Primitive Church or any one of the Inferiour Clergy with the Allowance of his Bishop did ever undertake to perform the Public Worship of Almighty God without the Use of the Lord's Prayer I do most confidently Aver That the want of the Practical Understanding of the Lord's Prayer is the chief Cause of all the Sins and Errours in the Christian World Wherefore I earnestly beseech all those that have Named the Name of Christ to joyn with me in the daily Contemplation of the Divine Sence of these Words deliver'd unto us by our Blessed SAVIOUR as a Compleat Directory for All Our Desires OUr Father which art in Heaven Hastowed be Thy Name Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven Give us this Day our Daily Bread And forgive us our Trespasses as we forgive them that Trespass against us And lead us not into Temptation but deliver us from Evil. For Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory for ever and ever Amen A Vindication of the LITURGY of the Church of England THE Author of these Reflections most stedfastly resolves by the Help of Almighty GOD to embrace Truth and to reject Error wheresoever he finds it He desires That the Friends of R. B. would take these Reflections into their deepest consideration with the same candour and benevolence to all Mankind with which he communicates them to the World I am glad to find these words pag. 233 234. I would not be understood as if I intended the putting away of all set Times and Places to Worship God forbid I should think of such an Opinion Nay we are none of those that forsake the Assembly of our selves together but have even set Times and Places in which we carefully meet together to wait upon God and worship him These words following in the same Page require our Animadversion But the Limitation we condemn is That whereas the Spirit of God should be the immediate Actor moreover Perswader and Influencer of Man in the particular Acts of Worship when the Saints are met together this Spirit is limited in its Operations by setting up a particular Man or Men to preach and pray in Man's Will and all the rest are excluded from so much as believing that they are to wait for God's Spirit to move them in such things and so they neglecting that which should quicken them in themselves and not waiting to feel the pure Breathings of God's Spirit so as to obey them are led meerly to depend upon the Preacher and hear what he will say Answ. I shall undertake by God's assistance to vindicate the Use of the Liturgy of the Church of England the principal parts whereof are the Lord's Prayer and the Holy Psalms I say the Psalms for they are to be us'd in our Religious Assemblies as the Means or Instruments to lift up our Hearts unto God I would here avoid all Disputes concerning the Ordination of Ministers In our Assemblies the People bear a part with the Minister or Preacher in using their Voice in worshiping Almighty God The Spirit cannot be limited in its Operations by any thing that is taught or practised according to any Order of the Church of England We are taught not to Pray in Man's Will but according to the Will of GOD which is our Sanctification We are taught to wait for God's Spirit to move us to the performance of any thing He would have us to do but we are taught also to believe that God's Spirit is always ready to assist the Sincere those who desire above all things to do His Will to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth in Saying or Hearing the Words of our Liturgy in the Congregation The very moment that any Soul truly devout waits for or expects the assistance of the Spirit of Christ to help her to perform any known Duty towards GOD or towards Man she never fails to receive it Concerning the Psalms I shall speak hereafter It is the Duty of all Christians at all times and in all places to retain in their Hearts the Habit Ground or Principle of all those Holy Desires which are exprest in the Lord's Prayer this 't is to pray continually When the words of this Prayer are recited in the Congregation it is impossible but those who have the Habit of those Holy Desires in their Hearts should worship God in Spirit and in Truth viz. in the act or exercise of those Desires by the inspiration of the Divine Spirit whose operation never ceases but when Man in his own Will or Self-love doth suppress or totally extinguish such Holy Desires or Aspirations I am very sorry to see so ingenious and learned a person as R. B. err so grosly about the Lord's Prayer in which he shews himself tainted with that Impurity of Mind for which Dr. Owen has been so often corrected p. 245. We know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us c. Rom. 8. 