as the truth of prayers and these may be but breathings after God and Christ yet they have a voice as loud in Gods eare as is thunder in ours Wee will draw to a close Who ever hath the spirit of Grace hath also the spirit of supplication who may be in a groane as well as in a prayer Whence we may conclude That he who hath this spirit hath no need of a prayer-booke whereafter to pray If you grant he hath th' one in his heart he will disdaine we thinke to take the other into his hand The Good Spirit is his Great Helper at this great and high service when he is engageing upon it Take this withall if please you it pleaseth this Babe very well Non actibus sed finibus pensantuâ— officia for it makes much for his comfort That his Duties are weighed and reckoned upon not by their Acts but by their ends SECT IV. WEE have humbly given our opinion in way of satisfaction to those two Queries relating to prayer under that Generall notion And here wee have forborne to reply any thing to the customes and practises of primitive times and times more lately by-past for first They plead for formes of prayer in their publique places wee plead against the use of them in our private Closets Secondly Againe wee are to walke close up to the rule of Gods word and not by the practise and precepts of men whereunto something hath been hinted before more than once thirdly Wee have replyed nothing to Johns teaching his Disciples to pray by giving them a forme of prayer to say which is not so cleare to us that so he did but wee may speake more to it hereafter CHAP. II. WEE come now to that speciall prayer which by good warrant wee call the Lords prayer and to make answer as wee can and as the Lord shall assist to six Queries thereupon But first wee may not dissemble what we finde written by worthy Hild and excellent Perkins That the Lords prayer may be sayd by us as wee read it Our blessed Saviour prescribed to his Disciples a forme of prayer not onely to be to them and his whole Church a rule and sampler according to which all our prayers should be framed as appeares Mat. 6. 9. After this manner pray yee but even for them and to say tying themselves to the very words of it as appeareth Luke 11. 2. When you pray say Our Father So worthy Hild excellent Perkins speakes in these words The Lords prayer is a direction and as it were a sampler to teach us how and in what manner we ought to pray None is to imagine That wee are bound to use these words onely and no others for the meaning of Christ is not to bind us to the words but to the matter and to the manner and to the like affections in prayer And then a little after making answer to the third plea against the use of the Lords prayer Hee answers That therefore the rather it should be used as a prayer But he makes no proofe hereof unlesse this which followes may be taken for a full proofe Sure it is that ancient and worthy Divines have râ—verenced it as a prayer choosing rather to use the same words than any other as Cyprian Tertullian Augustine And so concludes Wherefore this opinion that the Lords prayer is not to be used as a prayer is full of ignorance and errour SECT II. THus wee have dealt faithfully in setting downe what we find pleaded for the saying of the Lords prayer Yet we hope to acquit our selves of both these Ignorance and Errour in the words of truth and sobernesse though our Judgements bend from Mr Hilds words That our Saviour gave his Disciples that prayer to say tying themselves to the very words nor can we fall in with these ancient Divines choosing rather to use those words in prayer than any other Wee shall in all humility and modesty interpose our judgement against this without making the least reflection upon the good knowledge excellent learning and Godlinesse of these two men the one famous for all these all over this Nation the other over all the Christian world And therefore how loath are wee to make mention of these things But that here is a necessitie for it because they that are such sticklers for formes of prayer and are resolved to bare themselves up upon those crutches They also who as far can be observed never used any other prayer but the Lords prayer doe catch at such sayings as these coming from such excellent men when they slightingly passe over what they may find in every page for their edification wee were saying full loath we are to meddle in these things but for the reason above-said Though wee hope wee shall doe but our duty herein which is to bring the sayings of men to the sayings of God The words of men to the words of God as to their standard or scale where they must be weighed in the ballance of the Sanctuary SECT III. HEE is a perfect man that slips not with his tongue and as perfect is hee that slips not with his pen Dabimus veniam petimusque vicissim wee give and wee crave the same pardon But still wee take leave to doe our dutie finding wee have such warrant for it to examine the forementioned words by the touchstone of Gods word Those brave and generous Bereans did shew Act. 17. 11 12 themselves to be such by inquiring into and questioning the Apostles words who yet if any in the world might have been beleeved upon his ipse Dixit his owne word for it that Apostle might It was enough that Paul sayd it no not enough for these truely wise Bereans they have a sure word to goe by and to that word they will bring the Apostles words to inquire of them whether they be the words of truth as wee doe inquire whether it be true gold by the touchstone and fining pot They that receive the word with all readinesse of mind will with the same readinesse search the Scriptures dayly whether those things be so or no. And behold a blessed effect of this Many of them beleeved Wee think this was spoken before If so so much the more wee should observe it SECT IV. BEfore we proceed to our next Chapter we desire the Reader to observe for the close of this That these excellent men have but spoken their owne words and given us their owne perswasion as to the matter of our enquiry onely the later of them tells us the Judgement of others Cyprian Tertullian and Augustine these chose rather to pray in these very words But what is this to us if we cannot understand our Lords words as they did Indeed we find Cyprian hath a whole Sermon of the Lords prayer which in order is his sixt And it was so cleare to him All were to pray in those very words that he concludeth That to pray in any other words argueth not
A TREATISE OF PRAYER Two Quaeries resolved touching formes of Prayer And Six Quaeries relating specially to the LORDS PRAYER That the Reader may have full Resolution specially to the fourth of these Queries relating to the Lords Prayer he shall finde in the end of this Treatise That Holy and Learned Mans judgement Dr Owen as to that matter in his Answer to Mr Biddles second question of Prayer Pag. 667 668 669. They who aske not for the Spirit that they may pray in the Spirit are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Brutes and Mutes Chry A Malefactor expecting his sentence to death needs not man or booke to prompt him how to plead for his life He that can reade himselfe Cast and condemned by sinne needs not a booke to prompt him how to plead his pardon Paris of Divine Rhetor Compare with this Jer 3. 13. and Rom 10. 9 10. The Lords Prayer is the mould wherein all the Churches prayers are cast moulded and formed Bez Luk. 11. 2. See to it that God be as well pleased with thee calling Him Father as thou art well pleased to call Him Father Cyp Sermon the sixt upon the Lords prayer â— Thou shalt call me My father and shalt not turne away from Me Jer 3. 19. that is I will put filiall affections awfull thoughts constant resolutions into thy heart and thou shalt not turne away from Me London Printed by M. S. for Henry Cripps in Popes-head-Alley 1656. THE FOURTH TREATISE OF PRAYER Two Queries touching formes of Prayer and six relating to the Lords Prayer I. Whether a wicked man may say that prayer II. Whether our Lord gave His Disciples this prayer that they should pray to His Father in those very words III. Whether a Godly man takes it into his Closet IV. Whether it be comely for a Godly Minister to take it into his pulpit V. Whether John taught his Disciples to pray by giving them formes of prayer to say VI. Whether a Godly parent can teach his childe to pray by giving him any forme of prayer And in speciall by teaching his childe to say the Lords Prayer The Negative in all these is under our Maintenance CHAP. I. WEE shall not enter into the Common place of prayer it is not a place to say much of it and to say little is to say little more than nothing at all It is being mounted on the wheele of Faith the great Engine of the world and wheeles all about there it is an Appeale to God in the Name and Mediation of Christ A committing the cause and Condition of His Church and of His Truth the concernements thereof in Generall His owne in speciall to Him and so takeing fast hold of the Allmightie the Allsufficient God in Christ it hath an Omnipotency in it and can doe what God Himselfe is pleased to doe all things that stand with His good will and pleasure for the support and supply of His Church every faithfull soule there And the carying on of His Truth whereby immortality and light is brought to light in the soule In a word It is the breathing-in and-out of the Spirit of God and of Glory It is that which fetcheth-in all from God through the hand of Christ by the Spirit And the Returne of All to God the first spring and fountaine of all by the same way of Conveyance For he or she that Remembers they have all from God cannot forget to Returne all to Him The Disciple hath all by askeing and it is but aske and have the same he asketh or that which is better he writeth uponall he hath Asked of God The Gift of God His Lord and Master Psal 2. Math. 26. had nothing but by askeing Aske of Me and I will give thee And that He the Mediator of His Church giveth-out unto His people at this present He asketh His Father first Surely the Saint must aske in Faith if he will receive in mercy for so he asketh His Lords leave and acknowledgeth Him to be Lord of the Mannour of 〈◊〉 and Earth To shutt up this and to proceed to what we cheifly intend in this place Prayers are the Embassadours of the pooâ—â— empty soule to God for supply from the aboundant Riches of His grace We say a poore empty Spirit for that is full of prayer and much supplication The poore man Prov. 18. 