of Bidding Prayer And when King Iames of blessed memory turn'd those Injunctions into Canons his Law runs Canon 55. That Ministers should move the People to joyn with him in Prayer viz. in this Form of Bidding Prayer Ye shall pray for Christs Catholick Church c. concluding always with the Lords Prayer Now let any indifferent man judge Are Exhortations proper Forms of Prayer Nay let a discerning man consider it well and it will appear that things there prudently spoken by way of Exhortation and Narration would prove very absurd in Prayer How fond would it appear to tell the great GOD of Heaven of the Kings most Excellent Majesty our Sovereign Lord Charles by the Grace of God King of England c. or as some do oft tell GOD of such a Lord Earl of such a Place and Baron of another and of his Majesties Honourable Privy Councel and his very good Lord c. And yet when we do but exhort them to joyn their Prayers such Clauses may not be unfit I can scarce think of any other way to defend them and yet t is true that this Form is there viz. Can. 55. call'd Prayer before Sermon and so it is because we then say together with the Preacher the Lords Prayer to those very purposes he exhorts And they well know who know Divinity that all kinds of Prayer are reducible to that holy Form but it follows not that the Preacher's Exhortation is a Prayer for that he then speaks not at all to God himself but to the People Indeed upon an occasion extraordinary it is a Prayer of no ordinary composition and therefore call'd the Form of Bidding Prayer both by a reform'd King and a very glorious Queen and yet de facto misus'd by an itching Puritanical party at first no doubt by Cunning and Design and afterwards as I verily think for the most part by a mistake of that bad end to which it drove or by inadvertency of the Law But it is most apparent that such forbidden Prayers are an especial means to eat out the whole English Liturgy A DISCOURSE Of the Difference betwixt Long Prayers prohibited and Continuance in Prayers commanded When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites c. Matth. 6. 5. OXFORD Printed by L. Lichfield Printer to the University for Richard Sherlock Bookseller In the Year 1684 A Discourse of the Difference betwixt Long Prayers prohibited and coutinuance in Prayers commanded THey who are true members of Christ's Church below are conform to the glorious Saints in Heaven above they do the will of God on Earth as t is in Heaven and that 's undoubtedly the way to Heaven We cannot possibly lose our way thither whilst we follow their steps who are thither gone before us Those Triumphant Saints in Heaven rest not day nor night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty Whereunto conforms the man after Gods own heart saying O Lord God of my salvation I have cryed day and night before thee Our Lord commends it as a duty incumbent that men ought always to pray and by his Apostle commands it positively Pray without ceasing Giving thanks always Praying alway with all Prayer and Supplication But these Examples and Commands are not so to be understood as if we should do nothing else but pray which was an old Heresy of the Messalians and Euchites long since condemned by the Church of Christ as being a thing impossible to pray without ceasing in the bare literal sense because this corruptible body presseth down the soul and corporal necessities do call for supply Neither yet that we should make long Prayers which is the new error and great mistake of these times the which though generally the most used and best liked as being set off with the paint of a seeming zele and pretence of the Spirit yet the unlawfulness of such long Prayers will appear if we will without prejudice and partiality consider that 1. They are forbidden by our Lord saying When ye pray use not vain repetitions Matth. 6. 7. in which words our Lord means not the same prayers repeated as is falsly objected against the Prayers of the Church for thus our Lord prayed himself Matth. 26. 39. 44. where his Prayer was short and three times repeated And therefore undoubtedly by vain repetitions in praying is understood multitude of Words and variety of expressions to the same purpose or rather to no purpose since our Desires both may and ought to be expressed in few words and pertinent according to the pattern our Lord hath given us And that t is the meaning of our Lord when he saith After this manner pray ye that our Prayers should be generally formed to the length of his Prayer prescribed will appear 1. From the Context if seriously weighed and rightly understood wherein is manifest that the manner of praying by such a short Form is commanded in opposition to the Heathenish use of much speaking in Prayer 2. From the Parallel-Text in the Margin Eccles. 