Concerning the English Liturgy, Letter 1 – Discourse
My first Letter to Dr H. concerning his immoderate zeal for the Service-Book, laid aſide by the Parliament.
SIR,
YOu have (oft in my hearing) expreſt your ſelf a Seraphicall zealot for the Service-book, and ſometimes (eſpecially at our laſt meeting Tueſday evening, Feb. 26.) profeſt your ſelf a reſolute Champion for it, and a ſtout Antagoniſt againſt the Aſſembly of Divines at Weſtminſter for adviſing the Parliament to put it out of Office in the ſolemn adminiſtration of Divine duties; in whoſe defence if I had not been your Johannes ad oppoſitum, I had by my ſilence betraied the truth and truſt repoſed in me, though then I lacked leaſure (being to make preparation for the Faſt on Tueſday following) to draw out the debate towards a deſirable iſſue.
That buſineſs now over, my thoughts have returned to the Theme (which then we had in hand) and called to minde our light velitation about it, and induced me to deſire that (paſſing by the eruptions of your paſſion) I may fix upon ſomewhat which you will own (as the dictate of your Reaſon) in the difference betwixt us.
You then touched upon two Heads, which ſeemed to me to be your ſumma genera, under which you intimated many ſubordinate and particular Arguments, thoſe two were Sacriledge and Scandall, in Excommunicating that Book from the ſervice of the Sanctuary, which you took upon you to prove, and that rather in Latine then in Engliſh, as if you were loth to let the common people know, either the weakneſs of their judgements, or the wickedneſs of their hearts, who have ſo much oppoſed that excellent piece (as you take it) of publick Devotion: And yet I cannot but think, by what I have heard from your mouth at firſt, and from others (at the ſecond hand) that you endeavour (all you can) to ingratiate your ſelf and your Miniſtry with the people, eſpecially of Br. and to expoſe me and mine to miſ-conceipt and contempt by your Religious obſervation of it, and my ſacrilegious (as you would have it thought) averſion from it.
For which cauſe, I thought it my part ſo farre to appear in a way of Juſtification of the Parliament, the Aſſembly and my ſelf, as to tell you, that if you would (in writing) either make an Apology for that Liturgy, as no way faulty, and alway neceſſary to be continued in the Church of England, or an Antilogy againſt all conceived prayer without a ſet form (which I took to be your Tenet when I laſt talked with you) I would return you a modeſt and ingenuous anſwer (under my hand) in the ſame language you pleaſed to uſe, whether Latine or Engliſh, and whereas you pretended ſome peril (in that undertaking) by oppoſing the Parliament; I propoſed unto you a ſecure courſe for your ſelf, by confining your conteſtation perſonally to me, and ſetting down your exceptions (whether with your name or without it) rather as an inquiſitive Sceptick, then as a definitive Dogmatiſt, which now I intreat you to do, and if therein I may prevail with you, you may perhaps take me off mine intendment for a publick vindication of my ſubmiſſion to Authority in the diſ-uſe of that form of Prayer, or may occaſion a more full ſatisfaction in performance thereof; for either of which I ſhall remain,
Your reſpective and thankefull friend, JOHN LEY. Friday March 1. 1649.
Dr H. his Anſwer to my firſt Letter.
Sir,
VVHiles I was reading yours to me, to ſee if it required an Anſwer, your meſſenger went away, or elſe I had ſent my reſpects to you preſently, though not my Anſwer till another time: I ſay then, that the Title of Seraphicall belongs to thoſe new Bonaventures, who took upon them to caſtigate all other Churches, as he doth the Greek (in lib. 1. ſent. diſt. 11.) and with leſs Reaſon, though with greater Inſolency; but a zealot I am, and deſire to be for that publick worſhip of God, which I conceive most for his glory, and for his peoples good: And truly Sir, ſuch was that of our Service-Book, once thought to be (by the conſent of our ſelves and all other Proteſtants) ſo that in our late Diſcourſe I might very well ſay, It would very much have troubled my conſcience (as it hath ſince troubled the Church) to have been an inſtrument of caſting that away (as a menſtrous cloth) which was for many years the Church of Englands chiefeſt Robe, both for Ornament among the Reformed, and for Diſtinction againſt the unreformed Churches: And if any Divines of the Church of England ever gave their advice for its opprobrious ejection, they muſt ſhew a good reaſon, why they altered their own judgement, before they may hope to have any powerfull influence upon mine: If I had (in the uſe of that form) ſerved God without my conſcience, I had been an hypocrite; and how can I then now ſcorn and revile it againſt my conſcience, and not be an Apoſtate. To lay it aſide is one thing, to revile it another: That a godly Hezekiah may do, if he think it a Nahuſhtan, but this befits only a Rabſhekah: That may be out of obedience, this only out of peeviſhneſs, or ſome worſe principles. Surely Sir, I muſt needs ſtill ſay (but now it is too late to ſay it, ſave only to your ſelf) that had I been of the Aſſembly, I ſhould have ſhewed ſo much constancy to my ſelf, as not to have eaſily changed my judgement, and ſo much ingenuity towards others, as not to have ſubdolouſly concealed it: I ſhould have propounded ſome conſiderations before they had determined, though now I propound no Objections after their determination: And my Conſiderations would have been ſpecially thoſe (which you do intimate) of Sacriledge and Scandall, for it could not but have ſeemed to me ſacrilegious, to rob God of his worſhip, and it could not but have ſeemed ſcandalous to r…b him of that worſhip which he had once ſolemnly devoted to his Sanctuary, and as ſolemnly practiſed in it.
Theſe I might ſay would then have been my Conſiderations, but I do not ſay they are now my Objections, yet happily they may be ſo to your ſelf in private hereafter, if you will faithfully promiſe me firſt your privacy, then your ſatisfaction, I ſhall then follow your advice, and propound only my doubts depending upon you only for their ſolutions, whereby you ſhall have this priviledge over me, to make me your ſervant, if not your convert, and I ſhall have this priviledge over my ſelf, to ſee my errours ill maintained if not amended; I ſhall likewiſe deſire to have no gall in my ink, and I hope to finde none in yours; yet muſt crave leave to ſay, That your making me a candidate of the peoples applauſe (by endeavouring to expoſe you and your performances to their diſlike) ſavours of too much bitterneſs, if you do not believe, and of too much credulity, if you do, for which cauſe I ſhall not deſire any ſuch enterchange of Letters, whiles you are among thoſe who have ſworn themſelves into an antipathy againſt me, or I among them who ſeem to have a ſympathy with my Religion: for the firſt may increaſe more jealouſies in you, the later may raiſe more imputations on me: But after my removall out of the County (which at this inſtant takes up much of my thoughts and time) I ſhall be glad I may have free approach to ſuch an oracle as your ſelf, and will not want good advice for want of asking it: Only firſt let temporall intereſts be fully ſetled betwixt us, then our ſpirituall velitations (for I will not call them differences) will begin with the greater freedom continue with the leſſer prejudice and conclude with the leaſt inconvenience; which muſt be a ſpecial proviſo and care of,
SIR, Your humble ſervant, E. H.