Concerning the English Liturgy, Discourse · Section 8
SECT. VIII.
The removall of the Service-book, as before ſhewed, is neither Sacriledge, nor just cauſe of Scandall, as the Doctor ſuggesteth.
I Should have propounded ſome Conſiderations,Sect. 8. before they had determined,Dr H. though now I propound no Objections, after their determination: And my Conſiderations would have been ſpecially theſe, which you do intimate of Sacriledge and Scandall, for it could not but have ſeemed unto me Sacriledge, to rob God of his worſhip, and it could not but have ſeemed Scandalous, to rob him of that worſhip which he had once ſolemnly devoted to his Sanctuary.
The former part of your ſpeech ſeems ſo modeſt,Animadv. 7. that had you ſtill contained your ſpirit in ſuch moderation, as thoſe terms imply,*See Sect. 3. but you did not, the breaches betwixt us had never been ſo wide, nor ſo loud, as they have been, and as the ſequell will ſhew: for the preſent, to the Objection of ſacriledge and ſcandall, I ſhall ſay little now, having in expectation a fitter occaſion to ſpeak to them more fully: Now it may be enough to ſay, Firſt, Whereas you ſay, To take away the Service-book, is to rob God of his worſhip, which be had once ſolemnly devoted to his Sanctuary, may imply, either actively, that God himſelf devoted them to his Sanctuary, or paſſively, that they were devoted by others: the former I ſuppoſe you do not mean, though your words may bear ſuch a ſenſe; and for the latter, if you think that an outward particular form of worſhip ſo devoted, as that was, may not be taken away without Sacriledge, it is your errour, for Chriſt hath preſcribed no particular form of worſhip for his Church in the new Teſtament, as he did in the Old; if he had, all Chriſtian Churches ſhould have been bound to that, but ſince he hath therein left them free (except for the generall rule of decency and order, 1 Cor. 14. 40.) and the ſhort form of Prayer, commonly called the Lords Prayer, but is not a prayer, ſay ſome, but only a pattern duplicate page duplicate page of prayer (but the Directory of the Aſſembly ſaith it is both) they are at liberty to frame diverſity of forms (ſo they be conſonant to the ſound doctrine of the Scripture) and what they frame themſelves,…age 38. they may correct or change, take away the old, and ſubſtitute a new Form, as they conceive may be moſt convenient for the honour of God, and the furtherance of godlineſs. Secondly, To call the taking away of an humane form of Divine worſhip, Sacriledge, is …o reproach not only the preſent Reformation, but the precedent in the daies of King Edward, for then there was one form of Service at Saliſbury, another at Hereford, another at Bangor, another at York, another at Lincoln, butxSo in the Preface of King Edwards Service-book. p 2. Printed …n. 1549. King Edward aboliſht them all, and eſtabliſhed another form, which was to be the form of worſhip to the whole Realm. Thirdly, The Tranſlations of the Bible, and ſinging Pſalms turned into Meeter, were with the Service-book, devoted to the Service of God in his Sanctuary, ſo were the Books of Homilies; Was it ſacriledge inyKing James (upon exceptions taken at Tranſlators of Scriptures in the Service, out of the corrupt Editions of the Engliſh Bible, publiſhed in the reign of, Hen. 8. and Edward. the 6.) ſaid he could never yet ſee a Bible well tranſlated in Engliſh, but the worſt of all his Majeſty thought the Geneva to be: So Dr Barl. then D…an of Cheſter, in his relation of the Conference at Hampton Court, p. 47. he had a ſpleen againſt the Genev for their Government ſake, as Presbyteriall and not Epiſcopall: this Bib…e, for ſome Notes, which he ſaid were very partiall, untrue, ſeditious and ſavouring too much of dangerous and traiterous con…eipts, he diſallowed, Ibid. But an unprejudiced Reader will finde no ſuch matter in them; howſoever, for the diſgrace of both, a new Tranſlation muſt be made (and ſo it was) that they might be ſhut out of the Church, both the Geneva Tranſlation and the Annotations upon it. King James to take away all precedent Tranſlations, the Geneva eſpecially, which was moſt in uſe before ſince his coming to the Crown of England, and had been Printed above 30 times by Queen Elizab. and his priviledged Printers Chriſtopher and Robert Barker, and making a new one to put the old out of uſe and office; or was it Sacriledge in King Charles to caſhire the old Pſalm-book, made partly byzBalaei Cent 9. Vol. 1. p. 728. Thomas Sternhold, Groom of King Edw. the 6th his Bed-chamber, and the reſt, by men of the ſame relation and Religion, by authorizing his Fathers Edition of the ſinging Pſalmes to be publiſhed in the Churches of his Dominion.
Or were you guilty of Sacriledge, when you left off the HomiliesaWhere there are a multitude of Sermons, there he would have Homilies read divers times. Confer. at Hampt. Court. p. 57. which King James would have allowed, not only as Sermons deputies, but as their fellows in joynt Commiſſion with them?
Obj. But you will ſay, Change is no robbery, to take away a ſilver Chalice from the Communion Table, and to put a golden one in its place, or to bring a more perfect Tranſlation of the Bible (for one leſs perfect) a more exact Pſalm book, then that which hath been formed in ruder times, and to preach a Sermon, in ſtead of reading an Homilie is no Sacriledge, but Religious Beneficence, but the new Reformation hath taken away the old Service, and hath not ſet up a new one, nor any other in the room thereof.
