beyond the commission of a Deacon to convey. Not that I would draw an argument from the opinion of our Church, where that opinion seems repugnant to Scripture or antiquity: but where it does not appear to be inconsistent with either, I think her decision should be allowed a due weight. Wherever I have found or suspected her to differ from one or the other, the reader will observe I have not covered or disguised it; but on the contrary perhaps have been too hasty and forward, and too unguarded in my remarks. But TRUTH was what I aimed at through my whole undertaking; which therefore I was resolved at any hazard to assert just as it appeared to me. It is not at all indeed unlikely that in so many points as the nature of this work has led me to consider, some things may appear as truths to me, which others, who have better opportunities of inquiring into them, may find to be otherwise and therefore I can only profess that I have not advanced any thing but what I have believed to be true; and that if I am any where in an error, I shall be always open to conviction, let the person that attempts it be adversary or friend; since if truth can be attained to by any means at last, I shall not value from whom or from whence it proceeds: though I cannot but say, the satisfaction will be the greater if it appear on the side which our Church has espoused, notwithstanding the discovery may possibly demand some retractations on my own part, which in such case I shall always be ready to make, and think it a happiness to find myself mistaken. In the mean while, I request that where I am allowed to be right, I may not meet with the less favour, because I have shewed myself fallible; and particularly I would importune my reverend brethren of the CLERGY, (upon whose countenance the success of this work must depend,) that if the Rubrics especially have been any where cleared, and with proper arguments enforced, they would join their assistance to make my endeavours of some service to the CHURCH. For it will be but of very little use to have illustrated the rule, unless they also concur to make the practice more uniform. And indeed I would hope that a small importunity would be sufficient to prevail with them, when they see what disgrace their compliances have brought both upon the Liturgy and themselves; since not only the occasional offices are now in several places prostituted to the caprice of the people, to be used where, and when, and in what manner they please; but even the daily and ordinary service is more than the Clergy themselves know how to perform in any Church but their own, before they have been informed of the particular custom of the place. : But I would not presume to dictate to those from whom it would much better become me to learn and therefore I shall only observe further with regard to the citations I have had occasion to make, that I have but very seldom set down any of them at large, because I was willing to avoid all unnecessary means of swelling the book. Besides, I considered, that though I should cite them ever so distinctly, yet those who understand not the language they were written in, must take my word for the meaning of them at last: and those who are capable of reading the originals, I supposed, would turn to the books themselves for any thing they should doubt of, how careful soever I should have been in transcribing them; so that I thought it sufficient to be exact in my references, as to the tome, and page, and marginal letter, and then to insert a general table of the ecclesiastical writers, which should once for all shew the editions that I have used. The reason of my adding the times when the writers flourished, was, that my less learned reader might gather from thence the antiquity of the several rites and ceremonies I had occasion to treat of, by consulting when those authors lived who are produced in defence of them. * If I have any where made use of a different edition, I have taken care to specify it in the citation itself. AN ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL WRITERS CITED IN THIS BOOK; WITH THE TIMES WHEN THEY FLOURISHED, and the Alcuin, A. D. 780. De Offic. Divin. Paris. 1610. Bernard, A. D. 1115. Opera. Paris. 1640. Canons called Apostolical, most of them composed before A. D. 300. By Coteler. Antwerp. 1698. Paris. 1649. Cedrenus, A. D. 1056. Histor. Compend. Cant. 1718. Constitutions called Apostolical, about A. D. 450. By Coteler. Antwerp. 1698. Cyprian, A. D. 248. Opera by Fell. Oxon. 1682. Cyril of Jerusalem, A. D. 350. Opera by Mills. Oxon. 1703. Dionysius of Alexandria, A. D. 254. Epist. adv. Paul. Sam. Paris. 1610. Dionysius, falsely called the Areopagite, A. D. 362. Opera. Paris. 1615. Durandus Mimatensis, A. D. 1286. Rationale. Lugd. 1612. Rom. 1591. Eccles. Histor. Paris. 1673. Durantus. De Rit. Eccles. Cath. De Eccles. Dogmat. Hamb. 1614, Opera. Paris. 1675. Gregory Nyssen, A. D. 370. Opera. Paris. 1615. Hierom or Jerome, A. D. 378. Opera, edit. Ben. Paris. 1704. Ignatius, A. D. 101. Opera by Smith. Oxon. 1709. Irenæus, A. D. 167. Adv. Hæres. by Grabe. Oxon. 1702. Isidore Hispalensis, A. D. 595. Opera. Paris. 1601. Isidore Peleusiota, A. D. 412. Opera. Paris. 1638. Justin Martyr, A. D. 140. Apol. 1. by Grabe. Oxon. 1700. Opera. Paris. 1615. Lactantius, A. D. 303. Opera by Spark. Oxon. 1684. Micrologus, A. D. 1080. De Eccles. Observ. Paris. 1610. Paris. 1630. Minucius Felix, A. D. 220. Octavius by Davis. Cant. 1712. Oxon. 1682. D. 251. Vita S. Cypr. before St. Cyprian's Works. De Trad. Div. Lit. Paris. 1560. In Symbolum at the end of St. Cyprian's Works. Tatian, Á. D. 172. Orat. ad Gr. by Worth. Opera by Řigaltius. Oxon. 1700. Paris. 1675. Theophilus Antiochen, A. D. 168. Ad Autolyc. by Fell. Oxon. 1684. COUNCILS. By Labbée and Cossart, in 15 tomes. Paris. 1671. A RATIONAL ILLUSTRATION OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER. AN INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE, SHEWING THE LAWFULNESS AND NECESSITY OF A NATIONAL Most of the objections urged by the Dissenters against the Church of England, to justify their separation from it, being levelled against its form and manner of divine worship, prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer, &c., are, in the following Discourse, answered, as fully as its brevity would. permit. So that, though the principal design of this book be to instruct such as are friends to our Church and Liturgy; yet it is not impossible but that, by the blessing of God, it may in some measure contribute to the undeceiving some that are enemies to both, (such I mean as are disaffected to the former, upon no other account, than a prejudice to the latter;) especially could we, by first convincing them of the Lawfulness and Necessity of National precomposed LiTURGIES in general, prevail with them to take an impartial view of what is here offered in behalf of our own. To this end therefore, and to make the following sheets of as general use as I can, I shall, by way of INTRODUCTION, endeavour to prove these three things; viz. I. FIRST, That the ancient Jews, our Saviour, his Apostles, and the primitive Christians, never joined (as far as we can prove) in any prayers, but precomposed set forms only. II. SECONDLY, That those precomposed set forms, in which they joined, were such as the respective congregations were accustomed to, and thoroughly acquainted with. III. THIRDLY, That their practice warrants the imposition of a National precomposed Liturgy. B |