'PARtst4i crttmcnns

i Turn’d into

   eonventicles,

B Y

Serving God therein, and worlhiping him o-
therwife then according to the eltablilhed
Liturgy and Practice of the Church of
E72cglancl.i ,

In PAiRT'IC1liLAR,

By reading the Communion Service, or any part

thereotin the Desk. l o

OiR

 

,PlainoIi{eafons and undeniable Authorities alledged for the ~

reading of the fecondg Service, orithe Communion Ser-
vice, when there is no Communion, at the Altar, or
4 Holy Table, inan Epiltle dedicated to all the Reverend
‘ Clergy of the Church of England who read it in the Desk.

{-4

' By Richard Hart, aFriend to all the conformable Clergy and Laity of

the true and Apoflolical Church of England by Law Eflabliflied,

{jg

Mmgav 23 gmtgév 6"rzxv sis./Azéyoc %.:tq;r.'g:t:. Damafcell.

LoNno2\1,

Printed by Ralph H51!’ for Obéididb Blngrdve, /at
the Bear in St. Pzm.!’s Ckwc/2-Z"a;':Z. 1683.

4u—.__

#._.¢—-—-.-:-

 

,&___

—-:—_.

imatttnh ;n’att)tts.

-t O feek out an Excule of this my Boldrnelé,
and to arm the Acknowledgment of aFault
with the Reafons for it, might better lhew

.   Iknew Idid amifs, than any way dimi-
n1[_h the Attempt : therefore I intend‘ to carry no other
Olive-Branch of Intercelfion than a deer manifefiation
of the Truth of fuch things wherein I do humbly
conceive you Err, fame of you; notwilfully per-
haps, yet for want of a due and feriousConfideration
of the great Obligation of humane Laws in things

i which in their own nature are indillerent. ’ ,One of

which is the place for reading of the fecond Service;
which place, without all doubt, is a thing in its own
nature indifferent: But when a lawful Authority ap-
points a certain place, although in its own nature the

place remains {till indifferent, yet the ufe of that place
15 not indifferent, but becomes necelfary by realbn of

the command, to which the necejffity of Obedience is

inleparably annexed.
If this be a falle Polition,I have nothing more to fay,

. but if it be true, then do you err in point of Praflrice,

which is not according to theefiablilh’d Rule, our
_Church appointing one certain place, and you read-
mg in another; and {'0 by this means teachingthe

People this dangerous Principle, that things indii¥e-
A 2   rent

3%/5c¢ 

y[2]§é

rent in their own Nature, remain {o as to their ufél

after a lawful Command, for the doing, or mt doingy;

of any fiich iindiffereniti thitigs; i'a’sthey'were before

{i1cl'1 Commands or Prohibition: A Principle which.
undermines the Foundation of the whole Church-,ancl-.;
being once admitted, leaves us naked and.defencelef§..

againfi all the fWeapons that are or may be formed,

_ eitlier by the l3a'pilt or Puritan, againfi: thee moi’:
glorious Church. in the Worldisa And if we, who
profefs our felyes to be Sons of the Church of !:‘7zgZm2c!,.

fhould" embrace this mifchievousrt Tenet, our Church

- willbe fo much mi1itant.a.gainf’t her felt, that her‘

Enemies will in a very fhort time,becom'e Triumphant.

They feeing... your praflzice evidentlybuilt uponthis-a C
fandy Foundation, do on all fideshit. us in the Teeth

with thefie«thing_s, and laugh to fiiorna L
- ‘Nhy do you Charge:us~§With;Nonconfor«mity2 and

Difobfedience“to humane Law_s_, wjhiqh are bucghgngs,

i‘ndiH’ereint",i .”notwithl’tanding A the Command (. fay.
they) for do not molt of ~yourzC1ergy=. elieem. them

-as fuch, when they omit. what Rite and Ceremony

\tl~iey:pleag{e,. though; never fo firiélfly injoined by thee
‘ fupremie‘ Autliiorityi ?ti;:Do__t-heie ehi£lg§ oblige our Con-
fcienee's; and are theirs only free ?i-If it be f(),...’ then we

perceive plainly that the only way to enjoy liberty of

Confcience, istoybe a Clergy-Manof the Church of  

England. a - T - T t  
Now what {hall we fay to thefe. things? If we de-
ny the matter 0fPa&; our Church Enemies charge

Us with Impudence, if. weeonfefs it C? as to keepour

felves from lying we are forc’d to do ) then they
Charge our reverend Clergy with the fame Crimes

lvi'e*ul”ually appropriate to the greatelt» Plianatick,«viz..a

Di-{obedience to the lawful Magiltrate, and _Ngn—con-
tiormity to the; efiab1ifh’dt. Orders of the Church; How

E 3 If

toavoid the Horns of this Dilemma, Ido fincerely e

declare I know not. / 4
t I ihould be very glad if any of you would bg pleagd

to tell me a full: Anfwer that I may give totliele

t-roublelom People, whohave gagg-’d me 16 often with
it-hefe things, thatI am altogether become dumb,and
a-em alhamed to receive fo many Baffles from thofs,
Fools who make a mock of Sin. : . .

. Ithank Godl candel'end my fell well enough a-,

igainlt all thefrivolous and captions Exceptions whichi

havebeen either made or taken by the Reculant or
the Difienter againfi: the eflahliihed Do-€’trme , l.1‘if—
ciplme and Worlhip of the Church oi‘ Jyflggzfféd; but

if they talk to me of any thing that is {aid or done in:
our Churches,which is not warranted by the XXXIX.  

