Supplement to Why Nonconforming Ministers Judge it Sinful, Title page – To the reader
A Supplement TO A LITTLE BOOK, ENTITULED, A Reaſonable account why ſome pious Nonconforming Miniſters cannot judg it lawful for them to perform their Miniſterial Acts in publick ſolemn prayer, ordinarily, by the preſcribed Forms of others.
Wherein is examined whatſoever Mr. Falconer in his Book called, Libertas Eccleſiaſtica, and Mr. Pelling in a Book called, The Good old way, have ſaid to prove the ancient uſe of Forms of Prayers by Miniſters.
And it is proved, That neither of the two aforementioned Authors have ſaid any thing that proveth the general uſe, or impoſition of ſuch Forms of Prayer in any conſiderable part of the Church, till Pope Gregories time, which was ſix hundred years after Chriſt; nor in any Church ſince the Reformation, except that of England, and (which is uncertain) ſome in Saxony.
Multa videntur, & dicuntur quae non ſunt.
LONDON: Printed in the Year, 1680.
COURTEOUS READER,
ALthough where the queſtion is about the lawfulneſs or unlawneſs of any action, the pleading of Antiquity be a great impertinency; and if the Plea be true, it can riſe no higher than a preſumptive argument; and be ſo far from a demonſtration, that it is not a good Topick (for there is no preſcribing to error). So that nothing can incline the ſcale of Conſcience, in which every one is obliged to weigh every Propoſition relating to his practice, but his apprehenſion of the revealed will of God, either from the letter, or reaſon of Holy Writ; yet becauſe every one is not thus ſpiritually inſtructed, and it makes a great noiſe to hear men talking, That the Church in all ages, all the Fathers judged otherwiſe than theſe men; and if it were true in any caſe, it ought highly to oblige all Diſſenters again and again to examine thoſe arguments upon which they have founded their particular practical judgment. I (who know the world too well to believe all that I read in mens Books) have thought it reaſonable to examine what Mr. Falconer, and one Mr. Pelling, have ſaid to prove the pretended antiquity of forms of prayer as generally uſed, or required to be uſed by Miniſters in their publick Miniſtrations as to Prayer. I the rather did it, becauſe truly Mr. Falconer hath ſaid as much as hath been ſaid on that argument, or as that Cauſe will bear. The Reader will find Mr. Pelling hath added little but words. I muſt profeſs to my Reader, there appears to me no ſhadow or pretence of proof of the matter in queſtion, till Pope Gregory and Boniface's time, more than 600 years after Chriſt; nor do I believe any can be made to ſatisfie any inquiſitive man. I leave it to thee to judg, whether I have not given a reaſonable anſwer to any thing brought by theſe two, and ſhewed that they have made no proof that can ſatisfie the conſcience of any man of any reaſonable underſtanding, and thinks the thing is unlawful; if indeed it were a thing granted indifferent, theſe little flouriſhes might do ſomething; but the conſcience of a good man judging a thing unlawful, from grounds of Scripture and Reaſon, cannot be diſpoſſeſſed of that judgment by any thing but by Scripture and Reaſon: and though the general judgment of the Church might ſtumble him, if his opinion were contrary; yet that general judgment muſt be proved, not meerly talkt of, and plainly proved too, before it can have any operation at all. Now whether either of theſe Authors have done this, I leave thee to judg. The one of them is very confident, and can ſpeak nothing of this nature, in a lower ſtile than with queſtionleſs, doubtleſs, without all doubt. The other, though much more modeſt, yet poſſibly hath ſome freer and ſmarter expreſſions in his Pages on this Argument than in any other part of his Book. But my humour is always to ſuſpect a ſoft place in that part of any Book, where I meet with moſt confidence or paſſion. Reaſon is ſo beautiful and noble a thing, that it needeth not the ſervice of paſſion, or paint of confidence. It commends it ſelf to the next rational ſoul it meets with, without any ſuch black patch, or foot-boy at its heels. I will freely tell thee my opinion about forms of Prayer in publick Miniſtrations, not impoſing upon thee with any ſuch thing, as queſtionleſs, and without doubt. I do believe that forms of Prayer are very ancient; that is, that there were by ſome good and pious men forms of Prayer made, both for their own publick uſe, and for the private inſtruction of others, and teaching them to pray without forms. I do think that our Saviour Chriſt made the Lords-Prayer for the temporary uſe of his Diſciples, not ſo as to oblige them to uſe no other, or to uſe that Sillabically, but to pray for thoſe things either in thoſe words, or other words, and that they might for a time uſe that very form particularly until his Reſurrection and Aſcenſion, after which I believe they were obliged to a more particular mention of his ſacred name. I believe that forms of Prayer were much more in uſe before the pouring out of Gods Spirit in the days of Pentecoſt, than after; for although the effects of that effuſion of the Spirit were ſome of them peculiar to the Apoſtles (ſuch as ſpeaking with Tongues, Miracles, Healing, &c.) yet from that day to this I believe from Zach. 12. 10. there hath been a more full effuſion of the ſpirit of grace and ſupplication upon all, both Miniſters and people, than ever was before generally. Notwithſtanding which, in regard that until men come to believe, and be Chriſtians indeed, they have not the Spirit of God, and even then the Spirit of God works in them by the uſe of means, I do believe there were many forms of Prayer made by good men, teaching beginners in Chriſtianity how to pray, and what to pray for. I am not difficult to believe that many both Miniſters and people in thoſe days might make uſe of ſuch forms till their exerciſe in Scripture, and in the ways of God, rendred them as to them needleſs, and turned what were before helpers, into hinderances of Devotion. But I believe it cannot be proved that for more than 400 years after Chriſt, any one Church commanded her Miniſters generally to uſe ſuch, and no other, in any▪ part of their publick miniſtration; though poſſibly ſome particular men that had not the gift of Prayer, or at leaſt feared themſelves, or ſuſpected they had it not, might uſe ſome forms made before by themſelves or ſome others. Pope Gregory the Great (who is commonly call'd the worſt of all that went before him, though the beſt of all the Popes that followed him) I believe was the firſt that commanded the general uſe of forms of Prayer by Miniſters in their publick Miniſtrations. Platina ſaith thus of him, What ſhould I ſpeak more of this moſt holy man? for all the ordering of the Eccleſiaſtical Office, eſpecially the old one, was by him invented and approved.
