expose us to contempt and loathing to harden Mens hearts against a just Reformation to make those who are reformed grow sick and weary and ashamed of the distracted unsetledness and ungovernableness of such people Who like nothing but what is unlike to all the Churches of Christ that have been in the World till this last unhappy Age. This cannot proceed from the Blessed Spirit of Grace which cannot lead Men to destroy the Church which Christ hath purchased by his Blood Which it is evident cannot be preserved much less promoted but by a due regard to those who are over us in the Lord and by adhering closely to such an Authentick Constitution as that of this Church which is the genuine Off-spring of the Apostles declaring nothing to the people but the true sense of the Ancient Apostolick Church throughout the World Which alwayes had such Governours of a superiour Order and Degree to other Ministers as we have such Prayers such Hymns in a word such a Face of Religion as is here seen in this our Church of England And may be seen Blessed be God in other Reformed Churches particularly in those called Lutheran who as Chemnitius tells us have had solemn Prayers every day and much after the same Order that is observed in ours His words are these Populus singulis diebus bis certa hora c. The people assemble every Day twice at a certain hour Exam. Concil Trident. Pars iv cap. ult Morning and Evening and after the singing of some Psalms Lessons are read in order partly out of the Old Testament partly out of the New And the Assembly concludes alwaies with Common Prayers and some Hymn of Thanksgiving And besides the people come together every Week on some certain Day in greater Multitudes to make Publick and Solemn Supplications which are called Letanies And so he proceeds to relate how they Worship God with the greatest Solemnity on the Lord's Dayes and upon special Festivals in memory of the great Benefits we have received on the Nativity Circumcision c. in short on all the Dayes now observed by our Church O that there were such an heart in us as instead of Wrangling and Disputing seriously to set our selves to make the best use we can of such Blessed Opportunities as God still affords unto us of meeting together every Day for his Worship and Service Especially upon Letany Dayes when there ought to be a fuller Congregation and more than ordinary Devotion One of those Dayes at least I should think every Devout Christian may easily see there is great cause to set apart every Week for Fasting and Humiliation together with Supplication and Prayer to the Divine Majesty that he would turn away his Anger from us Men are naturally too backward I know to such Holy Imployments and satisfie themselves that they have an Excellent Religion which they highly value without considering that they have so much the greater Obligation upon them to joyn frequently in the Holy Offices thereof Let that therefore for a conclusion be added to all the motives I have used in this Book to stir you up to the constant performance of this Duty that it will be the greatest shame to us if when they whose Religion is a false Worship have their constant Dayly Service and attend upon it we who have the truest Notions of God and the most Excellent Religion have less regard unto it by which means their Religion how corrupt soever it be is upheld and maintained and for want of this ours though never so pure must needs fall to decay For they that love the Religion they profess though it be not so sincere and perfect as it ought to be yet never fail to reap all the Benefits which it is able to afford and this among the rest that they keep their Religion by their unfeigned Love to it and Diligence in it Whereas the best and soundest Religion professed by those who bear not the like Affection to it yields those who thus retain it little or no benefit as Mr. Hooker hath observed and by degrees is lost for want of a due regard and earnest Affection to it We see this verified in Pagans Turks and Hereticks Who zealously attend upon the Publick Offices of their Religion and so continue their Sect. How comes their Religion to lead them to have frequent Assemblies and ours to make us neglect them But that they keep up their Love to their Religion such as it is and we have lost our first Love and so endanger the loss of our Religion For had we a sincere love to it we should be led by the Natural Dictates of it to attend upon its publick Offices that being the very first thing to which Religion inclines us and there to attend with all seriousness both to the Prayers and Hymns and to