And so much the rather because the blessed Saints that bow and kneele in Heauen doe onely make Confessionem Laudis confession of praise and giue glory and honour to God in signe of their Ioy which is so absolute that all teares are wiped from their eyes And therefore the Saints on earth that make Confessionem peccatorum miseriae confession of their sinnes and miseries in token of their sorrow and contrition ought much more to bow downe and kneele to pacifie the anger of God Now that the Saints in heauen doe bow downe or fall on the ground and kneele when they worship in bodie if their bodies bee there or else in soule and spirit and adore God and sing praise to him thaâ— sitteth on the Throne it is apparant in many places in the Reuelation of S. Ioh. Cap. 4.10 The foure and twenty Elders fall downe before him that sate vpon the Throne and worship him that liueth for euer and euer and cast their Crownes before the Throne And cap. 5 8. the foure and twentie Elders fell downe before the Lambe and ver 14. the foure and twenty Elders fell downe and worshipped him that liueth for euer and euer And C. 7. ver 9. hauing put a certaine number for an vncertaine twelue thousand of euery one of the twelue Tribes A great number clothed in white robes and Palmes in their hands cryed Saluation to our God which sitteth vpon the Throne and vnto the Lambe And all the Angels stood round about the Throne and about the Elders and the foure beasts and fell before the Throne on their faces and worshipped God saying Amen Blessing and glory and wisdome and thankesgiuing and honour and power and might bee vnto our God for euer and euer Amen And that these are Saints in glory appeareth after ver 14. These are they that come out of great tribulations and haue washed their Robes and made them white in the blood of the Lambe therefore are they before the Throne of God and serue him day and night in his Temple and he that sitteth on the Throne shall dwell among them They shall hunger no more neither thirst any more neither shall the Sunne light on them nor any heate For the Lambe which is in the middest of them shall feede them and shall leade them vnto liuing fountaines of waters and God shall wipe away all teares from their eyes Now these are the Endowments of another life wee are in great tribulation as long as wee are in this life these came out of great tribulation wee doe now wash our selues in the blood of the Lambe and while wee liue we cannot get out all the spots of sinne and lust these haue washed their Robes and made them white in the blood of the Lambe This life is Esuries sitis Iustitiae the hunger and thirst of righteousnesse the life to come hath no hunger nor thirst because they liue at the well head and sea of all goodnesse and their cup doth alwaies ouerflow I omit other circumstances for these prooue sufficiently that the Saints which the Apostle describeth are Possessors in the Kingdom of glory not Trauellers in the way of grace And the Text saith Verse 17. The Lambe which is in the middest of the Throne shall feede them that must necessarily be Coena gloriae the Supper of glory the vision and contemplation of God and Christ face to face without all Sacrament And in all this worship that the consummated Saints giue to God it is said that the Angels and the Elders Cap. 7.7.11 and the beasts did fall downe before the Throne on their faces and worship God So in heauen there is no worship without prostration and kneeling In like sort the twenty foure Elders which sate before God on their seats fell on their faces and worshipped c. 11.16 And in the 19. Verse 4. Chapter where the great whore is iudged the foure and twenty Elders the foure beasts fell downe and worshipped God that sate on the Throne saying Amen Alleluia And in the ninth verse it followeth Blessed are they that are called to the marriage Supper of the Lambe So at the marriage Supper of the Lambe there is falling downe or prostration and kneeling If all this worship bee giuen to God that sitteth on the Throne and to the Lambe by the Angels and Elders and Beasts and Saints when they worship God and are feasted at the Supper of the Lambe in glory in heauen why should not their practise bee a warrant to the Saints in earth to vse like falling downe or kneeling in the worship of God at the feast of the Lambe in grace on earth since the practise of the Church Triumphant may well be receiued as a patterne and guide by the Church militant whose example so long as shee followeth shee can neuer erre whose imitation is her readiest way to perfection If any shall replie that this is not the practise of the Church Triumphant which