5. 2 Be not rash with thy Mouth and let not thy Heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth and therefore let thy words be few 3. From the Prayers of Christ's Church which are in all Liturgies of the Christian World for the most part of the same length and surely the general Practice of the Church is the best Interpreter of the Scripture 4. Such are generally also all the Prayers of the Holy Spirit of God which stand upon Record in Holy Writ viz. the Book of Psalms with many more We meet with none that are of such a continued length as are in use amongst us but they are all divided by distinct Verses into so many several shorter Prayers Long Prayers are forbidden by our Lord because such is the custom of the Heathen as the Heathen do Matth. 6. 7. who mind more the Oratory and Language Tone and Pronuntiation than the Humility and Devotion of the Soul in prayer and t is much misbecoming Christians to worship the true God as the Heathen do their false and feigned Deities And Because they imply a false notion of the Majesty of Heaven and a misbelief of his Divine perfections as if he were asleep and must be awakened or did not understand our Wants and Desires or being otherwise imployed he could not attend our Petitions except in multitude of Words exprest and loud bawling for audience So prayed the Priests of Baal 1 Kings 18. 27. and so saith our Lord of all Heathen people that they think they shall be heard for their much speaking which is directly contrary to the true faith of a Christian who believeth and acknowledgeth the Omniscience and Omnipresence of God as it follows in the Eighth verse Your Heavenly Father knoweth what things you stand in need of before you ask which Divine Truth is implicately denied by loud and long Prayers Long prayers are not only
SEVERAL Short but seasonable Discourses Touching COMMON and PRIVATE PRAYER Relating to the Publick Offices of the CHURCH By a Reverend Divine of the Church of England I will pray with the Spirit and pray with the Understanding also 2 Cor. 14. 15. OXFORD Printed by L. Lichfield Printer to the University for Richard Sherlock Bookseller In the Year 1684. A CATALOGUE Of all the following DISCOURSES I. Of the Irregularity of Private Prayer c. II. Dr. Stewards Iudgment c. III. Of the Difference betwixt long Prayers prohibited and continuance of Prayers commanded IV. Meditations upon our going to the Church with some short Directions for our Demeanour in the House of God touching some too-much mistaken and neglected Acts of Divine Worship V. A Sermon preached upon the Archbishop of YORK's Provincial Visitation at Warrington The IRREGULARITY Of a Private Prayer in a Publick Congregation SIR I Have sent you herein my repeated and enlarged Thoughts upon what was once the subject of our serious discourse wherein I would not at all disparage or in the least undervalue the private prayers and devotions of any person whether of the Laity or Clergy whether those prayers be by himself composed or by others whether they be premeditated or sometimes ejaculatory whether fixed or occasional oral or mental for thus and all these ways every truly Religious Christian prays and undoubtedly finds the benefit and feels the comfort of such holy breathings forth of his Soul unto Heaven in his private recesses But that any Person especially such who have entred into holy Orders in this Church of England should presume to use any Prayers in Publick of his own private conception whether premeditate or extemporary before or after his Sermon other than those Prayers which are by publick Authority allowed and published to that end I humbly conceive with submission to my Superiors to be unlawful in several respects First T is a disorder and confusion in the service of God For thus the Publick and Private Worship of God are confounded whilst those private Prayers which our Lord hath confined to the private Closet do yet contrary to his express command appear in publick and usurp the place of his publick Service in the Congregation The holy duties of publick and private Prayers as they are distinct in their own nature and constant use so they are distinguished by our Lord and distinct rules prescribed for the distinct and discreet performance of either Duty First for private Prayer Mat. 6. 6. When thou prayest enter into thy Closet speaking in the singular number to every particular person Secondly for publick Prayer v. 7. But when ye pray use not vain repetitions speaking in the plural number to many assembled together where to avoid the Heathenish practice of much speaking or multitudinous words in Prayer v. 8. a short and most excellent Form is given us v. 9. Thus then publick prayer being distinguished by our Lord from private we are thereby forbidden to confound them in their use and practice 1 Cor. 14. 