his Vicisti Galilaee leaves out himselfe and sets up a God Lucian 1 Tom Timon 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which old repentant Eli upon Gods sentence against him hath indenizon'd into a Scripture-expression Sam. 3.18 It is the Lord let him doe what seemeth him good and if we may apply another orthodox sense to the same words the practise both of the ancient Fathers and of the Moderne most learned devout Writers It is our Saviours almost literally It is I be not afraid From what I have hitherto said Mat. 14.27 as the severest eye cannot discerne a quarrell against my King to whom there is not only an obligation laid upon my words but my very thoughts are also tyed up Eccles. 10 20. so I hope no moderate indifferent man will arraign any piece of my language against his great Court I know I am bound there also for Thou shalt not revile the Gods i.e. as some read the Judges Exod. 22 28. I would faine perswade my selfe that at least that one ingredient of an intire Christian spreads it selfe throughout my spirituall composition to love the whole world I meane the persons for I was never baptized into that hatred and would bee loath which in another kinde of contraries is the divells tallest stratagem to stir up and inflame a contentfull pride out of humility it selfe to make my love of one though of him who is the very breath of our nostrills and whose safety is worth ten thousand of us protect Lament 4.20 2 Sam 18.3 and patronage my contempt of some others In the next place give me leave to speake a few words in the behalfe of my languishing mother the Church and you shall have them as from a true sonne of the Church in the spirit of meeknesse In which there are three points of moment which struggle for the Truth Power of Ordination Jurisdiction and Discipline The two former I conceive to be essentially in the Bishops as succeeding the Apostles for the latter I humbly conceive the forme already establisht by full act of Parliament to be the purest in Christendome All these I shall now much wrong as being removed from the advantage of bookes which led me away a willing captive to them my unconstrained opinions having not tasted the edge of any sword but that of the Spirit which hath subdued my very minde yet I shall venture upon the strength of that reason quae nec decipitur nec decipit unquam at least to wooe a Toleration of them I have some Scripture by me for the former though I wish I could readily recall those other texts also which have so irrefragably convinced my assent In the 6 of Acts and the 2. The twelve called the multitude of disciples unto them and said v. 3. Seeke ye out among you men of honest report full of the Holy Ghost and wisedome whom we may appoint over this businesse which Dr. Gerhard applyes to the Ordination of Deacons and if to the appointing of them the care of the Apostles did descend much more to the appointing of Priests or Presbyters being a superiour Order it is the kinde of argument à fortiori with which our Saviour himselfe does incourage his Apostles against the feare of Persecution and death it selfe The very haires of your heads are all numbered Feare yee not therefore Mat 27.30 not them that can kill the body nor did the Apostles only do this but the injunction lay upon their successours the Bishops upon Timothy the first Bishop of the Church of the Ephesians Lay hands suddenly on no man upon Titus the first Bishop of the Church of the Cretians 1 Ep. 5 c. 22. v. For this cause left I thee in Crete that thou shouldest ordaine Elders in every City The case is thus farre plaine that it hath been so 1 Ch. 5 v. it is plainer yet that it may be so by the Concession of the greatest Divine-Antagonists who having received their orders from such hands performe their Ministeriall function without any new qualification Now since their power is confest lawfull on all hands and necessary on some the designe certainly of inlarging the Kingdome of Christ and setting up his throne in the hearts of men might goe on more cheerfully whilst that way of receiving it is indulged to those thousands who can no otherwayes receive it It is as true as Scripture Except we eat the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his bloud St John 6.35 we have no life in us That flesh and blood are imparted in the Eucharist that Eucharist by the Ministers of the Word that those whom the Bishops ordain can administer the Sacrament is granted by All that those who are otherwayes ordained cannot say also that they are not ordained is beleeved by many by very much the greater part of Christendome and what then shall become of those many soules who hunger and thirst to be thus made righteous who passionately cry out Lord evermore give us this bread v. 34. when they beleeve the Hand that reaches it out might to as good purpose hold forth a stone and when they call for this blood to drinke they shall only finde that the Well is deep and there is nothing to draw Certainly this is not such a common dyet John 4 6. 