23. speakes supplications 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intreaties that is his Character and his Dialect But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no sense of povertie there is no prayer for there is a 〈◊〉 temper Rich enough and wanting Revel 3. nothing That person prayeth not or not to purpose it is but a Custome onely and a forme Now we crave leave to put two Questions and humbly to give our perswasion in way of Answer unto both SECT I. 1. WHether persons full of themselves as we are all by nature wholy emptie and swept of all Goodnesse and garnished with noysome lusts the furniture and rich garnish of Math. 12. 44. the uncleane Spirits house whether these are like to helpe themselves by useing sett formes of Prayer 2. Whether Babes in Christ newly converted ones renewed in the Spirit of their mindes have need of formes those crutches and helpes of devotion when they are addressing themselves unto their God Quest â— The first Whether unreasonable and wicked men as all are that have not faith can helpe themselves in this their condition by useing sett formes of prayer Answ To this we humbly give our opinion That they cannot helpe themselves at all but the more they use them the more they are disadvantaged by them the more indisposed to and putt further off from the power of Godlinesse For First The reason of this we take from the Philosophers knowne rule which indeed we thinke falls-in with common Experience That habits whether in good things or in evill are acquired and improved both by continuall exercise These things which we learne for practise we learne by practise as saith learned Dâ— Wilkins Now for any one to habituate or accustome himselfe to formes of prayer that is to prayers made or written by another and said by himselfe shall find himselfe as unable and as hard a matter to come off from them yet off he must come iâ— ever he looke to find acceptance with his God as it is with an Ethiopian to change his skin or the Leopard his spots O! we are much taken with and hardly taken off from formes of prayer we have been accustomed to from our youth up and never found these did the flesh any hurt putting it to Cost as these never did the spirit or hid-man of the heart any good So then these formes of prayer we come with before God doe more indispose us to God and estrange us from Him And it is not good to accustome our selves to that we must leave at last and come off from if ever good be wrought in us or by us Secondly Because we may say of these formes of prayer as is
what lost-ones they are in themselves and that they must be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power if they know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and be found in Him which may put them upon praying that they may profit by hearing Indeed we would take off these sensuall persons not having the Spirit from praying by the booke and Reading the Holy Scriptures as they read them and apply themselves to the hearing Gods Word in season and out of season and attend upon the moovings of the Holy Spirit upon the Word preached which is the Chariot of the Spirit therewith for so it is appointed of God the good Spirit comes into the heart as the Sunne into the house workes Faith there and makes us light in the Lord so as now we can see clearely how to pray and how to read and set our seale to it whereas before we did not pray nor did read the booke neither did we looke thereon * Revel 5. 4. See Bright We say it againe this is the Counsell which hath been given to us and through mercy we have received it and therefore we would give it to others who may be as we were when time was as much versed in reading the Holy Scriptures as they are in praying and all this while as we did slighting the place appointed for Hearing and despising the Word preached there Thus then as we were saying we would advise them to frequent Sermons and give all Diligence to profit thereby we meane to get faith by hearing that therewith they may mixe that they heare and make it profitable unto them For if we enquire at the Holy Oracle we beleeve it will resolve us as to Reading the Holy Scriptures before we have profited by Hearing That the word of God preached which is called we thinke The sword of the Spirit is as different from the Word read in our house as is a sword in the hand of a Mighty man different in point of working or making execution upon our lusts from the sword lifted-up in Georges hand upon a signe-post Give we then all Diligence in Hearing that we may read and pray at home with understanding This is our Counsell and this our Conclusion That whosoever rejecteth it multiplies Transgressions as he multiplies prayers and praises Nor can he think and shew himselfe a man That he shall be taught of the Father who heareth not His Word or that Christ appeares in the presence of God for him in heaven when he visibly and apparently appeares against Him on earth turning His Word behind his back and setting his heart against it We proceed to the second Querie SECT II. Q II. WHether Babes in Christ newly converted ones renewed in the spirit of their mindes have need of formes those commonly called crutches and helpes of Devotion when they appeare before their God Answ We humbly conceive no If they that were Lame before cannot now leape like an Hart yet they can goe to God without a Crutch And this we thinke the Scripture holds forth before us that the Adopted of God in Christ His Sonnes and Daughters have out-growne their Crutches and helpes of Devotion though some of them but Babes in Christ For whensoever The Spirit tells a person he is the sonne or daughter of God having wrought faith in his heart The second thing the Spirit doth it teacheth him to pray that is to Call God Father which is the voice of Gods Spirit in a sanctified soule It enableth him Gâ—la 4. 6 to Cry Abba Father to pray earnestly to be fervent in prayer They were cold prayers before but a lip-labour onely But the Spirit comeing-in to witnesse with his Spirit and bringing faith with Him makes the Childe to goe to God and looke upon Him as a Father whose favour he doubts not off or if he doe he would have his doubts resolved and his evidences cleared and for this he cries and is not helped at all as we conceive by any set forme which heateth the Spirit no more than the Censer is without fire for the Holy Ghost having sanctified the heart and put it into a whole-frame of Grace The heart speakes to God as it is quickned acted and moved by the Spirit of God And herein we would appeale to the experience and practise of all that are but Babes in Christ whether ever they were gainers by any formes of Devotion prayers sett before them And if they say no then they will not be easily perswaded to pray by those formes from which they gaine nothing but more dullnesse drossinesse and indisposednesse in their Spirits It is our perswasion That a child of God who is afflicted with the sense of sinne and affected with the sense of a pardon had rather speake five words to God with his understanding and sutable affections than ten thousand words prompted or suggested to him by a visible Books are a memory without us and memory is a book within us booke before his eye or an invisible his memory And more acceptance should he find with his God He hath told his errand in his owne words perhaps he wants words and can but chatter like a Crane It is as was said a prayer notwithstanding and may crie aloud in the eares of his God It is delivered with understanding with suitable affections with Humility an excellent ingredient in prayer with an inward sense of his Condition It is a good prayer sure and finds acceptance with his God We are generally deceived about prayer It is thinke we a worke of memorie of a good witt a readie invention a voluble tongue This makes an excellent prayer in the esteeme of a mans selfe and in the account of others But this is not prayer Prayer is the worke Mr. Ford. p. 629. 525 526 545 546. of Gods Spirit in a sanctified heart and feeles no need of Crutches to support and beare it up Heaven-ward these help us not we find when we are lame it is granted these hinder us when we are sound The Lord Christ is the Churches Advocate by Office The Spirit her Advocate by Energie and operation All the prayers Rom. 8. 26. which prevaile with God are formed wrought and fashioned in our hearts by the Spirit of God Now we suppose here is a Bâ—be in Christ as weake as Babes are notwithstanding he hath Bez no need of a forme he is in Christ and therefore hath the Spirit of Christ and therefore in the Spirit he can pray The Spirit helpeth his infirmities Rom 8. 26. helpeth The Greek word is very emphaticall a De-compound helpeth as a Father helpeth the little Child at a burden The Child onely puts to his hand the Father his strength Indeed the Father doth all so doth the Spirit in this Babe and if any thing else come to helpe with Him He will not helpe at all If the Crutch doe any
