N. B. Upon the going of thefe laft Corrections of this 3d. Part of my Life to the Prefs, tho' I fhall fay nothing of an Earthquake at Northampton, before the firft at London, but then not fuppofed to be fo; nor of that in the Gentleman's Magazine for October, Pag. 456, 457, in the Fens of Lincolnfhire, Aug. 23 laft; yet is there in the General Evening Poft, from October 6, to the 9th, fuch a difmal Account of another late Earthquake at Philippoli, or Philippopoli, in Romania, that I cannot forbear to transcribe it.

1

From Conftantinople, by Yefterday's Mail, we have Confirmation of the dreadful Earthquake at Philippoli, mentioned in the former, with thefe additional Particulars, That almost the whole City, which is one of the beft in Romania, has been fwallowed up and they reckon about 4000 Perfons perifhed there. The Damage was not lefs in the Towns, Villages, and Hamlets near that unhappy Spot, most of them having been either demolihed by the violent and repeated Shocks of this Earthquake, or laid under Water by the overflowing of the River Mariza."

J

N. B. The Preface to the following Commonprayer-Book is here omitted, as having been already inferted, Part II. Page 422-427. Which Common-prayer-Book is however hereby heartily recommended to the Publick, in Confequence of the moft ferious and Chriftian Proposals in the Difquifitiones Modefta, lately published.

London, Nov. 52

1750.

WILL. WHISTON,

FINI S.

THE

LITURGY

OF THE

CHURCH

OF

ENGLAND,

Reduc'd nearer to the

PRIMITIVE STANDARD.

Humbly propos'd to

PUBLICK CONSIDERATION.

By WILLIAM WHISTON, M. A. The SECOND EDITION, Corrected.

LOND ON:

Printed for the AUTHOR, and fold by Mr. WHISTON, in Fleet-Street; and Mr. BISHOP, in Little Turn Stile, Holborn. M.DCC.L.

THE

PREFACE.

I

N order to demonftrate the authentick Nature of the Apoftolical Conftitutions, with their Settlements; to recommend the Reception of the fame to all Chriftians, and particularly to the genuine Members of the Church of England; and to provide a good, tho' imperfect Form of Chriftian Worship, for fincere and pious Perfons in the mean Time, till thofe more Sacred and Apoftolical Remains can be fully examined into, received, and put in Practice by them; I do bere, Chriftian Reader, prefent thee with the Liturgy of our Church, as reduced nearer to the Primitive Standard, I do not mean this fo much of the prefent Liturgy, (whofe modern Language, however, newer Tranflations and valuable Improvements are bereinto admitted) as of that Original and much better Liturgy, which our pious Reformers, upon mature Confederation, and Confultation of the old Books of our Religion, drew up, and made ufe of in the first and beft Period of the Reformation, under King Edward VI, This noble Liturgy, which is for the main fo undoubtedly fupported by the most ancient Records of Christianity, was indeed forced in a

A 2

fers

few Years to give Place to a fecond, much like that which we now ufe; but was then plainly altered, out of human Prudence, and out of Compliance with Calvin, and other Foreigners; and was impofed on the Church by a bare temporal Authority; and indeed was thereby rendered fo unlike in many Things to the former, and to any of the old Liturgies of the Church, that no Wonder if that was a great Blow on the Reformation; if those boneft Papifts, who complied at first, were easily perfudded to leave our Communion, and to Jettle themselves upon their old Foundations; and if the Calvinifts were thereby alfo encouraged to defire ftill more and more Alterations, and a greater Compliance with them ever afterwards. This first Liturgy then of our Reformed Church of England, with several farther Corrections and Improvements, in order to render it fill more like the original Liturgies of Christianity, I do bere feriously recommend to the Confideration of all Chriftians, and efpeci lly to that of the Members of this Church, and I earnefily beg of our Ecclefiaftical Governors, that if they dare not yet venture to return entirely at once to our original Christianity, and the Apoftolical Conftitutions themselves, yet that they will however think of going back to our original Reformation, and its noble Settlements, or at leaf to permit any of its Members who are willing to return to the fame; I mean as it is here reduced fill nearer to the Primitive Standard: For as to

the