TO THE RIGHT REVEREND BISHOPS, &c. RIGHT REVEREND, HAVING already given you our judgment of several things in the Book of Common Prayer, and our desires for the altering of some parts of it, leaving the rest unaltered: we here tender you some of the said alterations, which in our former paper we shewed to be needful; and some additional forms in Scripture phrase (as near as we well could) suited to the nature of the several parts of worship. The texts are cited in the margin, to justify partly the matter, and partly the phrase. If any be misapplied (which we hope will not be found) we shall be willing, upon information, to retract such misapplication. If some of the Prayers here offered seem of too great a length, the substance of them being allowed, we shall, upon conference and mutual consideration, endeavour to contract them. And whereas his Majesty's Commission doth empower and authorise us to take into our consideration the several Directions, Rules, and Forms of Prayer, and things contained in the Book of Common Prayer and further addeth, When we shall have drawn our consultations to any resolution and determination, which we shall agree upon as needful or expedient to be done for the altering, diminishing, or enlarging the Book of Common Prayer, or any part thereof, &c. we have here accordingly added some Rules or Directions, as requisite to give light to the whole, shewing when and how those several Prayers shall be used. But if any of those Rules or Directions, upon debate, shall be judged by the Commissioners, unnecessary, or overlong, we shall be very ready to submit either to the alteration or omission of them. And since we, for our parts, do so freely profess not to insist on any thing now or formerly proposed, which shall be manifested to be unmeet; so we humbly crave, and hope for your consent to all the rest and that these alterations and additions now offered may find your favourable interpretation and acceptance, and may, by our joint consent, be presented to his Majesty; to the end they may obtain his gracious approbation, and the several particulars thereof may be inserted into the several respective places of the Liturgy to which they do belong, and left to the Minister's choice to use the one or the other, according to his Majesty's gracious Declaration concerning ECCLESIASTICAL AFFAIRS. THE ORDINARY PUBLIC WORSHIP ON THE LORD'S DAY. The Congregation being reverently composed, let the Minister first crave God's assistance, and acceptance of the Worship to be performed, in these or the like words. Matt. xix. 17. Isa. lvii. 15. ETERNAL, incomprehensible, and invisi- 1 Tim. i. 15. ble God, infinite in power, wisdom and Psal. cxlvii. 5. goodness; dwelling in the light which 1 Tim. vi. 16. no man can approach, where thousand Dan. vii. 10. thousands minister unto thee, and ten Psal, cxlix. 4. thousand times ten thousand stand be- Heb. x. 19, 20. Isa. lv. 6. fore thee, yet dwelling with the humble and contrite, and taking pleasure in thy people thou hast consecrated for us a new and living way, that with boldness we may enter into the holiest, by blood of Jesus; and hast bid us thee while thou mayest be found. : the Psal. xcv. 6; xii. 2; xcix. 5; li. 1, 17; lxxxix. 7. Jer. xxxii. 40. 1 Thes. v. 23. seek Levit. x. 3. We Zech. xii. 10. |