to speak that is in reference to the external part of Prayer performable by the gift of Prayer Prayer consisteth of a Confession of all sins Supplications for supply of wants for our selves and others and a thanksgiving for Mercies received Sin is either Original or Actual Actual sin is a transgression of the Law of God This Law of God is contained in his Word all violations of it in thought word or deed are sins Supposing a man in a capacity to meditate and speak what is wanting to any save Industry only why he should not compose a Confession of Sins If he knows what the Scripture saith of the imputed guilt of Adams sin of our being conceived in sin and brought forth in iniquity What the Law of God requires and forbids and considereth his own and other mens words and actions and his own heart to which other mens hearts answer in a great measure why should he not be able to form a Confession in his heart and if he have any elocution to speak it with his Lips And if he hath any habit of knowledge of the Scriptures as to these things why should he not be able to speak this Confession to God ex tempore as well as a Lawyer shall speak in matter of Law or a knowing Philosopher discourse Philosophical Learning rationally many times to the admiration of his Hearers It is further reasonable that to a Confession of sins should be added an acknowledgment of the Justice of God in case of any Judgments already brought upon us or others or upon supposition if God should bring upon us any Surely every Christian knoweth or should know that the wages of sin is death that the least sin exposeth us to the wrath of God here and hereafter c. And if he hath a tongue to speak can say so to God in Prayer In the supplicatory part of Prayer we deprecate Judgment we implore Mercy for our selves for others for souls for bodies all according to the Will of God whoso knows he hath a Body and a soul and knows the wants of both knows what to ask for and he that knows the Scriptures is advantaged in that knowledge and further is by them directed what to ask for absolutely what conditionally what Promises to urge upon God in Prayer what Judgments to deprecate and in what manner Nor is any so ignorant as not to know what is good for himself or others in a natural sense the Scripture tels him what is so spiritually and truly and if he hath a tongue he can surely say O God I thank thee for c. Doth he want Expressions The Scripture is full of Expressions directive of him III. In short setting Elocution aside now that the Word of God is in our own Language there can be nothing but particular Christians horrible neglect of acquainting themselves with it or their non-observing their own hearts or not using themselves to the exercise of Prayer that can hinder any private Christian from being able to speak unto God in Prayer fully profitably acceptably and so as none but prophane hearts shall be scandalized And this Assertion is demonstrable Rom. 8 26. Luke 21. Mark 13.11 IV. Besides this God hath promised the help of his Spirit as to words and matter in the use of means the Spirit shall teach us what to pray for nor is this beneath the Holy Spirit any more than to give unto suffering Saints what to speak in the very hour they shall be called before men for Christs sake for which there is a Promise and they allowed therefore to take no care what to speak before-hand We acknowledge that the Gift of Prayer is no special distinguishing Gift but a common Gift but by no means can allow our selves in the suppressing of it V. Hence it is that many a person whose constant employment is not in the work of the Ministry is able to poure out his soul in Prayer before God in proper and apt expressions without any further premeditation than is necessary to take the noise of his worldly business out of his head so orderly and methodically and in such handsom expressions that any godly sober Divine though never so Learned shall approve his performance and bless God on his behalf VI. That any owning the Name of a Minister of the Gospel should not be so able is a great reproach to our Church considering that this disability must proceed 1. From a want of knowledge in the Scriptures which every Minister ought to know exactly Or 2. From a want of a due observance to and a watchfulness upon his own heart and waies whereas he ought to excel others in the practical part of Holiness Or 3. From

want of Elocution or freedom of speech or such other natural gifts without which none can judge himself called of God to that holy Employment Or 4. From want of exercising himself in the duty of Prayer All which are lamentable things for any professing himself a Minister so much as to be suspected of VII Yet that de facto there have been such called by the name of Ministers amongst us and that there are many such amongst us still cannot be reasonably denied But we dare to assert That all such are either such as for want of Natural Parts are by all Scriptural Rules determined insufficient and not fit for the Ministry or such as according to all Scriptural and Ecclesiastical Rules ought to be removed from the Ministry as neglecting to use the Gift of God bestowed on them