M A T T H E \V W R E N, D. D.

to hear meekly thy Word, &c. To indue us with the Grace of thy holy Spirit, toamend, &c. Send down upon our Bishops and Curates, and all Congregations, &c.Granting us in this Life knowledge of thy ’Truth, &c. The Grace of our LordJesus Chrijl, &c. In the Communion Service there are also six more. [Cleansethe Thoughts oj our Hearts by the Inspiration, &c. Give Grace, O heavenly Fa-ther , that both by their Life and Doctrine, &c. And to all thy People give thyheavenly Grace, and especially to this Congregation here present, that with meekHeart and due Reverence they may hear and receive thy holy Word, truly servingthee, &c. Grant we beseech thee, that the Words which we have heard,Prevent us, O Lord, in all our Doings, with thy most gracious Favour, andfurther us with thy continual Help, &c. The Peace of God which pajjetb all1 Understanding, keep your Hearts, &c.]' This Defendant’s Desire therefore was,to induce the Ministers conscientiously to observe the Liturgy of the Church ofEngland themselves, as they ought to do, and faithfully to catechise and in-struct the People in the same; teaching them to understand, mark and hear-tily attend to the several Passages of it, and then they should need no Prayersof their own fancying.

Pie also humbly conceivetb, that the 55th Canon of 1603, was justly pressedhy him in this behalf. For however the said Canons prove now not to have beenWarranted by Statute Law, yet having been agreed upon in a provincial Synod,confirmed and published under the great Seal of England, generally acceptedand insorced (from the Beginning) for above 30 Years since, as a Law; Oathsgrounded upon them; Visitations held ; Articles framed ; Trial had; Judge-ment given ; all Courses of Law sounded upon them ; Communis error facitjus ; and to Clergymen of all others, while they were in being, they wereto be Law in that Point, as well as in all others. Especially adding, thatthis Form of moving the People to join in Prayers was taken (the Phraseonly alter’d) from the Form of the bidding Prayer to be used generally inthat uniform Sort. Injunctions of Eliz. 1559. And that also was taken fromthe Form of the bidding Prayers; Injunctions, Edw. VI. 1547. That is, thatso it was through the whole Reformation from the Beginning; as also, thatwithin one Year before this Defendant composed his Book of Articles, theDean of the Ring's Chapel (now the Lord Bishop of London) by Commandfrom his Majesty, was appointed to advertise all these, that were to preach be-fore the King to conform themselves unto the said Canon.

Pie also believeth, that there was never any public Prayer permitted in theChurch of God for 1500 Years, but such as was first publickly consider’d of,and allow’d by the Church to be used. And the Milevitan Council, Anno 402.gives both the Rule and Reason of this, Can. 12. Placet illud ut alia preces velorationes omnino non dicantur in Ecclefiis, nifi quœ aprudentioribus compos tee, atquedetn comprobatce in fynodofuerint. There’s the Rule to have no kind of Prayeror Praying used at all in the Church, but such as is made and allow’d by theChurch in Synod. And the Reason follows, neforte aliquid contra fidem, vel perl S n °rantiam, velper minus Jludium, fit compojitum. And of this, whatsoever wassoc particular Occasion then in those Times, yet the Danger never but re-^aineth, and (God knows) it is now adays too often met with in our Pulpits.* seemed also to this Defendant to thwart the Acts of Parliament 2. and 3. Edw.. I' and i Eliz. cap. 2. wherein it is ordained, no other Form of open PrayerChurch or Chapel, for others to come to, shall be used, but that whichj® in the Service-book. And for this he humbly conceived that the Form ofsodsog Pray er, or of moving to pray, might be the more allowable, and wasordained to be used in the Pulpit, rather than any other set Prayer.

. C»e also considered, that for a Minister for to use his own Prayer in the Pul-pst> that is, to lead the Congregation publickly assembled, in a Form (con-

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