The Preface.

IT T hath been the wisdom of the impetuous assaults made against Church of England, ever since it, by such men as are given to the first compiling of her publick change, and have always discover­Liturgy, to keep the mean between ed a greater regard to their own the two extremes, of too much stiff- private fancies and interests, than ness in refusing, and of too much to that duty they owe to the easiness in admitting any variation publick. from it. For, as on the one side By what undue means, and for common experience sheweth, that what mischievous purposes the use where a change hath been made of the Liturgy( though enjoined of things advisedly established( no by the laws of the land, and those evident necessity so requiring) sun- laws never yet repealed) came, dur­dry inconveniences have thereupon ing the late unhappy confusions, ensued; and those many times more and greater than the evils, that were intended to be remedied by such change: So on the other side, the particular Forms of Divine worship, and the Rites and Cere­monies appointed to be used there in, being things in their own nature indifferent, and alterable, and so acknowledged; it is but reason­able, that upon weighty and im­portant considerations, according to the various exigency of times and occasions, such changes and alterations should be made therein, as to those that are in place of Au­thority should from time to time seem either necessary or expe­dient. Accordingly we find, that in the Reigns of several Princes of blessed memory since the Refor­mation, the Church, upon just and weighty considerations her there­unto moving, hath yielded to make such alterations in some particu­lars, as in their respective times were thought convenient: Yet so, as that the main body and essen­tials of it( as well in the chiefest materials, as in the frame and order thereof) have still continued the same unto this day, and do yet stand firm and unshaken, notwith­standing all the vain attempts and

to be discontinued, is too well known to the world, and we are not willing here to remember. But when, upon His Majesty's happy Restoration, it seemned probable, that, amongst other things, the use of the Liturgy also would return of course( the same having never been legally abolished) unless some timely means were used to prevent it; those men who under the late usurped powers had made it a great part of their business to ren­der the people disaffected there­unto, saw themselves in point of reputation and interest concerned ( unless they would freely acknow­ledge themselves to have erred, which such men are very hardly brought to do) with their utmost endeavours to hinder the restitu­tion thereof. In order whereunto divers pamphlets were published against the Book of Common Prayer, the old objections mus­tered up, with the addition of some new ones, more than formerly had been made, to make the number swell. In fine, great importunities were used to His Sacred Majesty, that the said Book might be re­vised, and such alterations therein, and additions thereunto made, as should be thought requisite for the

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