A MESSAGE OF PEACE: In a LETTER consolatory and Consiliatory to a neighbour Minister, for Resolution in several Queres: but principally about the use of the LITURGY.  
Together with A friendly Letter sent to Sir EDWARD DEERING, About the time of his Commitment: By way of Answer to his last SPEECH: As also, concerning the LITURGY and Church-Discipline.  
LONDON, Printed for Samuel Saterthwait, at the Sign of the black Bull in Budgerow. 1642.   

A MESSAGE OF PEACE.  
COncerning your Letter to me, consisting mainly of four particulars, I shall endeavour your satisfaction therein. And first concerning your disturbance even to discouragement about the great oppositions you meet with in the work of your Ministry, from the People over whom the Lord hath placed you, I shall desire your consideration, first that your Ministerial Office in the execution of it, is the Lords Militia, and I pray remember that a common Soldier you are not in the host of God, but a special Leader of God's people against the Prince of darkness and the black Guard of his hellish infantry: and in the Apostles words I would provoke your Christian courage, Endure hardness as a good Soldier of Jesus Christ. Secondly, consider your work is preaching the Gospel, I mean the faithful Word, which the Apostle tells you, is not after man, and if you should yet please men, you should not, you could not be the servant of Christ; and you are so allowed of God to be put in trust with the Gospel, not as pleasing men but God, who tryeth the heart. I shall thirdly desire you to consider that one special seal and proof of your co-ministeriall working with Christ; is grounded on this hostility of men against you. Consider the same place 2. Cor. 6. In all things approving ourselves as the Ministers of Christ in much patience in afflictions, in necessities, etc. Remember (saith Christ to you) the servant is not greater than the Lord, if they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you. In sum you are presidented to this by all in all Ages, even to this very day, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, Professors; yea, (saith the Apostle) and whosoever will live godly in Christ jesus shall suffer persecution. Now I beseech you my dear Fellow-soldier in Christ comfort yourself with these words. Your second scruple concerning the Liturgy I shall endeavour to satisfy; and concerting the use of it, I shall defer the full disquisition thereof to our next happpie meeting: but de presenti I shall only desire you to consider in general; that so much of it as in the materiality thereof is not repugnant to the word of God, may at least for a time be tolerably used, you know the Apostle did circumcise Timothy kept the jewish Sabbath, shore his head at Cenchrea commanded, yea docreed for jewish abstinence, Aron did burn and not eat the sin offering, and David did eat the show bread, which was not according to the Commandment, and yet were blameless; St. Paul's policy is exemplarily imitated by you in this case, I became all things to all men, that I may by lay means save some; and your judicious observation of the 14. to the Romans, with the 28. Chap. of the first to the Cori. I suppose will make up a full resolution in this matter. Sir I beseech you satisfy your mind in this particular, upon these grounds, if you shall find sufficient evidence of truth therein: And I beseech you wait on God, and the Honourable High Court of Parliament, till a reformation in these things be granted from Heaven unto us; that by the plantation of a powerful, able and praying ministry, in all the desolate and deplorable dark parts of this Kingdom, and that miserable poor Country of Wales: in a few years, there may be, as doubtless there may be, as little desire to the reading of a public liturgy, as in most places there is already, of the cold and powerles use of homilies, they being both of them an alike, uncouth, and Babish public mysterial serving of God and his Church. To the other quere and wonder, you seem to make at the general entrance, and violent zeal of men, to the continuance of this public liturgique service; I shall give shortly an account thereof to my ability; And first I shall say, it is little commended by their eager desire unto it, the pure word, and the pure worship of God, are much at one, in the esteem of vulgar corrupt and carnal minds: The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, Gal. 5. But I conceive, the chief cause of the general great outcry, for this Liturgique Service as great almost as that at Ephesus, Act. 19 to be principally this; that forasmuch as the duty of Prayer is a natural universal duty, and imposed by God upon the consciences even of all; the neglect whereof is obligatory, to the necessity of the Divine vengeance; and most men not being nor living in a spiritual and conseqnently an accommodious condition to this duty, they are thereupon feign and forced to take up a way of such a praying, as most consists with and is best agreeable to their unpraying unblessed natural state: and if this staff of their age be taken from them, no marvel if they cry out with Micah, Ye have taken away my Gods, and what more have I left me. There is yet another thing which doth further and much intent their violent zeal to this formal service, and that is this, they thus conceive, that a way of conceived, Ministerial Praying, although they account it praying, yet not theirs, and so they speak; The Preacher is in his Prayer; his Prayer, not theirs: now a form of Prayer especially if it come in the lofty high-sounding Language of the Church Prayers, or divine Service, which in the continual use of it, they have made the matter of their own memory; of this they cry; 'Tis ours, 'tis ours as much as his, 'tis Common Prayer; and this, this only is the divine Service of God: and which way of thus praying, the silliest Ignorant in all Wales may with the Parish Priest, as expeditely and roundly go through (and even just so) as any Forest Foal, can go, or troth, or gallop, before, beside, or after a forest Filly, unto which course of this foppish Popish Prayer, no small occasion is given, by the very appointment of the Service-Booke, wherein it is appointed, that the people shall after the Priest say over the self same words, by him before spoken, as in the Confession and other where, a thing having neither show of reason, or warrant of Scripture. I shut up all in the Prophet's words; Cursed he the deceiver who hath in his flock a Male, and voweth and sacrificeth unto the Lord a corrupt thing. To the fourth and last of your Letter, as touching your informing the scandalous words of that unvorthy person to the Parliament: although I thus think, that the least dishonourable word or malignant thought against those noble Senators, be a near approach to to an high degree of blasphemy; yet considering the baseness of the man, and the inferior nature of the words spoken, your forbearance I verily think will be your best course. We know the work is Gods, those Worthies are about Magnalia Dei the high acts of God, and do you wonder that the dogs do bark, the Devils no doubt do gnash their teeth at them; but our Prayer to God and hope is such that neither Rome nor Hell nor men nor Devils, as hitherto they have not, so never shall they have power (although to bark) yet not to by't them. To the rest of your Letter I respite the Answer till the next opportunity.  
