many Prayers but long and labâ—â— till they have their Effect in such 〈◊〉 alteration as I have mentioned in 〈◊〉 hearts they will at last procure 〈◊〉 Blessing if we be restless and earnest our desires after it And therefore let us not slacken 〈◊〉 indeavours herein but setting 〈◊〉 hearts upon those Graces which we 〈◊〉 of him let us pray to him among othâ—â— things that he would enable us eveâ— day to pray better and to more pâ—â—pose with stronger affections 〈◊〉 more eager desires such as will wâ—â—â— our hearts into a more exact conformity with himself and with our Blessed Saviour and both make us mâ—â— pure and more in love with purity of Mind and Body more Heavenly-minded and intirely satisfied in our Heavenly Acquaintance with him and with our Lord and in the hope we have at last to come unto him in that happy place where there will be nothing left for us to desire but all our Prayers be turned into Praises of him and Thanksgiving to him who hath accomplished our wishes and fulfilled our Petitions by bringing us into his Coelestial Pallace and there providing Mansions for us wherein we â—â—all attend upon him for ever Thus I have given a brief Account of the efficacy of Prayer to make us truly good Which is so evident a â—â—uth that St. Chrysostome â—â—nfidently saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When 〈◊〉 see a man neglect this Duty of Prayer or that â—â—e hath no love to it no fervour in it it is manifest to me that he is owner of nothing worthy or excellent But when I behold a man unwearied in the service of God and that doth not reckon constant attendance upon God in Prayer among his greatest losses I make accâ—â— he is a stedfast practiser of all veâ—â— and the very Temple of God For it â—â—â—pels all vile and base thoughts oâ—â— the mind it perswades us to reâ—â—rence God and the dignity to wâ—â— he advanceth us it teaches us toâ—pel all the Inchantments of the 〈◊〉 one and raises our mind so hiâ— that we look down with despisalâ— scorn upon pleasure For this is 〈◊〉 only Pride that becomes the Wâ—â—shippers of Christ not to submiâ— the service of any filthiness bâ—â— preserve the freedom and liberty their souls in a pure Life Whiâ—â— is impossible to do without Prayâ— For who can exercise any Vertue 〈◊〉 doth not come and fall down beâ—â— him frequently who is the givâ— it Who can so much as desire 〈◊〉 sober or just that doth not deâ—â— to converse with him who reâ—â—â— these and far greater things froâ— A Discourse CONCERNING PRAYER c. PART II. CHAP. X. Of Publick Prayer the most necessary of all other IT is confessed by all who have a sense of God the Author of their being that they were made to â—â—rifie him Which in the Scripture â—â—nguage is another word for God's Worship and Service consisting in those Praises Thanksgivings and Petitions which make up the body of our â—ayers By the first of which we acknowledge God to be what he is in himself every way most excellently â—â—â—fect By the Second We acknowleâ—â—â— the benefits he hath done unto us 〈◊〉 by the third We acknowledgeâ— continual dependance upon hiâ— which by humble Prayer we coâ—â— to be so intire that we cannot 〈◊〉 without him From which I have monstrated that thus to acknowleâ— God and our dependance on him a natural Duty unto which we 〈◊〉 bound as we are Men and much to as we are Christians who are maâ—â— know the great Love of God in 〈◊〉 Blessed Saviour by whom St. Paâ—â— sires Glory may be given unto Hâ—â— the Church throughout all Ages Wâ— without end iii. Ephes ult I shall now proceed to show thaâ— ought not to content our selves 〈◊〉 the addresses we make unto God 〈◊〉 cret or at home but look upon 〈◊〉 selves as bound to assemble and 〈◊〉 together for this end that we 〈◊〉 publickly acknowledge him by 〈◊〉 Prayers Praises and Thanksgivâ—â—â— Which I take to be contained in tâ—â— words of St. Paul now mentioâ— wherein he expresses his desire 〈◊〉 Glory should be given to the Divine Majesty in the Church that is in the Assemblies of Christian people as I shall show hereafter and that not only in his dayes but in all succeeding times as long as the Sun and Moon inâ—â—ure Unto this we ought all to subscribe and say Amen as the Apostle there â—oth and accordingly joyn together with one consent thus to glorifie God 〈◊〉 this Age as Christians have done in all the preceding that we may transâ—â—it the same practice unto those who â—â—me after us in the future Generaâ—â—on Which is a Duty I shall show as I â—â—ss along much more necessary and â—ore highly acceptable unto God than â—â—y private action of this kind which â—e perform to his Divine Majesty â—nto whom we ought to resort in our â—ost secret retirements as our Saviâ—â—r instructs us in those words When â—ou prayest enter into thy Closet But 〈◊〉 this doth not exclude I have alreaâ—â— said the publick Worship of God 〈◊〉 we ought not to think it is equal â—â—ereunto but rather much inferiour to that Divine Service which we 〈◊〉 form in our solemn Assemblies I am sensible how cross this is many mens conceits and how much contrary opinion hath prevailed to great detriment of Religion 〈◊〉 therefore I shall take the more pain make this good that the publick Seâ— of God ought above all other 〈◊〉 carefully attended or that we oâ— not to satisfie our selves with the dresses we make to God at home make a Conscience also and chiefly joyn in Common Prayers and Suppâ—tions to His Majesty And if the advantages and comâ—â— of Prayer be so great as I have resented I doubt not to work in theâ— fidering Reader the greatest esteeâ— and affection for the publick Pray Whereby those advantages and â—â—â—forts may be reaped far more plâ— fully than by our private Devotiâ—â— alone This I shall prove fromâ— heads of Arguments under whâ—â— shall comprize all that need be said on this subject First I shall make it apparent considering the Nature of Prayer Secondly By considering the Nature of Man Thirdly The Nature of a Church in which Christian Men are joyned together to have fellowship with God and one with another CHAP. XI God is most honoured by Publick Prayers IN confidering the first of these viz. the Nature of Prayer we may either look upon it as an act whereby we honour God or as an act whereby we seek our own good And either way the Publick Prayers which many offer to God with joynt consent will appear to have the preheminence above all other First I say if we have respect to God in what we perform in this Holy Duty it is evident He is much more Honoured by our publick addresses to him than he can be by any thing we do in private There indeed we may Worship him very
not find in the whole Law of Moses any precept for Prayer Of which what reason can we give but this that it was so sufficiently known to be a Duty by the common Light of Nature that there needed no Instruction about it Nor can I observe hitherto any Command in the Gospel of Christ barely for Prayer but only for the manner of Prayer As in the place first mentioned When thou prayest enter into thy Closet and pray to thy Father which is in secret And in other places Watch and Pray Pray continually Pray with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit Pray in the Holy Ghost Pray alwayâ— and not faint Pray in the Name of thâ— Lord Jesus All which suppose thâ— Duty of Prayer and only direct how it is to be performed For the further clearing of which general observation let these following particulars be considered I. That it is Natural to everâ— living sensible Creature to look back to its beginning and to own its dependance upon that from whence it derives its being Thus we see the young ones of all sorts of Animals open their Mouths and wait as it were for provision from the old ones while they remain weak and tender 〈◊〉 running also to them for shelter anâ— protection while they are unable tâ— defend themselves Upon which score Prayer is as necessary for us and as natural to us as it is natural to an Infant to cry for its Mothers Breast or something else equivalent thereunto that may satisfie its craving desires Because it is an acknowledgement and owning of God as the Original from whom we come and as the Author of all good in whom we live and move and have our being and a confession of our own weakness and helpless condition without his care of us The very Heathens had this notion in them that Mankind being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Off-spring of God brought forth by him into the World out of the Womb of his Almighty Goodness they ought to resort unto him even as the Chicken runs under the Wing of the Hen by whom it was hatcht or the Lamb runs to the Teats of her that yeaned it Proclus l. 2. in Timaeum And this say they we do by Prayer which â—s nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the â—eturn of the Soul back to God from whence it sprung 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—ur looking back to him from whom we come a reflection upon the Founâ—ain of our being and of all good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our turning about to â—he cause of our being a circling as â—t were to that point from whence we â—ook our beginning that we may be fast knit and united unto God and never be divided from him 1. And therefore to explain thiâ— more particularly Prayer is First An high Acknowledgment that Goâ— is the first cause of all things Wâ— magnifie him hereby as the Root thâ— Spring the Fountain of whatsoever wâ— or any other Creatures are or havâ— And without Prayer we do as bad aâ— say We owe nothing to any highâ— Being than our selves 2. Secondly We acknowledge all the Sovereignty which he therefore hatâ— over us and over all things in thâ—â— we ascribe unto him a power to command them all and to help and relieve and supply both us and them according to our various necessities 3. The Independency also of 〈◊〉 Being is herein acknowledged 〈◊〉 that we ask of him alone as having fâ—â— and absolute power within himself 〈◊〉 giving us help and comfort withoâ—â— craving it of any else 4. His Liberty and Freedom aâ— so in that it wholly resides wâ— confess in his Will and Choice whaâ— we shall have and how much anâ— when all as he pleaseth 5. His All-sufficiency likewise to inrich us without impoverishing himself 6. Together with his infinite Greatness and Immensity which is present to all places and ready to supply the needs of all Supplicants 7. And it is no less an acknowledgment of his Omniscience which can not only give audience to all Petitioners every where but exactly know both their necessities and their sense of them and the sincerity of their desires and also what is convenient for him to bestow upon them and will do them most good 8. His inexhausted Goodness and bounty likewise which is still ready and willing to pour out it self to us without any emptiness in the same Blessings that he hath bestowed for so many past ages And Lastly His Eternity and immutability in that after so many successions of Men in the World He is still the same unchangeable fulness unto whom we resort with the same confidence that good Men have ever done In short It arises out of a sense of all Gods Glorious Attributes and Perfections which are every one acknowledged in some part of Prayer or other though we should not expresly name them For in confession of sin we acknowledge his unspotted holiness and that he is of purer eyes than to behold that is approve iniquity In deprecation of his anger we confess his Justice in petitioning for pardon we proclaim his clemency in our request for Grace and Help we give him the Glory of his Power and when we recount his gracious Providences over us we acknowledge his incomparable Goodness and Bounty And therefore unless we will disclaim God and have nothing to do with Him we must perform this Duty of Prayer to Him This is the first Consideration II. To which add further That it is natural for every thing that is in want to desire supply from him that hath ability to fill it Now such is the state of every Man in the World We are at the best weak and feeble beggarly and indigent beings pressed with many and great necessities which we have no power to make up but only by going unto God Whatsoever is from the first Being wants something that it hath Every Creature therefore is imperfect and if any of them could be supposed to want nothing yet it would necessarily want the continuance of its being which it hath received from its Creator And therefore it is a true observation of one of the ancient Philosophers * Theodorus apud Proclum Ib. that all Beings pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except only the first Being which is God who hath none to pray unto but hath all of himself Prayer is a confession of the true state of our own Souls and Bodies as well as of Gods most excellent Perfections A declaration that we are poor and needy that we are crazy and insufficient of our selves that we are dependent and holden up by another So that we quite forget our selves if we do not pray to God We renounce all care about our own greatest concernments if we take no notice of Him on whom our present and future welfare both here and for ever intirely depends III. As it is natural unto every one in want to ask so it is natural unto every one that asks to put
