heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth therefore let thy words be few And this Text in the margin quotes another to the same purpose Prov. 10.19 In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin but he that refraineth his lips is wise Thirdly From the custom of the Heathen as it follows Vse not vain repetitions as the Heathen do It was the manner of the Heathen saith the ordinary Gloss out of Cyprian to endeavour rather to be eloquent than devout in their prayers and to be loud and clamorous rather than fervent and zealous And example whereof we have 1 Kings 18.27 where Elijah mocks the Priests of Baal calling upon their Pagan Deities Cry aloud for he is a God either he is talking or he is pursuing or he is in a journey or peradventure he is asleep and must be awaked And accordingly they cryed aloud thinking as our Saviour here saith that they should be heard for their much speaking And therefore as it follows v. 18. Be not like unto them It is a shame for Christians in the worship of the True God to be like the Heathen in the worship of their false and feigned Deities Our duty is to endeavour more for humility purity and fervency in heart than for glib nimble and voluble tongues to pray not with multitude of words and variety of phrases but with pertinent and pithy expressions with ardency and godly zeal and the reason follows For Your heavenly Father knoweth what things you stand in need of before you ask him He is every where present and knoweth all things even the secrets of all hearts and therefore to court him with long and loud Peayers implies our ignorance or misbelief of his perfections Against such extravagancy in prayers our Lord prescribes us a Form with command saying After this manner tray ye vers 9. i.e. as from the context is manifest not after the manner of the Heathen who think to be heard for their much speaking but after this manner i. e. in few words and such as are pithy and to purpose And That t is the meaning of our Lord in this place that all our Prayers should be short and not much exceeding the length of the Pattern he hath given us is manifest 1. Not only from the Context impartially weigh'd and understood but 2. From the practice of Christ's Church which is undeniably the best and surest Interpreter of Christ's meaning in his words And all the Prayers of the Church of Christ are and ever were such in all Ages in all places amongst all persons that are called Christians their Liturgies or Publick prayers are short and pithy called therefore Collects as being so many Collections of much matter in few words 3. Such are all the Prayers of the Holy and True Spirit of God which stand upon record in Holy Writ both for use and imitation viz. the whole Book of Psalms with many more all which though some of them be long as to the whole Psalm or Hymn yet they are divided by Verses into so many shorter Prayers 4. Long Prayers are not only forbidden by our Lord as the custom of the Heathen but also frequently reproved by him as the practice of the Hypocrites Matth. 23.14 Mar. 12.40 Luke 12.47 5. By long and manifold sad experience t is well known and hath been often observed That all long conceived prayers have been guilty of manifold infirmities light vain and unseemly expressions not fitting to be offered up to the All wise All-glorious Majesty of Heaven yea many falshoods many impieties and profanations have been uttered in such kind of prayers and what have been contradictory to the Religious Duties we owe to God and men 6. If it be here said How can we be too long in our Prayers since our Lord continued all night in prayer Luke 6.12 and saith also that we ought always to pray and not to faint Luke 18.1 and his Apostle commands Continue in Prayers and watch Col. 4.2 and pray without ceasing 1 Thes 5.17 and how can these Commands be obey'd without long prayer Answ To this I answer that there is a great difference between long prayers and praying long The one is unlawful because forbidden and reprov'd by our Lord the other is a Religious Duty because both commanded and practis'd by him and therefore St. Augustin saith Oratio plus gemitibus quà m sermonibus agitur plus fletu quà m afflatu And t is thus The Spirit helpeth our Infirmities by quickning our Devotions and inflaming our Desires he maketh intercession for us i. e. as the same Father secretly inclining our hearts to intercede for our selves with groanings that cannot be uttered Rom. 8.26 From which Text it is apparent quite contrary to the Enthusiasts sense thereof that t is inward groanings not outward bellowings the internal fervent desires of the Soul not multitude of words which is the proper work of the Holy Spirit in