S. Iohn describeth in the Reuel but rather that vnder the name of the Church Triumphant in heauen the Militant Church is described in earth though I doubt not but it may very well be collected out of the pregnant circumstances of the Text that many of those passages cannot well bee vnderstood of the Church Militant in earth but onely of the Triumphant Church in heauen as in part appeareth before yet I will not greatly contend with him that shall gainsay in this point For suppose St. Iohn vnder the name of the Throne and the Angels and beasts and Elders and heauen doe only vnderstand the Kingdome of heauen and the Throne of Christ in the Kingdome of grace in this Life yet to my purpose it is all one For be it the worship here spoken of be of the Saints in the Church militant it is worship with outward Adoration prostration or kneeling which worship is principally performed in the Eucharist And be it that the feeding and supper of the Lambe be the feeding by the Sacrament of the Eucharist which is the supper of the Lambe in the way For at the feeding by the preaching of the word no man calls for kneeling they must necessarily grant my Conclusion That at the receiuing of this supper there must be prostration falling downe and kneeling And if Saint Iohn saw this then in Saint Iohns time kneeling was the receiued gesture of Communicants at the Supper of the Lambe So whether Saint Iohn spake of the Supper of grace or the Supper of glory kneeling or prostration is the gesture of Communicants at the Lords Table The perfection of the Triumphant Church imposeth a necessitie of our imitation if it bee done in heauen it must be imitated on earth if it bee done in confession of glory it must much more be done in confession of sinne if it be done in the sacrifice of prayse it must much more bee done in the sacrifice of contrition and prayer if they that haue no want nor no imperfection
doe thus fall downe and kneele how much more must they cast downe themselues in all humility that abound in nothing but onely in wants and imperfections whose greatest perfection is Agnitio imperfectionis the acknowledgement of their imperfections and whose greatest glory is the ingenuous confession of their own vnworthinesse And surely Saint Iohn Apoc. 9.10.22.8 that wrote this Reuelation is twice reprooued by the Angel because he would haue giuen diuine worship to the Angel but the faul◠〈◊〉 in obiecto not in modo adorationis in the obiect of his adoration For hee would haue giuen that to the Angel which was peculiar only to God but it was not in the manner of his adoration he fell at his feete and worshipped him diuine worship must haue falling downe or prostration or kneeling but diuine worship may not bee giuen to any Angell or Saint or Sacred or consecrated Creature but only to God to whom onely it is due The sum therefore of this reason is short and punctuall The Church Triumphant worshipeth and feasteth at the Lambes Supper with prostration or kneeling Therefore the Church Militant that must learne of the Church Triumphant must worship with prostration or kneeling at the feast of the Supper of the Lambe For the earth must learne of heauen and he that refuseth such guides as the Saints in heauen in the worship of God it is to be feared that hee is turned ouer to worse Tutors on earth and vnlesse he repent and returne to the right way and follow their footsteps that are gone to heauen before him he will hardly attaine to the great City wherof they are admitted as Citizens and Saints And sure I am the very Habendum and Tenendum the hauing and holding the right and possession of our inheritance is as Christ said Vade fac similiter Luc. 10.37 goe and doe thou likewise They kneeled and prostrated themselues when they adored God and were admitted to the feast of the Lambe on earth they doe so as S. Iohn saith now in heauen and they that rest from all their labours rest not from this labour of Adoration and prostration and we must follow them in the way that we may be crowned with them at the end of the way in the Kingdome of glory I Come now to the reasons for sitting for the Authorities are for standing Now before I come to handle them in particular giue mee leaue to strike at the roote of them all in generall and that is in short Pride and Presumption You will maruell much that I should say the Foundation of all these Reasons is Presumption and Pride and I cannot but maruell at it my selfe but I must much more maruell at the Author of these Reasons that bearing the name of a Christian and perchance a Minister he should giue mee cause to say as I doe For I knowe no meane or medium in Theologicall