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A33987
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An answer to Dr. Scot's cases against dissenters concerning forms of prayer and the fallacy of the story of Commin, plainly discovered.
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Collins, Anthony, 1676-1729.
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1700
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Wing C5356; ESTC R18873
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65,716
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77
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for all and at all Times 2. Our Reverend Author p. 25. comes to his Second Thing promised viz. to shew That supposing it were true that nothing were to be admitted in the Worship of God but what hath a Divine Institution it equally concludes against conceived Prayer as against Forms His Answer is because God hath no where instituted conceived Prayer i. e. That Men in Prayer should Pray by Words first formed in their own Hearts We need no Institution for what Nature it self dictateth in any religious Act. All Institution of that Nature must be corrective not directive Institution indeed often correcteth our corrupt and imperfect Nature and so it is in this business of Prayer God hath commanded us to Pray It is Written in the Law of Nature that there is a God that this Supream Being being the first Cause and the first Mover must be the Author of all Good Hence it directs us Prayer for the good Things we want and Praise for good Things received Prayer is a making known of our wants to God God hath given us Sense and Reason to tell us what those wants are a Power to Will and desire a supply of them to form Words to be uttered by our Lips as expressive of them to help us to the better Knowledge of our wants he hath given us his Word if in that he hath given us any Forms of Words to be ordinarily used in that Duty we are to use them Others he hath left at Liberty under the more general Laws and Directions of his Word What need any Institution of what Nature it self directeth and teacheth We have indeed Reason to look for an Institution if we will correct this natural Course of Mans Soul of expressing its desires by Words formed in our own Thoughts we have Reason to look for a supersedeas from a Divine Institution any Forms instituted by God himself make up such an Institution corrective of the natural Motions and Inclinations of our Souls Which is a sufficient Answer to what our Author saith p. 25 26. I cannot apprehend what can be called Vocal Prayer but what is such from a natural Course and Order or from a Divine Institution Scriptural Forms if given and enjoined for ordinary Use are doubtless so by Divine Institution what can be so in a natural Course or Order but those which we call free and conceived Prayers I am yet to learn For what our Author saith of the Iews use of Forms it hath been abundantly spoken too Particularly in the Answer to Dr. Falkner's Vindication of Liturgies p. 232 233 234. Chronologers Account that the Iews were carried into the Captivity of Babylon about the Year of the World 3350. and came out thence about the Year 3420. after 3630. we have little Account of them they being in a miserable distracted State till Pompey conquered them about 3888. and in like manner under the Romans to the coming of Christ about the Year of the World 3947 how they were in Christs Time the Gospels and Acts of the Apostles tells us About the sixty fifth Year of Christ they were utterly destroied Philo is by Chronologers computed to have lived about Twenty five Years before the final Ruine of Hierusalem but our Author quotes him proving nothing but that the Priests were want to offer Prayers with their Sacrifices so they might and yet use no Forms For the Samaritane Chronicle which p. 27. he tells us of which mentions a Book wrote in the Year of the World 4713. which contained the Songs and Prayers also used before the Sacrifices Those who will give it any Credit may but the Year of the World 4713. was 760. and odd Years after Christ that was the pretended Time for its first Appearance to the World for it could not be Printed till above 1500. Years after Christ and this Book must give an Account of the Affairs of the Iewish Church before the Year 3360. which was more than a Thousand Years before that for who will regard what the Iews did after they came under the Power first of the Grecians then of the Romans I Appeal now to any reasonable Man who will give Credit to any Manuscript that wrote more than a Thousand Years after should pretend to give us Account of what was done in Ezra's Time or before the Iews were Captivated by the Grecians and Romans for admit the Iews when Tributaries to the Grecians or Romans did use Forms it is no imitable President especially when the New Testament gives us the Story of the Church at least Seventy Years of the Time and saith nothing of it For our Authors Quotation out of Iosephus about the Essenes besides that it signifies little what a Particular Sect did and a Sect that sprang up too after Christ's Time of which the Scripture saith nothing I say besides this if our Author knoweth how to translate 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 better than certain Prayers which they received from their Ancestors the Translator of Iosephus into English will help him who translates it They made certain Vows and Prayers after the Custom of their Country which they might do without Forms I am not of our Author's Mind That there was not a more urgent Occasion for an express Prohibition of any Rite or Usage of the Iewish Church than praying by a Form For I believe there was no Reason for it at all because there was no such thing in use and if there had been any such Rite I know no Reason why either Iohn the Baptist should teach his Disciples to pray or why Christ's Disciples should beg of him to prescribe them a Form It should seem they had Forms enough Our Author in the next place P. 2. p. 29 30 c. comes to answer those Places of Scripture which Dissenters produce to prove it their Duty to pray free and conceived Prayers The first he instanceth in p. 29. Zech. 12.20 I will pour out upon the house