5. 18. Jere 3. 13. he can doe very readily I have sinned spoken from him freely feelingly humbly sincerely as David Job the Prodigall now come to himselfe and as the Babe in Christ can speake it is of more account with his God and more prevailing to encline His eare than all the Rhetoricke in the world suggested to this Babe by anothers tongue or pen. Prayer we have heard say is the key that openeth all Gods Treasuries But now another's key be it never so exactly made to argue it by way of a similitude cannot fit the wards of my locke Our plaine meaning is and without a figure A forme of prayer the exactest that ever was made cannot surely fitt my needes cannot speake out the things that I want to the eares of my God or speake out His prayses for what I have received from Him It cannot reach the troubles of my Soule nor can it tell the Consolation there or suppose it could It would not supplie me with the Spirit By whome I must through Christ present all this before my God for what man 1 Cor. 2. 11 12 knoweth the things of a man save the Spirit of man within him and so forth for it requires our observation through-out We will put a close to this when we have spoken two or three things more very briefly First We conceive that those set formes cannot take any whit with a Babe in Christ one Reason is Because set formes are so taking with us while we are out of Christ we cleave to them as fast as the skin to the flesh or the flesh to the Bone And what we cleave to we plead for Surely it is otherwayes with him or her that is in Christ as the nature is changed so are the actions the desires the affections They remember well they never prevailed any thing by set formes unlesse to the hardening and brawning of their owne hearts The stupifying or deadning of their owne spirits they never prevailed with God to give them a sight of their sinne and forgivenesse of the same for they were never in earnest with Him about this matter if they had they had pleaded with their God in their owne words and not in anothers for them It is the wicked man that sticks to his formes as fast as he cleaves to his sinnes The Babe in Christ not so hee or shee is renewed in the spirit of their minde and therefore stand as much against set formes as the wicked stand for them Secondly Suppose wee for information sake That the person praying hath a sense of the want of that he prayes for That granted we affirme he hath no more need of a set forme teaching him to pray than an hungry man hath to pray for his bread If he hath no sense or feeling of what he prays for which cannot be supposed in a Babe then the set forme of prayer will doe him no good for the forme of prayer is as dead a peice as the heart is and two dead things like two withered stickes cannot enliven and quicken each other Thirdly Wee would appeale to the Conscience of every wicked man seared though it may be as well as to the observation and experience of all the godly that know them and that are acquainted with them whether by their set formes or prayer bookes they have gained more strength against sin or more strength to sin To our seeming the answer must be for so speakes their conversation to the godly that doe observe it by their set formes they have gained more strength to sin thereby their hearts have risen with more opposition against God and indignation against the Godly for it is a ruled case They that sticke fastest to formes of godlinesse are the greatest enemies to the power thereof And this is a knowne Maxime also That a mans lusts are no more shaken by such prayers though he should turne them over as fast as that Antichristian doth his beades than a Giant is shaken by the shaking of a straw in a Pigmies hand Fourthly A forme of prayer is an artificiall prayer made by the art and skill of another and it is but like artificiall breath of bellowes or the like cold whereas naturall breath is hot surely cold praying hath cold working and moves not at all with God as good ask doubtingly as coldly for as the saying is it teacheth God to deny Fifthly Set formes of prayer are too pleasing and sutable to flesh and bloud to be pleasing to God or Good men or to doe the soule any Good That which hath any virtue in it to doe the soule good must hurt the flesh even to a torment that must offend the flesh that doth indeed defend the spirit But this prayer by a prayer-booke doth no more execution upon our lusts than a potgun can against an heard of Harts or a Gun charged with pouder among Armed men It is a lazie sensuall prayer else fleshly mindes would never so plead for it for as was said Give them that which is sweet though it choakes them Per fallacia bona itur ad vera mala through seeming good and pleasant things wee hasten to reall evills As per fallacia mala itur ad vera bona through seeming evill things wee come to true and reall good things It is but a seeming good to please the flesh and but a seeming evill to crosse it as the Babe in Christ doth and wrestleth with God in His strength about it knowing he oweth his flesh nothing but mortification save onely to make it serviceable to his God and his owne soule Sixthly Wee will close with this possibly a Babe in Christ may want convenient utterance by reason of some defect in the tongue or bashfullnesse in the presence of others And upon that account our famous and excellent Perkins but it was forty yeares agoe when formes of prayer were of more account then now they are and the hurt they did not so looked into as now it is and with that allowance you must weigh them if they should not hold waight mooves in this Babes behalfe for a prayer-booke in these very words The Grace and gift of prayer may be shewed in Mr. Ford. 480. reading of a prayer other wayes it would goe very hard with them that want convenient utterance Wee humbly crave leave to say That notwithstanding that want which a Babe in Christ may have there is no want of a prayer-booke though This Babe serveth his God in his spirit who can supply that want yea a greater want than that supposing he could not speake one articulate or distinct word before his God he can pray in his spirit through the mediation of His Son and finde acceptance sure enough his Lord takes not his prayers by number but by waight nay the Lord doth not so much weigh the words of prayer no nor the grace of prayer by the scale as he tryes both by the touchstone Hee not so much regards the number
while He tabernacled among men He put up many prayers to His Father and indeed though Lord of all yet as Mediator of His Church and so a servant to His Father in the Churches behalfe He could have nothing nor Psal 2. 8. Maâ—â— â—6 5â— Heb. 7. 25. hath He to this day but He must aske for it And among all these prayers we read not and quod non ligitur non creditur That this sacred prayer came-out of His sacred lips any more than once Nor have we observed it from the mouths of any of His Apostles or other of His Deare Children Yet we read of their prayers and though short yet were they moulded after this manner That the throne of His Glory may be advanced in their Hearts And that the world and all that which mightily opposeth the lifting-up of the same may be throwne-downe Crushed to the earth and ruined but never heard we this Prayer from their lips nor from any of the Blessed Martyrs Now certainly these being of the Number of That Virgin Company follow their Leader and Commander though haud passibus aequis yet they follow Him and did eye marke and behold His Blessed scope and intendment in all He did or spake SECT III. THe Disciple doth not as we thinke bring this Prayer before His Lord for this were to limit and stint himselfe and so to Restraine prayer which sure was far from the Intent of our Lord to prescribe so Contrary to the workings of His own Spirit in the hearts of His Chosen These find a restraint upon themselves as often as they find not the Blessed Spirit enlargeing of them to pray and then humbled they are when Comforted they cannot be But it is far from them as it was from the Mind of Christ prescribing this prayer to stint themselves so many words and no more as acceptable with their God as so many Ave-Maries and Pater-nosters given out by Number you know by whome A naturall prayer put-up by the strength of Nature is a stinted and a limited prayer But a Spirituall prayer as a Disciples prayer is hath alwayes an Infinitenesse in it his spirit being right set is enlarged to a kind of Infinitenesse in Gods Service There is a Naturall Bias in his soule which inclines him to a limited prayer But we know the strength of the Arme takes away that Bias So the strength of the Inward man takes away this Bias. Though this Disciple is not able to doe what is actually infinite yet his desire is infinite in this That being to deale with an Infinite God were he able to doe ten thousand times more than he doth yet his heart would doe more Oh that I could doe more As he growes in grace so his desire after grace is enlarged as much as a wicked man is after the world and sin he enlargeth his desire as hell and a godly man enlargeth his as Heaven He limits not himselfe Those desires are boundlesse which the Holy Spirit enlargeth to a kinde of Infinitenesse Causing those to Center in the infinite Love of God unto them through Jesus Christ and this is our third Reason SECT IV. THese Disciples have their stated and set times for prayer every day It is true they pray Continually or without Ceasing Acts 10. 2. 1 Thes 5. 17. Prayer never Ceaseth to goe-forth till the grace desired comes-in Though the words of prayer cease in the mouth yet the grace of prayer ceaseth not in the heart But they have their stated times for prayer and the very flower and creame of time it shall be which is appointed for that high Service from hence we prove That the Disciple brings not this prayer before his God He hath more to say and must take more time for it than is taken-up in repeating these words They have many more words to utter before their God we say not than are contained in that prayer for all the Angells in Heaven cannot readily tell us and explaine to us the Contents thereof or what is contained therein but many more â—ords than numerically word for word are Contained therein Therefore he must take time for it and if we may so say the firstling thereof As he prayes to God continually so he praises God continually prayers and praises goe together very few breathings goe betwixt but be they few or many the Disciple takes time for it No sooner is he awake in the morning but he ascribeth to God the Glory Who alone gâ—ve him sleepe which all created strength could not doe and awakned him out of sleepe else he had slept on till the Great Day of the Lord God had come he praiseth his God for this in the Name of Jesus Christ And no sooner is he set upon his leggs but he is upon his knees praising Him with heart and voice That set him on his leggs whereas He might have laid him restlesse upon his pillow where many an head lyeth akeing But how if he be awakned with paine and sorrow upon the flesh to take it-in by the way Notwithstanding he finds matter of praise and his heart enlarged that way He can sing the high prayses of his God for those glorious excellencies that are in Himselfe and for the Emanations or flowings forth of the same by Jesus Christ in the exceeding aboundant riches of His goodnesse to His beloved ones in and through Him and to himselfe in speciall For though his flesh feeles paines upon it yet saith the Spirit I am not sicke mine iniquitie is forgiven my sin is pardoned Hitherto he never found That his Heavenly Father did him any hurt by afflicting him but good a great deale Which may mind you of him Chrysostome tells us off who was acquainted with greifes in his measure as his Lord and Master was in His Churches stead and for her sake that they may never have any hurt therefrom and never came before his God but the first words he spake were praises to his God for his paines and sorrows upon the flesh to use his own words for his hell here as well as for his Heaven hereafter And you may remember another A very good Man who enjoyed health and wealth all was prosperous with him for fiftie yeares together and after the Date of those yeares he had scarce a Comfortable day to the houre of his death But this is for our Learning how praise-full was he That his God spared him so many good dayes and instructed instructed him to that Discretion as to make an improvement of them therein to lay-up as we say for a rainy day or spending time and to beare his Crosses now they are come willingly and more rejoyceingly for he found no losse by them Indeed this is the Glorious Priviledge of Disciples really and indeed such Amidst all their Crosses they find not one Losse But this is it we were prooving There must be time for this praiseing the Lord and these must be uttered with a Man 's own mouth