of the Earth and none can stay his hand or say unto him what dost thou ver 34 35. And then concludes his Declaration in this manner Now I Nebuchadnezzar Praise and Extol and Honour the King of Heaven all whose works are Truth and his wayes Judgment and those that walk in Pride he is able to abase A Voice worthy of a King and worthy to be published throughout all the World and therefore he made the Declaration wherein it was contained to be sent to all People Nations and Languages that dwelt on all the Earth ver 1. that is throughout all his wide Empire to all the parts of the Earth where his Authority reached and his words would be reverenced that they might magnifie this great King of Heaven and Earth together with him That was the end of it and it is one of the most publick pieces of Devotition that we ever read was performed by any man arising out of this sense with which he was possessed in those Ancient times that God is to be Honoured Blessed and Extolled publickly among and by all People to whom he thought himself bound to show the Signs and the Wonders which the most High God had wrought towards him And How great saith he are his Signs and how mighty are his Wonders ver 3. He was not able to tell but made the best and the most ample Declaration of them that he could in this Imperial Decree which he caused to be proclaimed every where By all which we may easily be convinced in what gross Errors two sorts of people live First They who imagine that God may be served as well at home as at the Church Such men neither understand the Nature of God nor the Nature of Religion nor their own Nature which teach them quite otherwise And instruct them also to frequent the Publick Assemblies where they have opportunity so to do Secondly For that is another palpable Error to think that it is sufficient if we come on the Lord's Day to testifie that we do not forget God though all the Week beside we take no notice of him but constantly neglect his Publick Service when we are invited to it and have leisure to attend it We forget the many publick common Blessings we dayly need and dayly receive which ought to be as publickly every day implored and acknowledged in our Common Prayers Let the foregoing considerations be duly pondered and they will perswade you both out of Love to God's Honour and out of love to your own good to joyn as often as you can your Prayers Praises and Thanksgivings with the whole Church of God and to make our Assemblies as full as you can both on the Lord's Day and every Day of the Week Whereby you would declare your constant dependence on God and acknowledge how he dayly 〈◊〉 you with his Benefits and draw 〈◊〉 Publick Blessings in abundance upon the Church and Kingdom where you live and do credit to our Holy Religion which alas now looks in many places as if it were despised and not only do credit to it but both help to support it and also promote and propagate it to the Honour and Praise of the Almighty Lord of Heaven and Earth unto whom be Glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all Ages World without end Amen CHAP. XIV The Nature of a Church requires there should be Publick Prayers I Proceed now to the Third Head of Arguments whereby a Christian should be most of all moved to his Duty and that is to consider the Nature of the Church which both requires Publick Assemblies and makes the Service performed in them far more acceptable than Private Prayers can be And here let it be considered in general that the very word we translate Church in the Holy Scriptures signifies in the Greek Language an Assembly a company of persons met together and that publickly upon the publick business or occasions The first time but one we meet with this Word in the New Testament it is used in opposition to a single person alone by himself or to one or two more beside him Matth. xviii 15 16 17. If thy Brother trespass against thee go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone and if he will not hear thee take one or two more c. and if he neglect to hear them tell it to the Church that is to that solemn Assembly which sat to judge causes and unto which was the last resort so that if he did not hear them he was to be lookt upon as an Heathen Man and a Publican And the truth is it signifies any sort of Assembly or concourse of People which was among the Gentiles as well as the Jews For in the xix of the Acts when all the City of Ephesus was in an uproar and ran together into the Theatre crying up Diana this general concourse is thrice called their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Assembly ver 32. Some cryed one thing some another for the Assembly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was confused c. and ver 39. If you inquire of other matters it shall be determined in a lawful Assembly and ver 41. having thus spoken he dismissed the Assembly Now this being the very Notion of the word Church the Christian Church which Christ hath called is an Assembly of Men and Women met together to Worship God by him to give him Thanks for all his Benefits and to implore his Grace and Mercy to them and to all the World It is an Assembly or Company of Men as much as any other but our Saviour's Kingdom being not of this World the Assembly which he appoints is not to meet for Civil Ends and Purposes but for Religious And the great thing in all Religion is the Devout Worship of God and giving Him the Honour due unto his Name for which the Church i.e. Christian Assemblies being founded it is a clear demonstration that this Worship is not so well performed alone by our selves as in these Assemblies For here we act most like Christians that is like Members of the Body of Christ which is his Church With which whosoever doth not joyn he is no longer a Christian because he is not a Member of the Body of Christ which is a Company joyned together to have Fellowship with God and one with another in all Holy Duties of which Prayer Thanksgiving and Praises are the chief For though there they receive Christian Instruction yet that is not the principal business for which they assemble as appears by St. Paul's words to Timothy before-mentioned 1 Tim. ii 1. If we could make Christian people sensible of this they would immediately yield the Publick Worship of God to be that which of all other he most designs to have continued in the World and consequently be most affected towards it and constantly frequent it And how should they remain insensible of it if they would but consider duely that it is implied in their being
Imprimatur Jo. Battely Aug. 21. 1686. A DISCOURSE CONCERNING PRAYER Especially of frequenting the Dayly Publick Prayers In Two PARTS By SYMON PATRICK D. D. now Lord Bishop of Ely LONDON Printed for Luke Meredith at the Star and Sold by R. Wilkin at the King's Head in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1693. THE INTRODUCTION The Design of this BOOK PRAYER is so considerable a part of a Godly Life and so great a means both to work â—â—d to preserve and increase all manâ—r of Godliness and Vertue in us â—at the ancient Christiâ—s doubted not to call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. (a) St. Chrysost L. i. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the very top of all â—od things the founâ—ation and the root of an useful â—e the fountain and the parent â—innumerable benefits Whence it is that they have left â—so many Treatises upon this subâ—t and that we find it so oft reâ—ted in their Sermons Which they tell us they did on purpose that thâ— Souls of their people might receivâ— not merely a light tincture of this Dâ—ctrine but as St. Chrysostom's (b) Hom. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 phrase iâ— be deeply dyed with iâ—Vnto whose pious labours which goâ— men have imitated in all succeedinâ— ages if mine be now added in a smâ— Book upon the same Argument I hoâ— it will not be found altogether unprâ—fitable but contribute something the growth of Christian piety by stâ—ring up this present Generation to â— serious practice of this part of it Which is commonly distinguish into secret Prayer alone by 〈◊〉 selves private with our Familieâ— and publick with the whole Congâ—â—gation of Christian people amâ— whom we live The last of which 〈◊〉 first in my design when I began think of writing about this mattâ— because Common Prayer which 〈◊〉 make all together in one Body 〈◊〉 God is the most necessary and the â—ost prevalent and yet alas the â—ost neglected of all other But conâ—â—dering that men would be the better â—isposed to attend upon the publick â—â—rvice if they could be perswaded to â—ustom their minds unto devout â—â—ughts of God and affections toâ—rds him alone by themselves I solved to premise a short Discourse â—â—ncerning Prayer in general with special respect unto such secret incourse with the Divine Majesty As for that which is called private â—â—ayer in our several Families â—â—e needs no particular Discourse out it but it may be sufficiently unâ—stood by what I have to say of the â—er two especially of publick â—â—â—yer whose place it is to supply â—n we cannot have the benefit of it Now this Duty of secret converse â—â—h God by humble Prayer to him â—vidently enjoyned in those words â—ur Blessed Saviour Matth. vi 6. But thou when thou prayest â—â—ter into thy Closet c. In whâ—â— he doth not exclude pubâ—â— Prayer but only forbids ostentâ— in it And commands us out of 〈◊〉 to God not out of love to populaâ— plause that we may be truly 〈◊〉 and not merely thought so to 〈◊〉 our hearts to Him when no body us but He alone That 's the thing I intenâ— evince that it is the duty of eâ— Christian to retire himself 〈◊〉 business and from Company 〈◊〉 he may pray to God In treâ— of which I think it will be uâ—â— if I distinctly show First Theâ— ture of this Duty Secondly 〈◊〉 Necessity of it Thirdly 〈◊〉 great Benefits we may deriveâ— its serious performance A Discourse CONCERNING â—RAYER c. PART I. CHAP. I. Of the Nature of this Duty PRAYER in the strict use of the word signifies the Petitions we make to God either for the bestowing on us good â—gs or the averting from us evil â—d thus it is distinguished from Praiâ—â— of his Divine Perfections from â—om those benefits we ask are deriâ—â— and from Thanksgivings for them â—en they are conferred on us accorâ—â—â—g to our desires Which though â—y ought to accompany all our â—yers and it is impossible to pray aright without such acknowledgmeâ—â— of God's incomparable Perfections 〈◊〉 thankfulness to him for his benefâ— yet they are not the things which 〈◊〉 strictly and properly meant by Prâ—â— Which is taken sometimes in a striâ— sense still merely for petitioningâ— good things and so is distinguiâ— by St. Paul 1 Tim. ii 1. from â—â—â—plications which are petitions for 〈◊〉 averting evil things from us In which restrained senses I doâ— intend to treat of it But by Prâ— understand an Address of our Soâ— God the Author and Fountain oâ— Good to request of him those this which we feel we want and of which are desirous 1. It supposes therefore First 〈◊〉 we are in want For if we were 〈◊〉 we should long for nothing We 〈◊〉 Wisdom and Gods Holy Spirit 〈◊〉 the Graces and Comforts thereof â—â—gether with his pardoning and spaâ— Mercy his gracious protection 〈◊〉 safeguard provision for all the â—â—cessities of our outward man beâ— all the needs of others especially God's Church and of that Church Kingdom in particular whereof we are now immediate Members A supply of all which we would either receive or have them preserved to us if we already enjoy these Blessings That is We either want the things themselves or their continuance and therefore we ask them 2. But further It necessarily supposes also that we have a sense and feeling of our wants For if a man be sick or empty yet if he think himself well or feel no hunger he will neither call for his Physician nor for Food Though men be in the very jaws of Hell though they lie under the power of the Devil and be led captive by him at his will though their Lusts and Passiâ—ns tyrannize and insult over them though sin as the Apostle speaks hath the Dominion in their hearts and they are so governed and ruled by viâ—ious Affections and Desires that they â—re no better than Slaves to them yet â—f they think this a state of Liberty and Ease and Pleasure if they have no apprehension of present or future danger they will never be at the pains so much as to pray heartily for deliverance And therefore if we will prâ— aright we must be possessed with 〈◊〉 great a sense of our Spiritual wants 〈◊〉 we have of our Bodily when we aâ— pincht and pressed with them Wâ— must make our Souls feel that there is God and that he is our chiefest good and that in conjunction with him coâ—sists our felicity and that it cannot 〈◊〉 any way attained but by conformity 〈◊〉 him in obedience to his blessed Will And perceiving how short we aâ— of this nay how far perhaps we aâ— from God and Goodness how veâ— negligent we have been in our duty 〈◊〉 him it ought to humble and abase 〈◊〉 to bring us down upon our knees to 〈◊〉 for mercy and excite in us earnâ— desires after him and after Righteoâ—ness and true Holiness as that aloâ— which can bring us into his favour In short Our Souls must acquaintâ— as thoroughly with their state and