Articles, by the Book of Canons, by thetBook of

Common Prayer, or by the conf’tant.univerfal Pra€tice=
of the Catholick Church of Chrifi; they had asgoodt
‘talk to me of the Roman Breviary, or the Englifh
A Direflory, and I can as foon jufiify the faying,eith.er
of them in our. Churches, as any thing] have before;

mentioned;

True it is, thatvve have a molt excellent Liturgy

efiabliflled by the Law of the Land, but in ver-y many

places little or no care hadjtha/t the Subjects m:ayihave-

it whole and-intire, without mangling and curtailing

inifuch a fhameful manner that by thefi: lacrilegiotzs.

ways our facred Book of Common Prayer is become
contemptlble, and the People are come to this pais,

— even downright toideclare their abhorrence of our

religious Alfemblies-,s when i.nl»’tead of paying that
folemn Worfhip to God, wlncli by the L:ttws of our

Nation-are devoted to him,» We worlhip him after-

5‘ur own .Imaginations,.e and hereby offer him the San
crificc of Fools, which he will in no Wife accept.

 ih OU 

E 4 1 C  
‘Although I could inllance in fundry Particulars,
yet at this time I {hall onely name one, which is
reading the Communion Service 1n the Desk,where-

by you take upon you to break an authoriled Order  
of our Church, and to makea new one : The appoint~

ment of which Order pertaineth not to private Men
( as our Church faith very truly ) therefore no Man

ought to take in hand, or prefume to appoint or alter ,

any publick or common Order in Chriffs Church,

Except he be lawfully called and authorized thereunto. ‘

Either you believe this to be true or falfie ; if true,
then you wilfully and contemptuoufly tranfgrels and

-break a common Order and% Difcipline whenfoever

you omit or_ alter a -Rite or Ceremony appointed by
the Church, which though in its felf confidered, is
but a fmall thing, yet by reafon of the Contempt,
that is inleparably annexed to the Oflence in a Per-
fon knowing, and being verily perfwaded of the
Truth hereof, it is no fmall Offence before God, that
is in plain Englifh, itisavery great Sin.

Now if it lhould fo happen that any of you are of
another Perfvvafion, and lo you are Dillentersrin ;your
judgment, as well asin your 'Pra8tice, why then did
you fubfcribe to the fecond Article mentioned in the
XXXVI. Canon, and play fair and loofe with God
Almighty, and put Tricks upon your own Mother
the Church of Ezzglmdi Do you think that God
will be mocked, or permit his holy Spoufe ‘to be

cheated ? How can you, or any other he {aid to ule ’
the Form prefcribed in publickPrayer and Admini- ,

firation of the Sacraments, and noneother, which
you have promifed to doby yourSubfcription,which
is a lacred Tie, and yetimmediately after willingly
omit, or alter any one Rite or ‘Ceremony, without
a great perfidioufnefsl * A

s

C E 5 3
As to the Point of reading the Communion Ser-
vicewhen there is no Communion, I do pofitively
aflert, thatit is appointed by our Church to be read
at the North fide of the Holy Table, and that whofo-

ever reads it at any other place, breaks the Order of  

our Church, and if he doth it through» his private
judgment willingly and purpofely ( as he cannot be
prefumed to do otherwife who is fully convinced that
the Church hath fo appointed it) he doth not only

offend againft the common order of the Church, but

hurteth the Authority of the Magifirate, and wound-
eth the Confciences of the weak Brethren I.

Herein Ihave two forts of Perfons to deal withal,
one plainly confefli-ng, that ’tis commanded by the

Church, and thereby {Ewing me the trouble of a-
Proof, but faying;with:al that he is at liberty notwithv
fianding the Command, and he offers fome feeming

Reafons for his al‘tering.the appointed Place, and fays

they are fufficient to jufiify his Pra&ice both before '
God and Man, and whether they be To orno, you will»

Re by and: by.
There-is another fbrt of men who knowing not

how to juftify their prefent Praftice contrary to a;
plain Injunélsfion of Authority, are forced to make ufer
of an Index £.xpurg4tariu:,and having therebyiin their,‘
own Conceit quite exepun'g’d.,t-he Rubrick as to this;

Purpofe, confidently tell me there is no fuch Corn~

mand when there is no Communion, therefore. no.
difobedience to- that Authority which they own, and :

are both ready and willing to obey.

To every one of you (dear Sirs ): who own-the

thing which-othersedeny, ImuPt anfwer with an ex

are mo te fudica: for youingenioufly confefs that ’tis-~

oorn-manded by the Church, and yet at the fame time.

moi’: dilingenioufly prefer a-rcorrupt Pra€tice of fome

illi

ta:

'illi'prin‘ci.pled men’ before your iknovtin Duty- E
f And forthis you makrei feveral Pleas; c -Fi~r.Pt, you "

f':a"y ’tis the Cuflom of~mof’t Parifh Churches to read
the fecond Servicein the Desk: and Cufiom in the
major part of any Society, bath the force of a Law,

~ and a Law whicliis introduced by Cuftom, is as much _
a Law as any Statute Law of the Land, becaufe a Law;

doth not recipere ’;mzgz'.t iét mimu, and if you do obey
that Law which Cuftotn hathmade fo, you are as
much obedient to the Law, as the that obeys an A&
of Parliament. But how weak -and infufficient this
Plea is, judg you-your own felves, when you have
wellconfidered the falfe Notions of fucht aCui_’tom,
which :you too fafi do run away with, not making a-
ny difiinétion between cormptela, and confaetada, and

little regarding the {mall force fuch aeCu{’torn(fetting

alide the Corruption) hatéhr-itoczfwa-y any ' Mans ]‘udg~i

ment who is rightly informed of the truth .-of ‘this
matter.’ ‘ , i ,
Now certainly molt true it is, that a conilant uni
verfal Cullom or Praflice of a whole National Church
hat\h£thee“force of aLalw,- andwoughta without all doubt
to be Obferved 1'; bnéieheh you -t’nu{’t take this alongwith
you, providedthat no pofitive Lawof the Kingdom
intervene to annul that <Cul’tom, Pra€’ciCe,0r what you
v.'illc-all it, otherwii'etl'1eRt1le is faliqe: For to plead
Cufictiz againll-*. politive. Law, is to plead that which
‘was the Law againfi that which is the Law; the Tole
intentoi all poli-tive ‘Laws, being to takeaway the
binding power of all cufiomary Laws to the contra~
Ty, otherwiie there would be ‘twoLa.ws in being at
one and the lame time, commanding the one contrary
to the other, which would "certainly breed that con-
fufion which all pofitive Laws are ‘deligned to ‘pre-
vent ‘ - K .
  I

