"Who

denegare, quorum victoriam prædicamus? shall dare to violate this priestly book, which so many confessors have consigned, and so many martyrs have hallowed with their blood How shall we call them martyrs, if we deny their faith? how shall we celebrate their victory, if we dislike their cause?" If we believe them to be crowned, why shall we deny but that they strove lawfully?" So that if they, dying in attestation of this book, were martyrs, why do we condemn the book for which they died? If we will not call them martyrs, it is clear we have changed our religion since then.

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An order or directory of devotion, that hath all these ingredients and capacities, and such a one there is in the world, I suppose is no equal match to contest with and be put in balance against the liturgy of the church of England; which was with so great deliberation compiled out of scriptures, the most of it; all the rest agreeing with scriptures, and drawn from the liturgies of the ancient church, and made by men famous in their generations, whose reputation and glory of martyrdom hath made it immodest for the best of men now to compare themselves with them; and after its composition, considered by advices from abroad, and so trimmed and adorned that no excrescency did remain ; the rubrics of which book was writ in the blood of many of the compilers; which hath had a testimony from God's blessing in the daily use of it, accompanying it with the peace of an age; established and confirmed by six acts of parliament directly and collaterally; and is of so admirable a composure, that the most industrious wits of its enemies could never find out an objection of value enough to make a doubt, or scarce a scruple, in a wise spirit. But that I shall not need to set a night-piece by so excellent a beauty, to set it off the better,-its own excellencies are orators prevalent enough, that it shall not need any advantages accidental.

And yet this excellent book hath had the fate to be cut in pieces with a pen-knife, and thrown into the

fire, but it is not consumed; at first it was sown in tears, and is now watered with tears, yet never was any holy thing drowned and extinguished with tears. It began with the martyrdom of the compilers, and the church hath been vexed ever since by angry spirits, and she was forced to defend it with much trouble and unquietness; but it is to be hoped that all these storms are sent but to increase the zeal and confidence of the pious sons of the church of England. Indeed, the greatest danger that ever the common prayer-book had, was the indifferency and indevotion of them that used it but as a common blessing; and they who thought it fit for the meanest of the clergy to read prayers, and for themselves only to preach,-though they might innocently intend it, yet did not, in that action, consult the honour of our liturgy, except where charity or necessity did interpose. But when excellent things go away, and then look back upon us, as our blessed Saviour did upon St. Peter, we are more moved than by the nearer embraces of a full and an actual possession. pray God it may prove so in our case, and that we may not be too willing to be discouraged; at least, that we may not cease to love and to desire what is not publicly permitted to our practice and profession.

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In the mean time, I shall set down those grounds of religion and reason upon which public liturgy relies, and by the strength of which it is to be justified, against all opposition and pretences.

1. The church hath a power given to her by the spirit of God, and a command to describe public forms of liturgy. For I consider that the church is a family, Jesus Christ is the master of the family, the Holy Spirit is the great dispensator of all such graces the family needs, and are, in order to the performance of their duty; the apostles and their successors, the rulers of the church, are "stewards of the manifold graces of God," whose office is to provide every man's portion, and to dispense the graces and issues evangelical, by way of ministry. "Who is that faithful and wise

steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler of his household?" It was our blessed Saviour's question, and St. Paul answered it: "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God." Now the greatest ministry of the gospel is by way of prayer, most of the graces of the spirit being obtained by prayer, and such offices which operate by way of impetration, and benediction, and consecration, which are but the several instances of prayer; prayer, certainly, is the most effectual and mysterious ministry; and, therefore, since the Holy Ghost hath made the rulers of the church "stewards of the mysteries," they are, by virtue of their stewardship, presidents of prayer and public offices.