1 King 17.6 that with the Prophet Elijah wee should be beholden to the Ravens to bring us bread and flesh in the morning that bread which is flesh also I meane such of whom wee suspect they have nothing else of the Priest about them but the black they weare I cannot before I proceed but humbly desire the Reader to be as impartiall as my selfe and not to conceive any thing here to be dispatcht by an Incendiary but from a conscience which groans under these very pressures and poures it selfe out to heaven for a reliefe I would not like her who dreamt herselfe with childe of a Firebrand adde the least sparke to the combustion already made but only beg a plaister for the sores and scorchings which rankle and fester our soule in the best part of it our minde when thou hast beleeved my sincere purpose I may goe on to tell thee that if we looke upon all Christendome and all antiquity the universality of time and place will be out loud Advocates if I should tell a heathen who like King Agrippa was almost perswaded to be a Christian how much the Church of Rome agrees with us it should be no disadvantage to the Generall Cause and it should have moment too amongst our selves wherein we are at one unlesse with the Invocation of Sâ—â— we would also renounce the calling upon God because the Papists say Our Father especially which had its full operation upon that learned compacted friend of Truth and enemy of Romish errour that our acknowledgement must render unto God the things that are Gods Sir Edwin Sands in spec Eur. p. 77. considering that all
good things are from God though they be found in his very enemy but amongst the Reformed how lately has that Hierarchicall extirpation prevailed in what a Nooke of the earth He that remembers not when it was rooted and brancht out of Scotland is but yet a childe he that can tell me what blessings that Kingdome hath since injoy'd besides English gold and the impoverishment of her sister erit mihi magnus Apollo for the Reformed part of France I remember learned Moulin about six years since has printed their desires for Episcopacy and their submission only to this fatall necessity that because there cannot be two Bishops of one Diocesse and because in that Government there must be a Popish Bishop the Reformed part must therefore onely wish that happinesse which they cannot injoy is for another Reformed Church I remember their printed prayer That God would have mercy upon them in this behalfe for their want of Bishops and the Comment upon it that whereas they desire mercy they acknowledge the offence For our selves I desire pardon for such a solemne Truth as needing no fresh wound since I bleed whilst I speak it if that government were abolisht by the same full power which so frequently enacted though with humility I speake it long since Statutum est irreversibly in the Law of God and to such Lawes I presume those of the Land did never intend a confirmation by way of authority because they stand already upon a firmer Basis but declare their submission it would be a griefe as irremedilesse as unsupportable but rebus sic stantibus the Aequilibrium is much doubted when the party of one profest contrary opinion are the Judges and executioners of the other the Assertors of it being yet unexamined whether they can plead not guilty it is a just sentence even against a just sentence parte inandita altera Aequum lices statâ—â—rit hand Aequus est be they never so right in the bonum the want of the bone spoyles all it is a case not much unlike which we reprehend and must for ever in the Councell of Trent That which is a stigma to them will scarce become our ornament decere Curios I cannot but well relish the ingenuity of the Oratour Cum de Religione agitur T. Coruncanum Cicero de naturâ Deorum Lib. 3. P. Scipionem P. Scavolam Pontificis Maximis non Zenonem aut Cleanthem aut Chrysipum sequor As in point of Religion hee would not take advice from the Philosophers morality though that toucht the borders of the garment till they almost kist each other so they should not be only Pontifices but Maximi whom hee would have recourse to I cannot so far captivate my judgement but this will still be a stumbling blocke For these reasons and for many other I would gladly listen to at least a Toleration of their Government and the old forme of prayers which should not like us that use them decay for having liv'd so long but grow more vigorous from their very age if it were not a principle remov'd beyond the danger of proofe why God will ever be I would give this reason because God alwayes was and this not only to satisfie my Oaths which as one well sayes of friendship Amare Non cito desisto non temere incipio should not be taken without deliberation nor forgone with rashnesse and as another Let thy acquaintance be many but thy friends few though I may resolve often because those may be broken and my faith stand whole yet I would seldome sweare because a Violation of that will waste my conscience but also that I might obtaine the same equall favour from my Brother-Protestants which has sometimes been indulged our Religion from the harshest enemies of it and us nothing so cruell as to be wounded by those of our owne House Quod tu facias hoc mihi paete dolet a toleration to all those of the Augustane Confession was granted by the Emperour in Conventu Ratisbon anno 1532. nay by the Pope himselfe Lampad Mellific p. 429. anno 1533. Pontifex Clemens misit legatum Hugonem Randonem ad Saxoniae Ducem Electorem Protestantem by whom he signifi'd the Grant