or neglecting to study the Scriptures or such as live in open and known courses of Debauchery or finally such as have so used themselves to the lazy Devotion of Book Prayers that they have choaked their abilities or provoked God in righteous Judgment to deprive them of them VIII It yet remains a most demonstrable truth that the work of Prayer is not such as to the use of words in it but that any Minister of any competent abilities as all Ministers ought to be and who is in any reasonable degree acquainted with the holy Scriptures and with any Christian diligence either observeth his own heart or peoples converses and watcheth over his Flock but with half an eye may so perform as neither God shall be offended with his performance nor any sober Auditor scandalized and made to nauseate the Duty And it will upon experience be found impossible for any State or Church to maintain by imposing Forms of Prayer the credit of any Ministry whom the people shall discern so wofully neglective of their duty and defective in so noble a performance in which they are excelled by the meanest of the Vulgar There being no other way when all is tried to maintain the Authority of the Ministry than the employment of such and only such persons in that work who shall evidently appear to People as to the Gifts and Graces of Gods Spirit bestowed upon them to be taller by the Head and Shoulders than those are over whom God hath set them Other Devices may be tried this only in the end will be found efficacious CHAP. III. The Original of Lyturgical Forms of Prayer None for 400 years after Christ None imposed upon any considerable Part of the Church till 800 years after Christ when all manner of Superstitious Usages had defiled the Church I. VVHich being premised it is no wonder at all that neither Christ nor his Purer Church ever imposed upon the Church any Books of Lyturgies Duranti rationale l. 5. c. 2. Durantus indeed tels us That Christ himself who certainly had an infallible Spirit and a proportion of it without measure if that may be called a proportion yet used that excellent Form of Prayer called the Lords Prayer by which he taught his Disciples to pray And that the Apostles used the Creed called but never yet proved their 's But he confesseth that in Primitivâ Ecclesiâ diversi diversa quisque pro suo velle cantabant dummodo quod cantabant ad Dei Gloriam pertinebat In the Primitive Church every one sung or prayed for that he called singing as they pleased so what they all did related to the Glory of God When Christ sent out his Disciples to preach he was so particular in directing them that he takes care to direct them to provide a Purse and a Scrip but none for a Service-Book Nor did the Apostle Paul in his particular directions to Timothy or Titus whether they were Evangelists or Bishops though he ordered them to ordain Ministers and charge them to fulfil their Office by putting up Prayers and Supplications for all men c. so much as mention any Missal or Lyturgy for their directions which it is strange they should have omitted had Lyturgies been so necessary as we are now told they be that Religion without them cannot be preserved nor Heresies without them restrained II. Those holy Servants of God knew that the Spirit of Prayer was powred out in the world and that the gift of Prayer was one of those gifts which their Master when he ascended up on high did give unto men and were tender of delivering ought to the Church which they had not received from the Lord And which Tertullian said afterward were willing that Ministers should pray sine Monitore quia de pectore without a Monitor not a Mummer as some would have it because it was their duty to pray from their hearts they therefore even in the Confession of our Adversaries and the greatest Masters of the Ceremonies left no Lyturgies for the Church of God III. Indeed Claudius de Sainctes and Pamelius two Popish Divines have discovered to the world the Terra incognita of certain Lyturgies fathered upon St. James St. Peter and St. Mark De Missae apparatu l. 7. c. 21. which Josephus Vicecomes takes notice of but doth not think fit to insist upon them Cardinal Bellarmine in his Book de Scriptor Eccles neither mentions that of Peter nor Mark but brands all Books not mentioned by him attributed to St. Peter with the names of spurii supposititii That of St. James indeed he mentioneth Bellarm. De Script Eccl de Jac. Apostol but tels us that it is so basely augmented that none can determine what of it was St. James's But the Learned Mornay hath said enough to prove that these pretended Lyturgies of the Apostles were all Fictions and it will be no hard matter to evince every sober Reader the truth of it Who knows not how hard a thing the Bishops in the Councils of Ephesus and Calcedon found it to find a place or two in the Writings of the Ancients where the Virgin Mary was called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Where had the difficulty been if these Lyturgies had been in the world and in Proclus his hand too who was present in the Council of Ephesus who they say transmitted that of St. James to the world for in that Lyturgy it is 5 or 6 times over Nor certainly would the Members of the Synod of Constantinople have been at a loss to have proved out of this the calling of the Holy Spirit consubstantial with the Father had they ever seen this new invented Toy Both in this and St. Marks Lyturgy Christ is again and again called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with his Father which certainly would have determined that great Question about that Word in the Nicene and other Councils Both in St. James's and St. Marks Lyturgies we have the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 invented by Felix 480. To say nothing of the Notions of Altars Temples burning Frankincense Censers such as lived in Monasteries Confessors the Prayer for the Pope In St. Marks Lyturgy the