contraries when wee come to the Lords Table either wee must be humble or else we must bee presumptuous and proud Luk. 11.23 Hee that is not with mee is against mee saith our Sauiour and hee that gathereth not with mee scattereth Either a good man or a bad man either faithfull or vnfaithfull either a good seruant or a bad seruant either borne of God and the childe of God or borne of the deuill and the childe of the deuill either wee doe righteousnesse or wee doe vnrighteousnesse either wee loue the Brethren or wee loue not the Brethren either a good tree and good fruit or a bad tree and bad fruit And although a good tree cannot but beare good fruit and a bad tree cannot but beare bad fruit yet Mala arbor fieri potest bona a bad tree may bee made a good tree and the change must be first in radice and then in fructu first in the Roote wee must be grafted into Christ and then it will follow in the fruite Yet in all these there is no meane there is none to be found but either he is good or bad so there is none that comes to the Lords Table but either hee is humble and comes in humilitie with the Publicane or else hee is presumptuous Luk. 18.10 and comes in pride with the Pharisee Now that I may not bee accused to mistake this Author I will relate his words Kneeling is not onely disagreeable with the ioyfull Pag. 85. carriage which in the iudgement of the said Fathers the solemnizing of the Lords day requireth throughout euery part of Diuine Seruice but also repugnant in particular to the person sustained by each Communicant and to the nature and intendment of the Lords Supper The Lords Supper being a Sacrament not of humbling our selues after the manner and guise of suppliants and penitentiaries but of spirituall feasting and reioycing on our parts not onely for the Lords Resurrestion and our owne in his person but for all other fauors and dignities purchased for vs by his death And Pag. 84. Kneeling which is a gesture of humiliation and of him that bewrayeth his sinnes and submissiuely sueth for the pardon of them is altogether unsutable and repugnant to reioycing and cheerefulnesse c. Good God Is there any action of a Christian that may be done without humilitie May man that is but dust and ashes present himselfe at any time in Gods sight without humilitie That is with Pride for these admit no meane either humble or proud May wee haue the affection of humilitie and not haue the gesture of humilitie Did not the Fathers that stood at their Prayers in honour of Christs Resurrection stand in all humilitie surely they stood in confidence of Gods grace and in hope of their owne Resurrection but they stood in al humilitie because they could not forget their owne frailtie confident in God but humble in themselues So the Fathers that layd downe the gesture of humilitie for a particular Reason did neuer lay downe the affection of humility because that is against all reason to cease to be humble when Christ said Discite ex me quia humilis Learne of me to be humble and meeke learne of mee not to create the world not to redeeme the world not to feed fiue thousand with fiue loaues nor to feed the whole world with a few seeds not to raise from the dead nor to keepe men that they die not by curing all diseases but learne of mee to be humble and meeke And may it suffice to be humble in confession of sinne and supplicating for pardon or will it suffice to be humble in asking petitions for supply of wants and not bee humble in giuing of thanks will it suffice to be humble in the Examination of our selues and preparing our selues before we come to the Lords Table and at the very comming receiuing to cease to be humble and take state vpon vs Did we by our humilitie attaine to bee in a measure fit and worthy for those great mysteries that so we may lay downe
it leadeth naturally to teares For there is a certaine Sympathy inter oculos genua betweene the eyes and knees for as they say that are skilfull in the nature of things the child in the mothers wombe oculos habet genibus superpositos hath his eyes placed ouer his knees and thence some thinke that genua the knees are called à genis of the cheekes that are ouer them therefore the eyes naturally breake out into teares when wee kneele as answering by a naturall affection tanquam collectaneis suis as it were to those with whom they were nourished But I will not say what it may be in man sure I am if the Emperour Marcus his narration bee true when he and his Armie were in distresse for want of water and he had called the Christians in his Armie to pray to their God to supply their extreame necessitie the Christians presently Proijcientes se in