prayer The ordinary Gloss out of St. Chrysostome asks the same Question If we must not use many words in our Prayers how shall we pray without ceasing as t is commanded And answers out of the same Father That both are to he observ'd in our Religious Devotions viz. 1. That our Prayers be short And 2ly Frequent and continued So Christ hath both commanded and also exemplified in his Personal Prayers And St. Paul also That our Prayers be short but often renewed in few words but with great devotion ending briefly and beginning afresh leaving some intervals or spaces of time for the â—re-enquickening and enkindling the fire of fervor and holy zeal in the Soul. And it s added out of Cassianus The Fathers conceived it most useful to use short but frequent Prayers To be frequent that our Souls may cleave the more steddy unto God by often addresses to his Majesty To be short that we may quench the fiery darts of the Devil who is most busie to tempt us to dulness and deadness of heart in our Prayers which he very easily effects when the Prayers we say or hear are long and continued withont any inrermission T is recorded of those Primitive Christians in Egypt who were most famous for their transcendent Devotions and great Austerities in the exercise of Religious Duties That their Prayers we many and often night and day continued and yet that they were short also not only in their solemn Assemblies and publick Offices of Devotion but also That their private Prayers were as so many Raptures and Ejaculations or Defires darted up into Heaven For as the Father saith thereupon bsit ab Oratione multa lobutio sed non desit multa precatio si fervens perseveret intentio Let not our Devotions be accompanied with much speaking but much praying so long as we can hold out in attention and fervency FINIS Dr STEVVARD's Judgment of a Private PRAYER in Publick Relating to the Orders of the CHURCH of ENGLAND With an Account of
Several Short but Seasonable DISCOURSES TOUCHING Common and Private PRAYER Relating to the Publick Offices OF THE CHURCH By R. SHERLOCK D. D. Rector of Winwick and Author of The Practical Christian I will Pray with the Spirit and Pray with the vnderstanding also 2 Cor. 14.15 LONDON Printed for R. S. and Sold by Christopher Skegnes at the Golden Ball in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1687. A CATALOGUE Of all the following DISCOVRSES I. Of the Irregularity of Private Prayer c. II. Dr. Stewards Judgment c. III. Of the Difference betwixt long Prayers prohibited and continuance of Prayers commanded IV. Meditations upon our going to the Church with some short Directions for our Demeanour in the House of God touching some too-much mistaken and neglected Acts of Divine Worship V. A Sermon preached upon the Archbishop of YORK's Provincial Visitation at Warrington The IRREGULARITY Of a Private Prayer in a Publick Congregation SIR I Have sent you herein my repeated and enlarged Thoughts upon what was once the subject of our serious discourse wherein I would not at all disparage or in the least under value the private prayers and devotions of any person whether of the Laity or Clergy whether those prayers be by himself composed or by others whether they be premeditated or sometimes ejaculatory whether fixed or occasional oral or mental for thus and all these ways every truly Religious Christian prays and undoubtedly finds the benefit and feels the comfort of such holy breathings forth of his Soul unto Heaven in his private recesses But that any Person especially such who have entred into holy Orders in this Church of England should presume to use any Prayers in Publick of his own private conception whether premeditate or extemporary before or after his Sermon other than those Prayers which are by publick Authority allowed and published to that end I humbly conceive with submission to my Superiors to be unlawful in several respects First T is a disorder and confusion in the service of God For thus the Publick and Private Worship of God are confounded whilst those private Prayers which our Lord hath confined to the private Closer do yet contrary to his express command appear in publick and usurp the place of his publick Service in the Congregation The holy duties of publick and private Prayers as they are distinct in their own nature and constant use so they are distinguished by our Lord and distinct rules prescribed for the distinct and discreet performance of either Duty First for private Prayer Mat. 6.6 When thou prayest enter into thy Closet speaking in the singular number to every particular person Secondly for publick Prayer v. 7. But when ye pray use not vain repetitions speaking in the plural number to many assembled