coâ—dition as our Bodies tell us when thâ— are ill or in pain or hungry aâ— thirsty or labouring under any othâ— burthen 3. And then there is supposed a â—â—sire to have these wants supplyed as 〈◊〉 have already said Emptiness is troublesome to us when we feel it and it â—s impossible we should not long to be â—ased by getting it filled If we do â—ut fancy we are in need there is no â—est till we find some satisfaction We must be either satisfied that we do not â—eed it or we must have what we are â—tisfied is needful And in this consists Internal Prayer the desire or longing of the Soul to be â—lled with all the fulness of God to be satisfied with his likeness to be reconciled to him and to be made dayly more conformable to his Will and Pleasure in every thing 4 Which desires we are strongly inâ—ined even by Nature it self to exâ—ess in Words which are the interâ—reters of our minds and declare that is in our hearts For all sensible Creatures we see make their moans by â—â—dible Cryes of several sorts when their needs are great And therefore â—an cannot be the only silent thing â—â—t is formed by God to implore his â—elp and beg his relief on all occasiâ—ns in such words as are apt signiâ—cations of his inward desires And that 's the last thing observable 5. Prayer is an expression of our inward desires unto God the Author anâ— Fountain of all good For when wâ— are desirous to receive an Alms from any person we alwayes ask it of sucâ— as we believe are able and we hopâ— are willing to bestow it But neveâ— make our applications to those whâ— are as beggarly as our selves Now 〈◊〉 is God only who is able to supply aâ— our needs and hath revealed himself 〈◊〉 be willing to bestow what we ask 〈◊〉 him nay hath invited us to come 〈◊〉 him and assured us he will grant oâ— desires And who alone knows oâ— needs and can hear the desires of aâ— men and likewise is the only Judgâ— whether that be fit for us which we as 〈◊〉 or there be not something better thaâ— our own wishes Upon which account Saints and Aâ—gels are not to be invocated For 〈◊〉 we know not whether they hear uâ— nay it seems impossible to us thâ— they should be able to hear such greâ— numbers of Supplicants as in seveâ— and very distant places call upon thâ— same Saint or Angel So we know 〈◊〉 what power they have to help us nor what they can do for us if they could hear us but we know they cannot be in so many places at once as they have Suitors to give them their succour and assistance And besides they have made no promises to us that they will so much as prefer our petitions to God or do all they can for us Nor are they wise enough to judge what Petitions are fit to be preferred and what not that is what is most behoveful for us in all conditions and states of Life and in all the particular passages and circumstances thereof It might be added that all these Petitions must be put up in the Name and through the Mediation of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus who is our only Advocate with the Father But that belongs rather to the manner of addressing our Prayers unto God and therefore I here omit it And shall only observe for the further explication of it that there are several parts of Prayer to God As may be gathered even from that remark at the conclusion of the lxxii Psalm The Prayers of David the Son of Jesse are ended Where the foregoiâ—â— Psalms are all called Prayers thougâ— some of them be doleful complaints 〈◊〉 the sadness of his condition others 〈◊〉 them confessions of sin which hâ—â— brought him into that doleful estate others acknowledgments of his intiâ—â— dependance on God others magniâ—â—â— his powerful and wise Goodness anâ— render thanks for benefits receiveâ— and promise dutiful obedience as we as petition for pardon and deliverancâ— By which we learn that Prayer unâ—â— God is made up of all these and thâ— in a sense of his Greatness and Gooâ—ness of our absolute dependance upâ—â— him and all the benefits we have râ—ceived from him we ought to addreâ— our selves to him confessing how wâ— have offended him bewailing the â—â—serable estate into which we have therâ— by brought our selves begging hâ—â— pardon imploring the Grace of hâ—â— Holy Spirit and in the sincerity anâ— uprightness of our hearts resolving tâ—â— be wholly his and to serve him in newness of life all our dayes And the truth is every one of theâ—â— is vertually a petition to him Wheâ—â—ther we heartily acknowledge what he â—s or adore him or praise him or give him thanks or confess our unworthiness or profess our dependance on him or promise fidelity to him c. they all bespeak his grace and favour towards us and move him to bestow his mercy upon us This is a short explication of the Nature of Prayer which will be something better understood by what follows concerning the Necessity of it though when I have said all that I can I am sensible it will be defective For Prayer is so sublime a thing that the noblest Wits have acknowledged we stand in need of the Father to inlighten of his first-begotten Word to teach and of the Spirit to operate in us as Origen's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 N. 8. words are That we may be able to think and speak worthily in so great an Argument CHAP. II. Of the Necessity of Prayer WE shall be the more strongly moved to study this high and excellent Duty and to labour to perform it aright when we are made sensible it is so indispensable a part of aâ— godly Life that we cannot so much a pretend to the profession of Christianity if we do not practise it Of which there is this general demonstration which cannot be gainsaid That which is founded in our Nature and to which we are bound bâ— vertue of our being Creatures to thaâ— every Christian is indispensably tied it being the intention of our Lord Christ his coming not to loosen those obligations we have upon us as menâ— but to strengthen them and bind them harder upon us to heighten all natural Duties and to make us more deeply sensible of the Laws that are written in our very being Now such an one is this of Prayer which doth not stand upon a mere positive command as Baptism and the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper do That is it is not our Duty merely because our Lord by his Authority hath made it so but he hath made it so because we are made to it as I may speak and formed by God to acknowledge him in this manner For it is as natural a thing to Pray as it is to Believe there is a God and to be perswaded that we were made by him and not by our selves Hence it is That you shall
himself in to a fitting posture and disposition to receive that he may appear unto him that gives to be a real object of hiâ— Charity Now this we do by Prayer 〈◊〉 which is a natural expression both oâ— our Poverty and of our Humility which very much move compassion and of the sense we have that we are Creatures who have nothing of our selves which we can properly call our own and therefore are naturally leâ— hereby to think what submission and obedience we ought to pay unto him whose is all that we are and have Upon this account as much as any other Prayer is necessary that we may be put into a temper of Love and Gratitude and Obedience unto Him 〈◊〉 who is the Donor of all good things and who expects that we should acknowledge the propriety He hath iâ— all the Gifts which his Bounty bestows upon us Which we do by Prayer thereby we are constantly put in mind in what tenour we hold all the Blessings we receive from his hands which we may not therefore use as we please out as He allows and directs And if we do at any time use them otherwise â—â—d thereby give just offence to God â—â—eir Owner and ours Prayer both â—turally calls such offences to mind â—â—d makes us more fearful hereafter to â—ffend For no man comes to ask a benefit of â—other as Mr. Hooker if I forget â—t very pertinently observes but if 〈◊〉 have given him any offence he will â—hen unavoidably remember it and 〈◊〉 the very first place cast himself â—own at his feet and beg pardon with 〈◊〉 resolution not willingly to offend â—m again Which resolution is mainained and supported by the very same â—ing which constrained us to make 〈◊〉 that is the constant necessity we 〈◊〉 in to ask for new benefits For 〈◊〉 men are naturally afraid to offend â—hose into whose presence they must requently come to sue for favours This keeps them in awe and makes them careful how they behave thâ— selves that their suits may not be jected We are not fit then to receive oâ— enjoy any thing from God with devout Prayer to Him And there we ought constantly to perform 〈◊〉 duty because otherwise we 〈◊〉 things by stealth and lay hold onâ— Blessings of Heaven without asâ— him leave and we ought to perfâ—â— it seriously because it will not otâ— wise have the forementioned effectâ— making us afraid to offend Him 〈◊〉 out which our Prayers are notâ— worth and can obtain nothing 〈◊〉 Him To end this let us consider 〈◊〉 we do not pray that we may alter mind of God who is alwayes same unchangeable Goodness 〈◊〉 to give unto those who are qualifiâ— receive his favours but that we 〈◊〉 alter and change our own mind forâ— better and thereby become dispâ— for the good things of which weâ— desirous And nothing alters 〈◊〉 much as serious Prayer which 〈◊〉 new mind into us and for the 〈◊〉 â—t makes us quite another sort of â—eatures We are forgetful of God lovers of 〈◊〉 selves confident in our own â—ength doters upon this present â—orld too much wedded to our own 〈◊〉 and pleasure complainers murâ—rers envious wavering and inâ—stant in our good purposes unâ—dful of other mens miseries reâ—geful and implacable which are all 〈◊〉 to the obtaining of God's mercy 〈◊〉 therefore Prayer is absolutely neâ—â—ry to remove them that is to â—ember us of God to keep Him in â—embrance and to maintain an acâ—ntance with him to fill us with 〈◊〉 to Him to humble and abase us â—ur own thoughts to draw our 〈◊〉 off from this vain World and â—ttle our trust in Him alone to fix dependance on Him and subdue wills to his to give us a taste of â—itual pleasures to make us thankâ—â—contented and well satisfied to â—â—e our compassion towards others â—stand in need of our help as we of the help of God to incline us â—â—e pittiful and to do good and forgive without which we confess our very Prayers that we cannot â—â—pect forgiveness from God This consideration shows 〈◊〉 prayer is so necessary that there 〈◊〉 be no goodness nor vertue in the Wâ— without it But Mankind will gâ— strangers unto God and He unto theâ— which will bring all things to 〈◊〉 fusion CHAP. III. The sense of all Mankind about matter especially of our Bâ— Saviour IV. IT is truly therefore obsâ— by Origen in his Booâ— Prayer newly come to light thâ—â— people in the World pray who oâ— Providence and set a â—â—vernour over the 〈◊〉 verse * Sect. 13. