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, James 1.27. 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 wee 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 finde 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 Boyes, in his Epistle Dedicatory to Richard Canterbury, upon his Exposition of the Lyturgy, complains heavily, yet causelesly, that the Lyturgy is crucified between two Malefactors, on the left hand Papists, on the right hand Schismaticks, meaning Puritans; both of these hee calls Foxes: but by a just retor­tion, wee 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 Theeves, namley, that Superstitious and Popish Liturgy and rank Atheism, varnish­ed with Superstition, to whom wee may well apply that saying [Page 2]of Luther, Praefat. in Com. in Gal. They are tied together by their tayls to do mischief, though by their heads they seem to bee contrary; and though wee have no time to run over the Common Places of Atheism and Superstition, and to shew 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 Honours to mind it, That all Superstition, and the Purity of Gods 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. Geneca. Superstitio est res insana, Superstition (saith one) is a mad thing, and so indeed it is; for it is contrary to the wisdome of the Word, and of the Spirit, which are the ground and life of the Worship of God. Superstitio est vitium contrarium Reli­gioni, Superstition is a sin opposite to Religion (saith Aquinas) which is very clear from the nature and rise of it; Sere. secund. q. 92. Art 19 for as Reli­gion is a worshiping of God according to his will, Quisquis praecep­tis Coelestibus obtemperavit, is culior est, Whosoever follows the Divine Precepts, hee is a worshipper of God, saith Lactant. but superstition carrying the very nature in the name of it, Lib 6. c. 2 tels us, that it is Supra statutum, over and above the Statutes of God: the word in the Greek is [...], as if it should signifie 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 Atheisticall Gentiles, against the Pro­fession of all Religion, in derision whereof Averroes speaks tauningly thus: In Meta­phys. 12 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, sith the Christians New Ceremonies are so foppish and ri­diculous; having no footing from the Word of God. But to [Page 3]bring the charge to the Particular in hand, if our Lyturgy 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 testifie to their face, how they go as far, yea, and farther than many Papists in that particu­lar; Lib. 36.12. De missa li. 2 c. 23.48. p. 242. 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, Mountague, 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, Antid. P. 10. imo nec transubstantiationis certamen moverimus; for words (saith Mountague) as the Mass, yea, or Transubstantiation it self, Serm. P. 17, 18. 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 Lyturgy 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 Neighbour Nation, and wee hope will by you crush out all the blood of the old one here, who was the Mother of that, and the Masse-book the Mother of both. There is a Proverb amongst the Naturalists, [...], Except a Serpent eat a Serpent, it cannot become a Dragon: so, except our Lyturgy had been full of Serpents, it could not [Page 4]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 hee saw that of Athens, hee would undoudtedly cry out, Act. 17. Men and Brethren, I see that in all things you are too Superstitious. We may better apply that Speech of Tacitus concerning Superstition, 22 Annal lib. 14 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 wee are confident you do; Act. 25 27. and I say as Paul said to King Agrippa, Wee know you be­leeve it: But as it seemed unreasonable to Festus to send Paul a Prisoner without the charge laid against him; Act. 26.27. so we neither will, nor dare charge any thing upon this Lyturgy, which wee shall not Prove, nor desire the outing of it without good and sound Reasons for our desire; and therefore wee humbly and heartily desire your Honours 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 Masse.

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 wee will adde some Motives.

CHAP. II. Of the Name.

FOr the First, the Service-book-men, and the Papists do mutually interchange the Name of Lyturgy and Masse; the latter call their Masse by the name of Lyturgy: the Je­suite, Sanctes, Professeth, That the most convenient Name that can be given to the Masse, Liturg. p. 8. is that of Lyturgy or Service, not but that the word Lyturgy is of good use, for [...], signi­fieth to officiate in sacred Worship, witness, Act. 13.1. [...], as they were ministring unto the Lord. Where the Rhemists vaunt of a coined liberty, Ro 15.16 to translate the word, saying Masse, which were to cross the truth; and all the learned upon the place, as Oecumenius, Theophylact, and Chrysostome; yea, and their own Expositors, as Casetan and [Page 5]others: the Apostle rendreth it by another Word of the same value, [...] but howsoever they scrape kindness to a word of use, till they abuse it; yet who knoweth not, that knoweth any thing, that their Liturgie is the very Lethargie of Worship: And what difference between our Liturgie 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 Jesuite mid-way, by owning the name of Masse to our Service-Book, Sunday n [...] sabbath. Witness Pocklington, who calls the second Service, just the same with the Masse: so Cozens, witness Master Smart's Sermon, and not only so, in relation to the second Service, Antic. p. 10. but even in re­gard of the whole Bulk, as Pocklington in the end of his Alta­re, &c. and Mountague. In name you see then, there is an una­nimous agreement, and [...] 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 burthen of a Lyturgie born in upon us, under the Name and Nature of a Masse, 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 any thing we know, was never yet known; the Hebrews call their Tribute by the name of Missa, wit­nesse that place in Exodus, laying out the oppression of the Israelites, by Pharaoh and his Princes, or Officers, Exod. 1.11. who are called Officers of the Tribute set over Gods people: the Word Tribute in the first language is, Missa, of thé word Messas, as the Learned observe, which signifieth to melt: both the name and Etimologie, suit very well with the Popish Masse: 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, Prov. 29.18. for so the word signifieth, so it is made an engine to screw out the bowels of their estates, wasting & melting mens substance, as the snow against the Sun, besides the universal experience of the extortion of the Mass, where ever it beareth sway; we may [Page 6]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 emptinesse 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 mo­ny? Who hath made the hearts to ake, and the Souls to groan of honest Housholders, 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 mens Houses and Fields forcibly to be entred, 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 priviledge 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 Lords, and their Jesuited confederates, to­gether with their Popish and hellishly prophane Priests, Of­ficers, and Appendices: to prove these or any of them, were to shew a Man the Sun: and many sheets could not hold the Particulars. But to the purpose in hand, the Service or Masse-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 Jesuites, the Popes Asses) the Hierarchie & their Adherents are our riders: the Saddle hath so pinched and galled our Backs, that we know not how to take on the burthen 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: Gen. 49.17. but as the Scots have proved like Dan. Lyons for Prowess, and Serpents for Providence, in overturning [Page 7]both the Saddle and Rider; up in the Name of the Lord, and do the like: What should we do with the Mass? Deut. 23.22. 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-mens 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, Pockling­ton. Sunday no Sab­bath. none but Schismatiques 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 joyn 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 implyed, 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 Lyturgie hath his rise or Original; Namely, from the Masse-book; that whose Original and rise is naught must be naught in it self: Can there come clean water out of a corrupt Fountain? Note that the Lyturgie is wholly from the Masse-book, and other Popish pieces, as it shall be full clear­ed: First, by comparing of the Books: Secondly, for that mu­tual liking that our Lyturgie-Masters, and the Masse-Book­men, have one of anothers peace. And thirdly, from the evi­dence given from the King and Councel of England.

