A discourse concerning evangelical love, church-peace and unity with the occasions and reasons of…

Commanded indeed we are to make Prayers and supplications for all sorts of men in our Assemblies, to instruct,¹ lead, guide, and feed the Flock of Christ, to administer the holy Ordinances instituted by him,² and to do all these things decently and in order. The Apostles also describing the work of the Ministry in their own attendance unto it, affirm that they would give themselves continually unto Prayer and the Ministry of the Word. ³But that all these things should be done (the Preaching of the word only excepted) in and by the use or reading of a Liturgy, and the prescribed Forms of it, without variation or receding from the Words and Syllables of it in any thing, that the Scripture is utterly silent of. If any one be otherwise minded, it is incumbent ⟨p. 205⟩on him to produce Instances unto his purpose. But withal he must remember, that in this case it is required not only to produce a warranty from the Scripture for the use of such Forms or Liturgies, but also that Rules are given therein, enabling Churches to make the constant attendance unto them, to be a necessary condition of their communion. If this be not done, nothing is offered unto the Case as at present stated. And whatever confidence may be made use of herein, we know that nothing unto this purpose can be thence produced. It is pleaded indeed that our Saviour himself composed a Form of Prayer, and prescribed it unto his Disciples: But it is not proved that he enjoined them the constant use of it in their Assemblies, nor that they did so use it, nor that the repetition of it should be a condition of communion in them, though the owning of it as by him proposed, and for the Ends by him designed, may justly be made so; least of all is it, or can it be proved, that any Rule or just encouragement can hence be taken for other men, who are neither Jesus Christ nor his Apostles, but weak and fallible as our selves, to compose entire Liturgies, and impose the necessary use of them in all the worship of the Church.

Commanded indeed we are to make Prayers and supplications for all sorts of men in our Assemblies, to instruct,¹