Sol. There hath been done ſo much in effect in the Directory, that there will be no defect in the publique worſhip, if the Miniſter be but competently qualified, both for praying and preaching, as he ſhould be; for by following the direction there given, he may as well make his own Prayer, as his own Sermon, eſpecially if he give himſelf to both (as the Apoſtles did) Act. 6. 4. and make uſe of ſuchbAmong divers others, the moſt copious, perſpicuous, and the moſt exact for matter and method yet extant that I have ſeen, is Dr. Wilk. Warden of Wadd Col. in Oxford his Book. helps, as God hath been pleaſed to furniſh this age withall, above many of the former; and I doubt not but as at the firſt ſetting up of the Engliſh Liturgy, there was neceſſity to make uſe of many illiterate, yet well meaning upright-hearted Proteſtants to take the cure of many Pariſh Churches, for want of a competent ſupply of Learned-men, ascCambd. Hiſt. Eliz. l. 1. An. 1550. p. 30. Cambden obſerveth in his Hiſt. of Qu. Eliz. and in the Preface of the Homilies of the firſt Edition (to my beſt remembrance, for I have not the Book by me) it is ſaid, There was ſcarce to be found, for every County, a well qualified Preacher, who without a Praier book, and an Homil…e, could not pray to God for, nor Preach from God to the people: But now there will be, by Gods bleſſing on means and helps (more then heretofore) a ſociableneſs of proficiency, both for Praying and Preaching, ſo that Miniſters ſhall have no more need to have their Praiers made for them, than their Sermons; and why ſhould they not be able to make their own words in the reading Pew, as well as in the Pulpit; or why (as the manner of ſome is) may not all be done in one place.
For your ſecond exception of Scandall, you know the uſuall diſtinction of Scandalum datum & acceptum, he that gives the Scandall is the offender, that is, he that doth any thing he ſhuld not do, whereby another may juſtly be offended, but he that takes offence at a warrantable act, not he that acteth warrantably, is the offender: No doubt when Hezekiah brake the brazen Serpent, thoſe who did ſo Idolize i…, as to burn Incenſe to it, were offended with his ſeverity in breaking it, but that was their fault, not his, whoſe purpoſe was by that Reformation to remove a great occaſion of Scandall from the eyes of the people, and that was their meaning who laid aſide the Service-book, at which many godly perſons took offence, becauſe it was,
1. So conformable to the Popiſh Maſs-book, as*See Sect. 4. before hath been obſerved, whereof I can make more particular proof, and haply ſhall do in time convenient.
2. Becauſe the Scriptures brought into it were taken out of corrupt Tranſlations, even ſince there was a better ſet forth by King James his procurement.
3. Becauſe Apocryphall writings were preſcribed to be read, and much of the Canonicall Scripture left out.
4. Becauſe there were many particulars in it very liable to ſuſpicion of an erroneous ſenſe.
5. Becauſe by it many of the beſt Chriſtians, who durſt not uſe the geſture of kneeling at the Sacrament, were excluded from the Sacrament, all which gave great occaſion to the ſchiſm of the Browniſts.
6. Becauſe it was ſo ſtrictly urged,
1. That by the 14 Canon it might not be lawfull for a Miniſter to omit any part of it, though beſides his Preaching, he had both Sacraments to be adminiſtred, and Catechiſm to be performed.
2. Miniſters were enjoyned to make it their Diurnall of Devotion, when Dr Eaſdall Chancellour of York, Dr Couſens and Dr Wickam were Viſitors at Cheſt. for Archbiſhop Neale, they required the reading of the Service book every day, and when it was objected the people would not come to partake with the Miniſters; What of that, ſaid Dr Couſens to him that made the objection, do you come and do your duty; There be rivers in the wilderneſs where no man dwels, alledging Pſalm 104. 10. but he forgat the following verſe, They give drink to the beaſt of the field, the wilde Aſſes quench their thirſt.
7. Becauſe divers godly and learned Miniſters, who ſcrupled ſubſcription and conformity to the Service-book (not without apparent reaſon) were in the year 1605, to thedThe Survey of the Book of Common-Prayer, p. 161. number of 277, called in queſtion about it, 260 were under cenſure, ſome of Admonition, ſome of Suſpenſion, ſome of Deprivation.
And it was matter of Scandall to the weak and wicked, as the brazen Serpent was; for as the Jews did by that, ſo do moſt ignorant and prophane people do by this, Idolizing it ſo much▪ that they preferre a piece of Service-book at the grave, before Preaching of a Sermon in the Pulpit: I ſpeak what I know by experience of ſome, who were ſo much offended at my refuſall of the one, that they would not give me thanks for my pains in the other, and ſome are conſtant recu…ants from their Pariſh-Church, though they dwell very near it, becauſe I am not conſtant to a ſet form of prayer, particularly to that of the Service-book.
I will conclude mine Anſwer to this Objection, with the concluſion of a debate betwixt Dr Edw. Maynw. the laſt Chancellour of Cheſter, and my ſelf (as I have obſerved in my Latine Anſwer to your Latine Letter) which we had many years before the beginning of the laſt Parliament, which was this, I having ſhewed him what offence was given and taken by urging of the Service-book, ſuch as it was, and how little appearance of juſt cauſe of exception there would be, if it were laid aſide, he confeſſed at laſt and ſaid, We ſhall never have peace and true charity in the Church, untill it be taken away.