II 8+ The Keafonablene f r haves authority toprefcribe twenty? or, ifthey have not authority to burthen God's fervice with ceremonies, that they have not authori- ty liAewife toprefcribe one or two? The fault lies in the vanity, indecency, or number of things prefcribed and if there had been nothing to be obje&ed againfl the Romifh Ceremonies from thefe Topics, our Reform- ers would hardly have urged an abufe of authority which might be in times tocome, as an argument againfi an authority at the prefent time. Having faid what appear'd to me rea- fonable in defence of the authority by which thefe things were firfi prefcribed, I (hall add a word or two about the re- taining them. The impoftions on which your heavieft charge is founded , and which we are now treating of, are, Spon- fours at Baptifm, The ufe ofthe Croft af- ter Baptifm, and Kneeling at the Commu- nion. I do not fee but that I have {hewn that the Governours of the Church had au- thority to prefcribe thefe 5 as much autho- tity as they had to prefcribe other things with which you could comply. So then, thefe things were once prefcribed by a ' fufficient authority, an authority towhich obedience in all lawful things was due. The r
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