where that opinion feems repugnant to Scripture or Antiquity: but where it does not appear to be inconfiftent with either, I think her decifion fhould be allowed a due weight. Wherever I have found or fufpected her to differ from one or the other, the Reader will obferve I have not covered or disguised it; but on the contrary perhaps have been too hafty and forward, and too unguarded in my remarks. But TRUTH was what I aimed at through my whole undertaking; which therefore I was refolved at any hazard to affert just as it appeared to me. It is not at all indeed unlikely that in fo many points as the nature of this work has led me to confider, fome things may appear as Truths to me, which others, who have better opportunities of enquiring into them, may find to be otherwife: and therefore I can only profeis 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 fhall be always open to conviction, let the perfon that attempts it be Adverfary or Friend; fince if Truth can be attained to by any means at last, I fhall not value from whom or from whence it proceeds: though I cannot but fay, the fatisfaction will be the greater if it appear on the fide which our Church has efpoufed, notwithstanding the discovery may poffibly demand fome Retractations on my own part, which in fuch case I fhall always be ready to make, and think it a happiness to find myself mif. taken. In the mean while, I request that where I am allowed to be right, I may not meet with lefs favour, because I have fhewed myfelf fallible; and particularly I would importune my Reverend Brethren of the CLERGY (upon whofe countenance the fuccefs of this work muft depend), that if the Rubrics efpecially have been any where cleared, and with proper arguments enforced, they would join their affiftance to make my endeavours of fome fervice to the CHURCH. For it will be but of very little use to have illuftrated the rule, unless they alfo concur to make make the practice more uniform. And indeed I would hope that a fmall importunity would be sufficient to prevail with them, when they fee what dif grace their compliances have brought both upon the Liturgy and themselves; fince not only the Occafional Offices are now in feveral places proftituted 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 cuftom of the place. But I would not prefume to dictate to those from whom it would much better become me to learn: and therefore I fhall only obferve farther with regard to the Citations I have had occafion to make, that I have but very feldom fet down any of them at large, becaufe I was willing to avoid all unneceftary means of fwelling the book. Befides, I confidered, that though I fhould cite them ever fo diftinctly, yet thofe who underftand not the Language they were written in, muft take my word for the meaning of them at laft: and thofe who are capable of reading the Originals, I fuppofed, would turn to the books themselves for any thing they fhould doubt of, how careful foever I fhould have been in tranfcribing them; fo that I thought it fufficient to be exact in my references, as to the Tome, and Page, and marginal letter, and then to infert a general Table of the Ecclefiaftical Writers, which should once for all fhew the Editions that I have used *. The reafon of my adding a column of the Times when the Writers flourished, was that my less learned Reader might gather from thence the Antiquity of the feveral Rites and Ceremonies I had occafion to treat of, by confulting when thofe Authors lived, who are produced in defence of them. If I have any where made ufe of a different Edition, I have taken care to specify it in the citation itself. AN AN ALPHABETICAL INDEX OF THE ECCLESIASTICAL WRITERS CITED IN THE FOLLOWING BOOK; With the Times when they flourished, and the Editions A RATIONAL ILLUSTRATION OF THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, &c. AN INTRODUCTORY DISCOURSE, Shewing the LAWFULNESS and NECESSITY of a National precompofed LITURGY. M OST of the objections urged by the Diffenters Introduct. against the Church of England, to juftify their feparation from it, being levelled against its form and manner of divine worship, prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer, &c. are, in the following Difcourfe, anfwered, as fully as its brevity would permit. So that, though the principal defign of this Book be to inftruct fuch as are friends to our Church and Liturgy; yet it is not impoffible but that, by the bleffing of God, it may in fome meafure contribute to the undeceiving fome that are enemies to both (fuch I mean as are difaffected to the former, upon no other account, than a prejudice to the latter); efpecially could we, by firft convincing them of the Lawfulness and Neceffity of National precompofed 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 fheets of as general ufe as I can, I fhall, by way of INTRODUCTION, endeavour to prove thefe three things, viz. I. FIRST, That the ancient Jews, our Saviour, his Apoftles, and the primitive Chriftians, never joined (as far as we can prove) in any prayers, but precompofed fet forms only. |