Haec in Canonem redegit, ſaith Platina. There were ſome free forms up and down, and ſome particular orders in ſome Churches (none forced;) but he brought them into a Canon. Platina (who was a later Popes Secretary) ſaith, he came not to be Pope before 619.
Yet it plainly appears by Pope Gregories anſwer to Auguſtine the Monks queſtions which he ſent to him out of England, that he did not tye all to the uſe of his Miſſal. It pleaſeth me (ſaith he) that you ſollicitouſly make choice of what you find in the Church of Rome, or France, or any other Church, which may beſt pleaſe God, and infuſe it into the Engliſh Church, which is yet young in the faith, particularly inſtructing it in things which you can gather out of many Churches; for things are not to be loved for places, but places are to be loved for good things. I therefore out of ſeveral Churches pick out what things are pious, religious and right, and do you accuſtom your Engliſh mens minds to theſe things collected in a bundle.
Some years after, by ſucceeding Popes it was enforced; and by Charles the Great, about 800, if we may believe Durandus. The Popes were then at ſuch an heighth, as they could not expect that they and their Biſhops ſhould be quiet, if they had a Clergy conſiſting of men of parts and piety; they therefore ſuffered any ignorant ſottiſh perſons to fill the Miniſtry, who (ſo they might be gratified in their luſts and lazineſs) would fawn upon the Pope and the Biſhops of thoſe times, and humour their ſuperſtition, pride, and luxury, and grandeur, provided they would humour them in ſparing their luſts, and their pains; the latter of which was eminently done by enjoining all Miniſters to uſe the ſame Miſſal, and laying all Religion in the uſe of it, and making Preaching a rare and almoſt uſeleſs thing, or a Lecturing out of Aquinas and Scotus, and the Legend, and this was the whole trade till the Reformation 1516. Nor can I think this would have ſo generally been ſwallowed by people, but for another unhappy accident. About this time Latin was the common language of Italy, France, and Spain, and in that language their Divine ſervice was; but the Goths and Vandals; and other Barbarians, over-ran theſe Countrys, and poſſeſſed them for many years, which corrupted the Latin tongue, ſo that it was underſtood no where ordinarily, though the Italian, French and Spaniſh languages are manifeſt Dialects of it; but ſtill the Maſs-book was not altered. Thus came in the Latin ſervice, uſed in Popery till the Reformation, underſtood by very few of them that heard it. So the Papiſts worſhipped they knew not how; and being ignorant, were very tame.
The Reformation began in Germany 1517; in England not to ſpeak on, till Edward the Sixths time, 1547; and had a preſent interruption of five years, after it had been on foot ſeven years; then began ſomething more to purpoſe with Queen Elizabeth 1558; in France at Geneva it was ſooner 1535.
It is true, our firſt Reformers both in King Edw. 6. and in Q. Eliz. time, thought fit to compoſe a Liturgy, or rather to reform what was uſed in Popery, leaving out the idolatrous and highly ſuperſtitious part of the Maſs-book. Yea, they thought fit to command the univerſal uſe of it, under penalties, which may charitably be interpreted, to prevent a Popiſh Clergy, or a Clergy newly reform'd from Popery, uſing their old Mumpſimus. Nor indeed in that face of things was it reaſonable to expect that any number of Miniſters ſhould be able to pray as they ought in publick; and if they were not, they might for a time lawfully uſe forms. Yet whoſo will read the Book called, The troubles at Francfort, will find that even then all godly Miniſters and people did not judg it lawful; which much more appeared in the ſucceeding years of the Reigns of Queen Elizabeth, King James, and King Ch. I.
In the mean time it muſt be agreed, many both learned, godly, and worthy Miniſters did thus perform their Miniſterial acts in ſolemn publick prayer, and ſo do many now, which ſpeaks them to judg it lawful.
The Miniſters in Scotland, the Nonconformiſts in England, all thoſe in New-England judg otherwiſe; and we believe many hundreds that conform in England, think it juſt lawful, not eligible; only a thing may be ſubmitted to, rather than lay down their Miniſtry. If this be not as to matter of practiſe, the true ſtate of the caſe as to Forms of Prayer to be univerſally enjoined or uſed, I muſt confeſs I do not underſtand it, and ſhould gladly learn of thoſe that are wiſer. But let us now enquire what is ſaid by Mr. Falconer, or Mr. Pelling.