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The conâ— opinion that there 〈◊〉 need of Prayer being the Doctriâ— those only Who are either altogâ— Atheistical and deny the being of God or 〈◊〉 those who own a God in name but take â—ay his Providence Which is maniâ—t from hence that all Nations by a â—ange consent have ever thought it â—cessary to offer up some sacrifices as 〈◊〉 acknowledgment of the Sovereignâ—â— of God and of the interest he hath â—all that we injoy and as an humble â—oplication of his continued favour â—to those who own Him to be the â—ssessor of Heaven and Earth by reâ—ning Him some part of those good â—ings which he hath bountifully beâ—wed upon Mankind This was the â—ture and meaning of Sacrifices from 〈◊〉 beginning which being all now â—lished by the Sacrifice of Christ 〈◊〉 yet it being natural to Mankind to â—â—er something to God it remains â—â—t we present him continually with 〈◊〉 Sacrifice of Prayer together with â—â—t of Praise and Thanksgiving â—ich are a part or concomitant of â—â—yer as we learn from many places 〈◊〉 Holy Scripture where they are â—â—rce distinguished but used as words 〈◊〉 the same signification They are â—â—th joyned together in the Fiftieth Psalm ver 14 15. Offer unto God Thâ—â— giving and pay thy vows unto the 〈◊〉 high And Call upon me in the day trouble I will deliver thee and 〈◊〉 shalt glorifie me These Prayers 〈◊〉 these Thanksgivings being preseâ— by worthy persons as Justin Mâ—â— tells Trypho the Jew anâ— only perfect and well pleâ—â— Sacrifices unto God * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Dialog cum Tryph. 〈◊〉 whom the Sacrifice of Bâ—â— were never acceptableâ— not when by himself 〈◊〉 pointed unless they 〈◊〉 significations of pious and deâ— minds begging pardon imploâ— mercy and rendering thanks for 〈◊〉 fits received Alms indeed are also called a Sacriâ—â— but they then only are truly so wâ— we give them as an acknowledgâ— of God's bounty unto us with huâ— Prayer to him that he would be pleâ—â— graciously to accept them They often therefore joyned together 〈◊〉 ticularly in the story of Corneliâ—â— whom the Angel said Thy Pray and thy Alms are come up for a meâ— al before God First his Prayers 〈◊〉 â—hen his Alms Which are an Offering 〈◊〉 Sacrifice when they attend upon â—rayer and Thanksgiving whereby â—e are naturally put in mind of the â—or and needy and stirred up even 〈◊〉 the feeling we have of our own
conversant in this Duty have no 〈◊〉 prehension at all but are perfeâ—â— blind and stupidly senseless of inviâ— ble and spiritual injoyments Whâ— by their minds are straitned and â—rowed having no thoughts beyâ— their own poor selves and that only this present World when they tâ— set their minds to an holy conveâ— with God in this Spiritual Duty this means mightily widen and inlarge them which is the other advantage I mentioned extending their desires and cares so far as to make them solicitous for the welfare of the whole World both now and for ever This is one of the greatest Excellencies of Holy Prayer that it inlarges our Spirits so far as to enable them to extend their Charity to all Men which it is not in our power by any other means to do We approach unto infinity and immensity in our desires and wishes and in our good will and readiness to benefit all the World Every part of which though never so far distant from us we may help this way and express our affection to it though we are so contracted and limited in all other abilities but this that we know not how to serve them in any thing else Our Prayers alone can reach them and there is no Country nor people out of their reach but in these holy desires we may stretch forth our souls to the furthermost parts of the Earth and looking up to Heaven draw down the blessing of God upon them By which we may learn the neceâ—ty as well as the excellency of Praâ— Without which we grow strangers to God and our Heavenly Countâ—dull earthy poor spirited and defâ—cable things minding only our sely and looking no further than this 〈◊〉 sent World and our particular â—cerns therein but by the practice which we maintain our acquaintaâ— with God and with the Spiritâ— World nay become Friends of Gâ— and grow great minded Heavenly Sâ—ritual able to look beyond our liâ—selves nay beyond all things visiblâ—large comprehensive full of hiâ— thoughts and lofty designs posseâ— with Divine Affections moved truly Noble Ends fraught with Geâ—rous Desires and Transcendent Hopeâ— which fill our hearts with proportâ—nable comfort and satisfaction I conclude this with the words of 〈◊〉 Chrysostome 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. As the Sâ— gives light to the Body Prayer doth to the Soâ— and therefore if this be the great calamâ— of a blind man that he sees not the Sâ—â— what a loss is it to a Christian not to prâ— â—â—tinually and by that means bring the â—ight of Christ into his Soul CHAP. VII The Pleasure which springs from the â—serious performance of this Duty THE great Man just now named would have us when we pray to think our selves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the midst of the Holy Angels and that we are performing their service For though we are far removed from them in other things in their Nature Diet Wisdom and understanding yet Prayer is the common Imployment and business of Angels as well as men By which we being segregated from Beasts and knit to the Angels shall shortly be translated into their Polity their manner of Life Honour Nobility Wisdom and Understanding spending all our Life in the service of God Which is a very leasant Contemplation and a fit Introduction to the second thing 〈◊〉 dertook to demonstrate how 〈◊〉 fortable and truly delightful it iâ— approach unto God in such 〈◊〉 thoughts of him and Devout Affâ—â—ons to him as we are supposed to 〈◊〉 when we make our Prayers with â—ses and thanksgivings unto him And here it may be sufficieâ— consider only these two things First This must needs be a deliâ—ful imployment because thereiâ— draw nigh to God as I have alâ— saidl which is the description thâ—ly Scriptures give us of it Secondly In so doing we comâ— our selves and all our concerns 〈◊〉 the care of infinite Wisdom Pâ— and Goodness which is a greatâ— of the business of Prayer to God 1. The former of these may â—â—fily understood by considering to draw nigh to God is to fix our 〈◊〉 on him and lay open our Souls heâ— him in whose presence is fulneâ— Joy and everflowing pleasure That which produces pleasure is is the application of our Faculties â—sutable objects with suitable opeâ—ons about them And the nobler the faculties are and the higher the objects the greater must the pleasure needs be which arises from their conjunction Now our minds and understandings are the highest powers which we have and God is the highest object on which our minds can fix and therefore the application of our Souls to him by the thoughts and affections of our minds which are their operations cannot but produce the highest pleasure as much above all bodily pleasure as our Souls are above our Bodies and God above all worldly things If we feel no such pleasure in our approaches to him it is because our thoughts of God and our affections towards him are dull and liveless We do not stir up our Souls to think seriously of him when we fall down to worship him but suffer our hearts to be far off from him when with our lips we draw nigh to him For were our minds possessed with setled thoughts of his Almighty Power All-seeing Wisdom Boundless Goodness tender Mercy and careful Providence in compassing us and all Creatures bestowâ— great benefits on us now and inteâ—ing greater they would unspeakaâ— delight us The smallest glance have of any of these infinite perfeâ—ons which we acknowledge in 〈◊〉 beginning of all our publick Praye touches us if we mind what we 〈◊〉 with a singular pleasure though cannot at that time have more thaâ— short thought of them And the fore what joy may we not receive â—â—hence in our secret and retired Deâ—tions when we may stay and look long as we please upon any of thâ— Divine Attributes which affect 〈◊〉 hearts delighting our selves in 〈◊〉 thoughts either of his Power whâ— nothing can controul or of his knâ—ledge from which nothing can be hiâ—den or of his wonderful love whiâ— thinks nothing too great to give of his over-ruling Providence whiâ— makes all things work together 〈◊〉 good to those that love him or of 〈◊〉 impartial Justice which in due seasâ— will not fail to render to all men boâ—â— good and bad according to their dâ—ings And when these pious thoughts stirr up in us the passions of love and hope and longings to be more filled with such delightful thoughts of him and affections towards him the pleasure must needs be exceedingly increased As every one may be convinc'd who are not so ill-natur'd as to have no body that they love in this World For they that have a faithful especially if it be also a powerful Friend find nothing so sweet and delightful as to love him sincerely and to be sincerely beloved by him And therefore to feel in our hearts an ardent love to God which naturally makes us hope we are beloved
praying in the Holy Ghost with fervent that is and inflamed desires such as the Holy Ghost excites when it is pleased to breath upon our souls Now this as I said is even naturally stirred up by the fervour of those Devout Worshippers with whom we joyn our Petitions For who can see a great many good people fall down together and kneel before the Lord their Maker with hands and eyes lifted up to Heaven imploring his Grace and Mercy which are things supposed in Christian Assemblies and not be thereby put in mind that it is a matter of great concernment about which they are so earnest Nay be mightily moved to prostrate himself in like manner to Worship the great Lord of all and to make him the same acknowedgments which are as much due from him as from any body else in the World Were a man never so dull or backward to Religious Worship it is impossible but he should be in some measure affected when he comes among a multitude whose reverend and ferious behaviour in the Divine service testifies the inward respect they have in their minds unto that Almighty Being whom they so devoutly Worship It would certainly not only put him in mind of his Duty but incline him with the like signs of humble and hearty Devotion to cast down himself in his Blessed Presence And the greater signs of ardency of desire and warmth of affection there appears in those with whom we are assembled the more feeling we shall naturally have of it our selves it being impossible to be quite cold by the fire side and to have no touch of Zeal when we are in the company of those who manifest a vigorous flame of Divine Love in their hearts Besides It is a comfortable sight barely to behold a great company gathered together to own one and the same Father who therefore cannot but look upon one another as Brethren This is St. Hierome's observation in iv Galat. Major laetitiaex mutuo conspectu oritur the greater joy arises in every heart by the very mutual sight of each other For so it is when Friends meet together they rejoyce to see the Faces one of another they bless the occasion that brought them into one and the same place and the more there are of them the greater rejoycing is there among them Now joy inlarges the heart and dilates our Spirits it makes them spread so much that sometime we can scarce contain them but are transported beyond our selves As on the contrary sorrow and sadness contracts and shrinks up the Spirits flats and deadens them so much that we have scarce any life left in us Upon which account the Spiritual joy and gladness I spoke of arising from the sight of so many Christian Neighbours and Friends is a very great help to us in our Devotion making us to pour out our Souls as the Psalmist speaks with the more inlarged desire It is but a dull and melancholy thing to be alone in comparison with the chearfulness which a great company of the same mind and Spirit naturally excite in each others Breasts By which we may understand also the advantage of full Assemblies in our Churches which look more lovely and therefore quicken more than a thin scattered Congregation Which is a damp to