1661.] Exceptions against the Book of Common Prayer. 111

Drake shall from time to time supply the place of each one of the said commissioners last mentioned, which shall happen to be hindered, or be absent from the said meetings and consultations; and shall and may advise, consult, and determine, and also certify and execute all and singular the powers and authorities before mentioned, in and about the premises, as fully and absolutely, as such of the said last mentioned commissioners, which shall so happen to be absent, should or might do, by virtue of these our letters patents, or any thing therein contained, in case he or they were personally present.

In witness whereof we have caused these our letters to be made patents. Witness our self at Westminster, the five and twentieth day of March, in the thirteenth year of our reign. [MDCLXI.]

Per ipsum Regem

BARKER.

XV.

The Exceptions against the Book of Common Prayer:1Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, by Sylvester, pp. 316-33, Cardwell's History of Conferences, Oxford, 1849, pp. 303-35.

ACKNOWLEDGING with all humility and thankfulness, his majesty's most princely condescension and indulgence, to very many of his loyal subjects, as well in his majesty's most gracious Declaration, as particularly in this present commission, issued forth in pursuance thereof; we doubt not but the right reverend bishops, and all the rest of his majesty's commissioners intrusted in this work, will, in imitation of his

The principal compilers of this paper were Bishop Reynolds, Dr. Wallis, Mr. Calamy, Mr. Newcomen, Dr. Bates, Mr. Clarke, Dr. Jacomb, &c.Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, p. 307.

"The fourth day of May, [1661] we had a meeting with the bishops, where "we gave in our paper of Exceptions to them; which they received.” — Reliquiæ Baxterianæ, p. 334.

majesty's most prudent and Christian moderation and clemency, judge it their duty (what we find to be the apostles' own practice) in a special manner to be tender of the churches peace, to bear with the infirmities of the weak, and not to please themselves, nor to measure the consciences of other men by the light and latitude of their own, but seriously and readily to consider and advise of such expedients, as may most conduce to the healing of our breaches, and uniting those that differ.

And albeit we have a high and honourable esteem of those godly and learned bishops and others, who were the first compilers of the public liturgy, and do look upon it as an excellent and worthy work, for that time, when the Church of England made her first step out of such a mist of popish ignorance and superstition wherein it formerly was involved; yet,—considering that all human works do gradually arrive at their maturity and perfection, and this in particular, being a work of that nature, hath already admitted several emendations since the first compiling thereof:

It cannot be thought any disparagement or derogation. either to the work itself, or to the compilers of it, or to those who have hitherto used it, if after more than a hundred years, since its first composure, such further emendations be now made therein, as may be judged necessary for satisfying the scruples of a multitude of sober persons, who cannot at all (or very hardly) comply with the use of it, as now it is, and may best suit with the present times after so long an enjoyment of the glorious light of the gospel, and so happy a reformation especially considering that many godly and learned men have from the beginning all along earnestly desired the alteration of many things therein, and very many of his majesty's pious, peaceable, and loyal subjects, after so long a discontinuance of it, are more averse from it than heretofore the satisfying of whom (as far as may be) will very much conduce to that peace and unity which is so much desired by all good men, and so much endeavoured by his most excellent majesty.

And therefore in pursuance of this his majesty's most gracious commission, for the satisfaction of tender consciences, and the procuring of peace and unity amongst ourselves, we judge meet to propose,

First, that all the prayers, and other materials of the liturgy may consist of nothing doubtful or questioned amongst pious, learned, and orthodox persons, inasmuch as the professed end of composing them is for the declaring of the unity and consent of all who join in the public worship; it being too evident that the limiting of church-communion to things of doubtful disputation, hath been in all ages the ground of schism and separation, according to the saying of a learned person.*

