OF THE PACIFICATION OF THE CHURCH. 83 



but at certain times ; which sheweth that the primi 

 tive Church did not attribute so much to the cere 

 mony, as they would break. an outward and gene 

 ral order for it ; the book should afterwards allow 

 of private baptism, as if the ceremony were of that 

 necessity, as the very institution, which committed 

 baptism only to the ministers, should be broken in 

 regard of the supposed necessity. And therefore this 

 point of all others I think was but a &quot; Concessum 

 propter duritiem cordis.&quot; 



For the form of celebrating matrimony, the ring 

 seemeth to many even of vulgar sense and under 

 standing, a ceremony not grave, especially to be 

 made, as the words make it, the essential part of the 

 action ; besides, some other of the words are noted 

 in speech to be not so decent and fit. 



For music in churches ; that there should be 

 singing of psalms and spiritual songs, is not denied : 

 so the question is &quot; de modo ;&quot; wherein if a man will 

 look attentively into the order and observation of it, 

 it is easy to discern bet ween the wisdom of the insti 

 tution and the excess of the late times. For first 

 there are no songs or verses sung by the quire, 

 which are not supposed by continual use to be so 

 familiar with the people, as they have them without 

 book, whereby the sound hurteth not the under 

 standing : and those which cannot read upon the 

 book, are yet partakers of the sense, and may follow 

 it with their mind. So again, after the reading of 

 the word, it was thought fit there should be some 



