3o8 The E PE E of the !ABA The Exceptions again the Common -Prayer which Z offered the Brethren when they were drawing .up theirs. The Common-Prayer Boolt, is guilty of great Defetc;fivenefs, order and vain Repetitions; and therefore unfit to be the com- mon impofed Frame of Wor,fhip to the God of Order, without Amendment, when we may do it I. R DDR requireth that we begin with Reverent Prayer to God, for his Afíifìance and Acceptance, which is not done. 2. That the Creed and Decalogue,containing the Faith,in whichwe profefsto af- femble for God's Worfhip, and the Law whichwe have broken by our Sins, Ihould go before the Confeßìon and Abfolution ; or at leaft before the Praifès of the Church ; which they do not. g. The Confaifion omitteth not only Original Sin, but all a&ual Sin as t ccifed by the particular Commandments violated; and almoft all the Aggravatious of thofe Sins; and inflead thereof, it containeth only the repeated Confefiìon, that [ we have erred and grayed from God's ways: That we have followed the Devito and Defirés of our Hearts s That we haveoffended againft bis Laws That we bave left un- done chafe things that we ought to have done, &o.] which is but to fay, [we have finned by °Million and ommiion :3 Whereas Confefflon being the Expreffion of Repentance, Mould be more particular, as Repentance it felf should be. 4. When we have craved help for God's Prayers, before we come to them, we abruptly put in the Petition for fpeedy Deliverance [ O God snake fpeed to lave us : O Lord make h efte to help us. ] without any Intimation of the Danger that wb defire deliverance from; and without any other Petition conjoined. 5. It is dilorderly in theManner, to frog the Scripture in a plain Tune after the manner of reading. 6. [The Lord be withyou. And with thy Spirit] being Petitions for Divine Al: fiífance, come in abruptly, in the midit or near theend of Morning Prayer: And [ Let us Pray] is adjoined when we were before in Prayer. 7. Lord have Mercy upon as s Chrift have Mercy upon m : Lord have Mercy uponea] Lemeth an affe&ed Tautologie, without any fpecial Caufe, or Order here: And the Lord's Prayer is annexed that was before recited : And yet the next Words am again but a Repetition of the forefaid oft repeated General [ OLord feew thy Mer- cy upon us.] g. The Prayer for the King [0 Lord fave the Ring] is without any Order put between the forefaid Petition, and another General Regal} only for Audience [ And mercifully hear en when we call upon thee] 9. The fèeond Colle& is intitled Lila. Peace] and hath not a Word in it of Pe- tition for Peace, but only for [Defence in Affaalts of Enemies, and that we may not fear their Power.] And the Prefaces [In knowledge of whom /tandetb our eternal Life, and wbefe Service is perfe d Freedom] have no more evident refpeet to a Petition for [ Peace] than to any other. And the Prayer it felf comes in diforderly, while ma- ny Prayers or Petitions are omitted, which according both to the method of the Lard's Prayer, and theNature of the things, fhould go before. re. The third Collett intituled [ [sr Grace] is diforderly, in that it followeth bat for Peace; which belongs to the lait Petition of the Lord's Prayer ; and in that in the Conclufion of Morning Prayer, we begin to beg the Meicies for the Day. And it is defeltive, in that it is buta General Requeft for defence from Sin and Dan- ger. And thus the main parts of Prayer, according to the Rule of the Lord's Pray- er; and our common Necellities are omitted, as may be feen by comparing oser Forms with thefe. rr. MO of ourNeceflities are paffed over in the like defebtive Generals alfo in the EveningPrayer. la. The Letany, which fhould contain all the ordinary Petitions of the Church, emitteth very niany particulars, as may appear in our offered Forms compaleh
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