Sect. Now, to the first, every piece and Parcel of the Ly­turgie, 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 Lords 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 Masse into parts, essential and integral, with the enumeration of the said parts, Lib. 2. de Missa c. 16. as the ten or eleven parts of the preparation to the Introit, as Pater noster, the first Col­lect, which Bellarmine calls the Masse, because they are the best part of the Masse; p. 44. 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 Angelick Hymn, Gloria in Excelsis, word for word in the Scottish Ly­turgie, Cap. 3. p. 107. 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 every thing in the Masse-book be not in our Lyturgie, yet all that is in our Lyturgie, is word for word in the Masse-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 Lyturgie, Witnesse Staf­fords invective defence 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 lesse 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 Lyturgie bear to the Mass, as also from that mutual contentment, or com­placency that the Mass-mongers take in the Service-book; we have shewed already, p. ult. how they agree in Name, and now [Page 9]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, Explicat. Illust qua. 4. p 112. p. 46. 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 adjoyn Doctor Boyes, 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 Schismatiques, 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. Motiv. 34. 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 shewed 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 possest the Pope that they saw no Ser­vice, Ceremonies or Orders in England, Consid. p. 45 Sect. 9. but they might very well serve in Rome, whereupon the Bull was recalled; to this also Doctor Carrier a dangerous seducing Jesuite, gives ample evidence; the Common-prayer-book (saith he) and the Catechism contained in it, hold no point of Doctrine expresly 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 Jesuite meeting a woman in Pauls, in whose house he had lodged, she not knowing then that he was a Jesuite, the work-men of Pauls being hot at service, he asked her how she liked that work: she retorting the question, asked him how he liked it, he replyed, 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, [Page 10]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 maxime, Quae conveniunt in ali­quo tertio, conveniunt 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 Aegyptians, Exod 8.26. 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 crue, 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 Nilus, 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 willowes; but if his soul loathed the practise, 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 Poyson of Aspes, all manner of rotten Calumnies, of Sedition, Tumults, Schism, Factions, and the like, not vouchsafing him, & his, native ayre [Page 11]to breath in, much less a calling to maintain him and his: neither is this al, but when these Ministers & others to fly the hatred of Esau and his brood, had cast themselves upon the ends of the Earth, to enioy with much affliction the purity of the Ordinances; yet Esau his hatred slacked not, like a boy­ling Furnace, till he cast the scum of his cruelty after them, Rev. 12.15. 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 endeavoured to sacrifice that which God called for; for proof whereof take Doctor Laud his own words, This hand (saith he) shall reach them, and threatning a Scotish-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 ake; 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 builded 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? Gen. 12.18. 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, Calvin. were of God, they would be an abomination to the Prelates and their Faction, and dangerous for Gods 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 it self, Exod. 8.26. 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 undenyable testimony of King and State, namely, King Ed­ward the sixth, and the Councels letter, to the Papists of Cornwal 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 [Page 12]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, Vol. 2. p. 667. 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 Latine, a few things taken out. If the Service of the Church, was good in Latine, 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 controversie, 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. Cap. 8.26 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 colour of way to evade this Proposition, but by undertaking the defence of the Mass-book; for as Mountague 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, Recusan­cy, p. 1. 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 [Page 13]Popes, having given a specification of some parts of it, most con­cerning our Liturgie, 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 defence 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, Letanies, Processions, Copes, Vestments, Altars Candlesticks, Holy-Waters, Consecrations, &c. Ha­ving like a Serpent deceived the People (and as the Apostle saith) corrupted their minds, 2 Cor. 11.3. from that simplicity that is in Christ, sore against the minds of the godly, Lib. 1 and learned Prea­chers of the times; yet, to make them (as Beda witnesseth) add this condition, which he never ment 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 Lyons skin, and being opposed by one Dinoth a great Divine, who withstood him to his face in a publick Synode, avouching, that he ought not to change the ancient form of Re­ligion, neither would he acknowledge him for Arch-Bishop; but the bloudy 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, Lib. 18. cap. 14. de gest. Ang. 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, Morney of the Masse. Lib. 1.6.8. and Hear­ing of Gods Word.