[73

I Pray Gentlemen be pleafed to «conlider what

Mifchief   you do both .to Church and State, by pres

férring fucha Cuflom as this before an efiablifhed

Lawto the contrary : Do not you bythis means turn"
-our golden Liturgyintoa .leaden Directory, and the
-belt’: of Churches 151130 the worli of Conventicles '2'

You may laugh as much you pleafe, but this is a great

‘Truth, sbecaufe it is neither the Place, nor the Number

of Perfons meeting together that. makes a Conven-

»-tiicle, forthefe may be Riots, Routs, or unlawful

Aflemblies; but that \Which doth conllituteit a

,Conven—ticle, and from whichit receives its true De~

nomination, is the meeting in any Place above fuch a

limited Number, and Serving God otherwife than”

according to the eftablifhed Liturgy and Practice of
the Church of England, which may be done in at
Church as Well as aBarn, as fad Experience tells. It

i -is only the Obfervation, or non—.Obfervation of all the
‘Orders, Rites, and Ceremonies ( and none other )

which are appointed in and by the Common Prayer

, and Bookof Canons, which gives it the Denomina-

-tion of a Church or Conventicle. If all the Orders
be regularly obferved without Addition or Diminu~
Vtion, either in Matter or Form, ’tis a true Church,
and a right Church 5 but if any thing be Said,Sung,

or done , in Church, or in private Houfes ( where —

-there are above fuch a Number as the Law ap~
points ) as the publick Worlhip of God, which is not

warranted by the Book of Common Prayer, or by

fome Law of the l‘upremeGovernour both in Church
and State, although hereby it ceafes not to be a true
Church, yet it ceafes to be aright Church, and com-
mences to be a true Conventicle, for Iknow no Me-
dium between a right Church, and a true Conven~
ticle, every Meeting upon the pretence of the Ex-

B ercife

ercife»of"R'e1igi’on*, being the oneorr the other: i‘

"And To every Perfon in Holy Orders that ofliciatesa
at Divine‘ S€I‘VlC€,. 15 either a thorough ConformiPr,,,. ’

or a Non-conformifl:-,t I know no medium in an E-

Ptablifhedr Church Q as ours is ) but if there be, I de~

fire to berinformed-of thefe things, towit, how ma-

ny, or how few of the efiabliihed Prayers may be faid 2””
How many of the:Riites. and Ceremonies -may. beufed .9“ P

Which may be omitted-,whiehra1tered? yWhich nei~
ther omitted nor“ altered?‘ And yet the fame Perform
doing: or omitting any of thefe things, may be,
and remain attrue,Confo'rmi-fl;; for if they be not Ii-..~.

mited to a certain number, then he that u.f_éS~0n1’y the,

Lords Prayer, ufes part of the Book-of Common-Pray~ .
er‘, and the mofl material’. part too, and may as truly,
‘ be e.Pteemed"as~true ta Conformifi as he that ufes. as
great deal. more, and yet fails fhort of‘ the who.l’e,:tt,,
either, as to Matter or Form; for«" whvofoeverr he; be:
that alite-rs or d‘iminifhes wiliingiy in? either,he is To fare

a~Nonconformifi, and how much farther he will pro-P
eeed“, no.bod‘y knowssbuthimfelfg. but thisweknow=

' ~ by common -Experience-, break Ice in one place, 

Will‘ crack. in agreatt“ many‘ more-. He that-Wil.fuH'y*r>

breaks the fmalrlefitiorder of the Church, is fiefhtfor:

greater matters. How true therefore is that fa~yieng,‘,
MINJM u-t**M‘ N or N‘ 5 STi1VOsN IVE G~

L [GEE R‘E' MM Ar?‘ And’ w at a‘g~.1f€.’«1‘-£‘.’.‘

adearl: oi? Mifchief. in. the Church wouldéthisa. f'ma~I‘1*Senr-

tense prevent,’ if it were be1’i,eve_diat-id put in: P~ra€’t‘ice 

for th€I=‘1:th76I6 Woulat-not be fo:ma'ny.Se6VwdzM2 u/xam°:;.-

as thereare now adayes. He-retoforee-it wasoniy Seam» -
a'rma-uf*zZm_— S2zrim4,~ _/écmiélztm-A ufzam F]'e"7§efarde;z,/ém-,. 
czmcirmrz  B i«,z;zg0,~5 ,1, fem, fémndzsmufirm: Elaomcezz/em,“

feta/4mZ.*4m4  Lz’k¢c0/miefi/v5:772 ; thefé were all. Prime’

§C'%a.et:s,.1 Cathed’raH"s..aIl,; andi yet at the._beg,inniing of“
the».