it was the very yeare in which King Henry 8 did deficere a Papa and our whole Kingdome became generally Protestants so that it is not any bold upstart vnhear'd of suite but what has been approov'd allow'd countenanc't by repeated Acts of Protestant-Parliaments if yet the Commencers themselves are branded with the Idolatrous name of Papists they are only such who will discourse and preach and write against them though Death stand in the gap and swim in the Prophets pots besides none can tell how much it would asswage the heats and risings within how it would stop the mouthes of many against Oppression in opening them to their God But to attempt a very scripturall reason and at least by consequence and rationall deduction to shew that this request is agreeable to the Christian Policy of a very Paul who in Acts 15 forbad blood and things strangled to be eaten only to comply with the Half-won Jew that he might be wholly Christian now let the case be ballanc't the abstinence from those was fully abrogated by the infallible Authority of Christ Himselfe I doubt not but the modesty of each Abrogatour here will acknowledge himselfe singly and the whole body to be fallible because men the permitted abstinence from blood under colour of Religion and conscience was as opposite to Evangelicall Doctrine as Judaisme to Christianity such a difference betwixt observation and not-observation of our Ancient Liturgy was never yet mentioned and that this is not the drift and sense of the Authour only but of the present Assembly you have the whole of it at least collaterally in their Annotations the words are he sheweth that these Ceremonies to what they were accustomed many yeeres could not without great distractions be abolisht untill they could better learne their liberty in Christ and that the word Necessary v. 28. is not to be referred to the Ceremonies themselves but to the present occasion and persons I will not pursue my purpose from the word accustomed nor from the suddainely but leave it to the judgement of any single eye whether there be not fairer at least tolerability in all respects for this then for those That there should be a sub and supra in the Church I conceive equitable from the difference in parts and abilities not onely of the same kinde though not of the same degree but if the gifts be severally look't upon wee shall finde them not only gradually but specifically distinct and I am well aware of my own insufficiency either way which would easily perswade my Canonicall Obedience to the abler man Cor 12 28. God hath set forth some first Apostles c. and then he presently askes are all Apostles are all Prophets c. from which Method I suppose I may
reasonably conclude that God hath set forth some more peculiarly inabled by one gift then others and therefore thinke it unfit to be equally claimed by all Wee are already in a Conflagration but we may remember that the whole world was set on fire when the Novice-Phaeton would needs hold the Reines and misguide the Chariot of the Sun If yet this Parlty must be inforc't I would desire that Church-man to ruminate the reply of Lycurgus one of the wisest Legislators that ever sate at Sterne who when he was sollicited to set up a Democracy slack't the importunity of the rash adviser with a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereupon he went away like the rich man in the Gospel very pensive for he had many Servants and shall Gods House indure that confused Anarchy which thy owne abhorres Certainely if wee thinke it meet to transcribe from Heaven wee shall finde that without repining of the starres 〈◊〉 â—â— 10. God made two great Lights the Sun to rule the day and the Moone to rule the night and shall it be otherwise with those who are called the Light of the world Shall the seven Golden Candlestickes be remooved Mat 5 14. Rev. 2 22. or else a Blazing Star or a Rush be put into them Nay in Heaven amongst the very stars one differs from another in glory and when your selves come thither 1. Cor. 15 â—â— though every one of you shall be full of glory yet there shall be a different measure according to your severall Capacities Christ hath told us there shall be a least in the Kingdome of Heaven and I have somewhere read it well illustrated by glasses of a different size Math. 11.11 dived into the River of which though one holds more none is fuller then another the Amphora and the Vrcens are both brimmed up and therefore no roome either for more Drops into it selfe or for Envy at anothers streame to which I may apply that of Seneca Hic plus edit ille minus quid refert Vterque iam satur est hic plus bibit Epist 85. ille minus quid refert Vterque non sitit Yet if the Episcopall word be only excepted at as I have heard some moderate judging adversaries give in their verduit that the Authority must be retained or else themselves shall fall out with any new intrusion and the name and thing may still be allowed us if a Pastour or a super-intendent the Latine-English of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 shall turne out the Notion and leave behind the Rem substratam I should not much straine at it though I know not how justly queazy others might be and feare the Title be onely parted with as an Earnest that all the Appendages shall