Here we may observe for matter of Humiliation, how ea­sily Superstition finds entrance into England, and how hard­ly [Page 14]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 Latine 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 any thing that can be said in defence of this Idol, the Masse-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 shew you one place out of the Old Testament, and another out of the New: such as they make choice of to de­fend their Masse or Liturgy (as they call it:) the place of the Old Testament is in Genis. chap. 4. vers. 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 Fryer, 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 Doway are of the same opinion, and fuller also in their words; It is meant (say they) of Publick 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 Patriarcks consirm, or would they not rather confute the abominable Prayers of the Popish Masse? The word Invocat, in the first Language signifieth also to prophane, 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 [Page 15]Masse, which is nothing but an high prophanation 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. vers. 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 Masse, are deduced out of the Apostle his words, producing, or rather traducing; the Fathers, making them speak that for the Masse 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. Inchanters 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 satisfie with this answer. Again, if their whole Liturgy or Service be here as they say, where are their Mattens, Even-song, Complin, Procession, Dirgie, &c. As for the name Masse 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 Constantines time, fell to grow a little gawdy 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, First Book of the Masse c. 4. and so fell in the word Missa; but it is as clear on the other side, that never one of the Fathers alleadged, nor Orthodox Councels did use any of these words in their Sence; and this may suffice for the Popish Masse. They also abuse that place of the Acts 13.2. translating it as they were saying Masse; but the foolery of it as hath been said, answereth it self. The Masse then be­ing such a piece, as it was Englands great unhappiness to lye so many years under the burthen of such an abominati­on: [Page 16]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 dayes, Iosh. 7. to take a Monk from among the Canaanites, and putting a coat of English cloath 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 Nilus? How could we look to pick Gold out of the Popes Dung-hill, Valer. max. lib. 1. tit. de. Relig. 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, Deut. 12 28. 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 Gods, Vers. 30.31. saying thus, How did these Nations serve their Gods, even so will I do likewise; where the Hebrews ob­serve, two things are observeable: 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, Ep. 7.4. & id faciant Christiani quod Anti­christi faciunt: That light should borrow from darkness, & Chri­stians should do that in Gods 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; P. 13. but Smectymnuus in his answer puts him to it, that [Page 17]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 alledge for this Liturgy, sure­ly he can go no higher than the Masse-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, First Book of the Mass c. 4 & 3. fathered falsely upon the Apostles and Disciples of Christ; yea, and also upon the Fathers, as Peter, James, Matthew, Andrew, Denis, Clement, Basil, Chrysostome, and o­thers; the falshood whereof Morney discovers at large: yet for all this, saith the noble defender of the Truth: the Popish Masse 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 Cains unbloody Sacrifice, yet if there want truth, they would prove no better than antient 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 Honours, to cause him to deal, Obsignatis tabulis, by comparing the Books together: and besides all the evidences alledged, 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 Honours, 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, [...], there is nothing be­cometh candid ingenuity, better than the Truth. To defend evil cunningly, is no good commendation; it was no grace to the [Page 18] 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-tyed 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, Ioh. 12. [...]. 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 labour, 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 Liturgie; the graine is like the ground it grows upon, the fruit must be like the Tree; it is not pos­sible that any wholsome sap of life should come out of a noy­some and poysonous root. To give a delineation of the mat­ter in general, Troubles of Frank­ford, p. 36 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 Re­liques 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 [Page 19]forasmuch as that in the English Book there were things both su­perstitious, impure, and unperfect, P. 38. ib. 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 falshood 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 injoyns sub­scription to them, being so rendered in the old Latine Bible, which translation the Service-book injoyns to be used, and no other; yea, to which the Ministers were to subscribe, it being the most corrupt piece of all the Latine 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: Ad Da­mas, i [...] praesat. ad. 4. E­vang. Si in Latinis exemplaribus fides est adhibenda responderit qui­bus, &c. If we must believe Latine translations you must first tell us which of them, saith Jerome? Which argues the Latine one, fathered upon him, not to be his, but of all other Latine translati­ons he damneth this most, which we are forced to follow, as Erasmus testifieth of him; Damnat superiorem translationem, quae nos tamen maxime utimur, he condemneth (saith he) that translation, meaning the vulgar translation; condemned also, by the grand Pillars of Popery, Burgensis, Lyra, Jansenius, 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 falshood, 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 [Page 20] 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 falshood.

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 mans 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, Epistles the Sun­day after the Nati­vity. Eph. 2.3. 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 favour; 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, anti­ent and modern, as Pagninus, Vatabalus, Chrysostome, Beza, Doctor Fulke, Doctor Whitakers, and others, sorting full with Gregory Martin, Reynolds, and the rest; and gives in­couragement 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 [Page 21]is to be thought on, between a Paraphraster and a Tran­slator: The former may amplifie, but yet in different letter from the Text; but the Translator may not adde, 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 Latine, as appears by his own Copy, written by Cardinal Carraffe, and another Cardinal, namely, Cajetan, Pag. 154. 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. In his Preface to the Psalmes. 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 Lords 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 Apocalyps 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 no where in the world, but in the Popish Mass-book. To this we may subjoyn that Pro­phaning grosse 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 Masse-book, and Masse-mongers.

First, what reason is there, that in the Masse-Book, and in our Liturgie, 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. Esay 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 humours, 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 every one will; but at the Gospels there is standing, scraping, Ruper l. 4. fol. 49, bowing, and a response before and after; as every one 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 alledge them, and better of their own they have not. We therefore desire your Honours, to cast a regardful eye upon the wronged and much abused Word, Ier. 1.12. and not as passers by (as Jeremy speaks) in a case much like, but as supream judges here on earth, to vin­dicate Gods dishonour done to him in his Ordinances. Chrysost. 2 Thes. 2 Gods Word, as the Fathers speak, in his Epistle, not in that sense they call Prophesies Epistle, wherein he commends many lovely fa­vours 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 traytors to the King. What an eye of indignation then should your Honours cast upon such grosse abusing of the Word, of the Epistle and Will of the Omniscient and Omnipotent God; If clipping, corrupting, or counterfeit coyning 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 [Page 23]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 Esay) but upon him that trembleth at my word, that is a humble soul, not onely moved to obedience to it in it self, but fur­ther, out of that reverence that it beareth to the Word, it will not as much as in it lyeth, 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, Discove­ry of cor­rupt translati­ons. make the word thus dealt with none of Gods, but their own; If a Minister adde or take away from the Service-book, it is made matter of inditement; but they, it seems, may adde, take away, alter, and corrupt what they will without controlement: Preface. this course gives a shrewd randcounter to our learned and Orthodox Writers against the Papists, witnes Doctor Fulk his Answer to Campian, discover­ing the evils of the Apocripha. 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 coyning things that have no shew 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 every one will suffice.