[93 I l 

the ‘Reformation this was thought to ‘be a ‘great

egGrievance. _ g
r ' 4 But now every Partlh,be It never fotnconfiderable,

; ifeveral Churches, -fog many feczmdzm ufzm’: there are,

zgprefcribes to a, Seczmmflrm zg/um; /ewrzalum  this
Pariflyfizczmalam afltm that Pé_lrifl1; and foyou may
;go on‘, and name all the Parifhes of England. as far
as the Town of _Berwick upon Tweed, and fo many
and yet the Rule by which they be all-to walk, is al-l
one and the fame. Now fronrhenceforth (Iay’s the
Church of flzegland in her -Preface concerning the
Service of the Church) all the whole Realm {hall
have but one llfe, and for this very purpofe was a
Liturgy compofed to -remedy the great Diverfities in
faying and slinging in Churches, a Remedy very flage-
-ly contrived, but tono purpofe, becaufe never,put7in
Practice. 'So-much for that. h
The next Plea Iirhavie heard ffbme of you make
Ufé of, is, that the Bilhop of your Diocels "doth difi
ipenfe -with your Obedience as to feveral Rubric-ks,'ant"1l
in particular to this, which is a plain Confeflion that
i’tis enjoin’d by the fupreme Authority, otherwife,
‘What need is there ofa Difpenfation? which being fo,
aw-hat Authority bath the Biehop, or all the Bil,-hops
together ( I lay this with humble Submiffion to that
Holy Order, for which no Man hath a greater Vene-

  ration than my ielf) what Authority,Ifay, have they

to difpenfe with a Duty injoyned byA8t of Parliament?
fure lam, that they may as ‘we1lDifpenl'e with the
Woollen Aél, or the A51 prohibiting Irilh Cattel, as
with the Act of Uniformity. Doth not the Book of
Common Prayer itfelf, which is ellablifhed by the {aid
AG, rellrain all Diocefans from ‘making any order
‘concerning any Doubt arifing about the we and

Practice of anything in the Book, any order that is
a 2   contrary

E to  V

contrary~ to any thing contained in this Book‘? ~

Ngw from hence 1argue,lf the_Comtnunion Service  

be not appointed by the Rubrick to be read at the.
North fide of the Table when there is no Commus
nion, and fo the readingv it in the Desk be not con-
trary to-any thing contained in the book, why do you
require a needlefs Difpenlation, and if it becontra~

ry how can the Bifhopv grantit ?1

When publick Or_ders and Confiitutions have been
received, andhavetaken place, {hall general Obedi-
encethereun-to ceale to be exacted, in cale this or
that private Perlbn’ led with fome probable Conceir;
fhouldmakeopen Declaration that B. Bilhop of,
éw. doth difpenfe with me concerning fucha Rubrickt 2
And although ’tis granted that the Bifhop bimlelf is

a: Perfon in a publ“ick1_Charge and Authority,‘ and all! i
iC_urates are bound to obey him in ommm zmmecév

150126/2‘z'5i; yet if the Diocefan {hould command all under
his _}-urifdi8tion- to‘-read the Communion Servicefirr
the?Desl<, the Bailhops Mandate withoutiralla doubt:

mull give place to the King’s Laws, and in all fuch ~

Cafes thegK_ing moi’: be obeyed, and not the Bifhop,
becatrfe it istheither licimm norbazzeflam, to obey 3."-l
ny fubordinate Power, when the: Supreme commands
otherwifie : Belides, when pu-blick- co-nifentt of the

g fwhol-e hath» efiablilhed any thing-, every M~an’s?]udg~7
ment being thereunto compared, is private, howfoe.»

ver his Calling be: to fome kind of publickiChargeu,t
etherwife there could be no» means pofliblezto attain:
to any Peace on Q_uietn.el's either in-I Church orState:,
unlefs the probable Voice of every intire Society or
Body Politiclig over.-rule all privatfi Of like Naatuw

in the fame. A   ' ,
And this isour €afeexa-€El.y ; for ’tis. determined>
by; the King with: the Confent of the three Eftates,
  aeprefentingg;

E n 3

ii reprefenting the whole Body of the Kingdom, where.

the fecond Service fhall be faid-, and this is not alterable

f accordingto our Laws, but by the fame full Autho-

rity by which it was enacted‘; not by any fingle Pcrfon.

‘if he be asubjeéiz, nor by any one of three Efiates:
nor by all together without the King, w_h1ch.risli1Eficit~r

ent to over-rule the frivolous Plea of a Digfpeniiationy
which can never be defended without overturning the

Government, by altering the Frame a‘nd~Confiitution~e

thereof :' to fuch fad   Exigents are they reduced who
undertake to defend what they have not beforehand-
Well confideredef: For who would have imagined,
that (f0 finall an. Omiflion as this at firfi fight feeme

to be,'fl‘1ould fwell to fuehamountainous Crime ass

to equal the Popes’Pr'ide Tin contending with the

King for the Supremacy, and by little and little to

‘fubvert his. Government: which puts me in mind of r

a"Pafl‘age I have met with in. Plmrclv, which jumps.
evengwith the matter‘ in hand“, i ft’ ; e « l '

" '..'Pzzz4l:;.r Ecmyliwr, ca.'nob1e_Roman',: and? one‘ of

Confuls-,“i afterwards ehofen to be one of the number‘
ofPr1ePcs, whom the Romans called A/zzgzmg when

  he di¢l=2ny,thingbelonging*to his Oflice of Priefihood,

he didiit withgreatExperience, judgment, and-‘Di;li_«_

gence€g:. ; leaving: all :<other""I’houghts, ; and Without‘
omitting any ancient Ceremony, or adding to any:--
new ; contending oftentimes with ‘his Companions in»
ehings which'*feemed light and of fmall moment, dc-
elaring unto: tl1'emT that Kthoiiu-ig&‘1‘},“§€' do prefume tin,

' Goids.areeafy2i:d~b.e:"pacified', ranldihatntllfiy re_aydily=

pardon‘allSeapes~a'nd Elanlfts conimittede-by,Negli §.__);€_r1ee'a‘
yet if it were no more but for refpeét of Comn1on»3..
Wealths lake, they fhouldnot fli*ghtly, 11orcarel'efly~
dilfemble, ‘nor pals _over=Faults com-em-ittecl;-in_~ thofe:
matters; For noMan cjhfaithhecjat the £irPt;',th.a.t com-;
 3 . m.iiteTrfr.