together where to avoid the Heathenish practice of much speaking or multitudinous words in Prayer v. 8. a short and most excellent Form is given us v. 9. Thus then publick prayer being distinguished by our Lord from private we are thereby forbidden to confound them in their use and practice 1 Cor. 14.40 Let all things be done decently and in order not preposterously and disorderly one part of divine worship undermining another and the lesser and more particularuty Dusurping upon the greater and more general religious Office. Secondly 'T is not only a disorderly but also an unreasonable Service and so not likely to be acceptable to him who is both the God of Order and of Wisdom And the unreasonableness of this private prayer in publick will appear by considering That all prayers offer'd up unto God in publick must be publickly known consented unto and agreed upon which the private prayer generally is not by all them that joyn therein Upon which agreement and not ortherwise Christ hath promised his presence viz. to hear our Prayers and grant our requests Mat. 18.19 20. Again I say unto you If two of you shall agree upon Earth touching any thing they shall ask it shall be done unto them of my Father which is in Heaven for where two or three are gathered together there am I in the midst of them whereupon saith the Gloss out of Origen This is the cause we are not heard when we pray in that we agree not in all things For as in Musick there must be harmony and agreement of voices or else it delights not the hearer so in the Church an assent and agreement is necessary or else God is not pleased neither will he hear the voice of our prayers 'T is this agreement in prayer that denominates our publick worship of God Common Prayer because agreed upon by common consent which doth presuppose that t is known to all that all may joyn therein So it was ever in the Church of Christ the faithful knew what they prayed for and this not at the second hand from the mouth of the Minister but before they joyned with him So Saint Chrysostome Hom. 6. in Tim. You that are faithful know what things are to be desired in Prayer because all Prayer viz. that is in publick ought to be common T is the exhortation of Ignatius Ep. ad Magn. who lived in the times of the Apostles and saw our Lord in the flesh That we assemble together in one place and use one prayer common to all For if the prayers of a Congregation be not known common and agreedupon then First the people cannot joyn therein it being little less than the sacrifice of fools for men to ask of God they know not what but wholly depend upon the Ministers unknown expressions Secondly A Prayer that is unknown before it be offered up is to an English man though spoken in English as a Latin prayer to him who understands no Latin for they are both lame and maimed and cannot stand with common sense except they make use of that Crutch which we so much blame in the Papists viz. an implicite faith to support them and both the one and the other do equally transgress that rule of prayer prescribed by the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.15 I will pray with the spirit and will pray with the understanding also Thirdly It is against both the Judgment and practice of the Vniversal Church of Christ no footsteps thereof are to be found in Antiquity but many Canons of the Church against it whereof some are noted in the Margin a Concil Lcodic cel Anno 320. Can. 15.17 ult Concil Milevit 2d. An. 416. Can. 12. Concil Epaunens celeb An. 509. Concil Gerund celeb An. 516. C. 1. Concil Toles quart Can. 2. Concil Venet. celeb An. 452. Can. 15. Concil Bracor 1. celeb An. 562.19 20. 22. Concil Vasen celeb 442. Can. 5 6 7. Fourthly T is a transgression of the Laws and Orders of this particular Church of England and this accompanied with the breach of that solemn promise which every Minister lawfully ordained hath made no man being admitted into holy Orders untill he hath attested the lawfulness of the Book
divided by distinct Verses into so many several shorter Prayers Long Prayers are forbidden by our Lord because such is the custom of the Heathen as the Heathen do Matth. 