terram casting themselues on the earth fell to their prayers and as soone as they had fallen to the earth and called on God by prayer the Lord sent raine from heauen that saued the Emperor and all his Army there kneeling procured a most gratious rayne and so no doubt but it is powerfull to draw down all Gods graces vpon vs. I conclude with S. Augustine De cura pro mortuis cap. 5. Nam orantes de membris sui corporis faciunt quod supplicantibus congruit cum genua figunt cum extendunt manus vel etiam prosternuntur Solo si quid aliud visibiliter faciunt quamuis corum inuisibilis voluntas cordis intentio Deo nota sit nec ille indigeat his indicijs vt humanus eipandatur animus sed his magis seipsum excitat homo ad orandum gemendumque humiliùs atque ferrentiùs nescio quomodo cum hi motus corporis fieri nisi motu animi praecedente non possunt eisdemque rursus exteriùs visibilitèr factis ille interior inuisibilis qui eos fecit augetur ac per hoc cordis affectus qui vt fierent istapraecessit quia facta sunt crescit For they that pray of the members of their body doe that which agreeeth with suppliants when they kneele when they lift vp their hands or when they prostrate themselues on the earth or if they doe any other thing visible although their inuisible will and intention of their heart be knowne to God and hee needeth not any of these signes that mans minde may bee layed open before him but by these gestures man doeth excite himselfe to pray and sigh more humbly and more feruently And I know not how it commeth to passe when these motions of the body cannot be performed vnlesse the motion of the minde goe before them yet againe by these externall gestures visibly done the internall inuisible intention which stirreth them is increased and by these the affection of the heart which preceded that these gestures might be performed doeth increase because these are performed Ratio 6. Praxis Ecclesiae Triumphantis THe sixt Reason is Praxis Ecclesiae Triumphantis the practise of the Triumphant Church in heauen and this admitteth no refusal for heauenly things are the exemplars and patternes to which earthly things must bee conformed Is there a Tabernacle to bee made on earth must not the modell thereof bee taken from heauen Secundùm formam in monte Exod. 25.40.26.30 thou shalt make it according to the forme shewed thee in the Mount Is there a forme of life to be prescribed to men on earth Is it not to bee guided by the rule of heauen Matth 6.10 Thy will be done Sicut in coelo sic in terra In earth as it is in heauen the obedience of earth must be squared by the line of heauen and then though our bodies be on earth yet our conuersation is in heauen Phil. 3.20 The earth is the prison or place of mans banishment the out-house and suburbs in comparison of heauen the Citie and pallace of the great King The earth is the place of Pilgrimage and the valley of misery and heauen is the Countrey of rest and eternall felicitie In earth all things are vnperfect and only inchoate in heauen all things are consummate and in absolute perfection Mans ambition by the subtiltie of the Serpent Gen 3.5 was Eritis sicut Dij you shall be as gods but mans greatest exaltation after his fall is Eritis sicut Angeli you shal be as the Angels And if it be true that the Church-gouernment the neerer it commeth to the Hierarchie of heauen the more perfect and absolute it is it will also be true that the neerer the worship and Adoration of the Church militant resembleth the exact and absolute patterne of the Triumphant Churches worship in heauen the more pleasing and acceptable to God it must needs be For surely this Sicut in coelo reacheth principally to the worship of God So that this is an vndeniable proposition which must necessarily be granted Such as is the Adoration and gesture of the Saints in the worship of God and of the Lambe at the supper of the Lambe in Heauen such must be the Adoration gesture of the Saints in earth in the worship of God at the Supper of the Lambe on earth But the Saints in the worship of God and of the Lambe doe vse the Adoration of falling downe and kneeling at the Supper of the Lambe in Heauen Therefore the Saints must vse the Adoration of falling downe or kneeling in the worship of God at the Supper of the Lambe on earth For that there is a Supper in via in the way there can bee no doubt to him that readeth Christes wordes Luke 14.16 A certaine man made a great Supper and bade many And that there is a Supper in patria in the Countrey and kingdome of Heauen there can be no doubt to him that beleeueth S. Iohn Apoc. 19.9 that pronounceth them blessed that are called to the Supper of