Exposition of the Principal Scriptures Used in our English Liturgy, Title page – Table of contents
AN EXPOSITION OF AL THE PRINCIPAL SCRIPTVRES VSED in our English Liturgie.
TOGETHER WITH A REASON why the Church did chuse the same.
By IOHN BOYS Doctor of Diuinitie.
Prouerbs 1. 8.
My sonne heare thy fathers instruction, and forsake not thy mothers teaching.
August. epist. 118. cap. 5.
Ipsa mutatio consuetudinis, etiam quae adiuuat vtilitate, perturbat nouitate.
AT LONDON Imprinted by FELIX KYNGSTON, and are to be sold by William Aspley, at the signe of the Parot in Pauls Churchyard. 1610.
TO THE MOST REVEREND FATHER IN GOD, RICHARD BANCROFT, LORD Archbishop of Canterburie, Primate of all England, and Metropolitane, Chancellor of the Vniuersitie of Oxenford, and one of his Maiesties most honorab…e priuie Counsell; my very good Lord.
AS Christ,aTertullian, vti M…ldonat. in 6. Ioan. 44. so the Church, and as the Church, so the Liturgie of the Church is crucified betweene two malefactors: on the left hand Papists, on the right hand Schismaticks; the one cannot say wherin it is trulybLetter of Pius 5. to Q. Elizabeth, & Brist…w motiue 34 deficient, the other will not say but that it is efficient, vnderunder which the Gospell hath so prospered, as thatcDod exposit. prefac. Commandements. England is swept from Babel, and Hierusalem situated in our owne country: yet both as at a common Turke shoote bitter arrowes against it. And the reason hereof is very plaine, because eueryevery Pope is an open Schismatik, and eueryevery Schismatick a secret Pope. These Foxes (asdPrae…t. Comment. in Gal…t. Luther speakes) are tied together by the tailes, although by their heads they seeme to bee contrary; combined in faction, howsoeuer different in faith. Against the Romanist I vse a sword, against the Nouelist a buckler, against both armour of proofe: for these Scholiall annotations in part descrie, but my larger expositions of the Gospels and Epistles hereafter shall more fully describe, their malicious or ignorant misconstruing of our Church. In the meane while and for euer I wish all happinesse to your Grace: and rest your
Humble seruant to be commanded in the businesse of God and his Church, IOHN BOYS.
THE CONTENTS OF THE Tract ensuing.
1 The Ministers Inuitatorie. page 1
2 The Confession and absolution of sinnes. 2
3 An exposition of the Pater Noster. 3
4 An exposition of O Lord open our lips. 7
5 The Hymne of Gloria Patri. 12
6 An exposition of the 95. Psalme. 13
7 Te Deum and Benedicite omnia operae. 21
8 An exposition of the Benedictus. 22
9 An exposition of the 100. Psalme. 28
10 An exposition of the Creed. 30
11 Dominus vobiscum. 48
12 Cum spiritu tuo, and other Responsories. 49
13 An exposition of the Magnificat. 51
14 An exposition of the 98. Psalme. 62
15 An exposition of the Song of Simeon. 66
16 An exposition of the 67. Psalme. 76
17 The Creed of Athanasius and the Letanie. 83
18 An exposition of the Decalogue. 84
19 The peoples offering. 108
20 An exposition of the words of Paul, 1. Corinth. 11. 28. containing the summe of the Ministers exhortation before the Communion. 109
21 Sursam corda. 118
22 Gloria in excelsis. 119
23 An exposition of the Peace of God, &c. and the Grace of our Lord Iesus Christ. 120
24 Amen. 124
THE MINISTERS INVITATORIE.
At what time soeuer a sinner doth repent &c.
ALL these texts of holie writ premised, are (as it were the bels of Aaron) to stirre vp deuotion, and to toll all in to Gods house. The whole ring consists of
two notes especially,
Mans miserie.
Gods merciemercy.
The which are two chiefe motiues vntountoaLuther. loc. com. tit. de Inuocat. prayer, as we finde, precept Matth. 6. 9. Prayye after this maner; Our Father which art in heauen. bBernard. ser. de nat. B. Mariae qui inscribitur … aquae ductu.Admonens adoptionis diuinae, Pater Noster; & peregrinationis terrenae, Quies in coelis; vt simul intelligamus egere nos auxilio, quia peregrini; & fiduciam petendi concipiamus, quia filij dei.
And paterne Luke 15: want and woe in the leaud sonne, pitie and plenty in the good father, occasioned repentance, neuer repented. Of the one it is commonly said; cNathan Cbytraeus in viatico.Oratio sine malis, est quasi auis, alis. Of the other; I will come into thine house euen vponupon the multitude of thy mercy: Psalm. 5. 7. To thee will I sing, because thou art my refuge, and mercifull God. Psal. 59. 17. In the vulgar Latine; Deus meus misericordia mea. Whereupon dI… l…cum Tow. 8. sol. 414. lege plura. Dear…ly beloued.Augustine; O nomen sub quo nemin… desperandum est.
Wherefore the Minister out of a due consideration of both, exhorteth his people in an Apostolicall stile, to confesse their sinnes humbly to the Lord, who is able to heare, because Almightie; Almighty and most merciful Father.and willing to helpe, because most mercifull.
The Confession of sinnes.
THe matter and manner of which Confession all other Liturgies approoue, both ancient (as the Liturgies of S. eMargarinus Ribl. oth…. pat. tom. 4▪ col 21.…, of S.fIbidem col. 37. Basil, of thegCol. 65. Syrians, of thehCol. … ▪ 10. Ethiopians) and moderne (as the Scotish, Geneuian, iImprinted at Middleburgh 1586.English admonitioners … forme of common praier,kDiscourse of the troubles of Franckford, pag. 7. Italian, Spanish, Dutch) all which allot Confession of sins a place, and this place principally. The reason hereof is taken out of Gods own booke, Prouerbs 18. 17. Iustus in exordi… sermonis accusator est sui. The iust man in the beginning of his speech is an accuser of himselfe: for so reade S. Ambrose ser. 4. vponupon the 118. Psalme. S. Hi…om. lib. 1. contra Pelagian. Melancthon in loc, and from the practise of Gods owne people the Iewes: as that noble gentleman Philip Mornai notes in lib. 1. de Missa. cap. 3.
The Nouelists only mislike the Ministers absolution, and therfore in the Conference at Hampton Court, Ian. 14. 1603. they gained so much as to hauehave it in a more milde terme called, Remission of sins. Herein resembling the people oflPimenta de statu rei Christian. in India Orien. Bengala, who are so much afraid of Tigers, as that they dare not call them Tigers, but giuegive them other gentle names. Ne si propriam nomenclatur am tribuant, cōtinu… dilacerentur. Concerning absolution, see the Gospell Dominic. 19. post Trin.