Brief Discourse of the Troubles at Frankfort, Part 1
A deſcription off the Liturgie / or booke off ſeruice that is vſed in Englande.
FIrſte off all / morninge praier offreth it ſelff. The miniſter hauinge put on a white garment (whiche they call a ſurpleſſe) beginninge withe ſome ſentence off holie ſcripture / as for example▪ yff we ſhall ſaie that we hauehave no ſinne we deceyue oure ſelues / &c. or ſome ſuche of like ſorte. Then he takethe in harde the exhortat on / whiche ſtirreth vp to a confeſſion off ſynnes / whiche the miniſter pronounceth with a loude voice / the people ſainge after him. To this is added an abſolution / and when theſe thinges are done / he reherſethe the lordes praier / and afterward lorde open thow my lyppes / and my mouthe ſhall ſhewe forth thy praiſe. O god be redie to be my helpe / &c. Then / come and let vsus ſinge vntounto th Lorde / &c. By and by alſo there folowe 3. Pſalmes together at thende off eueryevery one. Then foloweth the firſt leſſon / whiche conteinethe a whole chapi…er off the olde Teſtament. After this leſſon they ſaie or ſinge we praiſe …he / lorde / or Bleſſed be the Lorde / &c. Then an other leſſon owte off the Newe teſtamente / vnleſſe peraduenture the ſolemnization off ſome highe feaſt hauehave other ſet and apointed leſſons. Nowe in cathedrall churches they vtter their leſſons in plaine ſonge and thē afterwards is Benedictus added. This booke warnethe that they keepe this order through owte the whole yere. Afterwards / the crede is pronounced by the Miniſter / (all the people in the meane tyme ſtāding vp) Afterwards fallinge downe vppon their knees / the Miniſter ſaithe / The Lorde be with yow / The anſwere / And with thy ſpirite.
Then / Lorde hauehave mercy vppon vsus / Chriſte hauehave mercy vppon vsus / Lorde hauehave mercy vppon vsus / &c. our father / &c. pronounced owte alowde off all with all boldneſſe. Then the Miniſter / when he ſtandeth vpp ſaithe / o lorde ſhewe vsus thy mercy The anſwere / and geue vntounto vsus thy ſauinge helthe. O Lorde ſaue the king In the day wherin we ſhall call vppon thee. Iudu… thy Miniſters withe righteouſnes. And make thy choſen people ioyfull. O Lorde ſaue thy people. And bleſſe thyne inheritaunce. Geue peace in our tyme o Lorde / &c. At lenght…. Collects are had …n place off a concluſion / the firſte / for the daie / the ſeconde for peace / the laſte is for the obteininge off Grace. Nowe / the eueninge praiers are ſaide … manner as the other are / ſauinge / that after the firſte leſſen foloweth my ſoule doth magnifie the lorde. After the 2. leſſen Now Lorde / &c. and in ſteed off that collect / God whiche arte the Author off peace / is vſed o God from whom all holie deſiers / &c. beſides / there is caution added that all Miniſters ſhall exerciſe them ſelues continually aſwell in morninge praiers as eueninge praiers / except perhapp by ſtudie in dyuinitie or ſome other buſynes / they be greatly and neceſſarely let or hindred· Beſides / vppon eueryevery Sabothe daie / wenſdaie and fridaie there is yet in vſe certeine ſuffrages deuiſed off Pope Gregory whiche beginnethe after this manner. O God the father off heauen hauehave mercy vppon vsus miſerable ſynners. O God the ſonne redemer off the worlde / &c. onelyonly leauinge owte the inuocation off ſaincts / otherwiſe we vſe a certaine coniuringe off God. By the miſterie off his incarnation / by his holy natiuitie and circumciſion by his haptiſme / faſtinge and temptation / by his agonie and bloudie ſweate / &c. yea / it comprehendethe in plaine wordes a praier to be deliuered from ſuddain deathe / the people anſweringe to the ende off eueryevery clauſe / either ſpare vsus good lorde / or ells / Good Lorde deliuer vsus / or we beſeche thee to heare vsus Good Lorde. O Lambe off God that taketh awaie the ſinnes off the worlde is thriſe repeated. Then Lorde hauehave mercy vponupon vsus thriſe / and then the Lords praier with this praier alſo / o Lord deale not with vsus after our ſinnes to the ſame adioined / paſſinge ouer ſome things leaſt we ſhulde ſeeme to ſyfte all thoſe droſſes which remaine ſtill amonge vsus.