. ['12 ']
mitteth any"Fault, doth alone trouble the"’State of
the Commonwealth, but withall we m-ult think he
leaveth the Grounds of; civil Government that isnot

careful to keep the Inftitutions of {mall matters as

well as great. The Inference is obvious, andI mufl;
leave it to you to make the Application. Andnowl
have done with the Plea of a Difpenfation.

. -T be next is,thatit is very inconvenient for the Pee; ,
ple, who by reafon of the dtflance of the Place cannot

hear, and fo are never the better, they neither know-
ing to whattheyffhould pronounce their /Ymeiz , not
when to fay it ; to which I anfwer experimentally,
that though fometimes it may polfibly fo fall out, by
reafon of the low Voice‘ of the Priefl:;'. yet the fame
Mifohief attends the Desk as well as the Table : For
if the Minifler doth not audibly and difiinétly read
the Prayers ( as in too many places he dothnot ) the
People are as little edified by their being readin the
Desk as at the Altar; and if they be audiblyr and
difiinfily read, they may be heard as well atithe

Table, as in the Desk : So that the Fault (if any be)  

is not occafioned by the difiance of the Place, to much
as through the indifcretion of the Reader , which he
may help himfelf. ; P"
But fuppofe this Inconvenience were general, and
as great as you leem to makeit, yet we cannot {hp-
pofe that the Governours of our Church fhould be
fo lhorteSighted as not to difcern it, nor yet fo im-
prudent as not to provide a Remedy ‘for it :. Buthow—
foever, be it never to inconvenient, this may be deba.
ted in aregular way, by thofe whoare authoriled
thereunto , and the Inconvenience taken away by
th0fi’« Who are vefled with a legal Power for that
Purpofe (if they think fitting fo to have it. ) But for
any private Parilh Curate to take upon him, not only
’ C0

E 13 T

to‘Difpuite,bu»t to Judg of the Convenieney and Itrcon;.1

veniency of a Law fiimly eftablilhed by the Confet1t..

of the Whole Nation , andtythereupon to altei; the
Law afterfhis own Model-, 15 no lefs a piece or In-

folence then to take upon hitn_to be King,Bilhop, and:
Prjefiiof his own P3.I‘l'fh‘%,‘ by ttnpolingg his own Lakes;
upon the People,': and cancelling‘ thof: of his Sui.

geriors.

Someof youi fay that it’ is very, indecent for the:

Prielt to go out of the Desk up to » the Altar in his» -.
Surplice, and to comeb’ack.again with his Surplice Pcill.

on, to the Homily or Sermon (whichby the way,
beingpart of Adminifiration. of the divine Service,

is-to be performed with the Surplice on ). and to re-

. tum baclel-again to read the Prayer for the Church:

Militant, as they are; appointed to do. In Anliwer‘
whereunto, although my former Anfwer to the Plea»
of Inconveniencemight ferve very well’,yet.by their
way. I‘ cannot but .obl'erve that thefe very» Men, who-
have been To Eagle-fighted’ as to fpy out this great Ine-
d‘ecen'cy_; yet when the fame thing is done at another‘

place, they cannot difcern the Indecency :. Forwhemt
a~.Ch-iald is to he Baptizediat the Font, theycan go out t
f theskin.1:heir"S.u-rplice after the liecondi-IfLeITon,~ .
and returnatoa the fame placewvithout any BlE:'§'>i‘];1i-[]g,'-,

i as if the going up to the Ea.l’t~en.d of the Church inst:

a«Su-rpli‘ce»,i were at very unleetnly Pofhire, and yet
going. d'own—~~to the Welt end. i.n the fime Garment,._,

were a -very comely Gfillilil‘-6.... Ifizfism terzeatis E3"
Have you any more to fay in your own“-defenice E"

Iiipray let me hear it, that Ifmay leave no —Obje8c'i‘om.¢

unianfwered“: For if I ca'nnoteAnfwera» all that can be.-

ii‘1pp0;ledi'again=l’t m-y-Ali’erti.onit;' I had bettetfhy no-he .
thing; a;nd'i.f there be the Iiealitfcolour ofiRea«l°on 01»

Arggment on . you-1: .Be‘hah’5,.a . Ijtam Willinggéto admit .i1?§.t
‘ 

[I4]

and {top my Pen, as foon as you have fiop’d  "

Mouth with a convincing Reafon. \
~ You fay that our Governours connive at the Omifl
{ion of your Duty, they wink at your Praétice, and
take no notice of your doings, - the Laws are not exe-
cuted upon you, as they are upon other Perfons, you
hear of no lnditements at the Alfizesgor Seflions, no
Information in the Crown~Office , and this to you is
elieem’d a fuflicient VVarrant for your prefent Prafiice,
this feems to you a tacit Declaration,that_ thefupreme
Power doth not defire his Law lhould be vobey’d in
this part~icutlar.. s '
And by reafon of this Iympun-ity youfan-c’y «that’tis

, his Majeflies Pleafure that you {hould take this Li.

berty againlt his Laws; and therefore,thatI arnjullly
to be Blam’d, who being but a private Perfon have

' expreffed greater Severity againlt you than the Magi-

Ptrate himfelf; becaufia Ihave charged you with the

Guilt of Sin, when the Magillrate doth not fo much

as punilhyou. Whereas in truth ’tis not I that lay
any fueh thing to your Charge, but the_ Church of
E/7gla;2d,\ whofe Words Ihaveonly quoted, that the
wilful and contemptuous Tranfgrefliong and breaking
of a common Order and Dilbipline  as this is,where~
of we now Treat) is no fmall Oflence before God,
asltold you before.