"To load our public forms with the private fancies upon which we differ, is the most sovereign way to perpetuate schism to the world's end. Prayer, confession, thanksgiving, reading of the Scriptures, and administration of the sacraments in the plainest and simplest manner, were matter enough to furnish out a sufficient liturgy, though nothing either of private opinion, or of church-pomp, of garments, or prescribed gestures, of imagery, of music, of matter concerning the dead, of many superfluities which creep into the church under the name of order and decency, did interpose itself. To charge churches and liturgies with things unnecessary, was the first beginning of all superstition, and when scruple of conscience began to be made or pretended, then schism began to break in. If the special guides and fathers of the church would be a little sparing of incumbering churches with superfluities, or not over-rigid, either in reviving obsolete customs, or imposing new, there would be far less cause of schism or superstition; and all the inconvenience were likely to ensue would be but this, they should in so doing yield a little to the imbecility of their inferiors; a thing which St. Paul would never have refused to do. - Mearwhile wheresoever false or suspected opinions are made a piece of church-liturgy, he that separates is not the schis

* Mr. Hales.

I

matic; for it is alike unlawful to make profession of known, or suspected falsehood, as to put in practice unlawful or suspected action."

II. Further, we humbly desire that it may be seriously considered, that as our first reformers out of their great wisdom did at that time so compose the liturgy, as to win upon the papists, and to draw them into their church-communion, by varying as little as they well could from the Romish forms before in use: so whether in the present constitution, and state of things amongst us, we should not according to the same rule of prudence and charity, have our liturgy so composed, as to gain upon the judgments and affection of all those who in the substantials of the protestant religion are of the same persuasions with our selves: inasmuch as a more firm union and consent of all such, as well in worship as in doctrine, would greatly strengthen the protestant interest against all those dangers and temptations which our intestine divisions and animosities do expose us unto, from the common adversary.

III. That the repetitions, and responsals of the clerk and people, and the alternate reading of the psalms and hymns which cause a confused murmur in the congregation, whereby what is read is less intelligible, and therefore unedifying, may be omitted: the minister being appointed for the people in all public services appertaining unto God, and the Holy Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, intimating the people's part in public prayer to be only with silence and reverence to attend thereunto, and to declare their consent in the close, by saying Amen.

IV. That in regard the litany (though otherwise containing in it many holy petitions) is so framed, that the petitions for a great part are uttered only by the people, which we think not to be so consonant to Scripture, which makes the minister the mouth of the people to God in prayer, the particulars thereof may be composed into one solemn prayer to be offered by the minister unto God for the people.

V. That there be nothing in the liturgy which may seem

to countenance the observation of Lent as a religious fast; the example of Christ fasting forty days and nights being no more imitable, nor intended for the imitation of a Christian, than any other of his miraculous works were, or than Moses his forty days fast was for the Jews: and the act of parliament, 5 Eliz., forbidding abstinence from flesh to be observed upon any other than a politic consideration, and punishing all those who by preaching, teaching, writing, or open speeches, shall notify that the forbearing of flesh is of any necessity for the saving of the soul, or that it is the service of God, otherwise than as other politic laws are.

VI. That the religious observation of saints-days appointed to be kept as holy-days, and the vigils thereof, without any foundation (as we conceive) in Scripture, may be omitted. That if any be retained, they may be called festivals, and not holy-days, nor made equal with the Lord's day, nor have any peculiar service appointed for them, nor the people be upon such days forced wholly to abstain from work, and that the names of all others now inserted in the Calender which are not in the first and second books of Edward the Sixth, may be left out.

VII. That the gift of prayer, being one special qualification for the work of the ministry bestowed by Christ in order to the edification of his church, and to be exercised for the profit and benefit thereof, according to its various and emergent necessity; it is desired that there may be no such imposition of the liturgy, as that the exercise of that gift be thereby totally excluded in any part of public worship. And further, considering the great age of some ministers and infirmities of others, and the variety of several services oft-times concurring upon the same day, whereby it may be inexpedient to require every minister at all times to read the whole; it may be left to the discretion of the minister, to omit part of it, as occasion shall require: which liberty we find to be allowed even in the First Common Prayer Book of Edward VI.

VIII. That in regard of the many defects which have been