26. But says R. B. If this Prayer had been such a prescribed Form of Prayer to the Church that had not been true neither had they been ignorant what to pray nor should they have needed the help of the Spirit to teach them p. 245. To this I answer That it is impossible that any man should actually know as they ought to know the sence or meaning of any word in the Lord's Prayer but by an actual Influence of the Divine Spirit upon his Heart and Mind I must therefore proclaim to all the World That it was the Spirit of Error which suggested these words to R. B. If this Prayer had been such a prescribed Prayer to the Church that had not been true neither had they been ignorant what to pray nor should they have needed the help of the Spirit to teach them By what I have already said it appears that if by these words our Adversaries c. p. 264. he means all those who worship God according to the English Liturgy he 's very Uncharitable Our Adversaries says he whose Religion is all for the most part out-side and such whose Acts are the meer product of Man's natural Will and Abilities as they can preach so they can pray when they please and therefore have their set particular Prayers Answ. We acknowledge that we can never pray as we ought but by the assistance of the Spirit of God but his Assistance is always ready for us If at any time we fail of it we our selves are the cause we have it not As to set particular Prayers we own no Prayer but the Lord's Prayer further than the sense of it is implied in some part of that Compleat Body of Vocal Prayer that Divine Summary or Breviary of the Expressions of all holy Desires p. 266. Because this outward Prayer depends upon the inward as that which must follow it and cannot be acceptably perform'd but as attended with a superadded Influence and Motion of the Spirit Therefore
one of a thousand that can make shift to understand Latine are competent Judges of a Style but measure things by the scantness of their own skill in the Tongue As Theophrastus his Character of a Country man in his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is touching his receiving Mony that he would cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because he had not the skill to discern what was current and what not But for any little fidling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 where any such occur I leave the Reader to mend as I declare after the Syllabus Scriptorum c. to all the World The Employment you hug your self in is a very noble and weighty Employment and if you see your Labour succeed in your hand you need envy no man's Happiness that fancy themselves in an higher or more splendid Condition besides that our stay here upon Earth is but for a moment so that if men were not intoxicated with the unwholesome Fumes of the World they would be ashamed of their so much stickling to get the most Counters and Cherry-Cobs These be Seneca's Pueri Barbati And to avoid that Sarcasm one would think it were the humour of the Age so universally to cut off their Beards that such Stoics may not pull them by them How one should be Affected in Divine Worship your intimations are sound and right so far as I see and your Study of condescending to the capacity of meaner people highly laudable And if you can engage Sir S. to read over with you that Manual you mention and seriously to consider it I hope with God's Blessing it may do him much good Your Poetry is handsome upon the Anagram of the Name of the Gentleman's Father But still I advise you to heat your self no more than needs must With my commendations committing you all to God's gracious keeping I take leave and rest Dear SIR Your Affectionate Friend to serve you Hen. More C. C. C. Aug. 10th 1682. SIR I humbly thank you for your Accumulation of Favours RO. SHARROCK THese following Verses I Present to all Pious Readers particularly to those who with me enjoy'd the Friendship of these Excellent Men whose Names shall be esteem'd amongst the Learned as better than Pretious Ointment through all Generations Reflections on a Passage in some Printed Verses Entituled An Essay of Friendship Thy Contemplation yields more Ioy Than all the Transports of the winged Boy 1. WHere Souls indeed united are Without the mixture of gross Sense No Time or Chance their Ioys impair Advanc'd to Pure Intelligence 2. Wit Learning Beauty Vertue All That comes from GOD they quickly spy Not only what Men here so call But what 's such in Capacity 3. They who Immortal Souls can love Do All Created Beauty View Since beyond Time their Thoughts still move What they enjoy is always New 4. See sprightly Youths substantial Joy What you pursue is but a Sliade In Paradice your Thoughts employ There Love's Pure Flowers shall never Fade Upon my being Recover'd out of a kind Apoplectical Fit by a spoonful of Cold Water poured into my mouth 1693. BAPTISMAL WATER thus Revives Souls that by Sin have lost their Lives My Soul and Body both Restor'd To Life by the Almighty WORD I' th' use of Water I would be My IESUS so Devote to Thee That from henceforth there be no Fire In me but that which doth aspire To Heav'n above from whence it came In One Pure Everlasting Flame Thus Water sprinkled on my Fire Shall make the Flame still mount the higher That the remainder of this Life may be No stay on Earth but an Ascent to Thee My Reverend Friend I Receiv'd yours and that enclosed by the last Post and this comes with my love and respects to return my Thanks Though I know well enough that I have many Accusers it was in you the part of a Friend to let me know what Crimes they lay to my charge For my not visiting my Diocess I have this to say My great Age and many Infirmities disable me personally to do it being now within a few