Is not this the full Subllance of your Plea? and

is not this your Logick? You are notpunilhecwl for
your Difobedience : Ergo, ’tis lawful to Dilobey.
You fancy ’tis his Majeflies Pleafure that you lhould
not Obey: ./Ergo, it is fo. His Majefiies Law is not

  Executed: £rgo,"tis nobinding Law. What a ma-

ny Nonfeqzaitltrs are here ?‘ What kind of Syllogifin
will you make of this? There is fuch a Steeple as
Tezzterde/2 Steeple Ergo, ’tis the caule of Goodvvin

J i ‘ Sands,

E 1-; 3 A\

7’Sands,- as good an/Efrgo as any of the f'erme’r.r
But I mull not let -this pals thus. Youfiy ’t1sl1is e

Majefiies Pleafure you ihould enjoy your Liberty in
this Matter 5 it may be is for ought I know, but if it
lhould prove otherwife, as it is more than an even
laythat it doth, then have you been overboldi with

his Sacred Majefiy, / by pretending to be of his Cabis

net Councel, which -13 more than probable that you

are not.  1 _ y
We his poor Subjefits are fatisfied with his known

Will and‘ Pleafure, publickly declared in his Laws;

without liltening at the Privy Council Door to know

what his Iecretwill is, before it is his Pleafure to’

make itknown : And as foon as his Majefiy gracioufly
vouchfafes to declare any thing in Oppofition to that
which is efiablilhed by Law, I fhall obey it with all
Submiflion and Reverence, humbly and filently ac-

quiefcing in the Determination of his Will and Plea-

fure», which to me is, and fhall ever be a Law as
binding as any Aé’t of Parliament fince the Conquefl.
In the mean time, if his Majefiy hath whifpered this
fo foftly,that none could hear it but your felves, blame
not‘ me who know nothingof the matter, and yet not-
Withftanding have great caufe to think that my Know.
ledg is not inferior to yours in this Particular.

If his Majefiy hath communicated his private Will
to you, fpeak it out, and let us know it; and you fi-
lence me for ever : But I pray have acare how you

  make it an Argument -to juflify what you do,’ by

‘laying that the King takes -no notice of that Licence
you have given your felf ; and do not perfwade your
Ielves, that ’tis as good as if you had a Licence from
his Majefiy himfelf for your unlawful Praétice, for
{o I mult make bold to call it until I know Furtherof
this matter.

C I

, if gigl f p
Yfée--no~P‘toof"fo much as of’Fe'recl‘~‘_at for his 
ije{tiesPleafure in th1S Affair, except it be the Non-.

executionof his Laws, which maybe imputed to the-,

Negleétof his Olficers and Minifl;er's-tin the Difcharge.

of their Duty. But if to ferve. your turn-. you wil.L
f'ay’tis an. Argument of his Will» and not of their}
Neglefi; you mufl 1m:avoidabl~y ferve fornebodiesaa
Turn b€fid€S-YOU]?-1 own, therefore you had better let.
this Argument ‘alone, lei’: fome others take it out of:
your Mouths, and L ake ufe of. it againlt your felves;
Another pretty ortof Argument others make ufe;
of, which though it little deferves an Anfwer, yet I:
fi1a1‘lbriefi'y fay fomethingto it-, and fo finifh with;

you worthy Gentlemen who eonfefs the Command,
and yet pra€’til"e quite Oppofrte to it. ¥ou fay that

»the-., People are not pleafed-with it, otherwiie youths

would:-very will‘ingly* go up to the Altai-r, or Holy‘

Table, but:-ti yeti Ihould-, the People would go out: i
of the Church, and perhaps come no more. In gooors:
time 1. Maul’: the Orders of the Church hang upon .fo~s

fiender aThred,. asthe likingi, ordillilting of an 1g«
noram; M.ulti.tude 2' Mufl the ‘Shephelrdi gowhither thei

' Sheep ~ would i have him,and  further-, forifear of difl

pleating the Sheep ?“Is the Government ofour (‘.hurch:~
fo precarious? If this be the Cafe, you may lhutup.-».
the ChurchDoors and write over them D 0 L .6 N5’ l

D [C0, G EMLVNS D £A/u N710, 5/at

  Cf? 13 D 0 712>t~M _,0\u*O D /11>:/zoo [V0 5’

J3:/vrw~S C£C‘ID»]7“’ PO 1313 plums STA:

R=/E‘ zvoizv PO‘7"ERtZ’7“: e C170 £A7[M" a

go 7uM £131.25 D:-—/E £CC—L£51/4 A./\Z'-.

 G L ICAN gar . s
l A?nd:snowtIl1ave- f°omethi~ng-to fay to yrouRe-ve=-~
' rend Srrs, who faythiat there is no Rubrick, neither

i‘§‘§zka.S..it.€¢V€r the Intentions. of . the Chu.rch~, that there=
’ l     {ho Ll.1Cii’tf

E 17 3

ifhould be one for the reading the Communion Ser~

vice at the North fideof the Table when there is no

Communion; You cannot fee fucha Rubrick. What?

. are there no Rubricks at all to dir¢& the orderly read-

.-ing of t-hole Prayers andeother Religious Duties which

are to be performed when there is no Communion?

€Do«you7never Preach but when there is a Communi.

ti -on? Yes, yes," there, is aplain Rubrick for it, Then‘

{hall follow the Sermon. You can read that Sirs with-
out a pair of Spcétaclesl perceive very well; but kind
.?‘Sirs , according to your own Confiruétion of the
Rubricks, this is only when there is a Communion :.