6.7 who mind more the Oratory and Language Tone and Pronuntiation than the Humility and Devotion of the Soul in prayer and t is much misbecoming Christians to worship the true God as the Heathen do their false and feigned Deities And Because they imply a false notion of the Majesty of Heaven and a misbelief of his Divine perfections as if he were asleep and must be awakened or did not understand our Wants and Desires or being otherwise imployed he could not attend our Petitions except in multitude of Words exprest and loud bawling for audience So prayed the Priests of Baal 1 Kings 18.27 and so saith our Lord of all Heathen people that they think they shall be heart for their much speaking which is directly contrary to the true faith of a Christian who believeth and acknowledgeth the Omniscience and Omnipresence of God as it follows in the Eighth verse Your Heavenly Father knoweth what things you stand in need of before you ask which Divine Truth is implicately denied by loud and long Prayers Long prayers are not only forbidden by our Lord as the custom of the Heathen but also frequently reproved by him as the practice of the Hypocrites who love to stand praying in the Synagogues and in the corners of the Streets that they may be seen af Men that they may be taken notice of for Godly men desiring rather to seem than really to be Religious loving the praise of Men more than the praise of GOD. Matth. 6.5 c. 23.14 Mark 12.40 Luke 20.47 Joh. 12.43 To pray continually then is neither to be understood of doing nothing else but pray nor yet of using long prayers the one being prohibited by our Lord and the other condemned by his Church but in this and the like Expressions is commanded The intense Devotion of the Soul in Prayer So our Lord expounds his own Command that men ought always to pray viz. that they faint not Luke 18.1 to wit for want of that holy fervour and devout zeal which is the life and soul of an effectual Prayer And this same Celestial fire of holy Zeal in prayer spends not it self in multitude of Words and much babling of the Lips but is expressed in sighs and groans which cannot be uttered Rom. 8.8.26 which are truly the Breathings of the holy Spirit of God in prayer who dwels not upon the Tongue but in the Heart To pray continually enjoyns the constant and continued returns of this holy Duty that we lose no time neglect no opportunity either of the Publick prayers of the Church or of private prayer and Closet-Devotions upon the set solemn and accustomed times thereof remembring that the Time only which is imployed in the sacred Acts of Piety towards God and Charity towards Man is redeemed a Ephes 5.6 out of the all-devouring jaws of Death and dark Oblivion to be the Seminary of a blessed Eternity b Gal. 6.8 Mark 12.35 when time shall be no more T is to this end our Lord commands us to watch and pray by our constant prayers at Evening at Midnight at the Cock-crowing and in the Morning to watch for the coming of our Lord to put an end to Time and to all that is by Time limited and circumscribed That we ought always to pray i. e. say the Fathers upon the Text at those appointed Hours observed by the Church of God both under the Law called therefore the Hours of the Temple and under the Gospel called the Canonical Hours so generally observed formerly of all devout Christians that St. Hierome Epist ad Eustor with his Quis nescit takes it for granted that no Godly Christian is either ignorant or negligent in the observation of such Hours as being probably observed by holy David or from his example derived saying of his own daily practice Psal 119.164 Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgments To continue in prayer is to have our Hearts so inflamed with the love of God as to be in a continual disposition to pray and this not only at all set and accustomed times but at all times and upon all occasions and objects presented to raise up our souls upon the Spiritual wings of holy Meditations celestial Affections devout Colloquies and Ejaculatory converses with Heaven Thus Enoch walked with God and was translated Gen. 5.24 Heb. 11.5 Thus King David professeth I have set God always before me Psal 16.9 And I will give thanks unto the Lord his praise shall ever be in my mouth Ps 34.1 No time omitted Evening and Morning and Noon-day Ps 55.17 18. Early and late Ps 63.1.7 No place pretermitted in the Wilderness in the land of Jordan and the unbeaten paths of Hermon Ps 42.8 T is the great and constant imployment of a true Christian's life to depend upon God to fix all our Hopes all our Joy and Consolation all that we can reasonably desire to enjoy conducing to our happiness both in this and in the other world in God alone who is the Beginning the Mean and the End of our Being In the first and purest times of Christianity while the blood of Christ was yet warm and more inflamed the Souls of true Believers than in these later and colder times then were the hearts of the Religious continually in Heaven by holy and Divine Aspirations even when their hands were imployed in any and every of their works upon earth So the Divine Ephrem Sive opereris sive sedeas sive comedas In all thy works even in Bating and Drinking and Travelling sitting going standing lying Pray