For the first, Sect. be pleased to look upon that egregiously a­bused place, or Christ abused and dishonoured 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, [Page 24]Doctor Fulk, Doctor Willet, and many others, but also from the very name Michael, proper only to Christ, who, vers. 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. Judg. 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 suteth 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 colour of Ground; what colour 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 Tenents, 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 every one Buried is a faithful Brother, which cannot be said of every one, no, not in the Judgement 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 tyed to be said by the Minister.

Now, for the Ceremonies having place in Gods Worship, and being mans device, must needs be Idols, or Idolatrous Actions, Quicquid praeter mandatum, est Idolum; Whatsoever is placed in Gods Worship, without the Commandement 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 Commandements 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 [Page 25]both the Ceremony and Signification to be from Gods own Appointment: And further, every device of man in Gods 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 mans Device, and hath been an Idol in Gods 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 Gods 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 Abrahams 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 Lords 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 Honours, 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 Liturgie make a Religi­ous Fast, 2 Part of Homil. of Fast. Anno quinto Elizab. C. quint. 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 sensless 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, [Page 26]a ridiculous Poet, repeating the same words or verses often, and so Christ forbideth 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? Luke 10.4. 2 King. 4.29. if our Lord and Saviour 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 middest of his Service? It seems their devotion is very hot, that falleth to tosse a salutation whilest they are upon Gods Wor­ship. Hence is that apish trick in the Northern parts, that all the Women, especially in coming into the Church, make a courtesie to the Priest. Dr. Boyce, for further confirmation, citeth the Liturgy of James, Chrysostome 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. Lib. 2. de Missa c. 16. Lib. de Scrip. Eccles. fol. 51. 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 it self is fruitless.

CHAP. V. Of the Letany.

VVE come now to the last piece, of the matter of the Lyturgie, but not the least sinful, but rather the most offensive: Namely, the Letany, not a stump or a limb of Dagon, but the head of the Masse-book, appointed to he said on Sun­dayes, Wednesdayes, and Fridayes, yea, and at other times, if the Ordinary appoint it: of this it may truly be said, as one said of [Page 27]the Pharisees sin, that it was either the sin of the Holy Ghost, Tossan in Mat. 12. Canon. 15 or a sin very nigh it; so the Letany is either blasphemy, or very nigh blasphemy: upon these dayes, one of every house must be pre­sent; setting a note of some preheminency, both upon these week dayes and the Service, yea, from the Etymologie of the word [...], or Letany, 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 Antients had the order and manner of the Letany from the Heathens, Serarius in Litan Cassan. in Liturgy. P. 244. Exercit. p 237. as Dionysius Halioarnassius wit­nesseth, and Causabon observeth in these words: [...], the Letanies or Supplications about the Altars of their gods. Polybius renders the words very hand­somely and significantly by the word, [...], which signifieth to intice 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 Saviour accuseth the Pharisees of, namely, vain repetition, and multitude of words, for which, saith Christ, Mat. 6.7. they think to be heard. Now this Letany 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 Letany or Maggany, as it is well rendered, namely, as it were to conjure; and as if the devil were now to be dispossest (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-Masse-book, whence we have it, is no better than that conjuring or [Page 28]juggling of the Magicians, whereby they seemed to imitate Moses his working of Miracles, Porph. in his doub. which they did not, as the lear­ned in that Art testifie, without magick-spels; they use ridiculous invocations, saith the same Author, & so be the invocations in the Letany; 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 Letany, 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 Ly­turgy, that was too gross; but had the Laudenses got their Co­lours fixed, ere this the letany had been flancked with this stuffe. 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 intreat 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, 2 Sam. 6 [...] to bring up the Ark from the house of Aminadab; but one [Page 29] Philistine Ceremony spoiled the whole Work. 1 Chron. 15.13. David therefore acknowledged the breach to be made because they sought him not in order; when our Saviour taught his Followers to pray in that Plat-form of Prayer, Cyprian. 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 [...], after this manner; 2 Tim. 1.13. 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, 1 Cor. 14 40. 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 rejoyced to see the order of the Colossians, Col. 2.5. 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, Vers. 23: 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 Masse-Priests, that there are some Misteries: Tanquam sacra Cereris, that the prophane Laicks 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 sayes 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; Lib. 1. [...]. 38. Lib. 3. p. 210. 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 [Page 30]them) for which Doctor Boyce falls foul upon him with an Invective Declaration, In his Comment on Domi­nus Vo­biscum. 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 Masse-book with the self same fault, Mat. 6.7. where he calls them short shreds patched up to make a wearisom 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 Girles, 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, Ibid, that Mr. Cartwright puts to the Papists for the mam­mocks of their Masse-book. If such a suit (saith he) were offer­ed to a mortal man, would he not rather think himself mocked by the suppliant, than honoured? After the same manner speaks God to the Jews: Mal. 1.8. Offer this now to thy Governour, 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 dismembring of Gods 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 sutable to Gods ser­vice. Sir Thomas Moore was so zealous in this way, that he did officiate at the Mass in his Surplice. If the Minister be Gods mouth and the Peoples & stand between them in things pertaining unto God, Heb. 2.17 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 Gods worship is every way more gross, as much as the high and dreadful God is greater than the greatest King; [Page 31]and we are to take notice that God will not be mocked. Gal. 6.7 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, Act. 17.1, 3. 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 [...], 1 Pe [...]. 5. which signifieth the lot or portion, arrogating to themselves the Lord to be their portion, and they to be the Lords. But by the way of opposition they account the People no better than unhallowed, Psal. 26.15. or carnal People; calling themselves abusively by the name of Spiritual, which with the former name Portion, agreeth to all Gods people; but we conceive the reason to be this, 2 Cor. 2.15. Gal. 6.1. 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 Honours 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 Gods 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 [Page 32]might haply excuse the Cause, but properly and originally, h [...]ding alwaies, in tali vel in tanto, an evil effect argues alwaies [...]n evil cause; an evil Bird comes alwaies of an evil Egg as bad fruit of a bad tree: yea, the evil cause is alwaies worse than the effect. Nam prepter quod aliquid tale est, illud ipsum est magis tale, that which makes a thing evil, is worse it self: for method sake, we will reduce the evils of the Service book into 4 Heads, distinguished from their several objects: as, 1 It shews its evil effects upon the Ministers. 2 Upon the Ordinances. 3 Upon the People. 4 Against God most of all.