I am your very friend. T. R.   

A Copy of the Letter, which was sent to Sir Edward Deering.  
SIr, upon my perusal of your last Speech in Parliament, I took to myself, an humble purpose of signifying to your worthy self some animadversions and notes, unto which the several particulars of your Speech occasioned me: In the first place I shall be bold to say ingenuously that I hearty am sorry that the bias of your judgement in hoc die after such a Meridian light shining upon us (both from abroad in the reformed Churches, and at home in so many judicious, elaborate and learned Treatises formerly and of late) should seem so much to sway to that side which will certainly expose your late Honourable esteem in the heartsses of judicious and good men to a great, at ●east diminution and distemper. I humbly conceive very many things in your Speech do labour of a very great measure of affection: I shall be bold to instance in some few for all. It is surely true that much of late hath been written and said to and fro on both sides about a right administration of Discipline and worship: and truly Sir me thinks out of that diversity of what hath been spoken and written, the Parliament hath a very fair overtùre given them to discover and find out the truth which without it would be of more difficulty to them; It is your own way in your Parliamentary affairs, and in all judicatures concerning Episcopacy, so much hath been clearly evinced against it, and nothing of any weight for it, that I shall say nothing at all in that particular: Only I shall beseech you to consider whether it can possibly be believed, that amongst any sort of Protestauts, especially the conscien●cous party (for the conceit of some giddy silly people is inconsiderable) there be any that do protest against the 3. undoubted signs of a true visible Church. If you mean purity of Doctrine, Sacraments, and Discipline; I know for my part none that are quoad esse at any doubt in the former two, as concerning our Church; and for the latter, I know no man of a right judgement that can acknowledge it for other than such as it is Romish and Antichristian; Sir, I do not doubt, but that upon search some may be found even amongst us, that deny very Trinitte of Persons and of what number the Arminian Socir●ian and other hellish Popish errors are I know you are not ignorant: But if these or any other of the like nature should now press into your presence either in word or writing, I doubt not your name in your Honourable House will show itself in a sudden suppression of them. Concerning the Liturgy, I shall say nothing, much hath been judiciously said about it; but I am hearty sorry that such words as these should ever have fallen from the learned lips of Sir EDWARD DEERING; That the Church of England in her public Prayers, nay her Offerture may be as a babbler at all adventure, a brainless, stupid, and an ignorant conceit of som●. Sir Edward Deering, if conceived Prayers be a brainless, stupid and ignorant conceit of some, and not most proper to the public ministration of an able Misistery: I will not Say that noble Lords eyes that lately spoke in the House of Peers on this Subject, but better eyes of multitudes than his or yours do fail them: Sir, I conceive you are and are not a competent judge in this matter: Sir, I hearty wish with you for a Nationall Synod well tempered with Learning and Pietic, that the wavering judgements of unsettled men's winds might be rightly directed about aswell the Doctrine of the Sabbath, as other matters of right worship, and Ecclesiastical Policy, which by reason of the want of a present, public competent determination thereof, suffer much in the mind of very many. Sir, I shall now humbly desire but thus much of you, even that what I have written ex animo & amore, may not be taken in any sinister or exasperated sense; Only I desire you to be pleased to remember that you now stand in a public designation, of a most considerable trust reposed in you by God and your Countrrey impartially without passion; prejudice or affection, for your part to contribute your best abilities, to make up the hedge, in the through Reformation of the Church and Kingdom; that so the Church of England may by your blessed means become that which it never yet was, (the glory of the Reformed Religion) which is the humble and hearty daily prayer of him who is,  
Your unfeigned wel-wishing Friend. T. R. jan. 21. 1642.  
Fellow Peace with all men and Holiness without which no man shall see the Lord; Looking diligently, lest any man fall from the grace of God, lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled,  Hebr. 11. 
God of his infinite mercy quench all unkindly heat in all your Honourable Assembly.  
FINIS.