Christian Spirits because it is a very sad sight to behold the Divine Service neglected as it is where there are but few that come together to do God honour The summ of this Argument is That as no man is so warm alone as in a crowd So our Spiritual fervour is more quickned in an Assembly of pious Worshippers than it is apt to be when we are retired by our selves Where we ought indeed to awaken our Thoughts and stir up our affections but it must be acknowledged that we want then a great help and spurr thereunto which is the Holy Zeal of those who joyn with us in the same Petitions in the Publick Assemblies especially the seriousness the gravity and earnestness of him who ministers the service of God there Which together with the Authority of his Office the Sacredness and Majestickness sometime of the place set apart intirely for such services is apt to raise in us more ardent Devotion than we can easily raise in our selves alone IV. But if we had the same advantages of this kind when we are alone which we have not yet there is one more which wholly arises from our frequenting the Publick Assemblies And that is the good example we give to others who may be hereby moved to become Religious What we do alone no body sees nor is it intended that they should but rather that it should be kept secret And therefore it can be no inducement unto others to do their Duty but is the bare discharge of our own For which cause it is the less valuable because it doth less good for that is the best thing which doth the most universal good By which measure if we judge of Prayer we must prefer the publick whereby others are put in mind of their Duty nay attracted to it by our example whereas we our selves alone are profited by what we do alone It may be said indeed that we do good to others by praying for them But this is a very small good in comparison because it is more than they know and while we neglect the publick service we do them more mischief than we can be supposed to do them good by our private Prayers For we bring Religion into contempt when it hath few or none that attend the publick Offices of it and we let them want as I said the force of Example to awaken them out of that careless neglect of God which is too common in the World This is an Argument that should prevail very much with all good minds both to frequent the Publick Service of God and to behave themselves with an awful reverence therein Which will have some effect upon the looser sort who now are hardned in their impiety by the emptiness of our Churches at the time of solemn Worship or by the negligence of their behaviour who vouchsafe to attend upon it A multitude swayes very much either way to incline men to be good as well as to be bad It is hard to resist numerous examples They are able to bring Devotion as well as other things in fashion But if our example have not this effect on others we have notwithstanding done the best we could to advance the service of God in the World which will be a great comfort to us at present and turn to our good account hereafter We have let our light shine before men we have testified openly to the truth of Religion we have expressed our affection to it and reproved the impiety of those who regard not God Yea we put a stop to the progress of this impiety we hinder its growth and increase by wresting a great Argument out of their hands against Religion which is that there
Divine Goodness it is impossible but he should humble himself before God and have a broken and contrite heart This takes down all pride this layes all arrogance low this teaches us to be modest and behave our selves with all humility of mind contemning the Glory of this present Life and designing the future good of that Life which is immortal Thus he And we may understand how much more grateful it is to the Divine Majesty to have all this done in publick than only alone by our selves by that passage among others in the Psalmist Psal xxii 22. I will declare thy Naâ—â— among my Brethren in the midst of thâ— Congregation will I praise thee Which the Apostle applyes to our Lorâ— Christ and interprets the words as if they were spoken by him Heb. ii 12. where he proves that Christ is not ashamed to call us Brethren saying 〈◊〉 will declare thy Name unto my Brethreâ— in the midst of the Church will I sing praise unto thee Behold here how 〈◊〉 makes this the voice of Christ himself who taught us by his own example how acceptable it will be to God the Father and how profitable to ouâ— selves to praise the Name of the Lord with the rest of our Brethren in the Publick Assemblies and proclaim both the benefits we have received from him and the Duty which we owe unto him IV. Unto which that we may be the more strongly excited let us consider further that the Blessings we most want as we are sociable Creatures being publick Blessings they ought in all reason to be sought in our Common Prayers as most generally needful for us all For so you may observe that the Apostle directing the Service of the Church in 1 Tim. ii 1 2. requires in the very first place That Prayers Supplications Intercessions and Thanksgivings be made for all Men for Kings and for all that are in Authority that we may lead a quiet and peaceable Life in all Godliness and Honesty Nothing he knew was of greater concernment to the good of the World than to have Governours whom he elsewhere calls the Ministers of God preserved in their just Authority especially to be blessed with good Governours who might be conservators of Peace and Quietness punishers of Vice and Wickedness a terrour to evil doers and incouragers of those that do well And therefore he ordains that this great thing should be askt of God by Publick Prayers because it was of universal concernment and of highest moment to every mans happiness which ought to be preferred before any particular respects unto which their Petitions might be directed Agreeable to this I find in Josephus that the Ancient Jews lookt upon it as their Duty when they offered Sacrifice unto God to pray in the first place L. 2. contr Apionem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the common safety or Salvation And then 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for their own private concerns For we are born saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for communion and society one with another and therefore he who prefers the common concerns before his own private advantage 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must needs be above all others very acceptable and dear to God This passage among others is cited by Eusebius and we may add to it L. viii de praepar Evang. Sect. 8. what the Hebrew Doctors now tell us in their Books that the last thing the High Priest prayed for on the great day of Expiation just before he came out of the Holy Place was this That God would not hear the Prayers of those P. Fagius in Levit. xvi 17. who were in a Journey that is Prayers made for mens own private benefit against the Publick Interest such as the Prayers of those in a Journey are wont to be who desire fair Weather when all the Country prays for Rain But howsoever this was it is plain by the Apostles words that he would have those things principally askt of God which related to the community which ought therefore to be sought by their common Prayers and Supplications And so they were Anciently in the Christian Church as we find in Tertullian to name no other Author who describing the Christian Assemblies saith We pray there for the Emperors and for their Ministers and for Powers and for the State of the World for the quiet of things Apolog. Cap. 39. and for the delay of the end of the World Which he had declared before more largely We pray to the Eternal God for the health and safety of the Emperors to the true God the living God who made them Emperors and whom it concerns the Emperours above all things to have propitious to them c. To him we look up Ib. Cap. 30. and all of us pray alwayes for them that they may have a long Life a secure Empire a safe Family a valiant Army a faithful Senate c. This was so known a practice and it was so firmly believed in those dayes that the Peace and Safety the Honour and Prosperity of Kings and Kingdoms depended very much upon the due performance of this dayly Service that there are examples of Heathen Princes who had so much Faith as to desire to have their safety commended unto God in the Prayers of the Church Which were instituted with such a peculiar respect it appears by St. Paul to the welfare of Princes the support of their Government and the prosperity of their people that they cannot be neglected without indangering the good estate of the World And may possibly be one reason why the World hath been so full of disorder and confusion because Christian people have not applyed themselves earnestly enough in dayly Publick Prayers which are generally disregarded to beseech God for the publick good and tranquillity but are wholly bent to the fulfilling of their own private desires V. And as we ought thus to joyn in Prayer that we may recommend our common concerns to the care of Almighty Wisdom and Goodness so likewise that we may by the common Offices of Religion keep our selves the closer knit together in firm Love and Unity in the same society For nothing combines men so strongly as Religion and the purer it is the greater effect it hath for the stay and support of the Commonwealth Which hath made all Law-givers as Aristotle observes in his Politicks to exercise their first care about Religion because it is that which qualifies all sorts of men to be serviceable to the Publick making Governours as Mr. Hooker I think speaks apter to rule with Conscience and Inferiours for Conscience sake willingly to obey their Governours It was an admirable saying of Plutarch in his Discourse against an Epicurean * Advers Coloten That a City may as well be built in the Air without any Earth to stand upon as a Common-wealth or Kingdom be either constituted or conserved without the support of Religion Take this away and you take away the Foundation on
of it is an Assembly of Men and Women called to meet together and therefore the Christian Church is such an Assembly called to joyn together in Worshipping God by Christ Jesus who himself hath supposed this in the Prayer he gave his Disciples and hath promised his special Presence in such Assemblies which the Apostles constantly held and there received the first and best Fruits of his Love in the descent of the Holy Ghost which drew all Converts every where into the same Blessed conjunction for which Holy Places were appointed where they constantly Assembled and where the extraordinary Gift of Prayer was to be made common or else lookt upon as of little value where God hath appointed his Ministers to attend and there offer up the Prayers of his people and bless them in his Name where the Angels also are present and delight to see us assembled that we may maintain the Communion of Saints here on Earth and be fitted for the company of the Blessed in Heaven who all joyn together in giving Blessing and Praise and Honour unto him whom we Worship who is far Exalted above all Blessing and Praise either of ours on Earth or of theirs in Heaven Consider I say all this and then think what an errour they live in who make little or no account of the Publick Assemblies but imagine they can pray and serve God as well by themselves alone This is a most unchristian thought directly contrary to the very frame of our Holy Religion which therefore ought with all diligence to be exploded out of every one of our minds As for those who do not barely neglect the Publick Service but refuse to joyn in it they are still in a far worse condition having broken themselves off from the Body of Christ which the Ancient Church thought so heinous a crime that they lookt upon their Prayers as an abomination For so I find in the Council of Antioch * Canon 2. that such Christians were condemned as going into any private House prayed together with those who would not joyn in the Prayers of the Church None of the Church were to joyn in their Prayers if any did they thought it equal to the crime of communicating with Excommunicated Persons The like I find in the Council of Laodicea And the Canons ascribed to the Apostles speak to the same purpose Can. 33. Can. 10. And this Sentence of those Councils