the Lambe The first Supper is sub Sacramentis vnder Sacraments for so long as we liue here in this vale of misery and our soule is clad about wth sinfull flesh we haue need of Elements which God hath ordeined to conuey his graces to vs and because we cannot see but as in a glasse or darke speaking all vailes are not taken from vs. But when we shall see as we are seene face to face wee shall bee admitted to that Supper which is sine Sacramentis without all Sacraments and as we shall be sicut Angeli as the Angels of God so we shall be fedde sicut Angeli as the Angels of God without the meanes of any creature or Element at all Now if they at the marriage Supper of the Lambe consummate in Heauen doe bow downe and kneele much more must wee that are onely admitted to the marriage Supper that is the contract and espousals that is made by the holy Spirit in the Church militant in earth bow and kneele
there thou shalt reade the depth of sinne that pearced not onely his hands and feete but his heart also in which hee offered vp prayers and supplications with strong cries and teares that he might ouercome the clamour of our crying sinnes Heb. 5.7 and Christ offered nothing for our redemption but that which was necessary and therefore teares must concurre as a part of our ransome And if our Sauiour wept for vs the Redeemer for the redeemed we haue much more reason to weepe for our selues and let none be found so profane amongst vs that when the Sonne of God wept and suffered for our redemption wee should laugh and make merrie at our condemnation as if wee were senselesse of our owne confusion First then hearken what Christ sayth to vs from his Crosse Vide quae pro te patior Behold O man what sorrow Christ suffered for thee vpon his Crosse and let his sighes and teares moue thee to compunction And if this will not preuaile then heare what hee sayth in heauen to all impenitent and wilfull sinners Vide quae à te patior Behold thou obdurate sinner how great reproches Christ suffers at thy hands who by thy wilfull impieties doest crucifie againe to thy selfe the Lord of life and then resolue that as Christs hands and feete and head yea and euery little pore and passage of his body was a fountaine of mercie that runnes in his blood so thy heart must bee as a spring of sighes and groanes and thine eyes must bee as fountaines of teares to wash with Magdalene Luk. 7.38 not so much Christs feete as thine owne soule Now interest Cui Pars 5 the question is of the Coram to whom this internall deuotion and outward prostration and this contrition is to bee tendered And my Text sayeth Coram Domino quifecit nos before the Lord our maker Adoration is due to Lordship or Maiestie and that by many rights 1. Potestatis quia principium creans First by reason of his power Hee is the principle author of our creation in whom we liue and mooue and haue our being Act 17.28 who made vs not according to the image of Angels Gen. 1.26 or beasts but according to his owne Image And therfore this worship must be giuē only to God quifecit sic fecit who made vs and made vs by no other stampe or patterne but his own Image 2 Bonitatis quia principium conseruans by reason of his goodnesse hee is the principle and fountaine of our preseruation in being in nature and restorer to our well being in grace and that by no other meanes then the Incarnation and death of his onely begotten Sonne And therefore this worship must bee exhibited onely to God Qui refecit sic refecit who restored vs and so restored vs by the blood of his owne Sonne as the Captiue euer honoureth him that ransomed him and the sicke man his Physician and the condemned man going to execution euer reuerenceth him that procureth his pardon 3. Felicitatis quia principium beatificans by reason of his felicitie he is the onely principle of mans eternall blessednes For all the perfection and fulnesse we looke for at Gods hands is God himselfe And the blessed Trinitie hath thus diuided The Sonne gaue himselfe in pretium for our price and ransome The holy Ghost gaue himselfe in arrhabonem as an earnest or pledge And the Father reserueth himselfe in praemium as our exceeding great reward Gene. 15.1 and therefore all seruice and worship is due to the Lord qui beatificat sic beatificat who blesseth vs and so blesseth vs with no lesse then the fruition of himselfe So that now Nec aliud pro illo nec aliud cum illo wee may neither adore another in stead of God nor any other together with God for he is sole and supreame Lord to whom all diuine and religious Adoration is due Propter Dominum for his Lordship Naturall Morall and Ciuill reuerence or adoration is due to them