and so to shake the force of all men's devotion towards them. From this and from no other forge hath proceeded a strange conceit, that to serve God with any set form of common prayer is superstitious. As though God himself did not frame to his priests the very speech wherewith they were charged to bless the peopled; or as if our Lord, even of purpose to prevent this fancy of extemporal and voluntary prayers, had not left us of his own framing one, which might both remain as a part of the Church Liturgy and serve as a pattern whereby to frame all other prayers with efficacy, yet without superfluity of words.

The hymn of Moses grew afterwards to be a part of the ordinary Jewish Liturgy; nor only that, but sundry other since invented. Their books of common prayer contained partly hymns taken out of the Holy Scripture, partly, benedictions thanksgivings supplications, penned by such as have been from time to time the governors of that synagogue. These they sorted into their several times and places,

d Numb. vi. 23.

some to begin the service of God with, and some to end, some to go before, and some to follow, and some to be interlaced between the divine readings of the Law and Prophets. Unto their custom of finishing the Passover with certain psalms, there is not any thing more probable, than that the holy Evangelist doth evidently allude, saying, that after the cup delivered by our Saviour unto his apostles, “they sung, and went forth to the Mount of Olives e."

As the Jews had their songs of Moses, and David, and the rest; so the Church of Christ from the very beginning hath both used the same, and besides them, others also of like nature, the Song of the Virgin Mary, the Song of Zacharias, the Song of Simeon, such hymns as the Apostle doth often speak of, saying, "I will pray and sing with the Spiritf." Again, "in Psalms, Hymns, and Songs, making melody unto the Lord and that heartilys." Hymns and psalms are such kinds of prayer as are not wont to be conceived upon a sudden; but are framed by meditation beforef 1 Cor. xiv. 15. g Ephes. vi. 9.

e Matt. xxvi. 30.

hand, or else by prophetical illumination are inspired, as at that time it appeareth they were, when God by extraordinary gifts of the Spirit enabled men to all parts of the service necessary for the edifying of his Church.

SECTION XXI.

OF THE ATTIRE USED BY THE CLERGY IN THE SERVICE OF GOD.

THE attire which the minister of God is by order to use at times of Divine service being but a matter of mere formality, yet such as for comeliness sake, hath hitherto been judged by the wiser sort of men not unnecessary to concur with other sensible notes betokening the different kind or quality of persons and actions whereto it is tied; we submit ourselves unto that, which, in a matter so indifferent, the wisdom of authority and law have thought comely. "Divine religion," saith St. Jerome, (he speaketh of the priestly attire of the law,) hath one kind of habit wherein to minister

H

O

before the Lord, another for ordinary uses belonging unto common life." The honesty, dignity, and estimation of white apparel in the eastern part of the world, is a token of greater fitness for this sacred use, wherein it were not convenient that any thing basely thought of should be suffered. The wise man who feared God from his heart, and honoured the service that was done unto Him, could not mention so much as the garments of holiness, but with effectual signification of most singular reverence and love. Touching that Church attire which with us is usual in public prayer, our ecclesiastical laws so appoint, as well because it hath been of reasonable continuance, and by special choice was taken out of the number of those holy garments, which (over and besides their mystical reference) served for comeliness under the lawa, and is in the number of those ceremonies, which may with choice and discretion be used to that purpose in the Church of Christ; as also for that it suiteth so fitly with that lightsome affection of

a Exod. xxviii. 2; xxxix. 27.

joy, wherein God delighteth when his saints praise Him; and so lively resembleth the glory of the saints in Heaven, together with the beauty wherein Angels have appeared unto men, that they which are to appear for men in the presence of God as Angels, if they were left to their own choice, and would choose any, would not easily devise a garment of more decency for such a service.

SECTION XXII.

OF GESTURE IN PRAYING, AND OF DIFFERENT PLACES CHOSEN FOR THAT PURPOSE.

WHEN We make profession of our faith, we stand; when we acknowledge our sins, or seek unto God for favour, we fall down; because the gesture of constancy becometh us best in the one, in the other the behaviour of humility. Some parts of our Liturgy consist in the reading of the word of God, and the pro

b Ps. cxlix. 2. c Rev. xv. 6; Mark xvi. 5.