the Fifth in the Practice of their Corban Certainly if this place has any respect to Prayer it more forceably concludes against their extemporary Prayers which they constantly use in their Meetings whilst in the mean time they reject that excellent Form which Christ himself has Commanded Luke 11.2 When ye Pray say Our Father c. So that with more reason any one may think they themselves are the modern Scribes and Pharisees that are here Condemned by our Saviour of whom he says ver 9. Full well ye reject the Commandment of God even that concerning the Lords Prayer that you may keep your own Tradition even that of extemporary Prayer which is a meer Invention of Men and no where commanded in the Holy Scriptures But in our Common Prayer Book we retain that Divine Prayer and all our other Prayers are Composed according to it 't is after that manner we Pray in all the rest Mat. 6.9 so that in the use of the Common Prayer we keep the Commandment of Christ and they in despising thereof reject it and then these Words which they urge against us turn upon themselves and so does that of Deut. 12.30 31 32. Take heed to thy self that thou be not snared by following them after that they be destroyed from before thee and that thou enquire not after their Gods saying how did those Nations serve their Gods Even so will I do likewise thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God for every abomination unto the Lord which he hateth have they done unto their Gods for even their Sons and their Daughters have they burnt in the Fire unto their Gods what thing soever I command you observe to do it thou shalt not add thereto nor diminish from it For first are we such heathen People as these seven Nations were Do we Worship the Host of Heaven Sun Moon and Stars as they 〈◊〉 Do we Sacrifice our Children to Idols as they did If this were true they might have some pretence for urging these Texts of â—â—â—…ture and from them also might 〈…〉 that they are bound to cut 〈…〉 Branch as by the Covenant they are Sâ—orâ— to do even as the Israelites were oblig'd to destroy the seven Idolatrous Nations But if none of these things can be laid to our Charge who Worship the God of Heaven and his Son Jesus Christ and abhor Idolatry with what Face dare they produce such Scriptures against us as concern none but Idolaters In the next place How do we add to the Word of God or diminish from it by the use of the Common Prayer Book Do we thereby make more or less Canonical Books of Holy Scripture than the Church of God has allow'd and approv'd of in all Ages Do we not acknowledge and believe every tittle of the Holy Scriptures and abominate the least addition or diminution to them But some call it Divine Service and the Common Prayer Book is bound up with the Bible and is not this an adding to the Word of God No by no means for when we call the Common Prayer Divine Service we give it that Title from the Object thereof which is Almighty God to whom all our Prayers are directed and offered up and we are not so Presumptuous as to intend thereby that they are of equal Authority with the Holy Scriptures or that God himself is the immediate Author of them excepting that only of Our Father but only that Prayer being the Service of God and our Churches Prayers Composed according to the Rule of his Word some on that account call it Divine Service tho' that Title be not to be found in the Book it self and therefore can be no Objection against it and as for the Binding it up with the Bible that does not make it any part thereof no more than the Contents of the several Chapters and the Marginal Notes can be said to be part of the Holy Scriptures which yet are bound up with them but to shew the great value we have for the Word of God it is ordered by the Common Prayer Book that in this solemn Worship of Almighty God some Psalms and Chapters out of the Old and New Testament shall be read every Morning and every Evening wherein we follow the Example of Christ and St. Paul the former of which did read part of the Prophet Isaiah to the People and it was his Custom to do so Luk. 4.16 17 18 19 20. and the latter after the reading the Law and the Prophets preached to the Congregation Act. 13.15 16 17. c. a thing which is never Practiced as I am credibly inform'd by John Bunyan and his Party no more than it is by the Quakers which shews the little regard they both have to the Holy Scripture and that they prefer their own Extemporary Prayers and Preachments before it with what Forehead then can this Author pretend that we undervalue the Word of God either by adding to it or diminishing from it which not we but they themselves are guilty of for they never read the holy Scriptures to their Congregations as we do but instead thereof pretend that their Extemporary Prayers and rambling Discourses are the immediate dictates of the Holy Ghost and then both must be as good Scripture as any