without ceasing Take hint from every thing thon seest hearest tastest to lift up thy heart unto God and refer all to his glory T is recorded of St. Bartholomew the Apostle that he prayed an hundred times in a day and an hundred times in the night also Ephrem tom 1. Homil. de Orando Deum So the great St. Basil Hom. in S. Jude So St. Chrysost Hom. 23. in Mat. St. Hierom professeth of himself that often on the tops of Mountains and in hollow Valleys and craggy Rocks with eyes lifted up to Heaven and flowing with tears he poured forth his soul in holy prayers and meditations S. Hierom. Ep. ad Eustor So meditates S. Austin also Te Domine mediter per dies sine cessatione Te sentiam per soporem in nocte Te alloquar Aug. Med. O that I could meditate upon Thee O Lord through the whole day and not cease to be affected with thee in the night my spirit speaking unto thee and my mind conversing with thee alway and alone Blessed are they who think of nothing speak of nothing but the Lord who love nothing above thee desire nothing besides thee Blessed are they whose Hope alone is the Lord and all whose Work is Prayer And
wasted by much speaking And such was that Devotion of our Lord in the Garden and on the Cross when he poured out his Soul in prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears Heb. 5.7 His words were few but his devotion great and prevailing mightily which devotion was neither begotten nor increased nor poured forth in a floud of language and various expressions for he went away saith the holy Ghost and prayed saying the same words Mat. 26.44 So that settled and stinted Forms of Prayer may be expressive enough of the greatest Devotion nor is God more pleased or the Soul that prayeth more profited by variety of expressions though the exterior pleasure of a sensible devotion may be raised thereby Object 5. But stinted forms of Prayer cannot suit with all tempers and conditions a Garment may as well be made to fit the changeable Moon as one Form of Prayer to fit all men or any one man at all times Answ 1. T is true that limited forms of Prayer cannot be fitted to every man's fancie and affection especially amongst such men where such prayers are either suspected or coldly entertained but they may be fitted to all mens necessities though not to their curiosities they may be such as may sufficiently serve every mans duty though not please all mens fancies Answ 2. Though they suit not with every man's particular condition in all circumstances t is no argument against them for that would conclude against all Laws whatsoever wherein t is impossible to make provision for all particular circumstances and accidents that occur t is sufficient that all Publick Sanctions do secure the publick Interest and whatsoever hath influence upon publick Societies and Communities of men Answ 3. Every man 's private Condition wherein he may be separate from the publick is to be fitted by his private prayers and therein he hath liberty to expatiate himself and enjoy all those fancied benefits and self-pleasing sweetnesses which variety and liberty can afford him that which cannot be expected in publick prayers which are of a publick nature and design suiting with publick interests the duties and conditions of all Christians and providing also for publick Events that are either probable or can be rationally foreseen Answ 4. There are many Circumstances relating to particular mens businesses that are not fit to be inserted in the publick Service of the Church or to be mentioned in publick It is more safe and prudent to recommend many things unto God in general expressions than to insist particularly and positively upon them especially in such things as are temporal and worldly wherein men are more apt to be positive and expressive than becometh Our blessed Saviour knew well enough the particular wants and conditions of his Disciples when they begg'd of him to be taught to pray yet he descends not to any enumeration of those particulars but gives them a Form of Prayer in general terms because it was for a publick use and benefit Answ 5. If any defects and inconveniences be fancied in those devout and accurate peayers of the Church which have been framed and approved by the long experience of 1600. years to fit all publick concerns and meet with all necessary conditions to be commended unto God in publick how much more may we fear the many inconveniences disorders irregularities in the private prayer though pretended to complete and fill up the emptiness of the publick The defects and impertinencies tautologies errors and blasphemies of many such private prayers are obvious to each mans observation Object 6. T is further said that it may as well