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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A54945	A discourse of prayer wherein this great duty is stated, so as to oppose some principles and practices of Papists and fanaticks; as they are contrary to the publick forms of the Church of England, established by her ecclesiastical canons, and confirmed by acts of Parliament. By Thomas Pittis, D.D. one of His Majesties chaplains in ordinary. Wherefore, that way and profession in religion, which gives the best directions for it, (viz. prayer) with the most effectual motives to it, and most aboundeth in its observance, hath therein the advantage of all others. Dr. Owen in his preface to his late discourse of the work of the Holy SPirit in prayer, &c.	Pittis, Thomas, 1636-1687.	1683 (1683)	Wing P2314; ESTC R220541	149,431	404

means ordained for their own preservation CHAP. IX THat I may now draw to a conclusion of this Discourse I think I may justly infer from the whole these three Propositions the exemplifying of which I shall be as brief in as I may at least as short as may comport with the bad times in which we live 1. That the Prayers and Service of our own Church The Church of England Established by the known Laws of the Land are composed and performed in such a manner that God will accept them 2. That the Church of Rome offend him with theirs and is most irrationally and abominably peccant in their devotions And 3. That they who live amongst us and yet strangely separate from us under the shelter and pretence of greater Reformation and a more pure Evangelical Worship do not perform their services unto God in such a manner as is suitable to his Attributes and Worship mans dependance and that infinite distance betwixt their Creator and themselves And so upon the whole it must appear to be an unreasonable service First it may be plainly infer'd That the Church of England embodied with the State allowed and strengthned by civil Sanctions worships God in such a manner as he accepts and offers him such a Spiritual Sacrifice with which he is well pleased that can no way be frustrated of its excellent design but by a neglect in the devotionists or the bad lives of those who pretend thus to worship This will appear though not only from that which our Adversaries are pleased sometimes to call a Club Argument because it is Established by a Royal Christian Assent in Parliament And yet this as it makes for the interest of those who contend with us becomes Sacred though at other times when the advice of Parliaments with their own consent is by the King pass'd into a Law if it contra●icts either their Principles or their Humour and 't is difficult to guess which is the Commander it shall be judged hard or sanguinary or not agreeing with that liberty in which Christ has made us free and a Text uttered at first upon a very far different account shall be as frequently urged as it has been answered We ought to obey God rather than men So that such persons are extremely for Government according to Law when this allows or indulges their Principles and their Practice but conclude it to be unequal and unjust when the same Laws condemn and punish them and they seem to be like a noble Traytor accused and now going to his Trial who walks in state and seemingly with an unconcerned mind nay many times with joy and briskness in his countenance when the back of the Ax is turned towards him but when as he comes back again the edge of the fatal instrument of death looks upon him his face is demure he treads the earth with trembling steps and wishes there had been no Law to condemn him and if he has any sprightliness in his looks his end is only by this significant ceremony to persuade the people that he remains innocent and that the Law is hard by which he is condemned though perhaps before when it served his turn and promotion too nothing was like Government according to Law But to leave this Argument because it may grieve some persons whose principles and zeal are managed suitable to their Secular interest although I fear it must be the effectual reason at last to convince them Let us enquire whether the Prayers and Worship of the Church of England are not to be justified another way This being a publick Worship of Christians Embodied and Constituting the Sacred Society of a Church who with unity of hearts and a suitable uniformity meet together in a place devoted to the service of God and separated from vulgar and profane uses the prayers and service must be allowed by reasonable persons to be such as it ought to be uttered in such general expressions as all may be able to consent unto and say Amen at the close and period And where confessions prayers and thanksgivings are more precisely and particularly managed and he who is the mouth of the Congregation invents his own unallowed prayers and pretends to utter the concernments of all though some may be able to joyn in one part and some in another yet 't is very seldom that any one can consent to all and all perhaps had they time to consider could not give their assent to one period besides those that tell God his own or some general things which are usually declared before he comes to what are called soul