Sect. 2 Tim. 3.3. Mat. 13.52. 1 Sam. 9.9. Isa 56 20 1 Cor. 4.15. Eph. 4.11 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; meer Surplice & Service-book­men, such as cannot do so much as a Porter in his frock; for he doth service, & the Priest only sayes 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 begg, starve, or steal, 2 Thes. 3 10. for work they cannot: (the words were to this effect) not remembring the Apostles principle, He that will not labour, 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 peece 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 Caterpillers, might rightly be called, as the Prophet speaketh, foolish Shepherds; and so the Service-book the Instru­ment of a foolish shepherd, Zach 11.15. 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, Phil. 3.2. Vers. 18. who will not be idle (as they say) but they are very ill exercised, such the Apostle calls evil workers, doggs, 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, Phil. 1. [...]5 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 bin laid against those unparallel'd Ministers, for vileness, both in living & preaching? The Goliah his staffe, 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 adjoyn 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 ruines 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 Curats, 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 Ministe­ry, 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, Tul. that they received not the whole deadly Weapon into their body; and what the quar­rel, [Page 34]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 falshood 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 rigour 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 Philistims: so the Book was the strength of the Philistim Prelacy, and a bridle with a Curbing bit, to stop, to winde and turn them at their pleasure; yea, sometimes to cut them in the Mouth, if they delivered any such part of Gods 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 thorow 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, Ier. 23.23. Joh. 4.23, 24. Though God made conforming Mini­sters, being the dispensers of his Word, the means to turn many from their evil wayes, yet this proved for the most part, but in the point of life and conversation, and not in point of Purity of Worship, [Page 35]according to our Lord and Masters practice upon his Patient, that Samaritan Woman, whom he reclaimeth not only from unclean­nesse 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, Ciril. and of the Jewes; 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, anointings, 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 Gods Commandments, Tract. 15 in Ioh. 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 Gods worship; it is a duty laid on Christs 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 Philistims 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, Serm. on Psal. 1.8. p. 78. 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, Can. 19. we will cite but one testimony for brevities sake, namely, from the same Canons: If any Minister having subscribed to the Articles, & to the Lyturgy, & to the Rites & Ceremonies therein contained, do afterward omit any thing, 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; [Page 36]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, any thing 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 Letany-Priests, to spin out all the time, in making up that course thred of the Ser­vice, that is allotted for Sermons; and this they do of malice, like the dogg in the manger; but were it good, they would ne­ver be so eager upon it; for the Countrey Priests will cast it through a riddle, and curtail it to the waste, to gain a long after­noon for prophane sports; but judge ye Honourable 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 wholsome and soul-saving Word of the Lord Jesus, should give place to a fardel of mens 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, [...], 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, Lib. 1. f. 5. n. 2. 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 alledge the ra­ther to shew 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 antient appears in this particular, namely, Lib. 4. f. 32. cap. 6 Glan­vil, the first that ever writ of our Lawes in the time of King Henry the second, under whom the said Author was Lord Chief [Page 37]Justice; and speaking of the Case of the triall 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, threatning 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 Lawes, 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, Stat. Art. cleai c. 1. Fitzher. de natu [...]. brev. fol. 51. Edw. 3. c. 6. but Non-conformity to that Service-book and Ceremonies? We might be large in this Point, but the Treatise will not bear it, onely we Pray your Ho­nours, who are Judices & Vindices Legis, the Judges and Reven­gers of the Lawes 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 Gods House, that he may delight to dwell amongst us.

In the second place, for the Service-bookes affronting of Re­ligion, somewhat hath been said, and more we have to say in the fourth Evill effect, namely against God: but now a little more of its malignity against the people, wherein we will be briefe: People are of two sorts good and bad: how the better sort have suffered from this Iron Furnace, it is more then mani­fest, in spoyling 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 feare to lodge them; at last, forced either to forsake their native soyl and dearest friends, with no small grief, genio pa [...]riae plangente, the genius of the Country, to speake with Lipsius, lamenting after [Page 38]them; or if they staid by it, and were catched in the Prelates clutches, they told them when they petitioned, they should lye 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 choaking of their conscience, the Arsnical Goblets of that poyso­nable Book, Deut. 4.20. which is worse than the Iron Furnace (for so the Spirit terms it:) Gods People came out of that, but the Furnace heated for the not adoring by their Service-book, as Nebuchad­nezzars, for not adoring of his Idol, did ordinarily consume such as were cast into it; so that it became like the Lions Denne, 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 Gods Worship, stand up in opposition against that Goliah, 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 spoyling 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 satisfie 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 Gods People, we profess, we never read nor heard, neither under the Heathen Rome, nor Antichristian Romes 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, Caligula. 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: Lucau. l. 1. p. 14. May. 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, [...], By this craft we get our goods; Act. 19.25. 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 Gods 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 flyes; and some it may be, that did see the evil of it, Joh. 12.41. durst not avoid it for fear of a worse turn from the Scribes and Pha­rises, than casting out of the Synagogue.