to whom God hath communicated some parts or branches of his power 1. Reg. 1.16 23. as vnto Kings as Bathsheba and Nathan adored Dauid to parents who as Gods instruments bring vs to a naturall being and to Priests who are Gods tongues and hands in our spirituall being and to others that haue any eminencie and excellencie of Gods graces And this duetie is deriued frō Religion the worship of God is done only for Gods cause yet it is not properly religious in the strict sense but Ciuill and humane For mans Lordship and dominion is not absolute and supreme in respect of Gods but vnder God and limited and coarcted by his Law It is ab illa sub illa in illam from Gods power hee is the author of it vnder Gods power and subiect to his coercion Hee is iudge of it and for Gods power subordinate and directed to him Hee is the end of it And therefore all powers on earth must giue this diuine and religious seruice onely to God whose Lordship is onely supreme and absolute in heauen and earth Angels and Saints haue no part in this diuine worship because though they be in possession of the Country and haue more excellencie of nature grace and glory then men haue yet they haue no dominion they haue Administrationem custodiam administration vnder God for they are ministring spirits Hebr. 1.14 Dan. 10.13 12.1 and haue custody of whole countreys and perchance of particular men yet they haue not dominium Lordship or dominion ouer men Apoc. 19.10 22.9 but professe themselues to be fratres conserui brethren and fellow seruants and not Lords and therefore forbid men to adore them And it is certaine and cleare no man euer offered sacrifice to any but to him Aug. de Ciuit. lib. 10. c. 4. Quem Deum aut sciuit aut putauit aut finxit whom he knew or thought Tho. secunda secundae q. 85. art 2. or fained to be a god And externall sacrifice is due onely to God because it is a signe or testificatiō of the inward sacrifice of the heart in which none hath any part but God onely And yet these later times haue placed much deuotion in the worshipping of Angels and Saints offering to them the inward and outward sacrifices of prayer and praise and their goods in vowes and pilgrimages and not onely distinguishing temples and Churches by their names which is lawfull but also dedicated them vnto them together with God at least in practise whatsoeuer their booke-doctrine be But Qui Deum colunt nolunt se coli pro Deo Angels and Saints will not be worshipped as gods vpō earth because they doe truely adore God in Heauen and excite vs to doe the like with them Quaest in Gen. lib. 1. q. 111. Gen. 4.61 It is true S. Augustine noteth vpon those Words of Deuteron 6. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God Et illi
as man doeth not make this Feast but Christ as God maketh this feast and Christ as man is the meate of this Feast And though there were equalitie betweene Christ and vs as he is man and our elder Brother yet betweene Christ and vs as he is God there is no equalitie but all subiection on our parts and therefore all submission of soule and body is to be tendered to him by vs when wee come to receiue his Flesh and Blood And it is a plaine fallacie and no good reason to inferre Wee sit at the Kings Table therefore wee must sit at the Lords Table And therefore we may not claime that libertie and prerogatiue at Gods Table that we take at the tables of men vnlesse wee will flatter our selues that no more reuerence and worship and Adoration and kneeling is due to God then vnto man The fourth Reason is Ratio 4 it is contra Ius naturae contrary to the Law of nature Kneeling at a feast or banquet is against the Law of nature therefore it is vnlawfull to kneele at the Feast or Supper of the Lord. Here I would bee glad to know where this Law of nature is written or to bee found If by the Law of nature hee vnderstand the Morrall Law I finde bowing downe or kneeling commanded there in the worship of God Exod. 20.5 Thou shalt not bow downe to them that is to Idols therefore thou shalt bow downe or kneele to God For where the one contrary is forbidden there the other contrary is commanded And this Sacrament is a principall part of Gods worship If he meaneth the naturall Law found out by the light of naturall Reason Gen. 17.3 then Abraham and the Wise-men Matt 2.11 worshipped God with prostration or kneeling If he meane the law of Nature that is the nature of the thing or action Vt naturarei sit Lex naturae that the nature of the thing should be the Law of Nature then kneeling is most agreeable to the nature of the action or thing done that is the Eucharist For it is altogether an action of subiection and humilitie