be ordered that one common Sermon should be preached in all Churches and at all times as that one common Prayer should be constantly used and no other Answ 1. The Church does indeed trust all her Priests and Deacons to preach to the people and by way of Sermon to exercise their gifts for the edification of others wherein variety of expressions are very useful to move excite admonish exhort reprove which are the ends of preaching not so of praying as before was observed Answ 2. If the Minister chance to fail by impertinent tedious or any irregular expressions in preaching the matter is of less moment than to err in prayer Because first it is more safe to be bold with the people than with the great Majesty of Heaven the people may pardon an indiscretion a rudeness a mistake if any such happen in a Sermon but that boldness or impudence rather which ventures to offer up unto God their mistakes and undecent expressions is not so venial and easily pardonable Secondly Sermons to the people are but the means not any essential part of Gods worship it self but holy Prayer is a part and a principart of Gods outward worship so that to mistake and erre in the one is but indiscretion if not wilful but to err in the other is impiety and irreligion A mistake a falshood in prayer is not a lye unto men but unto God Acts 5.4 5. the great Sin for which Ananias and Sapphira were struck with sudden death Which should strike the hearts of all men with such an awful fear as not to dare to utter any thing unto God that may prove false or be improper to be spoken nor yet to go beyond what they are authoriz'd to say in publick by the commands of God and of his Church Object 7. Our Saviour prayed Extempory and by the Spirit and his Prayer John 17. was long and no part of a Liturgy Answ Those Prayers of our Lord which are recorded were not Extempory but set forms and parts of the Jewish Liturgy in the Temple which might be proved by particulars if it were not too tedious to be here inserted And his prayer Joh. 17. was a private not a publick prayer 't was designed indeed to a publick use and benefit not offered up in publick and with his Disciples though for and in their behalf and 't was a prayer that was proper and peculiar to Christ alone as the only Mediator betwixt God and man and so not to be drawn into an example Object 8. Solomon pray'd in the Temple a private prayer of his own in publick 2 Chron. 6. So did Hezekias 2 Chron. 30.18 So did Elijah the Prophet 1 Kings 18.16 and St. Paul the Apostle Acts 20.36 Answ All these prayers with all others recorded in holy Writ were undoubtedly the immediate dictates of God's holy Spirit whereunto no man without sin and presumption may pretend at least not depend and relie thereupon And as for St. Paul's prayer Acts 20.36 whether t was a set Form or not t is not express'd nor yet many of our Saviour's prayers upon record and so no argument pro or con to be drawn from thence Object 9. The Fathers frequently began their Homilies with prayers and St. Paul himself began and ended his Epistles with prayers and there is a prayer extant of Saint Ambrose which he used before his Sermon Answ
but not justifiable Customs One thing I shall adde more and it is a short Discourse How the Pulpit-Forms of Prayer were brought into the Church of England We must know then that in the time of Popery the manner commonly was to use the Lords Prayer or else an Ave Maria before Sermon so that when Edward the Sixth came to compose his Injunctions he made choice as he had good reason of the Lords Prayer for that purpose But because it was thought fit that the King 's just Supremacy in Ecclesiastical things should be at the least weekly published to the People it was thought expedient to premise to the Pater noster a Form as his Injunction stiles it of Bidding Prayer wherein the Priest was not to speak to God but only to the People exhorting them to pray instantly for such and such persons but he prayed not to God at all untill he closed with the Lords Prayer This was likewise confirm'd in the Injunctions of Queen Elizabeth and expresly call'd the Form of Bidding Prayer And when King James of blessed memory turn'd those Injunctions into Canons his Law runs Canon 55. That Ministers should move the People to joyn with him in Prayer viz. in this Form of Bidding Prayer Ye shall pray for Christs Catholick Church c. concluding always with the Lords Prayer Now let any indifferent man judge Are Exhortations proper Forms of Prayer Nay let a discerning man consider it well and it will appear that things there prudently spoken by way of Exhortation and Narration would prove very absurd in Prayer How fond would it appear to tell the great GOD of Heaven