that the prayers of the best men are but imperfect as themselves are very imperfect things Prayer is a mixed or Compounded Dutie for though it be wrought within by the Spirit of God before it be put-out by the tongue yet flesh hath much to doe in it enough to defile it and so the best prayer formed as we heard passeth from us as Wine through a Dunghill therefore these can have no acceptance for the prayers sake nor for his sake that prayeth if that be all which makes for its acceptance it will be neglected sure enough but for His sake onely Whose buisinesse it is now in heaven to take away the Revel 5. iniquity of our holy things and to present our persons and our services pure and spotlesse in His sight And in speciall these prayers as the sweetest odours in the Nostrills of His Father provided still that we loath this uncleannesse that cleaves so fast to our persons and prayers and put it away as a loathed thing Now it shall doe us no hurt nor hinder our prayers neither for it is not what Corruption cleaves to us but whether we cleave to it not the having of it for as sure we have it as it is sure we have flesh but it is the Loveing of it No more sin is imputed by God than is seene and allowed by us So then it is granted That Prayers are very imperfect they receive a tincture of uncleannesse which cleaves to the spirit and mind of a man though renewed that are subservient and instrumentall in this praying worke they are simple duties that are so good that none but the good can doe them and they cannot doe them ill we meane not sinfully though imperfectly as to love God to feare Him to trust Him to rejoyce yea to glory in Him having chosen Him for their portion and set their hearts upon Him To put a close to this also Will the adding that perfect prayer to the end of yours make any thing at all towards the takeing away the uncleannesse of your prayers or helpe at all against the imperfection thereof We take it you must answer one way or other It helps or it doth not helpe if you say it helpeth how absurd were your saying you know Who liveth ever to helpe at this worke and all proud helpers together with Him shall stoop under Him If you say the adding the Lords prayer to the end of yours helpeth not no not at all then you say all the Truth as to this matter but withall we feare you charge your selves with some folly in adding that to your prayers which profiteth not at all being never intended for that end We will conclude with this It profiteth no more than doth dead flesh profit a quickned and quicking spirit So we come to make out the Negative That it is not comely for a Godly Minister to adde the Lords prayer to the end of his owne SECT II. OUr Reasons are these First Their Lord commands them not so to doe for if so an absurditie would follow If their Lord hath commanded them so to doe then sâ—li semper this is the onely prayer they must say and alwayes say for the Command 〈◊〉 of Christ must take place still It is this prayer and no other and not at this time onely but at all times When ye pray say Thus we conceive it must be and this were very absurd and incongruous to common sense and reason The Commands of God in the old Testament as to the Sacraments there and other legall observations of places and of Dayes they had their untill untill the fullnesse of time shall come untill God be manifested in the flesh for these pointed unto Him That was to come â—â—t the Commands of Christ now as we conceive bind us to their observation till His Comming in some glorious way whether to restore His Church Math 17. 11. Acts 3. 21. or make her compleate in Glory is too deepe for our shallownesse But His commands bind us till His Comeing Nothing shall be added to them or taken from them See Hild on Joh 4. pag 187. Secondly If their Lord commands them to say this prayer at the end of their owne then the Godly Ministers all over the Land truely and indeed such could have no more omitted the saying of it than they could forbeare to eate and drinke for the Commands of Christ all and every one doe come with as much force upon their Spirits to doe thereafter as Eating and drinking come upon them when their need is For they have the same mind that is in Christ they delight to doe His will His Command His Law is within their heart the doing of it is their meat and drinke so saith the Spirit now what an absurd thing were this for can it take with a Reasonable man That these words when ye pray say this prayer at the end of youâ—s â—or have not I commanded you have they not My Stamp upon them And yet scarce one Godly Minister among many doe or dare say it at the end of their owne Certainly they would doe the Command of their Lord boldly and constantly and fervently too though it should put them to as much cost the doeing of it as is imaginable yet they would doe it Their Lord hath commanded it This is the poinâ— The Godly Minâ—ster would doe it he could not but doe it were it commanded him of his Lord when ye pray say And it were absurd to say or thinke the Contrary And which we must not forget It were as absurd to thinke that any one Brutish Pastour amidst the Droves and Herds of them â—ould say this prayer suppose now what they pretend our Lord Commanded them so to say when ye pray say this prayer after your owne for it hath My stamp of Command upon it suppose it so to be as they say Then it were absurd to thinke they would say as now they doe willingly and more rejoyceingly it being commanded them of God for all the Commands of God as was said before are an abomination to them they abhorre Christmas day pag. 18 19. to doe them as they Abhorre God their heart stands in the greatest opposition to the Commands of Christ as doe the remotest extreames Heaven and Hell These doe wickedly as they can and cannot but doe it fullfilling all the wills of the flesh and so they will doe that 's the voice of their nature The Godly Man doth foolishly sometimes we meane sinfully against the commands of his Lord but not with full consent of his will he doth it overtaken now or surprized or betrayed but oh he would not doe it that is the voice of Grace The evill man in doeing God's commands is as the good man in doeing the commands of the flesh The evill man does doe God's Commands sometimes he reades and heares and prayes but as unwillingly all this as Haman brought Mordecai on horsebacke through the streets of the Citie that
said of the wicked themselves these are sensuall not having the Jude 19. Spirit though we may suppose them very exactly composed and by the most accomplished Men we meane by Holy men having the Spirit For though they might pray in prayer wrought by the Spirit for that very thing Yet being written before their eyes and prayed by the booke visible or invisible we meane the memory there is no more spirit and life therein than there is in a dead letter Indeed we may call these prayers flesh being written with inke which profiteth nothing it is the Spirit that quickneth And thereby that is by the Spirit of God His people call Him Father and Jesus their Lord. But praying without the Spirit and wholy carelesse to aske after the Spirit calling for it in prayer we are never more likely than at such a time and when we are upon that solemne worke never more likely than then to call Christ accursed Could we say Abraham's Isaac's Jacob's â— Cor. 12. 3. prayers with Paul's prayers c. And have not that Spirit by which they prayed our prayers would become as we beleeve in the eares of our God but as sounding brasse or a tinkling Cymball Thirdly We may Consider this All that God giveth to us or workes for us He doth all by the Hand of His Spirit So also All that His people give backe againe to Him or worke for Him They doe it by the speciall helpe of the Spirit too Therefore it is they see so much need of the Spirit and call so earnestly for a supplie from the same Quest 1. But it may be said how shall sensuall men not having the Spirit call for the Spirit unlesse as they are taught to doe it in other's words Answ This is a lesson can never be taught by man not by all or any prayers suggested to us by Man That every one of us by Nature is the Devill 's house emptied and swept of all Goodnesse brim-full of all filthinesse adorned and garnished with noisome lusts the ornament and garnish of that house the Devill calls his owne this we thinke no man questioneth Now if all this were debated upon and set downe prayer-wise according to the exactest forme It could not accomplish the thing what is it to say in another's words I am a sinner or I have sinned though saying Job 5. 