A discourse concerning liturgies

For the next Clause. If no prayers were used, in the administration of this Sacrament, but what were prescribed by the Church (and consequently allowed by the Synod, as duly directed already) it was vain and ridiculous, to make such an Order, ut semper ad Patrem, that the prayers be always directed to the Father. This is clearly a restraint upon those, who before had liberty, in celebrating this Ordinance, to address their prayers to any Person of the Sacred Trinity; ordering that from henceforth they should direct such prayers only to the Father. And as it clearly supposes, they were neither limited nor directed, by any prescribed Forms before; so it leaves them free, to use what prayers they judged meet, cum ad altare assistitur, ⟨p. 46⟩provided that they were addressed only to the Father.

For the next Clause. If no prayers were used, in the administration of this Sacrament, but what were prescribed by the Church (and consequently allowed by the Synod, as duely directed already) it was vain and ridiculous, to make such an Order, ut semper ad Patrem, that the prayers be alwayes directed to the Father. This is clearly a restraint upon those, who before had liberty, in celebrating this Ordinance, to address their prayers to any Person of the Sacred Trinity; ordering that from henceforth they should direct such prayers only to the Father. And as it clearly supposes, they were neither limited nor directed, by any prescribed Forms before; so it leaves them free, to use what prayers they judged meet, cum ad altare assistitur, ⟨p. 46⟩provided that they were addressed only to the Father.

Yea the weaker and indiscreeter sort, of those that officiated, are allowed, by the next Clause, to use what prayers they would any where make choice of, with this limitation only, that their more discreet Brethren should first be conferred with about them. That of Augustine, who was a great part of the African Councils, at this time, de Baptism. contra Donat. l. 6. c. 25. p. 568. is the best Comment, which can be desired, upon this passage. Having showed, that divers of his Brethren had many things against the Faith, in prayers which they used in Sacramental administrations; he gives this account of it; Multi irruunt in prces, non solum ab imperitis loquacibus, sed etiam ab Haereticis compositas; & per ignorantiae simplicitatem, non eas valentes discernere, utuntur iis, arbitrantes quod bonae sint. Many light upon Prayers, not only which are composed by unskilful Babblers, but also by Heretics; and through the simplicity of their ignorance, not being able to discern, they use them, judging that they are good. Here we have persons as fit to be confined to prescribed Forms, as any we can expect to meet with; (such as could neither make prayers themselves, nor make tolerable choice of prayers made by others; being so ignorant, as they could not discern an Heretical prayer, when they met with it). These are circumstances, which might justify the imposition of set forms, if any could do it. And yet the African Fathers