A41326:22
The liturgical considerator considered, or, A brief view of Dr. Gauden's considerations touching the…
The liturgical considerator considered, or, A brief view of Dr. Gauden's considerations touching the liturgy of the Church of England wherein the reasons by him produced for imposing the said liturgy upon all, are found to be so weak, his defence of things offensive in it so slight, the arguments against the liturgy by himself afforded, are so strong, that some, who upon His Majesties declaration did incline to the liturgy, are now further from it, by reading his wordy discourse about it : also some reasons humbly rendered, why many ministers, as yet cannot conform to that liturgy, but not out of disloyalty, pride, ingratitude, peevishness, nor schismatical petulancy, as the sarcastical pen of this uncharitable doctor hath published ... / by G.F.The liturgical considerator considered, or, A brief view of Dr. Gauden's considerations touching the liturgy of the Church of England wherein the reasons by him produced for imposing the said liturgy upon all, are found to be so weak, his defence of things offensive in it so slight, the arguments against the liturgy by himselfe afforded, are so strong, that some, who upon His Majesties declaration did incline to the liturgy, are now further from it, by reading his wordy discourse about it : also some reasons humbly rendered, why many ministers, as yet cannot conform to that liturgy, but not out of disloyalty, pride, ingratitude, peevishness, nor schismatical petulancy, as the sarcastical pen of this uncharitable doctor hath published ... / by G.F.
London: printed for Ralph Smith, 1661
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
That Liturgies are of ancient use in the Church, I agree; but Liturgy as Episcopacy primitive, was in nature clearly different from what they are now pleaded to be. Ancient Liturgies were not set and prescribed Forms of public worship: Smectymnus hath asserted, 1and well cleared it against the Remonstrant, and that out of Justin Martyr, Tertullian, Austin the Carthaginian, and Milevitan Councils, That un ill the time of the Arian and Pelagian Errors, there were no Set Forms of prayer in the Church; and then the liberty was only restrained, which hath been since destroyed; men being only bound to confer the prayers of their own composing, cum fratribus instructioribus; and Forms digested by the latter of these Councils, were imposed no further than by a placuit ut preces quae probatae fuerint in concilio ab omnibus celebre•t•r; and only enjoined that the prayers of particular Ministers should be approved by more prudent men; the original Liturgies of both Jew and Christian, were plain Rubrics; English Directories for the method and order of preaching, reading, prayer, administrations of Sacraments, and public worship: It is an easy matter to make a bravado and noise of the Liturgies of S. James, Basil, Cyril, Chrysostom, whilst none are produced and proved legitimate, if there be any not apparently fictitious, bring them forth to a Test or Standard, we will join issue, and try the despised Directory, and extolled Service-book, and freely consent to retain that which best agreeth, and to reject the other; until then bears us not down, like Children with big words without cause; methinks it were hugely worth the enquiry, what Liturgy King Lucius received, when Faganus and Damianus converted his Subjects; the Church by them const tuted had settled public worship. It is apparent that Eleu•herius the then Bishop of Rome referred him to the Canon of Scripture for to frame all his constitutions by, it would much fortify our pretenders to Antiquity, to find out the Liturgy used in England before Austin the Monk; brought over his Roman Missal: Antiquity is a poor, whilst no part of the Service-book as to its frame & order, doth pretend higher than the time of Pope Damasus, 376. after Christ, and the whole Fabric is apparently of a much later date: I would desire men may no longer be cheated with words;
That Liturgies are of ancient use in the Church, I agree; but Liturgy as Episcopacy primitive, was in nature clearly different from what they are now pleaded to be. Ancient Liturgies were not set and prescribed Forms of publick worship: Smectymnus hath asserted,