the Holy Scriptures which are then read unto us And therefore our Religion hath gone to decay because we have not minded publick Assemblies dayly but where they are kept up they are empty and thin or when they are full there are none of these Natural signs of Devotion in too many people which are among all Nations bended Knees Hands and Eyes lifted up to Heaven nay they do not attend to the Word of God there read but pass it by as a Tale that is told fancying I suppose it is never the Word of God but when it is preached that is spoken without Book These are not the Faults of all nor I hope of most among us But I have observed some of them especially the last of Whispering together all the time the Scriptures are read as if they were nothing but an empty sound in so many Persons from whose Understanding one would expect better things that I could not but take notice of such unbecoming Behaviour in the House of God Where I beseech God to awaken all his Ministers to perform their Duty with careful Diligence And all his People to Accompany them reverently in continual Prayers and Supplications to the Glory of His Great Name the Credit of our Holy Religion the Honour of this Church the Increase of all true Godliness and Vertue among us and the furtherance thereby of our Joyful Account and Happy Meeting in the Day of the Lord Jesus Amen THE END ERRATA PAge 30. l. 24. d. he p. 33. l. 20. for created r. erected p. 53. l. ult for enabled r. enobled p. 59. l. 7. r. 2dly This. p. 65. l. 11. for it r. he p. 106. l. 17. d. also p. 121. l. 3. after yet add p. 123. l. 9. after 19 add p. 168. l. 1. for times r. time p. 170. l. 22. for Rules r. Rule p. 184. l. 25. r. was as well performed any where as in the Church p. 185. l. 3. r. inlarge THE CONTENTS THE Introduction PART I. CHAP. I. OF the Nature of Prayer Page 1 CHAP. II. Of the Necessity of Prayer Page 10 CHAP. III. The sense of all Mankind about this matter especially of our Blessed Saviour Page 22 CHAP. IV. Other Arguments of the great Necessity of Prayer Page 32 CHAP. V. Some Reflections upon the foregoing Considerations Page 39 CHAP. VI. The Honour God doth us in admitting us into his Presence Page 49 CHAP. VII The Pleasure which springs from the serious performance of this Duty Page 61 CHAP. VIII The great Benefits we receive by serious Prayer to God 74 CHAP. IX The Three foregoing Chapters improved Page 85 PART II. CHAP. X. Publick Prayer the most necessary of all other Page 95 CHAP. XI God is most honoured by Publick Prayers Page 99 CHAP. XII Publick Prayers most advantagious unto us Page 115 CHAP. XIII Publick Prayers most sutable to the Nature of Man Page 135 CHAP. XIV The Nature of a Church requires there should be Publick Prayers Page 162 CHAP. XV. Our Blessed Saviour the Founder of the Church teaches us this Doctrine Page 168 CHAP. XVI Which is further confirmed by the Practice of the Apostles and the first Christians Page 177 CHAP. XVII Other Considerations to strengthen this Argument Page 192 CHAP. XVIII A Recapitulation of the four foreing Chapters with some Inferences from thence Page 206 CHAP. XIX Of Dayly Publick Assemblies and of Hours and Gestures of Prayer Page 222 CHAP. XX. Some Objections removed Page 244 THE END
to pray and 〈◊〉 thanks to God than it is to live 〈◊〉 that there is a necessity also of the â—â—quent returns of this Duty For thâ— times a day as often as he did eat drink he continued notwithstandâ— the great hazzard he run therein pray and give thanks before his God CHAP. V. Some Reflections upon the foregoing Considerations BEfore I proceed to lay before you the great advantages we have by the serious performance of this part of our Christian Duty it may be useful â—ere to rest a while and only look back upon what hath been already discoursed Which if the Reader will please â—o do with a composed Mind and atâ—entive Thoughts he may soon know what to think of his condition if he â—ever set himself to this Holy Imployment or rather Heavenly Priviledge of making devout Addresses to God â—y Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving for all the benefits of which we are desirous or he hath already conferred on us Such men are without God in the World estranged from the Father of their being contemners of His Most Excellent Majesty Usurpers upon his Soveraignty that set up for themselves and live as if they were the Oâ—â—ginal of all things who stand in 〈◊〉 need to be beholden to any one hiâ—er and greater than themselves Guâ— they are of the highest Treason 〈◊〉 cause they refuse to pay the most naâ—ral and necessary acknowledgment 〈◊〉 to