20. so much he had said all if his heart had said it and not another for him freely feelingly sincerely and beleivingly So then one word spoken in desire and endeavour from the heart as aforesaid hath more virtue and efficacy in it than a thousand words suggested to us by the eyes or memory onely Certainly we must confesse sinne in our owne words our Confession will not be accepted else as we must forsake sin in our workes they that confesse and forsake sin are the same Quest 2. But is there not a double use of these set formes of prayer first for directing of our desires secondly for execiteing our affections Answ We humbly conceive there is not a single use of them not first for the directing our desires These are all inward and are moved by a principle within never stirred to move after God Christ Grace Glory till there be some inward sense or feeling of the want and necessitie of haveing God in Christ and all the needs of the soule supplyed by Him Sense of want is the Giving of Desire Now we cannot see how this inward sense can be wrought in the Soule by a forme of words lying before us any more than painted bread can stirre-up desire or satisfie desire being stirred-up As no outward thing can inwardly defile for all reall and truely called defilement is within and from within else the Devill himselfe could not defile us so no outward thing can inwardly purifie and then not purifying it can give but poore directions to our desires Secondly Nor are they of use as we conceive for the exciteing our affections These are warme and hott and doe heate and warme but still by some workings from within first Affection is like fire it is hot it selfe first before it heate others We must be affected before we can affect Now we cannot see how a dead powerlesse forme which as one hath it nourisheth the hid-man of the heart no more than stock-fish nourisheth the bodie and that gives no more nourishment saith Erasmus than a stone does can excite affections unlesse to it selfe because so exceeding pleasing to flesh and blood never crossing in the least the Desires of the same Quest 3. But is not this to take the generalitie of men quite off from praying Answ No to our seeming it putts them on upon prayer to pray that they may be enabled to pray in a deepe sense of sinne and the need they have of the blood of Christ to purifie their hearts and pacifie their Consciences all which they are to pray for Quest 4. But pray they cannot unlesse they pray by the booke visible or invisible Answ To this we say That to our seeming if they doe pray by the booke they doe not pray at all in Gods account And truely those men are bâ—lder with God than they durst be with men had they offended a great Lord they must acknowledge the offence with their owne mouthes and not another for them and have righted their offended Lord if he would have it so with their owne hands and glad with all their hearts that the offended Lord would be so accorded But we are bold with God though who made us so but our owne shamelesse impudent Spirits We can offend God sinning against Him and confesse it by a proxi in his words who did not give the offence We sin with our owne mouthes and will confesse with anothers mouth may not the Lord say offer this to your Governour see whether he will Mal 1. 18. accept of your Person Quest 5. But this will be said still if they may not pray by the booke they cannot pray at all so the Lord God shall have no service from them at all Answ Indeed the Lord God to Whome all we are and have and can is due hath no service none at all from a wicked man his lusts are deepe sharers here for they have all as once so they say still It is in vaine to serve the Lord. But all the Disservice Mal. 3. 14. they can doe they doe unto the Lord even all they can against Him because they know Him not for this is a Ruled Case or a knowne Conclusion The more we know of God the more we honour Him and our selves the lesse And the lesse we know of God the lesse we honour Him and our selves the more As God riseth in our thoughts so we fall and as we rise in our owne thoughts so God falls We would adde this That the hardnesse of our hearts appeares in nothing more than in these stout words We cannot pray our Spirits are so
barren These are stout words indeed and argue the stoutest heart and much pride of Spirit as usually spoken by proud Men It is as if so be a man should say I sinne and I will sinne But I will not say unto God I have sinned what shall I doe If He will take my Confession from another's-mouth let Him take it I will not confesse my selfe a sinner with my owne Mouth nor will I aske Him pardon These are as stout words to our seeming as can be spoken upon the Readers thoughts we leave them When we have added this more As we are Creatures and have our dependance upon God every moment we are obliged to pray unto Him As sinfull Creatures such as sin and Satan can make us we are obliged to confesse unto Him with our own Mouths We would answer a Question one or two more before we give Resolution to the other Case Quest 6. But would not praemeditated formes prevent many rude Crude or indigested expressions Answ Yes sure with those that know not in the world how to pray without them If sensuall men not having the Spirit wholy carried by sense and minding nothing above the place their foote treades on if these should pray without the booke possibly as their parts might be low and meane they would use strange and uncouth expressions But they who set themselves before their God and expect the supplies of His Spirit from Him looking upon their owne strength as rottennesse to be rested on knowing they cannot thinke a good thought as of themselves and would not for a world utter rash words in His presence surely they shall finde the assistance they looke for and such a supplie as shall be best for them And if they rise not from their knees more comforted They shall be more humbled which is as good for a groane from the heart is as good as a teare from the The Spirit of adoption may be in a groane as well as in a prayer Mr. Ford. sp Ador. 480. eye And they shall be kept from speaking that in prayer which is unbecomeing their God to heare or the Asking of that which is unbeseeming their God to grant But we would add this which we thinke more properly relates to the Resolution of this Question A wicked mans prayer we meane him who is resolved to goe-on in his wickednesse comes from his necessities feare and dread being before him trouble and anguish upon him perhaps and terrour within him looking upon death now not at a distance but as the King of terrours requiring his soule of him and killing him with death his prayer now as we were saying comes from his necessities not from his heart therefore shall not come neare Gods heart to speake after the manner of men And then it is all one whether he pray by the book or by his owne Spirit the one as the other hath the same acceptance with God Deare children followers of God alwayes are alwayes heard though they doe but chatter like a Crane And children of Belial who never heard God speaking unto them in His Word are not heard of God for He heareth not such sinners who wallow in their sinne as doth a swine in the myre and returne unto it as doth a dog to his vomit Whether then their expressions are exact and as well composed as words in print can be or rude indigested or incomposed it is much the same and comes to as much as nothing Such a wicked-mans praying is but tatling and babling or to speake as the holy Scripture doth It is as the roaring of Beares or howling of Doggs Isa 59. 11. Hos 7. 14. Quest 7. Moreover It is said doe not they who dare not bring praemeditated formes before their God rush upon dutie without useing the Common meanes of fitting themselves and so tempt God Answ To this we say that to expect any thing from God without useing the meanes allowed by God as helpes that way were to tempt God and provoke Him to His face Therefore doubtlesse it is the wicked man that rushes upon Dutie not bethinking himselfe before-hand unto what a glorious presence he is come and what is the worke he is to engage upon and what the danger is of miscarrying He that thinkes of none of all this he Rusheth upon Dutie And indeed what needs the meditation of what I am to speake unto God when it is suggested unto me I can reade it with mine eyes and see my selfe speake But that man that prayeth in the Spirit though he doth make a totall resignation of himselfe unto the hands of the Spirit expecting His immediate suggestions Yet so as he hath omitted no meanes before to fit and prepare for that high service as thoughts of himselfe and his nothingness of the glorious Name of God and all his expectations therein and from the same These things together with the word of God he gives himselfe to meditates upon and is wholy in it and is so as the season fitts he addresseth himselfe before his God He knowes That that glorious promise Math 10. 19. Take no thought how or what ye shall speake for it shall be given you in the same houre relateth to extraordinary services when God calls forth unto them that then they may expect extraordinarie assistance But when he may use Common and ordinarie means of Gods appointment to prepare him for this praying worke and should be negligent in the use thereof which through grace he cannot br then it were a great presumption to depend upon extraordinary helpe So now before we come to give some resolution to the Second Querie we would in the close of this give-in some Counsell which we hope shall be well agreeing with the word of God to them who being sensuall not having the Spirit must needs be wholy unacquainted with the Lord and Christ who is the way the Truth and the life and yet haply they pray to God and praise Him as ordinarily as they rise-up from their Beds and Tables lye downe upon the one and sit at the other This is the Counsell we would give That they would cease from their formes of praying or from praying by a forme which differs as much from praying in the Holy Ghost as doth the Sunne in the firmament from the Sunne painted on a signe-post And apply themselves to hearing the Word whereby faith cometh-in to the soule so may they by the blessing of God attaine to the knowledge of Him to whom they are praying and of Him in whose Name they must pray and find accesse unto the Father of Him also through whose intercession within us the prayer is formed Rom. 8. 26. and so finds acceptance by the Mediation of that Advocate with-out us at the right hand of the Father being as sweet Odours now all that from the flesh adhering to them being seperated from them Hereby also we meane by diligent hearing the Word preached they may attaine to a knowledge of themselves