that the Church might have due confessions made as well of Original sin as Actual and due Petitions put up for pardoning and assisting Grace c. And considering that the church was so debauched now in her Clergy that some through ignorance could not do it some through Laziness would neglect a due care in doing that to which they were able Others possibly though that be concealed through a perverse and corrupted Judgment would not do it appointed Forms of Prayer to be used and restraine the liberty of Praying to the Ministers within that Province obliging them to use the Forms approved by the Synod VI. The reason for which as Durantus tels us Theodosius much about this time or a little before set St. Hierom to compose a Calendar indeed rather than a Lyturgy for Durantus saith he did no more than order the Scriptures to be read though Pamelius hath transmitted to us an Antiphonary and Sacramental Lyturgy as well as a Lectionary of his composing was in regard of Heresies risen up in the Church So that hitherto we have had no other account given us of the composing Forms for publick worship than 1. The Ignorance of the Ministry which they were forced to employ Or 2. Their Laziness and Negligence Or 3. Their or the Peoples falling into Errors VII But after that the Universal Bishop got up into the Saddle it was reasonable that he should have a power of Universal command and to shew his authority he must impose a compleat Lyturgy as to all parts and enjoyn universal conformity which yet he could never obtain till he got a great Interest in the Civil Magistrate who had a civil power over what was then almost the universal Church Nor must this serve the turn for this Universal Bishop must have all Churches not only speak the same words and phrases but in the same Language too hence he brings in Latine Service All which also admirably comported with the sottish ignorance and debauchery of the Clergy in the 6th 7th Century and so downward till the times of Reuchlin and Erasmus when Reformation began to dawn and the light began to spring out of darkness Whether these ends were good and lawful and the imposing of Forms of publick divine Worship were applied as just means in order to them viz. either to cure the ignorance or negligence of the Clergy or to bring the Church to an unity in Doctrine Worship or Affection shall be examined For if either the end or means be proved unlawful and against the Will of God they talk vainly for the continuance of them that urge no more than Humane Prudence Worldly Wisdom being no other than perfect Folly because Enmity to God CHAP. V. Universal Conformity of Devotion as to words and Syllables no good End Imposing Forms of Prayer no reasonable just or sufficient Means to prevent Heresies or to cure the Laziness or Insufficiency of the Church proved by Reason and by Experience I. IT cannot but be confessed that it is a noble end for any Church to aim at to take care that the people may have the truths of God asserted to them and not through the ignorance or laziness or perverseness of its Ministers be served with an Husk in stead of bread or a Scorpion in stead of a Fish This end is approveable both from the Word of God and the light of all Christian Reason But that there should be an Oneness in the devotion of people as to Letters and Syllables and Phrases and Forms of Sentences is an end so little and low and insignificant in it self that we cannot expect it should be justified from Scripture which indeed saith not a word to that purpose II. And although the prevention of Errors Heresies the poysoning of people with them as also the prevention of the mischief arising to the Church from ignorant and lazy or erroneous Preachers or Ministers be as I said before a noble end and well worthy of the Churches care yet before we can allow the same honour to the imposing of Lyturgies and stinted Forms of Prayer as means in order to those ends we must both enquire whether they be lawful means and also 2. Whether they be such as Reason will evince or experience hath proved effectual to the obtaining those ends and that 3. Without bringing upon the Church a mischief every way as great as what they are pretended to deliver us from III. That when Christ himself appointed no stated Forms of publick Devotion for his Church to the use of which and no other they should be tied nor his Apostles though guided by an infallible Spirit nor the Purer Church for some