A Short View of the Prelatical Church of England 2

SECTION. I. Of the title Church, and why it is called Prelatical.

THe Church of England now so called, is the Church of our Prelates, and may be rightly termed the Prelatical, or Hierarchical Church of England, received from Rome the seat of Antichrist, and set up here, after the Protestants fell off from that Papal Church, for it is framed of Prelates, and also of a Prelatical Clergy, and only ruled by them.

Quaere.

Whether any such Church was in the Apostles days, or any time shortly within 2 or 300. years after?

Whether any such Church be among any of the reformed Churches? or anywhere else, but under the Pope, the Beast which hath two Horns like a Lamb, but speaketh like the Dragon, Rev. 12.

Whether therefore it be guided by the Spirit of Christ, or by the Spirit of Antichrist?

Whether God ever permitted any mortal men to frame a Church after their wisdom?

For when he gave

1. The Pattern for his Tabernacle, to Moses, Exod. 25.9. and 26.30. Heb. 8.5.

2. The Pattern of his Temple unto David, 1 Chron. 28.19. and verse. 11, 12, 13. 1 King 6.38.

3. The Pattern of the rebuilding of it to the Prophet Ezek. 43.10, 11.

He did not suffer Moses, nor David, nor Solomon, nor the Prophet, nor any after them to attempt such a thing. Was he so careful for the Type and shadow, and not for the Antitype and substance?

Whether therefore a frame of a Church after an human device, may not be altered, upon good reasons by lawful power?

The humble Petition.

That it may be considered of,

HOw according to the Romish fashion by the name of Church.

1 The Prelates understand on • lie themselves, and (as they call them) their Clergy.

2. That they seclude the Nobles and Gentry, the whole house of Parliament, the Upper and Lower, from being of their Church, and so debar them from having any right to meddle in Church matters.

When the title of Church (monopolized now to themselves) is taken in Scripture of the New Testament, either for the Ministers and people together, Math. 16.18. Act 12.1. and 13.1. and 9.31. and 15 22. and 14.27. and so usually.

Or for the people distinct from Ministers, Act. 14 23. where the people are called the Church before they had Pastors set over them, when Pa • ors and people are distinguished, there the people are called the Church, and not the Ministers, the Ministers are said to be of the Church, Rev. 18.2.1.8. The Churches d • nomination is from the people, who also are the Lord's cl • rgy, Pet. 5.3. the word in English is heritage, in Latin cleri, and in the Greek. cleros.

There is much complaint touching Monopolies in another nature, and justly, but this is taken no notice of, and yet this Monopolie is a mystery of mischiefs; for by this name of the Church assumed to themselves.

They d • gnifie very greatly their Prelatical power, as may appear by the • o. Article of Religion, which they have corrupted from that it was at first, set out in Anno 1561. and 1571.

2 They decree what they please without control, as is evident by their former and late Canons.

3. They strike an awefulnesse in all sorts under the sacred name of Church.

When the Church representative ought to be gathered of both sorts (as they be now distinguished) of the learned and godly Laity, as well as of he clergy.

Why should therefore the noble Lord's, and the Christian Spirits of the Gentry lose the right, into which the Holy Ghost (by calling them and the rest of his Chur • h) hath invested you? In former times Parliaments have confirmed Injunctions Ecclesiastical, and our Service Book, containing God's worship, matters of an high nature, and w • y not will so? And if the Nobles and Commons can claim so much, as to ratisie the matters Ecclesiastical being concluded upon, I hope it is by pernsal thereof before, else how can they in judgment confirm them? And if they have wisdom from God to confirm them made, why may not some chosen men be appointed to consult with the convocation house, about the framing of those things which are to be s •• • orth, seeing they very much • oncern all?

The Brethren, in the great council at Jerusalem, were not shut out, while the Apostles and Elders came together to consider of a great controversy in Divinity, and in making their decrees; but when they were sent forth, they passed under their own name and the name of the brethren also, Act. 15.6.22, 23. David consulted with the Laity, as well as with the Priests and Levites, to bring up the Ark of God, 1 Chron. 1 • .1, 2, • . Hezekiah concerning the keeping of the Passover, took counsel thereabout, not with the Priests only, but with his Princes, and all the congregation in Jerusalem, 2 Chron. 30.1, 2.

This Monopoly was not then learned among God's people, nor among the holy Apostles in their days.

SECT. II. Of the principal persons in this Prelatical Church, and of their Dependents upon them.

SECT. III. Of the means to support their Prelatical greatness.

THese have their Lordly Palaces and great houses.

They have their Ecclesiastical dignities, and spiritual offices, and what do thereto belong.

They have their Baronries, and the ample Revenues thereof.

Viis et modis, such is their Income, as it cannot but amount to four hundred and fifty thousand pounds per annum, if not more, so much their greatness comes unto, as the state of a King may be supported not a little therewith.

Quaere.

Whether the true officers of the Church of Christ, need so much to bear up their train?

Whether Christ be hereby better served by them, or followed of them?

Whether their studies are more bent to advance the Churches spiritual good?

Whether are they more sequestered to the ways of God, to attend God's service, the reformation of ill men's lives, the setting forward those that are good in the paths of grace?

Whether do they take the more time to apply themselves to Fasting, to praying, to preaching, to do works of piety, and works of charity?

Whether do they not rather intrude into secular affairs, and into State businesses, to the disgrace of the Nobles, and Gentry of the Land, and the peace thereof?

Whether are they more bold against sin, to suppress it in all sorts? Or are they not hereby the more Lordly minded to bear up themselves and to crush all that justly find fault with what is amiss in them?

Whether are they not hereby higher from control and less subject to any censure, both they and such as depend upon them?

Whether may not the King pair them as well as did blessed Queen Elizabeth some of them in her days; Or as King Henry did the Lord Abbots, and Lord Priors, with all their superfluous means; For those were of men, and so are these, and not of God?

The humble Petition.

That they be made to change their Palaces for country Parsonage houses, there to keep hospitality, and feed the people with the word of life.

That their Baronries be taken from them, and so the Lordly title, and not be suffered to sit anymore in Parliament, as Lord's there.

That their thousands be reduced to some hundreds, and so their Officers and retinue made fewer.

What need a true Pastor be so pompous and Lordly great to do his heavenly office for Christ in preaching; and in all other Spiritual duties?

SECT. IV. Of the Prelatical rule and Government.

THeir rule is partly after the Canon Law yet in force, and partly after their own framed Canons and Articles, and not according to God's word.

The manner of their ruling is Lordly, and alone in their inferior Courts, and in the high Commission Court, their power is unlimited, citing, examining, swearing, judging, sinning, and imprisoning as they please, one of the most insufferable evils in this Kingdom.

The ends which they do aim at in governing are these.

I. To keep their own greatness, even by exacting oaths for it, as the oath of Canonical obedience, and the late oath in the new Canons.

II. To hold others in subjection under them, as they like best, by citing to their Courts, by hasty suspensions, by rash and very abusive excommunications, &c.

III. To enrich themselves, gathering very much wealth. The means are these,

I. By ordaining Deacons, and Ministers for money four times a year, by which they put up yearly hundreds of pounds.

II. By instituting and inducting Parsons and Vicars, when Benefices do fall, and so scrape together much out of 9285. livings, 3l. for everyone, one way or other, which in time comes to many thousands.

III. By making Rural Deans yearly (where they be) in every Deanry, And for the oath taken, some pay 8s. 6d. or a Noble, but no benefit to the Deanry at all, but to execute Bishops mandates.

IV. By granting Licenses, which ought to be free.

I. To Beneficed men to preach in their own Cures, though at their ordination they give them authority to preach, yet may not they afterwards without 10s. for every license, look then how many licensed Preachers there be (whether they preach or no) so many 10s. is paid, suppose there be in 9285. Parishes, but 6000. of them, the sum cometh to 3000. pounds. Thus they pay money to have leave to discharge their highest duty of their office.

II. To Curates, who must pay for a license to read prayers in some place.

For a license to preach.

For a license to teach School, undoing poor beginners before they get anything.

III. To Clerks of the Parish to be Clerks.

IV. To Physicians to practice Physic.

V. To Midwives to do their office, for they have still in all trades and professions to gain money.

VI To parties which are to be married without Banes asking, and in times prohibited, and both for money allowed, yet against Law.

By absolving after a rash suspension, after a profane excommunication, and both for money.

By aggravations for money.

VII. By putting men to clear themselves by oath, with their Compurgators, for money.

VIII. By imposing Penance, which the richer may commute for money. But the miserable poor (doing their penance) cannot be freed from their Courts without money, though they beg for it, must stand excommunicated, and so be shut out of the Church and given over to the Devil, for non-payment of money.

IX. By willingly receiving any secret information (true or false) to call any before them, putting them to the oath ex officio, to catch them and make them pay money.

X. By interdicting of Churches, & whole Congregations.

XI. By framing very many Articles, forcing Churchwardens to present upon oath that they may get money.

XII. By Probates of Wills, and by granting letters of Administrations.

XIII. By suits about Tythes, and long delaying thereof, much money is spent of others, but gotten by them; and thus a mass of money is gathered together of them, to the great vexation of his Majesty's Subjects, especially of the meaner sort.

Yea so ravenous they are for gain, that on fasting days appointed, they send out every time a book, which yet is one and the same, with small variation, and for it do exact 8d. which in the several Parishes amounts to above 300l. Thus of solemn fasts shamelessly they make gain, and charge without cause the people.

At this last Fast a farthing paper prayer they sent forth, and took 2d. for everyone, which comes to threescore and ten pounds; They can do nothing except they or their Officers lick their fingers.

Quaere.

Whether such a rule and authority, by such Canons, in such a manner, and for such ends, can be approved of God, or any longer suffered of men?

Whether this be not to make money of God's holy ordinances, and to gain by sin, what hope of a blessing can there be by such a base kind of Ecclesiastical government?

Whether it be not fit and just to squeeze such Spunges, and ravenous Harpyes, by finding out their illegal courses, and punishing them.

The humble Petition.

That they may not rule by the Canon Law (which yet is in force so far, as it toucheth not the Kings Supremacy) nor by their own devised Canons, but by God's word, and by such Canons as agree with the word, and are made with the full consent of the Convocation, and confirmed by Act of Parliament.

That in ruling they Lord it not alone, but that they sit with learned, godly, and grave assistants, keeping within the bounds of the Laws, doing neither contrary to, nor besides them, nor yet dispense with any, as they do for marrying without banes asking, and in times prohibited.

That they keep not their Courts, nor send out Processe, Summons, Citations nor proceed to censure in their own names, or style, nor use only their own seal of office, and arms, as they do, thereby denying their power to be derived from the King, this is an unsufferable usurpation.

That they be made to acknowledge their authority, not to be divine, but human, from the King, as hath heretofore been fully acknowledged.

That the power of the high Commission, in ministering the Oath ex officio be taken away, as also in all other inferior Courts, and that it may be a limited power under Law, in all the proceedings, in citing, examining, judging, fining, and imprisoning, that so the complaints of God's Ministers might not still cry aloud in the Lord's ears to bring down wrath. Who can but pity with tears of blood, the unsufferable misery of M. Peter Smart of Durham, for preaching against setting up of Images and Altars, the severe handling of Mr. George Huntly Minister, and very many others heretofore and of late years, now famously known.

That by their high authority they may not be suffered, to hinder such as be troubled from taking the benefit of legal courses to help themselves, and neither Judges and Lawyers made so to fear, as the one sort dare not freely plead for them, nor the other judge but with fear of them, as they ought not.

That seeing they are otherwise sufficiently provided for, they make not such wicked gain in making and instituting Ministers, in giving licences, in imposing penance, in absolving, and in all the rest before named, to the great grievances of his Majesty's subjects, robbing them of a treasury of money, and making sale of God's holy Ordinances.

Is there Simony in buying a Benefice, and none in giving money for the use of spiritual gifts?

That they make no encroachment upon the subjects liberties, as they do prove fully by the Author of the Breviate.

SEC. V. Of their Praelatical Visitations and in these, These are pecuniary merely for money.

SECT. VI. Of the Praelatical Churches.

THe Praelatical Churches, besides their private Chapels, are the great and vast Cathedrals, or other Collogiate Churches.

Dependents of these.

26. Great Deans next unto Bishops with their Attendents and Servants.

544. Canon Residents and Prebendaries.

The rest also are many hundreds.

As

• Their Vicars.
• Peticanons.
• Singing men and boys, Choristers.
• Organists.
• Gospellers and Epistlers.
• Virgers, and who else appertain to this idle and fat fraternity.

A 300. or 400. Thousand pounds yearly in lands, Rents, Leases, and other Revenues, and profits do thereto belong.

Quaere.

Whether such idle Droans are worthy of so much for their service, such as it is?

Whether Jesus Christ cannot be better served with far less cost, and better pleased?

Whether all these thousands might not be better employed to greater good, in the training up of thousands in divine and human Learning.

As thus,

1 That never a Dean have any Pastoral charge, but be continual resident at the Cathedral Church, being a godly and learned Doctor, there to read twice or thrice a week a Divinity Lecture, and interpret the Scriptures.

II. That all the Canon residents be also without Pastoral charges, and that they be learned, grave, and godly Divines, or else others in their stead, chosen out of the Universities, to assist the Doctor Dean in and about spiritual and divine exercises, daily to study controversies, cases of conscience, and some special Tracts of Divinity, &c. that other Ministers in the Country may come thither for help, and for better information of judgment, as need shall require.

III. That the greater part of the rest of the Prebendaries, be turned into special selected Scholars, Graduates out of either University, such as for natural gifts, their Learning in Tongues and Arts, and pious disposition by grace, do give very good hopes to become good Divines, and here trained up under the Dean, and the other Divines for the ministry.

IV. That seven of the best, Prebends be allotted to seven learned men, to become Schoolmasters to teach Scholers.

Every Schoolmaster to be accurately skillful in one Art, and secondly to have ability withal to teach the said Art to his Scholers, with some speed and dexterity.

The

• 1 To teach to write very fair.
• 2 To teach Music.
• 3 To teach Grammar only.
• 4 To teach Rhetoric.
• 5 To teach Poetry.
• 6 To teach the Greek tongue.
• 7 To teach the Hebrew.

That their Scholars may come thus furnished to the Universities, there to learn Logic and other Arts, and to take the degrees of Schools. Every Master must make known the aptness and untowardness of every Scholar, that the Master may not be troubled with uncapable boys.

V. That the Vicars, Peticanons, singing men and boys, with the rest be turned into Scholars, ingenious Lads, picked out here and there from among mean men's children, to be brought up under the aforenamed Schoolmasters, to be after sent to the Universities, and maintained there by some Revenues belonging to the Cathedrals, that so they may be taken thence, if they prove not unworthy, and brought back again as places be void, to be trained up for the ministry.

By all these in the Cathedral Churches God's public worship, Morning and Evening might be performed.

And by this pious and profitable transformation of these Cathedrals.

1. When any Benefice falls void, hither may the Patrons come for a learned and godly Minister, taking their choice.

2. If any Pastor happen to be sick, or have just occasion to be absent, hither may he send for one to supply his place for preaching and prayer he till be well, or return home.

Were this so happily done, who could but approve thereof, if godly and wise hearted.

The humble Petition.

THat the goodly Revenues belonging to these Cathedrals, be employed to some such good and godly use, as the wisdom of the state shall think fit, for better advancement of God's glory, Learning and Religion, then now they be.

That the so many needles Prebendaries might not be allowed, nor to take up so great sums as some do, for preaching 2. or 3. Sermons a year, either by themselves, or by some other, whom they can hire for a noble, or an angel a time.

That the so many gifts of livings in the hands of Bishops, Deans, Archd. and the rest, be looked into, for better bestowing thereof, then they commonly be.

SECT. VII. Of the Praelatical Service.

THe Praelatical Service, is the Cathedral service, consisting in these things.

1. In a long wearisome Liturgy, read after a finding manner, syllable and words drawn out unto a tedious length, wh ch Liturgy is framed out of 3 Romish books, the Breviary, Purtuis, and the mass book, so as King James said of it, that its an ill said Mass, from which it needeth purging, and from some vain repetitions, and from a corrupt translation of holy Scriptures, and other abuses thereof.

2. In an unedifying singing, and piping on Organs.

3. In superstitious crynging to the name Jesus towards the Altar, towards the East.

4. In a formal observation of Habits, Surplesses, Hoods, Copes, variety of gestures, and ceremonious devotious devised by men.

Quaere.

Whether such a Service Book (as the Papists called it, an Apish imitation of the Mass) be well pleasing unto God?

Why we should uphold such a service, which nourisheth a bare reading Ministry, nusles people in ignorance, and which no reformed Church have received to use?

Why is it not suffered to be reformed, in such things as have been witnessed against, from the beginning of reformation, and for the reformation whereof many thousands have pet •• ioned, many hundreds have been suspended, deprived, and imprisoned?

Why is it that no end will be put to the misery of such who are men of tender Conscience, and do desire God knows, to live in peace, seeing now a whole Kingdom refuseth it, and that with the danger of their utter undoing.

The humble Petition.

That such a Liturgy, might be framed, by godly and learned men thereto appointed; as may be freed from corruption, and cast into such a form, as may have no resemblance to the Romish Service; for by this Papists are but hardened, and others offended fall away.

That nothing be allowed to be in God's service, which cannot be proved by some warrant out of God's word; for the Scriptures are a perfect Rule for anything necessary, either in substance or circumstances, in and about the holy word of God.

If any doubt of this, it shall be proved punctually to him.

That no Ceremony be ordained, but what may be found to agree with all the Apostles Rules, made for the use of things indifferent.

That the use of them be free, and not rigorously imposed, nor the failing otherwise of painful and peaceable men, to conform in some things be more severely looked after, and punished more sharply, than the gross enormities of their conformitant Priests.