is very conformable to the sense of the Ancient Jews whose Maxime this was as Mr. Thorndike * Relig. Assembl p. 173. observes He that dwells in a City where there is a Synagogue and prays not there with the Congregation this is he who is called a BAD NEIGHBOVR And well may he be called bad who will have no Society in the best things who cuts himself off by his own act from the Congregation of the Lord who will not afford his Neighbours the help of his Prayers who lives as if the World could be Governed without taking any notice of God the Supreme Governour who directly overthrows the Christian Religion and destroys the very notion of a Church who hath no regard to Holy places and slights God's Ministers who withdraws himself from God's special presence and protection and defies all the Blessed company of Heaven Among whom he can never hope to find any entertainment nor to be received into the Coelestial Habitations having shut himself here out of the Society of Saints and the place where God's Honour dwelleth Would to God such things as these were seriously and deeply considered by us all that our minds might be awaked to a diligent and constant attendance upon the Publick Assemblies Which our Lord hath taken the greatest care to establish and unto which he hath also granted very high Priviledges lest they should fall into contempt or neglect through Mens Idleness or Covetousness or Conceitedness or by any other means whatsoever Certain it is if we had an hearty Love to our Religion and understood it we could not but be so in Love with the Publick Exercises of it as every day if it lay in our power to go into God's house and there recommend our selves and his whole Church to his Grace and Mercy For there is no way it is evident from what hath been said to uphold and support the Church like to this we being a Church by meeting together to have communion in the same Prayers Which the oftner we have the more we look like a Church and act like Members of the Body of Christ who are combined and knit together for mutual preservation As on the contrary the seldomer we meet the less there is of the face of a Church among us which cannot be preserved from ruin when the Publick Assemblies are generally neglected because the Church falls to decay by that very neglect Let us therefore set our selves to maintain the Church of which we are Members by maintaining Publick Assemblies and suffering no day to pass without a solemn meeting in as full a Body as we can make for the duties of our Religion This would be both an Ornament and a Strength and Establishment to our Religion The Truth which we profess would hereby be both honoured and confirmed and appear with greater Authority as well as Beauty in the Eyes of all its Adversaries when they beheld the Multitude the Unanimity and the Order and Constancy of those that assert it The better and gentler sort of them would be the more easily won to joyn with us and they whose hearts are alienated from us would be the less inclin'd to set themselves against us And for the Grace and Favour of God which is the chief thing of all Christians may promise it to themselves for their protection against all their Adversaries when they constantly and earnestly seek it with their joynt Prayers and Supplications Which will be powerful also for the setling such as are wavering in their Religion whom the constant Authority likewise of a great Number of faithful people cannot but be of much moment to contain in their Duty for Men are ashamed to forsake a multitude when they easily desert small Numbers The Ancient Christians were so possessed with this sense that they lookt upon their Prayers as the impregnable Bulwark of the Church an unshaken Garrison terrible to the Devils and salutary to God's pious Worshipppers a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysost Tom. 1. p. 757. Edit Fr. D. In so much that St. Basil speaking of God's gathering the Waters together which he called Seas and saw it was good Gen. i. 16. falls into a pious Meditation how much more acceptable to him such a Collection or gathering together of the Church must needs be b in Hexameron Hom. iv sub fin in which the mixed sound of Men Women and Children making a noise like the Waves dashing against the Shore is sent up to God in Prayers A profound Calm and Tranquillity shall preserve such
and the Worship of God and a little after that he also appointed stated hours for these Sacrifices to teach us that the Church cannot be without a certain Discipline he then concludes Ac hodie nisi obstaret nimius torpor utile esset quotidiè haberi tales conventus and at this day if too much sluggishness did not hinder it would be useful every day to hold such Assemblies And in his Discourse upon the fourth Commandment L. 2. Institutionum Cap. viii Sect. 32. he not only asserts that Ecclesiastical Assemblies are enjoyned by God's words and that experience sufficiently shows their necessity and that the dayes and times must be stated and set or else they cannot be at all c. but in answer to those who objected Why do we not rather meet every day that distinction of dayes may be taken away He thus replies Vtinam illud quidem daretur c. Would to God we were able so to do For certainly it was a worthy Spiritual Wisdom which spared a little portion of time every day from other business for God's Service But if we cannot obtain from the infirmity of many that dayly Assemblies may be held and respect to Charity doth not permit us to exact more of them Why do we not yield Obedience to that which we see by the Will of God is imposed upon us And he thus concludes his Explication of that Commandment This general Doctrine is especially to be held That Holy Meetings be diligently and Religiously observed and such external helps constantly used as may serve to support and cherish the Worship of God lest Religion either fall to the Ground or languish among us To which I think fit to add what his opinion was concerning set times of Prayer for his Words are very instructive Upon Psal lv 17. his note is That from the mention there of Morning Evening and Noon we may gather that pious Men had stat as hâ—ras set hours for Prayer in those times Which good Men observed in their private Devotions because then the publick Service of the Temple was performed by God's appointment For the daily Sacrifice was offered every Morning and Evening And the mid-Day saith he was appointed for other Sacrifices The reason of which he gives upon the 18th ver Because we are backward to this Duty therefore God in fixing certain hours of Prayer intended to cure this infirmity Which same reason ought to be extended to private Prayer as appears by this place with which the Example of Daniel agrees And upon that practice of Daniel he thus writes in his notes on Dan. vi 10. This Example is worth the noting of praying three times a day because nisi quisque nostrum praefigat sibi certas horas ad precandum facile nobis excidet memoria We easily forget this Duty unless every one of us prescribe to our selves certain hours for Prayer From all which it is apparent that he lookt upon set hours for publick Divine Service as appointed by God and that he also thought the reason of it to be perpetual Because if we be left to our liberty we shall easily forget our Duty and perform that at no time which we imagine may be done at any time as well as at that which is appointed The benefit of which is this among others that where there are no publick Assemblies or Men cannot by reason of sickness or other urgent cause attend them they may at those set times offer some short Prayer to God in private and desire the publick Prayers of the Church where they are continually made may be accepted with him By which means they are in some sort present there and the Prayers they make in private become a part of the publick they praying as Members of that Body which is then met together in the House of God Thus St. Peter prayed privately as I observed above at the sixth hour when they were praying at the Temple and in Christian Assemblies and though alone at that time yet he chose the same hours with theirs that his Prayers might be joyned with the rest and not be single but united desires Thus St. Chrysostome directs his people in answer to those who objected unto his pressing Arguments for attending the publick Prayers how is it possible for a Secular Man ingaged in business 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. to pray at the three hours every day Hom. iv de Anna. Tom. 2. and run to Church To which he replies in this manner though it be not easie for every Man to run to the Church so oft yet it is easie for him even when he is in publick business to pray to God unto which not so much the voice is requisite as the mind And therefore let no Man excuse himself by saying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the House of Prayer is not near to mine for if we be watchful the Grace of the Holy Spirit will make every one of us a Temple of God She that sits at the Spindle may look up to Heaven in her thoughts and call upon God with fervent desires and so may he that is in the Market or in a Journey or in his Shop making Shoes in like manner a Servant he that buyes Meat he that dresses it and all the rest when it is not possible for them to come to Church they may notwithstanding make fervent and lively Prayers to God who doth not despise the place where they are made but desires alone warm Affections and a serious composed Mind And he concludes thus My meaning in all that I have said is this That we should go to Church as oft as is possible and when we cannot pray at home in great quietness and tranquillity Which counsel if we would all follow that is if as many as can would come to the House of God every day and if they that cannot would let their hearts be there what Blessings might we not expect from God What a flourishing Church and happy Kingdom might we hope to see And there are a great many people I am sure have leisure enough in all Cities and Towns to fill the Churches where there are publick Prayers Nothing but that sluggish dulness Mr. Calviâ— speaks of is the hinderance Which if men would shake off and awakeâ— themselves to serious thoughts of God and the need they have of him and 〈◊〉 constant Prayer to him and such like things as I have represented theâ—â— would be publick Prayers where noâ— there are none and Men would crowâ— every day into the House of Goâ— where there are to Worship him and give him Thanks and beseech hiâ— to be gracious to them As for thâ—â— whose condition and business is such that they cannot possibly attend them nothing can hinder them but their own Wills from going thither in their Wills from going thither in their minds with serious Thoughts and hearty Affections intreating the Father of Mercies to hear the Prayers of those who are there