Lastly, Some people professing the Lord Jesus, Sect. and having been very usefull in Gods 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 Tenents, which hath made a very great breach in Profession. For which, see more in Zions Plea. And though the rise of Separatism, p. 84, 85, 86. 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, falsly of Christ, A cursed people, not knowing the Law; all the provocations in the [Page 40]Land, have not made havock of so many souls, especially under colour of good, as this hath done; if Ignorance be the mother of destruction, Pro. 29.18. 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 stript starke 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 Lyturgy? which is enmity, both to good Ministers and Ministery: For as the Ivie, which winding it self 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, Iudg. 17. nor pierce the conscience; and therefore they love it, is Micah did his Idoll. 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 Lyons 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 Gods 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: Gen. 26.27. so when a soul hating people set away the Word, and cleave to the Service, or the Service joyned, it may be, with some dead Ministery, 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 replyed, 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 forraign 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 [Page 41] 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 broyles 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 alledge any thing 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 immediatly, for indirectly all the other effects were against God; but as all sin provokes God, so corrupt worship is that sin against which the jealousie of God is inslamed, Exod 20.5. D [...]ut 4.24. & 12.30.31. 2 Kin. 23 15. Exod 8.27. 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 briesly as we can, to adde 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 truely cal­led by that Franckeford-book, burthens, yokes and clogs to Gods People and his service; Besides those which have been named, p. 89. we will speak but a word or two more, namely, of Festival dayes, to Saints, at least transitive, though not determinative, as Papists excuse their Idolatry. The other is kneeling at the Communion; the former is an intrenching upon Gods Prerogative: For, none can appoint an holy day, but he who hath made the dayes, and hath all power in his own hand, which is clear: First, from the Denomination of them in both Testaments, Levit. 231. Exod. 32.5. in the Old they are called the Solemn Feasts of Jehovah, not onely 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 Lords day: ano­ther instance for clearing it from that brand of rebuke, Rev. 11 10. that is put by God upon that Jeroboam that made Israel to sin: he, and [Page 42] 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 moneth all the harvest would be in, and they might feast more freely. Second­ly, that the Lords feast being furnished in Jerusalem, they might come to Jeroboams feast: but these fig-leaves could not cover his scars; 2 King 6.11, 32, 33 but the Spirit chargeth directly upon him, that that was the moneth that he had lyed, or coyned to himself. Gretzer the Je­suite commends the English, (though it be nothing to our com­mendation) Quod Calvino-papistae Anglice, De fest. lib. 8. c. 2 &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-dayes. And to say the truth, we are too free in­deed; Cartwrit Rep. 21. for, as a learned man observeth, we have more Holy-dayes than ever God gave to the Jews: We will not insist on this subject, they who will know more of it, let them reade Altare Damasce­num, P. 6.42, &c Gal. 4.10, 11, Col. 2.16 only we will point at these two places, which may fully shew the unlawfulness of them: Ye observe years and dayes, 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-dayes, though then out of date, were better than ours, for they were of Gods appointment, and so are not ours.

Followeth in the next place Kneeling at the Sacrament, Sect. 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, Colum. of not above four hundred years standing, which (as hath been said) and Peter Martyr witnesseth, Sect. 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 [Page 43]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 Gods Worship, because they knew no better, yet the truth is, it is meer will-worship, and hath been a sharp rod to Gods 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 ballance 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 significativè 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 mouthes with, in the point of adoring God mediatly by the Creature: And as the Papists can­not deny the major; so sence and reason, yea, the injunction of the Commanders, all verifie 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 [Page 44]there bodily (say the Jesuits) we would rather be racked with horses than kneel. So said Spalato 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 referre the desirous Reader to Zions Plea, P. 95. to [...]. 106. 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 houshold-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; Ioh. 9.31 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; Rom. 8.27. Esa. 1.12. 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 Lyturgie; for the expunging whereof we shall adde some more Motives in the closure: Let us now humbly crave your Honours favour, that according to the justness of our desires, and the truth of the Reasons alledged, 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 Gods judgements, mediate and immediate, to your gaining of honour above all your Predecessors, to the chearing of the hearts of Gods People, the daunting of the ene­mies, [Page 45]and the making our Jerusalem the praise of the world; Matt. 15.13. by all these, and many more, we again and again intreat 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 woful experience, how the Hierarchical Crue, endeavour with tooth and nail, & there­in worse than the Manichees, to supplant Gods 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, Alsteed. 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, Psal. 15.10. 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? Isa. 29.13 this is none other but the house of God, and the gate of Heaven, by which is meant, Gen. 28.15. the house of God where the Saints are assembled, whose fear should be as Jacobs, 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. 6 Serm. Psal 57. a terrible place indeed (saith the Father) not meaning the stone wals, 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 Gods worship, Exod. 10 26. that he would neither have horn nor hoof, over or under the Com­mandement that was the ground of his punctuality, from which he would not go one hairs breadth: and wherein we intreat your Honours 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, Rev 8.3, 4. if he believeth that Christ, the Golden Censer, standing at the golden Altar, will re­ceive the Lyturgie prayers, and persume them with the odours of his merits, present them to the Father; surely we have no ground for it, Rom. 7.2 7. because (as aforesaid) they are not according to the will of his Father. Yea, Christ seems to threaten out of his own mouth [Page 46]the contrary, in Psal. 16. which is meant Christ, he speaking of, and threatning 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 oyl for the Lamp (though Mr. Wommock pleased to stile it so) it is not sure that pure oyl, Zach. 4.3, 4. out of the two olives, into the golden Lamp, that lightens the Sanctuary; but it is rather Train Oyl, and scarce so good that fouls the house, & darkneth 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 endeavoureth to justifie 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 offence of both, [...], 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. Epist. p. 7 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. Pauls direction. (Surely the Jesuites 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, 1 Tim. 2.1. 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 spoyl 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 [...], which doth not signifie a set form of Prayer, exhibited, but as the learned in the tongue observe, Pasor. 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 [Page 47]used: Again, the Spirit is said to make request for us; Luk. 5.33. Phil. 1.4. Rom. 8.26. dare any man glosse 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 unty this knot; If Paul in these words prescribed a set Form, and Timothy made it the furniture of Gods House, then such a Form should be found; and all the Prayers enjoyn­ed by Paul, should be set Forms, because he enjoyns no other Prayer here, than he doth otherwhere in other words, signifying to Pray, as [...], and [...], 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 Pauls Prescriptions of Prayer were for set Forms, were a very grosse and absurd falshood.