SECT. VIII. Of the Prelatical Ministry.

THe conformitant Priests (so they now are called) which properly belong to this Prelatical Church, and come from cursed Rome, are these,

1. All dumb Ministers, of which there be yet in the Land • . or 3000. if not many more.

2. All Pluralists, of which there be very many, in some Diocese 30. in some 40 why should some have two, other tot quotes, when worthy men have not one?

3. All Non-residents in Cathedrals and Collegiate Churches.

Prebendaries some.

Heads of some Colleges.

Domestic Chaplains.

4. All Curates, which are

Under Pluralists.

Under Non-residents.

Under s • me idle Doctors, and some other Parsons and Vicars.

Under Lay and impropriate Parsons, the number of which are 3800. and odd in this Kingdom.

5. Most of them idle Drones, monthly and quarterly preachers, or which preach perhaps once a year, or not at all at home, though it may be now and then abroad.

6. All lewd and base Ministers, as also the mere worldlings, and Mammonists, of which sort there be no fewer then some thousands.

7. All Popishly affected, and all Arminians may be added to these, to make up these locusts, under their King Abaddon and Apollyon.

Quaere.

Whether these be sufferable in any Reformed Church of Christ?

What care hath been taken hitherto, to reform this so great wickedness, and mischief to God's people?

How many thousands perish under these for lack of knowledge, are their blood of no price with men, whom Christ hath purchased with his own blood?

The humble Petition.

That there might be a speedy redress concerning these so much spoken against, and written against from time to time, disallowed of God, and all Christian Churches (separated from the Church of Rome) and not tolerable in Christ his Church, where he is to reign by his own Word, in his own Ordinances, as he hath appointed.

SECT. IX. Of their Prelatical Convocation.

THis is a Provincial Assembly, for the Province of Canterbury, which consists of the Archbishop, the President of all the other Bishops under him, Deans, Archdeacons, with others, and of the two Ministers chosen out of every Diocese, called the Clerks of the Convocation, to the number of forty and odd.

These Clerks should be chosen freely, by the free public consent and voice of all the Ministers, in every Diocese, but the Prelates propound whom they list or like best for their purpose; and do ask voices, which are given to them of many through fear, so as the choice is not free as it ought to be.

II. That which is intended to be done there is contrived and hammered in the head of the Archbishop, and some few with him, to which the rest of the Bishops do consent.

III. In the lower House, the Priests, Parsons, and Vicars, those Clerks sit there to gaze one on another, and to tell the clock, waiting for their Lessons, from their Lord's the Prelates.

There is no freedom of voices, they dare not consult among themselves, to promote the cause of Christ, and to reform abuses.

The better sort are the fewest, and are

Either over-awed by the greatest,

Or born down by the worst.

So as they be made to consent unto the making of such Canons, as they would not, and these are thrust upon us as the constitutions of the Church of England, when its nothing so, but of a stong faction of Prelates, and their Adherents, who set them forth, and obtrude them upon us unjustly.

IV. The canons they make, are many, not a few of them to uphold their Praelatical authority, and unapproveable courses, many of them without warrant from holy Scripture.

Some of them against Scripture.

Some of them superstitiously Oeremonious.

Some of them blind Canons, as these,

1. Against Popery and superstition, but they tell us not what Popery is, what superstition is.

2. Against Socinianism, but without declaring what that damnable heresy is, almost everyone of them needeth examination and to be rectified for the peace of God's people, and the Churches Edification.

Note moreover that in setting forth their so many canons, there be none charged against Arminianism, that Semipelagian Heresy.

None against the Prelates themselves for their innovations, and exorbitancies, as if they could not err, nor ever do amiss.

Lastly, before they break up, they look not to have their canons ratified by Parliament, as they ought; but do make themselves as Clergy men, only to be the Church, and not any else in the Land, with them to be Church, which should not by godly wise men be digested.

V. After the dissolving of this their Convocation, they presume,

1. To make it a Synod, without a new call, and Summons. 2. To give great sums out of all Parsons and Vicars purses, under the name of a benevolence, and yet rate everyone at a certain sum, as a subsidy, and that under the penalty of deprivation and utter ruin of them that do not pay, setting forth a book to this purpose, which 〈◊〉 will that Lay men should not see.

VI. After some space of time.

1. They collect Articles every Bishop in his Diocese, and every Archdeacon in his Archdeaconry out of those Canons, which Articles they impose upon all Churchwardens and Side-men, and by them to present upon oath.

Then if anything happen to become questionable, touching the Canons or other things, for and about their Church, their Service and Ceremonies, every Bishop in his Diocese doth take upon him to give a sense, and an interpretation as he pleaseth, on which we must rest, though it be never so absurd, and not take the words as they be in the letter, till there be another Convocation to decide the question, and doubt arising, as they ought to do.

And if men be not satisfied, they labor to gain the help of Royal authority, by some public declaration, to make good what they say and do; and so lap up all under the authority of the Church.

Quaere.

Whether such a Convocation can justly be approved?

Whether such Canons coming forth are to be held the Canons of the Church of England?

Whether they be of all to be submitted unto, before they be confirmed by Act of Parliament?

Why more Canons are added, and not rather the other reformed?

Why they establish and countenance all their decrees, so as if they were of an unchangeable nature, ordained without error, and necessarily useful ever and everywhere?

The humble Petition.

That his Majesty, the noble Lord's, the worthy Commons of the house of Parliament, would carefully see, that the Convocation be gathered lawfully, that voices be free therein, without an overawing power, that nothing be there decreed, but with a serio • s examination, and full consent of the House, and not be permitted to pass without an Act of Parliament; for if this kind of Convocation, and their such proceeding as have been, be suffered to pass, they will Lord it over us still, and so the people of God then will never be in peace.

Oh consider, how in the Parliament they have been prevalent over their equals, and betters; in the Convocation then they must needs domineer over all: heir underlings, on whom they can avenge themselves afterwards, if they find any wisely and with courage to have affronted and cressed any of their intents and purposes.

SECT. X. Of the great and manifold evils of these Prelatical Governors.

THey bear up themselves mightily by their Revenues and Baronries, strengthening themselves in their pomp and in their pride to overtop whom they list.

They become as great Peers of the Land, and sit in Parliament with them cheek by jole, to affront all the Nobles of the Kingdom, to bear down the House of Commons, and perhaps to procure the dissolving of Parliaments, to the great disturbance of the whole Kingdom and State.

They have raised up a bellum Episcopale to dash two Kingdoms one against another, to the shedding of much blood, if God in mercy prevent it not.

They keep up a Romish Hierarchy among us, full of corruption, which they suffer not to be reformed.

They uphold the fore-named sinful Prelatical and Priestly Clergy, so as those their Priests be conformable to all their Rites and Ceremonies, they may in a manner live as they list, and be supported against all those that shall attempt their reformation.

They are pleased with the people's ignorance, and their contentedness, resting in a long read Service, without better instruction, holding reading to be preaching, and preaching no part of divine Service, that so such silly people might be misled in gross blindness, perishing for lack of knowledge.

They suppress Lectures and also Sermons in the afternoon, and allow no questions in catechizing; but only such as be in the very common Catechism, much hindering increase of knowledge.

They will permit no Minister to preach nor to expound in his own Parish without paying for a License, for which when he hath paid, they never care whether he preach or no.

They will allow none of the people to seek for instruction, when they want it at home, nor yet press the Minister to the discharge of his duty, but trouble others.

They never trouble any Minister for neglect of his duty in preaching; But diligent preachers they have a jealous eye over, and are ready to take an occasion to vex them, as not for their turn.

They sinfully trouble thousands of Church-wardens and Side men, making them swear to their Articles which cannot be observed.

They hinder prohibitions, stop the courses of Law, and terrify both Lawyers and Judges.

They dare to fine and imprison without Law, going beyond as Spiritual power; yea, and the Laws of our Land.

They have ever been plotting to ensnare Christ's painful Ministers, that they might root them out.

I. They have pressed upon them Subscription, and Ceremonies, and so cast out very many.

II. They have urged the oath ex officio, and by this they have undone not a few.

III. They procured the reading of the declaration for profaning the Lord's day, and hereby many were suspended, excommunicated, and some deprived.

IV When they saw that all these things would not bring to pass their intended mischief, they lately framed a wicked oath to be tendered to all God's Ministers, which whosoever would not take should be suspended first, & after deprived.

Lastly, to make up the measure of their evils, they have illegally given a Subsidy to be extorted from under the name of a benevolence, which who so shall refuse to pay, is utterly undone, according to their merciless decree in a Book published, which now they are loath should see the light, and be read of any judicious and religious Laymen.

They are the cause of the division and separation among us, by their Lordly rule; by their rigorous exacting conformity, and by their cruel dealing with such, as do not obey their Lordly wills.

They suffer Papists, and nourish Arminians in the bosom of their Church, to the disturbance and danger of the true Church of Christ, and this whole State.

They allow to vain people Revels, heathenish vanities, unchristian meetings, and that on the Lord's day, to profane it, and have procured a Declaration for the reading of this licentious liberty in every Church in time of Divine service; and such Ministers as refused, they did suspend, excommunicate, and some they deprived, the like never heard of in any Church of Christ.

They will have bowing to Altars, and yet permit notorious offenders, yea Thieves and Murt herers condemned (if they have gotten pardons) to come to the holy Sacrament, before satisfaction be given to the congregation, yea drunkards, blasphemous Swearers, infamous Adulterers, and other vile persons may receive, and not be debarred, if they can satisfy their Courts, and free themselves from thence, though they do not manifest their repentance to the Congregation, eating and drinking the holy Sacrament unworthily to their own damnation, a profaneness much to be lamented.

They hunt after Greatness, and not for goodness, but for gain, and do withstand all good means of reformation, and all the ways of redressing their corrupt courses, much to the hindrance of the growth in Religion, and walking with God.

Quaere.

Whether these evils are not such as may force all pious men to lay them to heart, and to seek that they may be removed, as far as they are able to the utmost, that we may be freed from their unjustifiable courses, and grievous wrongs.

Whether we should not endeavor to introduce that which may better the Ecclesiastical government, and bring this Prelatical power within bounds, and ourselves from the intolerable burden thereof.

The humble Petition.

That for these so many great and grievous evils they may be questioned, and caused to reform, or else be censured and punished.

For they never had poss • ssion peaceably, but they have been

1 Prayed against for a long time.

2 Preached against by many.

3 Written against by divers on this side, and beyond the Seas

4 Testified against by suffering Suspension, Excommunication' deprivation, open punishment, to the cropping of Ears, slitting of the Nose, standing on the pillorie, imprisonment, and some have suffered death.

5 Withstood by the Sword.

And what now remaineth, but for these their evils they should be condemned by the Honorable and happy Assembly in Parliament.

That a better way of Government might be thought of, after the wisdom of God in the State, tending not to the subversien of Ecclesiastical Government, but to moderate the now Prelatical governors, ease the Land of excessive charges, rid ourselves of these insufferable evils, weaken the Kingdom of Satan, advance the glory, and procure our own peace and happiness.

Good Lord deliver us.

CHAP. I. The Preface.

AS Loyalty to King and Country, is the very fortress and wall of Polity, being Commanded and commended, both by the Laws of God and nature; so Pure and undefiled Religion, is the Fountain and Rock of approved Loyalty; yea, equity, charity, sobriety and loyalty are the Virgin daughters of unspotted Piety, as the foresaid place witnesseth: we could be large in this Theme, but we hasten to the Particular; the subject whereof is one of the weightiest Peeces that yet hath been presented, namely, The Service-book, which notwithstanding the present surfeit of Books, yet we hope it shall find a place in the most serious and judicious thoughts; we may well call it with the Comick, Fundi nostri calamitas, The overwhelming storm of the Purity of worship; for as it is true, No Ceremony, no Bishop, because the Ceremonies are the pitchy wings whereon they fly; so it is as true, that no Service-book, no Ceremony; for that is the Magazine of nimble Ceremonies. Doctor Boys, in his Epistle Dedicatory to Richard Canterbury, upon his Exposition of the Liturgy, complains heavily, yet causelessly, that the Liturgy is crucified between two Malefactors, on the left hand Papists, on the right hand Schismatics, meaning Puritans; both of these he calls Foxes: but by a just retortion, we shall set the saddle on the right Horse, and shall make it appear, that the Purity of Christ his worship in this Land, hath long been crucified between two Thieves, namley, that Superstitious and Popish Liturgy and rank Atheism, varnished with Superstition, to whom we may well apply that saying of Luther, They are tied together by their tayls to do mischief, though by their heads they seem to be contrary; and though we have no time to run over the Common Places of Atheism and Superstition, and to show how like Pilate and the Superstitious Jews, they concur to the crucifying of Christ in his Worship; yet, thus much the Scripture witnesseth, and experience proveth, and we humbly desire your Honors to mind it, That all Superstition, and the Purity of God's Worship, ever have been and shall be at continual wars, and can no more dwell under one roof, than a chaste Spouse, and a Proud inveigling Strumpet; or no more in one Temple, than Dagon and the Ark. Superstition est res insana, Superstition (saith one) is a mad thing, and so indeed it is; for it is contrary to the wisdom of the Word, and of the Spirit, which are the ground and life of the Worship of God. Superstition est vitium contrarium Religioni, Superstition is a sin opposite to Religion (saith Aquinas ) which is very clear from the nature and rise of it; for as Religion is a worshiping of God according to his will, Quisquis praeceptis Coelestibus obtemperavit, is culior est, Whosoever follows the Divine Precepts, he is a worshipper of God, saith Lactant. but superstition carrying the very nature in the name of it, tells us, that it is Supra statutum, over and above the Statutes of God: the word in the Greek is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , as if it should signify the sear of the Devil, and the signification suits very well with the nature of the thing; for when a Man coyneth a Worship to himself, he recedeth so far from the fear of God, and whereas the Devil is the Author of all Superstitious worship, whether it be of another God, or of the true God, after a way of self-device, or will-worship, then it may be truly called, the fear of the Devil, as the true Worship of the true God is notioned under the name of his fear: this Superstition shutteth up the way to the Jews conversion, and openeth the mouths of Atheistical Gentiles, against the Profession of all Religion, in derision whereof Averroes speaks tauningly thus: Sit anima mea cum Philosophis, quia Christiani adorant quod edunt; Let my soul be with the Philosophers because the Christians adore that which they eat: So may the Jews take occasion to say: Let our souls be with the Old Ceremonies, since the Christians New Ceremonies are so foppish and ridiculous; having no footing from the Word of God. But to bring the charge to the Particular in hand, if our Liturgy be not a Mass of Superstition, and Superstitious Ceremonies, we profess we know not what Superstition is: to instance it in one Particular, namely, in the grand Ceremony of Adoration or kneeling at the Sacrament; hath it not been the staff and strentgh of that abominable Idol the breaden God? and if the Masters of the Ceremonies disavow that opinion, yet the Sermons and Writings of divers of them do testify to their face, how they go as far, yea, and farther than many Papists in that particular; As it is true that the current of Popish Champions do maintain the bodily Presence, as Innocentius the Father of that Monster, Bellarmine, and Haiga the Expositor of the English Mass, by changing and choping that Fiat corpus; so divers of the Canterburian faction, as himself, Montague, Pocklington, Lawrence, agree with the Papists and Lutherans in this point, namely, concerning the Matter, leaving the Manner as a Cabalistical Mystery: devocibus dixi, ne de missa quidem, imo nec transubstantiationis certamen moverimus; for words (saith Montague ) as the Mass, yea, or Transubstantiation itself, we will not contend. I like not those (saith Doctor Lawrence) that say his body is not there: and to explain himself he addeth Substantially, Essentially, not by way of Commemoration or Representation: but should not this be their opinion, since they act what they hold by a material Altar, Priest, and Sacrifice, had not that Hydra of the Scottish Liturgy made a greater Monster, by the addition of some more heads, and that very cunningly, by the English Authors, and sent out to take in the Church of Scotland (had not that we say, lost all the heads and had the brains dashed against the stones) the aforesaid Authors made no question, but that all the power of both Head and Tayl should have had room enough to domineer here in England, the Pope having such a large Army both of Legionary and Auxiliary Forces to maintain it. But blessed be God, who brake the head of that young Dragon in our Neighbor Nation, and we hope will by you crush out all the blood of the old one here, who was the Mother of that, and the Mass-book the Mother of both. There is a Proverb amongst the Naturalists, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Except a Serpent eat a Serpent, it cannot become a Dragon: so, except our Liturgy had been full of Serpents, it could not have hatched the Dragon that was sent unto Scotland. The Superstitions of this Bulk are such, and so many, that if Paul were here and saw them, as he saw that of Athens, he would undoudtedly cry out, Men and Brethren, I see that in all things you are too Superstitious. We may better apply that Speech of Tacitus concerning Superstition, not exitialis, hurtful or dangerous, but execrabilis, cursed and execrable; and so it is indeed, both to whole Churches, and other People, whose eyes God hath opened to see the evil of it, which we are confident you do; and I say as Paul said to King Agrippa, We know you believe it: But as it seemed unreasonable to Festus to send Paul a Prisoner without the charge laid against him; so we neither will, nor dare charge anything upon this Liturgy, which we shall not Prove, nor desire the outing of it without good and sound Reasons for our desire; and therefore we humbly and heartily desire your Honors to take into your consideration these five Reasons following.

The first is from the Name, wherein the Champions of the Service-book agree with the Papists, calling it the Mass.

The second is from the Ground of it.

The third is from the Matter of it.

The fourth is from the Manner of it.

The fifth is from the Effects of it, to which we will add some Motives.

CHAP. II. Of the Name.

