Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A34547
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A peaceable moderator, or, Some plain considerations to give satisfaction to such as stand dis-affected to our Book of common prayer established by authority clearing it from the aspersion of popery, and giving the reasons of all the things therein contained and prescribed / made by Alan Carr ...
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Carr, Alan, d. 1668.
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1665
(1665)
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Wing C627; ESTC R18228
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69,591
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90
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sighs within us helpeth that dulness ignorance and blindness in us teaching us how and what to pray for And he that searcheth the heart knoweth the meaning of the spirit What sighs and groans proceed from the spirit from the motion and breathing of the spirit because it maketh Intercession for the Saints according to the will of God It teacheth the Saints to pray according to his will it worketh in us those wishes and desires and kindleth in our hearts those earnest fervent and ardent affections sighs and groans which please God This we all acknowledge that we can do nothing in prayer without the help of the spirit which stirreth up earnest affections desires and groans in the heart but this spirit of God doth not exclude reason and prudence or any helpes that may be afforded us to forward us in that good duty but joyneth as it were with them and followeth them with his assistance In the performance of this duty of prayer three things are especially requisite and needful 1. To pray with Understanding to know what we say and what we pray for 2. To pray in Faith to come in the name of Christians to ask those things that are agreeable to Gods will believing that God both can and will hear us and help us and answer our Petitions as far as he shall see and judge fitting for his own glory and our good 3. To pray in the Spirit with zeal fervency intention of mind and spirit and with earnestness and true Devotion of the heart Now who can say but a man may pray with Understanding pray in Faith and pray in the Spirit with true Devotion of heart and with sighs and groans when the prayer is uttered after a prescript form or read upon a Book We grant that prayer is a spiritual work proceeding from faith neither is faith in any but there is some power to utter some matter of prayer in every one that prayeth in faith and to open his mind and to pour out his desires in some measure and that no prayer is regarded of God unless it do proceed from faith But because some are so overwhelmed with ignorance others so weak in expressions and dull in their conceit and some so perplexed in mind and disturbed in their thoughts that they cannot tell how to pray or what to utter of themselves therefore they need the help of a set form of prayer prescribed by another or may joyn with another in a form that is read upon a Book Yet when we pray thus by a Book we do not fetch the matter from the Book but from our hearts with sighs and groans only we are helped by a Book as the Congregarion which prayeth with the Minister is helped and stirred up by the Minister for the manner of delivery of their prayers unto God Christ himself appointed a set form saying not when you meditate but when you pray say thus c. Luke 11. 1 2. Object 3. Read Prayers were devised by Anti-Christ and maintain Superstition Idolatry and an idle Ministry Answ There were Liturgies in the Church of old before Anti-christ was set up in his Throne and the prescribed forms delivered in the Scriptures to be used and which were practised in the Church as you have seen before recited shew the thing to be allowed of God We may farther adde this that in singing of Psalms we cannot but confess They did read them upon a Book and did sing them to the Lord and many of those Psalms are full of Petitions and Prayers as is evident to all men These forms were first set up and are still continued for Order and Uniformity to avoid offences and inconveniencies which then did and still may arise in the Church neither doth it maintain an idle Ministry Our Ministers have liberty not only in private but in publick both before and after their Sermons to exercise their gift of prayer and to enlarge themselves upon any emergent occasion or opportunity afforded as God shall enable them and they themselves shall judge fit or any way expedient and needful Besides in all the Reformed Churches they have a Liturgy and yet have able Ministers Again if Read prayers and Imposed Liturgies be Idolatry where shall we find a visible Church For all Churches that are and have been for many hundred years have had Liturgies either Imposed or Allowed yet not branded with Idolatry Superstition or any such reproachful terms Obj. Set Forms and stinted Prayers cannot be as necessity doth require Answ The prayers of our Church are publick prayers and Common-Prayer They are called publick prayers in regard of the time and place when and where they are used and Common Prayer in respect of the persons that assemble together unite and joyn their hearts and voices together in their prayers and petitions unto God all joyn together So that no man can expect that the private necessities of particular persons unless there be some extraordinary cause can be there recommended unto God in their publick prayers and Common-Prayer of the Church Now no man can deny but some things are necessary to be prayed for at all times and for all persons as the confession of our sins and prayer for the forgiveness of them For the acceptance of our persons and prayers for our protection from danger for peace for grace to live well according to Gods Laws and the like Of these there may be a set form prescribed and used in the Church some things again are not necessary at all times these are not required but at special times and occasions to be used as the particular necessities of the time require as in time of War for Peace and deliverance from our Enemies prayers in the time of Dearths â—lagues Pestilence or any great Mortality prayers for Rain for Fair-weather in the time of Need and Thanksgiving accordingly For these also there may be a set form in the Church but for that which is extraordinary the Ministers may supply we do not say that a set form is of absolute necessity either in publick or private prayer If there were in all a perfection of knowledge and faith a quickness of conceit and a full freedom and power of expression we should not need the outward help of Form or Book But in the publick Service of the Church a form is only prescribed and required for convenience to prevent some miscarriages and extravagancies which otherwise might arise Thus we have Answered all the chief Objections which are made against all set forms of prayer and shewed you the true Grounds and Reasons how they came up at first and why they are still continued not for any absolute necessity we put in them but only for conveniency to prevent Schisms stop Errors preserve Order Unity and Uniformity in the Church and how we hold them lawful and allowed of God We are now to come to those exceptions which are made more directly and precisely against our Book of Common-Prayer Established and