40. Let all things be done decently and in order not preposterously and disorderly one part of divine worship undermining another and the lesser and more particularuty Dusurping upon the greater and more general religious Office Secondly 'T is not only a disorderly but also an unreasonable Service and so not likely to be acceptable to him who is both the God of Order and of Wisdom And the unreasonableness of this private prayer in publick will appear by considering That all prayers offer'd up unto God in publick must be publickly known consented unto and agreed upon which the private prayer generally is not by all them that joyn therein Upon which agreement and not otherwise Christ hath promised his presence viz. to hear our Prayers and grant our requests Mat. 18 19 20. Again I say unto you If two of you shall agree upon Earth touching any thing they shall ask it shall be done unto them of my Father which is in Heaven for where two or three are gathered together there am I in the midst of them whereupon saith the Gloss out of Origen This is the cause we are not heard when we pray in that we agree not in all things For as in Musick there must be harmony and agreement of voices or else it delights not the hearer so in the Church an assent and agreement is necessary or else God is not pleased neither will he hear the voice of our prayers 'T is this agreement in prayer that denominates our publick worship of God Common Prayer because agreed upon by common consent which doth presuppose that t is known to all that all may joyn therein So it was ever in the Church of Christ the faithful knew what they prayed for and this not at the second hand from the mouth of the Minister but before they joyned with him So Saint Chrysostome Hom. 6. in Tim. You that are faithful know what things are to be desired in Prayer because all Prayer viz. that is in publick ought to be common T is the exhortation of Ignatius Ep. ad Magn. who lived in the times of the Apostles and saw our Lord in the flesh That we assemble together in one place and use one prayer common to all For if the prayers of a Congregation be not known common and agreedupon then First the people cannot joyn therein it being little less than the sacrifice of fools for men to ask of God they know not what but wholly depend upon the Ministers unknown expressions Secondly A Prayer that is unknown before it be offered up is to an English man though spoken in English as a Latin prayer to him who understands no Latin for they are both lame and maimed and cannot stand with common sense except they make use of that Crutch which we so much blame in the Papists viz. an implicite faith to support them and both the one and the other do equally transgress that rule of prayer prescribed by the Apostle 1 Cor. 14. 15. I will pray with the spirit and will pray with the understanding also Thirdly It is against both the Iudgment and practice of the Universal Church of Christ no footsteps thereof are to be found in Antiquity but many Canons of the Church against it whereof some are noted in the Margin Fourthly T is a transgression of the Laws and Orders of this particular Church of England and this accompanied with the breach of that solemn promise which every Minister lawfully ordained hath made no man being admitted into holy Orders untill he hath attested the lawfulness of the Book of Common Prayer and promised that he himself will use the same and no other in publick subscribing with his own hand this attestation and promise so that the contrary practice in the use of any private prayer by any Minister of this Church is a breach of Fidelity to the Church and to the Reverend Bishop that Ordained him Fiftly T is also a
conceived Prayer is no less than the immediate influence of the holy Spirit of God Object At least they say That Prayers read in a Book have not that quickning vigour in them like to the prayer memoriter and without book the one savours of the deadness of the Letter the other of the quickning Spirit Answ. But in holy prayer it is not the words said whether written or not written whether said within or without book but the affectionate Zeal of him that prays That gives vigor and efficacy to this holy Duty and where this is wanting the fault is not in the Prayers themselves but in the persons that profanely slight and undervalue them the deadness they talk of lies in their own hearts which are not touched with the quickning spirit of devotion in the use of those holy and good prayers And whosoever Is more affected with a conceived than a written prayer thinks sure that the one is more immediately by inspiration from Heaven than the other and so smels strong of the Heresie of Enthusiasm