A discourse concerning liturgies, and their imposition

Many men being put into the Office of the Ministry, who had not Gifts and Abilities for the profitable discharge of the Work of the Ministry, unto the edification of the Church, they who had the over-sight of them according to the custom of those days, were enforced to Compose such Forms for their use, as they judged expedient, so providing for the Edification of the Church, which else would have suffered from their weakness and insufficiency. Besides many parts of the World, especially the East, in those days swarmed with Anti Trinitarian Heretics of sundry sorts, who many of them by unsuspected wiles, and dissimulations and subscriptions of Confessions, endeavoured to creep into the Office of the Ministry of the Church, partly out of blind zeal to diffuse the poison of their abominations, partly out of carnal Policy to be made partakers of the advantages, which for the most part attended the Orthodox Profession. This increased the necessity of Composing such Forms of Public Worship, as being filled with Expression• pointed against the Errors of the Times, might be a means to keep Seducers from imposing themselves on Ecclesiastical Administrations. Thus there is no Ancient Liturgy, but it is full of the expressions that had been consented upon in the Counsels that were Convened for the Condemnation of those Errors, which were in their days most rife and pernicious. On this ground do learned men of all sorts conclude the Liturgy falsely ascribed to James, ⟨p. 32⟩to be younger then the Nieene and Ephesine Councils, from the use of the words [Greek or Hebrew] and [Greek or Hebrew] in it.

Many men being put into the Office of the Ministry, who had not Gifts and Abilities for the profitable discharge of the VVork of the Ministry, unto the edification of the Church, they who had the over-sight of them according to the custome of those dayes, were enforced to Compose such Forms for their use, as they judged expedient, so providing for the Edification of the Church, which else would have suffered from their weakness and insufficiency. Besides many parts of the VVorld, especially the East, in those dayes swarmed with Anti Trinitarian Hereticks of sundry sorts, who many of them by unsuspected wiles, and dissimulations and subscriptions of Confessions, endeavoured to creep into the Office of the Ministry of the Church, partly out of blind zeal to diffuse the poyson of their abominations, partly out of carnal Policy to be made partakers of the advantages, which for the most part attended the Orthodox Profession. This increased the necessity of Composing such Forms of Publick VVorship, as being filled with Expression pointed against the Errors of the Times, might be a means to keep Seducers from imposing themselves on Ecclesiastical Administrations. Thus there is no Antient Liturgy, but it is full of the expressions that had been consented upon in the Counsels that were Conveened for the Condemnation of those Errors, which were in their dayes most rife and pernitious. On this ground do learned men of all sorts conclude the Liturgy falsly ascribed to James,