your conscience in the sight of God; neither tax we you as siding from the truth with by-respects,' whereof you complain: verily we abhor such rash, hard, and presumptuous censoriousness! We see as much cause to suspect the integrity of our own hearts, as yours; and so much the more as being more privy to the deceitfulness of our own hearts than of yours. And we cannot but with much thankfulness of heart acknowledge the many rich, precious treasures of his grace wherewith the Lord hath furnished sundry of you above your Brethren; which causeth us, with great reverence to accept and receive what further 'light' God may be pleased to impart unto us by you! But, as we have believed, so have we hitherto practised; and so have most of us spoken this our Answer to your Particulars : most of us, we may say, because there want not some Brethren amongst us who proceed further, even to look at all set-forms of Prayer invented by men of another age or congregation, and prescribed to their Brethren to be read out of a Book for the Prayers of the Church, as 'images' or imaginations of men, forbidden in the Second Commandment: but as we leave them to the liberty of their own judgments, without prejudice; so do we also concur with the rest of them, so far as we all go, in bearing witness against any set-forms, or the corruptions in them. In dispatching whereof, we have been the more slow, because it behoved us first to inquire into, and to settle, some controversies amongst ourselves, before we could well attend to entertain discourse about foreign questions which do not so nearly concern our present estate and practice. Besides, your Letters being sent to the Ministers of the Churches, and some of them dwelling far asunder, it was not an easy thing for all of us often to meet together to consider of these questions; much less, to resolve upon one just [joint] answer. But having at length, by the assistance of God, brought our answer to this issue, we commend it to the blessing of the Lord, and, in him, to your christian and judicious consideration; where, if all things be found safe and duly warranted from Scripture grounds, do you also, as beseemeth vigilant watchmen of the Lord's flock, and faithful witnesses to God, if any thing seem doubtful to you, consider and weigh it very well before you reject it! If any thing appear to be unsound and dissonant from the Word,-which we, for our parts, cannot discover,—we shall willingly attend to what further 'light' God may send unto us by you.

"In the meanwhile, we entreat you, in the Lord, not to suffer such apprehensions to lodge in your minds which you intimate in your Letters; as if we here justified the ways of rigid Separation which sometimes, amongst you, we have formerly borne witness against, and so build again the things we have destroyed. You know they separate from your Congregations, as no Churches; from the Ordinances dispensed by you, as mere Antichristian; and from yourselves, as no visible Christians: but we profess unfeignedly, we separate from the corruptions. which we conceive to be left in your Churches, and from such Ordinances administered therein as we fear are not of God but of men and for yourselves, we are so far from separating as from no visible Christians, as that you are, under God, in our hearts,-if the Lord would suffer it,―to live and die together. And we look at sundry of you as

men of that eminent growth in Christianity, that, if there be any visible Christians under heaven, amongst you are the men which, for these many years, have been written in your foreheads, Holiness to the Lord; which we speak not to prejudice any Truth which ourselves are here taught and called to profess; but we still believe, though personal Christians may be eminent in their growth of Christianity, yet Churches had still need to grow from apparent defects to purity, and from reformation to reformation, age after age, till the Lord have utterly abolished Antichrist with the breath of his mouth', and the brightness of his coming'," to the full and clear revelation of all His holy truth; especially touching the ordering of His house and public worship. As a pledge of this our estimation of you, and sincere affection to you, we have sent these answers to your demand; and shall be ready, by the help of Christ, to receive back again from you, wise, and just, and holy advertisements in the Lord.

"Now, the Lord God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, your Lord and ours, lead us into all truth; purge out all leaven out of His Churches; and keep us blameless and harmless in His holy faith and fear, to His heavenly kingdom, through Him that hath loved us: in whom we rest-your very loving Brethren, The Elders of the Churches in New England."

It is impossible not to be interested in a Letter so temperate and yet so firm; in which reproof is so justly administered, and yet is so conciliatory; written, as the Replies admit, "in great love and tenderness;" as is that which accompanied the "Short Treatise" now to be attended to, and which comprises the combined and deliberate judgment of the Expatriated Brethren upon the "Nine Positions." If not all, so much of the Treatise will be produced as bears upon the particulars imputed to, or charged upon, the Transatlantic Divines; and at the foot, in the margin, will be found what it is deemed expedient not to pass over in the " Reply" of the Divines at home, or rather of one of those Divines: for, after the title-page of the volume," the parties who superintended its publication inform "the Reader" that " upon the receipt of the 'Answer' returned unto the Nine Positions,' Master Ball, moved by request of Brethren, drew up this Reply, which, upon perusal and joint approbation, was directed unto the Reverend Elders of the several Churches in New-England." The first copy of the Reply having miscarried in 1640, another copy was "prepared in the year following;" and the whole collection bears the "Imprimatur" of James

2 Thess. ii. 8.

b" A Letter of Many Ministers in Old England, requesting the judgment of their Reverend Brethren in New England, concerning Nine Positions: Written A.D. 1637. Together with their Answer thereto, returned anno 1639; and, the Reply made unto the said Answer, and sent over unto them, anno 1640.-Now published, by occasion mentioned in the Epistle to the Reader, following in the next page, upon the desire of many godly and faithful Ministers, in and about the City of London, who love and seek the Truth: By Simeon Ash, and William Rathband.-1 Thess. v. 21. 1643." 4to. pp. 90.

