omplures; et omnibus etiam liberum est idem
facere."[173] While in regard to the Liturgy by which it was attempted
in 1637 to supplant the Book of Common Order, Row thus expresses
himself: "Though they amend all those errours, and that in all the
Service Book there were no materiall errour at all, neither masse nor
popish ceremonie; and though they should read nothing but Canonicall
Scripture, yea say that all their prayers and exhortations were merelie
words of Holie Scripture, yit it is not lawfull to introduce a reading
ministrie, and to stint men (gifted of God, who has the spirit of their
calling, able ministers of the gospell who hes the Spirit of adoption
teaching them to pray, Gal. iv. 6; Rom. viii. 26; and to whom God hes
opened a doore of utterance, to speak the gospell with boldness, haveing
touched their lips with a coall from His awin altar) to such a Liturgie
as is to be made the onlie forme of God's publict worship. For though I
confess good use may be made of a formed Liturgie and publict service,
to serve for a rule to other kirks to fall on the like way, finding it
warranted by the Word, and to be as a monument to the posteritie, who
thence may learn what forms have been, are, and ought to be used; and
that it may lead the way, and be a directorie to those that are
beginning in the ministrie; yit certainlie reading of prayers and
exhortations is not the way whereby the Lord in His Word has appoynted
His servants of the ministrie to worship Him, or to convert, edifie, and
comfort, or strengthen soulls; but seing they have receaved gifts for
praying and preaching, they ought to stirre up the gift of God, and putt
the talent to use; and though in their privat studies they may borrow
some help from other men's gifts and labours, yit _neither is it lawfull
for a man to tye himself, or for bishops to tye all ministers, to a
prescript and stinted forme of words in prayer and exhortation_."[174]
Henderson says that while they had their Directory and prescribed Order,
they were "not tyed to set formes and words."[175]

[Sidenote: Practice in other Reformed Churches.]

It is plain, therefore, that the General Assembly, by the sanction it
gave to the Book of Common Order, did not mean to restrict its ordained
ministers to the use of a certain unvarying form of words, but to
provide such a Directory or model as would guide them in "the substance
and right ordering of all the parts of divine worship," as well as gu