FOr the First, the Service-book-men, and the Papists do mutually interchange the Name of Liturgy and Mass; the latter call their Mass by the name of Liturgy: the Jesuit, Sanctes, Professeth, That the most convenient Name that can be given to the Mass, is that of Liturgy or Service, not but that the word Liturgy is of good use, for 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , signifieth to officiate in sacred Worship, witness, Act. 13.1. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , as they were ministering unto the Lord. Where the Rhemists vaunt of a coined liberty, to translate the word, saying Mass, which were to cross the truth; and all the learned upon the place, as Oecumenius, Theophylact, and Chrysostom; yea, and their own Expositors, as Casetan and others: the Apostle rendereth it by another Word of the same value, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 but howsoever they scrape kindness to a word of use, till they abuse it; yet who knoweth not, that knoweth anything, that their Liturgy is the very Lethargy of Worship: And what difference between our Liturgy and theirs? Truly nothing but a pair of sheers, and putting ours in a Coat of another tongue, as shall afterward abundantly appear, only ours hath not all that theirs hath: but ours hath nothing to a word, but out of theirs: And thence it is, that our Lyturgian Patrons do meet the Jesuit mid-way, by owning the name of Mass to our Service-Book, Witness Pocklington, who calls the second Service, just the same with the Mass: so Cozens, witness Master Smart's Sermon, and not only so, in relation to the second Service, but even in regard of the whole Bulk, as Pocklington in the end of his Altare, &c. and Montague. In name you see then, there is an unanimous agreement, and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 names are the very images of things: & for their agreement in matter & manner, in all things of importance, we shall make it as evident as the former: in the mean time, what reason is there, that we should groan still under the burden of a Liturgy born in upon us, under the Name and Nature of a Mass, which is nothing but a Mass of Idolatry, and an Idol of Abomination? The name is a name of Blasphemy out of the Devils Cabula, as we take it: For what language it is, or what it signifieth, for anything we know, was never yet known; the Hebrews call their Tribute by the name of Missa, witness that place in Exodus, laying out the oppression of the Israelites, by Pharaoh and his Princes, or Officers, who are called Officers of the Tribute set over God's people: the Word Tribute in the first language is, Missa, of the word Messas, as the Learned observe, which signifieth to melt: both the name and Etimologie, suit very well with the Popish Mass: for it hath melted away true Religion and Spiritual devotion, and as it inslaveth the souls of people, by leaving them naked (as Solomon saith) of the Preaching of the Word, for so the word signifieth, so it is made an engine to screw out the bowels of their estates, wasting & melting men's substance, as the snow against the Sun, besides the universal experience of the extortion of the Mass, where ever it beareth sway; we may instance it too fully in this Island, where infinite Masses of Money hath been melted away within these few Yeares, without any profit to the King or Subject, but to the great prejudice of both: for the exhausting of the Subject is the emptiness of the King. Tiberius could say, Adulterinum est aurum quod cum subditorum lachrymis exprimitur, it is a base kind of Gold that is squeezed out with the tears of the subject; but who hath cast the State in this consumption of money? Who hath made the hearts to ache, and the Souls to groan of honest Householders, when they have been forced it may be, to part with more than they had? Who in time of Peace, and under good Laws, have caused men's Houses and Fields forcibly to be entered, their Goods to be carried away? Who have caused the Kings liege People, and that for obeying the Laws of God & man, to be carried to stifling Prisons, contrary to the Laws of the Land, and privilege of the Subject? Who have caused some to be Tormented and Tortured with unparalel'd cruelty, both for kind and continuance? Lastly, Who have been the Incendiaries or Firebrands to melt away (if they could) the Kings love to his Subjects, and the Subjects true loyalty to the King; who (we say) but these Lyturgian Lord's, and their Jesuited confederates, together with their Popish and hellishly profane Priests, Officers, and Appendices: to prove these or any of them, were to show a Man the Sun: and many sheets could not hold the Particulars. But to the purpose in hand, the Service or Mass-Book (as they call it) is the main engine, it is the Saddle, and we (to speak a homely Truth) are the Asses (for Englishmen are called by the Jesuits, the Popes Asses ) the Hierarchy & their Adherents are our riders: the Saddle hath so pinched and galled our Backs, that we know not how to take on the burden of the Lord Jesus, though it be very light; our riders have with Spur and Rod of their Rhadamanthean Courts and Temporal Usurpations so jaded us, (with leave be it spoken) that they have almost rid the Spirit of zeal and courage out of us; and had they but got the Saddle with some more new girts & trappings upon the Scots, as they intended, they had gone near to have rid Religion and Policy to death: but as the Scots have proved like Dan. Lions for Prowess, and Serpents for Providence, in overturning both the Saddle and Rider; up in the Name of the Lord, and do the like: What should we do with the Mass? some of whose Friends nor so well acquainted with the Nature of it, would storm, if we should call a spade a spade, but they must believe their Book-men's testimonies, published under the favor of their little great Land-lord of the Soyle, (who knows best how it should be called • one of whose Bandiliers tells us in great heat, none but Schismatics will deny the harmony of missification, away with it then: To finish this point, I will enforce the conclusion with this Argument, We are not to name an Idol but with detestation, much less are we to offer it as a worship of God.

But the Service or Mass-book is an Idol, Ergo, we are not to mention it but with detestation, much less to offer it to God as a Worship.

The Spirit is abundant in the proof of the former Proposition, Exod. 22.13. Hos. 13.2. & 2.17. Psal. 16.4. all remarkable Places, teaching us to be wary with what Worship we join with; but in the first of these places there is a Triplication of the charge in divers terms, yet all beating upon the same thing, to make us to look to it: In the latter Proposition there are two things, one implied, namely, that the Service-book is the Mass-book; for proof whereof, Habemus confitentes, we have their own avouchment; and if they should deny it, we shall in the point following prove it, whereunto now we come.

CHAP. III. Of the Original.

THe second thing considerable for the matter in hand, is, whence the Liturgy hath his rise or Original; Namely, from the Mass-book; that whose Original and rise is naught must be naught in itself: Can there come clean water out of a corrupt Fountain? Note that the Liturgy is wholly from the Mass-book, and other Popish pieces, as it shall be full cleared: First, by comparing of the Books: Secondly, for that mutual liking that our Liturgy-Masters, and the Mass-Bookmen, have one of another's peace. And thirdly, from the evidence given from the King and Council of England.

Sect. Now, to the first, every piece and Parcel of the Liturgy, word for word, is out of these pieces; namely, the Breviary, out of which the Common-prayers are taken; the Ritual or Book of Rites, out of which the Administration of the Sacrament, Burial, Matrimony, Visitation of the sick, are taken; the Mass-book, out of which the Consecration of the Lord's Supper, Collects, Epistles and Gospels are taken: As for the Book of Ordination of Arch-Bishops, Bishops, and Ministers, that is out of the Roman Pontificial; we might further prosecute the proof hereof, from the division of the Mass into parts, essential and integral, with the enumeration of the said parts, as the ten or eleven parts of the preparation to the Introit, as Pater noster, the first Collect, which Bellarmine calls the Mass, because they are the best part of the Mass; The Introit, for which see Doctor Lauds † pleading in his Star-chamber Speech, the Kyrie Eleyson, or, Lord have mercy upon us, &c. The Gloria Patri, the Misereatur, the Confession, the Absolution, the Angelic Hymn, Gloria in Excelsis, word for word in the Scottish Liturgy, the Salutation, the Lord be with you; Lastly, the posterior collects, all patches of Popes devising, which the brevity which we study, will not suffer us to instance. Be pleased to see Morney de Missa. If any object that in our Introit, the Ave Maria is wanting; we answer, (as hath been said) that though everything in the Mass-book be not in our Liturgy, yet all that is in our Liturgy, is word for word in the Mass-book.

Again, though Ave Maria be not actually in it, yet if purpose had holden, it was in more than a fair possibility, to have been the head Corner-stone of the Liturgy, Witness Staffords invective defense thereof, Printed at London, not disallowed nor retracted in any point, by Heylin or Dow, Canterburies surveyors of the piece: further, that which hath been said of the pieces of the Introit, may also be said of our Creeds, Epistles and Gospels, Offertory, and other things, whether more or less Principal, in regard of our calling them from the Mass-book. [Sect.] Secondly, the second ground or reason is, from that love and liking, that the lovers of the Liturgy bear to the Mass, as also from that mutual contentment, or complacency that the Mass-mongers take in the Service-book; we have shown already, how they agree in Name, and now we are to give evidence of their mutual liking of the Matter; there be abundance of instances for the Papists approving of our Liturgy, witness Mortons Appeal, Pope Pius, the fourth, and Gregory the thirteenth, offered to Queen Elizabeth to confirm the English Liturgy, witnesseth Doctor Abbot, then Prelat of Canterbury, and Master Cambden in the life of Queen Elizabeth: to these I adjoin Doctor Boys, who was a bitter expositor of the English Liturgy, as Heiga by the Doctors of Dowayes appointment was of the Mass, after he had whetted His Teeth upon the Schismatics, in his Epistle to Bancroft, he produceth the letter of Pius, for the approbation of the Service book; and notes also, the testimony of approbation from Bristow in his motives. Queen Elizabeth being interdicted by the Popes Bull, Secretary Walsingham wrought so, that he procured two Intelligencers to be sent from the Pope, as it were, in secret into England, to whom the Secretary appointed a State Intelligencer to be their guide, who shown them London & Canterbury Service in all the Pomp of it; which the Popish Intelligencers viewing and considering well, with much admiration they wondered, that their Lord the Pope was so ill advised, or at least ill informed, as to interdict a Prince, whose Service and Ceremonies so symbolized with his own; and therefore returning to Rome, they possessed the Pope that they saw no Service, Ceremonies or Orders in England, but they might very well serve in Rome, whereupon the Bull was recalled; to this also Doctor Carrier a dangerous seducing Jesuit, gives ample evidence; the Common-prayer-book (saith he) and the Catechism contained in it, hold no point of Doctrine expressly contrary to antiquity, that is, as he explaineth himself, the Romish Service, &c. and thereupon he comforteth himself with hope of prevailing; and of the like mind were Harding and Bristow (as hath been said;) one more, and we have done: not long ago a Jesuit meeting a woman in Paul's, in whose house he had lodged, she not knowing then that he was a Jesuit, the work-men of Paul's being hot at service, he asked her how she liked that work: she retorting the question, asked him how he liked it, he replied, exceeding well, neither had he any exception to it; but that it was done by their Priests. We have insisted the longer in this point; first, that men may see, that this plain & evident approvement of our Liturgy by Papists, is not from one singular or more indifferent Papist, but from an unanimous consent of the greatest, zealousest and learned'st among them. Further, this symbolization of Papists and Prelate-men in the name and nature of Mass and Liturgy, discovers how they conspire against the Truth, and those who desire to worship God in Spirit and Truth: it is a true maxim, Quae convenient in aliquo tertio, convenient inter se, & dissentiunt a contrario; They who agree in a third, agree between themselves, and dissent from the contrary; If the Papists then sort with the Service-book-men, in the liking of the Liturgy, & the Service-book-men with the Papists in the liking of the Mass, and so agree betwixt themselves, they must both by consequent dissent from the true worship of God, which is contrary to it. Lastly, the Papists liking of the Service-book, makes it plainly appear, how little God likes it, for if it were pleasing to God, it would never please the Papists: as the Israelites true and sincere worshipping of God was an Abomination to the Egyptians, shall we sacrifice (saith Moses) the abominations of the Egyptians before their eyes, and will they not stone us? Even so, if this were the true worship of God, the Papists and the Prelatical crew, would never endure it, but would stone, tear in pieces, imprison, burn, banish, and kill with all manner of cruelty, as they do, and have done, those that love and worship God according to his Will; and as every shepherd was an Abomination to the Egyptians, so there was no being for such Shepherds, as would not lead out, and lay down their sheep by that muddy Nile, or, Egyptian water; yea, and not only so, but they must bear false witness in proclaiming it under their hand by subscription, that this stinking puddle is the River of God; when indeed it is the Euphrates of Babylon, by which the Soul of many grieved Ministers hath sit down with tears; being forced to hang his harp upon the Babylonish willows; but if his soul loathed the practice, much more the approbation, then all the souls of the Mass-book-men would loath such an one, and with open mouth, would dart out against him the Poison of Asps, all manner of rotten Calumnies, of Sedition, Tumults, Schism, Factions, and the like, not vouchsafing him, & his, native air to breath in, much less a calling to maintain him and his: neither is this all, but when these Ministers & others to fly the hatred of Esau and his brood, had cast themselves upon the ends of the Earth, to enjoy with much affliction the purity of the Ordinances; yet Esau his hatred slacked not, like a boiling Furnace, till he cast the scum of his cruelty after them, doing them all the mischief he could in word and deed: the Serpent cast not only the flood of waters out of his mouth, that way after the woman; but also pursued others in other parts, who endeavored to sacrifice that which God called for; for proof whereof take Doctor Laud his own words, This hand (saith he) shall reach them, and threatening a Scottish-man for refusing to take the oath against his Country, he laid his hand on his breast, and vowed and protested, as he lived, he would make the hearts of all the Scots to ache; and what had the Scots done to him? Nothing, but maintained that worship that was an abomination to him and his. One instance more, very pat to the purpose, God having appeared to Abraham (as often he did) Abraham in thankfulness built an Altar, but immediately after he is said to remove to a Mountain, Eastward of Bethel; but what was the cause he staid not by it? The learned tell us, that it was dangerous so to do; for the erecting of the Altar of God, was so offensive to the Idolatrous Inhabitants, that it was a wonder, he was not stoned of them: where observe now by the way, that if the Altars now erected, were of God, they would be an abomination to the Prelates and their Faction, and dangerous for God's people to stay by them: but as they are Altars of Baal, erected and maintained by Baalites and Balaamites, so they and all their Ceremonial accoutrements, and the Service-book itself, are an abomination, witness that place of Exodus already quoted; The Abominations of the Egyptians shall we sacrifice to Jehovah our God, saith Moses to Pharaoh, it is not meet so to do.

The last ground or evidence of this particular; [Sect.] is from the undeniable testimony of King and State, namely, King Edward the sixth, and the Councils letter, to the Papists of Cornwall and Devonshire, making of Commotions and Insurrections against the King and State, amongst many they give this satisfaction for the Service-book, that it was the very same, word for word with the Mass-book; the difference only was, that it was in the English tongue, the extract of the Letter recorded in the Acts & Monuments, are these; as for the Service in the English tongue, it perchance seems to you a new Service, and yet indeed it is no other but the old; the self-same words in English that were in Latin, a few things taken out. If the Service of the Church, was good in Latin, it remaineth good in English; for nothing is altered: but to speak with knowledge, that which was spoken with ignorance, we have the whole letter in Print at large for your Service, we thought fit for brevity, only to transcribe so much as made for the clearing of the point; the sum of that which hath been said by way of open discourse, we draw up in this Argument.

That which is word for word out of the Popish Mass-book, is not to be offered to God, as worship, but to be abolished as an abomination to him.

But the Liturgy in controversy, is word for word out of the Mass-book, as hath been proved abundantly.

Therefore it is not to be offered, as a worship to God, but to be abolished as an abomination to him. As the latter proposition of the Argument is proved to the full, so the former is as clearly by the paralelling place of Exodus twice quoted, to which we will add for abundance, these places following, Deut. 7.25. and 12.31. 2 King. 23.13. Ezra. 9.1. Esa. 44.19. In all which places, the Lord commands all Idols and Idolatrous Service, to be utterly detested and abandoned, and still the ground and reason is given, that they are abominations to the Lord, for so the word is in the number of multitudes; to speak impartially, we see no color of way to evade this Proposition, but by undertaking the defense of the Mass-book; for as Montague and others produced that their Service is the same in most things with the Church of Rome, the differences are not great; nor should they make any separation; then a necessity is laid upon the Prelates and the rest, either to defend the Mass, so far to be the true worship of God, against the truth, and all Orthodox Writers; or else, to give up the Service-book to fall with the Original; and though the Treatise will not give us leave, to limne out the Mass in every piece, patch'd up by divers Popes, having given a specification of some parts of it, most concerning our Liturgy, yet will it not be amiss to lay down from the learned, the first entrance of it into England, and then to take off briefly, the silly defense that the Papists seem to make for it. To the former, Augustine the Monk sent from Gregory, called the Great, for what we know not, except for his grand devises of Will-worship; his man Austin finding not all things for his tooth in France, put over into England, and there finding an ignorant King, and a superstitious Queen, there like the envious man, he sows his corrupt seed of all Popish trumpery, as Masses, Litanies, Processions, Copes, Vestments, Altars Candlesticks, Holy-Waters, Consecrations, &c. Having like a Serpent deceived the People (and as the Apostle saith) corrupted their minds, from that simplicity that is in Christ, sore against the minds of the godly, and learned Preachers of the times; yet, to make them (as Beda witnesseth) add this condition, which he never meant to keep, that no man should be forced, or constrained thereunto; but having plaid the Wyly Fox in his entry, to finish the work he had begun, he took on the Lions skin, and being opposed by one Dinoth a great Divine, who withstood him to his face in a public Synod, avouching, that he ought not to change the ancient form of Religion, neither would he acknowledge him for Arch-Bishop; but the bloody Prelate, to be revenged on him, incensed Etheldred King of Northumberland against him, who murdered the Servant and Minister of God, and twelve hundred Monks with him: afterward about the Year 637. Pope John the fourth, sends over Malitus, Honortus, Justus his Bandogs one after another, to hold out and confirm the continuance of this dismal alteration, as they might easily do once having got footing, for Pompous superstition suits too well with corrupt nature: then came in keeping of Easter after the Romish manner, Ministers called Priests, chanting and playing upon Organs, with all which, godly Beda his soul was grieved, who vented his grief in this sad complaint; heretofore, instead of these things, the principal Service of God consisted in Preaching, and Hearing of God's Word.

