66 67 Mela enjoins, "7 that " fuch prayers fhould be used by all, Introduct. "as were approved of in the council, and that none "fhould be laid in the church, but fuch as had been approved of by the more prudent fort of perfons in a fy"nod:" which is another as plain impofition of a precompofed Liturgy as words can exprefs, even upon the clergy. But though neither clergy nor laity had been thus obliged, yet one would think that the practice of all the ancient Jews, our bleffed Saviour himself, his Apostles, and the whole Chriftian world, for almoft fifteen hundred years together, fhould be a fufficient precedent for us to follow ftill. We may be fure, that had they not known the joint ufe of Liturgies to have been the best way of worthipping God, they would never have practifed it: but fince they did practise it, we ought in modesty to allow their concurrent judgments to be too great to be withstood by any perfon or fociety of men; and confequently that their practice warrants the impofition of a precompofed Liturgy. And if of a precompofed Liturgy, it does for the fame reason warrant the impofition of a national precompofed Liturgy for it appears, from what has been faid upon my fecond head, that the precompofed Liturgies of both Jews and Chriftians were fuch as the refpective congregations were accustomed to, and thoroughly acquainted with; and therefore their practice warrants the impofition of fuch a precompofed Liturgy, and confequently of a national precompofed Liturgy. For upon fuppofition that it is expedient for the congregations to be accuftomed to, and thoroughly acquainted with, the Liturgies which they join in the ufe of; it is plain that a whole nation may as well have the fame Liturgy, as each congregation may have a diftinct one. And the clergy of a whole nation may as well refolve in a fynod, or require by a canon made to that purpose, that the fame Liturgy fhall be used in every part of the nation, as leave it to the liberty of every particular bifhop or minifter to choose one for his own diocefe or congregation. Nor is fuch an impofition of a national precompofed Liturgy any greater, grievance to the laity, than if each paftor impofed his own precompofed Liturgy or prayer conceived extempore on his refpective flock; becaufe every precompofed Liturgy or extempore prayer is as much impofed, and lays as great a reftraint upon the laity, as the impofition 67 As before quoted in notes 60, 63. p. 15, 16, Introduct. of a national Liturgy. Nor, again, is the Synod's impofing a national Liturgy any grievance to the clergy; fince it is done either by their proper governors alone, or elfe (especially according to our English conftitution) by their proper governors, joined with their own reprefentatives. So that fuch impofition, being either what they are bound to comply with in point of obedience, or else an act of their own choice, cannot for that reafon be any hardship upon them. Liturgy Since therefore (to draw to a conclufion) this impofition of a national precompofed Liturgy is warranted by the conftant practice of all the ancient Jews, our Saviour himfelf, his Apoftles, and the primitive Chriftians; and fince it is a grievance to neither clergy nor laity, but appears quite, on the other hand, as well from their concurrent teftimonies, as by our own experience, to be fo highly expedient, as that there can be no decent or uniform performance of God's worship without it; our adverfaries themselves must allow it to be neceffary. And if fo, they can no longer juftify their feparation from the Church of England, upon account of its impofing The Book of Common Prayer, &c. as a national precompofed Liturgy; unless they can fhew, that though national precompofed Liturgies in general may be lawful; yet there are fome things prescribed in that of the Church of England, which render it unlawful to be complied with which that they cannot do, is, I hope, (though only occafionally, yet) fufficiently fhewn in the following illuftration of it. From which I fhall now detain the reader no longer than to give him some small account of the original of The Book of Common Prayer, and of thofe alterations which were afterwards made in it, before it was brought to that perfection in which we now have it. And this I choose to do here, because I know not where more properly to infert such an account. An APPENDIX to the INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE, concerning the Original of THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, and the Jeveral Alterations which were after wards made in it. How the BEFORE the Reformation, the Liturgy was only in ftood before Latin, being a collection of prayers made up partly of the Reform- fome ancient forms ufed in the primitive church, and ation. partly to Introduct partly of fome others of a later original, accommodated Appendix to the fuperftitions which had by various means crept by degrees into the church of Rome, and from thence derived to other churches in communion with it; like what we may fee in the prefent Roman Breviary and Miffal. And thefe being established by the laws of the land, and the canons of the church, no other could publicly be made use of fo that those of the laity, who had not the advantage of a learned education, could not join_with them, or be any otherwife edified by them. And befides, they being mixed with addreffes to the Saints, adoration of the Hoft, Images, &c. a great part of the worfhip was in itself idolatrous and profane. done in re VIII's But when the nation in King Henry VIII's time was What was difpofed to a reformation, it was thought neceffary to lation to correct and amend thefe offices; and not only have the Liturgical fervice of the church in the English or vulgar tongue, matters in (that men might pray, not with the spirit only, but with the King Henry understanding alfo; and that he, who occupied the room of time. the unlearned, might understand that unto which he was to