A Short View of the Prelatical Church of England 2, Chapter 6
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 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 foreign, 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 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. 2.17is 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; and we are to take notice that God will not be mocked. Gal. 6.7To 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 foreign,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.