follow though any Bargaine may be legally evacuated with the losse of Earnest such a Gnat though with reluctancy wee might perhaps at length swallow though the other Camell would down-right choake us and like the Picture of Jonah in the Whales mouth stick in our throat for ever it would neither feede us it selfe and would also stop up the Avenew that no other sustenance might have passage in this case I should blesse God for one of Jobs Messengers that the Caldeans had fell upon these and the like Camells and carryed them all away Job 1.17 as fearing also that such Beasts of space and compasse might fill up the narrow way and lie as another Gate before the strait-gate of Heaven to lock us out Math. 7.14 But it is of late said by the Compilers of the Annotations upon the whole Bible that this kind of Cleargy is inclined to Popery Preface pag. 2. and have used meanes for the introduction of it that I may not over-expresse any thing and my relation be charged with malice I will give it you in their owne language which is of it selfe so high that I confesse I have not fancy enough to soare at that rate And if ever those Masters of the Mystery of iniquity having a long since set on foote their designe to make the Kingdome retrograde in Religion in turning toward the Tenets of Doctrine and Forme of Worship of the Romish Church have any cause to mount it on horsebacke it must be by putting downe the most found sincere and zealous preaching of the Word as by some experimentall preparations wee have seene of late and our reason may fore-see and fore-cast for the time to come for this hath been and it is like may be hereafter their manner who labour to extinguish at least to eclipse the light of Evangelicall Doctrine first by picking a quarrell with the most sufficient diligent and conscionable Preachers to stop their mouthes imprison their persons or to drive them from their Country Pudet haec opprobria a heavy charge I confesse to betray the truth but since the bare assertion is the whole argument I shall thinke it an honest payment to returne that Romish answer Ais Nego unlesse themselves introduce a Doctrine of the R. Church and speake infallibly yet if these kinde of men thus insimulated of Apostacy have not beene the stoutest Propugners of our Religion against the Church of Rome many of them by writing some by sealing the Truth with their blood I have read no books to the meanes they are said to use for the incompassement of so darke a designe I will not returne that answere Quid minus est non dico Oratoris sed hominis quam id objicere Aduersario Tull. Philip. 2. quod ille si verbo negarit longius progredi non possit qui objecerit the times give me another reply and I am sorry I must par pari referre lay downe payment in the same coyne Mutato nomine de te fabula narratur that many sound sincere and zealous Preachers are put downe that the mouthes of the most sufficient diligent conscionable Preachers are stopt that the persons of many of theÌ„ are imprisoned here and many others have got leave to be driven out of their Country Servi ut taceant Jumenta loquentur Canis Postes Marmora of which though wee who are yours and would be their Servants in Christ should be as silent to you as wee are to our Flocke the stone out of the wall shall cry and the beame out of the timber shall answer it Habak 2 1â— for want of the Antiphonaries the Vox clamantis in the Priest and the responsals of the people for that at the present there are many hundred Churches in England lye speechlesse or have no constant certaine known voyce for the sheep to follow the Epitome of it London can witnesse at large This Altum silentium is but a sad off-spring of Reformation especially when the generall cry of it in those common mouths where there is vox praeterea nihil and that not halfe so weet as the Nightingale does most vehemently breath it selfe against dumb dogs unlesse this late sacred silence be deem'd extaticall and a
begirt with his permissive Commission to goe out and destroy to root out I and branch out and to pull downe our most holy desires because of our former neglect of them wee acknowledge it just in him to let our after-sins be an additionall punishment to those which went before so that what ever is here said is but an unreflecting bewaylement of our owne sad condition and I hope as it is lawfull for us to be wretched it is so too to bemoan our selves and not to let God alone though we interpose not amongst men till he restore these blessings For the lawfullnesse nay the Energy of set Formes of Prayer because I confesse my selfe too low of wing and not piniond for such a slight capeable of so much majesty of naturall historicall and scripturall reason with which it is richly furnishd by those solid substantiall pens some of whose deliberations I have formerly perused and some I have now by me and thanke God for all that I may give you the more light and not eclipse them I shall impart to you the Streame and the Fountaine their reasons and the Authours together with some slender supernumerary account of my owne observation and greivance though I well know this will only call backe your intent eye from the magnificent buildings and stately inward ornaments to beg at least one broken glance upon the homely