Polycarpus, apostolical men, I began; then descended to Justin Martyr, Clemens Alexandrinus, Irenæus, Tertullian, Cyprian, &c., so gradually downward unto the age of Gregory the Great. Whatsoever in passage occurred to my observation, as evidence of the practice primitive, I noted, at first confusedly, and after disposed into more serviceable order, assigning every note its proper station as it did parallelly relate to any respective part of our liturgy. By the help of these notes, able was I to discern that our liturgy in the most, and those the most noble parts, (those of sacred extraction excepted,) was extant in the usage of the primitive Church long before the popish mass was ever dreamt of. Nay, more than so; able was I to discern an admirable harmony, even in external rites, between the Church of England and those ancient fathers. These notes having had so potent an influence upon myself, that, whereas I at first conformed only as education and custom had prepossessed me, under the conduct of that light they afforded me, I became a true son of the Church of England, both in judgment and affection I inclined to think, that meeting with minds of the same complexion with mine, that is, studious of truth, not biassed by passion, nor addicted to any faction, they would have the same operation. Upon this supposition I began to fit them for the public; and I can only say I began; for, in my entrance upon that work, the torrent of our civil dissensions, plunder, and eight years' sequestration overtake me, as an adherent to the worsted, I say not to the worst, side. Reduced to this condition, how to live became my only study, these useless collections I laid to rest, where probably they had slept their last, had not an unexpected occasion awakened them. That occasion, this: In July, 1656a, came forth a book entitled Extraneus [Dated from Lacies Court, Abingdon, June 7, 1656.] Vapulans, in English, 'L'Estrange is beaten,' the author Dr. Heylin, by ordination a presbyter, who of all men should be no striker, so the Apostle's canon, 1 Tim. iii. 3, and so the canon of the Apostles, πρεσβύτερον τύπτοντα πιστοὺς ἁμαρτ τάνοντας καθαιρεῖσθαι προστάττομεν, “ that presbyter who smiteth believers when they offend, we decree that he be deposed." It is not my desire, were I able, to lay this law upon him. No, that he may see that he hath wrought a reformation upon me, that I am the better for the beating, I solemnly profess all injuries he hath done me have with me had long since Christian burial, burial by the Book of Common Prayer, in that excellent form, "If any of you be in malice, come not to this holy table." I thank God I have not the least swelling thought against him; yet I ingenuously confess, that when I first read in the preface of that book, myself (amongst other not very lovely attributes) blazoned for a non-conformist, I beheld it as a provocation most piquant and pungent to turn again, had I not seriously resolved never more to enter the lists of unchristian strife with him or any other. But though I resolved totally to acquiesce from such contests, yet did I as firmly from that very moment resolve, if God blessed me with a few days, not to suffer that great blot of ink to dry upon mine honour, and the rather because I was persuaded I could take it out, not with juice of lemon, sharp recriminations, but with milk and milder lenitives. In order to it, I presently re-assumed my long-neglected papers. Having reviewed them, my second thoughts suggested to me a design of a new model. For whereas I at first intended only a confinement of my notes to the established liturgy of our Church, my last meditations resolved с b Can. 27. [Bev. Syn. p. 17.] ["Finding him to be stiffly principled in the puritan tenets, a semipresbyterian at the least in the form of government, a non-conformist in matter of ceremony, and a rigid Sabbatarian in the point of doctrine, as ill-looking a fellow as he makes me, I could easily see that my known contrariety in opinion had raised this storm."] to apply them to all our liturgies since the Reformation, to recommend the Common Prayer by all the arguments I could, to a more passable entertainment, and to take off all the considerable objections against it. In the progress of which enterprize so many new speculations offered themselves to my consideration, that I cannot but profess myself a great (I hope not the only) proficient by mine own labours; so true is that, διδάσκων τις, μανθάνει πλείονα, “ he who teacheth others, instructs himself." In the pursuit of these annotations, where I refer to antiquity, I rarely descend beneath six hundred years after Christ, and as rarely do I cite any but authentic records, or such as, under false ascriptions, are the undoubted issues of those times therefore the supposed liturgies of Peter, James, &c., I urge no further than I find them consonant with the genuine tracts of others. I bear no implicit faith to the dictates of any whatsoever : whence it is that I assume a liberty inoffensively to dissent from persons eminent, and whom I mention always with terms of respect. As little do I expect or desire to inthral any man to my private fancy; in matters of so minute consideration, I hold it as absurd to quarrel with any man for not being of my opinion, as for not being of my diet. If in any thing I have erred, as it is an even-lay I have, more than once, he who shall friendly remonstrate it to me, will exceedingly oblige me. As for such keno-critics, or rather cyno-critics, as snarl and bite where no offence is given, free liberty have they to say their pleasure, ὅπέρ εἰμι τοῦτο μένω, καὶ δυσφημούμενος καὶ θαυμαζόμενος, "whether they praise or dispraise me, to me it signifieth the same thing, that is, nothing." Having thus presented to the world an account why I published these annotations, it will be proper to premise somee Nazianz. eipny. B. d Clem. Alex. Strom., lib. i. what by way of illustration, in reference to the text itself. Know then, that whatsoever is exhibited in the English letter (where the printer hath not erred) is the established Common Prayer, distinct from its rubric, (which is in a roman character.) Parallel to this, sometimes in a roman, sometimes in an italic letter, stand the several variations between it and former liturgies, and where such literal ascriptions occur not, and no marginal directions to the contrary, you may there be confident the liturgies agree to a syllable. The liturgies I here refer to are, the first and second of Edward VI., and that of Queen Elizabeth, which doth as much differ from our present Common Prayer, as the second of Edward VI. doth from hers. Over and besides these, you have also the variations of the Scotch liturgy, and (in the margin) such places noted wherein Bucer's Latin translation disagreeth with the original English; you have also in the Annotations the diversity observed between the Latin translation 2 Elizabeth, and her own liturgy, and at the end of all, The Order of the Communion, in priority of time before them all. By this means you are furnished with all our liturgies since the Reformation, some whereof are rare, very rare to be had, (and which doth double the rarity) these complete; and this so frugally contrived, that the utmost price of all, with my inconsiderable Annotations into the bargain, will scarce amount to the moiety of what I was lately demanded for one, and that imperfect too. Nor have you only the books themselves, but those also disposed into such order, that without turning over leaves, or making a tedious hunt from one to another, you may view them in one scheme, and compare them together at once, as they stand impaled. Before I end, I desire all readers may know, what many sufficiently do, viz. that my country employment, in relation to mine own, and divers others' affairs, hath been so very |