Parliament
had taken upon them to abolish our Liturgy, to the scandal of so many
devout and learned men, and the disgrace of those many martyrs, who
had sealed the truth and use of it with their blood: and that no
Minister was now thought godly that did not decry it, and at least
pretend to make better prayers _ex tempore_: and that they, and only
they, that could do so, prayed by the Spirit, and were godly; though
in their sermons they disputed, and evidently contradicted each other
in their prayers. And as he did dislike this, so he did most highly
commend the Common Prayer of the Church, saying, "the Collects were
the most passionate, proper, and most elegant expressions that any
language ever afforded; and that there was in them such piety, and so
interwoven with instructions, that they taught us to the power, the
wisdom, the majesty, and mercy of God, and much of our duty both to
him and our neighbour: and that a congregation, behaving themselves
reverently, and putting up to God these joint and known desires for
pardon of sins, and praises for mercies received, could not but be
more pleasing to God, than those raw, unpremeditated expressions, to
which many of the hearers could not say, Amen."

[Sidenote: "The Treasury of Christian comfort"]

And he then commended to me the frequent use of the Psalter, or Psalms
of David; speaking to this purpose: "That they were the Treasury of
Christian comfort, fitted for all persons and necessities; able to
raise the soul from dejection by the frequent mention of God's mercies
to repentant sinners; to stir up holy desires: to increase joy; to
moderate sorrow; to nourish hope, and teach us patience, by waiting
God's leisure: to beget a trust in the mercy, power, and providence of
our Creator; and to cause a resignation of ourselves to his will; and
then, and not till then, to believe ourselves happy." This, he said,
the Liturgy and Psalms taught us; and that by the frequent use of the
last, they would not only prove to be our soul's comfort, but would
become so habitual, as to transform them into the Image of his soul
that composed them. After this manner he expressed himself concerning
the Liturgy and Psalms; and seemed to lament that this, which was
the devotion of the more primitive times, should in common pulpits
be turned into needless debates about Freewill, Election, and
Reprobation, of which, and many like questions, we may be safely
ignorant, because Almighty God inte