adminiftration fet or no? If it be not fet, how is it an order? And if it be a fet order both for matter and form

Anfw. Remove that form, left you tumble over it, while you make fuch hafte to clap a contradiction upon others.

Remonft. If the forms were merely arbitrary, to what use was the prescription of an order?

Anfw. Nothing will cure this man's understanding but fome familiar and kitchen phyfic, which, with pardon, muft for plainnefs fake be administered to him. Call hither your cook. The order of breakfast, dinner, and fupper, answer me, is it fet or no? Set. Is a man therefore bound in the morning to poached eggs and vinegar, or at noon to brawn or beef, or at night to fresh falmon, and french kickshofe? May he not make his meals in order, though he be not bound to this or that viand? Doubtlefs the neat-fingered artist will anfwer yes, and help us out of this great controverfy without more trouble. Can we not understand an order in church-affemblies of praying, reading, expounding, and adminiftering, unless our prayers be ftill the fame crambe of words?

Remonft. What a poor exception is this, that liturgies were composed by fome particular men?

Anfw. It is a greater prefumption in any particular men, to arrogate to themselves that which God univerfally gives to all his minifters. A minifter that cannot be trufted to pray in his own words without being chewed to, and fefcued to a formal injunction of his rote-leffon, fhould as little be trufted to preach, besides the vain babble of praying over the fame things im mediately again; for there is a large difference in the repetition of fome pathetical ejaculation raised out of the fudden earneftnefs and vigour of the inflamed foul, (fuch as was that of Chrift in the garden,) from the continual rehearsal of our daily orifons; which if a man fhall kneel down in a morning, and fay over, and presently in another part of the room kneel down again, and in other words afk but ftill for the fame things as it were out of one inventory, I cannot fee how he will efcape that hea

thenifh

thenifh battology of multiplying words, which Christ himself, that has the putting up of our prayers, told us would not be acceptable in Heaven. Well may men of eminent gifts set forth as many forms, and helps to prayer as they please; but to impose them on minifters lawfully called, and fufficiently tried, as all ought to be ere they be admitted, is a fupercilious tyranny, impropriating the fpirit of God to themselves.

Remonft. Do we abridge this liberty by ordaining a public form?

Anfw. Your bishops have fet as fair to do it as they durft for that old pharifaical fear that still dogs them, the fear of the people; though you will fay you are none of thofe, ftill you would seem not to have joined with the worft, and yet keep aloof off from that which is beft. I would you would either mingle, or part: moft true it is what Savanarola complains, that while he endeavoured to reform the church, his greatest enemies were still these lukewarm ones.

Remonft. And if the Lord's prayer be an ordinary and ftinted form, why not others?

Anfw. Because there be no other Lords, that can stint with like authority.

Remonft. If Juftin Martyr said, that the inftructor of the people prayed (as they falfely turn it) "according to his ability."

Anfw. Ὅση δύναμις αυτῷ will be fo rendered to the world's end by those that are not to learn Greek of the Remonftrant, and fo Langus renders it to his face, if he could fee; and this ancient father mentions no antiphonies or refponfories of the people here, but the only plain acclamation of Amen.

Remonft. The inftructor of the people prayed according to his ability, it is true, fo do ours: and yet we have a liturgy, and fo had they.

Anfw. A quick come-off. The ancients used pikes and targets, and therefore guns and great ordnance, because we use both.

Remonft. Neither is this liberty of pouring out ourfelves in our prayers ever the more impeached by a public form.

Anfw. Yes the time is taken up with a tedious number of liturgical tautologies, and impertinencies.

Remonft. The words of the council are full and affirmative.