2. Which also is certain, because the priest is to stand between God and the people, and to represent all their needs to the throne of grace: "He is a prophet and shall pray for thee," said God, concerning Abraham, to Abimelech. And, therefore, the apostles appointed inferior officers in the church, that they might not be hindered in their great work; "but we will give ourselves to the word of God and to prayer;" and, therefore, in our greatest need, in our sickness and last scene of our lives, we are directed to "send for the elders of the church, that they may pray over us;" and God hath promised to hear them: and if prayer be of any concernment towards the final condition of our souls, certainly it is to be ordered, guided, and disposed, by them who "watch for our souls," we λóyov ἀποδώσοντες, as they that must give account to God for them."

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3. Now, if the rulers of the church are presidents of the rites of religion, and, by consequence, of prayer, either they are to order public prayers, or private. For private, I suppose, most men will be so desirous of their liberty, as to preserve that in private, where they have no concernments but their own, for the matter of order or scandal: but for public, if there be any such thing as government, and that prayers may be spoiled by disorder, or made ineffectual by confusion, or, by any accident, may become occasion of a scandal, it is certain

that they must be ordered as all other things are in which the public is certainly concerned, that is, by the rulers of the church, who are answerable if there be any miscarriage in the public. Thus far, I suppose, there will not be much question with those who allow set forms, but would have themselves be the composers; they would have the ministers pray for the people, but the ministers shall not be prescribed to; the rulers of the church shall be the presidents of religious rites, but then they will be the rulers; therefore, we must proceed further; and because I will not now enter into the question, who are left by Christ to govern his church, I will proceed upon such grounds which I hope, may be sufficient to determine this question, and yet decline the other. Therefore,

Since the Spirit of God is the Spirit of supplication, they to whom the greatest portion of the Spirit is promised, are most competent persons to pray for the people, and to prescribe forms of prayer. But the promise of the spirit is made to the church in general, to her in her united capacity, to the whole church first, then to particular churches, then in the lowest seat of the category to single persons; and we have title to the promises by being members of the church, and in the communion of saints; which, beside the stylus curiæ, the form of all the great promises, being in general and comprehensive terms, appears in this, that when any single person is out of this communion, he hath also no title to the promises; which yet he might if he had any upon his own stock, not derivative from the church. Now then I infer, if any single persons will have us to believe, without possibility of proof, for so it must be, that they pray with the spirit, for how shall they be able to prove the spirit actually to abide in those single persons? then much rather must we believe it of the church, which, by how much the more general it is, so much the more of the spirit she is likely to have; and then, if there be no errors in the matter, the church hath the advantage and probability on her side; and if there be an error in matter in either of them, neither of them have the spirit, or they make not the true use

of it. But the public spirit, in all reason, is to be trusted before the private, when there is a contestation, the church being prior et potior in promissis, she hath a greater and a prior title to the spirit. And why the church hath not the spirit of prayer in her compositions as well as any of her children, I desire, once for all, to be satisfied upon true grounds, either of reason or revelation. And if she have, whether she have not as much as any single person? If she have but as much, then there is as much reason in respect of the divine assistance, that the church should make the forms, as that any single minister should, and more reason in respect of order and public influence, and care, and charge of souls: but if she have a greater portion of the spirit than a single person, that is, if the whole be greater than the part, or the public better than the private, then it is evident that the spirit of the church, in respect of the divine assistance, is chiefly, and in respect of order, is only to be relied upon for public provisions and forms of prayer.

But now if the church, in her united capacity, makes prayers for the people, they cannot be supposed to be other than limited and determined forms; for it is not practicable, or, indeed, imaginable, that a synod of church governors, be they who they will, so they be of Christ's appointment, should meet in every church, and pray as every man list; their counsels are united and their results are conclusions and final determinations, which, like general propositions, are applicable to particular instances; so that, first, since the spirit be the great dictator of holy prayers; and secondly, the spirit is promised to the church in her united capacity; and thirdly, in proportion to the assembled, cæteris paribus, so are measures of the spirit poured out; and fourthly, when the church is assembled, the prayers which they teach the people are limited and prescribed forms; it follows, that limited and prescribed forms are, in all reason, emanations from the greatest portion of the spirit, warranted by special promises, which are made to every man there present, that does his duty as a private member of the christian church, and are due to

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