I am sure to speak foolishly and impertinently hath been usually accounted and called speaking without Book Object 3. There be many Episcopal persons and such who both use and are zealous for the Liturgy of the Church do yet use private prayer of their own before Sermon the which surely they would never do if they conceived it unlawful Answ. This is done t is confest by many persons of known worth and integrity some with good intentions to win upon such persons whom no other kind of prayers will please some that their private prayer may be a Pattetn whereby their people may learn to pray in private and for these reasons I conceive this practice hath been and is still overlook'd by Ecclesiastical Superiors But in the general this custom is continued through inadvertency in not considering and deeply weighing the equity or iniquity fitness or unfitness thereof nor can the practice of this or any other custom prove the same to be lawful There is a great difference betwixt a custom founded upon the principles of truth and equity and such a custom as is contrary hereunto how plausible soever Many persons also that are eminent in knowledge and piety in the general may through long custom and many examples fail in some particulars through inconsideration Object 4. T is observable by experience that variety of expressions and change of Forms in prayer do more work upon the Affections of the People and stir up their Devotions than one and the same constant standing Form Answ 1. This doth more tickle the itching ears of the people indeed and the itching of the ears comes from the corruption of the heart And surely their devotion is very cold that must be warmed by variety of expressions the which in preaching may be commendable but not in praying except by way of private ejaculations it being one great design of Exhortations and moving ing admonitions in Sermons to excite their Affections to what is taught and exhorted unto whereas holy Prayer is not the cause but the effect and issue of devout Affections and t is then only acceptable unto God when it comes from a heart replete with humility compunction fervor and Divine love which do necessarily infer foreknowledge of the Prayers we use that they be such as whereby our devout Affections may be expressed Answ. 2. It is generally observed by the Masters of Mystical Theology and Spiritual Life that there is a sensible Devotion which begins in the sensitive Nature producing tenderness of spirit drawing often sighs from the bosome and tears from the eyes and begets a secret delectation and sweetness in the soul with which many persons are much taken and transported as conceiving such pleasing delights in Prayer to be no other than the influences of the holy Spirit of God And yet this exterior pleasure of a sensible Devotion is not always a sign of a sound and right temper of holiness in the soul Because First many wicked irregenerate persons may and have enjoyed the same Secondly it may proceed from the natural temper Thirdly from the vehement intention of the mind Fourthly from the mournful tone cadence of words and power of language And such sensible delights even in Prayer are sometimes the insinuations and illusions of the Evil spirit to puff up the soul with self-love vain-glory presumption in Gods favour and contempt of others I deny not but such sensible consolations are often the influences of the holy and true Spirit given us for our encouragement in holy and divine Offices in the love of God and obediener But there is great discretion and humility also required in the use we make of them neither are we over-highly to esteem of them as the Casuist observes Because they are neither true virtues neither are they neeessary instruments of proficiency in true devotion for without such sensible consolations many holy persons have ascended to a great height of virtue and purity of mind The strongest Devotions and most effectual Prayers are seldomest attended with these sensible consolations and sweetnesses which flow in upon variety of taking expressions for a great Devotion is like a great Grief which is not so expressive in words as a less moderate passion a lesser Grief also is wasted away by tears and complaints whilst the greater is both more silent and more lasting so the less and more weak devotion of the Soul is breathed out and wasted in variety of language but not the solid strong and lasting servor Such was the prevailing devotion of Moses when he fell down before the Lord Deut. 9. 18. 25. and that of Hannah when she prayed in the Temple 1 Sam. 1. 10 11. Their words in their prayers were few and low unheard but their desires and affections strong and prevalent as being not wasted by much speaking And such was that Devotion of our Lord in the Garden and on the Cross when he poured out his Soul in prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears Heb. 5. 