bid him blaspheme the Name of his God fearefull and glorious Sixthly And in the last place to bid him say this prayer were to bid him hasten his owne Curse and to bring upon himselfe swift destruction which he must needs doe continually and dayly blaspheming that holy and sacred Name which yet he takes into his mouth and sayes before the Lord and His people Hallowed be Thy Name As if a Malefactor should set himselfe before his Judge and remember the Judge of the Murther which he had committed and call-down vengeance upon himselfe So doth every wicked man that calls God Father and continues to rebell against Him he minds God as we may say to inflict the Curse upon him which he hath deserved which certainly shall be done so soone as he hath filled-up the Measure of his Blasphemies Wee leave it to your judgement Sir so you will rule it by the Scriptures whether a wicked man doth not hasten his Curse by letting this prayer goe out of his mouth Whence have and still doe issue forth so many vaine lying and deceitfull words and Cursed Oaths as he doth by takeing into his mouth the Bread and Wine at the Lords Table We shall speake more to this in the next Treatise where we shall hold-forth this undoubted signe of a faithfull Minister whom Satans tongue in his instruments and servants is still disquieting and as they possibly can vexing and tormenting because the tongue of this good Minister is still and still will be vexing and tormenting him and them But if a Rev. 11. 10. Ministers tongue will not torment Satan Satans tongue will not torment him There we shall also commend unto your reading and if you please to your translating Isidor Pelusiot's Epistle to his friend about this prayer that so your Saint that hath no more to plead for his Saint-ship but that he was borne in sinne so he will acknowledge onely he is cleansed from it and he hopes thorowly purged by Baptisme quickly after he was borne and can say this prayer before your face in the Congregation Wee were saying That so your Saint may by Gods blessing upon your instruction of him at that point your selfe being better informed about it first may consider at what an high degree of blasphemy he hath arrived that dares say that prayer before his God while his heart riseth-up in Rebellion against Him Here wee would add this that the more excellent your prayer is and this is excellency in the abstract the more unbecoming a loathsome person it is as a pearle in a swines snout But this is Prov. 13. 5. not the worst the more excellent and soveraigne a thing is being received or used after the due manner and according as God hath appointed it to be received or used the more deadly it workes the more distractive it is the more it hasteneth the curse upon the spirit and bringeth-on destruction swiftly being prophaned and blasphemed by uncleane lips and hands Wee might make instance in the Word of God despised and rejected cast behind the backe it is a savour of death unto death at once it kills twice like the strongest poyson mixt with the strongest wine the very sent kills or as the wine received at the Lords Table by a visible sensuall person not having the Spirit See by their out-workes what dreadfull workings the wine hath upon their spirits But looke to the thing in hand and here is a loathsome person and delights in his loathsomenesse which should be loathsome to him yet he sayes the Lords prayer Now observe him in his walke his cursed actâ—â—gs therein and tell your selfe whether the curse of God which 〈◊〉 hath been plucking downe upon himselfe with both hands 〈◊〉 as with cart-ropes doth not cleave as fast to him as his heart cleaveth to his sinne Wee thinke wee have made sufficient proofe That a wicked man ought not to say this prayer certainly he hath no warrant from our Lord and Saviour so to doe But since hee will doe it on his owne head as we say and so is carried head-long towards his curse meeting it as it were halfe way wee have read how hee curseth himselfe by calling Christ accursed and how he hath drawne upon himselfe swift destruction And wee have been the longer at this point That all that see this man with his curse upon him cloathed with it as with a Garment eating his meat as was sayd as a swine doth his rolled up in dirt may see and fly away as hee will doe that heares and feares and will no more presumptuously call God Father as the wicked man doth while with a high hand and an uncovered head hee acteth villany against the Lord. Wee will close this with worthy Mantons words I have read of a Jewell sayth he that being put into a Upon James 5. 16. dead mans mouth looseth all its efficacie Prayer is such a Jewell in a dead mans mouth it is of no power nor efficacie but to hasten his ruine and utter destruction CHAP. V. Q. 2. Q. II. WEE come now to make enquiry into the second Question Whether our Blessed Saviour gave his Disciples this prayer That they should pray to His Father in those very words The Affirmative is much pleaded for but generally and usually by those who are enemies to the Crosse of Christ adversaries to all goodnesse and not acquainted at all what prayer in the Holy Ghost meaneth Wee say it againe because wee would not be mistaken The Affirmative is generally and universally pleaded for by such kinde of men who cleave as fast to their formes as sin cleaveth to them or they to their sin And they beare themselves out at this point from these words of our Blessed Saviour when ye pray say But indeed it is not much to be minded what such manner of persons say who will catch at any thing that may make for their present ease and put the flesh to no câ—st Yet it is to be regarded what any good man sayth learned and godly And thus as wee have heard worthy Hild sayes Our Blessed Saviour praescribed to His Disciples a forme of prayer for them to say by tying themselves to the very words of it Had he attempted the proofe of this assertion perhaps he would have found it a more difficult undertaking than barely to affirme it so that excellent man speakes upon a different account whose words are so much in our hearts that they must needs be much in our mouthes we will tell our perswasion here That a man shall not readily meet with such like an expression in any godly mans writings and wee thought it our dutie to set it downe that wee may wrest it what wee can out of their hands who are unlearned and unstable and doe wrest words such words as these as they doe all other Scriptures to their own destruction so wee will now endeavour to evince the Negative That our blessed Saviour did not give this prayer
to His Disciples that they should pray this prayer tying themselves to the very words â—â— it for indeed wee 〈◊〉 worthy Hilds words to be the out-lashing of his pen starting aside as the ablest pen may doe from its very scope and maine intendment Which was to shew That our blessed Saviour praescribed to His Disciples a forme of prayer which should be to them and His whole Church a rule and sampler according to which all our prayers should be made Which is the same with learned Beza's latine note for it is not in the English Perfecta Christianae precationis formula 〈◊〉 typus a most perfect forme of Christian prayers and the very type and mould wherein to cast all our prayers which words have no agreement with those that went before not onely to be nor with those that follow tying themselves to the very words of it very crosse as wee sayd are these latter words to the good mans scope and intendment as they are to excellent Perkins words The Lords prayer is as it were a direction and samplar to teach us how and in what manner wee ought to pray None is to imagine wee are bound to use these words and none other For the meaning of Christ is not to bind us to the words but to the matter and manner and to the like affections in prayer Thus wee have heard what others say now wee crave leave to cast in our owne thoughts here and to give our opinion That our blessed Saviour prescribing this prayer did not intend That any one of His Disciples should pray unto the Father in these very words SECT I. FOr first The whole carriage of this prayer from the Alpha to the Omega from the beginning to the end and closing words thereof argueth it to be of generall concernment to the whole Church of God more relating that way to the good of the Body than to the peculiar good of any member thereof though wee know this cannot be severed the good of the whole and of the part for that which is good for the Body is good for the member too and what is good for the member is good for the whole Body as what is good for the Bee-hive is good for the Bee and what is good for the Bee is good for the Bee-hive Yet wee conceive when a Disciple comes before God hee spreads before Him his peculiar case and saith not our Father but my Father not others cases but his owne This wee conceived relates to the Church in generall but a Disciples prayer relates to himselfe in speciall and his owne concernments though he can no more forget the Church of Christ than he can to eat his bread or his right hand forget its cunning SECT II. AGaine our thoughts are That the scope and intendment of this prayer is mainly to be looked after And tells the Disciple what he is mainly to tend unto and bend against be his prayer long or never so short Viz The Hallowing the great and glorious Name of God in the laying himselfe out to the utmost for the advancement of the kingdome of Christ in his owne heart His interest there and thorow the world and the throwing downe the kingdome of sin and Satan there and here and every where This wee conceive was our Lords maine scope in prescribing His Disciples this prayer And this must be the Disciples scope in the moulding their petitions thereafter SECT III. WEE cannot conceive that this prayer should be put into the Disciples mouthes to say it in those words and yet they never sayd it so farre as wee can heare not one of the Apostles nor Disciples in those dayes yet wee meete with many of their prayers nor any of the Blessed Martyrs that wee read of and we have read some volumnes of them SECT IV. ANd lastly the height and depth length and breadth of the Contents in this prayer which wee thinke the understanding of an Angell cannot comprehend makes us beleive That the Lord intended not That His Disciples should huddle it-up as he reads it Nor can we think That any true Disciple