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A51082 The true non-conformist in answere to the modest and free conference betwixt a conformist and a non-conformist about the present distempers of Scotland / by a lover of truth ... McWard, Robert, 1633?-1687. 1671 (1671) Wing M235; ESTC R16015 320,651 524

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in the wayes and paths of the Lord and more especially in the large and all-searching discoveries of the minde yea of the deep things of God and what strange exercises have been and may be in the experiences of the Saints the result of this liberty and of the variety of our unstable condition Iacob's wrestlings Davids heart commu●ings Spirit-searchings overwhelmings and again exultings Ierimiah's mournings and Daniel's supplications do exhibite a few examples Now that the imposing of Forms which are set certain and determined doth stint this liberty and cannot possibly quadrat to all the variety above mentioned needeth no other evidence then that of an ingenuous reflection I have already acknowledged that in the right using of several of your Forms a man may have his heart very deeply affected and now I further suppose for argument that such may be the aptitude of a full and sound composition as may possibly suppeditat petitions and expressions convenient to every exigence but yet that the Spirits free use-making and mens stinting thereof to these Forms do vastly differ cannot be denyed since that notwithstanding of all conceded the enjoining of these impositions is not only inconsistent with the free methods but also doth confine the illimited enlargements of the Spirit as cannot but be obvious to any exercised discerner But that which I suppose doth induce you and many others into an error in this particular is a preposterous observation of certain good motions and sincere and servent devotions which possibly some may feel in the use of your Common-prayer-book whence you inadvertently conclude that the same Forms not appearing obnoxious to the escapes incident to extemporarie expressions may more safely and sufficiently serve to the exciting and signifying the like spirituall motions and devotions in all whereas it is certain that as in the former case these motions were only the free breathings and stirrings of the Spirit and in a manner accidental to these Forms wherein they come to be uttered so to ty the same free influences to the manuduction of a set of words is more absurd then the same words are often found to be incompetent to the setting forth of the singularity that may be in the case of the Supplicant whether a whole Church or single Person Really Sir when I consider that the Lord craves the heart and that men Worship him in Spirit and that it is thence and out of its abundance that the mouth ought to speak and from a beleeving heart that the tongues confession is acceptable I cannot but wonder how this inversion of preceeding and leading Forms should be so much asserted and certainly if we may after the Lord's example Mal. 1. 8. reason in these things from self reflection may not the knowledge we have of our own way in such supplications to or from our Neighbours wherein the heart and not the justice and merit o● the sute comes to be regarded teach us to reprobate and nauseate such impositions If in hearty requests we ourselves can neither be confined in the making to a rat of words put in our mouth nor relish the like practice from others and do censure such methods as too cold and indifferent how much more should we stand in awe to obtrude them to the Father of Spirits the searcher and lover of the heart I might arise higher upon this subject and demonstrate to you from the order of nature which certainly the Lord hath principally ordained for his own Worship Service and Glory that the heart and minde and not the eyes common sense or memory unless in so farre as is requisite to the joining of the hearers in Publick prayer ought to preceed in all and without question did preceed in the first acknowledgements rendered to him by his creatures but I neither love nor need to admixe such reasonings to these Scripture-grounds already adduced I shall therefore summe up this argument with answering two objections viz. That I seem 1. to forget that our Ministers in publick prayer do as much preceed and lead the peoples devotions and affections by their conceived words as if they were set and predevised 2. To suppose that all who can or ought to pray in heart are also qualified to a suteable utterance And to the first it is answered 1. That it is evident that the People may and ought to joine in publick prayers uttered by one as their mouth although the samine be by him conceived and to them unknown until expressed● this is clear from the practices of God's People in these publick prayers of David Solomon Iehosophat and others already mentioned and you your self lay it for the ground of an argument viz that the people can joyne and pray by the Spirit though the words be not of their framing 2 That although our Ministers do preceed in words yet seing the people are gathered in the Lords Name and he with the power of his Spirit in the midst of them and the Minister is called and appointed to oversee them know their condition and necessities and to be their mouth toward God and lastly seing there is a promise of the Spirits publick aswell as private assistance whereupon we may assuredly confide both for a due instruction sense and utterance in the Minister of the Peoples state and exigence and a sweet uniting of their hearts in an harmonious concurrence the agreeablenesse and advantages of conceived and not imposed prayer are thereby abundantly conserved and the difference betwixt the Ministers preceeding in free and Spirit-directed words from the manuduction of your restricting forms manifestly held forth Offend not that I say Spirit-directed words for if I should descrive Prayer in the utterance to be the expressing of these desires which through the Spirit we make unto God in the name of Jesus Christ for things agreeable to his will in words directed by the same Spirit and thence draw an argument for reprobating your vain devising and rigid commanding of Forms which practice the Lord hath neither ordered nor blessed I should but define the dutie according to the Precept and Promise which is no more impugned by the mixture of your infirmities then the account given by you either of internal praying by the Spirit or external by a Set-form which as from us do alwayes labour of imperfection are thereby made void As for the second objection that I seem to suppose that all that can or ought to pray in heart are also qualified to a ●u●eable utterance I answere 1. That my present discourse of conceived Prayer doth no more suppose all to be thereto qualified then your discourse of internal Prayer by the Spirit doth warrant the like construction how men do pray and how they ought to pray are easie to be distinguished 2. The Spirit of supplication is no doubt promised not only for inward motions but also for outward suteable expressions and the teaching of God is sufficient and may be forthcoming for the one as well as for