John Ball, A. M., many years Minister at Whitmore, near Newcastle, in Staffordshire. See Brooke's Lives of the Puritans, vol. ii. p. 440. Other notices of Ball will come before us.

Cranford, July 5th, 1643. We were surprised at finding the editors assert that "it is manifest who are volunteers, and who are pressed to come forth as defendants in these controversies;" and could not make it intelligible to ourselves but by supposing that a "For" is required to serve as the introduction to this next sentence: [For]" these differences betwixt the loving Brethren of Old England and New, had not been made thus notorious, if some who cry up the Church-way in NewEngland as the only way of God, had not been found to blow them abroad in the world."

"The Answer of the Reverend Brethren in New England.

"First Position: That a Stinted Form of Prayer and Set Liturgy is unlawful.'

"ANS.-Before we proceed to declare ourselves concerning this position; . . we suppose, First, by a Liturgy and Form of Prayer, you mean not a Form of private Prayers; but a system or body of Public Prayers generally used in the English Parishes, compiled for the Church's use by other men not infallibly guided by God... Now, we know not of any other Stinted Liturgy' from which people do absent themselves... For, as for a Form of Prayer in general, . . it is evident that many Preachers constantly use one set form of prayer of their own making, before their Sermons, with which the people refuse not to join. Secondly, By Stinted and Set' you mean such Prayers as are so imposed upon the Churches and Ministers as that they are limited to that very form of words... Thirdly. By Unlawful,' you mean that we, looking at that Form as swerving from the [Scripture] Rule, neither dare practise it ourselves, nor approve the use of it by others...

"We answer, For our own practice, the Churches here do not use any 'Stinted Form of Prayer and Set Liturgy;' for these and other such reasons, [namely,] because we find no necessity,.. by virtue of any Divine precept; and, seeing the commission of the Apostles limited them to teach men to observe' and do only what Christ did command them,a .. who are we, and what are our Churches, that we should presume above this commission? And, we hope it will not be offensively taken by any Godly Brethren, that we stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free' in this as well as in other things. Because [again] the lawfulness of 'Set Forms and Stinted Liturgies' is questioned and doubted by many faithful servants of God! Whereas, for Church officers to edify the Churches by their own gifts, as well in praying as in preaching, all sorts without controversy grant... Now, spiritual prudence guideth.. to choose that which is safe... Because, primitive patterns of all the Churches of God in their best times, yield not the least footsteps to show us another safe way!.. As for after-times, towards the end of the second and beginning of the third centuries, we know how far the Churches were then degenerated; . . and it was foretold that the power' of Godlinessd would be in after-times, exchanged for empty Forms! In which respect we look not on them, as our Guides neither in this nor other particulars not warranted by the Rule [of Scripture], herein following the advice of Cyprian who himself © 2 Tim. iii. 1. d ver. 5.

• Matt xxviii. 20.

b Gal. v. 1.

saw the corruptions of those times, Non est attendendum quid aliquis ante nos faciendum putaverit, sed quid qui ante omnes est Christus fecerit et faciendum præceperit. To conclude, seeing our Christian liberty' freeth us from binding ourselves;.. and seeing, spiritual prudence' directs us; . . and seeing it will not be lessly to swerve from the constant practice of all Churches that are recorded in Scripture; . . we, therefore, may not, do not, dare not, use Set Forms of Prayers and Stinted Liturgies.'.