of the Kings most Excellent Majesty our Sovereign Lord Charles by the Grace of God King of England c. or as some do oft tell GOD of such a Lord Earl of such a Place and Baron of another and of his Majesties Honourable Privy Councel and his very good Lord c. And yet when we do but exhort them to joyn their Prayers such Clauses may not be unfit I can scarce think of any other way to defend them and yet t is true that this Form is there viz. Can. 55. call'd Prayer before Sermon and so it is because we then say together with the Preacher the Lords Prayer to those very purposes he exhorts And they well know who know Divinity that all kinds of Prayer are reducible to that holy Form but it follows not that the Preacher's Exhortation is a Prayer for that he then speaks not at all to God himself but to the People Indeed upon an occasion extraordinary it is a Prayer of no ordinary composition and therefore call'd the Form of Bidding Prayer both by a reform'd King and a very glorious Queen and yet de facto misus'd by an itching Puritanical party at first no doubt by Cunning and Design and afterwards as verily think for the most part by a mistake of that bad end to which it drove or by inadvertency of the Law. But it is most apparent that such forbidden Prayers are an especial means to eat out the whole English Liturgy A DISCOURSE Of the Difference betwixt Long Prayers prohibited and Continuance in Prayers commanded When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites c. Matth. 6.5 OXFORD Printed by L. Lichfield Printer to the University for Richard Sherlock Bookseller In the Year 1684. A Discourse of the Difference betwixt Long Prayers prohibited and coutinuance in Prayers commanded THey who are true members of Christ's Church below are conform to the glorious Saints in Heaven above a Exod. 25.40 Acts 7.44 Heb. 6.11 they do the will of God on Earth as t is in Heaven b Matth. 6.11 and that 's undoubtedly the way to Heaven We cannot post bly lose our way thither whirst we follow their steps who are thither gone before us Thole Triumphant Saints in Heaven rest not day nor night saving Holy Holy Holy Lord God c Is 6.3 Rev. 4.8 Almighty Whereunto conforms the man after God's own heart saying O Lord God of my salvation I have cryed day and night before thee d Ps 88.1 Our Lord commends it as a duty incumbent that men ought always to pray a Luk. 18.1 and by his Apostle commands it positively Pray without ceasing b 1 Thes 5.13 Giving thanks always c Ephes 5.20 Praying alway with all Prayer and Supplication d Ephes 6.18 But these Examples and Commands are not so to be understood as if we should do nothing else but pray which was an old Heresy of the Messalians and Euchites e S. Aug. l. de haer I heod Eccl. hist l. 4. c. 10. long since condemned by the Church of Christ as being a thing impossible to pray without ceasing in the bare literal sense because this corruptible body presseth down the soul and corporal necessities do call for supply Neither yet that we should make long Prayers which is the new error and great mistake of these times the which though generally the most used and best liked as being set off with the paint of a seeming zele and pretence of the Spirit yet the unlawfulness of such long Prayers will appear if we will without prejudice and partiality consider that 1. They are forbidden by our Lord saying When ye pray use not vain repetitions Matth. 6.7 in which words our Lord means not the same prayers repeated as is falsly objected against the Prayers of the Church for thus our Lord prayed himself Matth. 26.39.44 where his Prayer was short and three times repeated And therefore undoubtedly by vain repetitions in praying is understood multitude of Words and variety of expressions to the same purpose or rather to no purpose since our Desires both may and ought to be expressed in few words and pertinent according to the pattern our Lord hath given us And that t is the meaning of our Lord when he saith After this manner pray ye that our Prayers should be generally formed to the length of his Prayer prescribed will appear 1. From the Context if seriously weighed and rightly understood wherein is manifest that the manner of praying by such a short Form is commanded in opposition to the Heathenish use of much speaking in Prayer 2. From the Parallel-Text in the Margin Eccles 5.2 Be not rash with thy Mouth and let not thy Heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth and therefore let thy words be few 3. From the Prayers of Christ's Church which are in all Liturgies of the Christian World for the most part of the same length and surely the general Practice of the Church is the best Interpreter of the Scripture 4. Such are generally also all the Prayers of the Holy Spirit of God which stand upon Record in Holy Writ viz. the Book of Psalms with many more We meet with none that are of such a continued length as are in use amongst us but they are all