the most High They will not oâ— him as their Lord nor make any â—nifications of their dependance on hiâ— but use him as if He were only a Naâ—â— to whom we owe a slight respect 〈◊〉 no solemn constant reverence and 〈◊〉 vice Lay this to heart I beseech yoâ— whosoever you be that do not 〈◊〉 it one of the most serious businesseâ— your Life to pray unto God Coâ—der what you are in what relation â—â—stand to him and what a bold disoâ—ing of him this is That you may humbled for it and come and 〈◊〉 down your selves and kneel before Lord your Maker to beg his parâ— for this contempt to beseech 〈◊〉 Grace and assure him hereafter your faithful service 2. And that you may so do leâ—â— from the foregoing Instructions 〈◊〉 pray to God not merely because you think he will have this acknowledgment or else be very angry but because He â—â—ght to have it as we are his Creaâ—â—es who cannot be happy without â—â—due respect to the Father of our being the Fountain of all bliss If you think this Duty might have been left â—â—done had not God exacted it by â—â—me positive Law it may make you less forwardly inclined unto it nay apt perhaps to grumble sometime at the burden as you may be prone to account it and too willing to find preâ—â—nces that may seem equitable and fit 〈◊〉 be allowed for the omitting it But 〈◊〉 you look upon it as enacted in the very Laws of our Nature as standing upon no weaker ground than our very beings which we deriving from God â—â—e bound thereby to acknowledge Him you will not desire to be excused from it nor be backward to it but please your selves as well as Him in â—his most delightful imployment Remember You ought to look up unto God in Prayer and Praises because it is a natural Duty and that your Nature strongly inclines you to it because you are weak and in waâ— and that you should make it yâ—â— choice because it is a most noble â—â—â—viledge to be admitted into God's pâ—â—sence and that you should chuse to it frequently because you will be much the more happy by having 〈◊〉 oft in your thoughts and by be much in his Blessed presence whâ—able to impart everlasting felicity his devout and faithful Worshippen 3. Of which happiness let us not 〈◊〉 prive our selves by forgetting â—â—â—our Maker but be moved by the â—â—ny Arguments whereby I have ensâ—ced it to the solemn practice of tâ—â— Duty unto which we are formed Nature and mightily excited and sisted by Grace Never rise out of your Bed but 〈◊〉 fore you go about any thing else mâ—â— a tendry of your most hearty serâ—â— unto God implore his Blessing 〈◊〉 him know that you intend to be faiâ—â—ful to him all that day that youâ— member your Obligations to him a are resolved to make good your Pâ—â—mises and so beseech him to go alâ—â— with you and to prevent you in all yâ—â— doings with his most gracious favour and further you with his continual help â—â—at in all your works begun continued â—â—d ended in him you may glorifie his â—â—ly Name and finally by his mercy atain Eternal Life c. And do not offer to put a bit of â—â—ad into your mouths till you have acknowledged God who spreads your â—able for you and beseeched him to less the gifts of his goodness to you and to give you Grace to use the â—â—â—ength you receive from them in his service In like manner rise not from your Meat without a renewal of your thankful acknowledgments for your refreshment with such seriousness that it may be truly a Grace and not merely 〈◊〉 called That is an hearty expression of your gratitude to him and of your desires to have Grace to be as dutiful to him as he is bountiful to you in these and all other benefits He constantly bestows upon you And never think of putting off your Clothes to go to sleep before you have commended your selves and all yours unto his merciful Protection and reflected on his Goodness and thank◠〈◊〉 for his mercies past and expressed 〈◊〉 humble confidence in him for time to come and beseeched him make you fit and willing to die 〈◊〉 to be for ever with him Business I know is the pretended pediment to all this But is there business of such moment as that wâ— we have with God Or can any oâ— business be likely to succeed with his Blessing Or have we the foâ—â— confidence to expect his Blessing 〈◊〉 never ask it Who is there that 〈◊〉 say his Affairs in this World have â—â—fered by spending some time in â—â—mending himself and them unto Gâ— Nay what business is there that 〈◊〉 not go on the more chearfully 〈◊〉 prosperously when we have reasoâ— think that God is with us Accordâ—â—â— to that wholesome saying Robbery â—ver inriches Alms never impoverâ— and Prayer hinders no work Obseâ— it As no Man hath the more in 〈◊〉 World for what he gets dishonest by Theft or Cheating nor any 〈◊〉 the less for what he gives away 〈◊〉 of love to God and his poor Brethreâ— â—o no man gains time for his business â—y that which he robs God of in not â—â—aying to him nor loses he any time â—y that which he spends with God in his Holy Duty Therefore let none of us upon any â—ccount neglect it but think we do â—ur selves right as well as God by the â—â—ious and solemn performance of it 〈◊〉 own wants one would think â—ould stimulate us sufficiently unto it â—r if we could be supposed to
