So if it could be proved that Christ had made a form for the churches and believers always when they pray, then the offering up of any other prayers, 1made by others or of our own devising, would seem to be as unlawful as the offering of strange incense, Exod. 30. 9. Where it is implied, that seeing God hath determined no certain form, therefore forms devised by men are not necessary, but lawful. In the same manner they may be answered from their own grounds; That seeing God hath sanctified and set apart the canonical scriptures, given by immediate Divine inspiration, to be the sole and perfect rule of faith and manners, therefore the scripture alone must be read and acknowledged as the sole ground of heavenly instruction: But seeing he hath determined no certain form of prayer or sermons, professions of faith, or thanksgiving, therefore either none at all must be made, or forms devised by men are lawful to be heard in the congregation; yet not as immediate and undoubted grounds of faith, (for that is proper to the scripture) but as instructions and exhortations builded upon, or petitions framed according to the scripture, as present occasion doth require. In sermons who doth ⟨p. 116⟩not put a difference betwixt the text whereupon the discourse, instructions, exhortations, rebukes & comforts be grounded & deduced, & the exhortations, rebukes & comforts which are propounded in method & phrase of speech devised by men? The first is & ought to be canonical scripture; the other not so. But it would argue great ignorance, if not perverseness, if a man should cavil in this manner against the preaching of the word, That the scriptures alone are to be read in the congregation, therefore the minister of the Gospel must simply read the scripture, but never give the meaning, 2nor make application. In the Primitive church sundry councils have forbidden the reading of any books as parts of Divine worship but canonical scripture only of the Old and New Testament: 3but no council ever condemned the use of a stinted Liturgy.4 Those churches which forbade the reading of any books which be without the canon,5 did first receive a stinted form of prayer: and the councils themselves take order touching the reading of the scripture, and the singing of psalms, and other things which pertain to a stinted Liturgy.6
So if it could be proved that Christ had made a form for the churches and believers alwayes when they pray, then the offering up of any other prayers, 1made by others or of our own devising, would seem to be as unlawfull as the offering of strange incense, Exod. 30. 9. Where it is implyed, that seeing God hath determined no certain form, therefore forms devised by men are not necessary, but lawfull. In the same manner they may be answered from their own grounds; That seeing God hath sanctified and set apart the canonicall scriptures, given by immediate Divine inspiration, to be the sole and perfect rule of faith and manners, therefore the scripture alone must be read and acknowledged as the sole ground of heavenly instruction: But seeing he hath determined no certain form of prayer or sermons, professions of faith, or thanksgiving, therefore either none at all must be made, or forms devised by men are lawfull to be heard in the congregation; yet not as immediate and undoubted grounds of faith, (for that is proper to the scripture) but as instructions and exhortations builded upon, or petitions framed according to the scripture, as present occasion doth require. In sermons who doth ⟨p. 116⟩not put a difference betwixt the text whereupon the discourse, instructions, exhortations, rebukes & comforts be grounded & deduced, & the exhortations, rebukes & comforts which are propounded in method & phrase of speech devised by men? The first is & ought to be canonicall scripture; the other not so. But it would argue great ignorance, if not perversenesse, if a man should cavill in this manner against the preaching of the word, That the scriptures alone are to be read in the congregation, therefore the minister of the Gospel must simply reade the scripture, but never give the meaning, 2nor make application. In the Primitive church sundry councels have forbidden the reading of any books as parts of Divine worship but canonicall scripture onely of the Old and New Testament: 3but no councel ever condemned the use of a stinted Liturgie.4 Those churches which forbad the reading of any books which be without the canon,5 did first receive a stinted form of prayer: and the councels themselves take order touching the reading of the scripture, and the singing of psalmes, and other things which pertein to a stinted Liturgie.
- 1Mr Greenwood perceiving the weakness of this objection, frameth it thus. No Apocrypha must be brought into the public assemblies; for there only Gods word & lively voice of his own graces must be heard, Greenwood, pag. 10. But this limitation is groundless, propounded without warrant of scripture, and may be rejected as […] devise. For the phrase of speech in […], prayer, professions of faith, […] of psalms is of man as well as in stinted prayers devised by others; and […] may not be heard in the congregation, neither may the other be uttered or […] most certain it is, that neither the one nor the other is to be received as the undoubted rule of faith or manners.Mr Greenwood perceiving the weaknesse of this objection, frameth it thus. No Apocrypha must be brought into the publick assemblies; for there onely Gods word & lively voice of his own graces must be heard, Greenwood, pag. 10. But this limitation is groundlesse, propounded without warrant of ••ripture, and may be rejected as 〈…〉 devise. For the phrase of speech in 〈…〉, prayer, professions of faith, 〈…〉 of psalmes is of man as well as in stinted prayers devised by others; and 〈…〉 may not be heard in the congregation, neither may the other be uttered or 〈…〉 most certain it is, that neither the one nor the other is to be received as the undoubted rule of faith or manners.
- 2Concil Laodic. can. 59. Concil. Carthag. 3. can. 47.
- 3Concil. Hippon. can. 38.
- 4See Jewel, Def. Apol part. 5. cap. 3. div. 10.
- 5Co•cil. Laodicen. can. 15, 16, 59. Concil. Carthag. 3. can. 23.
- 6Jewel, art. 3. dit. 2.
