Congregation, and every Time of meeting in the fame Congregation, eafily escape the Notice of fuch as are prejudiced in their Favour, who alone hear them; and when obferved, it is only by a few, and they are foon forgotten: while those that are charged on a public printed Liturgy, lie open conftantly, Year after Year, to the Cenfure of every one. And were it poffible, that the feveral Prayers offered up, in any one Day, in the feveral diffenting Affemblies of this Kingdom, could be written down; and examined half so narrowly for a fhort Space, as Ours have been for two Centuries together: can it be imagined, that many times more and worfe Omiffions and Improprieties would not be found, in almost every one of them, than They have pretended to find in our Common-Prayer? Still we are far from faying, it is incapable of any Alteration for the better. Yet this we must fay, that most of the Alterations, proposed by some Persons, have been thought by others, every Way their Equals, if not Superiors, by no means to be Amendments. And as eminent a Nonconformist, as ever was, Mr. Baxter, hath long fince owned, that almost every Church on Earth hath a worse Liturgy, than Ours. There There hath indeed been a railing Accufation", even of Popery, brought against it: though it was first compiled, then reviewed and approved, by Confeffors and Martyrs for the Protestant Cause; and several Articles of Popery are as flatly contradicted in it, as can be. Some Parts of it, we acknowledge, were in the Romish Offices before: but not one Tenth of the whole, as a very diligent Perfon hath computed. Most of this tenth Part alfo was in much ancienter Offices, before the Romish Corruptions were introduced. And had it not; as even these Prayers are intirely free from those Corruptions, where can be the Harm of using them? Had our Reformers rejected them, they would have been in Reality never the farther diftant from the Papists. And by retaining them, they had a Prospect of bringing many of the Papists over to themselves: by fhewing, that they did not act from Paffion and Prejudice, but Reason and Confideration; that they respected the ancient Offices and Ufages of the purer Ages of the Church, and departed only from modern Abuses and Errors. It hath also been alledged, that we wear the Habits of the Papifts in offering up thefe Pray▸ Jude ver. 9. Dr. Bennet on the Common Prayer, App. 1. ers. ers. But indeed, though it were no Way material if we did, ours are very different from theirs. And if wearing any, which are not in common Ufe, be condemned, what Cause is there for it? why may not facred, as well as civil Offices of Dignity and Importance, be made somewhat more folemn by Vestments appropriated to them? The Fitness of it hath been confeffed by the conftant Practice of Mankind, and particularly of the Christian Church in early Ages, and indeed of our Diffenting Ministers themselves; who change their Dress a little, when they officiate. And where is the Harm, if we change ours a little more? Though after all, if the wearing of fuch Garments by Us of the Clergy were a Fault, it would be intirely our own Fault: and seeing us wear them could furely hurt no Body. But befides these general Objections, there are several made against particular Paffages, which ought to be confuted. This therefore I purpose, God willing, to do in a proper Number of Discourses, on all the ftated Offices of our Liturgy and not only to vindicate what is blamed, but explain alfo what too many may poffibly not understand, and direct your Notice to to what may not be fufficiently observed. All these Things will very well come under the Head, of which I promised at first to treat II. That we should be very folicitous rightly to apprehend the Sense and Fitness of what we fay and do in God's Prefence. For though cenfuring without Reason is worse, yet esteeming without Reason is not the Part of wife Men. And fome perhaps are mighty zealous for our Liturgy, who yet know but very imperfectly, what good Reason they have to be zealous for it. Indeed amongst many Advantages of public Forms of Prayer, there feems to be one Dif advantage; that the Words of them being in the main continually the fame, and thus becoming well known and familiar, we often hear them, and even speak our Share of them, with fcarcé any Attention to them. But then it is equally true, that we often hear Sermons, though they are new to us, with just as little Regard; and therefore should be likely very foon to hear extempore Prayers also with no less Negligence: which Fault our Liturgy is in feveral Refpects peculiarly calculated to prevent, as I fhall hereafter fhew you. But ftill the Danger is great enough, to demand our utmost Care to guard against it. For however good VOL. VI. M our public Offices are in themselves, they convey no Good to Us, farther than we comprehend the Import of them, and mind it: which, the better they are, the more they deferve from us. And on the other Hand, were they ever fo mean, this would be no Excufe for omitting to get all the Benefit we could from them; but a powerful Motive, though a very unhappy one, to endeavour it most earnestly. Yet thinking them defective and blameable where they are not, or to a Degree in which they are not, as Multitudes have done, will naturally discompose, or deaden at least, our Minds in the Ufe of them and therefore fhould be avoided, as far as it can. Now Perfons may indeed by their own private Confideration enter very competently, both into the Meaning and the Grounds of moft Things contained in the Liturgy. They, who are able to purchase a few Books, may likewife receive much additional Information from the feveral very useful Paraphrafes and Commentaries upon it, that are extant. And they are much to blame, if they wilfully neglect either of thefe Things. But ftill many cannot, and others are not likely to do them. To such therefore I fhall attempt to give fome Inftruction concerning the Service, in which we ་ ་ |