done to these most dearly affecting concernes of God's Glory and his Churches welfare ought not to be more tenderly afflicting and powe●fully exciting to duties of prayer and all righteous indeavours then the Lords high and holy Soveraignity is both most strengthening to these duties and comfortably exc●usive of all sinful anxiety and dejection the heav●nly return made to our Lord I have both glorified my Name and will glori●y it again doth abundantly hold out this consistency and is so far from being contrary to a holy touching grief upon that account that on the other hand you may find the necessary cercainty of God's Glory the ground both of the earnest and assurance of our Lo●●'s supplication and of the comforting answere made to his troubled soul whence it did proceed But that which I would enquire is how you come to make such an answere to your N. C. challenge which being very rational and sound complaining only of a stupid misregard and profane indifferency without the least ●●exure to the other extreame of sinful anxiety had in my thought been better and more ingenuosly answered by a simple denial then by your unnecessary cautions To oppose one truth to another can have no innocent design Nay i● I may use your own maxime that all things have two sides I fear this your discourse prove also double faced and that under the colou● of excessive anxiety dej●cting melancholy you do indeed condemn that mean of a concerning solicitude for Gods Glory and his Churches wellfare which you seem to allow and by i●sinuating joy to be the end and fruit of Relig●on resolve all its seriousness into the indifferency objected But lest you judge this challenge which is only an anticipation to be want of charity I proceed to what ensues which is first your N. C's reply to wit That all this your preceeding discourse is still contrary to the holy men of God the Psalms Prophets Lamentations are full of sad complaints and certainly a greater measure of zeal becomes the more clear manifestation of the love of God under the Gospel And to that return which you give to it running out upon the difference of the old and new dispensation shewing forsooth that outward desolations and losses which under the former were curses and grievous under the later are pronounced blessings and matter of joy and so forth What strange dealing and doctrine is this Your N. C. tells you of the complainings and mournings of the holy Men of God in old times for the desolation of Gods house departing of his Glory and the blasphemie of his Adversaries Which I am certain every serious soul will take to be no other then the same careful regard to the Glory of God and the good of his Church which just now we heard you approve and is no doubt inseparable from the true Love and Zeal of God in all ages But you in your present Answere would have these regretes to be only suteable to a carnal dispensation and nothing agreeing to that of the Gospel Now if this be not a palpable discovery of your sinistrous design let all men judge Or if you think that I do wrest your words do you or any man els make them pertinent in any other sense I am content to bear the blame But neither is this your doctrine in it selfe more sound You say That outward desolations and afflictions were of old signes of Gods displeasure curses but now they are pronounced and made blessings Pray Sir make you no distinction betwixt a sign of Gods displeasure and a curse Or do you think that sufferings and afflictions may not be both signs of displeasure against sin and yet profitable corrections yea matter of joyous consolation in the event Certainly if you had consulted Scripture in this matter you would have found that as the sufferings of Gods People under the New Testament are accounted chastisements and consequently signs of the Lords displeasure against sin which thereto provokes so under the Old they were no less to be by them regarded as the chastenings of a loving father and the rebukes of love But it seems you have forgotten the exhortation which under both dispensations speaketh unto the Lords People as unto children My son despise not thou the chastening of the Lord nor faint when thou art rebuked of him for whom the Lord loveth the chasteneth and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth Nay blessed is the man whom thou chastenest O Lord and teachest out of thy law being so plainly said of old● I wonder how you could lapse into thir mistakes I grant that the Jewish dispensation is much countenanced by temporal promises and that even the manner of divine service thereby appointed did much depend upon their performance Whereas that better Covenant being established upon better promises is in effect so ordered that afflictions and persecutions did and do tend rather to its advancement But if thence you conclude either that the People of God in old times were to regard their sufferings as they respected themselves differently from what is commanded to and commended in Christians or that their complaints for the corrupted or suppressed Worship of God and the departed Glory by reason of prevailing backsliding or outward desolation may not now under the Gospel in the like calamities be lawfully and laudably resumed over and above your evil design mentioned you bewray palpable ignorance I might here further adde that you may not only observe the same patience and fruit of chastisements under the old that is found under the new dispensation but also read the grace and glory of their confessions and martyrdomes in almost the same termes wherein you go about to represente the sufferings under the Gospel as new and singular Others were tortured not accepting deliverance they were stoned they were sawn asunder were tempted were s●ain with the sword they wandered about in sheep-skins being destitute afflicted tormented of whom the world was not worthy Pray Sir who were they or wherein is this account short of that which you exhibite of Christians their rejoicing in sufferings except in the vain excess of your superstitious festivals viz. the dayes of the death of Martyrs observed by the Church under the name of Natalitiae Mart●rum But I have already sufficiently demonstrate both the folly and falshood of this your impertinent distinction And the mixture of the cup of Gods Children being clearly confirmed by the experience of all ages your taxing of our mourning because of a broken Covenant a profaned Sanctuary and abounding wickedness and violence as sinful repining because of personal sufferings notwithstanding that the joy and strength of the Lord hath been very conspicuous in our dying Witnesses and our other Sufferers doth plainly adde malice to your ignorance But in our complainings you reprehend both injustice and excess and for injustice you tell us That the reason thereof is only the alteration of the Law 's and the Magistrat's denying