assembled and to pour down his Blessings on such as cannot but would be with them And all this it becomes us to do in the humblest manner according to the invitation and direction of the Psalmist which is recited every day at Morning Prayer O come let us Worship and fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker The Christian Church hath never been acquainted with any other posture but this of kneeling in their Prayers to God saving only between Easter and Whitsuntide when in memory of Christ's Resurrection they were wont to stand Which was the common posture of Prayer among the Jews except in time of trouble and distress when they also fell upon their knees Dan. ix 20. Nay when they would express the greatest Submission Lowliness Reverence and Fear they fell upon their Faces as our Saviour did just before his Agony Matth. xxvi 39. A posture far more remote from theirs who sit at their Prayers which no man dare do who is possessed with an awful sense of his distance from God and considers how mean a Creature he is and how unworthy to receive the smallest favour from his hands In short we may say to such Men as Malachi doth to those who brought vile Offerings unto the Altar with a little alteration Go now to thy Governour and petition him in this posture Will he be pleased with thee or accept of thy person No Man hath the face to present himself unto his Prince in this saucy manner especially when he comes to beg Mercy of him and pray him to spare his Life which he hath forfeited to him And therefore let none of us venture to approach thus into the presence of the Great King over all the Earth the Soveraign of the World But cast down our selves with such lowly Reverence before him as may testifie that we Worship the Most High It is not to be expected indeed that a Man should bow his knees to God when he is lame of the Gout or lies sick of a Feavour or some other Disease c. but setting such cases aside bending of the knees is necessary saith Origen * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2. pars N 20. whose words these are when a Man comes to accuse himself of his sins to God and humbly to ask pardon for them and to desire to be cured of them Nature inclines us to it if we have any sense of our condition though we had no instructions about it no Examples to move us to it And therefore I may truly say that we divest our selves even of Humanity when we are so rude as to sit at Prayer unless we be in such a condition as not to be able either to fall on our knees or stand before the Divine Majesty Then indeed we may be confident he will not reject our Prayers whatsoever the posture of our Body be but hear them as he did St. Paul when he prayed and praised God in Prison with his feet in the stocks and Hezekiah who lay on his Bed by reason of his infirmity and cryed to him and the Thief who prayed as he hung on the Cross and found favour with him They are the words of St. Chrysostome in the place now named I will conclude this Chapter with the judgment of Mr. Calvin who expresly determines That the Precepts of Praying alwaies and without ceasing have not respect to our own private Prayers only L. iii. Instit cap. xx Sect. 29. but to the publick Prayers of the Church also With which he that refuseth to joyn we may conclude him not to know what it is to pray alone either secretly or at home As on the other side he that neglects to pray alone and privately may be thought to put up vain Prayers though he frequent the publick Assemblies because he respects more the Opinion of Men than the secret Judgment of God In the mean time lest the Common Prayers of the Church should fall into contempt God hath adorned them with splendid Elogies especially when he calls the Temple an house of Prayer Isa lvi 7. For by this Speech he instructs us that the principal part of his Worship is the Office of Prayer in which that the faithful might exercise themselves with one consent the Temple was erected and lifted up to them like a Banner that they might all resort unto it Psal lxv 2. Where there is also a famous promise added ver 1. Praise expecteth thee O God in Sion and unto thee shall the Vow be performed in Jerusalem In which words the Prophet admonishes That the Prayers of the Church are never in vain because God perpetually administers to his people matter of singing his Praise with joy Which things if they were well weighed they would be sufficient to stir up the zeal of those who now languish and have no concern at all for the publick exercise of our Religion Especially if they would observe and mark First With what earnest Longings Holy Men desired to come to the Publick Assemblies when by any impediment they were kept from them read Psal lxxxiv 1 2. c. and David's passionate breathings xxvii 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord c. And Secondly With what joyful hearts they received all invitations to them Psal cxxii 1 2. I was glad when they said unto me Let us go into the House of the Lord. Our feet shall stand within thy Gates O Jerusalem CHAP. XX. Some Objections removed WHen I reflect upon the conclusion of the foregoing Chapter I cannot but fear that they are void of the love of God or very defective in it who have so little regard to his Honour as not to love the place where his Honour dwelleth and where Praise waiteth for him as the Psalmist speaks in the place now named that is where his Glorious Majesty is extolled his wonderful Works are magnified his Benefits acknowledged and Psalms sung in Honour of him which is the greatest business of our solemn Assemblies For Men hear nothing more willingly than the Praises of their Parents There they delight to be and are never weary of their attendance there where the noble acts of their Ancestors are recited with Songs or Speeches in their Commendation And therefore with much more diligence should we run thither without ceasing where Men speak of the glorious Honour of his Majesty and of the wondrous Works of our Heavenly Father and declare the love of our Blessed Saviour making known his mighty Acts and the Glorious Majesty of his Kingdom uttering abundantly the Memory of his great Goodness and singing of his Righteousness Though alas Who can utter the mighty Acts of the Lord Who can shew forth all his Praise As the Psalmist speaks elsewhere His benefits towards us are immensely great and cannot worthily be praised by us But it is our Duty to do what we can that we may pursue what we ought And therefore if we have any respect to God let us say and sing again with
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
thereby and be able to say Amen thereunto 1 Corinth xiv 13 14 15 16. Upon which words St. Chrysostome supposes they ended then their Blessing in the Spirit with the very same Form of words wherewith we now conclude our Doxologies or giving Glory to God viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever and ever or throughout all Ages World without end as we translate the Apostles words Ephes iii. 21. And Peter Martyr thought he had reason to acknowledge as much For upon the forenamed place 1 Cor. xiv 16. he hath this observation From hence we learn that even in those first times the publick Prayers were wont to be concluded with these words secula seculorum World without end And this place of the Apostle puts me in mind of another undeniable Argument for prescribed Forms of Worship in the Christian Church which is that singing Psalms and Hymns made up a great part of that Worship and could not possibly be performed by the whole Congregation unless they had before them that which was to be sung Therefore singing by the Spirit that is by a Spiritual Gift the Apostle makes small account of unless what was sung were put into such words that all the people might understand it and sing God's Praises together with him that was inspired This is the Apostles meaning when he bids them speak among themselves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs singing and making melody in their heart to the Lord. Ephes v. 19. Where by Psalms I think all agree are meant the Psalms of David which were a constant set Form of Praise Hymns and Spiritual Songs were the compositions its like of inspired persons then in the Church which could not be sung by all unless they were communicated to the whole Company And then they were a Form also and we may well think were sung more than once it being very reasonable to conceive that they had not every time they met a new Hymn no more than a new Psalm For St. Paul blames it as a confused unedifying thing that when they came together met that is in the publick Assemblies every one had his particular Psalm c. 1 Cor. xiv 26. and commands all things should be done to edifying by making the Psalm common that is so that all might be the better for it Such I perswade my self were the Prayers and Hymns which St. Paul and Silas sung in Prison not each of them their own Private Prayer and Hymn but some Common Prayer and Form of Praise which they were wont to use Act. xvi 25. Such Hymns it is certain there were in the Church which were sung every Morning in praise of our Blessed Saviour as Pliny himself testifies And Eusebius produces an Ancient Writer asserting the Divinity of our Saviour out of the Hymns that had been of old used in the Church acknowledging his Divinity L. v. Eccles Hist chap. 28. And that Writer calls them Psalms and Hymns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 written by the faithful from the beginning which celebrated Christ the Word of God as God indeed The most Ancient of all which was the Doxology we still use Glory be to the Father and to the Son together with the Holy Ghost as St. Basil * ad Amphilochium cap. 27 29. or whosoever was the Author of the Book concerning the Holy Spirit reports Where he saith that thus it run before the Arian times After which to show that the Church meant in those words to ascribe equal Glory unto the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son it was altered into that Form wherein it now continues not with the Holy Ghost but to the Holy Ghost Which is the very same as to the sense there being no real difference whether we say Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost or Glory be to them with the Holy Ghost But to avoid all suspition of any distinction which the Church made between them the Form as it is now was thought better And so Ancient and Universal was this Form of Doxology that the Arians themselves used one very like to it giving Honour and Glory to the Father by his only begotten Son in the Holy Ghost as the same Writer informs us * Cap. 25. Which Originally had the same meaning with the other till they perverted it signifying as much as we say now in our Communion Service when we pray for the pardon of our Offences through Jesus Christ our Lord by whom and with whom in the Vnity of the Holy Ghost all Honour and Glory be unto thee O Father Almighty World without end I will not trouble the Reader with any more of the Ancient Hymns but only note that even in the Book of the Revelation we read not only of the Song of Moses but of the Song of the Lamb the latter of which was as much a set Form as the former and is there recorded Revel xv 3 4. Great and marvellous are thy Works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who would not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name For thou only art Holy c. And what hath been said of Hymns may be as truly said of Prayers that the Church had from the beginning a Form of Divine Service which Justin Martyr calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Common Prayers and in Ignatius nearer to the Apostles time is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the common Supplication which we cannot well think was any other than such as he or some other Apostolical Man prescribed In Origen they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prescribed or ordained Prayers regular Petitions which they who used were safe he saith from all the power of the Devil And as the Hymn they sung to Christ was so celebrated that the Pagans took notice of it as I observed before so these Forms of Prayer were now so well known to them that they got some scraps of them For we find these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord have mercy upon us in Epictetum in Arrianus a Pagan Philosopher who lived about the same time with Justin Martyr the next Age to the Apostles It is superfluous to add that the Emperour Constantine was wont to say with his whole Court 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Eusebius * L. iv de vita Constant c. 17. calls them the appointed Prayers And delivered a Form of Prayer to his Army to be constantly used by the Souldiers which Eusebius also hath set down in his Life * Ib. cap. 20. Let me only note by the way to quicken the Reader to this Holy Duty that as this Religious Prince had dayly Prayers in his Palace which he frequented with his Courtiers making it an House of God So he had likewise certain * Ib. cap. 22. hours wherein he constantly retired to pray by himself As for following Ages we find frequent mention of Liturgies formed by the Apostles themselves
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