-for the next immediate Rubrick is, Then lhall the
Priefi return to the Lord’s Table. ' Can any one be

properly faidto «return to the Place he was not at be-

fore? And if he was at it before, then there muff be
a Communion, fay you ; butrif.t‘h€re be no Com—mu-

snion, and the appointed Rubricks ferve only for
*Cornmun1on-etime, thenrtherc is no Sermon appointed,

‘fay I, To that either you mull acknowledg -that all the

fame Rubricks belong to -the_ Communion Service

when there is no Communion, as well as whenthere

;.is,one, or elle what will become of your great Dz'.m.a_

the S51? Mo AZ‘: »Methinks.foI t:1:1:e.d§:_avr:£.ét1§6.Qf‘fh31?
Yxlmmz Neceflarium, that M4gzzum‘Gp0rtet,; you {hould
be more kind to that part of the Liturgy, which gives
the fole Authority. to your Sermon. I befeech you
(gentle Sirs) deal not fo unworthily with Your own
"Mother, as to wink hard againll the Light, and wil.
“fully not to lee your way, when Shecommands you to
go Up:tQ the Altar, and yet to be as ‘quick-fightedase
an Eagle when you afcend the Pulpit. ‘

How comes itto pals that YOU lhdulcl beblinder than Li, a
the Pffifibyterians, for if You do not fee this~Rubrick ’

of Reading at the North lidecof the Table when there‘
a . 2. i > i

~18

:18‘:

is-"no Communion ’tis really fo, for they fpied out this ;

‘hidden Rubrick, and fain would have been   rid of it,

it being a great Eyefore to them, and they would fain.

have exchanged Conditions with you, that they might

  have been-Io blind asnot to~ha-vefeenit; but fince.

they did too plainly Difcern it,‘ no remedy now but
to defire the 'Bi{hop‘s at the‘ grand Debate .. at... the S4-

710}, when our gracious-King was firfi reflored’ to his

Crown, that the Minifiera be not required to trehearfe

any part of the Liturgy at the Communion Table,
fave only thofe parts which properly belong to the
. ‘Lord’s Supper, and that at fuch time onely when the
‘Holy Supper /is tAdminil?tred‘-.- A Theft: are the very
Vifords of their Requefl, bywhich it appears {"0 plain _.

that a blind Man may fee it, that by the Rubrick be-

fore the CommuniongOflice,-'1"he. Priefi {landing at « '

the Northfide of the"'.}’ableifhall;t'fay, @’rz':'; '2 '1~‘hePre£3

byterians themlelves, a whoa-are: apt ;.'6nO1§'l‘gh to ,pick:.

holes in the Churches Orders if; they be againfi their

"Humour, yet could not do it here; for they could
make no other ConPtru€’tion.of it, agreeable either"-

With Senfi or Reafon, but this ; thatrat all timeswhetr 4
any‘ part of th'e=CQm4muni='on Service was to be read,

‘there lay an Obli-gationwupon all Priefis , by Virtue:

only of that R_u~brick. And the Prieli Handing, ém.  
to read that Part at the CommunionTablie, when

there was no-Communion‘, or elfe to whatpurpofe was .

this Requefi of theirs 2'“ and why did the Reverend

_ Bifhops make fuchi an Anfwere as they did?

The Anfwer is this, ' That the Minilier ihoulid:

1 . raot.Read the Cotnmunion Servieeatthe Commun-ions

Table, is notreafonable to demand; fmcea all the. Pr.i- \
mltlvee Church ufedaitta,-. and if we do not eoblerve that:
gol-dens Ruleof the venerable-:Cou=ncil of Mae, let

    ~~i‘»nGi€E1f Cefioms p1=e.vail till..P.«,eal'otrplain1y requires the :

€0I1tI‘3.‘I‘y?3; ,

Era]

agmry, we {hall give Otrencetofober Chriiiians .

by caufelefs departure from -Catholique Ufage, and
a greater ~AdVantage to they "Enemies of our Qhurch,
than our, Brethren I hope would willingly grant. The
Priefi fiandingat the Communion Table,_,{eemeth to
give us an Invitation tothe Holy:,Sacrament,and minds
us of our Duty, 7/2'22. To Receive the Holy Commu.

“nion, fome at leafi every Sunday; and though we

negleé’tou-tr Duty,. ’tis fit the. Church lhouldkeepher
Handing. l

Obferve that, and if youefind no trea-Ton in what

the Reverend Bifhops fay, ule your Liberty Hill for
at Cloak of Nonconformity, and remember ’tis but a
€loak,and fueha one, assyou had ‘better be Ptark nak-
ed than be covered‘ with.» ‘

And now.it.ret_nains that I ihould produce Tome
- unqueltionable Authorities to back my Reafons,that
it may appear to all aunbia-fled Perfons, That the Judge
ment of allthe great'Worthies ofour». Church, who =

have either oecafionally, or on f'ete-Purpole treated of
this matter, is unanimouflyi this.~ -r
The Communion Service ought to be read aCCOI‘dr

ing to the Rule-Prefcribed in our Book of Common 4

Prayer,”at the North lidetof the Table,» as Well when
there is no Communion-, as well as when there is one.

I will begin with the mofirjudieious ~Mr. Hooker, .

who in his fifth Book, Seé‘t.- go. h‘athith€.f6 Words.
Same (meaning fome parts of our Liturgy _) are
fuel], 4; 41195;’: they/ferve to finguldrgood Pmrpo/e,e«vm

when there 2': :20 =C0mmzm:iozz zidmimfflred, iaetvert/aeltffjc " r

éeiizgdeviféd-at t/Je firfl for that Parpofis, .. are at ty/ye  

Taé/e of the Lord for that C4z;fe"4!fi commonly A’e¢zd.e  l
The next Authority is thegreat Arch-i,Bifhop Lard, ,

fecond" unto the Reverend Father Hooker, OnJ¥?..i%-in‘

time). Who in a SP?-eeh in th6»‘e5‘tar'Cé,z;¢2é»e/9 .tQaWil3iC31 T  
, H _ i ’ ~ 'J'T.lcI~pj_.}.