of David and upon the inhabitants of Hierusalem the spirit of grace and supplications I shall say little as to what our Author speaketh as to this Text because I am not concerned in other Mens forming the Argument from it The Spirit of Grace and Supplications signifieth either our own Spirit and then the Promise concerneth the fuller Effusion of the Spirit of Grace under the Gospel giving unto God's People generally more Gifts for his Service especially for Prayer or else it must be understood of the Spirit of God which is called the Spirit of Supplications because it particularly helpeth our Infirmities in that Duty Now whether this Infirmity respecteth only our Affections or our Memory and Vnderstanding bringing to our Remembrance Matters contained in Holy Writ according to the Promise Iohn 14.26 is the Question betwixt us and our Casuist Let it be interpreted which way it will it is all one to us If of the Third Person in the Trinity we say he ought not to be shut out we must give him a
read of any Liturgy they carried along with them or used 5. For what our Author further saith about the Calvinistical and Lutherane Churches there is enough said in the aforemention'd Books to Answer it It lies upon him to prove that the Churches in France and Holland generally impose the Use of Forms in all Parts of Publick Worship If any do voluntarily Use any Forms which are prescribed and left to a free Use we have nothing to do to Condemn them though we be of another Mind I have indeed heard That in the Administration of the Sacraments and Marriages The Ministers of the Reformed Churches in France and Holland generally keep to Forms Marrying Persons is no Ministerial Act by any Institution of Christ. It is a great and weighty Action and possibly what is fittest to be done by such whose Office it is to Exhort and to Pray for People As for the Sacraments the Ministration of them is indeed a Ministerial Act. If we cannot satisfie our selves in that Ministration by tying our selves to prescribed Forms We hope it is not a Thing of that Nature but we may without any great Danger differ in it from Persons and Churches which we Honour In the mean Time the Churches of Scotland and New England have hitherto been of our Minds so that we are not wholly alone we differ from the Lutherane Churches in far greater Things than this and further yet from the Popish Synagogues But as I have often said admit all here said as to Antiquity or Practice of other Churches were true which manifestly is not it were but a presumptive no concluding Argument In the mean time 1. We many of us as we have said and it hath appear'd by our Practice do not judge it sinful though we do not judge it under all Circumstances eligible to join by Communion in Prayer with Ministers who use the prescribed Forms or any other whose Matter is not sinful to be assented to or begg'd of God So that all our Question is about the Ministerial Use. 2. Nor as to that do we judge our selves so infallible as to condemn any Ministers that are satisfied so to perform their Publick Ministerial Acts in Prayer We only say we cannot and offer our Reasons in Vindication of our selves For what our Author saith p. 59 60. about Iesuits and Romish Preists introducing conceived Prayers into Publick Use we hope enough hath been said in our first Chapter to make him alter his Mind Indeed Forms of Prayer were of general Use in the Popish Worship many Hundred Years before there was a Jesuite in the World But we do not believe them so much as Canonically injoined before Pope Gregories Time but first by him Nor universally practised tell Charles the Great 's Time which was Eight Hundred Years after Christ. Nor do we see the least Colour of Proof for any such Thing Our Author thinks fit to propound but to speak very little to a Sixth Case viz. Case 6. Whether it be lawful to comply with the Use of Publick Forms when they are imposed Our Author I hope means Publick Forms containing no Matter but what God hath given us leave to pray for 2. With a Liberty also to Vse others in the Pulpit for I observe our Author hath all along pleaded for that This supposed The Term complying referreth to Ministerial Vse or to a Popular Vse whose Work is only to say Amen in Heart and with Faith and due Affection desiring those Things of God As to the latter it is not in Question betwixt us We are so far agreed That such Use though possibly under all Circumstances not eligible yet is not sinful So as the only Question is of Ministerial Use. This our Author knows many of us Iudge not lawful we have given him our Reasons Our Author hath pretended to Answer them We have now shewed him that his Answers appear to us insufficient and bottomed upon Mistakes So as yet sub judice lis est and the Question is not as our Author States it Whether a lawful thing when imposed may be lawfully complied with But whether what some Persons judge lawful may be done by others who verily believe it unlawful Yet were the Question as our Author stateth it Whether a Thing in the Worship of God lawful that is apparently neither commanded nor forbidden in Gods Word may be lawfully complied with if commanded by Men. It could not be determined affirmatively without determining That it is in the Power of Man to determine Things in Gods Worship which he hath left to Peoples Liberty and consequently when God had given his People a Liberty for a Peace Offering to offer of the Herd or of the Flock either Male or Female Lev. 3.1 2 3 4 5 6. Or a Goat It was yet lawful for Asa or Iehosaphat or Hezekiah or Iosiah or the Iewish Sanhedrim to have by an Humane Law restrained them to offer none but Bullocks or Sheep or Goats or of them none but Males or none but Females which as we read not was ever attempted so the lawfulness of such a Restriction or Compliance with it may deserve serious Thoughts For what our Author saith That if the Imposition of Prayer in Publick by Forms may not be lawfully complied with then neither may the Imposition of Prayer ex tempore We say who asketh any such Thing For my own Part I think it would be unreasonable surely those who plead for Liberty in this Thing cannot Plead for Imposition any way and therefore what our Author saith here seemeth to me wholly Impertinent FINIS