leration: The former affures us in the behalf of those whole Cause he pleads, that they do receive the Doctrine of Faith contained in the Articles of Religion, pag. 2. and again pag. 22. That they heartily embrace the English Reformation established by Law &c. and that they do affent to the Doctrine of Faith contained in the Articles of the Church of England, and worship God according to that Faith, pag. 22. The Peace-offering doth likewife bear witnefs for us of that great esteem which is bore unto the Articles of the Church of England in all the Reformed Churches abroad, and withal doth affure us in behalf of the Independents at home, that as to all which is purely doctrinal in them they do fully embrace and conftantly adhere to, &c. And accordingly he undertakes to profefs in the name of them all; We have no new Faith to declare, no new Doctrine to teach, no private Opinion to divulge, no Point or Truth do we profess, no not one which hath not been declared, taught, divulged and esteemed as the common Doctrine of the Church of

3

England

England, ever fince the Reformation,

pag. 13.

Thus far therefore our way is clear, that the Doctrine of the Church is found and efteemed to be fo in the Opinion of its greatest Adverfaries. In the next place therefore we are to confider, whether any reasonable Plea for Separation can be drawn from any just Exception which may be taken against the Liturgy; and here there are two forts of men to be confidered: First those who dislike all Forms of Prayer in general: Secondly, those who are only difgufted at fome particular things in ours.

As to those who are against all Forms of Prayer; I believe that the number of them, among confidering Perfons, is not fo great, as that any great regard ought to be had unto them; and this must needs be so, for a reafon which can never fail; For it cannot choose but feem strangely ab. furd and infinitely unbecoming the great distance which is between us and Almighty God, and that great awe which we ought to bear unto him; C

that

that all the Expreffions of the Publick Devotion of every Congregation in the whole Nation should be left to the arbitrary, and especially the extemporary conception of each fingle Perfon, who is bold enough to venture upon the taking fo much upon him. It were very ftrange if this Kingdom should at this day be ignorant, how very frequently Folly, Herefie, nay and Blafphemy, hath been uttered in fuch kind of Prayers; and it is utterly impoffible, that upon the indulgence of any fuch Liberty, fuch Extravagancies, can with any fecurity be provided against; And it is not unlikely that the greatest Pretenders to the highest Attainments in that way would be not a little out of Countenance; If fo be that their own Prayers were faithfully taken from their Mouths, and after fome reasonable space of time, when they might be fuppofed to have forgot them, prefented to their view. And that which renders' this evil utterly intolerable, is this, that thefePrayers which either really are cxtemporary

(or

elfe only pretended to be fo) are under that pretence recommended and regarded by the People as the only way of praying by the Spirit; and by that very means the ever bleffed Spirit is,as far as these mens endeavours can be fuccesful, entituled to all the Follies, Vanity, and Weakneffes, all the Sin and Errour, and even those very Blafphemies which are every day committed against him. And I think all good Chriftians are concerned to endeavour, that if a Liberty must be given to thefe Perfons to go on and to abuse the People, yet however that it may be done fome other way, and they not permitted to bely the Holy Ghoft.

As for Forms of Prayers, the great reasonableness and even neceffity of them is very apparent, and in Scripture it felf there are Examples enough to be produced; and if any man pleaseth to enter upon that Argument, I no way doubt but there will be those found who will debate it with him. It shall fuffice at present only to fay, that our Saviour Christ C 2 did

did compose a Form of Prayer, and gave it to his Difciples to ufe: Now if, as great numbers of the People are brought to believe, that there is no praying by the Spirit, besides praying Ex tempore, then no man ever did, or ever could say Christ's Prayer by the Spirit of Chrift.

Now, as to the other fort of Perfons who have some exceptions against fome expreffions in our Litur gy; thofe things have been fo fully examined,that of late we have heard very little of them: And the matter of it is all along fo clearly unexceptionable, and fo fitted for the common use of all Christians, that all controversial Expreffions were defignedly avoided: Infomuch that I do not know of any confiderable Sect amongst us which may not joyn with us in every expreffion in it,except the Socinians. Now here perhaps fome Jealousies may arise in the minds of men, that if there were not fome real exception against the Liturgy, then fo many good Teachers would not lay it afide; nay, and not only fo, but, as far as mens Intentions

can