I

I 20]

..Very few of you can pretend to be Strangers, .~fay’s
zthus. "

7/Je Elevetztla Innovation 2': tlze Reading of tire /as
cwtd Service at the C0fflfitZtflt07¢ 74616 or the A’/tar. To

. rthisl can truly “fay that fince my own Memory this .

-was in ufe in verymany Places, as beingsmofi proper:

' i( for thole Prayers are then Read which both precede,

and follow the Communion.) and by little and little
this ancient Cufiom was altered, and in thofe places
tfirlt where the Emifiaries of this Fafiion came to
Preach. And now if any one in Authority ofler to
‘reduce this ancient Courfe of the Church, ’tis by and
by called’ an Innovation: Secondly , with this the

Rubricks of the Common Pray-er-Book agree; for the '

afirlt Rubrick after the Communion tells us that upon
Holydaies, though ‘there be no Communion, yet all
ellie that’s appointed at the Communion fhallf be read.
Shall be read’ ? thats true, but where? Why the -lafi
Rubrick before the Communion tells us,that the Prieft

Ptanding at the North lide of the Holy Table, {hall .

lay the Lord’s Prayer with that which follows. So that
notsonly the Communion, but the Prayers which ac-
company the Communion ( which are commonly
called the Second Service ) are to be read at the Com-
munion Table: Therefore if this be an Innovation, ’tis
made by the Rubricks, not by the Prelates.

Now let us fee what the Right Reverend Bifhop
of Z\/'orwz'~c/1, Dr. Sparrow, fay’s to this Matter. In his
Rational of the Common Prayer p. 239. thus -he fay’s.

Pritmte and /olttary Communion: of the Prtefl the
Chart!) 41/aw: not, and therefore when other camzot 66
7:44. [be zzppoiittsozz/y fa mat of the Service as-relate:
but of zzeceflt} to tz private Co»-zmttztioiz, moi that to ée
fatal at t/.ze F170/J 7515/6, and ztpott good Reafim. 7776
Cb.=t7*clJ 2‘/Jereéy keeping an it were her‘ Grotmd , 7/zjib/Jy

, a 7/zinding

2:211

mimiirzg as of 129/24: Sbe defire: ma,’ labors tonmral: am"

more flegwefit flccefs to flu! Hal] 725/e. Mark the

feveral Reafons, and weigh the great Authority of

this famous Triumvirate-of the Church of .../.‘7i2Zg¢,’.r’£;i:‘c'_r.:',’,3.

and then Read the Second Service hereafter in tire,

Desk if you can-

There‘ be fome others of no mean, Credit in the; i

Ghurch Of‘.E'i2g/and; who have pofitively afferted the

fime thing, -viz. Dr.f17e}/Z1322 in his Introduction to
Arch Biihop’ Lamd’s,Life_ p. 2 2. Mr. Eléorow in his EX‘
lpofition of the Bookof Common Prayer p. 98. Ham-

mozzd le Sirzmg in his Alliance of Divine Olfices p..

1 22, I2 3. to which I may add a fourth, which is Dr...

Coméers in his Companion to the ‘Altar, the Page Ii
have forgot, though the Matter I; very well rememr
ber.   A ‘

Now if afterall thele Reafionsan-d A‘uthoritesthere_:
remains any Doubt, as I believe there may do With:

tshofe that are refolved~to‘doubt,’ that they may have:
fome Colour for their refilefs Oppofition to the:
Churches wholefom Inliitutions; i_ have one thing;_

more to fay, whichbecaufe it hath wrought upon-2:
fome, and notonly Convinced them, but Converted,

as obflinate asthey feemedto be, Iattrin good I-Iotpesa
it may have the lame Operation upon, fome others“
Let me intreat all you-that have any Kilndnefs left for

the dillreffed Church of Erzg/mid, to cal’: an ,impartial

Eye upon the Forms of Common= Prayer, upon leve—«  

ral Occafions of Falling and Thanltsgiving, fet forth.

by Authority, {hall Ifay, lincethe King’s happy Rc- 

fioration, or fince the bleffed Reformation .97 Perulef
them all if you pleale, and youlhalltafind that in none-'
of them all is therea Communion apporntecl, nor=-at

ny appears to be intended: but only fo much of the ,

<~;?ommLtnion.,_Servi,ce. is therein. prefcribedi to be Reade:

3&3

av‘;

xaisoon other Holydays is by the Common’ Prayer Book

appointed to be Read when there is no Comfmunion,-

  and yet ’tis faid exprefly, I The Priefl {landing at the

Northfide of the Table fhall fay, efiv.

“What more clear than this, to tell. us the meaning. ‘
.»of the Rubrick in the Book of Common "Prayer, untetg
e   it be the Praétice of the Prime Churches in Efiglafid,

the King’s Chappel, the Cathedralg, the two Univer-
fities, and many Orthodox Parifh Churches , to wit,
that of Dr. Hicks, that of Dr. S/aerlock , that of Dr.
Dave, and if I be not Mifinformed that of Mr. Pellmg,
all Famous, Reverend, and Worthy Divines within
the City of ' London, and I quefiion notubut the pious
Example of Each confcientious Men, hath had an In~
fluence upon fome parts of the Country, fome I am
fare I know, andyothersl have heard of 5 I pray God

increafe their Number, not by confounding the Per-
fons of any who do otherwife, but by converting their '

Judgments, and- confounding thofe Devices they make
ufi: of to hinder all manner of Impreflion that can be

made upon_them either by Reafon or Authority; the 2

~chiefePt of which I find to be 3. [Va wdezmmrfemel er- *

m"j]"e. A Principle too bad to-be ovvn’d, and -yet too
true to be denyed.-Recommending you to God’s Grace,
‘I take my Leave of you all, leaving this lhort laying

. with you, Verims e/2 77Mgfl4&" pmrwzleéit.

C/772'/Z242/as mi‘/22' Afamen efl,
«Cat/70/im: Cogmmeiz.



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