A discourse concerning liturgies, and their imposition

IT is not about stinted Forms of Prayer in the Worship and Service of God, by those who of their own accord do make use of that kind of Assistance, judging that course to be better then any thing they can do themselves in the discharge of the work of the Ministry, but of the Imposition of Forms on others who desire to stand fast in the Liberty with which Christ hath made them Free, that we enquire. This Freedom we have manifested to have been purchased for them by the Lord Jesus, and the use of it continued by the Apostles in their own practice, and to the ⟨p. 25⟩Churches planted by themselves. And this will one day appear to have been a sufficient Plea for the maintenance of that Liberty to the end of the world. Now though what is purely matter of Fact among the succeeding Churches, be not so far Argumentative as to be insisted on as a Rule exactly binding us to the imitation of it; yet it is deservedly worthy of great Consideration, and not hastily to be rejected, unless it be discovered to have been diverse from the Word whereunto we are bound in all things to attend. We shall therefore make some enquiry into the practice of those Churches, as to this matter of prescribing of Forms of Prayer in public Church Administrations, so far as any thing thereof is by good Antiquity transmitted unto us.

IT is not about stinted Forms of Prayer in the Worship and Service of God, by those who of their own accord do make use of that kind of Assistance, judging that course to be better then any thing they can do themselves in the discharge of the work of the Ministry, but of the Imposition of Forms on others who desire to stand fast in the Liberty with which Christ hath made them Free, that we enquire. This Freedome we have manifested to have been purchased for them by the Lord Jesus, and the use of it continued by the Apostles in their own practice, and to the ⟨p. 25⟩Churches planted by themselves. And this will one day appear to have been a sufficient Plea for the maintenance of that Liberty to the end of the world. Now though what is purely matter of Fact among the succeeding Churches, be not so far Argumentative as to be insisted on as a Rule exactly binding us to the imitation of it; yet it is deservedly worthy of great Consideration, and not hastily to be rejected, unless it be discovered to have been diverse from the Word whereunto we are bound in all things to attend. We shall therefore make some enquiry into the practice of those Churches, as to this matter of prescribing of Forms of Prayer in publick Church Administrations, so farre as any thing thereof is by good Antiquity transmitted unto us.