in the Bible which is truly to add to the Word of God and to break the foregoing Precept of Moses and that other to the same purpose Deut. 4.2 Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you neither shall you diminish ought from it that ye may keep the Commandments of your Lord your God which I command you which these Men thus openly neglect and contemn in rejecting that Form of Prayer which Christ requires all his Disciples to use and so those two other Texts he mentions as Rev. 22.18 and Prov. 30.6 concern themselves and not us in that pretending to pray in the very Words of the Spirit they thereby add unto the Revelation of St. John new ones of their own and therefore have all the reason in the World to fear the Plagues there threatned and lest God should reprove them and they should be found Liars lastly as for Col. 2.16 to verse 24. how does that effect the Common Prayer Book Do we therein teach the Observation of new Moons and Sabbaths and the Worshiping of Angels Or do we therein forbid to touch taste or handle those things which God has allow'd as some of the ancient Hereticks did as particularly Marriage and unclean Meats which they held to be unlawful but if nothing of all this can be fastned upon us what Impudence is it for this Man to produce this place of St. Paul against us especially when we may with better reason urge it against him and his Adherents for do not they forbid to touch i. e. any Form of Prayer even that which our Lord Commanded Do not they forbid to taste i. e. any Meat that has blood in it which they hold unlawful to be
Liturgy's Vindicated BY THE DISSENTERS Or the Lawfulness of Forms of Prayer and Liturgies PROVED From the very Texts of Scripture urged against them by John Bunyan and the Dissenters By the Author of the Religious Conference between a Minister and his Parishioner about Infant Baptism 2 Pet. 3.16 In which are somethings hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures to their own Destruction LONDON Printed for C. Brome at the Gun at the West end of St. Pauls 1700. THE CONTENTS A PREFACE giving an Account of the Undertaking and secret Juggle of some in pretending to Pray by the Spirit how they are meer Deceivers and Men-pleasers in it Chap. I. Shewing Jo. Bunyan's Imitation of Satan not only in urging Scripture and suppressing so much thereof as makes against him as particularly 1 Cor. 14.15 which is Explain'd and Vindicated from the false Glosses he puts upon it and turned full upon him but also in his intolerable Pride impudent Calumnies and railing Accusations against us and a Question is asked How poor Creatures shall Pray in their Families who have not this pretended Gift of Prayer Which his Party are desired to Answer some better way than by bidding them to Groan Chap. II. Returning an Answer to his Objections against the Common Prayer Book and clearing it from the Imputation of Popery there being nothing thereof in it but Composed by Protestant Martyrs together with sundry Scripture Authorities for the Lawfulness of Forms of Prayer and our Observation of Christmas Easter and other Holy Days in Memory of the Saints Chap. III. Concerning his evasive Answers to our Saviour's Command for the use of the Lord's Prayer Luk. 11.2 which is briefly Explain'd and Confirm'd with some Reflections on his Rules for Prayer as also on the Presbyterian Directory wherein they as much limit the Spirit as we do by a Form as also concerning the falseness of his Assertion That none but Saints ought to say the Lord's Prayer from the known Examples of the Prodigal Son and Rich Man the one calling God and the other Abraham Father and from that Relation which God bears to us by Creation and Redemption he being on both accounts the Father of all Men. Chap. IV. Of the Anabaptists Persecuting Spirit and Cruelty towards other Protestants and particularly towards King Charles the Martyr and his Loyal Subjects and their Canonizing such Persecutors for Saints and Martyrs contrary to the Practice of those that deserved and had that Name among the Primitive Christians whose only Weapons were Prayers and Tears and of that Persecuting Passage in the solemn League and Covenant where they are Sworn to Extirpate us Chap. V. Of some Texts of Scripture Jo. Bunyan brings for the Prohibition of the Common Prayer Book which are all shewn to prove no such thing but rather the Lawfulness of using it Chap. VI. Of two other Places of Scripture which he produceth to the same purpose as Zach. 12.10 and 2 Tim. 3.5 which rightly Explain'd do both conclude against him and for the Lawfulness of Praying by a Form Chap. VII Of his two Scripture Arguments for Praying by the Spirit as 1 Cor. 14.15 and Rom. 8.26 shewing them to be impertinently Alleged and clearing them from the silly Exposition and Paraphrase he makes upon them and proving that one at least if not both of them establish Forms of Prayer and