a Church unmoveable The Spirit of Wickedness shall have no power to trouble it with heretical Doctrines By which passage we learn both how full their Assemblies were wont to be and that the Prayers were understood by all the people who with one voice said the same that the Priest did as we now do in our general confession and that they hoped for great security from their common Supplications to God for his watchful Providence over them And thus our own Church in the second Collect for Morning Prayer by teaching us to look upon our Eternal Life as standing in the knowledge of God and to esteem his service to be perfect freedom inforces our resort unto him continually for our defence in that Service and Knowledge in all assaults of our Enemies The Effect of which it instructs us to hope will be this that we surely trusting in his defence may not fear the power of any Adversaries through the might of Jesus Christ our Lord. This St. Chrysostome admirably represents Hom. in S. Lucianum Tom. 1. as his manner is in a Sermon upon an Ancient Martyr As a Man that alwayes stands upon a Rock laughs the Waves to scorn so he that enjoys the dayly Prayers and is moistned with the Divine Words having seated himself as upon the Rock of a right Judgment of things will be carried away with nothing here being raised alost out of the reach of all the Affairs of this Life And that not only from the goâ—â— admonitions he dayly receives but frâ—â—â— the Prayers and from the Paternal Beâ—diction and from the common conventiâ—â—â— and from the Love of the Brethren and from abundance of other things reaping much Benefit and Spiritual Consolatiâ—â— he goes home laden with a thousand Bâ—â—sings Insomuch that a Bride in 〈◊〉 opinion is not so beautiful and amiaâ—â—â— when she sits in her Bridal Chamber 〈◊〉 a Soul is wonderful and glorious whâ—â— it appears in the Church breathing forth Spiritual Graces which he comparâ—â— to fragrant Oyntments For he that iâ— conversant there with Faith and Diligence carries away innumerable Treâ—sures and though never so many dreadful things befall him he will bear them aleasily being sufficiently furnished out oâ— the Holy Scriptures with Patience and Philosophy He means the wise thoughts which the belief of the Gospel puts into us For which reason it was that the Enemies of our Religion bent their Forces not so much against particular persons as against their Assemblies which they indeavoured with all their might to destroy as the Nurseries of the Christian Faith Which being dispersed they doubted not but the Faith it self would be lost in that disorder They no longer lookt upon Christians as a Church when they did not meet together but as so many scattered Limbs of a Body which no longer subsists when the Members are distracted and torn asunder Against these strong holds therefore they laid their Batteries hoping when they were beaten down they should presently triumph over their Religion Which they knew it was hard to overcome whilst a great Body of Men remained knit together continually for its support by many Bonds and Holy Mysteries and the strictest Sacraments For which cause likewise it was that Christian people could not be perswaded to omit their Assemblies no not in time of Persecution when there was the greatest danger if they held them We learn so much from their very Persecutors particularly from the Famous Letter which Pliny wrote to the Emperour Trajan about this matter wherein we are informed that when it was not safe in the day time they met before the Morning Light to sing Hymns to Christ as their God To what shall we impute this Zeal Might they not have served God as well alone No they understood their Religion better than to be of that Opinion and knew it could not stand if they did not thus joyn together to uphold it Their Enemies they knew wisht for nothing more than that these Assemblies might be broken which whilst they continued were the Pillar and Stay of the Christian Truth And do we pretend to