Nowe the manner off the ſupper is thus. The nomber off three at the leaſte is counted a fitt nomber to communicate / and yet it is permitted (the peſtilence or ſome other common ſiknes beinge amonge the people) the Miniſter alone maie communicate withe the ſicke man in his houſe. Firſt therfore / the Miniſter muſte be prepared after this manner / in a whit lynnin garmente (as in ſayinge the other ſeruice he is apointed (and muſte ſtande at the Northeſide off the Table. Then is had the Lords praier after the cuſtome / then he reciteth the collect / and after folowe in order the ten commaundements (but ſo notwithſtanding / that eueryevery one off the people maye anſwere lorde hauehave mercy vponupon vsus and inclyne oure hartes to keepe this lawe. After the reherſall off the commandements / the collect off the daie (as it is called) and an other for the kinge is had. By and by the Epiſtle and Goſpell folowethe / to witt / ſuche as the callender apointethe for that daie. And there in this place there is a note / that euerie holy daye hathe his collect Epiſtle and Goſpell (whiche fill 73. great leaues off the booke … when the reſte fill ſcarſe fiftie. For all holy daies are nowe in like vſe as were amonge the Papiſtes / onelye verye fewe excepted.
Then he goethe forwardes to the crede and after that to the ſermon (iff there be anie) Afterwardes the pariſhe prieſt byddeth the holie dayes and faſtes on their eues / iff there be anye that weeke. And here the booke warnethe that none defraude the pariſhe prieſt off his due or right ſpecially on thoſe feaſt daies / that are dedicated to offrings. Then foloweth a praier for the ſtate off the churche militaunte / and that not withowte a longe heape and mixture off matters vntill they come (after a certeine confeſſion off ſinnes) to lift vp your hartes / the people anſweringe / we geue thankes to the lorde. Let vsus geue thanks to our Lorde God / the anſwer / It is meete and right ſo to do. It is verie meete / right and our bownden dewtie / &c. vntill they come to that clauſe: O Lorde holie father / &c. and ſo the preface accordinge to the feaſte is added. Afterwards he ſaithe: Therfore withe Angells and Archangells and ſo endethe with holy holy holy / lord god / till he come to hoſianna in the higheſt. Nowe the prieſt bowethe his knee acknowledginge oure vnworthynes in the name off all them that ſhall receiu…. And ſettinge owte gods mercye / he beſeche the God that oure bodies maye be made cleane by his bodie and that our ſoules maie be waſhed through his bloude. And then he againe ſtandeth vp and takethe in hande a freſhe an other praier appointed for this purpos / in which are conteined the wordes off the inſtitution / all whiche beinge donne / he firſt communicateth / then / by and by he ſaithe to an other / knelinge / Take / and eate this in remembrance that Chriſt died for thee and feede on him in thy harte by faithe with thanksgeuinge.
Now abowte thende the Lordes praier it vſed againe / the Miniſter ſayinge it alowde and all the people folowinge / to conclude / they hauehave a geuinge off thanks in thende / withe Glory to god in the higheſt / as it was vſed amonge the Papiſtes / yff it happen that there be no ſermon / onelyonly a fewe thinges are omitted / but all other thinges are donne in order aforeſaid.