7. His words were few but his devotion great and prevailing mightily which devotion was neither begotten nor increased nor poured forth in a floud of language and various expressions for he went away saith the holy Ghost and prayed saying the same words Mat. 26. 44. So that settled and stinted Forms of Prayer may be expressive enough of the greatest Devotion nor is God more pleased or the Soul that prayeth more profited by variety of expressions though the exterior pleasure of a sensible devotion may be raised thereby Object 5. But stinted forms of Prayer cannot suit with all tempers and conditions a Garment may as well be made to fit the changeable Moon as one Form of Prayer to fit all men or any one man at all times Answ. 1. T is true that limited forms of Prayer cannot be fitted to every man's fancie and affection especially amongst such men where such prayers are either
whereof runs thus That he will use the Service Book prescribed in Publick prayer and no other Secondly Because the use of such Prayers is directly against an Act of Parliament viz that for the Uniformity of Common Prayers which enjoyns peremptorily under sharp punishments that no man shall use any other open Prayers than are mentioned and set forth in the said Book Thirdly No man is to presume to exercise any Office in the Church except he be called to it as it was in Aaron Seeing therefore both the Church and State have expresly enjoyn'd us to use no Publick prayers but the Liturgy except his Majesty give leave upon extraordinary Occasion for the drawing up of Forms which leave hath ground de Iure communi both Ecclesiastical and Civil it followeth that neither Church nor State have given power to any to vent themselves in such open Prayers in the Church because they expresly forbid it To presume then to use such Prayers contains in it a complication of several Sins 1. The Sin of Falshood or the breach of solemn Promise confirm'd by subscription of the Church 2. T is an act of Disobedience to the Higher Powers and so it is an express sin against the Fifth Commandement 3. T is an act of Injury aed Usurpation offered to the Church in presuming to thrust themselves into a sacred Office which such men are not to be intrusted with nor thought fit at all to execute for many may be able to discourse unto men since if they chance there to fail in point of truth or congruity the matter is of less consequence but the Church will but trust but few that shall lead Men when they speak to God because there a Falshood may prove an abomination in Speech an Incongruity may soon amount to a Blasphemy I would glanly demand of any prudent person whether he conceive that when the Church of England was in her greatest glory she had ever in it 9500 Persons answerable to the 9500 Parishes that were able to lead the people in prayer Sad experience tells us the contrary and informs us loudly enough of the Soloecisms and Blasphemies and the same experience tells us that their Directory helps them not at this dead lift nay it may often prove the greatest impediment since were some weak men allowed as well their Matter as Words they might perhaps come off with some tolerable approbation but being forced to confine themselves to matter which either they well understand not or are not so well us'd to speak of their Prayers are oftentimes vain and ridiculous or which is worse erroneous and blasphemous The licentiousness of Devotion that each private Priest durst adventure to lead others in Publick prayer breeding great disturbance in the Primitive Church brought the Fathers to decree thus in the second Council of Milevis where St. Austin sate as appears by the Subscription That no Publick Prayers should be offered up to God that had not been approv'd of in a Council or least agreed upon by the more discreet sort of men Ne fortè aliquid contra fidem vel per ignorantiam vel per minus studium fit compositum Lest either through ignorance or want of good pains the publick Faith might receive hurt by such Prayers Now besides other hurts which the Church of England hath received by this unlawful course all know that she hath received one remarkable mischief in the neglect and scorn of her Liturgy For when Cartwright the Puritan Incendiary saw he wanted Power either to extirpate or to alter our established Book of Common Prayer he was the first durst boldly use this forbidden Knell of Devotion and those that followed him improved it to so great an height by posting over our Liturgy with so much carelesness and scorn and by giving all the Advantages to those Forms of their own both of the Voice and of the Eyes and of the Hand that the