THE CASE OF

THE USE OF THE LITURGY,

STATED IN THE LATE TIMES.*

WHEREAS you are desirous to know what my judgment and practice is concerning the using or forbearing of the established Liturgy, either in whole or in part, in the public Service of God and Offices of the Church, if that may be any satisfaction to yourself or friend, I shall fully acquaint you with what my practice is,† (whereunto if my judgment be not conformed, I am without all escape mine own condemner,) and upon what con

siderations* I have, according to the variation of times, varied myself therein.

So long as my Congregation continued unmixed with Soldiers, (as well after as before the promulgation of the Ordinance of the two Houses, † for the abolishing of Common Prayer,) I continued the use of it, as I had ever formerly done in the most peaceable and orderly times, not omitting those very Prayers, the silencing whereof I could not but know to have been chiefly aimed at in the Ordinance, viz. those for the King, the Queen, and the Bishops. And so I did also, though some Soldiers were casually present, till such time as a whole Troop coming to quarter in the Town, with a purpose to continue a kind of Garrison or Head-quarters among us, were so enraged at my reading of it the first Sunday after they came, that immediately after Morning Service ended, § they seized on the Book and tore it all to pieces.

Thenceforward, during their continuance here for full six Months and upwards, (viz. from the beginning of November, till they were called away to Naseby-fight in May following,) besides that for want of a Book, of necessity I must, I saw that it behoved me also, for the preventing of further outrages, to waive the use of the Book for the time, at least in the ordinary Services; only I read the Confession, the Lord's Prayer, with the Versicles and the Psalms for the day; and then, after the First Lesson in the Forenoon, Benedictus or Jubilate, and in the Afternoon Cantate. After the second Lesson also in the Forenoon, sometimes the Creed, sometimes the Ten Commandments, and sometimes neither, but only sang a Psalm, and so to Sermon. But all that while, in the Administration of the Sacraments, the Solemnization of Matrimony, Burial¶ of the Dead, and Churching of Women, I constantly used the ancient forms and rites to every of them respectively belonging, according to the appointment in the Book. Only I was careful in all the rest to make choice of such times and opportunities, as I might do them with most secresy and without disturbance

of the Soldiers. But at the celebration of the Eucharist I was the more secure to do it publicly, because I was assured none of the Soldiers would be present.

After their departure I took the liberty to use either* the whole Liturgy, or but some part of it, omitting sometimes more, sometimes less, upon occasion, as I judged it most expedient, in reference to the Auditory, especially if any Soldiers or other unknown persons happened to be present. But all the while, the substance of what I omitted I contrived into my Prayer before Sermon, the phrase and order only varied; which yet I endeavoured to temper in such sort, as that any person of ordinary capacity might easily perceive what my meaning was; and yet the words left as little liable to exception or cavil as might be.

About night two years ago, I was advertised (but in a very friendly manner) by a Parliament man of note in these parts, that at a public meeting in Grantham great complaint was made by some Ministers (of the Presbyterian gang, as I afterwards found) of my refractoriness to obey the Parliament's Order in that behalf. The Gentleman told me withal, that although they knew long before what my judgment and practice was, yet they were not forward to take notice of it before complaint made, which being now done in so public manner, if they should not take knowledge of it, the blame would lie upon them he therefore advised me to consider well what I had to do; for I must resolve either to adventure § the loss of my Living, or to lay aside Common Prayer, which if I should continue, after complaint and admonition, it would not be in his power, nor in the power of any friend I had to preserve me. The effect of my then answer was, that if the case were so, the deliberation was not hard: I having long ago considered of|| the case, and resolved what I might with a good Conscience do, and what were fittest¶ for me in prudence to do, if I should ever be put to it, viz. to forbear the use of the

Common Prayer Book, so far as might satisfy the letter of the Ordinance, rather than forsake my station.