read of them and in the Churches of the Laodiceans And for that of 2 Tim. 3. 16. we confess that the whole Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable to teach to convince to correct and to instruct in righteousness But withall no man can deny but one part of the Scripture may be far more Edifying far more profitable for the people then another Then what are all these Texts to the purpose we find in the ancient Records that the Jews in Gods ancient Church had their several Sections Parts and Portions of Scripture which they called Paraschioth distinct parcels set out to be read on the Sabbath days which St. Luke calleth Lectures Act. 13. 15. After the Lecture of the Law and the Prophets c. shewing that a part was read out of the Law and a part out of the Propheâ—â— And in the Primitive times we do not find that they were tied either to read or to expound upon one Book wholly and go through it all along in order but took parts and portions of Scripture such as they accounted most useful and profitable for the people most Edifying and also most proper for the time which they did not only read but expound and preach upon especially these select Epistles and Gospels as may plainly appear to any man by the many and several Postills which are extant upon them Object The Responds and Answers of the Clerk are not fitting none should speak in the Church but the Minister Answ We acknowledge as the Minister is the Mouth of God unto the people by Preaching so he is the Mouth of the people again to God by prayer But then 1. You must remember to conceive of the Minister as the servant of the Church and helper of the Congregation in prayer he is not there as a private man praying only for himself and pouring out his own necessities but as a publick person presenting to God the Petitions of the people their prayers And surely we must needs think and judge though the bodies of the people be there present yet if their hearts if not their lips do not joyn with him those prayers which he maketh and there poureth out being their prayers and in their behalf cannot be said to be the prayers of the people or any way effectual for them or acceptable to God from them but rather accounted by God a delusion in them seeing he is but their Mouth their Speaker to deliver and present their Petitions to God to utter them for the people and in their behalf It is a great mistake in people to think that in the Common-prayers of the Church the Minister can do all their duty to God for them without them They must consider they come not to the Church the House of prayer to hear the Minister pray but to pray themselves and to joyn their hearts if not their voices with the Minister in the common-Common-prayers of the Church 2 You must also take notice that this is Common-prayer wherein all should joyn and unite their hearts together if not their voices in their joynt and common Supplications unto God that they may the better prevail with God the whole Congregation should agree and joyn with the Minister in them as the Apostle sheweth in 1 Cor. 14. 16. where speaking of him that prayed in the Church with a strange tongue not understanding of the people he saith How shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks seeing he knoweth not what thou sayest whereby it appeareth that at that time it was the custom of the Church Though one the Minister utter'd the prayers yet all the Congregation agreed to them witnessing and giving their consent unto them by answering Amen following and sealing them up with the Devotion of their hearts as prayers are the Ejaculations and lifting up of our hearts to God so stiled Hos 14. 4. The calves of our lips they are those sweet odours Rev. 5. 8. those rich presents Act. 10 4. which being carried up to heaven do best testifie our dutiful affection and are the most undoubted means to purchase any favour at the hand of God You know what St. James saith Jam. 5. 16. The prayer of the righteous availeth much with God if it be fervent the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the singular number the prayer of one righteous man is strong and forcible with God Joshuah by his prayer made the Sun to stand still in the Firmament Josh 10 Hezekiah made the Sun to go back ten degrees in the Dial of Ahaz Es 38. 8. Elias by his prayer did shut up heaven 1 King 17. 1. and open heaven 1 King 18. 45. yea fetcht fire thrice from heaven Peter by prayer raised Tabitha Act. 9. Paul Eutychus Act. 20. Yea it stayeth the very hand of God when he is ready to smite God himself speaketh to Moses Exod. 32. 10. Let me alone that my wrath may wax hot against them Moses stood in the gap to turn away Gods anger from them and by his prayer stayed his hand Quis te Ligavit Domine Deus Ligatum habent Sancti Deum ut non puniat nisi permiserint ipsi ut non puniat nisi dimissus ipse saith Bernard The Saints of God do bind God that he cannot punish except they give way If the prayer of one righteous man be so powerful with God the prayers of many righteous can not but prevail more we have a special promise Math. 18. 20. Where two or three are gathered together in my name I am there in the midst among them saith our Saviour Multi nimirum cum Congregantur unanimes sunt magni multorum preces impossibile est contemni saith Ambrose many Littles make a great body and such forces do as it were besiege God and make him yield God cannot but hear the prayers of many they are like the roaring Sea or like a Thunder-clap in the ears of God Not to trouble you with our own Chronicles how the men of St. Edmonds Bury prayed against that cruel Tyrant Swanus and the Lord heard them and smote Swanus that he died roaring and yelling and they were delivered There is a memorable story in our ancient Monuments how in the hoast of M. Aurelius a Company of Christian Souldiers by prayer obtained Rain when all the hoast was like to perish for want of water they also obtained Thunder-bolts to be thrown from heaven in the faces of their enemies and thence were called Legio Fulminea We have divers examples in the Scriptures I shall name but one you read Act. 12. 1. that Herod stretched out his hand to vex certain of the Church he killed James the Brother of John with the Sword proceeded farther and took Peter and put him in prison intending after the Passover to bring him out unto the people for ought we know for execution it is there said ver 5. earnest prayer was made of the Church for