searching particulars I have heard of a Quaker who vouchsafing to hear one that was not of his own perswasion and finding that the man who pray'd extempore had laid a great heap of Confessions before him and had been very curious in sorting sins into their several kinds and degrees and uttering all in the name of the Congregation he presently as if he had been used to chop Logick makes his inference in this Dilemma Either this man tells lies or this people are very wicked and resolved to have no more to do with them But another perhaps more severe than he may think his conclusion very reasonable when he supposes and infers that the man prays from his own experience and from his particular defects attributes the same to all mankind and causes a multitude to be partakers of his private sins to petition what he only wants and to give thanks for the benefits which he has received And perhaps upon the consideration of all the mouth of the people may at last be thought the worst member among them all whatever his headship may yet signifie But not to confound Closets with Churches nor yet to grant that a single man can hold a great Congregation in his belly Let us take a prospect of our own Church and see whether we can justifie that without finding faults in others In this we offer up to God all those desires of our minds that are fit for men embodied into a Christian Society and who are partakers of the same Communion We confess the general heads of sin of which all being guilty they can from a short reflection upon themselves truly acknowledge that they have been sharers in And if it should be rendered more particular some only might be guilty and so there would be a Schism in our acknowledgements because all could not give their assent without telling a lie to their Maker and supposing themselves more vile than they are And moreover this way of publick Worship would expose all the professors of Christianity to the contempt of those that are enemies to Religion at least adversaries to that of the Gospel We have also in the Service which the Church of England owns upon our Confession Gods free pardon declared to us in that manner as Christ himself has appointed in his Gospel without such an Auricular confession as may give us Knowledge of the

are like the Astrologers at Rome always banished and yet ever here For interest and advantage quickly turn prudence into subtilty and this as soon will erect a fortress to defend it self if it does not also expel honesty out of its neighbourhood Nay this private interest of Honour and Wealth too frequently rules abundance of men in the making Laws submitting to them and executing them too even against all right and publick advantage This we find to have been formerly at Rome For though there was sufficient and notorious evidence that the Books found by Petilius in Numa's grave were certainly his Yet because they were adjudged by the Senate to be contrary to the present customs and Laws of the City and consequently might tell tales and make discoveries and lay that common which was then inclosed they were without any farther enquiry sentenced to be burnt And thus we may without uncharitableness suppose that many deal with Religion Though they are convinced or else dreading the evidence will not have patience to attend the conclusion of an argument that what our Church professes and injoins is naked truth Yet because either its embracement or defence may at present or succeeding times lay them open to some temporal troubles or inconveniences they will neither be honest to God nor Baal but trim betwixt both keeping their own Boat upright let the tide and the waves beat which way they will And by another Metaphor cut with whiskers or shave all off and either they halt betwixt two Opinions or if they profess one they will leave it when a storm ariseth and follow our blessed Lord himself only whilst the loaves last but desert him if he once wants bread In an instance hinted at a little before when Idolatry was like to fall at Ephesus and then the Images could not stand by the powerful Preaching of St. Paul the people began to entertain an opinion that they were no gods which were made with hands But at last Demetrius a City Orator and for ought I know Master of his Company assembled all his Crafts-men together and informs them that their livelihood would be in danger and their trade set at nought if such Doctrine as Christianity should be prevalent among them As soon therefore as they understood that in the concernment of their Religion their trade was involved by which they were to make out their fortunes in this World and that the Image of Diana was that which supported them they quickly gave a check to their own hesitations in matter of Religion the grandeur of Diana was presently concerned they grew full of wrath for what they had a favourable opinion of and cried out with the largest throat they could make even for the full space of two hours Great is Diana of the Ephesians Acts 19. So wonderfully prevalent is the sence of gain as if it were the only godliness for or against any Religion in the World among men who only value the subtilty of the Serpent but do not regard the innocence of the Dove And now upon