Here we may observe for matter of Humiliation, how easily Superstition finds entrance into England, and how hardly it is rooted out; that former Maledict, Monk Banedict (as they call him) found so little entertainment in France, that he made little stay there, only stomacking that the Worship was not after the Romish Order, he certified his Master by a grievous complaint, who being more moderate than the Monk, bid him take that which was good in every Church: but England found that that would not serve him, of whose Mass and Mischief it could never yet be rid. It is also worthy your observing; how he laid the Foundation of the Mass, and established it in blood; yea, that See of Canterbury, in him and his Successors, hath been a See of Blood; yea, it is too well known, that that cursed Mass, whether Latin or English, hath lived in blood, and bathed in the blood of bodies, souls and states, as shall be more particularly manifested hereafter. [Sect]

Now for anything that can be said in defense of this Idol, the Mass-book, it is not worth the citing, and hath been more than abundantly refuted; yet one touch for a taste, and that upon Prayers, because it is the Subject of our discourse, we will show you one place out of the Old Testament, and another out of the New: such as they make choice of to defend their Mass or Liturgy (as they call it:) the place of the Old Testament is in Genis. chap. 4. verse. 26. the words are these, Then Men began to call upon the Name of the Lord; as there be diversity of thoughts upon the meaning of the words, so Pertertus a Popish Friar, will have this the meaning: that then they found out some set form or order of Prayer, to gain footing forsooth to the Popish Liturgy; but say it were so, what would it make for them? The Doctors of Douay are of the same opinion, and fuller also in their words; It is meant (say they) of Public Prayer, with observing some Rites, and set form, in a particular place, dedicated to Divine Service. Grant that that were the meaning, as indeed it is not, yet what would this make for them? Would the faithful Prayers of the godly Patriarchs consirm, or would they not rather confute the abominable Prayers of the Popish Mass? The word Invocat, in the first Language signifieth also to profane, though not so in this place; for it suiteth not with the sense; but if this were the sense, then the Papists might well take a hint to parallel their unhallowed Mass, which is nothing but an high profanation of the Name of God.

The other place which I touch upon, and which they do egregiously abuse (as they do many more) is from the New Testament, 1 Tim. 2. verse. 1. I exhort therefore, that first of all Supplications, Prayers, Intercessions, and Thanks-givings, be made for all men: out of which words of the Apostle, the Rhemists make this deduction, that the Prayers and Petitions of the Mass, are deduced out of the Apostle his words, producing, or rather traducing; the Fathers, making them speak that for the Mass which they never meant: the transcription of all the passages would be too tedious: but let Master Cartwrights answer suffice. First by way of Concession, grant the Mass-book to have in it the same prayers that the Apostle commands, will it therefore follow (saith he) that their prayers is the true service of God? no more than the using, or rather abusing of the words of Institution, This is my body, makes for the Justifying of Transubstantiation. Enchanters and Charmers use many holy words in their Charms, as they do with a piece of the first Chap. of S. Johns Gospel: but it agravateth their sin. This plea from good words, is, or hath been too frequent in the mouths of some Professors, whom we desire to satisfy with this answer. Again, if their whole Liturgy or Service be here as they say, where are their Matins, Even-song, Complin, Procession, Dirgie, &c. As for the name Mass used by the Fathers, we are to understand, as Morney and others well observe; that as the Church finding ease, and growing in Wealth, under and after Constantine's time, fell to grow a little gaudy to please the Gentiles, and also to allure both the Jews and Gentiles; the Christians were content to hear and speak antiquated Names, as Altars, Sacrifices, Priests, and so fell in the word Missa; but it is as clear on the other side, that never one of the Fathers alleged, nor Orthodox Councils did use any of these words in their Sence; and this may suffice for the Popish Mass. They also abuse that place of the Acts 13.2. translating it as they were saying Mass; but the foolery of it as hath been said, answereth itself. The Mass then being such a piece, as it was England's great unhappiness to lie so many years under the burden of such an abomination: so when the light of the Gospel sprung up, to fetch us out of Darkness, and from the shadow of Death, it was great incogitancy (to speak the least) in our Reformers, in King Edwards days, to take a Monk from among the Canaanites, and putting a coat of English clothe upon it, to represent it, being an unclean Beast, as a service to the Lord: it is no better truly than the excommunicate thing. What had we to do with the River of Nile? How could we look to pick Gold out of the Popes Dung-hill, where there is nothing but mire and dirt? It is true, that Heathenish Rome sent the Suns of their Senators to the Etrurians, to have their instructions for ordering of their Religion: but why should we, when God had brought us out of Babel or Antichristian Rome, turn immediately in again to take a pattern out of it, for the service of our God: this is an express thwarting of the Book of God, whose Omniscience should only appoint in his own Worship, witness that order and appointment given from him by Moses to the Israelites; first, he layeth it down affirmatively, Observe and here all these words that I command thee: and he enforceth it with a strong reason, It shall go well with thee and thine, when thou dost what is good and right in the eyes of Jehovah thy God: but now, lest they should patch up his Service with some Heathenish tricks, he strictly inhibits them, so much as to inquire of their God's, saying thus, How did these Nations serve their God's, even so will I do likewise; where the Hebrews observe, two things are observable: First, Idolatrous Service is not to be inquired after, because that occasioneth a turning into it; and secondly, all imitation of such service is forbidden. Cypryans complaint cited by the answers to the Humble remonstrance, suits well to this purpose: Ad hoc malorum devoluta est Ecclesio Dei, & sponsa Christi, &c. The Church of God and Spouse of Christ, falls unhappily into this evil exigent, U • lux de tenebris mutuetur, & id faciant Christiani quod Antichristi faciunt: That light should borrow from darkness, & Christians should do that in God's service, especially which the vassels of Antichrist do. From this discovery also the Service-book is unbottomed of that main Plea from antiquity, which Doctor Hall in his humble Remonstrance makes his sheet Anchor; but Smectymnuus in his answer puts him to it, that for want of ground it is come home; but to follow this a little further, and to wave the antiquity of a set Liturgy, an instance whereof, for divers hundred years, the Doctor, nor any of their Book-men cannot produce: We desire to know what Antiquity they, or any other can allege for this Liturgy, surely he can go no higher than the Mass-book; and when it hath gone as high, or higer than it can, sometime abusing Scripture, and sometime butting upon the coined and counterfeit Liturgies, fathered falsely upon the Apostles and Disciples of Christ; yea, and also upon the Fathers, as Peter, James, Matthew, Andrew, Denis, Clement, Basil, Chrysostom, and others; the falsehood whereof Morney discovers at large: yet for all this, saith the noble defender of the Truth: the Popish Mass is no part, nor ever was of the Divine Service of God, and therefore the English Liturgy out of it, and not able to ascend higher than it, can be no Divine Service, as they call it (and that inclusively, by Catexochen, or excellency ) it can be no Divine Service, but is indeed a devised Service; but suppose it or the unbloody Sacrfice of the Mass, should look as high as Cain's unbloody Sacrifice, yet if there want truth, they would prove no better than ancient errors.

Last of all, to shut up the Point, [Sect.] the discovery whereof casts the Doctor upon a very foul shift; namely, the denying of the Liturgy to have its rise, or to be selected out of the Roman models: wherein we beseech your Honors, to cause him to deal, Obsignatis tabulis, by comparing the Books together: and besides all the evidences alleged, if it appear not, and that to the eye, to be what we have said to be the truth we will de-relinquish our suit: but if it be so as we aver, we desire no more of the Doctor, and all the admirers of the Liturgy, that they would deal candidly with the truth, with your Honors, and with us, a whole body of Petitioners; who in conscience do profess we desire to do nothing against the Truth, but for the Truth; and as it becometh not those that defend the Truth, Fictis contendere verbis, to Skirmish with devised, or velitory palliations, as the Poet hath it, even so, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , there is nothing becometh candid ingenuity, better than the Truth. To defend evil cunningly, is no good commendation; it was no grace to the Orator, of whom it was said, Candida denigris, & de candentibus atra: That he could with ill abused eloquence, make black white, and white black: and yet, when such men have done all what they can, they find that true of the Civilian; Mala causa pluribus eget remed • ts: The malady of an evil cause stands ever in need of more medicines than he that undertakes the cure can afford. For a closure of the point, in love to the truth, we desire all men that have any wit, to take notice of these two things; the former, a man had better be tongue-tied than appear in an ill cause; the latter, when they have done all they can, it will fall out with them as it did with the Scribes and Pharisees, envying that the people should follow Christ, Perceive you not (fay they) one to another, how ye prevail nothing; the world is gone after him. Just so in this case of the worship of Christ, as it is partly begun, and shall be more fully accomplished, when they have done all that they can, all is but lost labor, they shall not prevail, the world shall go after Christ.

CHAP. IV. Of the Matter.

NOw we come to the third particular, namely, the Subject matter of the Liturgy; the grain is like the ground it grows upon, the fruit must be like the Tree; it is not possible that any wholesome sap of life should come out of a noisome and poisonous root. To give a delineation of the matter in general, we can use no better expression than that of Calvin, in his pithy Letter to the Church of Frankford, much troubled with this Service-book, where he calls it the Relics or leavings of the Popish dregs; this may be made to appear without contradiction, by scanning some particulars; for to go through them all would fill up a great volumn: then to give a touch as briefly as we can, the matter is partly false, partly rediculously frivolous; yea, and some part of it is not without a tincture of Blasphemy. To this effect, a worthy and zealous Pastor to that people of Frankford, regrating fore the troubles brought upon them by that Service-book, after that he had told them that nothing must be thrust upon any Congregation, without the Warrant of the Word: and forasmuch as that in the English Book there were things both superstitious, impure, and imperfect, which he offered to prove before all men; he would not consent that of that Church it should be received.

To come then to the first particular of the charge; [Sect.] concerning the falsehood of the Matter, which we will first discover in the generals, and then come to some particulars: For the generals we lay down these three instances, In false or corrupt transledons of the Word; additions to the Word, and substractions; all which the Service-book not only allows, but enjoins subscription to them, being so rendered in the old Latin Bible, which translation the Service-book enjoins to be used, and no other; yea, to which the Ministers were to subscribe, it being the most corrupt piece of all the Latin Translation, none of them being found; witness the current of the learned Fathers and others; yea, the very pleaders for the Book, and that Bible: Si in Latinis exemplaribus fides est adhibenda responderit quibus, &c. If we must believe Latin translations you must first tell us which of them, saith Jerome? Which argues the Latin one, fathered upon him, not to be his, but of all other Latin translations he damneth this most, which we are forced to follow, as Erasmus testifieth of him; Damnat superiorem translationem, quae nos tamen maxim utimur, he condemneth (saith he) that translation, meaning the vulgar translation; condemned also, by the grand Pillars of Popery, Burgensis, Lyra, Jansen, and others; yea, and by two Popes, Sixtus the fifth, and Clement the eighth. Lastly, we have the dict of the defendants themselves, Doctor Sparke diebus illis, complaining of the corruptions of the Service-book, instanced in these two particulars: First, for omitting much Canenical Scripture, and putting Apocrypha in the place of it: Secondly, for appointing a corrupt translation to be read. To some particular instances we come, and amongst many places we must give but a touch; we will begin with that palpable falsehood, Psalm 105.28. which the Book hath thus, They were not obedient to his Word; but the Scripture saith, They were not disobedient to his Word; what directer contradiction can there be than this? The Scripture given by inspiration of the Spirit, admitteth no contradiction. Doctor Spark told the Arch-bishop of Canterbury, that it was apparent by the History of their dealing in Egypt; that to read, They were not obedient to his word, were to charge Moses and Aaron with falsehood.

Another place abused, [Sect.] Luke 10.1. being their Gospel for that Evangelists day; After these things • he Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them, two and two before them; but the common Book read seventy two: which, though it be not in matters of Faith, as the defendants answer, yet it is a corrupting of the Scripture. May we tear a man's skin from his flesh, because we cut not the sinews, nor beak not the bones? In a word, this is the answer of the Papists upon the place which our Writers take off.

But now we will evidence in a place as matter of Faith, [Sect.] as we take it, Gal. 4.5. the Service. book readeth, that we through election might receive the adoption that belongeth to natural sons; where the Church-Bible, according to the original, hath it thus: That we might receive the adoption of the sons. For, natural sons of God we cannot be said to be, Nam non nescimur, sed renescimur Christiani; for we are not born Christians, but born again; yea, by nature we are the children of wrath: is there not matter here of flat contradiction, & that in a high point of Faith?

We will trouble you but with one other place, [Sect.] and that upon matter of Faith too; namely, Luke 1.28. and 48. the Text hath it, Hayle freely beloved, or having found favor; but the Service-book will none of that, but read it; Hayle full of grace, just with the Rhemists; and the defenders of it go upon the same grounds that they do, crossing the true signification of the words; all sound and learned Expositors, ancient and modern, as Pagninus, Vatabalus, Chrysostom, Beza, Doctor Fulke, Doctor Whitaker's, and others, sorting full with Gregory Martin, Reynolds, and the rest; and gives encouragement to Stafford in his Female Glory, to tell the Puritains railingly, that till they be good Marians (in his sense) they shall never be good Charistians. There are fifteen places more in the Service-book of this cut, but these are enough, and too many to be so abused.

Now we come to a touch of Additions, [Sect.] as the Book adds three whole verses to the 14. Psalm, where a great difference is to be thought on, between a Paraphraster and a Translator: The former may amplify, but yet in different letter from the Text; but the Translator may not add, no not from other Texts of Scripture. The grand Papists, the justifiers of this, and other such stuff, dare not avouch these Verses to be in the Hebrew or Greek Copies, no not in the Greek Bible set forth at the command of Sextus Quintus, 1587. for the justifiing of the Vulgar Latin, as appears by his own Copy, written by Cardinal Carraffe, and another Cardinal, namely, Cajetan, avoucheth, that Paul in the third to the Romans had taken them from divers places of scripture, Sed ignorans nescio quis adjunxit haec Psalmo 14. But some ignorant party, I know not who, hath added them to Psal. 14. So there is a whole Verse added to Psal. 13. and an addition added to Psa. 24. corrupting the text, and applying that to Jacob, which is spoken of God; and divers additions more, which we will not reckon.

Now a taste of Omissions, or leavings out, [Sect.] as all the titles of the Psalms, being, as other holy scripture, given by Holy Inspiration, and very useful; yea, and Mr. Bucer learnedly and divinely affirmeth, are as so many keys to unlock and open the door that letteth into the understanding of the Psalms; Hallelujah is left out of the 72 Psalm, the Book omitteth, Praise ye the Lord, seventeen times, and putteth in Gloria Patri.

Lastly, amongst divers other Omissions, on which we cannot insist, the comfortable Conclusion of the Lord's Prayer is left out. They have drowned in this Book 160 Chapters, according to their own account, of Canonical scripture; amongst which are whole books, as the Chronicles, Canticles, and the most part of the Apocalypse is left out, in place whereof the Apocrypha is placed, and that (as they say) tending more to Edifying: yea, and some Chapters also, wherein are palpable untruths, as Ecclesiasticus 49. Judith 9. Tobit 5. the last two of these Books being Fabulous: A President of these foul Abuses of scripture, are found nowhere in the world, but in the Popish Mass-book. To this we may subjoin that Prophaning gross abuse of Epistles und Gospels, in which there are three strange and remarkable Occurrences, for which there is no Ground or Reason, but from the Mass-book, and Mass-mongers.

First, what reason is there, that in the Mass-Book, and in our Liturgy, the Acts of the Apostles and Prophets, yea, any book of the old Testament, the books of Genesis excepted by them, should be called Epistles, as Acts 7. on Stephens day, Rev. 14. on Innocents day, Joel 1. Isaiah 50.

Secondly, [Sect.] there is never a full passage or whole place, but scraps and shreads, as the beginning of one Chapter, and ending of another; and in this they deal with the Word, as Mezentius dealt with his beds, he cut them, and lengthened them to serve his own cruel humors, and not for the good of his guests. If Kings will not have their Writs by confusion of names wronged, much less the King of Kings, who is the God of Order.

Thirdly and lastly, [Sect.] at the Epistles there is silence, sitting, and what everyone will; but at the Gospels there is standing, scraping, bowing, and a response before and after; as everyone of these were to serve some piece of Superstition or other: so the reasons given by Papists are as ridiculous as the things are Superstitious: it is enough to name them in general, that the maintainers of the Liturgy may be ashamed to allege them, and better of their own they have not. We therefore desire your Honors, to cast a regardful eye upon the wronged and much abused Word, and not as passers by (as Jeremy speaks) in a case much like, but as supreme judges here on earth, to vindicate God's dishonor done to him in his Ordinances. God's Word, as the Fathers speak, in his Epistle, not in that sense they call Prophesies Epistle, wherein he commends many lovely favors to us; yea, his Testament, wherein he leaves and bequeaths many rich legacies to us; If Kings & Monarchs should deal so with us, would we suffer them to be abused, corrupted, altered, cut in pieces? No, we would count them our deadly enemies that should do so, & also traitors to the King. What an eye of indignation then should your Honors cast upon such gross abusing of the Word, of the Epistle and Will of the Omniscient and Omnipotent God; If clipping, corrupting, or counterfeit coining be Treason by the Law, how much more and in a higher degree is it to deal thus wiih the Word? Yea, and more than that, to maintain this, and cause Ministers to subscribe to it, being no less than Treason against the high and mighty God. Culpam deprehensam pertinaciter tueri, culpa altera est; Pertinaciously to maintain a fault openly discovered, is a greater fault than the former, on whom whether Nation or Person will the Lord rest upon (saith the Lord by the Prophet Isaiah ) but upon him that trembleth at my word, that is a humble soul, not only moved to obedience to it in itself, but further, out of that reverence that it beareth to the Word, it will not as much as in it lieth, suffer the word to be abused by others, as one speaks of the Papists, that corrupting the Fathers, they rather make them their sons, to speak what they will have them, then Fathers indeed: Just so doth that book, and the Champions for it, make the word thus dealt with none of God's, but their own; If a Minister add or take away from the Service-book, it is made matter of inditement; but they, it seems, may add, take away, alter, and corrupt what they will without controlment: [Preface.] this course gives a shrewd randcounter to our learned and Orthodox Writers against the Papists, witness Doctor Fulk his Answer to Campian, discovering the evils of the Apocrypha. Gregory Martin recoils thus upon the learned worthy, that by those words he condemned their own Service-book, which appointed those Books to be read.