66

safe' for us need

More particularly; in that we do not use that Form of Prayer and Stinted Liturgy which is in use among yourselves; these and such other like reasons have induced us... First, the many and just exceptions whereunto that liturgy is liable, both for matter and manner! For the proof whereof, we refer you to those faithful servants of God who have gone before us in witnessing against the same: amongst others, Mr. Cartwright, and the Abridgment.' Secondly, inasmuch as that liturgy was never 'commanded' of God, and hath been greatly abused to idolatry and superstition, and is not of any necessary use; and therefore, we are afraid to bring it into the worship of God, as knowing the jealousy of the Lord in matters of this nature!.. And that that liturgy hath been superstitiously abused may be clear to any that shall consider that it is the same, for substance, that was used in the days of Popery... And many of the people put such holiness in it, that they think God is not rightly worshipped, nor his Sabbath well observed, nor the Sacraments sufficiently administered, if there be no reading of that service. . . Thirdly, in regard of the many woeful scandals and dangerous consequences of using that liturgy!.. To mention but two, namely, the hardening of papists, who are emboldened to think better of their own breviaries, mass-books, portuisses; seeing that liturgy hath been extracted out of those books, and rather fetched from them than from the forms used in any of the Reformed Churches: The countenancing and establishing of an unlearned idol Ministry of Not-preaching-curates, Non-residents, Pluralists, etc. . . Fourthly, seeing that Book is so imposed as that the Minister. . is limited to the very words set down; . . therefore, we dare not use it! For the Lord himself hath not limited His people to his own forms, and therefore we see not how it can be lawful, to be limited to others' forms. . We do not find that the Apostles ever used that form taught by Christ, in those very words; much less, limited themselves to it, when they prayed; nor did they teach the Churches so to do! If the Lord would not have us limit ourselves in our own forms, while we are exercising our own gifts,— which he hath specially sanctified to edify his Church,"-lest we should 'quench,' or at least straiten his Spirit, in prayer; would He, then, have us limited to others' forms which have not been, in like sort, sanctified of God, but will rather quench' or straiten the Spirit of God while we are so limited to them? The entertainment of this [Anglican] form hath been a manifest snare unto the Churches, who, upon the same grounds on which they have received this form into the Desks,

a Exod. xx. v., with fifteen other Scripture references. b Acts, vi. 4. Eph iv. 8. 1 Cor. xii. 7.

1 Thess. v. 19.

have been limited to others in the Pulpit: by means whereof the poor Church of Christ hath been wholly deprived of the public use of the Ministers' gifts in prayer; and the spirit of prayer, in the Ministers, in public, hath been greatly restrained."

"As for our judgment concerning the practice of others who use this liturgy, in our native country; we have always been unwilling to express our minds there [against this use of it] unless we have been necessarily called thereunto:b and at this time, we think it not expedient to express ourselves any further concerning this matter, as loath to intermeddle with the affairs of other Churches, but contenting ourselves with, and blessing the Lord for, those liberties which we by the mercy of God, do here enjoy; reserving also due reverence to the judgments of our beloved Brethren and dear countrymen who may, concerning this matter, be otherwise minded."

e

"By statute 1 Eliz. cap. ii. sec. 4, still unrepealed as it regards the Dissenting Clergy, they are obnoxious to prosecution in all cases, for omitting in their public exercises to use the Service of the Established Church, or for using any other Service not enjoined by law; and are liable for the second offence, to imprisonment for life." A Summary of Laws peculiarly affecting Protestant Dissenters. By Jos. Beldam. 1827. 12mo. p. 8.

This is the first intimation which has attracted our notice, of specific objection against the prescribed Service-book or the symbol of State-religionists being, as it were, surreptitiously used by unauthorized communities! How far the present Church of England can justify their own use of it, is a question between them and their prototypes.

"REPLY.-This Position cannot bear that meaning which you give it. . . The thing we craved resolution in was, Whether, in your judgments, all Stinted and Set Forms of Prayer and Liturgies be unlawful? The reason hereof was because in writings from New England, we had seen all Set Liturgies and Set Forms of Prayer condemned as devised worship, which God would not accept;' and, partaking in the Sacrament of the Supper in our Assemblies therefore disallowed, because administered in a Stinted Liturgy! Which things were received with such liking amongst some Brethren with us; and, by them, imparted and recommended to others; that they occasioned that rent and distraction whereof we com. plain. It is true, the people, among us, separate from our Form of Prayer, or Liturgy; but the reason hereof is because it is 'Stinted,' not because this, or that, or ours, in particular. You confess you want not some Brethren, among you, who look at all Set Forms of Prayer, invented by men of another age or congregation, and prescribed; . . as images and imaginations of men, forbidden in the Second Commandment.'.. And if we examine the reasons brought against 'Stinted' Forms and Liturgies, we shall find them strike at all Forms and Liturgies, though devised by men of the same age and Congregation!.. The 'Brownists,' as they are commonly called, can separate from no Stinted Liturgy' amongst us but that which is in use; and for aught we know, they may join with their own Pastors, though they oft use the same form of Prayer, in whole or in part, in thanksgiving before meat, or in prayer before Sermon, or the like. And yet their opinion is that all Stinted Liturgies and Set Forms of Prayer,' be unlawful, human inventions, forbidden by the Second Commandment... The reasons you bring against a 'Set Form of Prayer or Liturgy' do hold as strongly against a 'Set Form' of Catechism, Confession and Profession of Faith, Blessing, Baptising, and Singing of Psalms. We have not called upon you, at this time, to witness for or against the corruptions in the Communion-Book: this you fall upon by straining the sense of our demands. . . You are generally, as you say, 'loath' to meddle with the affairs of other Churches,' unless you have been necessarily called thereunto.' But when some-upon the request, as we suppose, of private friends; and others, out of their zeal and forwardness,-have laboured to