A discourse concerning liturgies, and their imposition

There are Three Things affirmed in the Assumption concerning the Liturgy, First, That it is not Appointed or Commanded of God, i. e. there is no Command of God either for the use of this or that Liturgy in particular, nor in general that any such should so be, and be so used as is pleaded. And this we must take for granted, until some instance of any such Command be produced. Secondly, That it is made Necessary by virtue of the Commands of men, to be used in the Public Worship of God. About this there will be no difference. Let it be denied, and there is an end of all this strife. I shall not dispute about other mens practise. They who are willing to take it upon their Consciences, that the best way to serve God in the Church, or the best Ability that they have for the discharge of their duty therein, consists in the reading of such a Book (for I suppose they will grant that they ought to serve God with the best they have) shall not by me be Opposed in their way and practise. It is only about its Imposition, and the Necessity of its Observance by virtue of that Imposition, that we Discourse. Now the present Command is, That such a Liturgy be always used in the Public Worship of God, and that without the use or reading of it, the Ordinances of the Gospel be not Administered, at any time, nor in any place; with strong Pleas for the Obligation ⟨p. 41⟩arising from that Command, making the omissions of its Observance to be sinful. It is then utterly impossible that any thing should be more indispensably Necessary, then the reading of the Liturgy in the Worship of God, is. It is said indeed, that it is not Commanded as though in its self it were Necessary; either a prescribed Liturgy or this or that, for then it were sin in any not to use it, whether it were commanded by the Church or not, but for Order, Uniformity, Conveniency, and the preventing of sundry Evils that would otherwise ensue, it is commanded; which Command makes the Observation of it Necessary unto us. But we are not as yet enquiring what are the Reasons of its Imposition. They may afterwards be spoken unto:

There are Three Things affirmed in the Assumption concerning the Liturgy, First, That it is not Appointed or Commanded of God, i. e. there is no Command of God either for the use of this or that Liturgy in particular, nor in general that any such should so be, and be so used as is pleaded. And this we must take for granted, until some instance of any such Command be produced. Secondly, That it is made Necessary by vertue of the Commands of men, to be used in the Publick Worship of God. About this there will be no difference. Let it be denied, and there is an end of all this strife. I shall not dispute about other mens practise. They who are willing to take it upon their Consciences, that the best way to serve God in the Church, or the best Ability that they have for the discharge of their duty therein, consists in the reading of such a Book (for I suppose they will grant that they ought to serve God with the best they have) shall not by me be Opposed in their way and practise. It is onely about its Imposition, and the Necessity of its Observance by vertue of that Imposition, that we Discourse. Now the present Command is, That such a Liturgy be alwayes used in the Publick Worship of God, and that without the use or reading of it, the Ordinances of the Gospel be not Administred, at any time, nor in any place; with strong Pleas for the Obligation