disfigured out houses Where first Mr. Mead will tell you In his Diatribae pag. 1. that our Saviours Prayer is prescribed not only as a Patterue though so also Pray thus Math. 6.9 but in the very Forme of these words when you pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say say these very words Luke 11. v. 2. Our Father where t is marke-worthy that the delivery of this Prayer in St. Mathew as part of Christs Sermon upon the Mount was not upon the same occasion nor at the same time as that in St. Luke which was upon a speciall motion of his Disciples at a time when himselfe had done praying that of St. Mathew in the 2. that of St. Luke in the 3. yeere after his Baptisme whence it followes that his Disciples tooke that in St. Mathew for a Patterne only and not for a Forme had they taken it for a Forme also they were already provided and then neede not still aske how to prays that they may take it for a Forme also t is commanded to be performed in haec verba 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This was a precedent and warrant to his Church to give the like Formes Next he tells us the practise of the Old Testament is a good rule to follow in the New and instances in those 2 set Formes appointed by God himselfe Numb 6.23 On this wise Deut. 26.13 Then thou shalt say I have brought Next that the Booke of Psalmes was the Jewish Liturgy or the cheife part of their vocall worship in the Temple evidenc't by the Titles of the Psalms which commend them to the severall Quires in the same to Asaph to the Sons of Korah to Jeduthun and almost 40 of them to the Magister Symphonia in generall the like wee are to conceive of those which have no titles as of the 105. and the 96 Ps which wee finde in 1 Chron. 16.7 to be delivered by David into the hands of Asaph and his brethren for Formes to thanke the Lord wee our selves also and all the Reformed Churches sing the Psalmes not only as set Formes but set in Meeter i. e. after a humane composure are not the Psalmes set Formes of confession Of Prayer Of praysing God If they say these are rehearsed only as Chapters for Instruction though my owne generall observation amongst military men and others disinclined to our Liturgy will reply them to be their devotionall and not only their hearkning part else certainly they would give as favourable and submisse an Audience to a Samuel and a Matthew as they doe to a Hopkins and a Sternhold they would not else be so familiarly covered to a Prophet and an Evangelist when they appeare themselves and bare presently to the advice of a David when he only comes abroad by proxi and the King is lessened in the Ambassadour unlesse perhaps the Reverence is the more because however he is now disguised he was once a King Though I never forbeare to communicate in this Matter-Liturgy yet I alwayes looke upon them cum venia as an under-forme in the Schoole of Liturgy whose skill I never yet heard any dare to equall with those grand Archi-Compilors whom a very stake and faggot could not confute yet no doubt wee may and ought sing the Psalmes as they in the Old Testament did the Churches of Israel used the Psalmes for Formes of praysing and invocating God what else meane those formes cantemus Domino psallite Domino c But there are two more direct and expresse Testimonies 1 Chron. 25.1 It is expressely said of the Sons of Asaph and Jeduthun that their Office was to Prophesie with a Harpe to give thankes and to praise the Lord. 2 Chron. 30.21 Wee reade that the Levites and the Preists Praised the Lord day by day singing with lowd Instruments unto the Lord and lastly to leave no place for further doubt wee reade Ezra 3.10.11 that the Levits the Sons of Asaph were sent with Cymbals to prayse the Lord after the Ordinance of David King of Israel and that they sung together by course in praysing and giving thankes Thus it was then and thus it should be now for the Priest is called the Month of the people whose Mouth he is not if they are unacquainted with what he sayes It should be so for uniformity for the Church being a mysticall body cannot better testifie her unity before God then in her uniformity in calling upon him Thus farre he to whom I also refer thee in the same Tractate for an ample satisfaction to all voluntary extemporaneous prayer in publique To these I will adde some few reasons yet so that there shall be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Ilyad of proof bosomed within the slender compasse of a Nut-shell which I have borrowed from Dr. Hammond In his practicall Catechisme and which doe lesse coincidere with the former whose holy life who ever knowes will easily beleeve he is such a man who does not stare à partibus is of no side but Truths and Christianity and that his reading had taught him the practize and the practize wrote his booke Where first let the practize of our dying Saviour give life to the legality of a prescription when he repeats the ancient words of his Father David My God my God why hast thou forsaken me to quicken us to repeat His own words who is now Our Father in Heaven Secondly The no-objection against a prescribed Forme for as it is lawfull to use them after the uncontroled example of all Churches throughout all times so it is lawfull to prescribe them at some times and for