and if they are not laid out in Alms-giving and Charity, the Scene will foon be changed, and the Time come, when they who have enjoyed this World's Goods, but have fhut up their Bowels of Compaffion from their Brethren in Want, fhall themfelves beg in vain, and be told, that they in their Lifetimes were poffefs'd of Abundance of good Things, which the Poor were never the better for, but were spent in Vanity and Pleasure, which they esteemed as their chiefest Good; and therefore, as they had already received that Portion of Happiness which they chose, there now remained nothing for them, but great and endless Mifery; but for those who had received evil Things, and had born them with Patience and Refignation to the divine Will, endless Joy, and ever during Felicity. God grant that this Confideration may abate our Luxury and Pride, and increase our Charity and Humility.

To the Sins which have been mentioned, may be added a Multitude of others, which tho' ftrictly speaking they are perfonal, yet by Reason of their general Prevalence, may in fome Sense be called National.

Such as the general Neglect of divine Worship, in Publick and in Private, and the taking of the holy and reverend Name of God in vain, both in common Converfation, and by that horrible curfing and swearing which is daily heard in every Place; the little Care and Concern in Parents and Masters of Families to train up their Children and Servants in the Principles of Religion and Virtue; and as the natural Confequences of fuch Neglect, the difobedient, rebellious, and profligate Conduct and Behavi

our of the rifing Generation; the Whoredom andJAdulteries, which in this brazen Age of ours are not only committed but boafted of; the Murders and Robberies which are fo frequent amongst us; and that Spirit of Detraction and Calumny, Envy and Covetousness, which every where abounds, which are fad Presages of approaching Ruin, and unless speedily repented of and amended, muft draw down the Vengeance of Heaven upon us, and make it neceffary for the righteous Governor of the World, to vindicate the Honour of his moral Government, by the Diftruction of a finful Nation.

The Preface to my Liturgy of the Church of England reduced nearer to the Primitive Standard.

N Order to demonftrate the authentick Nature

IN

of the Apoftolical Conftitutions, with their Settlements; to recommend the Reception of the fame to all Chriftians, and particularly to the genuine Members of the Church of England; and to provide a good, tho' imperfect Form of Christian Worship, for fincere and pious Perfons in the mean Time, till those more Sacred and Apoftolical Remains can be fully examined into, received, and put in Practice by them; I do here, Chriftian Reader, prefent thee with the Liturgy of our Church, as reduced nearer to the Primitive Standard. Ido not mean this so much of the present Liturgy, (whofe modern Language, however newer Tranflations and valuable Improvements are hereinto admitted) as of that Original and much better Liturgy, which our pious Reformers, upon mature Confideration, and Confultation of the old Books of our Religion, drew up, and made ufe of

in the first and beft Period of the Reformation, under King Edward VI. This noble Liturgy, which is for the main fo undoubtedly fupported by the most ancient Records of Chriftianity, was indeed forced in a few Years to give place to a fecond, much like that which we now ufe; but was then plainly altered, out of human Prudence, and out of Compliance with Calvin, and other Foreigners; and was imposed on the Church by a base temporal Authority; and indeed was thereby rendered fo unlike in many Things to the former, and to any of the old Liturgies of the Church, that no wonder if that was a great Blow on the Reformation; if those honest Papists, who complied at first, were eafily perfuaded to leave our Communion, and to fettle themselves up on their old Foundations; and if the Calvinifts were thereby alfo encouraged to defire still more and more Alterations and a greater Compliance with them ever afterwards. This first Liturgy then of our Reformed Church of England, with feveral farther Corrections and Improvements, in order to render it ftill more like the original Liturgies of Chriftianity, I do here ferioufly recommend to the Confideration of all Chriftians, and especially to that of the Members of this Church, and I earnestly beg of our Ecclefiaftical Governors, that if they dare not yet venture to return intirely at once to our original Chriftianity, and the Apoftolical Conftitutions themselves, yet that they will however think of going back to our original Reformation and its noble Settlements; or at least to permit any of its Members who are willing, to return to the fame; I mean as it is here reduced still nearer to the PrimiEe 4

tive

tive Standard. For as to the principal Alterations here made from our prefent Liturgy, in compliance with the firft of King Edward VI. fuch as the Omiffion of the ten Commandments in the Communion Service; the anointing with Oil, the trine Immersion, the fealing with Ointment, and the white Garment, all in Baptifm: The Manner and Forms of the Oblation, Confecration, Participation, Commemoration of, and Prayers for the Saints departed, with the Mixture of Wine and Water, all in the Eucharift; the Anointing with Oil in the Vifitation of the Sick; the Prayers for the Saints departed in the BurialOffice, and the like; all which were then retained in this Church, when yet, in her very Litany, fhe pray'd to be delivered from the Tyranny of the Bishop of Rome, and all his deteftable Enormities; I dare appeal to all the truly Learned whether they are not exactly agreeable to the moft Primitive State of Christianity. And as to the present farther Corrections and Improvements of that Liturgy, fuch as the Forms of Doxology here appointed, the Omiffion of that called the Athanafian, and of feveral Claufes in that called the Nicene Creed; the Reformation of the firft Petitions in the Litany, with the directing the reft to God the Father; the Alterations in fome Collects; the fingle Repetition of the Lord's Prayer in the fame Affembly for Worship; the joining of Baptifm and Confirmation ogether as one intire Office, to be all performed by a Prieft, in the Abfence of the Bishop, with the Omiffion of Infant Baptifm, and its Sponfors, and of private Baptifm; the Subftitution of more authentick

authentick Collections instead of our Church Catechifm; the Omiffion of the Office for Matrimony, of the Churching of Women, and of the Services for State Days, with fome things added out of the Apoftolical Conftitutions, and the like. I dare here alfo folemnly appeal to all the truly Learned and Judicious, whether every individual Alteration be not made in compliance with the earlieft Settlements, Laws, and Liturgick Forms now extant in the Church. And that in every thing this Liturgy might be more truly Primitive, and Christian, and Compleat, I have procured from many of my learned and pious Friends, of several Perfuafions, no fmall Affiftance in order to its Correction, Improvement, an inoffenfive Reception among all good Men. I do not indeed hereby pretend that this is intirely a new Defign. The very learned Dr. Hicks, at the End of his Christian Priesthood, has given the World already the intire Communion Service of the firft Liturgy; with a plain Declaration of his Opinion in favour of it; in which Opinion he is well known to be supported by the concurrent Sentiments of not a few of the most eminent Members of our Church. The Reverend and Pious Mr. Edward Stephens alfo has not only declared himself with great Zeal of the fame Opinion, but did actually draw up several Years ago an excellent Liturgick Form for its Celebration, in a great Agreement with that original Liturgy, and its correfpondent Form in the Scotch Liturgy, and did moreover actually put it in Practice, and that openly in London, for many

Years