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But that Providence, which, fince the Reformation, had watched with a peculiar care over the beautiful ftructure of our ecclefiaftical government, and the pure fyftem of our church difcipline, would not entirely "give them up a prey to their enemies' teeth," nor long fuffer the triumph of fanaticifm and infatuation over fpiritual and reafonable worfhip. On the reftoration of Charles the Second, the church was re-eftablifhed; the nine bifhops who had weathered the ftorm of fanatical fury, refumed their dig nities, and all the other vacant fees were fpeedily filled up. It was not immediately, however, that the liturgy was again generally and formally adopted. Previoufly to Charles's return, he had publifhed at Breda a declaration concerning liberty of confcience in matters of religion; in order to foften the animofities of the different parties, and to conciliate the Pref byterians, a large and formidable body. He had affured the leaders of that perfuafion, "that he had no intention of impofing hard conditions, or embarraffing their confciences; that he would refer the matters they had mentioned to the two Houfes of Parliament, who were the beft judges of what indulgence or toleration was neceflary for the repofe of the kingdom." In confequence of this affurance, he iffued on his reftoration a declaration refpecting ecclefiaftical affairs, dated 25th of October 1660, in which a promife was made that the liturgy fhould be reviewed by an equal number of divines of both perfuafions, and fuch alterations made.

Lord Clarendon reports, that when this was obferved in private converfation at the treaty of Uxbridge, the Earl of Pembroke faid, he was forry for the omiffion, but that upon a debate in the Houfe of Commons, it was carried in the negative by eight or nine voices, Which made many fmile, (fays his Lordship;) but the jeft will be loft, when the reader is informed, that the queftion in the houfe was not whether the Creed fhould be received or rejected, but whether it fhould be printed with the Directory for Worthip; it being apprehended more proper for a confeffion of faith; and accordingly the Creed and Ten Com mandments were added to the Affembly's Confeffion, published a year or two forwards. The ordinance for establishing the Directory repeals and makes void the acts of Edward VI. and Queen Elizabeth, by which the old liturgy was established, and forbids the ufe of it within any church, chapel, or place of publick worship in England or Wales, appointing the ufe of the Directory in its room; and thus it continued till the restoration of king Charles II. when the conftitution being restored, the old liturgy took place again, the ordinance for its repeal having never obtained the royal affent.It was a confiderable time before this great revolution in the form of publick worship took place over the whole kingdom. In fome parts of the country the churchwardens could not procure a Directory, and in others they delpifed it, and continued the old Common Prayer-Book; fome would read no form, and others would ufe one of their own. In order therefore to give life to the Directory, the parliament next fummer called in all Common Prayer-Books, and impofed a fine upon thofe minifters who fhould read any other form than that contained in the Directory. The ordinance is dated Aug. 23, 1645, and enacts, that "the knights and burgeffes of the feveral counties of England and Wales fhall fend printed books of the Directory fairly bound to the committee of parliament in their feveral counties, who thall deliver them to the officers of the feveral parishes in England and Wales, by whom they thall be delivered to the feveral minifters of each parith. It ordains further, that the feveral minif ters next Lord's day after their receiving the book of Directory, fhall read it openly in their refpective churches before morning fermon. It then forbids the ufe of the Common Prayer-Book in any church, chapel, or place of public worship, or in any private place or family, under penalty of five pounds for the first offence, ten for the fecond, and for the third a year's imprifonment. Such minifters as do not obferve the Directory in all exercifes of publick worship, fhall forfeit forty fhillings; and they who, with a defign to bring the Directory into contempt, or to raife oppofition to it, shall preach, write, or print any thing in derogation of it, fhall forfeit a fum of money not under five pounds, nor more than fifty, to be given to the poor. All Common Prayer-Books remaining in parifh-churches or chapels are ordered, within a month, to be carried to the committee of the feveral counties, to be difpofed of as the parliament fball direct.-Thefe were the firit fruits of Pref byterian uniformity, and are equally to be condemned with the feverities and oppreffions of the late times; for though it should be admitted, that the parliament or legislature had a right to abrogate the ufe of the Common Prayer-Book in churches, was it not highly unreasonable to forbid the reading it in private families or clofets? Surely the devotion of a private family could be no difturbance to the publick; nor is it any excufe to fay, that very few fuffered by it, because the law is ftill the fame, and equally injurious to the natural rights of mankind."-Neale's Hift. Purit, vol, iii, p. 143-146.

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in it, as by the committee fhould be deemed proper and expedient. Accordingly, on the 25th of March 1661, letters-patent iffued from the crown, appointing forty-two commiffioners, (twenty-one epifcopalians and twentyone diffenters, (under the titles of principals and coadjutors)." to meet at the mafter's lodging in the Savoy, and to take into confideration the feveral directions, rules, forms of prayer, and things in the Common Prayer contained, to revife the fame, comparing them with the most ancient liturgies; to advife upon the exceptions and objections that might be made; and if occafion fhould require, to make fuch reafonable corrections and amendments as they might judge ufeful and expedient for giving fatisfaction to tender confciences, and reftoring unity; but avoiding all unneceffary abbreviations of the forms and liturgy so long received in the Church of England."

The names of thefe commiffioners, which included fome of the moft learned men in Europe, were as follows:

Epifcopalians.

Dr. Fruen, Archbishop of York
Dr. Sheldon, Bishop of London
Dr. Cofins, Bifhop of Durham
Dr. Warner, Bithop of Rochefter
Dr. King, Bishop of Chichester
Dr. Henchman, Bishop of Sarum
Dr. Morley, Bishop of Worcester
Dr. Sanderson, Bishop of Lincoln
Dr. Laney, Bishop of Peterborough
Dr. Walton, Bishop of Chefter
Dr. Stern, Bishop of Carlisle
Dr. Gawden, Bishop of Exeter
Coadjutors.