People began e're long to think that the reading of the Liturgy was but an useless task impos'd by the Church on the Priests but that they compleatly served God if they came when the Psalms were singing because besides that they served God and had the benefit of a Sermon they heard a long Prayer also set out with all the Devotion and all the advantage that it could possibly receive from the Art or from the natural good parts of the person who compos'd it So that he who will needs continue the use of these forbidden prayers in the Pulpit takes the readiest course as much as in him lies for the rooting out the publick Liturgy I suppose that these men do not at all like the course which the Independants now use in Prayer who permit this extemporary or voluntary way not only to the Priests but to the Soldiers and to the Mechanicks and I imagine a main cause of their mistakes to be because such an Office is intruded on by those men who have not just authority to perform it But then if they would consider things well they would easily find that this use of forbidden Prayer hath metamorphos'd them into Independants since they have no more authority to compose such Forms from that Apostolical Church that ordained them than either that person hath who is now imployed to make Shoes or that other Ecclesiastick whose Formalities are a Belt and a Buff Jerkin It may be said perhaps that many Churchmen both of great knowledge and great place have themselves us'd these forms of Prayer and upon that ground why may not they Truly if to argue thus were concluding it might soon free us not only from the ties of many English laws but from the obligation of the Decalogue it self which without all doubt is broken often enough not only by those of the common sort but by men of great Place and Knowledge But we must distinguish between Consuetudo and Corruptela and so learn that Usages taken up against press-written Laws are Corruptions but not justifiable Customs One thing I shall adde more and it is a short Discourse How the Pulpit-Forms of Prayer were brought into the Church of England We must know then that in the time of Popery the manner commonly was to use the Lords Prayer or else an Ave Maria before Sermon so that when Edward the Sixth came to compose his Injunctions he made choice as he had good reason of the Lords Prayer for that purpose But because it was thought fit that the King 's just Supremacy in Ecclesiastical things should be at the least weekly published to the People it was thought expedient to premise to the ' Pater noster a Form as his Injunction stiles it of Bidding Prayer wherein the Priest was not to speak to God but only to the People exhorting them to pray instantly for such and such persons but he prayed not to God at all untill he closed with the Lords Prayer This was likewise confirm'd in the Injunctions of Queen Elizabeth and expresly call'd the Form
them It is a shame for Christians in the worship of the True God to be like the Heathen in the worship of their false and feigned Deities Our duty is to endeavour more for humility purity and fervency in heart than for glib nimble and voluble tongues to pray not with multitude of words and variety of phrases but with pertinent and pithy expressions with ardency and godly zeal and the reason follows For Your heavenly Father knoweth what things you stand in need of before you ask him He is every where present and knoweth all things even the secrets of all hearts and therefore to court him with long and loud Peayers implies our ignorance or misbelief of his perfections Against such extravagancy in prayers our Lord prescribes us a Form with command saying After this manner pray ye vers 9. i. e. as from the context is manifest not after the manner of the Heathen who think to be heard for their much speaking but after this manner i. e. in few words and such as are pithy and to purpose And That t is the meaning of our Lord in this place that all our Prayers should be short and not much exceeding the length of the Pattern he hath given us is manifest 1. Not only from the Context impartially weigh'd and understood but 2. From the practice of Christ's Church which is undeniably the best and surest Interpreter of Christ's meaning in his words And all the Prayers of the Church of Christ are and ever were such in all Ages in all places amongst all persons that are called Christians their Liturgies or Publick prayers are short and pithy called therefore Collects as being so many Collections of much matter in few words 3. Such are all the Prayers of the Holy and True Spirit of God which stand upon record in Holy Writ both for use and imitation viz. the whole Book of Psalms with many more all which though some of them be long as to the whole Psalm or Hymn yet they are divided by Verses into so many shorter Prayers 4. Long Prayers are not only forbidden by our Lord as the custom of the Heathen but also frequently reproved by him as the practice of the Hypocrites Matth. 