fay Amen; agreeable to the precept of St. Paul 65;) but allo to abolish and take away all that was idolatrous and fuperftitious, in order to restore the fervice of the church to its primitive purity. For it was not the defign of our Reformers (nor indeed ought it to have been) to introduce a new form of worship into the church, but to correct and amend the old one; and to purge it from those grofs corruptions which had gradually crept into it, and fo to render the divine fervice more agreeable to the Scriptures, and to the doctrine and practice of the primitive church in the best and pureft ages of Christianity. In which reformation they proceeded gradually, according as they were able. And firft, the 69 Convocation appointed a committee A. D. 1537, to compofe a book, which was called, The godly and pious inftitution of a chriften man; containing a declaration of the Lord's prayer, the Ave Maria, the Creed, the Ten Commandments, and the Seven Sacraments, &c. which book was again published A. D. 1540, and 1543, with corrections and alterations, under the title of A neceffary doctrine and erudition for any 68 1 Cor. xiv. 15, 16. 69 For what relates to the authority of the Convocation, in this and the two following paragraphs, fee Bishop Atterbury's Rights of an C 4 English Convocation, 2d edit. from 70 Strype's Memorials of Arch. chriften to Appendix chriften man: and, as it is expreffed in that preface, was fet furthe by the King, with the advyfe of his Clergy; the Introduct. Lordes bothe fpirituall and temporall, with the nether house of Parliament, having both fene and lyked it very well. The Book of Com in the reign of King Edward VI. Alfo in the year 1540, a committee of Bifhops and Divines was appointed by King Henry VIII. at the petition of the Convocation) to reform the rituals and offices of the church. And what was done by this committee for reforming the offices was re-confidered by the Convocation itself two or three years afterwards, viz. in February 1542-3. And in the next year the King and his Clergy ordered the prayers for proceffions, and litanies, to be put into English, and to be publicly used. And finally, in the year 1545, the King's Primer came forth, wherein were contained, amongst other things, the Lord's Prayer, Creed, Ten Commandments, Venite, Te Deum, and other Hymns and Collects in English; and feveral of them in the fame verfion in which we now use them. And this is all that appears to have been done in relation to liturgical matters in the reign of King Henry VIII. In the year 1547, the firft of King Edward VI. December the fecond, the " Convocation declared the opinion, mon-Prayer nullo reclamante, that the Communion ought to be adcompiled miniftered to all perfons under both kinds. Whereupon an Act of Parliament was made, ordering the Communion to be fo administered. And then a committee of Bishops, and other learned Divines, was appointed to compofe an uniform order of Communion, according to the rules of Scripture, and the ufe of the primitive Church. In order to this, the committee repaired to Windfor castle, and in that retirement, within a few days, drew up that form which is printed in Bishop Sparrow's collection "2. And this being immediately brought into use the next year, the fame perfons being impowered by a new commiffion, prepare themselves to enter upon a yet nobler work; and in a few months time finifhed the whole Liturgy, by drawing up public offices not only for Sundays and Holidays, but for Baptifm, Confirmation, Matrimony, Burial of the Dead, and other fpecial occafions; in which the forementioned office for the holy Communion was inferted, with many alterations and amendments. And the whole book being fo framed, was fet 71 See Strype's Memorials of Arch- 72 Page 17. bishop Cranmer, p. 157, 158, forth forth by the common agreement and full affent both of the Appendix were, 1. Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury; who was the chief promoter of our excellent Reformation; and had a principal hand, not only in compiling the Liturgy, but in all the steps made towards it. He died a martyr to the religion of the Reformation, which principally by his means had been established in the church of England; being burnt at Oxford in the reign of Queen Mary, March 21, 1556. 2. Thomas Goodrich, Bishop of Ely. 3. Henry Holbech, alias Randes, Bishop of Lincoln. 4. George Day, Bishop of Chichefter. 5. John Skip, Bifhop of Hereford. 6. Thomas Thirlby, Bishop of Westminster. 7. Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of Rochester, and afterwards of London. He was efteemed the ableft man of all that advanced the Reformation, for piety, learning, and folidity of judgment. He died a martyr in Queen Mary's reign, being burnt at Oxford, October 16, 1555. 8. Dr. William May, Dean of St. Paul's, London, and afterwards alfo Master of Queen's College in Cambridge. 9. Dr. John Taylor, Dean, afterwards Bishop of Lincoln. He was deprived in the beginning of Queen Mary's reign, and died foon after. 10. Dr. Simon Heynes, Dean of Exeter. 11. Dr. John Redmayne, Master of Trinity College in Cambridge, and Prebendary of Westminster.' 12. Dr. Richard Cox, Dean of Chrift-Church in Oxford, Almoner and Privy-Counfellor to King Edward VI. He was deprived of all his preferments in Queen Mary's reign, and fled to Frankfort; from whence returning in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, he was confecrated Bishop of Ely. Introduct. Act of 13. Mr. Thomas Robertfon, Archdeacon of Leicester. Thus was our excellent Liturgy compiled by Martyrs And conand Confeffors, together with divers other learned Bi- firmed by shops and Divines; and being revised and approved by parliament. the Archbishops, Bifhops, and Clergy of both the provinces of Canterbury and York, was then confirmed by the King and the three Eftates in Parliament, A. D. 15483, who gave it this juft encomium, viz. which at 73 Second and third of Edward VI. chap. i. |