months 82 years old When I came to the Bishoprick I appointed a Visitation printed Articles and sent them to the Arch-Deacons but when I should have set upon that work I found that I was not able to take such large Journies and do the business which should have been done in them so that upon the sense of my own Disability and my Friends Advice I appointed my Chancellor and Commissioners to Visit for me that time and writ a long Letter to my Brethren the Clergy containing Directions for their Studies and Conversation such as had I been able to have gone in person I should have deliver'd to them by word of mouth in the Speeches I was to make in several places I did afterwards Visit by my Chancellour and Commissioners once or twice Then my Arch-Deacons of which I have 6 in my Diocess Visiting twice a Year I gave them a charge and directions diligently to do it and if any dubious or difficult business happen'd which they could not so really reform I requir'd them to bring it to me that I might Auxiliis consiliis assist them And on this Account I have personally determin'd more Causes especially Cases of Conscience than any of my Accusers ever did or may be ever could But Innocence is no fence against a false Tongue far better Men have been calumniated and I have no reason to expect freedom from what all good Men endure Calumnies However I hope by God's Blessing to have so much Religion and Christian Charity as to pardon and pray for my Enemies and never though it were in my power do nor wish them any harm I thank you for your Animadversions upon Dr. S. How he will be able to justifie those Propositions or give any probable sense of them to free them from Heresie if not Blasphemy I know not Ipse viderit I am Your Affectionate Friend and Brother Tho. Lincolne Buckdon Sept. 1 st 1688. Reverend SIR Sar. Aug. 24. 83. I Congratulate to you the truth of what you learn by the Experience That all things work together for good to them that love God even Crosses and Afflictions sweetned with Joy in the Holy Ghost and whilst you have That you may part with Sir Sandy's Fortescue as you did with your dearer Friend not with contentment only but comfort whilst you live the life of Faith and do believe you shall go to them as well as after them What you Transcribe out of St. Chrysostom is as comfortable as it is true God deals with us as we with our little ones sometimes let 's us fall gently that we must cry to him for help and perfects us by Sufferings as well as the Captain of our Salvation afflicts because he loves us and fits us for himself by both My Latine Book you will have from Mr. Davis whom I hope you have written to for it you will find as full of
cannot we prefix set times to pray outwardly so as to lay a necessity to speak words at such and such times whether we feel this Heavenly Influence and Assistance or no for that we judge were a tempting of God and a coming before him without due preparation To this I answer That whatever feeling we have or have not in the Sensitive Powers or Faculties of our Souls if our Heart our Will or Spiritual Appetite be rightly affected towards God our Prayers will most certainly be acceptable unto Him And His Holy Spirit is always ready to assist every man that believeth in Iesus so to order and dispose his own Spirit that it may comply with the Will of God in all things It cannot be a Tempting of God to depend upon him for his gracious Assistance to do his Will And it is his Will that in our Religious Assemblies we should use Words in Prayer When ye pray say Our Father c. Luk. 11. 2. p. 268. To desire a man to fall to Prayer e're the Spirit in some measure less or more move him thereunto is to desire a man to see before he open his Eyes That is an irreverent Expression To fall to Prayer but most certainly it is our Duty to call upon all men who profess Christianity to observe the Times of the Public Worship of Almighty God and to testifie to them that if they will sincerely trust in God for Christ's sake to assist them by his holy Spirit they shall never fail of his gracious Assistance He will help their Infirmities and enable them to cry Abba Father Rom. 8. 15 26. P. 275. As for the formal customary way of Singing it hath in Scripture no foundation nor any ground in true Christianity yea besides c. Answ. If by the formal customary way of Singing he mean that way of Singing Psalms in Metre or the reading of them in prose which the Church of England is accustomed unto It is a gross Errour to say there is no foundation for it in the Scripture Have we not received a Precept from our Blessed Lord by his Apostle to sing and make melody in our Hearts to the Lord And can there be any better means to do this than what the Apostle prescribes in these words Speaking to your selves in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs Can there be any better Psalms c. than those which were most certainly and unquestionably compos'd by Divine Inspiration Yea says he besides all the Abuses incident to Prayer and Preaching it hath this more peculiar That oftentimes great and horrid Lyes are said in the sight of God for all manner of wicked prophane People take upon them to personate the Experiences and Conditions of blessed David which are not only false as to them but also as to some of more Sobriety who utter them forth as where they will Sing sometimes Psal. 22. 