23. 14. Mar. 12. 40. Luke 12. 47. 5. By long and manifold sad experience t is well known and hath been often observed That all long conceived prayers have been guilty of manifold infirmities light vain and unseemly expressions not fitting to be offered up to the All wise All-glorious Majesty of Heaven yea many falshoods many impieties and profanations have been uttered in such kind of prayers and what have been contradictory to the Religious Duties we owe to God and men 6. If it be here said How can we be too long in our Prayers since our Lord continued all night in prayer Luke 6. 12. and saith also that we ought always to pray and not to faint Luke 18. 1. and his Apostle commands Continue in Prayers and watch Col. 4. 2. and pray without ceasing 1 Thes. 5. 17. and how can these Commands be obey'd without long prayer Answ. To this I answer that there is a great difference between long prayers and praying long The one is unlawful because forbidden and reprov'd by our Lord the other is a Religious Duty because both commanded and practis'd by him and therefore St. Augustin saith Oratio plus gemitibus quà m sermonibus agitur plus fletu quà m afflatu And t is thus The Spirit helpeth our Infirmities by quickning our Devotions and inflaming our Desires he maketh intercession for us i. e. as the same Father secretly inclining our hearts to intercede for our selves with groanings that cannot be uttered Rom. 8. 26. From which Text it is apparent quite contrary to the Enthusiasts sense thereof that t is inward groanings not outward bellowings the internal fervent desires of the Soul not multitude of words which is the proper work of the Holy Spirit in prayer The ordinary Gloss out of St. Chrysostome asks the same Question If we must not use many words in our Prayers how shall we pray without ceasing as t is commanded And answers out of the same Father That both are to he observ'd in our Religious Devotions viz. 1. That our Prayers be short And aly Frequent and continued So Christ hath both commanded and also exemplified in his Personal Prayers And St. Paul also That our Prayers be short but often renewed in few words but with great devotion ending briefly and beginning afresh leaving some intervals or spaces of time for the re-enquickening and enkindling the fire of fervor and holy zeal in the Soul And it s added out of Cassianus The Fathers conceived it most useful to use short but frequent Prayers To be frequent that our Souls may cleave the more steddy unto God by often addresses to his Majesty To be short that we may quench the fiery darts of the Devìl who is most busie to tempt us to dulness and deadness of heart in our prayers which he very easily effects when the prayers we say or hear are long and continued without any intermission T is recorded of those Primitive Christians in Egypt who were most famous for their transcendent Devotions and great Austerities in the exercise of Religious Duties That their Prayers we many and often night and day continued and yet that they were short also not only in their solemn Assemblies and publick Offices of Devotion but also That their private Prayers were as so many Raptures and Ejaculations or Desires darted up into Heaven For as the Father saith thereupon Absit ab Oratione multa lobutio sed non desit multa precatio si fervens perseveret intentio Let not our Devotions be accompanied with much speaking but much praying so long as we can hold out in attention and fervency FINIS D r STEWARD's Judgment of a Private PRAYER in Publick Relating to the Orders of the CHURCH of ENGLAND With an Account of the BIDDING PRAYER OXFORD Printed by L. Lichfield Printed to the University for Richard Sherlock Bookseller In the Year 1684. These are the words of his Inscription near the place where he was interr'd in France MEMORIAE RICHARDI STEWARD DECANI WEST MONASTER ET SA CELLI REGII IN ANGLIA Qui hoc tantum Monumento suo inscribi voluit Epitaphium Hic jacet R. STEWARD QUI Assiduè oravit pro pace ECCLESIAE Obiit 14o. Novemb. 1652. AETAT LVIIIo. THat it is not lawful for any Person that hath received holy Orders in the Church of England to use any extemporary or premeditated Prayers of his own private composure either before or after Sermon or in the Church in the publick Worship and Service of God but only the Liturgy set forth and allowed First Because it is directly against his own solemn promise made to the Church when he came to be ordained and that Promise is set down under his hand when he subscribed the three Articles contained in Canon 36. the second