hundred years after it should remain yet lawful for the Church not content to repress and prevent Errors and Heresies by such waies and means as the Apostles used but by this new device to endeavour it may be justly a question to all sober Christians IV. Especially considering that as a liberty in coming to the Throne of Grace and asking there whatsoever we will provided it be consonant to the Will of God and begged in the Name of Christ is one of the great priviledges purchased by Christ for his Church so the Spirit of Grace and Supplication is eminently and frequently promised for their assistance and that not only to teach them how to pray but what to pray for Rom. 8.26 Nor is this promised only to the Prelates in a Church but to every individual Christian and the gift of Prayer whence flows mens abilities to express themselves by words and phrases is one of the most excellent gifts which we are bound to cover and to improve All which being considered it is far from being clear that the restraining of Christians especially of Ministers in the exercise of the noble gift of Prayer in the publick Assemblies of the Church is a lawful means in order to any end it looking like that quenching of the Spirit which is forbidden to all men by the Apostle 1 Thes 5.19 and choaking the coveting of the best gifts which is commanded all Christians 1 Cor. 14.1 For to what purpose should those Talents be desired which man hath authority to command to be laid up in a Napkin Nay which had far better be laid up in a Napkin than used if the Doctrine of some be true concerning the transcendent excellency of Forms of Prayer above what are conceived by Ministers according to the gift of God bestowed upon them V. Besides it may be worthy of enquiry whether it be possible or at least ordinary with men to read any Prayer with that fixed and constant intention of mind and fervency of spirit the two necessary requisites of Prayer as they may speak unto God from the dictate of their own hearts while their souls are more abstracted from created Objects than they can possibly be while it is a great piece of their work to look upon their Books to see what to say next For what some

uncharitably and falsly asserted We have not blessed be God such a pitiful Church that there are no Ministers in it but are liable to the charge of serving God in Prayer with rudeness unpreparedness barreness superficiality defect deformity and that both in matter manner judgment and expression No Jesuit ever had the confidence so to asperse the Ministry of England nor could speak more sordidly to their dishonour Possibly there may be some and there have been far more than now are who may be too liable to this charge But where 's the fault Is it not in those to whom the trust is committed of taking a due cognisance of such as offer themselves to be ordained or admitted to the cure of souls Should not they take care to admit none but such as are both able to preach and to pray Do they not discharge their work conscientiously while they admit such as are not able to pray without such rudeness as is here complained of or make no more conscience of it than to do it unpreparedly superficially with so much barrenness defect and deformity such as neither have judgment to compose a Prayer as to matter nor elocution to pray as to manner so but that people shall have just cause to nauseate the Worship of God 4. If the Doctor means by his phrase of every Minister being subject c. only that 't is possible that the best Ministers may so be negligent c. as to run upon this Rock that is as true concerning reading Prayers none will deny but he that can read very well may read false and if he keeps not his mind intent no doubt but he will perform the Service as rudely and superficially by reading as by speaking Instances might be given of this and shall if need be And certainly the conceiving of a Prayer will command more attention of mind than reading can All therefore said under this Head is meer air III. But Secondly He tels us That a Lyturgy is a most excellent means to preserve the truth of Christian and Reformed Doctrine by the consonancy of publick Devotions Pag. 10. into which otherwise corrupt minds are apt to infuse the sour Leaven of their own corrupt Opinions Fine words again But what reason we have before shewed it to be 1. Questionable whether a lawful means or no. 2. If lawful by no means effectual except it reach to all Praying and Preaching too 3. Not the only means a good Summary of Christian Faith is far more proper and rational 4. A means bringing a mischief as bad as what it pretends to cure yea far worse fit for nothing but to breed rents and separations the mothers of all Heresies 5. An Apochryphal means by which men make themselves wiser than Christ and his Apostles or the Purer Church We shall only propound this Question upon this suggestion If this be true how comes it to pass that all the Arminians and Popishly affected Clergy-men of England are such Zealots for a lyturgy The thing is demonstrably true that it is so let the Doctor answer this Question by his next IV. But Thirdly A Lyturgy he saith is necessary for the holy Harmony and sweet