0

CHURCH,

According to the Use of the

Church of England;

TOGETHER

With the PSALTER OF PSALMS of
DAVID, Pointed as they are to be
Sung or Said in CHURCHES.

NDOS

Printed by John Basker to the Kings moft Ex-
cellent Majefty, And by the Affigns of Thomas New-
comb, and Henry Hills, deceas'd. 1718.

CUM PRIVILEGIO.

The Contents of this Book.

with the addition of fome new onese more than formerly had been made, tr make the number (well. In fine, great inportunities were wed to His Sacred Majesty, that the faid Book might be reviled and fuch Alterations, therein and Additions thereunto wade, fhould be thought requiite for the exis of tender Confciances: hereunto His Majelty, out of His pious inclination to give fatisfaction (o far as could, ba reafonably expected) to a His Subjects of what pe lefion foever, did gracioully condefcend.

I'

7 hath bee, the wildom of the
Church of gland, ever fince the
firt compiling of Her Publick Li-
turgy to keep the mean between
the tre extremes of too much tifineis
in refuting, and of too much eafinets in
admitting any variation from it. For:as
on the one fide common experience
fheweth that where a change bath been
made of things advitely eltablished
(no evident ne effity to requiring).
fundry inconyeaiencias have thereupon
enfeed; and thofe many times moze
and greater than the evils that were in
tended to be remedied by fuch change:
So on the other fide, the particular
forms of Divine. Worfhip, and the
Bites and Ceremonies appointed to be
afed therein, being taings in their own
narure indifferent, and alterable, and
fo acknowledged; it is but reafonable,
that upon weighty and important con-
fiderations, according to the various
exigency of times and occations, fuch
changes and alterations fhould be made
therein, as to thofe that are in place
of Authority fhould from time to time
feem either neceffary or expedient. Ac-
cordingly we find, that in the Reigns of
feveral Princes of bleffed memory fince
the Reformation, the Church, upon
jut and weights confiderations Her
thereunto moving,hath vielded to make
fuch alterations in fome particulars, as
In their refpective times were thought
convenient: Yet fo, as that the main
Body and Effentials of it (as well in the
chiefeft materials, as in the frame and
order thereof) have itill continued the
fate unto this day, and do vet Itand
firm and unfhaken, norwichitanding all
the vain attempts and impetuous al-
faults made againft it, by fluch men, as
are given to change, and have always
difcovered a greater regard to their
own private tancies and interelts than
to that duty they owe to the publick.
By hat undue means, and for what
aifchievous purposes the afe of the L
turgy (though enjoyned by the Laws of
the Land, and thofe Laws never ver re-
pealed) came, during the late pahappy
confufion, to be difeontinued, is too
well known to the world, and we are
not willing here to remember. But
when upon His Majeltics happy Reitau-
#ation it feemed probable that amongit
other things, the ufe of the Liturgy al o
would return of courfe the fame having
never been legally abolished) unless
fo ne timely means were used to pre-
vent it; thofe men who under the late
ufurped powers had made it a great part
of their bufinefs to reader the people
difaffected thereunto, faw themselves
in point of reputation and intereft
concerned (unless they would freely
acknowledge themfelves to have erred,
which fuch men are very hardly brought
to do) with their utmoft endeavours to
hinder the reftitution thereof. In order
whereunto divers Pamphlets were pub-
lihed againit the Book of Common
Prayer, the old Objections mustered up,

in which Kevisw we have endeavour ed to oblerve the like moderation, as we find to have been used in the lika cafe in former times. And therefore of the fundry alterations propofed unto us, we have rejected at fuch as were ei ther of dangerous confequecce (as fecretly (triking at fome eltablished Doctrine, or laudable practice of the Church of England, or indeed of the whole Carbolick Church of Christ) og elie of no confequsure at all, but ueterly frivolous and vein. But fuch iterations as were tendred to us (by what rerfons under what pretences, or to what purpofe foever fo tendred a feemed to us in any degree requifice or expedient, we have willingly, and our own accord aflented onto not enforced fo to do by, any ltrength of Argument, convincing us of the neceflity of 10aking the faid Alterations: For we are fully perfwaded in our judgments (and we here profefs it to the work) that the Book as it stood before etablifhed by Law, doth nor contain in it any thing contrary to the word of God, or to found Doctrine, or which a godly man may not with a good Confcience ule and fubmit unto, or which is not fairly defenfible againit any that that oppofe the fame; if it fhall be allowed fach juft and favourable conitruction as in cosanion Equity ought to be allowed to a Humane Writings, efpecially tuch as are fet forth by Authority, and even to the very belt Tranilations of the holy Scripture it fef.

Our general aim therefore in this andertaking was net to gratifie this: that party in any their unreasonable demands; but to do that which, to our belt un 'ertandings, we conceived might mot tend to the prefervation of Peace and Unity in the Church; the procuring of Reverence, and exciting of Piety, and Devotion in the publick Worship of God; and the cutting off occafion from them that feek occation of cavil, or quarrel again the Liturgy of the Church. And as to the feveral variations from the former Book, whether by Alteration Addition, or other wife, it fha fuffice to give his general account, That mott of the Alterations were made, either firit, for the better direction of them that are to officiate in any part of Divine Services which is chiefly done in theKalendars and Ru. bricks: or fecondly for the more proven A 4

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