In baptiſme the Godfathers are demaunded in the name off the childe / wither they renownce the deuell and all his workes / the luſtes off the worlde / &c. and they anſwere I renownce them. Then / wither they belieue the Artikles off the faithe / whiche beinge confeſſed / wilte thow (ſaith he turninge himſelf to bothe the witneſſes / be baptized into this faithe? and they ſaie yea / I will. After afewe thinge reherſed / he takethe the Child and dippeth it in / but warely and diſcretly as it is in the booke / vppon whoſe forehead alſo he ſhall make a croſſe in token forſoothe that when he is olde he ſhall not be aſhamed to confeſſe the faithe off Chriſte Crucified. Afterward / ſendinge awaie the Godfathers and Godmothers / be chargeth them that they bringe the childe to be confirmed off the Biſhopp as ſone as he can ſaie the Articles off the faithe / the lordes praier / and the ten Cōmaundemēts. And ſeinge there be many cauſes / as the booke ſaithe / whiche ſhulde moue them to the Confirmation off Children / this / forſoothe / off all others is the waightieſt / that by impoſition off hands they maie receiue ſtrenght and defence againſt all temptations off ſinne / and the aſſaults off the world and the deuell / bicauſe that when Children come to that age / partlie / by the frailtie off their owne fleſhe / partly / by the aſſaults off the worlde and the deuell they beginn to be in daunger: And leafte anie ſhulde think any error to be in this Confirmation / therfore they take a certeine pamflett off a Catechiſme / whiche conſiſteth off the Articles off the faithe / the Lordes praier / and ten commandements / and all this is diſpatched in leſſe then two leaues.
To theſe is ioyned their manner off Mariage off whiche that we maie paſſeouer many petty ceremonies theſe follies who can ſuffer? The huſbande laithe downe a ringe vponupon the booke / whiche the miniſter takinge / he geuethe it in his hande and biddethe him to put it on the fourthfinger off his wiues left hande / Then he vſethe this forme off wordes: withe this ringe (ſaithe he) I thee wedd / withe my body I thee worſhip withe all my worldly goods I thee endue. In the name off the father / the ſonne / and the holy ghoſte.
A litle after the Miniſter ſaithe to the newe maried perſons knelinge before the lordes table: Lorde hauehave mercy vppon vsus Chriſt hauehave mercy vponupon vsus / Lorde hauehave mercy vppon vsus. Oure father which arte / &c. Lorde ſaue thy ſeruaunt and thy handmaide / &c. and ſo a few things beinge reherſed they muſte be brought to the Lordes ſupper. The viſitation off the ſicke is after this manner. Peace be to this howſe. The anſwere / and to all that dwell in the ſame. Lorde hauehave mercy vponupon vsus / &c. our father / &c. Lorde ſaue thy ſeruaunte. Anſwere / whiche truſtethe in thee. Sende forthe thy helpe from thy holy hil / and withe ſpede ſaue him / &c. as in the other prefaces withe queſtions and anſwers. Off the Buriall.
The Prieſt meetethe the Corſe at the entraunce off the churcheyarde either ſinging or ſoftly pronouncinge / I am the Reſurrection and the liffe / &c. I knowe that my redemer lyuethe Iob. 19. beinge comme to the graue it is ſayed. Man borne off a woman Iob. 9. When the earthe is throwen in / we committ (ſaithe he) earthe to earthe / duſte to duſte / &c. The Lorde hathe geuen / the Lorde hathe taken / I harde a voice from heauen / ſayenge / Bleſſed are the …ead whiche die in the Lorde. Lorde hauehave mercy vppon vsus / &c.
The purification of women in childbed / whiche they call geuinge off thankes / is not only in all things withe vsus almoſte common withe the Papiſtes but alſo with the Iewes / bycauſe they are commaunded in ſtede off a lambe or doue to offre monie.
Knox and VVhittingham aſhamed to opē ſome thingsOther thinges / not ſo muche ſhame it ſelff / as a certeine kinde off pitie compelleth vsus to keepe cloſe / in the meane ſeaſon nothinge diminiſhinge the honor due to thoſe reuerende men / who partely beinge hindred by thoſe times / and by the obſtinacie and alſo multitude off aduerſaries (to whom nothinge was euer delightfull beſides their owne corruptions) beinge as it were ouerflowen / did alwaies in their minde continually as muche as they coulde ſtriue to more perfect thinges.
Note, that this deſcription is verye fauourably put downe, yf ye conferre it with the Booke off order in all points, and the vſage off the booke in many churches of this realme yow can confeſſe no leſſe. And hereoff ye maie gather what M. Caluin woulde hauehave written, yf they had noted all the abuſes of the ſame.