communion of all Christians as well in National as Parochial Churches whilst thereby they are all kept in one mind and Spirit praying the same things and chearfully saying Amen to the same Praises and Petitions Here is the old Fallacy still of Verba elegancia pro sensu simplici That all Christians have the same common wants and ought to pray for the same things in the main is to be granted though as particular persons so particular Churches may have renewing wants not common to all for which a Lyturgy will not serve the turn But is there any so simple as not to understand that the same things may be prayed for in different words and phrases The Doctor here mistook his Mark he should have proved that it is the Will of God that Christians should maintain their Communion in the use of the same phrases letters and syllables And when he had done that a Popish Priest should have improved his Notion and concluded that because the one body of Christ should have but one tongue and since the confusion at Babel men in several nations have spoke several languages therefore to the perfection of the Communion of the Church there is not only a Liturgy necessary but a Liturgy every where in Latine that being a Language most universally known The Churches external Communion lyes in their keeping the same Sabbath performing the same Acts of worship of which prayer is one confession of Original and Actual sins praying for the same mercies generally c. not in their saying all the same words sure He tells us fourthly That a Liturgical form is not onely of great benefit and comfort to the more knowing judicious and well-bred sort of Christians but highly to their security and to the holy and humble composure of their spirit in the worship of God who otherwise are prone not onely amidst the publique devotions curiously to censure but scoffingly to despise By the way this is no Demonstration neither of their Christianity nor of their good breeding yea many times to laugh at and at best to pity or deplore the evident defects and incongruities which appear in many Ministers odd expressions and incongruous wayes of officiating c. To reduce these many words to a short sum of reason the usefulness of imposed Liturgies is here pleaded 1. For the benefit of the most knowing judicious and well-bred sort of Christians 2. To avoid the censures scoffs and jears of others The Dr. hath not yet told us what benefit accrues to the former from a Liturgy nor yet what solid grounds of comfort for them to feed upon the want of which it may be is the reason that if others guess rightly that take all the professors of Religion that can but give any understanding account of the Systeme of Divinity and live in any sobriety of life and conversation and number them taking their judgment as you go along and in will be found that ten for one are against any imposed Forms On the other side it is certain that some others make it all their Religion So it was of old That Holy and Learned Oeculampadius living in a Noble mans house who yet was a Protestant and would seem a forward man in the Reformation complains of the slender regard the greatest part of the Family gave to him and to his Ministry in a Letter to his Friend in these words Such a man saith he sent for me that I might publickly in the Church instruct his Family in the Christian Religion or rather feed them with the words of Christ who were initiated already I counted it my chief duty to make the Evangelical Law known familiar at hand to them that so afterwards they might of themselves proceed in the true and sincere study of Christianity Peace Meekness

affectus interiores orantis aut exhortantis liberè in verba Nam ut assiciat auditores oportet ipsum assici non autem afficitur ut debet qui semper eisdem verbis orat aut exhortatur It is an usual saying and may be true enough Optimus Orator non nondum nascitur To say that either for matter or phrase there was never any Prayers made like to those and that no such can be made are strange extravagant and hyperbolical expressions by no means either to be justified or demonstrated In short those Forms of words in Prayer are undoubtedly best for the Speakers use which come most from the intention of his mind and fervency of his Spirit As to others joyning with him those are best which most affect the Hearers hearts That these or any Forms upon this account do so is not demonstrable For the Form of Consecration of the Lords Supper in the English Lyturgy we cannot find any Form for it which we think an high Omission we do conceive that the Consecration should be by reading the words of Institution taking and breaking the Bread and then blessing it We find only a Form of Prayer for a Blessing upon the Elements and not so much as a Rubrick directing the Minister at that time to read the words of Institution or to take and break the Bread As for the words used in the delivery of the Sacrament we find them without any warrant from Gods Word turned into Prayers So that the Bishop might have spared the commending of this Part of the Lyturgy where we think is a more considerable Omission of what should be there than he can instance in in our administrations