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: Luk. 22.33. 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, Epi. p. 15 Gospel for first Sunday in Lent, p. 12. what he saith for the Liturgie in particular: He confesseth it to be the Daughter of a Romane Catholick, 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 Latine into Eng­lish, which the Doctor contradicts not, for he could not. Why, saith Doctor Hall, out of antient Models, not Romane? 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 Egge is like to an Egge: then there is room for neither in Gods 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 Gods Worship, being mans device and worship still.

Again, The maintenance of these shreaddy and scrappy Pray­ers, from gadding of the Soul, is but a gadding Argument. p. 28.29. We have spoken of the ground of short and sappy E [...]aculations up­on other ground, Epi. 121. and nothing like the foolish Patches of the Masse-book. Austin tells us of the many Prayers that the Israe­lites [Page 48]made in the Egyptian furnace, and that they were short Eja­culations; but they would have continued them, but for their burthens: but men are forced to break off here, where there is no burthen, but the Service-book it self.

Again, p. 33. he hath a Plea from the Leprous house, wherein we are very willing to joyn issues with him; he confesseth that the old Roman Liturgie was like a Leprous house, the Plague was spread in it; but now it is pitched, scraped, plaistered, 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, p. 34. he joyns in evidence with the Au­thor, in the discovery of Errors, and sueth for Justice: but if the Leprosie break out again, p. 33. 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 ruines thereof to be carried forth into an unclean place: The Leprosie of the Masse he grants to be this fretting Leprosie, the pieces we have (though we have them not all) are the very same in another tongue. Levi. 14.43, 44, 45. The Leprosie, of whose matter, manner, & contagious effects, we have fully proved; and the butthen of Ceremonies therein contained, and pressed on mens 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 lesse the Sanctuary of God. Ainsw. Upon this place a learned Author observeth, That we are taught by this severe Judgement, 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 [Page 49]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 Honours favour, to out­suit against the Liturgy; without Controversie, it is the garment spotted with the flesh, condemned by the Apostle Jude; Vers 23. 1 Thes. 5 22. 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 Gods worship; which, if the Papists were cleared (saith one) from the grossest of their Idolatry and Paganism, would condemne them; and will not the retainment and maintenance exceedingly condemne 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, Dr. Willet we should not conform our selves, neither in use nor opinion, but decline in all things, the very shadow and shew 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. Hier. Ep. Nepotian. So a mind de­voted to Christ, doth as well take heed of small faults as of great, especially in Gods worship. The Hypocritical and Idolatrous Jewes are not only rebuked and threatned 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, Isa. 65.4. with the ten Commandements, tells us, that the turning of the water into blood, Quest. 4.5 doth signifie the corrupting of divine worship by humane and carnal Inventions of flesh and blood. The Service-book and Ceremonies being such, we have grounds to desire, and your Honours to grant (as we conceive) ejectionem firmam, against them both. Sarah by Gods appointment, wills Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael, the Bond-woman and her Son; Gen 21, 10. 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 applyed to them:

My Mother brought forth me, and is brought forth by me: That proud Hierarchical humor in Austin the first, brought in the Ly­turgy, and that Lyturgy 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 controversie, he must appoint his own Officers, Government, and Service. Now, there is nothing more inculcated, and laid home in the Book of God, than Christs Kingly Office, to which all are subject, and it is subject to none: We will but cite some few places of many, Psal. 2.6. I have set, or anoynted (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 dayes, 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 Esay shall suffice, Esay 9.6 Ʋnto 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 encrease of his government there must be no end. Vers. 7. 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, Lib. 5. de Praep. E­vang. c. 6. That the Devils themselves (whom he calls Gods) signifie unto their especial servants, the Magitians, Quibus rebus, &c. with what things they are made to appear, what is to be offered unto them; what dayes they should choose, and what signes and Images they should make: Lib. 1. de Civit. Dei. c. 16 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 every one of them desireth, and what they abhor: Since the Devil then loves to be Gods Ape in every thing, and his highest Menial servants account it no­thing but reason, that he should prescribe Orders in his own [Page 51]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 [...], 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, [...], 1 Epist. c. 2.2. 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 every one 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 publick Covenant, on the publick 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, Neh 9.38. Coverant, a written Covenant, to which our Princes, Ministers and People seal unto, from which we can­not depart, except we will incur that fearful Judgement threatned against Covenant breakers, Emblemed out un ous in Scripture, Psal 15.4. by dividing of the Sacrifices, and causing the parties to go betwixt them, Gen. 15.17. 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, Jer. 34 18 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 Kingdomes, 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, Sect. 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 [Page 59]are universal enough. Now, that the Service-book and Ce­remonies therein contained, and pressed upon mens 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 meer Innovations, Cant Prax. 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, Plin. lib. 8. c 25. 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: Bible in the Du [...] letter, Anno. 1561 in some antient Copies we have read, that they thought good to retain some Popish Ceremonies; but in another Copy they call them, the old Ceremonies retained stil, all one in effect.

