The grand debate between the most reverend bishops and the Presbyterian divines appointed by His Sacred Majesty as commissioners for the review and alteration of the Book of common prayer, &c. : being an exact account of their whole proceedings : the most perfect copy.

To the most Reverend ARCHBISHOP AND BISHOPS And the Reverend their Assistants, Commissi∣oned by his Majesty, to treat about the Altera∣tion of the Book of Common Prayer.

Most Reverend Father and Reverend Brethren;

WHen we received your Papers, and were told that they conteined not onely an answer to our Excepti∣tion against the present Liturgy; But also severall Concessions, wherein you seem willing to joyn with us in the Alteration and Reformation of it; Our expectations were so far raised, as that we promi∣sed our selves, to find our Concessions so considerable, as would have greatly conduced to the healing of our much to be lamented Divi∣visions, the setling of the Nation in Peace, and the satisfaction of tender Consciences, according to his Majesties most gracious Decla∣ration, and his Royal Commission in pursuance thereof: but having taken a survey of them, we find our selves exceedingly disappointed, and that they will fall far short of attaining those happy Ends, for which this meeting was first designed; as may appear both by the paucity of the Concessions, and the inconsiderablenesse of them, they being for the most part, Verbal and Literal, rather then Real, and Substantial; for in them you all allow not the laying aside of the reading of the Apocrypha for Lessons, though it shut out some bun∣dreds of Chapters of Holy Scripture, and sometimes the Scripture it self is made to give way to the Apochryphal Chapters; you plead against the addition of the Doxology unto the Lord's prayer,

you give no liberty to omit the too frequent repetition of Gloria Pa∣tria, nor of the Lord's Prayer in the same publick Service, nor do you yield the Psalmes be read in the new Translation, nor the word Priest to be changed for Minister or Presbyter, though both have been yielded unto in the Scottish Liturgy; you grant not the omis∣sion of the Responsals, no not in the Let any it self, though the Peti∣tions be so framed, as the people make the prayer, and not the Mi∣nister; nor to read the Communion service in the Desk, when there is no Communion, but in the late Form instead thereof, it is enjoyned to be done at the Table, through there be no Rubrick in the Com∣mon Prayer book requiring it; you plead for the bolinesse of Lent, contrary to the statute; you indulge not the omission of any one Ce∣remony; you will force men to kneel at the Sacrament, and yet not put in that excellent Rubr. in the v. and vj. of Edw. 6. which would much conduce to the satisfaction of many that scruple it. And whereas divers Reverend Bishops and Doctours, in a paper in Print before these unhappy Wars began, yielded to the laying aside of the Crosse, and the making many material alterations you after xx. years sad calamities and divisions, seem unwilling to grant what they of their own accord then offered; you seem not to grant that the clause of the fourth commandement in the Common Prayer book (the Lord blessed the seventh day) should be altered according to the Hebr. Exod. 20. the Lord blessed the Sabbath day; you will not change the word Sunday into the Lord's day, nor adde any thing to make a difference between Holidaies that are of Humane Institution: and the Lord's day, that is questionlesse of Apostolicall practise; you will not alter Deadly Sin in the Letany into Heynous Sin, though it hints to us that some sins are in their own nature Ve∣nial; nor that Answer in the Catech. of two Sacraments onely generally necessary to salvation, although it intimates that there are New Testament Sacraments, though Two onely necessary to sal∣vation; you speak of singing David's Psalmes, allowed by Authori∣ty, by way of contempt calling them Hopkins Psalmes; and though singing of Psalmes be an Ordinance of God, yet you call it one of our principal parts of VVorship, as if it were disclaimed by you. And are so far from countenancing the use of conceived prayer in the publick VVorship of God (though we never intended thereby the ex∣cluding of set Forms) as that you seem to dislike the use of it even in the Pulpit, and heartily desire a total restaint of it in the Church; you will not allow the omission of the Benedicite, nor a Psalm to be

read instead of it; nor so much as abate the reading of the chapters out of the Old Testament, and the Acts for the Epistles; But rather then you will gratifie us therein, you have found out a new device, that the Minister shall say (for the Epistle) you will not so much as leave out in the Collect for Christmas day these words (this day) though at least it must be a great uncertainty, and cannot be true stylo veteri, & novo. In publick Baptism you are so far from giving a liberty to the parent to answer for his own child (which seems most reasonable) as that you force him to the use of sureties, and cause them to answer in the name of the Infant, that he doth believe, and repent, and forsake the devil and all his worke, which doth much fa∣vour the Anabaptistical opinion for the necessity of an actual pro∣fession of Faith and Repentance in order to Baptism; you will not leave the Minister in the visitation of the sick to use his judgment of discretion in absolving the sick person, or in giving the Sacrament to him, but enjoyn both of them, though the person to his own judgment seem never so unfit; neither do you allow the Minister to pronounce the absolution in a Declarative and conditional way; but absolute∣ly, and conditionately. And even in one of our concessions in which we suppose you intend to accommodate with us, you rather widen then heal the breach, for in your last Rubr. before the Catech you would have the words thus altered, That Children being baptized, have all things necessary for salvation, and dying before they commit any actual sin, be undoubtedly saved, though they be not confir∣med, which assertion, if understood of all Infants even of Heathen, is certainly false, and if only of the Infants of Christians, is doubtfull and contrary to the judgment of many learned Protestants, and will give little satisfaction to us or others; some more we might name, which for brevity sake we omit: All which considered we altogether despair of that happy success which thousands hope & wait for from this his Majesties commission; unless God shall incline your hearts for the peace and union of the Nation to a more considerable & satis∣factory alteration of the Liturgie. In which that we may the better prevail, we here tender an answer to your Reply, both against our general and particular Exceptions, of which we desire a serious per∣usal and candid interpretation. We have divided both your Pre∣face and Reply into several Sections, that so you might more easily understand to which of the particulars both in the one and in the o∣toer our Answer doth refer.