the view of this can any of us secure our selves that they who are enemies to the Church of England whatever friendship there may be among themselves do not share in this thing Can we conclude that they exalt not Schism for wealth or reputation Or upon any equilibrious or probable arguments so much as hope that they adhere to a party where all profess the same faith without some respects and designs that are far different from the Christian Religion and Protestant interest If not Then amongst English men that bid defiance to the Pope and much more in those who are not so much as Christians at large 't is neither the external deportments of men their fluency of language nor any of their seeming zeal or raptures that can evidence to us that their worship is such as becomes the glory or greatness of the Deity or agreeable to the reason of mankind since gain will force men to appear godly in spight of all our teeth and though they are bit never so severely if they please they will run on still till ye do not only catch them but hold them fast But let us leave the shell and pick out the kernel If we can find any in such a Controversie as this and a Maggot is not got into the Nut Let us travel from the Porch to the Temple and view both their Sacrifice and Altar if that word be not prophane and see well whether the fire heats parallel to the blaze it makes among them Let us look into the Modes by which our Brethren-adversaries make their addresses to Almighty God and judge whether their prayers or deportment is suitable to that respect which in solemn invocations is rationally due to the Divine Majesty and that infinite Being whom Christian men pretend to adore The usual way of the Native Protestants of England who Dissent from the Liturgy and Church Established in this Nation by Law among us is to pray to God without premeditation in relation unto words and as some affirm matter too expecting in this assistances from the Spirit of God notwithstanding all their rational faculties and external helps though 't is no way promised in this sence and so they cannot ponder before-hand what is sitting to be offered to their Maker Now can it possibly be consistent with the greatness of that power which disposes and confers the Crowns and Scepters of this lower World to admit such addresses which must be indigested and therefore rude If these men themselves were to petition any Earthly Prince for either a pardon or place of advantage they would very well consider both the matter and the form that neither inconvenience or absurdity might be mixed with the one nor rudeness or too much familiarity enter into the composition of the other Nay whosoever are chosen to present it are usually persons not only of integrity but prudence too not only such as may be acceptable to the Prince but they who have a deportment suitable to Majesty that can demean themselves with such humility and lowliness accompanied with a correspondent desire not only to represent the grievance of the petitioners but their affection too signifying the testimonies of the seriousness of their minds by the external gravity and submission expressed in the gestures and actions of their bodies And can any think that the great God when we make Religious addresses to him can be well pleas'd with what we account an affront to men since he is a rational living and infinite Being 'T is true indeed we have found some in the world who anciently worshipped Mercury by railing and Hercules by throwing stones at him But surely the God whom Christians pretend to serve is neither deaf that he cannot hear nor because he is strong is he become insensible Reverence and a most awful fear are suitable ornaments for him to wear who pretends to approach the Almighty to adore him for he is

The reason why I insist not now on such things as these is because the main Subject of my Discourse being prayer only I would not have my inferences transgress the Rule in charging Adversaries with such Errors as are not plainly to be concluded from the premisses It will be sufficient at this time to shew how abominable the Popish allowed prayers are without intermixing the things that attend them Now the Papists must needs offend God with their publick prayers and consequently must enrage instead of appeasing him because they are not suitable to his Sacred word nor that Worship which Christians in the purest times used in their publick Divine Service And this will be confirmed by two reasons 1. Because their publick Prayers are in an unknown tongue 2. Because they pray to creatures when they ought to pray to God only First The Publick Prayers of the Romish Church are in an unknown tongue sometimes unknown to the Priest himself who by the help of accents the advantage he has of hiding his infirmities in those he pretends as he is directed to repeat secretly and by frequent use can untowardly pronounce them But more especially are they unknown to the people at least the generality of them who cannot with any reason be supposed to understand languages beyond what their Mothers taught them unless Mother Church can inspire them with cloven tongues and turn all its Children into Apostles For Latin in which the Roman publick prayers are