Anfw. Set the grave councils up upon their fhelves again, and string them hard, left their various and jangling opinions put their leaves into a flutter. I fhall not intend this hot feason to bid you the base through the wide and dufty champaign of the councils, but shall take counsel of that which counselled them, reason: and although I know there is an obfolete reprehenfion now at your tongue's end, yet I fhall be bold to fay, that reafon is the gift of God in one man as well as in a thousand: by that which we have tafted already of their cifterns, we may find that reason was the only thing, and not any divine command that moved them to enjoin fet forms of liturgy. First, left any thing in general might be miffaid in their public prayers through ignorance, or want of care, contrary to the faith: and next, left the Arians, 'and Pelagians in particular, fhould infect the people by their hymns, and forms of prayer. By the leave of these ancient fathers, this was no folid prevention of spreading herefy, to debar the minifters of God the use of their nobleft talent, prayer in the congregation ; unless they had forbid the use of fermons, and lectures too, but fuch as were ready made to their hands, as our homilies: or else he that was heretically difpofed, had as fair an opportunity of infecting in his difcourfe as in his prayer or hymn. As infufficiently, and to say truth, as imprudently did they provide by their contrived liturgies, left any thing should be erroneously prayed through ignorance, or want of care in the minifters. For if they were careless and ignorant in their prayers, certainly they would be more careless in their preaching, and yet more careless in watching over their flock; and what prescription could reach to bound them both in these? What if reason, now illuftrated by the word of God, shall be able to produce a better prevention than these councils have left us againft herefy, ignorance, or want of care in the miniftry, that fuch wisdom and diligence be used in the education of those that would be minifters, and fuch

ftrict and serious examination to be undergone, ere their admiffion, as St. Paul to Timothy fets down at large, and then they need not carry fuch an unworthy fufpicion over the preachers of God's word, as to tutor their unfoundness with the Abcie of a liturgy, or to diet their ignorance, and want of care, with the limited draught of a matin, and evenfong drench. All this All this may fuffice after all their labourfome fcrutiny of the councils.

Remonft. Our Saviour was pleased to make use in the celebration of his laft and heavenly banquet both of the fashions and words which were ufual in the Jewish feafts. Answ. What he pleased to make use of, does not juftify what you please to force.

Remonft. The fet forms of prayer at the Mincha.

Anfw. We will not buy your rabbinical fumes; we have one that calls us to buy of him pure gold tried in the fire.

Remonft. In the famaritan chronicle.

Anfw. As little do we efteem your famaritan trum→ pery, of which people Christ himself testifies, Ye worship ye know not what.

Remonft. They had their feveral fongs.

Anfw. And fo have we our several pfalms for several occafions, without gramercy to your liturgy.

Remonft. Thofe forms which we have under the names of Saint James, &c., though they have fome infertions which are plainly fpurious, yet the fubftance of them cannot be taxed for other than holy and ancient.

Anfw. Setting afide the odd coinage of your phrase, which no mint-mafter of language would allow for fterling, that a thing fhould be taxed for no other than holy and ancient, let it be supposed the fubftance of them may favour of fomething holy or ancient, this is but the matter; the form, and the end of the thing may yet render it either fuperftitious, fruitless, or impious, and fo worthy to be rejected, The garments of a ftrumpet are often the fame, materially, that clothe a chafte matron, and yet ignominious for her to wear: the fubftance of the tempters words to our Saviour were holy, but his drift nothing lefs.

i. e. A, b, c.

Remonft.

Remonft. In what fenfe we hold the Roman a true church, is fo cleared that the iron is too hot for their fingers.

Aníw. Have a care it be not the iron to fear your own confcience.

Remonft. You need not doubt but that the alteration of the liturgy will be confidered by wifer heads than your

own.

Anfw. We doubt it not, because we know your head looks to be one.

Remonft. Our liturgy fymbolizeth not with popi mafs, neither as mafs nor as popish.

Anfw. A pretty flipfkin conveyance to fift mass into no mass, and popish into not popish; yet faving this paffing fine fophiftical boulting hutch, fo long as the fymbolizes in form, and pranks herself in the weeds of popish mass, it may be juftly feared the provokes the jealousy of God, no otherwise than a wife affecting whorish attire kindles a disturbance in the eye of her difcerning hufband.

Remonft. If I find gold in the channel, shall I throw it away because it was ill laid ?

Anfw. You have forgot that gold hath been anathematized for the idolatrous ufe; and to eat the good creatures of God once offered to idols, is in St. Paul's account to have fellowship with devils, and to partake of the devil's table. And thus you throttle yourself with your own fimilies.

Remonft. If the devils confeffed the Son of God, shall I difclaim that truth?

Anfw. You fifted not fo clean before, but you fhuffle as foully now; as if there were the like neceffity of confeffing Chrift, and using the liturgy: we do not disclaim that truth, because we never believed it for their teftimony; but we may well reject a liturgy which had no being that we can know of, but from the corruptest times: if therefore the devil fhould be given never fo much to prayer, I fhould not therefore ceafe from that duty, because I learned it not from him; but if he would commend to me a new Pater-nofter, though never fo feemingly holy, he fhould excufe me the form which

was