My next business then was, to bethink myself of such a course to be thenceforth* held in the public worship in my own Parish, as might be likeliest neither to bring danger to myself by the use, nor to bring scandal to my brethren by the disuse of the established Liturgy. And the course was this, to which I have held me ever since.

I begin the Service with a preface of Scripture, and an exhortation inferred thence to make Confession of sins; which exhortation I have framed out of the Exhortation and Absolution in the Book contracted and put together, and expressed for the most part in the very same words and phrases, but purposely here and there transplaced, that it might appear not to be, and yet to be the same.

Then follows the Confession itself in the same order it was, enlarged only with the addition of some words, whereby it is rather explained than altered; the whole Form whereof, both for your fuller satisfaction in that particular, and that you may partly conjecture what manner of addition or change I have made proportionably hereunto, (yet none so large) in other parts of the holy Office, § I have here underwritten :

O Almighty God and merciful Father, we Thy unworthy servants do with shame and sorrow confess, that we have all our life long gone astray out of Thy ways like lost sheep, and that, by following too much the vain devices || and desires of our own hearts, we have grievously offended against Thy holy Laws, both in thought, word, and deed. We have many times left undone those good duties which we might and ought to have done; and we have many times** done those evils, when we might have avoided them, which we ought not to have done. We confess, O Lord, that there is no health at all in us, nor help in any creature to relieve†† us. But all our hope is in Thy mercy, whose justice we have by our sins so far provoked. Have mercy upon us therefore, O Lord, *thenceforth.' So the three MSS.

Coll. vain desires and devices.' Qu. and the Edd. have not the word vain. T'duties.' All three MSS. 'things'

Edd.
**have many times.' many
times have' Qu.
tt 'relieve.'

'deliver' Qu.

have mercy upon us, miserable offenders.* Spare us, good Lord, which confess our faults, that we perish not; but according to Thy gracious Promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord, restore us, upon our true repentance, to Thy grace and favour. And grant, O most merciful Father, for His sake, that we henceforth↑ study to serve and please Thee, by leading a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of Thy holy Name, and the eternal comfort of our own souls, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

After this Confession, the Lord's Prayer, with the Versicles and Gloria Patri, and then the Psalms for the day, and then the first Lesson; after which in the Forenoon‡ sometimes Te Deum (but then only when I think the Auditory will bear it), and sometimes an Hymn of my own composing, gathered out of the Psalms and the Church Collects, as§ a general Form of Thanksgiving, which I did the rather, because some have noted the want of such a Form as the only thing wherein our Liturgy seemed to be defective;|| and in the Afternoon, after the first Lesson, the ninety-eighth or the sixty-seventh Psalm. Then the second Lesson, with Benedictus or Jubilate after it in the Forenoon, and in the Afternoon a singing Psalm.¶ Then followeth the Creed with Dominus vobiscum, and sometimes the Versicles in the end of the Litany, 'From our Enemies defend us,' O Christ, &c. if I like my Auditory: otherwise I omit these Versicles.

After the Creed, &c. instead of the Litany and the other** Prayers appointed in the Book, I have taken the substance of the Prayer I was wont to use before Sermon, and disposed it into several Collects or Prayers, some longer and some shorter, but new modelled †† into the language of the Common Prayer Book, much more than it was before. And in the Pulpit before Sermon, I use only a short Prayer in reference to the

*'offenders which confess,' Qu. 'O Lord, which confess,' New Coll. t'that we henceforth.' So C.C.C. and Qu. Coll. that we may henceforth' New Coll., as in previous Edd.

'Forenoon.' So in all the MSS. The previous Editions have 'After

noon.

§'as.' 'and' Qu. Coll.

Our present General Thanksgiving, it will be remembered, was not inserted till the last Review of the Book of Common Prayer, ten years later than the date of the drawing up of this Case.

TA Psalm sung' Qu. Coll. **and other' C.C.C. tt 'new modelled.' ' modelled' Qu. and New Coll.