Having thus proceeded against the Servick-book, [Sect.] for its false translations, additions, omissions, misnominations; we come now to some more particular untrurhs in the Book, and that partly by false or misapplication of Scripture, partly by coining things that have no show or ground for them, partly by establishing some Popish expositions. Lastly, by confirming and pressing upon Ministers and people, a heap of Popish and Idolatrous Ceremonies, a touch of everyone will suffice.

For the first, [Sect.] be pleased to look upon that egregiously abused place, or Christ abused and dishonored by their dealings with the place, namely, Rev. 12.7. Michael and his Angels fought against the Dragon, &c. which words the Book appoints for the Collect for Michaels day; where they make Christ by misapplying the place, a created Angel: for the place is meant of Christ, neither can it agree to any other: for which we have a cloud of witnesses, not only from the universal concourse of the learned and Orthodox Writers, as Fathers and modern Authors, as Austin, Ambrose, Musculus, Calvin, Beza, Doctor Fulk, Doctor Willet, and many others, but also from the very name Michael, proper only to Christ, who, verse. 10. is called Christ: And further, from the scope of the place, to set out Christ and his Angels, encountering Satan and his Angels: And lastly, other places of Scripture parralleling the truth of this sense, Dan. 10.13. & 12.1. 1 Thes. 4.16. Judge. 9. Angels here under their General Christ, are said to be on Earth in the Church Militant, for that is meant by Heaven, and here they are said to die, which suiteth not with Heavenly Spirits: the Rhemists indeed hold close to the sense of the Service-book, because it is from their own Mass-book, and gives this as a reason, why Michael is painted fighting with a Dragon, both Opinion and Reason are of the like weight: Now from things without color of Ground; what color or ground is there for that speech in the end of the Magnificat; O Ananias, Azarias and Mizael; Praise the Lord? If this was the Prayer of these men when they were alive, what sense or reason that we should speak to them being dead, more than to others?

For Popish Tenants, [Sect.] look that Prayer at the Burial of the Dead, That we with this our Brother, and all other our Brethren departed in the true Faith of thy holy Name, may have our perfect Consummation and Bliss, both in Body and Soul: First, here everyone Buried is a faithful Brother, which cannot be said of everyone, no, not in the Judgment of Charity: It is true indeed, That the Priest of Newgate bid the poor Condemned Thieves provide Money for their Burial, and they needed not doubt of their Salvation: Again, the words are an express Prayer, and tied to be said by the Minister.

Now, for the Ceremonies having place in God's Worship, and being man's device, must needs be Idols, or Idolatrous Actions, Quicquid praeter mandatum, est Idolum; Whatsoever is placed in God's Worship, without the Commandment of God, is an Idol; for none hath power to Ordain or Place a Ceremony in Christ his Church, but himself, who is King of it. For instance whereof, there is a remarkable place amongst many, Numb. 15.39. And it shall be unto you for a Fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the Commandments of the Lord; and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart, and your own eyes, after which you use to go a Whoring: where Observe both the Ceremony and Signification to be from God's own Appointment: And further, every device of man in God's Worship, is to be avoided; but against those there are divers Treatises never Answered, nor like to be; yet it shall not be amiss by one indissolvable Argument to put all the Defenders of the Ceremonies to it; which is this:

That which is man's Device, and hath been an Idol in God's Worship, must of necessity be an Idol still in the Worship of God: But the Ceremonies mentioned in the Service-book have been Idols in God's Worship, as Cross, Surplice, &c. Ergo, they must be Idols still in the Worship of God.

The Proof of the former Proposition, is from instance of Abraham's Grove, Gen. 21.33. but being abused to Idolatry, as 2 King. 17.10. Jerem. 51.2. Isa. 57.5. then God forbiddeth his People the usage of it, because it was an Idol; yea, commanded to destroy it, Deut. 12.13. The latter Proposition none can deny. Here we may add the foul Abuses of the Sacraments, as Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, and that Jewish Popish Instrtution of Churching of Women, called Purisication; & that bastardly piece of Confirmation, the particular Eno • mities whereof we need not stand upon, they are so well known, especially to your Honors, which is a part of our happiness: Again, the Treatise would be too large; yet we would not have the Lent Fast forgotten, which the Patrons of our Liturgy make a Religious Fast, abusing places of Scripture by mis-application of Scriptures, as Joel 2.12. Mat. 6.16. 2 Cor. 6.2. Mat. 4.10. clear contrary to the Law, and indisputable Prerogative of God; the Homilies appointed by the Law of the Land, the most and best Reformed Churches, & the harmony of Confessions, none siding with them in it, but Papists and Popishly affected.

Now we come to Touch, [Sect.] and but to touch upon the foppish and foolish things in the Book, besides the foolish and senseless Translations of some Psalms pressed by the Service-book, as Psal. 58.9. Psal. 68.30. which would be too large to set down and canvafs. What can be said for those Tautologies, and Battoligies, used in the Service-book, as Lord have Mercy upon us, Christ have mercy upon us; the very Popish Kyreileison, Christaleison condemned, Matth. 6.7. the word Battology here condemned, cometh, as the learned observe, from one Bactus, a ridiculous Poet, repeating the same words or verses often, and so Christ forbiddeth a vain repetition of words or phrases, and the better the words are, the more grievous is the sin, so the vain repetition in Prayer is most odious of all, both the heathenish and Popish Battologies are struck dead at one blow (saith Master Cartwright ) for mumbling up the same prayers again and again; and can these repetitions of ours, being the very same in English, go scot-free? One foppery more, for we cannot name them all, namely, that mutual salutation between Priest and People; in these words, The Lord be with you, and with thy spirit: which Doctor Boyce girding at the Novellists, takes upon him to defend from Ruth 24. with many invictive strains, with other matter to little purpose: is it a good Argument from salutation in civil conversment, to fall a saluting one another in the worship of God? if our Lord and Savior forbad his Disciples to salute any in the way, so far as it might be any impediment to his service; like unto that of Elisha the Prophet; how much less will Christ admit salutations in the midst of his Service? It seems their devotion is very hot, that falleth to toss a salutation whilst they are upon God's Worship. Hence is that apish trick in the Northern parts, that all the Women, especially in coming into the Church, make a courtesy to the Priest. Dr. Boyce, for further confirmation, citeth the Liturgy of James, Chrysostom and Basil, but all know (as hath been said) that they who are acquainted with this subject, know these Liturgies to be as Apocryphal, as the subject; the Dr. confesseth upon the report of Bellarmine, that Tritenhemius writ a whole book upon Dominus Vobiscum, in which are many fruitless questions, and so we are sure the thing itself is fruitless.

CHAP. V. Of the Litany.

WE come now to the last piece, of the matter of the Liturgy, but not the least sinful, but rather the most offensive: Namely, the Litany, not a stump or a limb of Dagon, but the head of the Mass-book, appointed to he said on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, yea, and at other times, if the Ordinary appoint it: of this it may truly be said, as one said of the Pharisees sin, that it was either the sin of the Holy Ghost, or a sin very nigh it; so the Litany is either blasphemy, or very nigh blasphemy: upon these days, one of every house must be present; setting a note of some preeminency, both upon these week days and the Service, yea, from the Etymology of the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , or Litany, the defenders of it will have it to be a more serious and cordial Prayer then others. It is observed by the Learned, that the Ancients had the order and manner of the Litany from the Heathens, as Dionysius Halioarnassius witnesseth, and Causabon observeth in these words: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the Litanies or Supplications about the Altars of their gods. Polybius renders the words very handsomely and significantly by the word, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which signifieth to entice the gods by blandishing allurements: these words, & others used by human writers to the same purpose, as by Homer and others, falls in with the same fault that our Savior accuseth the Pharisees of, namely, vain repetition, and multitude of words, for which, saith Christ, they think to be heard. Now this Litany is a very facinating fardel of Tautologies and Battologies; besides its other faults, in this Latany there is, Lord deliver us eight times, hear us we beseech thee, 20. times: to omit many desires to be delivered from things from which there is not the least appearance, no more than of the French pox, the danger of being drunk at a Whitson-ale, or a purse cut at a stage play, and not so much. In that prayer to be delivered from fornication, what meaneth that addition, & from all other deadly sin, as though some sin were not deadly. Again, after a tautolog cal suming up and repetition of the titles and Elogies of the Trinity tossed with responses, they fall on in a Heathenish way to act the word Litany or Maggany, as it is well rendered, namely, as it were to conjure; and as if the devil were now to be dispossessed (which no Priest must dare to do by the Canon without license from the Ordinary ) they would use the very same pieces; namely, By the mistery of the holy incarnation, by thy holy nativity and circumcision; by thy baptism, fasting, and temptation; by thine agony and bloody sweat; and by the cross and passion; by thy precious death and burial; and by the coming of the holy Ghost, Good Lord deliver us. This piece of the Popish-Mass-book, whence we have it, is no better than that conjuring or juggling of the Magicians, whereby they seemed to imitate Moses his working of Miracles, which they did not, as the learned in that Art testify, without magic-spells; they use ridiculous invocations, saith the same Author, & so be the invocations in the Litany; and the better the words are, as we have said, the more grievous the abuse: And that we may not come short of the Papists idolizing of this Litany, we have not only our ordinary and weekly letanies, but also our annual or yearly letanies, acted in Procession. It is true, we have left out the Saints in our Liturgy, that was too gross; but had the Laudenses got their Colours fixed, ere this the letany had been flancked with this stuff. But why did they expunge that suffrage in King Edward his Book against the Pope, From the tyranny of the Bishop of Rome, Good Lord deliver us? To shut up this cursory trial of the matter (for it is no more) how can the Service-book-men justisie these words of the Collect on the twelfth Sunday after Trinity, Giving unto us that which our Prayer dare not presume to ask? It is true, we obtain more than we Pray for; but what we dare not Pray for, either in act or desire, we shall never obtain.

The sum of that which hath been said, we bring up into this Argument;

That Service, the matter or bulk whereof is partly false, partly foolish and frivolous, should not be presented unto God: But the parts of the Service-book, whether essential or integral, are such, as hath been fully proved: Therefore they should not be presented to God.

We humbly entreat your Honors to lay this Argument in the ballanoe of truth, and if it weigh down the Service-book, let the said Book, we pray you, be cast out of the Sanctuary as light.

CHAP. VI. Of the Manner.

NOw we come to the Fourth Particular, namely the Form or Manner, which is large, as exorbitant and offensive as the matter: the Form is the essence of a thing; say the matter were good, and the manner naught, God would never like it; for the old proverb is true, God loves Adverbs better than Adjectives: Bene better than Bonum. It was a good work in David, to bring up the Ark from the house of Aminadab; but one Philistine Ceremony spoiled the whole Work. David therefore acknowledged the breach to be made because they sought him not in order; when our Savior taught his Followers to pray in that Plat-form of Prayer, which a Father calls the foundation of all our Prayers; he layeth not down only the Matter, but also the Form; when ye pray, pray 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , after this manner; hold fast (saith the Apostle) the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, &c. Where he layeth down, not only the matter of Preaching, but also the form; even so should Prayer have a Form of sound words. Conformers to the Service-book make Jonas his his Gourd, of one place of Scripture, Let all things be done according to order and decency. But as the place is no shelter for them, so we wonder that they cannot see the gross disorder of the Service-book and Ceremouies; and still call for order. The Apostle rejoiced to see the order of the Colossians, but it would have grieved him exceedingly to have seen the disorder of the the Service: as he grieved at the superstition of the Athenians; for it is Will-Worship which the Apostle condemneth in the same place of the Colossians: but to some particulars, and first to the Minister, whose change of voice, posture & place, is strange and ridiculous; For the first, he must say some Prayers with a loud voice, not all: what can be the reason of this? but that of the Mass-Priests, that there are some Mysteries: Tanquam sacra Cereris, that the profane Laics should not hear. Secondly, for his Posture; besides the windings, turnings and cringings, his face must be sometimes towards the People, and sometimes his back. Thirdly, the Priest says somewhat in the Church, somewhat in the Chancel, getting himself from the People as far as he can as if there were some out-fall between him and the People: or, as if he were the High Priest gone into the Holy of Holies. In the second place comes the unmannerly handling of the matter: First, they have many short Collects, but a long and tedious Service: the persecuted Christians indeed, made short Prayers upon the fear of the Enemies Approaches, when they were forced to fly. A good Foundation we acknowledge; but to turn this into a General and Continued Rule, will make but a scurvy Building. Now, to the rest of the short Cuts and Shreds, rather Wishes than Prayers (as Mr. Cartwright truly calls them) for which Doctor Boyce falls foul upon him with an Invective Declaration, not with refutation; which course suits not with learning, much less with a Minister, calling it a rude speech, savouring more of the Shop, than of the School: but the abilities of the man is far above his calumny: and why doth he not fall a railing at him for answering the Rhemists, in charging the Mass-book with the self same fault, where he calls them short shreds patched up to make a wearisome scrvice upon the long last; what patched Petitions? how scatteringly & disorderly divided, to the number of thirty or forty? what interrupting pauses & posting on again, with, Let us pray? In this they are like unto little Girls, who setting themselves as though they would sew, they cut abundance of Cloth into useless shreds, doing no good, but hurt; And yet for further discovery of this unmethodical and unmannerly dealing, let us put this Query to the maintainers of this patched Service, that Mr. Cartwright puts to the Papists for the mammocks of their Mass-book. If such a suit (saith he) were offered to a mortal man, would he not rather think himself mocked by the suppliant, than honored? After the same manner speaks God to the Jews: Offer this now to thy Governor, will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person, saith the Lord of Host? And if any object, that God speaks there of the Blind and the Lame, the Answer is easily made; whatsoever is not of God, in his Service, for matter or manner, it is blind and lame: for the closure of this dismembering of God's service, we annex the tossing or driving the Service between the Priest and the People, for either the People pray with the Priest, or they repeat his Prayer, or they add some Responces or Answers, all suitable to God's service. Sir Thomas Moore was so zealous in this way, that he did officiate at the Mass in his Surplice. If the Minister be God's mouth and the Peoples & stand between them in things pertaining unto God, is it not a gross absurdity? That when an Ambassador of State is delivering an Ambassage to the King, that the standers by or attendance, though much concerned in the business, should set in with the Ambassadors speech, or repeat what he saith, or interrupt his speech, with a pause of a Responce. This interrupting course in God's worship is every way more gross, as much as the high and dreadful God is greater than the greatest King; and we are to take notice that God will not be mocked. To shut up the Point, one thing we cannot but wonder at, why the Popish Prelatical Priests do admit the common People a share in saying of Service, who will not have the People in any case to try, much less to judge of the Doctrines of their Teachers, abusing the very Scripture that makes against them: for they call themselves the Clergy, alluding to the name 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which signifieth the lot or portion, arrogating to themselves the Lord to be their portion, and they to be the Lord's. But by the way of opposition they account the People no better than unhallowed, or carnal People; calling themselves abusively by the name of Spiritual, which with the former name Portion, agreeth to all God's people; but we conceive the reason to be this, that by filling their brains with the froth of that stuff, and their mouths with that confused noise of words (which the most of them regard no more than the Fool of Windsor, that could sing all the Service ) and how should God regard it: this they do (we say) to shut them out from the Soul-saving-Word, and the Word from them, and then the Priests bear rule, or tyrannize over them at their pleasure. Now we have done with the Arguments arising from the Essential Bulk, or Integral Parts of the Book: whence we desire your Honors to consider, how from four impregnable Arguments, namely, from the Name, the Rise, the Matter and Form, or Manner, we have necessarily evinced the ejection of the Service-book, all which we briefly sum up thus: That Worship of God, which for Name, Original, Matter and Manner is naught all over, is not to be suffered, head nor tail, but wholly to be cast out of God's house: But the Liturgy or Service-book is such a Worship, &c. Therefore it is to be cast out.

CHAP. VII. Of the Effects.

FRom Arguments taken from the Nature of the Thing, we come to some Arguments Collateral, yet forcible enough to evince both the Equity and the Necessity of our desire: And first from the ill Effects of the Book, and that not accidentally, which might haply excuse the Cause, but properly and originally, h •• ding always, in tali vel in tanto, an evil effect argues always • n evil cause; an evil Bird comes always of an evil Egg as bad fruit of a bad tree: yea, the evil cause is always worse than the effect. Nam prepter quod aliquid tale est, illud ipsum est magis tale, that which makes a thing evil, is worse itself: for method sake, we will reduce the evils of the Service book into 4 Heads, distinguished from their several objects: as, 1 It shows its evil effects upon the Ministers. 2 Upon the Ordinances. 3 Upon the People. 4 Against God most of all.