14. My heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels Ver. 15. My strength is dryed up like a potsheard and my tongue cleaveth to my jaws and thou hast brought me into the dust of death And Psal. 6. 6. I am weary with my groaning all the night make I my bed to swim I water my couch with my tears And many more which those that speak know to be false as to them To this I answer That all the Prayers of wicked prophane People that is of those who persist in their Wickedness whatever words they use in Prayer are an abomination to the Lord. What then Must they be forbid to pray No surely But in Praying they must cease to be wicked And indeed it is impossible that any wicked man should cease to be wicked before he begins to pray Prayer has always that Priority to ceasing to be wicked which Logicians call Priority of Nature Before any man can be justly esteemed to be a Member of any Christian Assembly or Congregation he must profess that he believes the Holy Scriptures were written by Divine Inspiration and consequently that they contain nothing but Truth And also that he resolves by the help of God to take the Truth therein contained to be the Rule of his Life and Conversation If he be Sincere in this Profession and God only can judge whether he be so or no unless he violate his Profession by some notorious contrary Practice then most certainly he has in his Heart those Holy Desires which are exprest in the Lord's Prayer And as for the Psalms I pray God to make all the Adversaries of the Church of England duly sensible of this most important Truth That though indeed there are many Passages in them which none of us can apply to himself as to the Particularity of his own Person yet there is not one Passage in the whole Book but what every true Christian may and ought to apply to himself upon account of the Communion of Saints of the relation He has to the Head and to every Member of the Holy Catholick Church which is in Heaven or in Earth So that every Expression in the Book of Psalms every sincere Christian so far as it is intelligible unto him may use as the Means to stir him up to Sing and make Melody in his Heart to the Lord to form such Thoughts and Affections as shall be most acceptable to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Certainly every Man that is confirm'd to the Image of the Son of God who was all his days here upon Earth A man of Sorrows and acquainted with Grief I say every Sincere Christian does most certainly pour out his Soul before the Lord in such Affections as are here exprest in the words of the Psalmist My heart is like wax it is melted in the midst of my bowels c. I am highly delighted with many Passages in Robert Barclay's Apology particularly with this p. 370. It is plain that men that are taken with Love whether it be of a Woman or any other thing if it hath taken a deep place in the Heart and possess the Mind it will be hard for the man so in Love to drive out of his Mind the person or thing so loved Yea in his eating drinking and sleeping his Mind will always have a tendency that way and in Business or Recreations however intent he be in it there will but a very short time be permitted to pass but the Mind will let some Ejaculations forth towards its Beloved And albeit such a one must be conversant in those things that the Care of this Body and such-like things call for yet will he avoid as Death it self to do those things that may offend the Party so beloved or cross his Design in obtaining the thing so earnestly desired tho' there may be some small use in them The great Design which is chiefly in his Eye will so balance him that he will easily look over and dispense with such petty Necessities rather than endanger the loss of the greater by them Now That
in 'T is true some of the Poets amongst the Heathen were as wanton and impure in their Imagination as lascivious and profane in their Writings as T. Hobbs's Encomiast Ab. C. But were not the most Eminent of the Ancient Philosophers yea and many of the Heathen Poets of another mind Does not Aristotle say expresly Ethic. Lib. 4. Cap. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He can never be worthy of Honour who is addicted to Vice for Honour is the Reward of Vertue and is given to Good and Vertuous Men. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 A good Man is truly Honourable What says the Wisest of the Latin Authors M. T. Cicero concerning the Reasons of the Honour they attributed to Iupiter by which Name they signified the Maker of Heaven and Earth Lib. 2. de Natura Deorum Ipse Jupiter id est Iuvans Pater quem conversis casibus appellamus â Iuvando Iovem â Poetis Pater Diâ—â—â—que Hominumque dicitur â Majoribus autem nostris Optimus Maximus quidem ante Optimus id est Beneficentissimus quà m Maximus quia majus est certèque gratius prodesse omnibus quà m opes magnas habere Iupiter was called by our Ancestors the Most Good and the Most Great and truly the Most Good that is the Most Gracious and Beneficient before the Most Great and Powerful because it is More Great and certainly More Acceptable to do Good to all Men than to have the fulness of Wealth and Power Could T. H. be ignorant of that Divine Saying of the Poet Iuvenal Nobilitas sola est atque unica Virtus Vertue 's the only Nobility that is to say Is that for which onely Men ought to be Honoured Prima mihi debes animi bona Sanctus haberi Iustitiaeque tenax factis dictisque mereris Agnosco Procerem Juven Sat. 8. These and some of the preceding Verses are thus Traslated by my Learned Friend Dr. Barten Holyday Though in thy Hall Wax-Images we see Vertue 's the only True Nobility Live like good Paulus Cossus Drusus and Before thy Statues let these Worthies stand Let these before thy Consuls Rods still go To me the Riches of the Mind first owe. Deserv'st to be held pure and just tow'rds Men In Word and Deed I 'll grant thee Noble then Is not the Word Turpe i. e. Base and Dishonourable the Epithet which the Ancient Heathen gave to Injustice and all other Vice Honour saith he consisteth only in the Opinion of Power Ans. Honour consisteth indeed in the Esteem of true Power but that is never separated from true Goodness which implies Iustice and all other Vertues Go ye Hobbists and hide your heads for shame and never more appear in the Defence of so vile a Sophister who might have learnt from the Admirable Boetius if his Pride had permitted him what Power is which he saw but confusedly as in a Dream which is indeed the Object of Honour Lib. 4. de Consolatione Philosophiae Bonorum quidem Potentia malorum verò minimè dubit abilis apparet infirmitas c. Veramque illam Platonis esse sententiam liquet solos quod desiderent facere posse sapientes Improbos verò exercere quidem quodlibeat quod vero desiderent explere non posse Faciunt enim quaelibet dum per ea quibus delectantur id bonum quod desiderant se adepturos putant sed minime adipiscuntur quoniam ad beatitudinem probra non veniunt It is evident That Good Men are always powerful that Wicked Men are most feeble and impotent And the Truth of that Saying of Plato cannot be doubted That only Wise Men do what they desire but that the Wicked exercise their Lusts but are never able to accomplish their Desires for they do whatsoever their Lusts prompt them unto whilst by those courses by which they gratifie their sensual Inclinations they hope to attain to that Good which they desire but they never attain thereunto for 't is impossible that Villany should approach to True Happiness It is most evident by T. H. his own words Chap. 11. Felicity is a continual Progress of the Desire from one Object to another the attaining of the former being still but the way to the latter that he was one of those of whom Plato spake when he said The Wicked exercise their Lusts but are never able to accomplish their Desires Chap. 14. The Right of Nature says T. H. which Writers commonly call Ius Naturale is the Liberty each Man hath to use his own Power as he will himself for the preservation of his own Nature that is to say of his own Life and consequently of doing any thing which in his own Judgment and Reason he shall conceive to be the aptest means thereunto Here he expresses a plain contempt of the words of our Blessed Saviour and consequently before all the World renounces his Christianity Luk. 14. 26. If any man will come to me and hate not his Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also he cannot be my Disciple It is manifest and unquestionable that by a Man's hating his own life we are to understand his abhorring the Preservation of it by any Unlawful Means Whereas this Industrious Agent for the Kingdom of Darkness would have us believe that a man may do any thing by the Right of Nature which he conceives to be the aptest Means to preserve this transitory Life which Heathens have been willing to part with rather than they would violate their Faith What would the brave Regulus have thought of this Philosopher falsely so call'd I flame with Indignation against the Spirit and Genius of such an Enemy to Christianity that has named the Name of Christ considering the many Excellent and Christian-like Sentences I read in the Verses of some Heathens as well as in the Writings of the Stoicks and other Philosophers particularly in his Verses who was so much taken with Regulus s Fidelity to his most cruel Enemy How like a Christian does he write of a Good Man Carm. Lib. 4. Ode 9. Duramque callet Pauperiem pati Pejusque Letho flagitium timet Non ille pro charis Amicis Aut Patriâ timidus perire Which that Excellent Person Sir R. F. translates thus If he know how hard Want to bear And fear a Crime more than his End If for his Country or his Friend To stake his Life he doth not fear As for T. H. his Mad Conceits concerning Liberty and Necessity his asserting That the HOLY ONE is the Cause of all Sinful Purposes c. since they are so generally abhorr'd even by those Persons who assert such Propositions from which the same most execrable Conclusions may be inferr'd I think it not requisite that I should spend any time in animadverting on them in these Papers And as for those Propositions from which I say such black Conclusions may be inferr'd I think I have plainly refuted them by the Truth