The latter Argument, from the Protestation, Sect. by way of se­quel, is from our mu [...]ual Covenant and Oath, joyntly 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 Scotish Commissio­ners given to the Lords of the Treaty, perswading conformi­ty in these, to be the chief meanes of peace.

We will transcribe some passages, for all we cannot, leaving the thing it self to your Honours review. It is (said they) t [...] be wished, that there were one Consession of Faith; one form of Catechisme, one Directory for all the parts of Gods publick Wor­ship: as Prayer, Preaching, Administration of Sacrame [...]ts, &c. Page 2.

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, Ʋnity of worship will extinguish those Nick-names; as Puritanes and Scismaticks, put upon Professors.

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

Fourthly and lastly, Pages 3, 4. 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 indangered: so they professe in plain terms, that their Reformation so dearly bought, Page 8. 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 Christs: but the main evil, and the cause of all evil in the three Nations: That Maxime 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 thorow 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 Gods Worship, will spoil the peace and quietnesse, both of Discipline and Wor­ship, witnesse the putting of the Ark upon the Philistims Cart, Apoph. 66 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 onely 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 favour, 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. [Page 61]And now since (under favour) We have presumed to in­large our selves in this point o [...] Peace, We beg leave of your Honours to speak a word or two of the Improbabilities of Peace here among our selves, 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 sayle and live. Pompey replyed ‘ [...].’ There is necessity of Sayling, but not of Living: and in this case what shall they do? for with this Mock-ordinance, or Will-worship, of the Service-book, they dare not joyn: There are such multitudes of people (saith Smectymnuus) that distaste this Book, that unlesse it be taken a course withall, there is no hope of any mutual agreement, between Gods Ministers and their people. We will say no more of this, but let the sudden tumult raised by that Make-bate Service-book in Scotland, be a seasonable Caveat to us and all other Nations, to strike with Authority, lest that which should be done with the Right hand, be done unhappily with the left hand.

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

CHAP. XI. The Objections.

NOw, we come in the last place, to remove some Objections, which we shall shew 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 custome 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 it self, but as it buts upon the faithfull witness, otherwise it is an inartificial ar­gument, as Logicians call it; the Patriarches used, and did many things that were not approveable; some good Kings of Judah, as Amaziah, and Johosaphat, tooke not a way the High places: 1 King 14 41, 22 3. 2 King 18.4, to 9. 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 allead­geth for the Service book, that Rome is not demolished in the first day, & so we alleadge 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 Jehosaphat, 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 Gods 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 toyling 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 joy­ned to their Idols, Hos. 4 17. and God speaks of Ep [...]raim let them alone.

Secondl [...], this is not Gods 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, Rev. 14.13. are not to be brought by any cleansing, into the House of God; God commandeth his [Page 65]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; Judg 2.2. 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 nayles, and shaving of the hair, which as the Great Turke 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 rancke poysons, but so cannot pure worship out of things polluted, being mans inventions, Esa. 30 22 therefore the Prophet Esay 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 tryed, it shall be found, that they abuse the state, and consciences of men most grosly. 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 tryed 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 humane Lawes. I [...] is not unworthy your remembrance, how one of the latter brood of the Scotish Prelates, alledging, or rather mis-alledging before our late Soveraign 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 replyed, That it went never well with them, since their Church-men laboured 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 consident they shall have but little wooll for the Service-booke, from the Acts of [Page 66]State, when they are well looked into. We know not any colour of confirmation for the Service-book, 1 Eliz. c 7. except that Sta­ture prefixed to it, which how little it maketh for it, let the words of the Statute testifie, 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 voyd 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 any thing 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 transgressours of the Laws of the King­dome, in subscribing to another Book than that, established by Law: the Prelates in pressing this subscription, 13 Eliz cap 12. forced two Statutes, namely, the Statute alleadged 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, Sect. 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 our selves bound to believe, that a State professing the truth of Religion would never inact so, for a Service-book of mans 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 Ministery, and bringing Papists to the Church, but not to press it in the bulke beyond the sphear of any mans Conscience, witness a Rubrick in King Edward the sixth his Book; but give it to speak as punctually for the Book as they would [Page 67]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 Lawes, concurr in this Maxime, Omnium l [...]gum inanis censu­ra, nisi divinae legis imaginem gerant, August de Civit. Dei lib. 9. Cic. lib. 3. de Repub. the power of all Lawes is voyd, except they bear the impression of the [...]aw of God: the Orator gives a reason for it, Lex divina omnium legum cen­sura, the divine Law is the standard of all lawes, yea, a thing evil in it self 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, Lib 4 Inst. Lucan lib. 2. May. Legitime inju­rias inferre, 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 Gods Church and People, aggravating it from this, Psal. [...]4 2 [...]. (that is it was framed by a decree; which place, the Authour of Zions 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 controversie 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 Lawes 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 alleadged those evidences upon this suspition 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, Sect. 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 [Page 68]that parties in their infancy or ignorance, may use formes of prayer, well and wholesomely set, for helps and props of their imbecility, yea, riper Christians may do well to read such pro­fitable formes, 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; Sect. for a set form of Liturgy in publique, 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 Lyturgy, 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 formes; but for our Liturgy, what can be said for form, or hath been said, that cannot be said for the Popish Li­turgy, Canon 38. 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 peece of our evil, be put away, Act. 13.5. 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, Calvin. as the learned observe, Prayer was not wanting.