Sect. First, upon the Ministers, it worketh pernitiously, whether they be good or bad work-men, or no work-men; to instance in the latter, where Ministers should be apt to teach furnished with old & new, Seers, Watch-men, Begetters of Sons unto God, & builders up of the body of Christ. But this Book settles such blind fellows over People, who can neither feed, nor lead; What, we pray you, is the procreant and conservant cause of dumb Doggs that cannot bark; idle Shepherds, saying Sir- Johns; mere Surplice & Service-bookmen, such as cannot do so much as a Porter in his frock; for he doth service, & the Priest only says Service: is it not the Servicebook? A Priest in London, when he heard the Service-book should down, made this his main Argument, or rather idlement, why it should not: If they remove the Service-book (saith he) What shall all the Reading Ministers do? they must go beg, starve, or steal, for work they cannot: (the words were to this effect) not remembering the Apostles principle, He that will not labor, shall not eat. Some years ago, a very godly man being convented before that High-Commission, was asked by some of them, what he thought of the Service-book? the man being afraid to deliver his opinion of such a piece of ordnance mounted, fully charged upon him, the great Canoneers sitting by, ready to give fire; yet with much ado, plucking up his spirits, he told them freely, that it was a halter to lead a blind horse to the water: such dumb Diegoes, or devouring Caterpillars, might rightly be called, as the Prophet speaketh, foolish Shepherds; and so the Service-book the Instrument of a foolish shepherd, they truck away their Souls, and the souls of others for a crust; are they not then errant fools? And this foolish instrument the Service-book, is the Broker in this unhappy bargain.

Sect. There are another sort of bad Ministers, who will not be idle (as they say) but they are very ill exercised, such the Apostle calls evil workers, dogs, enemies to the Cross of Christ. The Apostle bids us beware of such; but indeed ours are worse than those false Apostles: for they preached Christ, though of envy, but ours preach error, heresies, blasphemies, & calumnies out of envy, & not Christ. Were there ever the like accusations heard of for number & nature, as hath been laid against those unparalleled Ministers, for vileness, both in living & preaching? The Goliath his staff, wherewith they maintain all this, and all their brags against the Host of Israel, is the Service-book, which is the Helena of the Hierarchy, the strict and total observation whereof Lincoln Articles do punctually appoint. To those we might adjoin Nonresidents & Pluralists, who knowing that Service will serve the turn, can have choice of Readers to serve their Cure, at a cheap rate. In Kent a common Fidler read Service for 12. d. a week: In another place a Black-smith did the like; yea, the Prelates themselves trade in this comodity, when they have an old off-cast servant, the ruins of a profane wretch, good for nothing, then make a Priest on him, witness a Prelates Porter made Priest of Paddington. One that we all know diebus illis, Chaplin to a great Officer of State, but now a proud Prelate; in the time of his Chaplainry, possessed 3 Benefices to the value of 700. l. a year, or thereabout, allowing nothing out of all this for the feeding of so many flocks, save 10. l. a piece, or thereabouts, to three poor Curates, with a number of cast Service-books, which are no good meat, neither cold nor hot; yea, had not this Service-book been, this man and others could never have been so unconscionable.

Sect. Yet further, the Service-book hath been the bane of many good Ministers, and that of two sorts, Conformers & Nonconformers; the latter of whom were deprived of their Ministry, dearer to them than their lives; cast out of their Free-holds, against the Law of the Land, Excommunicated, Imprisoned, their Families dissolved and cashired from all Callings; yea, their very Being, through calumnies, and injuries thrust at; so that with Fambria against Scaevola, they quarrelled with them, Quod totum ferrum in se non receperant, that they received not the whole deadly Weapon into their body; and what the quarrel, but the Service-book? To which the Ministers must not only conform, but also subscribe: As to four Books more, some of which (it may be) they had never seen: that nothing in them was contrary to the Word of God; Monstrum horrendum! O fearful sin, to father falsehood and lies upon God, for which the Lord may justly quarrel with this Nation!

Now for the godly and painful Ministers, yet conforming and subscribing; the Service-book was a heavy burden to them, and they groaned under the rigor of the Service: It may be said of the Service-book, as it was said of Gath in another kind, namely, It was Metheg Amath, the bridle of the hilly tract, or strength of the Philistines: so the Book was the strength of the Philistim Prelacy, and a bridle with a Curbing bit, to stop, to wind and turn them at their pleasure; yea, sometimes to cut them in the Mouth, if they delivered any such part of God's Counsel, as touched their Copy-hold; besides the scoffing calumnies that the Prelates and their Janizaries would put upon them: How did they grieve the souls of divers worthy men, that divers of them were forced to break thorough that Egyptian bondage, with danger of their liberties and lives, if they had been reached by the Prelates ill Angels; but flying with the Woman into the Wilderness, the flood of the Service-book out of the mouth of the Serpent was sent after them, but both fire and water conspired to the devouring of it; witness its arrival at New England, two fellows being drunk, addressed themselves by water, to disperse some bundles of them; one of them swearing, that he would have a Pipe of Tobacco in despite of the Devil, striking fire, the sparks fell into a barrel of gunpowder, which blew both men and Books all into the Air; the men were saved by swimming in the water, and the Liturgy sunk when it could not swim, and so we hope it shall. Some of us heard a painful Minister complain, with abundance of tears, a little before his death, That so long as he, and such as he carried the Prelates fardel after them, they would never down. We will shut up this point with a very remarkable observation, Though God made conforming Ministers, being the dispensers of his Word, the means to turn many from their evil ways, yet this proved for the most part, but in the point of life and conversation, and not in point of Purity of Worship, according to our Lord and Masters practice upon his Patient, that Samaritan Woman, whom he reclaimeth not only from uncleanness of life, but also from a polluted Worship; the Woman here is not only touched in Conscience for her evil life, but also desires to be rectified in the case of Religion. Christ healeth her of both those Diseases, and having given check (as a Father observed) both to the arrogancy of the Samaritans, and of the Jews; for the latter was faulty as well as the former, though not in the like degree, he layeth down an undeceivable Rule for both, that they, and all who will worship God acceptably, must worship him in spirit and in truth; in spirit, that is opposed to bodily service, as washings, annointings, garments, &c. In truth, that is opposed to shadows and figures, whereof Christ is the substance and the body; such converts then as will reap Comfort out of respect had unto all God's Commandments, they must come down from the mountains of impure worship. Austin hath a pretty saying upon this, that he that will draw near to God, must come down from his own mountain, or from the mountain of his own device in God's worship; it is a duty laid on Christ's Messengers, in preparing of his way, to lay those mountains level, as well as others; but the good men durst not meddle with the Gerezim of the Service-book, because they were captive to it, and partly because the Philistines that kept it, would fall upon them.

We come in the second place to the Ordinances, [Sect.] blocked up by the Book as close as the Ministers, we must give but a touch: as our Liturgian Mass-mongers, esteem more of the Service, than Preaching, so they justle out, and keep out Preaching with it. For the former, let Howson speak, not being ashamed to assert, That Preaching is no part of divine worship, agreeable to that Canon of the Constitution, Anno. 1603. making a clear and possitive distinction between Preaching and Worship, in these words, In time of divine Worship, or Preaching. And for the latter, we will cite but one testimony for brevities sake, namely, from the same Canons: If any Minister having subscribed to the Articles, & to the Liturgy, & to the Rites & Ceremonies therein contained, do afterward omit anything, he is liable to the penalty of suspension for one month, & after that, if he amend not, to excommunication: and lastly, if he continue so the third month, to total deprivation; they have their pattern from Pope Pius the fifth, who made the same impious sanction, for the Breviary, that at no time, nor in any case, anything thereof should be omitted; yea, the Congregations of London have had too much experience of Service for Sermons, which exchonge is very robbery, contrary to the proverb; for it is ordinary with the Journey-men Levites, and Litany-Priests, to spin out all the time, in making up that course thread of the Service, that is allotted for Sermons; and this they do of malice, like the dog in the manger; but were it good, they would never be so eager upon it; for the Country Priests will cast it through a riddle, and curtail it to the waste, to gain a long afternoon for profane sports; but judge ye Honorable Senators, if this be not a miserable case, that Hagar should not only insult over Sarah, but also thrust her out of her own house: How unreasonable, yea how dangerous a thing it is, that the wholesome and soul-saving Word of the Lord Jesus, should give place to a fardel of men's devices in the Worship of God!

We come now in the third place, to the People: There are three things of note in every Common-wealth, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the People, Religion, and Law, the Service-book intrencheth upon all these: as first upon the Law, in so many particulars, though we cannot name them all, that it justly may be called Nomomastix, a scourge to the Law, we will instance in one or two particulars: first by the Law of England, No Clergy-man to the very Pope himself, shall bear any Rule, or exercise any jurisdiction, Nisi in rebus spiritualibus, except in spiritual things: witness the second Lawyer that ever wrote of our Laws, namely, Bracton, who lived in the time of King Henry the third, when Popery was in the Ruffe; for a little before, in King John his time, the Crown of England was at the Popes disposing, which I allege the rather to show the Insolency and Impudency of our Prelates managing of the Service-book against the Law; to which Book, if Ministers will not conform and subscribe, they out them of their Free-holds, contrary to Right and Law; the iniquity of which course hath been clearly manifested in Caudryes Case. Another witness yet more ancient appears in this particular, namely, Glanvil, the first that ever writ of our Laws in the time of King Henry the second, under whom the said Author was Lord Chief Justice; and speaking of the Case of the trial of advowsons belonging (as he alledgeth) Ad Coronam & dignitatem Regiam, to the pleas of the Crown; he produceth a prohibition to the spiritual Court, which he calleth Curiam Christianitatis, that they meddle not with the matter, though it might seem collateraly to belong unto their Courts; and if they should persist after their Prohibition, then they are commanded by appearance to answer it in the Kings-Bench. But how many of the Kings prohibitions have been slighted by the High Commission, threatening those that have brought them, the Case then depending, having its rise from that Service-book;

Another instance we will cite of their incountering of the Laws, it is decreed, that Ecclesiastical power, [Sect.] shall neither imprison nor fine, except in case of mutation of Penance: but how many good Christians, both Ministers, and others, have been not only Fined more than they were worth, but also closely imprisoned in the nastiest dog-holes they could devise, never Parting with them till their breath departed from them; And what was the ground of all these illegell and cruel courses contrary to the Common and Statute Laws, but Non-conformity to that Service-book and Ceremonies? We might be large in this Point, but the Treatise will not bear it, only we Pray your Honors, who are Judices & Vindices Legis, the Judges and Revengers of the Laws and breaches thereof, to look upon this Lawdestroying-piece, and to manifest that the Law of God is in your hearts, with which it cannot consist; cast it out of God's House, that he may delight to dwell amongst us.

In the second place, for the Service-books affronting of Religion, somewhat hath been said, and more we have to say in the fourth Evil effect, namely against God: but now a little more of its malignity against the people, wherein we will be brief: People are of two sorts good and bad: how the better sort have suffered from this Iron Furnace, it is more then manifest, in spoiling of their goods, loss of liberty, desolating of their Families, being forced to wander from place to place, their nigh friends and acquaintance not daring through fear to lodge them; at last, forced either to forsake their native soil and dearest friends, with no small grief, genio pa • riae plangente, the genius of the Country, to speak with Lipsius, lamenting after them; or if they staid by it, and were catched in the Prelates clutches, they told them when they petitioned, they should lie till their bones rotted, as Doctor Abbot, then Prelate of Canterbnry, said of Mr. Baits, whom they stifled in the Gate-house; and all this, because they could not eat and swallow down, to the choking of their conscience, the Arsnical Goblets of that poisonable Book, which is worse than the Iron Furnace (for so the Spirit terms it:) God's People came out of that, but the Furnace heated for the not adoring by their Service-book, as Nebuchadnezzar's, for not adoring of his Idol, did ordinarily consume such as were cast into it; so that it became like the Lions Den, whereof the Poet speaks,

Many impressions of ingress, but none of regress. But is this all? no, though it be too much; if any out of their zeal to God's Worship, stand up in opposition against that Goliath, willing to redeem and buy the Truth, at whatsoever rate they shall buy it; Indeed, if the adversaries may have their will, not only with hands spoiling of their houses, exposing of their families to all manner of miseries, but also with blows, and that not of an ordinary size, but with torments and tortures unparalleled, as cutting, branding, slitting, whipping, besides shameful pilloring, with censures of fines upon one, more than they were all worth: After all this, they cannot satisfy their rage, in devising Golgotha's bad enough, wherein to drain out their hearts bloods, being deprived of the company of their wives, families and friends, and used worse than Dogs. Of such heavy inflictions upon Ministers and God's People, we profess, we never read nor heard, neither under the Heathen Rome, nor Antichristian Rome's Persecution; for though they tortured the Martyrs of Christ, yet they rid them out of their miseries with their lives; yea, the cruelest kind of American Savages, called the Mohaukes, though they fatned their captive Christians to the slaughter, yet they eat them up at once: but the Service-book savages eat the servants of God by piece-meal, keeping them alive (if it may be called a life) Ut sentiant se mori, that they may be the more sensible of their dying. One instance, and but one occurs to our reading, that hath some resemblance of this dealing. Catulus, to revenge his brothers death, desired Sylla to let him have Marius his brother to revenge himself upon, who is said thus to torment him:

Which a Poet Englisheth thus:

Yet this Catulus did so but with one; but our Catuli, Sic Canibus similes —Like old Dogs, have filled their shambles with many. The aforesaid Poet gives a good reason for it in these words: Nullus semel ore receptus, pollutus patitur sanguis mansuescere fauces. Englished thus: Never again grow those jaws pure, that blood did once distain. And why are these harmless men made worse than sheep to the slaughter, but that they meddle with Diana, the Service-book, and the Master and Wardens of that Company, who may truly say with Demetrius, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , By this craft we get our goods; So we have better ground than Zipporah had, calling Moses a bloody husband, to say and maintain it, That the Service-book is a bloody Book, Another sort of God's People there were, who were so terrified with the cruel usage of their Brethren, that either they durst not search into the rottenness of this Piece, and so like blind men that swallowed many flies; and some it may be, that did see the evil of it, durst not avoid it for fear of a worse turn from the Scribes and Pharisees, than casting out of the Synagogue.

Lastly, Some people professing the Lord Jesus, [Sect.] and having been very useful in God's House, by the necessary avoiding of this Quick-sand, have, for want of good take-heed, been cast upon the Rocks of Separation, Anabaptism, and other unsound Tenants, which hath made a very great breach in Profession. For which, see more in Zion's Plea. And though the rise of Separatism, and other Sects, be there justly charged upon the Hierarchy, yet by shunning of this sour pasture, they fall unadvisedly foul, on breaking of the hedge.

Now we come to the worser sort of people; [Sect.] of whom we may truly say that, which the Pharisees did, falsely of Christ, A cursed people, not knowing the Law; all the provocations in the Land, have not made havoc of so many souls, especially under color of good, as this hath done; if Ignorance be the mother of destruction, then much guilt lieth upon the Service-book. Where there is no visions, the people must perish, or, in the first Language, are left naked. So how many Congregations are stripped stark naked of the Word in this Land? in some of which it is well known, there hath scarce been a Sermon in an age; and in most places where they have Preaching, it is neither Seed to beget, nor Bread to feed upon. And what makes this nakedness, but the Liturgy? which is enmity, both to good Ministers and Ministry: For as the Ivy, which winding itself about the Vine, draws the sap and spirit out of it; so the advancement of this Liturgy, leaves neither life nor spirit in the Ordinance of the Word; and being like Priest like People, love to have it so: for the Liturgy will never bring them out of the deadly Lethargy of sin; it will never awake the soul, nor pierce the conscience; and therefore they love it, is Micah did his Idol. But let a man of God, by the light of the Word, discover their wretched condition, he had as good stir in a Hornets nest, they will quickly hunt him and pursue him to the Lions den, if they can: but (God be blessed for it) the Beasts are in chase themselves. The love and liking of evil men unto this Book, is an evidence of the badness of it, for if it were God's Ordinance, they would hate it, as they do the Ordinances of God; as Isaac took Abimelech his sending of him away for a token of his hatred: so when a soul hating people set away the Word, and cleave to the Service, or the Service joined, it may be, with some dead Ministry, then it is a token that they hate the former, and love the latter. A worthy Minister went to visit one of his flock upon his death-bed, a man of quality, for the world, but an enemy to goodness, the Minister groping the pulse of his estate, he asked the Minister what he thought of the Bishpop of Canterbury, which the Minister waving (it being dangerous then to call a spade a spade) he asked the party if he would pray with him, he replied, yea, if he would do it on the Book of Common-prayer. To shut up this point, we will make but general mention of the troubles, which this Book did bring upon the English exiles in foreign Nations in the time of the Marian persecution, for the information in the particulars whereof, we refer you to a Book called, The troubles of Frankeford, where from their first erecting of a Church in Frankeford, Anno 1554. this Book and the Patrons thereof, never left persecuting of those that could not brook it, till after the death of Queen Mary they teturned home: In these troubles we commend three things to consideration; First, in all these broils and unchristian vexations, the maintainers of the Book dealt both maliciously and fraudulently with the other party. The second thing, the Patrons of the Book, could not allege anything for it, and for others that they held, but such Popish stuff as they did foot upon.

Lastly, some of those Patrons upon their retuin, became persecutors of such as stood for the whole truth.