or then the omission of those words Receive the Holy Ghost in Ordination is especially when we know no such power any Ministers have now to give the Holy Ghost as the Apostles had and can easily distinguish betwixt the Apostles ordinary Act in Ordination and their extraordinary Act in giving the Holy Ghost to the latter of which none can now pretend For the Ancientry of these Forms we have shewed it before they are not of age enough to speak for themselves and to plead their gray hairs for their continuance XX. To say That without the authoritative imposing of this or any other Lyturgy Truth and Peace can never be established is irrationally guessed nor can there he any pretence for it Certainly truth is far better preserved by a full and sound Confession of Faith in a Form of sound words in which all are agreed and we should be content to read a short summary of it every Lords day to subscribe own defend it that it should be subscribed and sworn by all Commencers in Universities by all to be ordained or admitted into livings by all admitted to Sacraments how an imposed Liturgie should do half so much nay how it should do any thing at all to preserve Truth we cannot guess XXI For Peace we have had the experience of an 100. years to prove the contrary sure we are that we may thank the Imposing of the Liturgie in former times for all our Brownists Anabaptists Quakers Familists Sectaries of all sorts Their Leaders first separated from the Church for the Common-prayer Book and Ceremonies then set up for themselves and being themselves unskilful in the Word of Righteousness easily perverted others And we are sure that there are now 100. for every one that distasted these things in 1640. both Ministers and people how the reimposing should bring us to Peace poseth us to prophecy It may bring many thousands of persons to ruine for not conforming driving them into other lands giving their malitious adversaries advantages to fill prisons with them but Peace it can never bring XXII We observe that all Reformed Churches where are no such imposings of Liturgies have more plenty of able Divines considering the proportion of their ground more zealous defenders of Truth fewer Hereticks and Schismaticks then ever England had at any time when the Liturgie was most rigorously imposed Nor is it reasonable to imagine that we should ever have any peace in the Church if the former Liturgie be imposed but continual separations from the Church and violent prosecutions of those whole consciences for the reasons aforesaid will never allow them to use it XXIII So that we humbly crave leave to retort this as an Argument against the Imposing either this or any other Liturgie It s being inconsistent with the peace of this Church And we most humbly beseech His most Excellent Majesty the Noble Lords and the Gentlemen of England seriously to consider Whether there being no command in Scripture nor particular warrant for any imposings of this nature no president of the primitive Church in any part for 400 years after Christ there being also such a plenty of Godly able Ministers in England So many times ten thousand of Godly Christians who cannot allow themselves in the worship of God by forms of prayer and who have taken so great a scandal at these forms in particular and that for reasons above mentioned It can consist either with Piety in them to enjoyn what is so highly offensive when St. Paul professeth so much tenderness to his weak brethren or with Policy to enjoyn that in which they cannot but know that many thousands will be found who durst not actively Obey but will think themselves bound to suffer So that they will be constrained in pursuance of their honour commanding such things to erect Courts direct prosecutions of persons only blameable in this matter of their God and such who are ready by any Act or Oath to secure their Allegiance to his Majesty by any Action to express it paying tributes and customes for conscience sake daily praying for all the blessings of heaven and earth for his Majesty and this with far more cordiality then others drink His healths Or whether such proceedings be like to produce Peace in the Church or rather everlasting divisions animosities and constant prosecutions of sober Christians concerning the equity of which the Just Judge of the whole earth must one day enquire And in the mean time these Impositions to be of no further considerable use then to help ignorant persons unfit for the Ministry and such as are lazy and negligent and make no conscience to stir up the gift of God in them We humbly leave this to our Superiours to determine XXIV The questions as to piety are 1. Whether pious Magistrates can according to principles of piety command and enforce those things which Gods Word doth not command in his worship being openly offensive to multitudes of Godly people 2. Whether they can acquit their soules to God in making Laws to fine disturb imprison banish c. multitudes of their Subjects for no other crime then this that they cannot limit themselves to forms of prayer in Gods Worship And suppose these two things were consistent with Piety yet whether Policy would direct it is another