from the Church of Christ in general wherein they all agree and then divide amongst themselves into particular Sects and Factions wherein they all differ There is but one body and one spirit Eph. 4.4 one mystical body of Christ which is his Church and one spirit of truth quickning this is our body and its members and them onely And as it follows One Lord one faith one baptisme one God and father of all who is above all through all and in you all vers 5 6. In you all that are members of this one body and quickned with this one spirit and endeavour te keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace which is the duty enforced from the premisses vers 3. Contrariwise then such that divide from this one body the Church into several Sects and Factions and which necessarily follows such are not quickned with this one spirit but each with the foolish Prophets follow their own spirit Ezek. 13.3 which the mistake and misâ—term the Spirit of God such as worship not this one Lord as we are all commanded with one mouth and with one mind Rom 15.6 Such as hold not the Articles of this one faith with one joynt unanimous consent of truth Vnto the unity of which faith till we all come we cannot be perfect men in Christ Jesus but are like children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine Eph. 4.13 14. Such are all false Prophets treacherous Shepherds or in the Language of Saint Paul 2 Corin. 11.13 14. Such are all false Apostles deceitful workers transforming themselves into the Apostles of Christ and no marvel for Satan himself is transformed into an Angel of Light I may call them according to the metaphor of the text The Bellweathers of the Flock the Ringleaders of those numerous Sects and daily increasing divisions amongst us And although each sect and division must necessarily be false and erroneous because there is but one Truth and one true way of Divine worship which is ever constant to it self yet hath each division it numerous followers of the divided Flock as silly sheep when a gap is opened follow one another to the breach to stray from their Pasture So flock the people if not restrained into the ways of division and error if any Sect-master but open a gap and lead them the by ways of straying from the Sheepfold of Christ which is his Church For such alas is the sad condition of mans corrupted and depraved mind as naturally to be more affected with error then with the Truth more prone to believe lies and more zealous in the maintenance of falshood then to believe and maintain the Truth 'T was ever so When the Prophets prophesie falsly the people love to have it so Jer. 5. ult but a sad question follows What will ye do in the end thereof When the Prophets prophesie Lies or which is the same do make and foment divisions and the people withal are affected with their lying prophesies and side with them in their respective divisions 't is easie then to prophesie and foretell the end thereof to be ruine and confusion If a kingdom be divided against it self that kingdom cannot stand and if a house be divided against it self that house cannot stand Mat. 3.24 25. Not the house of God not the family of Christ in what Kingdom and Nation soever established All the Kingdoms and Nations in Christendom ancient and modern from the first to these last and worst of times have felt by sad experience the bitter effects of divisions and errors in Religion and none more than our own so lately bleeding even to the last gasp of death and almost buryed in her own confusions which took beginning from the prophesying of Lies and overspreading of mistakes and errors in Religion sowing the Seeds of Schism Faction and Sedition in separate and divided meetings or Conventicles in private joy ned with a sacrilegious vow-breaking performance of holy duties in Publick All which now are as much if not more practised then ever some of whose Factors and Followers do really intend all do certainly tend to involve this Church and Kingdom into the fad condition of intestine war blood and Confusion from whence by the great mercy of God we so lately escaped And now to you the Reverend persons who are come to visit us in our distempers and infirmities to you it bebelongs as much as in you lies to give stop to our overflowing divisions To restrain our licentious exorbitancies both in doctrine and practice in Praying and Preaching and this whether in the house of God or in the houses of men Et fiat Justitia ruat coelum FINIS