neâ—â—ssities to relieve and succour â—â—em We pay no homage to God then if 〈◊〉 omit this Duty we live wholly â—â—thout God in the World and give 〈◊〉 token no signification that we own 〈◊〉 being We rank our selves among â—heists or Epicuraeans who are 〈◊〉 only in Name having lost the â—mmon sense of all Mankind Which â—â—th ever led them to acknowledge 〈◊〉 by solemn Supplications and â—hanksgivings to Him V. Which is a Duty so necessary 〈◊〉 so essentially flowing if I may so â—eak from Humane Nature that â—rist our Lord it may be in the next â—ce observed lived in the constant â—rformance of it Christ I say in whom dwelt all the fulâ—ss of the Godhead bodily nay who as God blessed for ever who in that respect needed nothing and was 〈◊〉 to effect all things yet as he 〈◊〉 man prayed and made supplicaâ— for those things which as he was 〈◊〉 he already possessed and could preâ—â—ly communicate to the Humane Naâ—â— by his immediate conjunction and 〈◊〉 mate union therewith Notwithstâ—ing this he asked them of God 〈◊〉 beseeched him to bestow them 〈◊〉 cause it was necessary and natural 〈◊〉 do because it became a Creature own its dependance on an higher 〈◊〉 to give to the Creator the Honour unto his Name and to testifie by 〈◊〉 action his Submission and Obediâ—â— his Humility and Love and that 〈◊〉 highly soever advanced as the Huâ—â— Nature of Christ was to the 〈◊〉 degree of honour due acknowlâ—â—ment ought to be made by it unto Most High who is the Fountaâ— Glory and Honour And here I take it to be very reâ— kable that there is no kind of Prâ—â— whereof we have not an Example iâ— Lord Christ Of Secret Prayer weâ— v. Luke 6. where it is said He 〈◊〉 drew himself into the Wilderness prayed Spent that retirement from â—ompany and other imployments in â—oughts of God and acknowledgements of the honour He had done him â—nd in Prayer for his constant presence â—ith him Of Private Prayer with his â—isciples that passage seems to be â—eant ix Luke 18. And it came to pass 〈◊〉 he was alone praying his Disciples were â—ith him and he asked them saying Whom â—y the people that I am i. e. in his reâ—ement from the multitude attended â—ly by his Disciples he first prayed â—â—d then began by way of enquiry and â—â—king questions to instruct them in â—â—s Religion As for Publick Prayer â—â—e read often of his going into the â—emple the house of Prayer at Jeruâ—lem and of his frequenting the Synaâ—gues which were places for Religious Assemblies all over the Country We read also how he prayed for others as well as for himself For Peter â—xii Luke 31. that his faith might not â—il For all his Apostles that his joy â—ight be fulfilled in them and that God would keep them from the evil of the World and that they might be sanctified â—hrough the truth xvii Joh. 13 15 19. For his whole Church That they 〈◊〉 all be one as he and the Father are 〈◊〉 c. ver 21. And on the Cross prayed for his bitterest Enemies before for his Friends xxiii Luk. 〈◊〉 And after all we read that it was custom thus to pray to God xxii Lâ— 39 c. And he came out and went he was wont to the Mount of Olives 〈◊〉 his Disciples also followed him and 〈◊〉 he was at the place he said unto the Pray that ye enter not into temptatiâ— And he was withdrawn from about stones cast and kneeled down and pray saying Father if thou be willing 〈◊〉 And as he prayed so he gave thanâ— particularly at the raising of Lazaâ— out of his Grave xi Joh. 41. And acknowledged and praised God 〈◊〉 revealing his will not to the Wise aâ— Prudent but unto Babes whom 〈◊〉 imployed to be the Ministers of 〈◊〉 Gospel of his Kingdom xi Matth. â— And as we have examples in him 〈◊〉 all sorts of Prayer so it is further 〈◊〉 servable that he hath left us the liâ—â— examples of the times and of the â—â—ner of Prayer For times of Prayer we read 〈◊〉 i. Mark 35. of his Morning Prayer And in the morning rising up a great â—chile before day he went out and deâ—arted into a solitary place and prayed And in the vi Mark we read of his Evening Prayer for when the day was â—ar spent ver 35. he fed a great multitude miraculously and then contrained his Disciples to go into the ship while he sent away the people which being done he departed into a Mountain to pray ver 46 47. He prayed also at Meals as we find ver 41. of that Chapter When he had taken â—he Loaves and Fishes He looked up to Heaven and blessed or gave thanks â—i Joh. 11. for those good things which the bounty of God bestows for the food of Mankind And lastly we â—ead of extraordinary Prayer where a â—pecial occasion required it for just before he ordained his xii Apostles he â—ent into a Mountain to pray and contiâ—ued all Night in Prayer to God vi â—uk â—2 13. As for the manner we find he did it with all fervour with strong cryes saith â—he Apostle v. Heb. 7. where he adds â—ears also as an argument of his great piety Secondly With perfect subâ—â— sion as we find when he prayed 〈◊〉 the removal of the bitter Cup whiâ—â— Nature very much desired but he aâ— with this humble resignation of himself to God Nevertheless not my will 〈◊〉 thine be done xxii Luk. 42. Not whâ—â— will but what thou wilt xiv Mark Thirdly With all due reverence 〈◊〉 devotion for we read there that kneeled down and prayed xxii Luk. â— and being in an agony he prayed 〈◊〉 earnestly ver 44. and with greaterâ— pressions of reverence for he fellâ— his face as the manner was in greatâ— stresses xxvi Matth. 39. And lastâ— With frequent and repeated importâ—â— ties for he prayed three times for 〈◊〉 same thing with the same submissâ—â— and in the very same words also 〈◊〉 more than all this he prayed even 〈◊〉 that which he was sure God woâ—â— bestow upon him because he haâ—â— alwayes possessed it as he was God 〈◊〉 knew it was designed for him as 〈◊〉 was Man in Gods Eternal 〈◊〉 cree I mean his glorious prâ—â—ment into the Heavens to sit downâ—â—â— the right hand of the Majesty 〈◊〉 high For which he lift up his eyes unto Heaven and said Father the hour is â—ome glorifie thy Son that thy Son may glorifie thee xvii Joh. 1. and again ver 5. And now O Father glorifie thou me with thy own self with the glory which I had with thee before the World was Lay all these things together and they will teach those that consider them both the weightiness and the great dignity as well as necessity of this Duty Unto which who can â—huse but be awakened when he sees the Son of God so industrious so unwearied in it For if Jesus prayed as Origen â—â—gues * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Num. 39. and prayed â—ot in vain but obtained what he asked and without prayer â—ould not we may well think obtain â—t which of us can be so negligent as â—ot to pray For to what end can we think was â—ll this done by him but to show us â—he obligations of Humane Nature â—nd to make us sensible of our depenâ—ance on God and that we can have nothing without his Will and that is absolutely necessary our wills shâ—â— be wholly regulated by his He 〈◊〉 not all this barely to give us an exaple but to demonstrate and make know that no man though never perfect can live to God with praying to him CHAP. IV. Other Arguments of the great Nâ—â—sity of Prayer VI. IT may be useful to us furtâ— to consider that God hath 〈◊〉 pointed his Holy Spirit to assist us this Duty which is a convincing 〈◊〉 monstration of its great necessity we will judge of things according the account which God makes of theâ— Who lest this Duty should not be wâ— done lends us his power to perform acceptably unto Him And shall 〈◊〉 suffer the Holy Spirit to wait upon â—o no purpose Nay shall it follow us â—ontinually and urge us to have reâ—ourse to God inspiring us with good â—houghts and exciting pious desires â—nd we refuse to be led and conducted â—y its holy motions This is as unnaâ—â—ral as for a man to have a Soul and â—ever think to have a Tongue and never speak Eyes and a power to see and never open them VII It is as considerable also that â—e hath appointed his Son to be our Mediator and Intercessor with Him in â—he Heavens Which supposes both that we will do this and that it is most necessary to be done For otherwise we make void this new Office of our Blessed Saviours which God the Father in his infinite Wisdom and tenâ—erest compassion hath created We make him an Advocate without Clients an Intercessor who hath nothing to do but waits in vain for our Petitions Good Lord That Men should be so ignorant or presumptuous as to account themselves Christians and never or seldom lift up their minds 〈◊〉 hearts unto him in the Heavens 〈◊〉 feel any need of his Patronage 〈◊〉 make use of his most powerful interâ— for the obtaining any Blessings 〈◊〉 them which they cannot have unâ—â— they address themselves to God them in his prevailing Name and alone VIII The Necessity also of this 〈◊〉 be understood by the frequent injâ—ctions we meet withal in Holy Scritures for praying alwaies praying wâ—â—out ceasing and with all Prayer and Sâ—plication in the Spirit as I have beâ—â—noted Which declare it to be a â—â—ness of such importance that we canot subsist without it but must useâ— as constantly as we do our Meat aâ— Drink or rather more constantly being of such great concernment thâ— it is as necessary as our very breath The Incense in the Temple as 〈◊〉 John teaches us viii Revel 3. repâ—â—sented the Prayers of the Saints Noâ— it may not be unworthy our observaâ— on to note that whereas the Shew-breâ— whereby an acknowledgment wâ— made as some think that they receiâ—ed all their food from God was reâ—ewed and set upon the Holy Table in â—he Sanctuary but once every Week â—nd the Lamp in the Temple which â—â—gnified perhaps the Light of God's Word was dressed once every day The Incense which certainly signified their Prayers was renewed by God's order twice every day and offered upon the Altar Morning and Evening Which may suggest unto us that we â—â—ght to be more sensible of the need â—e have of the Word of God and â—rayer than of the need of our dayly â—ood but especially of Prayer Though we read often yet we stand in need to â—ray oftner IX For it is our main security our â—reat safe-guard our refuge and place â—f retreat in all the dangers unto which we are exposed in this present World and therefore is not only mentioned by the Apostle as a part of the Christian Armour but set also in the last place as that which compleats all the rest of the whole Armour of God vi Ephes 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as St. Chrysostome oâ—â— speaks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. xxx in Gen. CAP. xi for Prayer 〈◊〉 mighty Weapon a powerful defence wâ—â— out which no manâ— be able to stand â—maintain his grounâ— gainst the Assaults temptations nor oâ— come his spiritual Enemies but which we lay hold upon the Arm of Almighty for our defence and succoâ— and engage the power of God to with us and assure our selves if rightly manage it of a certain 〈◊〉 ctory For herein we imploy all the othâ—â— parts of the whole Armour of God whâ— the Apostle there requires us to 〈◊〉 unto us and to put on us We our knowledge of the Truth and our Faith our Love and our Hâ— and have recourse to the Word of Gâ—â— particularly to his pretious promise and declare our sincere affection to Righteousness and our upright intâ— tions to persist and continue thereâ— by the help of God which we imploâ— So that it is the more necessary because by Prayer all the graces of God's Holy Spirit are continually exercised and kept in ure the whole Armour of God is girt closer to us and we are made more expedite and ready on all occasions to encounter with the Enemies of our Salvation X. Whence it was you may observe in the last place that Holy Men who lived the Life of God in this World could never be perswaded to omit it I will give but one instance of this in the Prophet Daniel who when he had received the command of a great King to forbear praying to his God for the space of 30 dayes durst not consent to a complyance with his will and pleasure And yet Daniel was a good Subject as well as a wise Man who was very sensible what ready obedience ought to be paid to Kings and how necessary this Obedience was where a contrary antecedent necessity did not â—e upon him to obey God Especially when the thing was enjoyned under the penalty of Death and when his Soveraign did not require a total forbearance of this Duty but only for a liâ—â—ted time And yet so it was he câ—â— rather to lose the favour of his Prinâ—â— who had been very kind to him nayâ— lose his Life as well as his Honoâ— and more than that to be thrown in the Den of Lyons there to be torn pieces and devoured by those ravenâ— Beasts than to omit his constant â—â—votions to the Supreme Lord and â—â—veraign of Heaven and Earth 〈◊〉 saith the History of his admirable â—â—ty vi Dan. 10. When Daniel knew 〈◊〉 this decree was signed mark that went into his house and his Window 〈◊〉 open toward Jerusalem he kneeled 〈◊〉 his knees three times a day and pray and gave thanks before his God 〈◊〉 did afore time Which shows that in his opiniâ—â— it is more necessary