in the world that shall well ponder on the matter and weigh the contents thereof with all his heart and soule which every true Disciple doth not doe will say that Prayer after the manner Sing ye praises with understanding so put-up your petitions with understanding It is good to be full of affection but it is best to worke in the full Assurance of understanding Affections without understanding are blind understanding without affection is lame the want of eyther run's us upon a thousand inconveniences But if any dutie then that of prayer calls-up all our Affections It calls for a worke of the understanding also Now we thinke no godly man's understanding though his onely is opened renewed and sanctified is able to goe along with this manner of saying it as he reads it he will make a pause sure at the ontrance My Father We have told you our thoughts as to this matter Onely we entreat the Reader to observe what he met with in the first Chapter second and third section and in the second Chapter specially the fourth paragraph there together with the first paragraph in the Chapter following which we thinke refers much to that which precedeth as to that which followes CHAP. VI. Q. 3. Q. III. WHether a Godly person he or she brings this prayer into the Closet with them there and then humbling themselves before their God We told you we maintained the Negative our Reasons are SECT I. ANd the first we would onely offer to your Consideration being rejected by the godly Learned yet we conceive no reason is given for their refusing of it That which is a patterne to make all prayers by should not be used as a prayer To this the onely Answer is Therefore the rather it may be used as a prayer But this makes no proofe nor doe the words following That sure it is Antient and worthy Divines have reverenced it as a prayer choosing rather to use those words than any other And so many worthy Divines doe now and yet by so doing prove nothing to the purpose We will offer but a word in it and tell you what we conceive that the Argument is very strong The patterne to make all prayers by is not to be used as a prayer for if wee use the patterne for our prayer wee shall never pray according 1 John 3. 2. to the patterne As the Disciples doe not stint themselves with any degree of holinesse Gods owne purity being their Copie so neither can they stint themselves in prayer the Lords owne prayer being their patterne We proceed SECT II. WEE thinke it cleane besides the scope and intendment of our Blessed Saviour in giving His Disciples this Prayer if they shall plead their case with Him in those very words Now in this Case we cannot reach our Lord's mind nor eye His scope but by observing what He did
and surely these will not endure to be bounded within a sett forme nor can they have acceptance with their God But that person Man or Woman who brings that Prayer before his God Cannot praise Him for that he hath received and what hath he and hath not received for himselfe and for all his for all which God must be praised Prayer and thankes are like the Double motion of the Lungs as Dr. G of prayer pag. 61. saith that Learned Holy Man the Aire that is sucked in by prayer is breathed forth againe by thankes Secondly Nor can he pray unto Him for supply of what is wanting keeping himselfe to that forme of prayer and speaking to his God in these very words The Disciples of Christ are very wanting at least none knows their wants or sees their wants or feel's their wants as these doe And theâ— none pray's for the supply of their wants as these doe these poore ones and needie ones Indeed the Hebrew word for poore as we have heard springs from a roote signifying Desire And the Reason is as one sayth Mr. Caryl Job 5. 15. 298. because poore men are commonly rich in desires They that are full of sensible wants are full of earnest wishes And the Reason why povertie of Spirit in our Spirituall Estate is pronounced a Blessing is because the poore in Spirit are full of Desires after Spirituall Riches They are ever craveing and seeking to be filled with that fullnesse which is in Jesus Christ with Grace for Grace they would have the Image of every Grace in Christ engraven upon their Soules or in an holy Covetousnesse they would be as rich in Grace as Christ is These are the words of that Excellent Man before cited more there are and tend much as to give instruction so to our scope and purpose That a Disciples prayer whereby he makes knowne his Requests to God cannot possibly be encircled or pent-up within that Compasse of six lines which may be utternd in so many breathings or within the space of one Minut's time for we thinke within that space of time and lesse that prayer may be said or rather hudled as within two Minut's-time the 67 â—h Psalme may be said over and over whereby as you may remember Bellarmine could measure the huge body of the Sunne and the quicknesse of his race For I observed said he the first peering of the Sunne on our side of the Globe and by that time I have said that Psalme over twice the Sunne is up and in a full body appeares to us So then in twelve breathings the Psalme is said over and over and in six breathings the prayer is said And is not this to the heart of a wicked man In lesse than a minutes time and that is the smallest parcell of time he can begin and end his prayer which being the Lords Prayer he hath said it as well as the best Clarke in the Nationall Church and yet he prayed no more than that Pillar of Antichrist in his time prayed while he read over that Psalme But to proceed in this a little farther A Disciples Prayer wherein he himselfe tells his whole mind to God it is not uttered in six breathings Certainly he hath much upon his spirit when he comes before his God We will put a question here and give you leave to Answer it What would this Disciple have more than he hath that he is still begging he hath all God and all he is compleate in Christ and now what can he need It is granted unto him being one of the Number to be arraied in fine linnen cleane and white which is the Righteousnesse of Saints his Defence is the Munition of Rockes The promise is made good unto him Bread shall be given him his waters shall shall be sure that is he Isai â—3 16. Cal shall want nothing for this life nor for that which is to come What would this man have more You are we hope a Disciple and not of the common Ranke or stamp of Disciples that have no more to shew for their Disciple-ship but that they were borne and Baptized in a Nationall Church But you are borne againe and made a Disciple indeed And then you can make answer and tell us what this Disciple would have more by what your selfe would have he sees his Lord in the shade he would see him in the Sun-shine he would stand more in the Sun-shine of Gods favour That Sun-shine upon him never wearieth with its beame The more it is the more refreshing it is More of the light of thy countenance more and more good Lord Shew me Thy selfe more clearely let me have a fuller sight of Thee and in-sight into my selfe for I would abhorre my selfe more I would repent more We verily beleive That You being a Disciple doe pray after that manner And yet you find not a word of all this in the Lord's Prayer we meane explicit there or expressed Implyed it is and much more in that one sweet word Father We take leave to proceed yet farther and so to trie your Discipleship You beleive on the Name of the Son of God you know Him who is eternall life yet so sure as you are a Disciple you goe on praying That you may beleive on the Name of the Sonne of God 1 Joh 5. 13. You doe beleive and yet you would beleive you doe beleive and this shall save you from all evill for as you know full well and doe teach it your people It is not this or that Degree of faith which saveth but the truth of faith though but as the least graine or lowest degree thereof Yet you rest not here nor will you suffer your people to rest for he that sits downe at the lowest degree of Grace it may be doubted he hath no grace at all and shall become a Christian indeed when an Ape becomes a Man or a He that hath true grace may goe to heaven ceâ—tainly but he who hath strong Grace only goeth to Heaven comfortably Mr. Jen on Jude pag. 165. Nominall Disciple because Baptized in England becomes a reall Saint Grace is still aspiring higher and higher so are you being a gracious Man you doe beleive then we beleive you would beleive more strongly that you might act more vigorously in the whole worship of your God Specially in those simple Duties which none but the Disciple performeth flesh and blood can doe nothing at them as to love God To Trust him To depend on him To have joy and delight in Him To have Communion with Him To take Him for your portion and inheritance and to be all in all to Him These are simple Duties are acts of the soule not compounded of matter and forme And these you are able to doe through Him that strengthen's you But this you 1 Joh. 5. 13. could not doe but that you are still aspiring after a full assurance of hope And for this you bow your knee before