The last evil effect, but not the least, is against God, [Sect.] we mean directly, or more immediately, for indirectly all the other effects were against God; but as all sin provokes God, so corrupt worship is that sin against which the jealousy of God is inslamed, and he becomes a consuming fire; yea, the Lord calleth such worship by way of transcendency, abomination. If Moses would not sacrifice in Egypt, because it was an abomination to the Lord, (as hath been said) why should we provoke the Lord by abominable service? All Systems of Theology are full of this in the Thesi, therefore we shall not insist upon it, but come as briefly as we can, to add something, to that which hath been spoken of the Hypothesis, or Service-book, which Mr. Calvin calleth (as hath been said in his Letter to Frankeford) the leavings of the Popish dregs; so the Papistical Ceremonies therein contained, are truly called by that Franckeford-book, burdens, yokes and clogs to God's People and his service; Besides those which have been named, we will speak but a word or two more, namely, of Festival days, to Saints, at least transitive, though not determinative, as Papists excuse their Idolatry. The other is kneeling at the Communion; the former is an entrenching upon God's Prerogative: For, none can appoint an holy day, but he who hath made the days, and hath all power in his own hand, which is clear: First, from the Denomination of them in both Testaments, in the Old they are called the Solemn Feasts of Jehovah, not only because they were to be kept to Jehovah, but also because they were of his appointing; and so in the New Testament, as we read but of one, for the self-same reasons, it is called The Lord's day: another instance for clearing it from that brand of rebuke, that is put by God upon that Jeroboam that made Israel to sin: he, and he only, that the Book of God speaks of, took upon him, besides all his Idols and Idolatrous tricks, not to appoint another Numerical day, but the same day of another Month, namely, the eighth month, where God hath appointed the seventh month, and that out of respects speciously politick, because in the eighth month all the harvest would be in, and they might feast more freely. Secondly, that the Lord's feast being furnished in Jerusalem, they might come to Jeroboams feast: but these fig-leaves could not cover his scars; but the Spirit chargeth directly upon him, that that was the month that he had lied, or coined to himself. Gretzer the Jesuit commends the English, (though it be nothing to our commendation) Quod Calvino-papistae Anglice, &c. That as the Popish-English Calvinists, are freer in other Rites and Ceremonies, than the Puritans in France and Germany, and other where; so they are in Holy-days. And to say the truth, we are too free indeed; for, as a learned man observeth, we have more Holy-days than ever God gave to the Jews: We will not insist on this subject, they who will know more of it, let them read Altare Damascenum, only we will point at these two places, which may fully show the unlawfulness of them: Ye observe years and days, I am afraid of ye: Let no man judge you in meat or in drink, or in any part of an holy-day. Yet those holy-days, though then out of date, were better than ours, for they were of God's appointment, and so are not ours.

Followeth in the next place Kneeling at the Sacrament, the last particular that we are like to touch upon; for if we should reckon up all, a great volumn would not hold them. This Popish modern posture, of not above four hundred years standing, which (as hath been said) and Peter Martyr witnesseth, Propter transubstantiationem & realem praesentiam invecta est in Ecclesiam, &c. That to maintain Transubstantiation, or real presence, it was brought into the Church, and therefore to be abandoned with it. Though Innocent the third, 1215. enacted for Transubstantiation, and Honorius his successor decreed for a reverent inclination of the body, to the Sacrament changed into a breaden God, yet was it not used until the succeeding Popes, thinking this reverence not enough for the countenance and maintenance of their upstart Deity, allotted thereto the highest point of Adoration, for which there is neither Scripture nor Antiquity; neither Precept nor President, but from the man of sin; neither do any Churches use it, save the Synagogue of Rome, some Lutheran Churches, and ours; and howsoever this misplaced worship hath been cruelly manned out by the Prelacy, and somented by that mis-begotten conceit of humility in God's Worship, because they knew no better, yet the truth is, it is mere will-worship, and hath been a sharp rod to God's People; yea, and proved a Scorpion to somes Consciences: witness the former, the violent deaths of divers for refusing this gesture, as that worthy Gentleman, Mr. Dyton, stifled by his imprisonment in the Gatehouse; Mr. Porter of Ware in the New-prison, and others: but because many learned and unanswerable Treatises are out against this disapproved gesture, it shall be needless, actum agere, to do a work so often done. It is true, some have attempted to say so mething for it; but in the balance of truth, hoc aliquid nihil est, that something is just nothing: For brevities sake we will only shut up the Piece with one binding Argument:

To adore in, by, or before a Creature respectively, or with a relation to the Creature, is Idolatry:

But to kneel at the Sacrament, is to adore in, by, or before a Creature respectively, with relation to the Creature; Therefore it is Idolatry.

The explanation of the Terms, will make the Argument the better understood: as first, Adoration is the highest point of external worship, which God will not admit with an intervenient or relative respect to any Creature: for that makes the Creature Objectum significative à quo, that is the motive of the worship; the Terms thus explained: this is the very same Argument that our learned Divines stop the Papist mouths with, in the point of adoring God mediately by the Creature: And as the Papists cannot deny the major; so sense and reason, yea, the injunction of the Commanders, all verify the truth of the minor in Kneelers; for they cannot deny the Elements to be the motive of their kneeling, the Conclusion then must needs hold; that it is Idolatry disjunct, or improper at least, as we argue against the Papists: But if the minds of thousands of ignorant receivers in the Country were known, it is to be feared they fall foul on conjunct or proper Idolatry, making the Bread Octjectum determinativum, in plain, the Bread the Object of their Worship; with which sin the Papists charge all the Protestant kneelers: for, if Christ were not there bodily (say the Jesuits) we would rather be racked with horses than kneel. So said Split after his revolt to Rome, and we confess ingenuously, if the Papists should retort this argument upon us, it would put the learned'st Conformers to a non-plus to evade it. Here were place to have a fling at the Cross, but we refer the desirous Reader to Zion's Plea, wherein there is a succinct and learned Treatise against the Cross, proving it by many strong Arguments, to be the mark of the Beast. All these, and much more, are the household-stuff of the Service-book, against which we will produce one argument more in the closure of this point, namely, God will not hear the prayers of the Service-Book; Ergo, they are not to be offered.

The Antecedent shall be proved from that place of Saint Johns Gospel; God heareth not sinners, if any man be a worshipper of him, and doer of his will, him he heareth: out of the latter part, we reason thus negatively, a contrario: those prayers which are not a doing of the will of God, God heareth not.

This Proposicion is confirmed from other places, the Intercessions of the Saints (saith the Apostle) must be according to the will of God; and if they be not, the Lord will say, Who requireth them?

Now, to the latter Proposition.

But the Prayers of the Service-book are not the doing of the will, nor according to the will of God; witness all the former Reasons given against it; therefore God will not hear them.

CHAP. VIII. Three Motives.

HAving thus clearly evinced by so many Reasons, as a cloud of witnesses, the unlawfulness of the Liturgy; for the expunging whereof we shall add some more Motives in the closure: Let us now humbly crave your Honors favor, that according to the justness of our desires, and the truth of the Reasons alleged, you would be pleased for the love that you bear and owe to the Lord Jesus, to the purity of his worship, to the thriving of our bodies, souls, and estate, to the turning away of God's judgments, mediate and immediate, to your gaining of honor above all your Predecessors, to the cheering of the hearts of God's People, the daunting of the enemies, and the making our Jerusalem the praise of the world; by all these, and many more, we again and again entreat you, to pluck up that Plant of the Service-book, which God never set. O how the Prelatical Priests grumble, when they hear of this place! and as the wicked Manichees abused this place, in applying it against the Law of God; so we have had woeful experience, how the Hierarchical Crue, endeavor with tooth and nail, & therein worse than the Manichees, to supplant God's Law; of whom we might justly say with the Prophet, they have almost undone thy Law; the Worship of God is a prime and precious piece, the ultimate end (as a Divine saith) of all sacred performances, though the edification of man be the end subordinate; pure it is, and should be like God himself; yea, it is called the fear of God, in regard of that reverend awe that should be upon men, when they are in divine duties; when Jacob awaked from the Vision, it is said, he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place? this is none other but the house of God, and the gate of Heaven, by which is meant, the house of God where the Saints are assembled, whose fear should be as Jacob's, not a slavish fear, nor an Idolatrous fear, but a filial fear, not daring to present to their Father in worship, what he hath not planted & commanded. Bernard descants very sweetly upon this, terribilis plane locus, dignus omni reverentia, &c. a terrible place indeed (saith the Father) not meaning the stone walls, but the presence of God in the Assembly, where the faithful inhabit, the Angels frequent, and God himself dwelleth. How curious was Moses, the man of God, in the matter and manner of God's worship, that he would neither have horn nor hoof, over or under the Commandment that was the ground of his punctuality, from which he would not go one hairs breadth: and wherein we entreat your Honors to follow him to the full.

Caleb is said to follow God; We will go and sacrifice unto the Lord our God, as he shall say unto us; Can it be so said of the Service-book? No sure, it is no sacrifice of a sweet smell. Let any man that feareth God, tell us ingenuously, if he believeth that Christ, the Golden Censer, standing at the golden Altar, will receive the Liturgy prayers, and persume them with the odors of his merits, present them to the Father; surely we have no ground for it, because (as aforesaid) they are not according to the will of his Father. Yea, Christ seems to threaten out of his own mouth the contrary, in Psal. 16. which is meant Christ, he speaking of, and threatening their Idolatrous service, he tells them plainly, he will not pour out their oblations, that is, he will not be a Mediator to their services; and surely this is no acceptable service; it is no beaten oil for the Lamp (though Mr. Wommock pleased to style it so) it is not sure that pure oil, out of the two olives, into the golden Lamp, that lightens the Sanctuary; but it is rather Train Oil, and scarce so good that fouls the house, & darkeneth the light; and for its messages to heaven, which he mentioneth in his Epistle, we have made a good Plea (as we conceive) for the contrary, let him disprove it if he can; For the whole Book, though it concern them with whom he dealeth in it; yet because it glisters as if there were metal in it, we may lay it a little to the test. The Epistle hath two heads; in the former he maintaineth set Prayer in general; in the latter he endeavoreth to justify the set Prayers of the Liturgy in particular: In both these the expressions be smooth, and the Palliations stretched to the furthest; but it may be said without offense of both, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , too neat, but nothing useful. The head of set Prayer we have not touched yet, till we come to answer some Objections; but we cannot but wonder at Mr. Wommocks incogitancy, to father a set Form of Prayer upon Timothy, terming it, the first furniture that he provided for the House of God: a strange Position, and as unsoundly grounded from St. Paul's direction. (Surely the Jesuits would blush at it) or at least it might be one of John of Crage his observations, from these words, I exhort not that you pray, as he glosseth, but that Prayers be made for all men. Made (saith he) i.e. set-prayers. This is like John of Garlando's tricks, that did what he could to spoil the Text with the Gloss: It is like a Sorbonists mis-exposition of that place, Exod. 29.39. Thou shalt present one Lamb; the word Ghasah signifieth to make, which he and the Romanists apply to the words of Institution, Hoc facite, make this a sacrifice; which as Galasius observeth, is a very ridiculous piece. Doth any man think, that this was either Paul his intention, or Timothy his practice? No sure, it is a gross mistake of the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which doth not signify a set form of Prayer, exhibited, but as the learned in the tongue observe, it signifieth preces fundere, to pour out prayers by the help and guidance of the Spirit, proved by the comparing of other places, where the same word is used: Again, the Spirit is said to make request for us; dare any man gloss it by making a set Form of Prayer for us? No sure, but the meaning is, He causeth us to make request. To be brief, let us see how to untie this knot; If Paul in these words prescribed a set Form, and Timothy made it the furniture of God's House, then such a Form should be found; and all the Prayers enjoined by Paul, should be set Forms, because he enjoins no other Prayer here, than he doth otherwhere in other words, signifying to Pray, as 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , both signifying to pray, Luk. 22.33. 1 Cor. 14.15. and many other places: but to assume, first, no pattern is to be found: secondly, to affirm that all Paul's Prescriptions of Prayer were for set Forms, were a very gross and absurd falsehood.

Ergo, so is the ground whence it ariseth.

He might as well have said, When Christ promised to Pray for Peter, that he promised to make a set Form of Prayer for him: for the words in both places are synonima: but enough of this, which is besides our purpose.

Now let us view as briefly as we can, what he saith for the Liturgy in particular: He confesseth it to be the Daughter of a Roman Catholic, that is well, and so doth Dr. Boyce: the Novellists say (saith he) that our Communion-book is nothing else but the Roman Missal and Portuis thrust out of Latin into English, which the Doctor contradicts not, for he could not. Why, saith Doctor Hall, out of ancient Models, not Roman? Yea, why should the Child be beaten for the Parent (saith Mr. Wommock? ) For Answer, If the Child be as like the Parent in Nature and Properties, as hath been proved, as an Egg is like to an Egg: then there is room for neither in God's Worship, but both Mother and Child, like Hagar and Ishmael, must out of doors: for the Parallels of Sabbath, Sun, and other things, wherewith he would palliate, they are not Homogenial, or of like nature; for nothing can make them clean in God's Worship, being man's device and worship still.

Again, The maintenance of these shreaddy and scrappy Prayers, from gadding of the Soul, is but a gadding Argument. We have spoken of the ground of short and sappy E • aculations upon other ground, and nothing like the foolish Patches of the Mass-book. Austin tells us of the many Prayers that the Israelites made in the Egyptian furnace, and that they were short Ejaculations; but they would have continued them, but for their burdens: but men are forced to break off here, where there is no burden, but the Service-book itself.

Again, he hath a Plea from the Leprous house, wherein we are very willing to join issues with him; he confesseth that the old Roman Liturgy was like a Leprous house, the Plague was spread in it; but now it is pitched, scraped, plastered, with well-tempered (or rather untempered) mortan, he should have said, that upon the deepest search, no corruption can appear; and therefore to be judged Clean by the Law; but there he goeth too far, and farther (we conceive) than most of the Prelates would do in a cold mood; yea, herein he is contradictory to himself, for he acknowledgeth scars and defects in it: And in his last Page of the Survey of the Parallels, he joins in evidence with the Author, in the discovery of Errors, and sueth for Justice: but if the Leprosy break out again, then no affection of our Communion may lodge it.

Now, to apply, As the house infected was utterly to be demolished, and the rubbish and ruins thereof to be carried forth into an unclean place: The Leprosy of the Mass he grants to be this fretting Leprosy, the pieces we have (though we have them not all) are the very same in another tongue. The Leprosy, of whose matter, manner, & contagious effects, we have fully proved; and the butthen of Ceremonies therein contained, and pressed on men's Consciences, to have been, and to be still, abominable Idols. Then it will follow, that all the water and industry of the world cannot cleanse it, no more then the skin of a Black-more, or the spots of a Leopard, which God can only change, but will not do with matters or means of strange Worship; then, as rubbish they are to be east out into an unclean place: Mark an unclean place, not the meanest clean place allowed it, much less the Sanctuary of God. Upon this place a learned Author observeth, That we are taught by this severe Judgment, to abandon all sin; but more particularly, to abolish all Idolatry, and Instruments, and Implements of Idolatry.

Citing that place which might serve to clear this Point, if there were no more; Ye shall also defile the Covering of the graven Images, and the Ornaments of my molten Images, &c. Thou shalt cast them away a • a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. Upon the passages of the Appendix we shall touch when we answer the Objections: As for the Parallel which he vieweth, the Author will make it good.

Sect. We proceed then, under your Honors favor, to outsuit against the Liturgy; without Controversy, it is the garment spotted with the flesh, condemned by the Apostle Jude; which some expound by that of the Apostle, to be an abstaining from appearance of evil; and so indeed, this were enough to abolish the Book. The best Expositors apply the place against the Carnal Rites and Idolatrous Ceremonies, devised by men in God's worship; which, if the Papists were cleared (saith one) from the grossest of their Idolatry and Paganism, would condemn them; and will not the retainment and maintenance exceedingly condemn us, that profess we are come out of Babel? To these Rites and Ceremonies, saith the same Author, as to that spotted Profession of Popery, we should not conform ourselves, neither in use nor opinion, but decline in all things, the very shadow and show of them. What can be said more emphatically to the purpose? As God is to be admired in the least of his Creatures as well as in the greatest, (saith a Father) Ita mente, Christo dedita, &c. So a mind devoted to Christ, doth as well take heed of small faults as of great, especially in God's worship. The Hypocritical and Idolatrous Jews are not only rebuked and threatened for eating of Swines flesh, contrary to the Law; but also, that the Broth was found in their vessels. Austin comparing the ten Plagues of Egypt, with the ten Commandments, tells us, that the turning of the water into blood, [Quest. 4.5] doth signify the corrupting of divine worship by human and carnal Inventions of flesh and blood. The Service-book and Ceremonies being such, we have grounds to desire, and your Honors to grant (as we conceive) ejectionem firmam, against them both. Sarah by God's appointment, wills Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael, the Bond-woman and her Son; and why the Mother with the Son, for it seems she offended not? Yes, it seemeth (as the Learned do observe) she was as Abetter of her Sons evil: so the Service-book and the Prelates, the Cup and the Cover, the Mother and the Son, should be cast out together: That Riddle of the Snow and the Water may well be applied to them:

My Mother brought forth me, and is brought forth by me: That proud Hierarchical humor in Austin the first, brought in the Liturgy, and that Liturgy hath brought out, and hath kept up to this day the Hierarchy: If Christ be King of, and in his Church, in a more glorious and eminential way (as who dare deny it in word) though too many do deny it in deed; then consequently, without all controversy, he must appoint his own Officers, Government, and Service. Now, there is nothing more inculcated, and laid home in the Book of God, than Christ's Kingly Office, to which all are subject, and it is subject to none: We will but cite some few places of many, I have set, or anointed (saith God) my King upon Zion, the mountain of my Holiness, by which he meaneth his Church. Whence a learned godly Minister delivered within these few days, that as Christ set up his Church, so it is his to provide for it; To appoint, and no others, Offices, and Officers, and all religious Service or Worship, to which we are only to submit, and to none others. Another Testimony from the Prophet Isaiah shall suffice, Unto us a child is born, and a son is given, and the government shall be upon his shoulders, and his Name shall be called Wonderful, &c. now, if God never took off this government from Christ his shoulders, nor Christ never gave it up, nor all the powers of heaven, earth, and hell, be able to shake it; then first it must follow (as the Spirit speaketh) that of the increase of his government there must be no end. Secondly, it is every way as good by consequence, That he will have no Service or Worship, but of his own Appointment. Porphyrius, who was a great Necromancer, (as Eusebius witnesseth) doth tell us among other things, That the Devils themselves (whom he calls God's) signify unto their especial servants, the Magicians, Quibus rebus, &c. with what things they are made to appear, what is to be offered unto them; what days they should choose, and what signs and Images they should make: Which Assertion Austin confirmeth, Non potuit nisi ipsis primis docentibus disci quid quisque illorum appetat, vel quid exhorreat; it could never be learned but by their Teaching (meaning the Devils) what everyone of them desireth, and what they abhor: Since the Devil then loves to be God's Ape in everything, and his highest Menial servants account it nothing but reason, that he should prescribe Orders in his own House, and appoint what Service and Ceremonies therein as he pleaseth; shall not the King of kings, and Lord of lords, and only he, appoint how, and by what means he will be served in his own House; this is the reason why the Service of God is called 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , reasonable service, for so we translate it, which might be more emphatically rendered, sincere service, unmixed service, according to the Word; for so the Original Word signifieth, as the Apostle Peter calls the word, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the sincere milk of the Word. Now, to draw to an end, we are forced in the bulk, to exceed our intention; We crave leave further of your Honors, to bind our Desires with Three strong Motives, for effecting of the Work, namely, from Example or Pattern for doing of it, from danger, if it be not done, and from the universal Covenant, binding everyone in his place to the doing of it.