overthrow his Pretences of Praying by the Spirit Chap. VIII Of two plain Proofs that Jo. Bunyan and his Party have not the Spirit which they pretend to viz. 1st The Schism which they have made and continue in the Church with the Rebellions they have rais'd and carryed on against the State 2dly The scurrilous and unchristian Language they utter against us which is exemplified in some farther Instances than were given in the first Chapter Chap. IX Of another Proof to the same purpose from his evil Counsel about the Education of Children whom he would rather have to live without Praying at all than to be taught it by any Form whatsoever which does not savour of the Spirit of God no more does his Beastly Expression in calling this a Nuzzling them up in a Form Chap. X. An Apology for the Author least his Book be Condemned as undervaluing the Holy Spirit and the Assistance which he affords is farther Explained and Stated and Proved not to consist in the Groans or extempore Effusions of Men but in Godly Motions within us and the fervent Desires of the Heart the Life and Soul of Prayer being Faith Hope and Charity and such an Assistance of the Holy Spirit our Church admits and teacheth us to Pray for The Conclusion An Address to all the Members of our Orthodox Church of England not only to Pray but also to Live according to the Common Prayer Book even a Godly Righteous and Sober Life to the Glory of God's holy Name Amen THE PREFACE TO THE READER BEing sensible that some Men will censure me for entring the Lists with such a Combatant where it will be no Credit to Conquer but a mighty Disgrace to be overcome I think my self obliged to give this Account of the Undertaking to reconcile the Reader to what I have hereafter Written least otherwise looking only on the Title-Page he should grow Angry and Impatient and throw away the Book The Discourse I here Answer was sent me from an Anabaptist of my Parish and as I have reason to believe by the Order and Direction of one of their Teachers as a choice Piece which might take me off from the use of the Common Prayer Book whose Morning and Evening Service I wish were constantly offer'd up entire in all other Families as well as mine when it cannot be perform'd in Publick and I am confident they will receive no little Comfort and Satisfaction in so doing but having read it over I found so much Railing Wresting and Mis-applying of Scripture almost in every Page and so little Reason and Truth in any thing he said I once thought his reviling impertinent Discourse unworthy of any other Answer but what the Archangel returned to Satan Jud. 9. The Lord rebuke thee Bunyan But when I considered the high Value the whole Party set upon such slight scurrilous Pamphlets how this was Bequeathed as a Legacy by the last Will and Testament of one of them to a surviving Friend to convince the World That whether Living or Dying they have no Charity for us and how they are contented that themselves and subtle Books should be let alone to Creep into Houses and lead silly Women I may add Men too Captive who are sooner caught and seduc'd with crafty and incoherent Reasoning than with close and sound Arguments and when they have gain'd them for Proselytes and drawn them into the wild Mazes of their numerous Errors 't is very hard to reduce and bring them back into the way of Truth On all these Accounts I judged it needful
as his Malice and Uncharitableness appears in calling us the Children of the Devil so does his Pride also in calling himself and his Party Saints as is manifest from the last Passage I quoted out of him Before the Father even our Father to whom the Saints i. e. such as themselves may thus address but none of the blind ignorant Sots as we are of the World besides Page 73 he starts a Question What would you have us poor Creatures to do that cannot tell how to Pray c. Where before I give you his Answer I cannot choose but take notice again of the subtilty of the Man in suppressing so much of the Objection as would have made it unanswerable if he had but fairly proposed it and that is this How shall we poor Creatures Pray in our respective Families since we have not the Gift of Prayer which you and others pretend to If it be an evil thing to make use of Forms to have Prayerless Families is much worse and that ours must be if we are denied such needful helps Now what would John Bunyan say to this untoward Objection Wou'd they advise these poor Creatures as I am credibly inform'd a Non-conformist did a Neighbour of his when he was desired to compose a form of Prayers for him to use in his Family viz. that he had better sit down and Groan I suppose by what follows in my Author that such poor Creatures must kneel down for that is a more humble posture than sitting and groan awhile and that must for as good a Family Prayer as if he had said one out of the Practice of Piety but alas This will not serve