An humble apology for non-conformists with modest and serious reflections on the Friendly debate…

Quest. Have the Nonconformists nothing momentous against the Common-Prayer and Ceremonies, but only to cry out, that it was taken o•• of the Mass-Book, and that they are Relics of Rome, and Popish Superstitions? Deb. p. 97. ed. 1.

Quest. Have the Nonconformists nothing momentous against the Common-Prayer and Ceremonies, but only to cry out, that it was taken o•• of the Mass-Book, and that they are Reliques of Rome, and Popish Superstitions? Deb. p. 97. ed. 1.

Answ. I do know scarce one intelligent Nonconformist who refuses to use the Liturgy, upon this account, only, or chiefly, because taken out of the Mass-Book. My Gold is not therefore straight become dross, because stolen out of my Chest, and found in the house of a Thief; when 'tis legally restored to me again, what is it the worse? The Common-Prayer is older than the Mass, as we usually take the word Mass now adays: but the Mass, by the corruption of the Times, getting by degrees insensibly, by little and little, into the Liturgy, the Reformers finding things so, owned and adhered to the Liturgy as good Gold, but rejected the Mass as very Dross and Tin. Yet forasmuch as we cannot win the Papists to join with us in our Liturgy, as they did the first ten or eleven years of Q, Elizabeth; and that some of our own Church ⟨p. 41⟩are ready to run away and separate from us, pretending we comply too much with Rome, in some of our Forms or Ceremonies: If if should please his most excellent Majesty and the Parliament, to cause the Liturgy to be revised, and some greater Alterations to be made for the better, than was of late; it should not offend, but rather much rejoice the Presbyterians. I have read that the Archbishop of Armagh declared his Judgment, when time was, against the introducing of the English Ceremonies into the Church of Ireland. And I have been told that the Right Reverend the Bishop of Hereford that now is, upon another occasion, expressed his Opinion to be, That the further of we keep from the Church of Rome, the better. I might add this also (which I had from a credible person presently after it was spoken) That the late Archbishop of Canterbury was very willing to have had, though a Liturgy, yet one that might not be so much displeasing, or dissatisfactory, as this was to many. I confess there are some well-meaning people who forbear to use the names of Altar, Priest Christmas, &c. or to call Festival days (wherein the Church of England commemorates the Saints, and blesseth God for their example) by the names of those Saints days; yet they are not altogether without all excuse in this their Scrupulosity, if we consider what a bad use they of the Church of Rome make of out keeping and