be Christians and to love our Religion and to desire nay hope for its safety and prosperity and make so little Account of these Holy Assemblies that the smallest matter will hinder our attendance on them Let us not against the clearest demonstrations persist in such a stupid error But awaken or rather inflame our selves unto such a degree of Zeal as to meet together dayly where we have opportunity for it to give Glory to God in his Church by Christ Jesus and to commend his Church as well as our selves and Families to the protection of his good Providence saying O Lord save thy People and bless thine Inheritance It cannot be imagined what satisfaction we should find herein did we make this our most serious business and instead of the excuses we now make for our negligence give all diligence thus to adorn confirm and secure our most Holy Religion It cannot be denied indeed that this hath been an Error of long standing For when the Church had rest from Persecution her Children began by degrees to grow remiss and wanton Prosperity and ease corrupted them and they cooled so much in their first love that many of them came but seldom to do their Duty unto God their Saviour But this was an extream great grief to their Pastors and brought the heaviest calamities upon Christian people Hear how the often named Father bewails this That the Church having brought forth many Children she could not enjoy their Company S. Chrysost de Baptism Christi Hom. xxiv Tom. 1. every time they assembled to remember our Saviour but only upon a Festival When you are all full of joy to day I alone am full of sorrow and grieved at heart to think that the Church which now hath such multitudes in it will to morrow be empty O how great Spiritual Exultation how great Joy how great Glory to God how great Profit to Souls would there be if every time we assemble we could behold the Church as full as it is at this solemn time Do you not see how the Mariners and Pilots when they are upon the Sea labour all they can to get into their Port And we on the contrary love to be tossed up and down in the Sea of this World ingageinâ— our selves in innumerable Secular Affairs which so take up all our thoughts and our time that here we appear scarce once or twice in the whole year Are ye ignorant that as God made Havens in the Sea so he hath made Churches in Cities that flying from the tumult or tempest rather of secular Affairs we may here enjoy the greatest Tranquillity And for this I may appeal to all your own Consciences whether you find not here such quiet and peace that you may truly call the Church the Spiritual Haven of the Soul For anger here gives no disturbance the storms of Passion cease Lust doth not inflame
the Psalmist nay with our Saviour Christ as I have before observed I will declare thy Name unto my Brethren in the midst of the Congregation will I praise thee Ye that fear the Lord praise him all ye Seed of Jacob glorifie him and fear him all ye Seed of Israel My praise shall be of thee in the great Congregation I will pay my Vows before them that fear him Psal xxii 22 23 25. I will praise thee O God among the People I will sing unto thee among the Nations For thy Merey is great unto the Heavens and thy Truth unto the Clouds Psal lvii 9 10. Blessed are they that dwell in thy House they will be still praising thee Psal lxxxiv 4. The Dead praise not the Lord neither any that go down into silence But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore Praise the Lord. Psal cxv 17 18. Which last words teach us that this is a piece of publick Service we do to God in this World which we are uncapable to perform when we are gone from hence Then the time is past of honouring God among Men by decâ—â—ring the sense we have of his Greatness and speaking good of his Name Foâ— though the dead are not quite silent yet what they say or do signifies nothiâ—â— to us in this World where we muâ—â— serve God while we live or else noâ— at all Which is a new consideration to quicken us to this Duty and to silence all those Objections which are apt to rise in our hearts against it Yes may some say We like the thing you press but are against the way of doing it in this Church In which some are distasted at all Forms of Prayer and others at that Form wherein we Worship God and him alone Unto the first of these I have this to say That when there were no Forms of Prayer left in this Church they that destroyed them did not dayly hold publick Assemblies Nor do they now make it their constant practice Which gives us too much cause to think they have not such a sense as is to be