the turn for what Edification is this to the Family altho' they should all groan with him What reasonable Service is this to present to Almighty God or Wherein is this better than the Quakers Silent-Meetings And if Groaning with ones Family instead of Praying with them be Absurd and Ridiculous I would fain know what other course such ignorant Masters must Steer who have not this pretended gift of Prayer Certainly there is no other Remedy for them but to use the help of some Pious Form in Praying with their Family or else they must forbear Praying with them till they have attained this pretended Gift which perhaps may not be so long as they live and then they must never Pray with them at all and so fall under the Curse denounced against such Families as call not on the name of the Lord Jer. 10.25 Where those that cannot pray in their Families without it and yet despise the assistance of a Form have a form of Prayer made to their Hands but it is a dreadful one that Woes and Vengeance in it which I desire all concern'd therein seriously to consider lest it fall one day upon their Guilty Heads But in Answer to this Query as our Adversary has mollified it what would you have us poor Creatures do that cannot tell how to Pray c. he say poor Heart Thou canst not thou complainest Pray canst thou see thy Misery Hath God shewed thee that thou art by Nature under the curse of his Law If so do not mistake I know thou dost Groan and that most bitterly I am perswaded thou canst scarely be found doing any thing in thy Calling but Prayer breaks from thy Heart Have not thy Groans gone up to Heaven from every corner of thy House I know 't is thus and so also doth thine own sorrowful Heart Witness thy Tears thy forgetfulness of thy Calling c. is not thy Heart so full of desires after the things of another World that many times thou dost forget the things of this World What abominable Pride and fulsome Flattery is this He is perswaded of his own Party that Prayer breaks from their Heart in every thing they are doing tho' he does not hear them utter one Word to that purpose he knows they groan most bitterly in every corner of their House as if he were by and heard and saw and followed these poor Creatures from one Room to another he has the Confidence to say more than once I know 't is thus with them but when he is speaking of some of our People he has the impudence to say scarce one in Forty of them knows what 't is to be born again and to have Communion with God and this he is as sure of as he is of the Heart breaking Prayers and bitter Groans of his own dear Brethren and as if he had seen and read the Book of Life John Bunyan can tell how few of us scarce one in Forty and how many of them yea all his own poor Creatures have every one of their Names written therein and he lays down one Mark whereby to discern it viz. that their Hearts is so full of Desire after the the things of another World that they forget many times the things of This tho this is a very fallible one as is clear from Balaam who had sometimes such eager Desires as these Let me Die the Death of the Righteous and let my last End be like his Num. 23.10 yea he was a Prophet and had his Visions and Trances wherein without doubt he thought and spake so much of another World that he sometimes quite forgot this and yet notwithstanding his Gift of Prophecy which surely equall'd if not exceeded Jo. Bunyans Gift of Prayer notwithstanding his Raptures Revelations and Heavenly Desires Balaam was a very wicked Man giving that pernicious Council to the Moabites to seduce the Israelites to Idolatry by the Temptations of their Beautiful Women Num. 31.16 he also loved the Wages of unrighteousness and is Branded for his Iniquity in several places of the Old and New Testament and in this evil and wretched Condition he lived and so in all likelihood he dyed Josh 13.22 And this I the rather mention to shew that for all their Pretences to Pray by the Spirit and to other extraordinary Gifts this Man and his Party may be as bad as Balaam was but God forbid I should think so of all of them and be so uncharitable to them as they are to us I hope better things of the worst among them but I speak this to prove that if they had greater Gifts than they pretend to they may notwithstanding this be very wicked Men for so was Balaam and so was O. Cromwel so was Major Weir of Scotland and so were some Witches and Wizards who could all Pray in a wonderful manner and were believed by their Followers to Pray by the Spirit and far more Powerfully too than any Tinker Preacher of this Age for we must carefully distinguish between the miraculous Gifts and saving Graces of the Spirit wicked Men may and sometimes have the former but the latter fall to the Share of none but good Men and the Praying with the Spirit which St. Paul speaks of 1 Cor. 14.15 was such an extraordinary and miraculous Gift it was Praying in an