and therefore kneeling is most sutable to it It is Cultus Dei the worship of God and a most eminent and principal part of it It is a Sacrifice commemoratiue It is a Sacrifice of our selues our soules and bodies It is a Sacrifice of contrition offered by penitentiaries a Sacrifice of Prayer offered by suppliants and kneeling is most fit for Sacrificers It is the Eucharist or Sacrifice of praise and in the Reuelation where it is often said That the Elders did fal downe worship there is seldome or neuer any prayer made for want but honour and glory and praise for that which was receiued So kneeling is most sutable to Thankesgiuing And in this Sacrament wee receiue the greatest blessings at Gods hand that this life is capable of and the greater Gods graces be the humbler should wee be at the receipt of them as men vse to receiue the greatest goodnesse of Princes vpon their knees So that besides the practise of the Church in Heauen and earth all reason pleadeth for kneeling and all Reason pleadeth against sitting For what is more repugnant to the nature of worshippers of Sacrificers of penitentiaries of suppliants of thankesgiuers then societie and fellowship and equalitie and sitting so this Reason is well retorted Sitting is repugnant to the nature of Communicants that worship that sacrifice that are contrite that are suppliants and receiuers therefore sitting is not to be vsed by the Communicants at the Eucharist as being repugnant to the law of Nature or naturall reason or the nature of the thing or action that is in hand The fift Reason is Ratio 5 It is Cultus priuatus in publico Kneeling at the receipt of the Eucharist is a priuate worship in the time and act of publicke worship therefore kneeling is vnlawfull This Reason I vnderstand not or else it is false and friuolous false for it is vtterly vntrue That it is vnlawfull to performe priuate worship during the time and act of Gods publicke Seruice As if he should say It is vnlawfull for a Christian to make his priuate prayers in the time of publicke prayers for his owne wants and necessities then which nothing is more absurd For why 1. Sam. 1.10 was it vnlawful for Samuels mother to aske a sonne of God in the Temple in the time of diuine and publicke worship Or was it vnlawfull for Naaman the Syrian 2. Reg. 5.18 in the time of the publike idolatrous worship in the house of Rimmon to make his petitions to the God of heauen Was it vnlawfull for the Apostles Acts. 3.1 S. Peter and S. Iohn to ascend to the Temple at the hower of prayer the ninth hower and there worship and make their priuate petitions after the manner of Christians for their owne wants and necessities in the time of the publike worship of the Iewes Is it vnlawfull for the Preacher in the time of diuine and publike worship to make his priuate prayer for Gods assistance in the discharge of his duetie in that worke But the secret of this proposition is This man meant to make some shew or colour for the prophane fashion of some of his Brethren who in time of Diuine Seruice come into their seates and there squatt downe and neuer vouchsafe once to kneele or make any prayer to God vnder pretence that they must ioyne in publicke worship and so neglect their owne priuate occasions and duties It is friuolous For how can any worship bee called publicke vnlesse it be also the priuat worship of the particular men there present as the vniuersall doth consist of many particulars Now this worship hath the name of publicke because it is performed by the particular men there present though peraduenture successiuely as the capacitie of the place will permit As first the Minister kneeles and receiues then hee stands vp and goeth and deliuereth the Sacrament to the Communicants kneeling in order It may be they do not all kneele together because they doe not all come together but yet euery mans priuat kneeling by succession maketh the publicke worship and adoration And so that this worship may be publicke and generall it is necessary that euery man by his owne priuat worship doe make the whole Seruice to be the publicke worship of God And if by the priuat there bee any disturbance or difference in the publicke worship of God the fault is in those refractary spirits that out of the humor of contradiction rather then reason refuse to kneele with the rest of the congregation that so there may neither be vnitie in heart nor vniformitie in gesture in the Seruice of God The 6. Reason is Sessio prior potior genuslectione Ratio 6. sitting is more ancient for it is the practise of Christ and his Apostles and it is better then Kneeling therefore we must sit at the Eucharist and not