wished of their necessity But to let that pass supposing some have and that they only dislike a Form of Prayer it is something strange that the same Arguments which make them think dayly publick Assemblies to be needful should not also reconcile them to a Form of Prayer Which was constantly used by the Ancient Jews in their Assemblies as hath been undeniably proved by many of our Writers and was prescribed by our Blessed Lord and Master who made his Prayer I have shown for the publick Service in which he joyned with the Jews when he was at the Temple in Jerusalem and when he was in the Country went to the Synagogues which the Chaldee Paraphrast calls Houses of Praise in Isa vii 19. And so did his Apostles who themselves used a constant Form of Praise For they rested not Day and Night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come Rev. iv 8. This as I showed before was their continual Hymn which they offered to God and it appears by St. Paul's usual way of recommending the Churches to whom he wrote unto the Grace of God that they had their Forms of Prayer also For he himself constantly used these words The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all 2 Thess iii. 17 18. The same Power every Bishop had in his Church to compose Prayers for the necessities of it as we may gather from 1 Tim. ii 1 2. Which Exhortation is directed not to the people but to Timothy who was to take care to have all Men recommended unto God in the publick Offices by Prayers and Supplications with Intercessions and Thanksgivings for Kings especially and for all in Authority c. This could not be done orderly as all things were to be in the Christian Church without a set Form of Words which Timothy we may well think composed For those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Prayers be made signifie as literally the Apostle would have Prayers and Supplications composed as that he would have them put up to God And I doubt not they signifie both First That they should be composed and then put up to God by the Church For you may observe further that the Apostles speak of this as their work Act. vi 4. where having bidden the Church look out some Men to be appointed to attend the business of providing for the poor they add but we will give our selves continually to Prayer and to the Ministry of the Word They made the Prayers where they were present as much as they ministred the Word Which is further manifest from hence that the Prayers of the Church of Jerusalem are called the Apostles Prayers Act. ii 42. And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers Observe here how all the faithful stedfastly continued in Prayers as well as hearing the Word And that they are First called Prayers in the Plural number not one but many Prayers and then that they are called the Apostles Prayers Prayers made by them For the word Apostles in the beginning belongs to all the three things that follow as well as to the first To the Apostles Fellowship and their breaking of Bread and their Prayers as well as to their Doctrine To be brief as John Baptist being a publick Minister sent of God taught his Disciples how to pray and our Blessed Lord taught his Apostles So his Apostles in like manner taught those whom they Converted according to the pattern Christ had left them and no question delivered the same power to those that should have the Supreme Guidance Direction and Government of the Church to compose Prayers suteable to Mens necessities in the several Nations where they lived and over whom they presided It may be thought indeed that the Extraordinary Gift they had in those dayes supplyed all But it is manifest both that every one had not that Extraordinary Gift of Prayer and that they also who had were to be so ordered and regulated in the exercise of it by the Governours of the Church that it might serve its Edification And nothing tended more to the Edification of the Church than that it should have a standing known Form of Prayers and Praises without which it could not be known how they Worshipped God and not depend merely upon that extraordinary Gift which was not constant but vouchsafed only on some special occasion according as God pleased to impart it Which is not said arbitrarily by me but it appears by a convincing Argument that this extraordinary Gift was not intended to serve the constant necessities of the Church but only some particular purposes for they who had it could not make others understand it and are therefore directed by the Apostle to pray they might be able to interpret that others might reap some benefit