Dr. Earle, Dean of Westminster
Dr. Heylin

Dr. Hackett

Dr. Barwick

Dr. Gunning

Dr. Pearfon

Dr. Pearce

Dr. Sparrow

Dr. Thorndike

Prefbyterians.

Dr. Reynolds, Bishop of Norwich
Dr. Tuckney

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Of thefe commiffioners, the Diffenters produced exceptions againft the liturgy, and the Epifcopalians combated them; the former difplaying much acutenefs and refinement in their argument, the latter evincing greater knowledge of the fubject in queftion, and a larger fund of liturgical and general learning. Many requifitions were made by the one party, for altering, abridging, and omitting the various fervices of the church, fome few reafonable and proper, but for the moft part frivolous and unesfential; whilft the other party, confounding the fuppofed dipofition of the Prefbyterians to quarrel about trifles, with fuch of their fuggeftions as were really juft and wife, stiffly refused to make conceflions which it might perhaps have been prudent in them to grant. New forms of liturgy, alfo, were prepared and prefented by the Prefbyterians, and one in particular from the pen of the celebrated Richard Baxter, (a tame, infipid, and confufed performance;) but these met with a deferved rejection. Having exhausted the fubject in writing, the commiffioners had recourfe to perfonal conference, and the laft few days were spent by them in viva voce argument. But the fame diffimilarity of fentiment continued to prevail, and on concluding the last day's debate, it was agreed upon by both parties, that the

following notification should be tranfmitted to the king, as the refult of the commiffioners' labours: "that the church's welfare, unity, and peace, and his Majefty's fatisfaction, were ends upon which they all agreed, but as to the means, they could not come to any harmony."

Although the requifitions of the Prefbyterians were rejected, and their exceptions over-ruled, yet the church commiffioners propofed from themfelves a few alterations to be made in the rubrics and typography of the Prayer-Book; and fome flight verbal changes to take place in the fervices. The convocation, alfo, which met to confirm their proceedings, adopted fome other additions and alterations, (all which will be pointed out in their proper places) and thus fettled, the book paffed both houfes of convocation in May 1661. In the enfuing September it was fubfcribed by the bishops and clergy; and, having the act of uniformity prefixed, and the preface, beginning "It hath been the wifdom &c." it was ratified by parliament in 1662. From this time the Liturgy of the Church of England has not been altered. It then received the form in every respect in which it is now found in our Book of Common Prayer:

"Th' afcending pile

"Stood fix'd her ftately height,'

a model of fimplicity and majefty; of lovelinefs and fublimity; claiming the prayers of all thofe who enjoy its ufe, that the Divine blefling would "the gates ever continue to watch over and preferve it; nor fuffer even of hell to prevail against it."

hath been the wisdom of the Church of England, ever fince the first

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I extremes of too much stiffness in refufing, and of too much eafinefs in admitting, any variation from it. For, as on the one fide common experience theweth, that where a change hath been made of things advifedly eftablished, (no evident neceflity fo requiring) fundry inconveniences have thereupon enfued, and thofe many times more and greater than the evils that were intended to be remedied by fuch change; fo on the other fide, the particular Form of Divine Worthip, and the Rites and Ceremonies appointed to be used therein, being things in their own nature indifferent, and alterable, and fo acknowledged; it is but reasonable, that upon weighty and important confiderations, according to the various exigency of times and occafions, fuch changes and alterations should be made therein, as to thofe that are in place of authority should from time to time feem either neceffary or expedient. Accordingly we find, that in the reigns of several Princes of bleffed memory, fince the Reformation, the Church, upon just and weighty confiderations her thereunto moving, hath yielded to make fuch alteration in fome particulars, as in their refpective times were thought convenient; yet fo as that the main body and effentials of it, (as well in the chiefeft materials, as in the frame and order thereof) have ftill continued the fame unto this day, and do yet ftand firm and anfhaken, notwithstanding all the vain attempts and impetuous affaults made against it by fuch men as are given to change, and have always difcovered a greater regard to their own private fancies and interests, than to that duty. they owe to the publick.

By what undue means, and for what mischievous purposes the use of the Liturgy, though enjoined by the laws of the land, and those laws never yet repealed, came, during the late unhappy confufions, to be discontinued, is too well known to the world, and we are not willing here to remember. But when, upon his Majefty's happy Reftoration, it feemed probable, that amongst other things, the ufe of the Liturgy would alfo return of course, (the fame having never been legally abolished) unless fome timely means were used to prevent it; those men, who under the late ufurped powers had made it a great part of their bufinefs to render the people difaffected thereunto, faw themfelves, in point of reputation and intereft, concerned (unless they would freely acknowledge themfelves to have erred, which fuch men are very hardly brought to do) with their utmost endeavours to hinder the reftitution thereof. In order whereunto divers pamphlets were published against the Book of Common Prayer, the old objections mustered up, with the addition of fome new ones more than formerly had been made, to make the number fwell. In fine, great importunities were used to his Sacred Majefty, that the faid Book might be revifed, and fuch alterations therein and additions thereunto made, as fhould be thought requifite for the eafe of tender confciences; whereunto his Majefty, out of his pious inclination to give fatisfaction (fo far as could be reasonably expected) to all his fubjects, of what perfuafion foever, did graciously condefcend.

In which review we have endeavoured to obferve the like moderation, as we find to have been used in the like cafe in the former times. And therefore of the fundry alterations propofed unto us, we have rejected all fuch as were either of dangerous confequence (as fecretly ftriking at fome eftablifhed doctrine or laudable practice of the Church of England, or indeed of the whole Catholick Church of Chrift) or else of no confequence at all,

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