CHAP. IX.

CHAP. X. Of the Covenant.

THe third Motive for removal of the Book may be taken from the Protestation dated May 5. 1641. Confirmed, sent abroad, and solemnly sworn unto; yea, and bound up with a public Covenant, on the public day of T • anksgiving, by Ministers and People, so that it is an inviolable Covenant stricken between God and us, like unto that in Nehemiah, which is there called a sur • Coverant, Coverant, a written Covenant, to which our Princes, Ministers and People seal unto, from which we cannot depart, except we will incur that fearful Judgment threatened against Covenant breakers, Emblemed out un ous in Scripture, by dividing of the Sacrifices, and causing the parties to go betwixt them, admonishing, that God will so divide them in his wrath, if they forsake the Covenant: The subject of the Covenant consisteth of three parts: In the first we are sworn and tied to maintain all the Rights of Religion, King and State: In the second to oppose all Persons and things, that do oppose the three former mentioned, and more specifically, to oppose with all our life and power, all Popery and Popish Inno • ations, which Expressions are thrice mentioned; once in the Protestation, or Oath, and twice in the Explanation: The third and last piece of the subject i • , the Peace of the three Kingdoms, England Scot a • d, and Ireland, which we by Oath are also bound to maintain: H • nce two Arguments will offer themseives; one more directly, and the other by way of conse • uence.

For the former, if all Popery, and Popish Innovations are to be opposed, then it will follow, that the Service book and Ceremonies should be opposed, and by consequence, by your Authority abolished, Verba Statuti sunt amplianda, non r • stringenda, the words of Acts and Statutes for good, and against evil, are to be taken in the largest extent: but the words themselves are universal enough. Now, that the Service-book and Ceremonies therein contained, and pressed upon men's Consciences, are Popery, we, and many others have cleared; yea, they are Popish Innovations, Nam omnia quae a Chri • o non sunt, nova sunt, all things that are not from our King Christ in his worship, are mere Innovations, as Tertullian was wont to call Praxeas, hesternum Praxeam, a yesterdaies upstart: so one, and all of them, are Exotick & upstart things. It is true indeed, by the malignity of the Masters of those Ceremonies, the bulk was increased, and would have been like Crocodiles, who grow so long as they have a being; if you had not come in place of the T • tyrites, a creature terrible to the Crocodiles, which leapeth upon their backs, and brings them to the shore; but otherwise for the kind, they are all, non ejusdem farinae, sed furfuris, the same kind of Bran; and as the woman said of the Foxes, If one be good, all are good. For the further confirmation, that they are Popish, we have proof from that Treatise of Ceremonies annexed to the Service-book: in some ancient Copies we have read, that they thought good to retain some Popish Ceremonies; but in another Copy they call them, the old Ceremonies retained still, all one in effect.

The latter Argument, from the Protestation, by way of sequel, is from our mu • ual Covenant and Oath, jointly and severally to maintain the peace of the three Kingdoms, which is impossible to be done, in the opinion of our Brethren the Scots, without Identity of Discipline and Worship; witness the very words of the Arguments by the Scottish Commissioners given to the Lord's of the Treaty, persuading conformity in these, to be the chief means of peace.

We will transcribe some passages, for all we cannot, leaving the thing itself to your Honors review. It is (said they) t • be wished, that there were one Consession of Faith; one form of Catechism, one Directory for all the parts of God's public Worship: as Prayer, Preaching, Administration of Sacrame • ts, &c.

The Arguments that they use, are first, from the Conjunction of spirit and presence, both of great and small; of Assemblies in the Courts, and other where; where there is oneness of worship: but by the contrary, there is division, where the worship is diverse.

Secondly, Unity of worship will extinguish those Nick-names; as Puritans and Scismaticks, put upon Professors.

Thirdly, This will make the Ministers of both Nations, with face to face, labor strenuously, and cheerfully to build up the body of Christ.

Fourthly and lastly, This will break the back of the Recusants hope of bringing Rome into England, all which works strongly for peace, the sense whereof we cite; though not the very words: But if this unity of Worship be not (say the Commissioners) there is no unity in Policy, or Church, to be looked for: for as all the former combustions, and stormy tempe •• s, formerly arose from that Popish Service-book, born it upon them, whereby all the three States were much endangered: so they profess in plain terms, that their Reformation so dearly bought, shall again be spoiled and defaced from England; and whatsoever peace shall be agreed upon, they do not conceive, how without Reformation it shall ever be firm and durable: for that Service, Government, and Officers, being none of Christ's: but the main evil, and the cause of all evil in the three Nations: That Maxim observed by the Commissioners, we may fear will prove too true; the same causes will not fail to produce the same effects: witness Simeon and Levi's digging thorough the wall, that is, the present conspired Plots of Treason, like to blow up all, if they be not hindered, even when you and your brethren are making up the breach: Now as we are tied by Oath to the preservation of this Peace, according to our Power; We can look for no peace with God, nor blessing from God, if we give way to that, or suffer that, according to our power, that breaketh this peace. They say in the Preface of the Ceremonies, that without Ceremonies it is impossible to keep Order, or quiet Discipline in the Church. So we reply, that Mans Ceremonies in God's Worship, will spoil the peace and quietness, both of Discipline and Worship, witness the putting of the Ark upon the Philistines Cart, though it was a new one. Erasmus telleth us, quod mala non sunt tantum abolenda, sed etiam quae speciem mali in se habent things evil of themselves, are not only to be abolished, but those that have in them appearance of evil. In all this, Noble Senators, We take not upon us to put uncouth glosses upon your Edicts, but under favor, we use the words without forcing, to overturn that which crosseth the Truth and peace of Religion and State: as means conduce to the end, so impediments frustrate the end, if they be not removed. And now since (under favor) We have presumed to enlarge ourselves in this point o • Peace, We beg leave of your Honors to speak a word or two of the Improbabilities of Peace here among ourselves, without removal of that stumbling block, the Service-book, People can worse be without the Ordinance, than without Liberties, Lives and Being. When Pompey the Great was about to supply Rome with food, in a great Famine, the Master of the Ship told him, when he went abroad (a great Storm appearing) that he could not sail and live. Pompey replied

Here might be place for another Motive, namely, from the reward, sed recte fecisse premium, to do nobly is reward enough, God employeth not man, propter indigentiam, sed propter munificentiam, so much for any need of him, as for honoring of him, by that employment: up then, as the Lord biddeth you, your Honor shall be blazoned through the world, you shall be called the Savior's upon Mount Zion in setting Christ on his Throne, and the Kingdom shall be the Lord's.

CHAP. XI. The Objections.

NOw, we come in the last place, to remove some Objections, which we shall show to be of no great weight, and therefore we use the fewer words.

[Object. 1] The first is from the antiquity of the Service-book to which Doctor Hall [Sect.] and others have received an answer by Sm • ctymnuus; but say it had Antiquity without truth, it were no better than a custom of error, Et nullum tempus occurrit Deo, there is no prescription to the King of Kings.

[Object. 2] The second Objection: Many good men have used it, and liked it well; for answer, Testimonia humana non faciunt fidem, [Sect.] Mans approbation is not current of itself, but as it buts upon the faithful witness, otherwise it is an inartificial argument, as Logicians call it; the Patriarchs used, and did many things that were not approvable; some good Kings of Judah, as Amaziah, and Johosaphat, took not a way the High places: were they any whit the better for that? yea, the suffering of them is set up as the Kings fault; it were better to follow Hezekiah that took them away. Master Wommock allegeth for the Service book, that Rome is not demolished in the first day, & so we allege against it, that good men in mending times, did either see as far as their Horizon, or at least as they durst. So we have more light, and are set upon their shoulders, therefore it is both sin and shame for us not to see more, and do more than they did: Hebeziah did more than Jehoshaphat, and Josiah more than they both.

Thirdly, [Object. 3] it is objected, that it hath many good things in it; that is answered already, [Sect.] the Alcoran and Talmud have many good things in them: yea, the Apocrypha Books have many excellent truths in them, are they therefore to be presented in God's worship.

The fourth objection is from a more convenient course of correctings [Object. 4] of it, than of cashiering of it. For answer, what King or [Sect.] State did ever yet thrive in moyling and toiling themselves, to make clean the Popes leprous stuff, to bring it into the worship of God; but all that ever prospered in that work, made utter exterpation. Popes will be content to hear of reformaon, and give order for it to their Cardinals, but they are joined to their Idols, and God speaks of Ep • raim let them alone.

Secondl • , this is not God's course in reforming of his House▪ as the rubbish of the Leprous house was to be cast out into an unclean place, as hath been said: so polluted pieces of Idolatrous Service, are not to be brought by any cleansing, into the House of God; God commandeth his people to throw down the Altars of the Canaanite: where under Altars are comprehended all other abominations; they were not to set a new trim upon any of them, but because they obeyed not the Lord, they smatted for it. Blessed be God, who hath put it into your hearts, to strike at Altars, Railes, Pictures, Crosses, and all the Popish Idols; we are in good hope you will not leave a Popish Relique in the • and, neither in Church or Street, and then we may be sure there shall no Canaanite dwell in our Land: this scraping and picking that Master Wommock speaks of, will be no better than paring of the nails, and shaving of the hair, which as the Great Turk said of his Army, will quickly grow again; yea, and grow again the faster too: good medicines in natural things may be extracted out of rank poisons, but so cannot pure worship out of things polluted, being man's inventions, therefore the Prophet Isaiah tells us, that nothing will serve, but the casting away of the polluted thing, not cleansing of it.

[Object 5] The fifth and last Objection, is from Acts of Parliament, [Sect.] which the Service-book-men make their staff of their confidence; and yet in truth, being well tried, it shall be found, that they abuse the state, and consciences of men most grossly. Doctor Hall and others, strike much on that string, as Parliamentary Acts, peremptory establishment; yet they make but very harsh Musique. A man would think that Doctor Hall, being a learned Divine, would first have laid this worship of Liturgy in the • allance of the Sactuary, and tried the weight of it there and if it had proved too light, (as surely it would) then to have counted it a piacle against God and man, to offer to make up the weigh with human Laws. I • is not unworthy your remembrance, how one of the latter brood of the Scottish Prelates, alleging, or rather mis-alleging before our late Sovereign King James, some Act of Parliament for the establishing and maintenance of the Prelacy, the King asked a Noble man being by, being a great Legist, an Officer of State, what he thought of those Acts? The Noble-man replied, That it went never well with them, since their Church-men labored to be more versed in the Acts of Parliament, than in the Acts of the Apostles. But to the matter, for all this cry, we are more than half confident they shall have but little wool for the Service-book, from the Acts of State, when they are well looked into. We know not any color of confirmation for the Service-book, except that Stature prefixed to it, which how little it maketh for it, let the words of the Statute testify, of which we shall set down those that are most pertinent; for it is needless to write them all. In the fifth and sixth years of King Edward the sixth, an Act was made for the establishing of a Book, called, The Book of Common-Prayer, the which was repealed • n the first year of Queen Mary, which Statute of repeal was made void by this same Act the first year of Queen Elizabeth; and that the aforesaid Book, with the alterations and additions therein added, shall stand and be; and all Ministers shall use the said Book, authorized by Act of Parliament in the said fifth and sixth year of King Edward the sixth, and no other. This is the sum of the Statute, in relation to the Subject, namely, What Service-book is it that the Statute establisheth; and for anything we can see, there is not one passage or tittle for confirmation, or establishing any other Service-book, but that of King Edward the sixth; divers Ministers in King James his time urged with subscription, answered the Prelates, True it was, that if they refused, they should make themselves transgressors of the Laws of the Kingdom, in subscribing to another Book than that, established by Law: the Prelates in pressing this subscription, forced two Statutes, namely, the Statute alleged by the change of the Book; and also another Statute requiring no subscription, but barely to the Articles of Religion, which only concern the Confession of true Christian faith, and the Doctrine of the Sacraments.

Now, to come to further answer; let us grant by way of Confession that there were an Act, or Acts for ratifying of the Book, which in terminis we cannot see, (as Statutes use to be expressed) yet by the Law of charity and duty, we hold ourselves bound to believe, that a State professing the truth of Religion would never inact so, for a Service-book of man's device, as that it might be a snare to the People of God, having other ends; as a kind of uniformity, supply for want of Ministry, and bringing Papists to the Church, but not to press it in the bulk beyond the sphere of any man's Conscience, witness a Rubric in King Edward the sixth his Book; but give it to speak as punctually for the Book as they would have it, shall it be simply good? for that, it is only in the power of a divine Statute simply to make a thing good; all Divines, Humanists and Lawyers that have written on the Laws, concur in this Maxim, Omnium l • gum inanis censura, nisi divinae legis imaginem gerant, the power of all Laws is void, except they bear the impression of the • awe of God: the Orator gives a reason for it, Lex divina omnium legum censura, the divine Law is the standard of all laws, yea, a thing evil in itself established by a Law, becometh worse, as the learned tell us, it becometh armata injustitia, an armed injustice, or with Lactantius to the same purpose, Legitime injurias infer, to do in jury in the form of Law, just with the Poet, jusque datum sceleri — well Englished, and licenced.

Which truth also is cleared from divine Authority: the Psalmist complaineth of the injurious evil done upon God's Church and People, aggravating it from this, (that is it was framed by a decree; which place, the Author of Zion's Plea, applieth very pertinently to the Hierarchy, proving it to be the Master-sin, wherewith the Church and State are pestered, and for which especially, God hath a controversy with us, because it is decreed by a Law; and as a Law for the Hi • rarchy proved of no force to keep it up, no more than the late Laws of Scotland could uphold their Prelates: so grant that there were a Law for the Service-book, the thing being naught, what could it help it? Within these hundred years there was a Law in England, for the Popes suprem • cy, say that were not repealed, stood it either with Reason, Religion or Loyalty to submit unto it? Yea, some fragments of Laws are yet unrepealed in this Land, that no judicious man will obey: neither have we alleged those evidences upon this suspicion to encounter with an Statutes; but to stop the mouths of those men, who would make the Statute-Law a blind guide, under which their unlawful callings, and superstitious service, might march furiously against the word of truth.

Now, to come to an end (for we are sorry we could be no briefer) we will only answer this Q • aer • , consisting of these two heads: First, whether we do approve of any set prayer, in a more private way: And secondly, whether we do approve of any set Litur • y in publi • ue? to both these we answer ingenuously as we think; and for the former, we do think that parties in their infancy or ignorance, may use forms of prayer, well and wholesomely set, for helps and props of their imbecility, yea, riper Christians may do well to read such profitable forms, the matter whereof may by setting of their affections on edge, prepare and fit them as matter of Meditation the better to Prayer; but for those parties so to continue without progress to conceived Prayer; were as if children should still be poring upon spelling, and never learn to read; or, as if children or weak should still go by hold, or upon cruches & never go right out. We may say of set-prayer used for infirmity as Divines say of the legal Ceremonies, in the interim, that they were tolerable, not necessary; and so whatsoever is, or may be said in the behalf of it, is not so much (as we conceive) for the commendation of it, as for the toleration of it for a time; and for giving satisfaction to scrupulous consciences, for the warrantable use of it in case of necessity.

To the second head; for a set form of Liturgy in public, we answer, that with all the Reformed Churches we do allow a sound form of set-liturgy, as an exampler, or president of our preformance of holy ordinance, but so that none should tie himself, or be tied to those Prayers, exhortations, and other things, in the Liturgy, much less should it be violently thrust upon any Minister or People; which proves in very deed a limiting of the spirit, especially, in a Minister able to pray in & by the Holy Ghost, yea, it a very transplantation of the Essence or Nature of Prayer, wherein the words are to follow the affections, and not the affections the words, as it doth in the best set forms; but for our Liturgy, what can be said for form, or hath been said, that cannot be said for the Popish Liturgy, but the clothing it in another tongue? yet this is pressed under great penalty, upon all the Ministers; who if they had the tougues of Angels, they should not pray till every rag & remnant of that be said. To shut up the business, if this Liturgy aque caput mali, being the head piece of our evil, be put away, we should have no more ado about such a Liturgy, than the Masters of the Synagogue had, when after the reading of the Law and the Prophets, they desired Paul to preach, where without question, as the learned observe, Prayer was not wanting.