Commissioners Petitioning for Review of Book of Common Prayer, Commentary 2 · Topic 1
Concerning Morning and Evening Prayer.
1. Rubr. Sect. 1.
VVE think it fit that the Rubrick stand as it is,Answ. and all to be left to the discretion of the Ordinary.
Repl. We thought the End and Use, more considerable than Custom; and that the Ordinary himself should be under the Rule of doing all to Edification.
2. Rubr. Sect. 2.
Answ. [For the Reasons given in our Answer to the 18. General, whither you refer us, we think it fit that the Rubrick continue as it is.]
Repl. We have given you Reason enough against the Imposition of the usual Ceremonies; and would you draw forth those absolute ones to encrease the burden?
Sect. 3. Lords Prayer.
Answ. [Deliver us from evil] These words [for thine is the Kingdom, &c.] are not in St. Luke, nor in the ancient Copies of St. Matthew; never mentioned in the ancient Comments, nor used in the Latine Church, and therefore questioned whether they be part of the Gospel; there is no reason that they should be alwayes used.]
Repl. We shall not be so over-credulous as to believe you, that these words are not in the ancient Copies: It is enough that we believe that some few ancient Copies have them not; but that the most (even the Generality, except those few) have them: The judgment of our English Translators, and almost all other Translators of Matthew, and of the R. R. B.…. of Chester among your selves, putting the Copy that hath it in his Bible (as that which is most received and approved by the Church) do shew on which side is the chief Authority. If the few Copies that want it; had been thought more authentick and credible, the Church of England, and most other Churches, would not have preferred the Copies that have this Doxologie: And why will you in this contradict the later Judgement of the Church, expressed in the Translation allowed and imposed? The Syriack, Ethiopick, and Persian Translations also have it; and if the Syriack be as ancient as you your selves even now asserted, then the Antiquity of the Doxologie is there evident: And it is not altogether to be neglected, which by Chemnitius, and others, is conjectured, That Paul's words, 2 Tim. 4. 18. were spoken as in reference to this Doxologie; and as Pareus, and other Protestants conclude, it is more probable the Latines neglected, than that the Greek inserted, of their own heads, this sentence. The Socinians and Arrians have as fair a pretence for their Exception against 1 Joh. 5. 6, 7. Musculus saith, non cogitant vero similius esse, ut Graecorum Ecclesiae, majis quam Latina, quod ab Evangelistis Graece Scriptum est, integrum servavit, nihilque de suo adjecerit, quid de Graeca Ecclesia dico? vidi ipse vetustissimum Evangelium secundum Matthaeum, Codicem, Chalaaeis, & Elementis, & verbis conscriptum, in quo Coronis ista perinde atque in Graecis legebatur. Nec Chaldei solum sed & Arabes Christiani pariformiter cum Grecis orant, Et exemplar Hebraeum a docto & celebri D. Sebast. Munstero vulgatum, hanc ipsum Coronidem habet: Cum ergo consentiant hac in re, Hebraeorum, Chaldaeorum, Arabum, & Graecorum Ecclesiae, valde inconsideratum videtur, quod uni Latinorum Ecclesiae contra omnes reliquas tautum tribuitur authoritatis, ut quod sola diversum legit, ab Evangelistis traditem esse credatur: quod vero reliquae omnes, concorditer habem, & orant, pro a…dititio & peregrino habeatur. And that Luke hath it not, will no more prove that it was not a part of the Lords Prayer, than all other omissions of one Evangelist will prove, that such words are Corruptions in the other that have them. All set together give us the Gospel fully; and from all we must gather it.
Sect. 4. Lords Prayer, often used.
Answ. [It is used but twice in the Morning, and twice in the Evening Service, and twice cannot be called often, much lesse so often.] For the Letany, Communion, Baptism, &c. they are Offices distinct from Morning and Evening Prayer, and it is not fit that any of them should want the Lords Prayer.] duplicate page duplicate page
Repl. We may better say we are required to use it six times every morning, than but twice: for it is twice in the Common Morning Prayer, and once in the Letany, and once in the Communion Service, and once at Baptism, (which in great Parishes is usually every day) and once to be used by the Preacher in the Pulpit: and if you call these distinct Offices, that maketh not the Lords Prayer the seldomer used: Sure we are the Apostles thought it fit, that many of their Prayers should be without the Lords Prayer.
Sect. 5. Gloria Patri.
Answ. [This Doxology being a solemn Confession of the blessed Trinity, should not be thought a burden to any Christian Lyturgy, especially being so short as it is: neither is the repetition of it, to be thought a vain repetition, more than [his mercy endureth for ever] so often repeated, Psal. 136. we cannot give God too much Glory, that being the end of our Creation, and should be the end of all our Services.]
Repl. Though we cannot give God too much Glory, we may too often repeat a form of words, wherein his Name and Glory is mentioned: There is great difference between a Psalm of Praise, and the praise in our ordinary prayers; more liberty of repetition may be taken in Psalms, and be an Ornament: And there's difference between that which is unusual (in one Psalm of 150) and that which is our daily course of Worship: When you have well proved that Christ's prohibition of battologie extendeth not to this (Matth. 6.) we shall acquiesce.
Sect. 6. Pag. 15. Rubr. 2.
Answ. [In such places where they do sing, &c.] The Rubr. directs only such singing, as is after the manner of distinct reading, and we never heard of any inconvenience thereby, and therefore conceive this demand to be needless.]
Repl. It tempteth men to think they should read in a singing tone, and to turn reading Scripture into singing, hath the inconveniences of turning the edifying simplicity and plainness of God's Service, into such affected unnatural strains and tones, as is used by the Mimical and Ludicrous; or such as feign themselves in Raptures: And the highest things (such as words and modes that signifie Raptures) are most loathsom, when forced, feigned and hypocritically affected; and therefore not fit for Congregations, that cannot be supposed to be in such Raptures. This we apply also to the sententious mode of Prayers.
Sect. 7. Benedicite.
Ans. [This Hymn was used all the Church over, Conc. Tolet. Can. 13. and therefore should be continued still, as well as Te Deum, (Ruffin. Apol. cont. Hieron.) or, Veni Creator, which they do not object against us as Apocriphal.]
Repl. You much discourage us in these great straits of time, to give us such loose and troublesom Citations; you turn us to Ruffin. Apol. in gross; and tell us not which of the Councils of Tollet, among at least 13. you mean. But we find the words in Council 4. but that Provincial Spanish Council, was no meet judge of the Affairs of the universal Church, unto the universal Church: nor is it certain by their words, whether [quem] refer not to [Deum] rather than to [Hymnum] but if you so regard that Council, remember that Can. 9. it is but once a day that the Lord's Prayer is injoyned, against them that used it, but on the Lord's day only; and that Can. 17. it is implyed, that it was said but once on that day. The Benedicite is somewhat more cautelously to be used, than humane Compositions, that profess to be but humane: when the Apocriphal Writings, are by the Papists pretended to be Canonical, and used so like the Canon in our Church, we have the more cause to desire, that a sufficient distinction be still made.