uttered is now become a learned Language in all those Dominions which the Pope overspreads and shadows with his wings and the gaining of it requires a distinct from vulgar education it being the general Language of no Country in the World and therefore how should the multitude of a Nation understand it Now Publick Prayer as I have shewed before ought to be so composed for matter and words that all who are bound to join in it should fully understand it that they may apprehend before they give their consent to it that so they may heartily agree in each petition and say Amen at the close and period But how can people possibly consent or intend their minds and engage their affections with any reason to such a service which is uttered in a language which they understand not In such a case they may by the imposition of anther blaspheme God when they think that they adore him and wish for a curse instead of a blessing And yet this is the general practice of the Roman Church And would be as it was in England were it established again Though I may notwithstanding without disparagement to any suppose that many that may peruse this writing however many that heard it from the Pulpit cannot pretend to understand Latin And yet this Service is what all persons in the Roman Communion are obliged to under most rigid and severe penalties unless they will renounce the Decrees of that Council beyond the Controversie of our Neighbouring Nation which they must own to be general and infallible though both the adjuncts are falsly applied For the Council of Trent Sess 22. cap. 8. determines for this unreasonable and brutish service and obliges those who understand not the Language But not without due caution in the Decree that a power of dispensing may remain to the Pope in cases that may best serve his turn with those to whom he thinks fitting to appoint Prayers in their vulgar Language who may be inclinable to receive or else to recall banished Popery For the Council has worded their Decree of this as if they were afraid of the Objections of those who on the Apostles side maintain prayers in a Known Tongue but despise the contrary viz. That it has seemed to the Fathers not to be expedient that every where Mass should be laid in the vulgar tongue This not to be expedient is a soft expression which they can when they please explain effectually that it is not lawful and every where when it serves their turn will be easily exchanged for any where But it helps Bellarmin very much in his answer to the argument against the necessity of Latin Service from the Popes Dispensation to the Moravians to use the Sclavonian Language in their Divine Offices and helps forward the like Dispensation to our selves for a present turn in this matter were we so well prepared as a late executed Papist thought to acknowledge the Supremacy of the Pope and in other things to conform so much to the Romish Church that it might in time be again compleatly planted amongst us that so the Pope might receive plentiful fruits from those trees which from Rome he had transplanted into so rich a soil as England is But at last without question whatever might be granted at the first we should be served as Bellarmin tells us the Moravians were even turned wholly to our Latin Service when the Pope had raised Bishops and Priests of his own to advance themselves and curb others and England were well inhabited by Italians But they who can dispense with Gods Law may easily dispense with one of their own Especially an Indulgence in some things may be a convenient instrument to confound the principles which men being used to are loth to renounce all at once and to introduce others gradually till they embrace all Thus 't is usual for one who intends to drive a flock of sheep before him he will let them feed beyond their bounds till he is got on the commanding side of them and then he drives them into what Coop or Pen he pleases And truly we who by the favour of God and piety of Princes Profess the truly Ancient and Apostolick Faith had need walk circumspectly and look about us for fear of those Popish snares that are set for us by Popish Emissaries to catch and imprison us first that they may in triumph lead us Captives to their great Prince and Master For the Pope is like the old Serpent if you once allow him his desired Supremacy he will quickly become Infallible and then our whole Cause is lost Give him but an hole for his head to peep through and it will not be long ere he wriggles in his whole body But Blessed be God we have no need of him though he plainly discovers that he has need of us Nor do we desire to partake in or rob him of his service but to continue in our own most holy Worship And if we can help it he shall not take it away from us 'T is true indeed some Romanists have thought us to be readily prepared for their Communion being qualified with vice and debauchery enough which they themselves have been teaching us for many years taking their advantage from that unlimited Loyal joy which possess'd the Nation at the Kings Return to take his Right and to sit upon that Throne from which he was barr'd by Usurpation and Force But this great Restauration being the handy-work of God the Devil and Rome thought