668 77e HISTORY of the PURITANS. Chap. VIIi. K. Charlesl. dained at the council of Milan alma 416. that none fhould ufe Pet forms r 6 of prayer, except loch as were approved in a fynod. They go on to Primitive tranfcribe from :ujiin Martyr and Tertullian, the manner of public wor- manner of fhip in their times, which was this ; firft the fcriptures were read ; af- werihip` ter reading followed an exhortation to the practiceand imitation of what was read ; then all rofe up and joined in prayer ; after this they went to the facrament, in the beginning whereof the prefident of the affembly poured out prayers and thankfgivings, according to bis ability, and the people Paid amen ; then followed the diftribution of the elements, and a colleEtion of alms. This was fuflin Martyr's liturgy or fervice, and Tertullian°s is the fame, only he 'mentions their beginning with prayer before reading the fcriptures, and their lovefeafls, which alto opened and concluded with prayer, and were celebrated with finging ofpfalms. AL. though theSmetlymnuans admit that our bleffed Saviour taught his difciples a form of prayer, yet they deny that he defigned to confine them to the ufe of thofe words only, nor, did the, primitive church fo underftand it, as has been proved from St. fluftin. The pretended liturgies of St. lames, Ba. fil, and St. Chryfoflom, are of little weight in this argument, as being al- lowed by the bifhop, and the molt learned critics both proteftants and . papifts;, to be full of forgeries and fpurious infertions. Upon the whole thereof, they challenge his lordlhip to produce any one genuine li- turgy, ufed in the chriftian church for three hundred. years. after Chrift . Bp. Hall's From the antiquity of liturgies in general, the bifhop défcends to a commenda- more particular commendation of that which is eftablifhed in the church englifitur of England, as that it was drawn up by wife and good men with great gy deliberation ; that it had been fealed with the blood of Martyrs;_ and was felea ted .out. of ancient models,, not roman but. chriß.ian.. a^ BifhopBurnet fays, that it was in the'fourth century that the-liturgies of Si. fames, St. Baftl, &c. were firft mentioned ; that the council of Laodicea appointed the fame prayers. to be ufed mornings and evenings, but that thefe forms were left to the.difcretion of every bifhop; nor was it made the fuhje&of any public confultation till St. Ruffin' "s. time, when in their dealing with heretics theyfound they took advantage from fume of theprayers that . were in fomechurches ;. upon which it was ordered that there fhouldbe no public prayers tiled but by_ common advice. Formerly, lays the biiihop,, the worfhip of God was a pure and Pimple thing, and fo it continued, till fuperftition had fo infedied thechurch, that thofe forms were thought too naked, unlefs they were put under more artificial rules, and dref- fed upwith. much ceremony. In every age there were notable additions made, and all the writers almolt in the eighth and ninth.centuriesemployed their, fancies to.find out myffical fignifications for every rite that was then ufed, till at length there were fo many mtpls breviaries, rituals, pontificals, pontoifes, pies, graduals, antiphonals, pfalteries, hours, and a great many more, that the underffanding how to officiate was hewn-left). hard a.piece.of trade,, that.it.wasnot.toha.learned withoutlong practice.... Hilt. Ref, part ad. p. 72.
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