they will for necessitie they say hath no law be so bold or impudent rather to use that prayer also being the most exact forme of all formes But these never were and never shall be so forsaken of their God And in assured Confidence thereof we proceed Thirdly This we have heard some one of us at least alledged for the saying of this prayer There is a sicknesse upon all the faculties of the soule And the memory amidst the Rest is a very sickly weake and infirme thing So as we many-times forget to put up those Requests unto God which were in the purpose of our hearts to doe Now to helpe and succour us in this matter we adjoine the Lords prayer to the end of ours that being compleat as we all know in the whole and in every part and Containes in it as the Creed all things to be beleived so this all things to be desired To this we reply Granting this first That this sicknesse is Epidemicall universally spread over all men and over all in man And the Memory the Soule 's store-house is fearefully tainted with it most unhappily and tenaciously retentive of all that is evill So as what was but once heard seene or done giving pleasure to the flesh will be kept in the Memory and repeated there who knowes how long and how often yet take-it-in by the way as often as any evill seene heard or done is remembred with delight so often is it acted over againe But now when any thing truely Good is Commended to it and received-in of how short continuance it is there If a Hand Allmighty lodgeth it not there and keepeth it there The memory of it selfe and in it's owne nature is a very Step-dame to Good or like a very leaking vessell This is her Sicknesse and if it be not Cured it will be our woe And now to draw nearer to the point in hand we cannot possibly see though we hope we Crie for His eye-salve which onely maketh to see how the sicknesse of the memory causing the praying man to forget what he would have remembred and made his request to God for Can be helped for to this particular we speake by adjoining His Lords prayer We crave leave to aske this Godly Minister what he hath forgot to petition his God in behalfe of the people to whome he is made an Over-seer He hath not Confessed their sinnes so fully nor so feelingly as he should and thought to have done This may be He knew full well some speciall mercies his people had received from God and he quite forgot to render God the praise He knew as well some speciall mercies his people had not and yet felt not any want of them as a seeing eye and heareing eare but he quite forgot here also He was well acquainted with some particular misery that was felt by some one or more of his people being sicknesse and sorrow upon the flesh and another misery he might know of also which is the misery of all miseries because not felt nor feared yet clapt fast upon them perversnesse of Spirit and hardnesse of heart Here the Godly man's memory may falâ—e him also In all these he might not petition God as he ought and haply thought to have done and in some of these perticulars his memory wholy failed him Now he will releâ—ve himselfe and his people whose good he specially intends by saying the Lords prayer But is that the way to releive himselfe or them We humbly offer it to the thoughts of every intelligent Man Will his repeating the Lords prayer before the people help them when they are returned home to Confesse their sin there more fully or feelingly doth that prayer supply them with words that way or to praise God for the mercies they have or to pray unto Him for what they would have for the takeing away the Stone in the heart if it be not all over Stone as desirerously as we would have the Stone taken-out of the Bladder but is there one expresse * word in the Lords prayer that helpes to the putting-up that great petition wee meddle not with what is Comprehended there which exceeds the Comprehension of an Angell but with what is expressed there And to our seeming there is not in that prayer one expresse word there that can helpe the praying man in all or any of those perticulars before-mentioned To close this we conceive it to be thus every godly person going to prayer goes to God in the Name of Jesus Christ Through Him by the Spirit he hath an accesse unto the Father Eph. 2. And oh what a deale of Eloquence and Rhetorick is in this one word Father how it works upon the bowells of the Father upon the bowells of the Child too so as the Child cannot chuse but crave the Father cannot chuse but grant what ever is good for the Child There is a reciprocall worke still a reflexing Act of the soule The Father's bowells yerne towards the Child The Child's bowells yerne towards the Father But we recall our selves being to deliver our thoughts what a Godly Minister doth when he hath entred the pulpit Surely in desire and endeavour he comes wholy off from himselfe he useth all that Ged hath given him and layeth out the very Male of his flocke for that very end given him but he trusteth it not he hath no Confidence in the flesh It is fully and wholy set upon his God He loves to be trusted and cannot be trusted too much as the creature cannot be trusted too little In a word he rolles himselfe upon God putts himselfe as he can into the good Spirits hand Leaves his matters there humblie expects supplies from Him He is in the place where he should be unto which his God hath called him upon his worke which he doth with more Delight than to receive his wages Now he would not doubt but that the good Spirit to Whome he hath committed himselfe and his worke will carry him through it both in praying and preaching And now for now we are closeing the point notwithstanding the sicknesse of his memory and many other his infirmities who knowes how many yet he knowes Whome he hath trusted and upon Whose score and that He is able to leade him unto his worke and to carry him through his worke nor dares he for his life take a dead letter * such a thing is the Lords prayer as uttered by Man as dead as other letters he reades in the same Chapter he will not we were saying take a dead letter to helpe the living Spirit These are our thoughts of this matter Fourthly We have heard in the Last place this alledged for the saying the Lord's prayer at the end of their owne prayer our prayers are very imperfect we all know and God may neglect them therefore wee adde the Lords prayer to the end of our's that perfect and compleate prayer which the Father will not neglect We replie Granting as before
he would not doe in good things that doth he The godly man sometimes doth the Commands of the flesh which are most contrary to the Commands of Christ but what He hates that doth he This is the point and so we have done A Brutish Pastour and a brutish people are so farre from doeing the Commands of Christ That they hate to doe it with their whole heart and with their whole soule and it were absurd to say or thinke the contrary When ye pray say this prayer after your owne The Lord Christ commands no such thing neither ever came it in His heart for could we suppose our Lord had commanded so to doe The Pastour after Gods owne heart had never omitted it The Brutish one had never said it unlesse as a Parret his chaire he had not said it like a Clarke as now he sayes it nor done it so as he doth the wills of the flesh This is the second Thirdly We would aske this Godly Minister what good he finds by adding this prayer to the end of his own which we would suppose was wrought in him and out from him by the Spirit of God We know Cui bono is the greatest enquiry and in this Case what Spirituall advantage by so doing what hath this advantaged the Spirit God's Spirit or his owne renewed by the same Spirit We passe this leaving it upon his thoughts having spoken so much thereunto before onely this we would adde It is you know a sure saying That every act of Grace extends grace in the heart of a Disciple as every act of sin extends sin in the sinner for grace as corruption gaines by acting Now it is left upon your thoughts whether you have found grace hath been extended in your heart by the addition of this prayer to the end of your owne Fourthly What good doth he doe by repeating this prayer or what advantage is it to his hearers Certainly a Godly Minister should looke to that whereby he may profit his people The Preacher was wise and how did he evidence his wisdome He Eccles 12. 9. still taught the people knowledge yea he gave good heed and sought out he would not speake a word sure but to profit and the building up of his people Two great workes he is continually versed and exercised in being charged upon him praying and preaching Acts 6. ◠and how studiously carefull is he being the peoples mouth to God and God's mouth to the people that not one word passe from his mouth which makes not for the good of his people and for the clearing of his account at the great Day He remembers well before Whome he is and to Whome he speakes in prayer and from Whome he speakes in preaching And he considers as he can the infinite distance betwixt Majestie and Nothing and now how fixedly doth he looke to Him who is the Middle person and having laid His hand upon Both stands as a screen betwixt everlasting Burning and this peice of dried stubble as in it selfe considered and so rolling himselfe upon This one Mediatour and casting himselfe into the hands of His Spirit and trusting in His supply he falls to his worke and now what advantage hath hee or have his hearers by addition of this prayer that is the Question and the answer thereunto you must make unto your God onely this which we have heard we will say more which you know is a Ministers Motto or should be Nusquam doceo ubi non moveo Nusquam moveo ubi non doceo I never teach savingly where I doe not move or stirre feelingly that is praevailingly nor doe I ever so move where I doe not so teach so we leave this upon your thoughts and proceed to one Reason more Fifthly To our seeming it is a very sinfull doeing to adde this prayer to the end of our owne and this upon a threefold account First You glad the hearts of them that should not be gladded the wicked we meane if yon have not heard it said by them we have once and againe What a Brave Minister have we to day Why he said the Lords prayer twice to day and oh how sweetly did he say it and that was all they observed for the addition of that prayer rendred him so gracious in their eyes and his Sermon so sweet Certainly we must not glad the hearts of wicked ones for then we glad That Wicked-One Secondly Ye must not make the wicked Blaspheme in Calling God Father and Christ accursed but this they will doe in spight of your heart for they and they onely will say it after you and if they should be asleep as Commonly they are all the time of your praying yet they will awaken at this prayer or if while you are running it over with the speed of a good Clark they should chance to nod at the first or second Petition yet they will be perfectly awaked at that signall Conclusion AMEN But wee forbeare for Nemo libentèr moratur in asperis Thirdly Yee sad them whome the Lord would not have sadded yee sad the hearts we thinke of all the truly Godly there They cannot endure to heare the Name of God prophaned That sweetest Name Father Blasphemed their onely Lord called accursed They cannot endure it it is more greivous to them to heare this within the meeting place than see their filthy Conversation without We tell you againe The Truely Godly cannot endure to heare this they can with much more patience heare their Earthly father abused c. But their heavenly Father Who loved them and Gave His Son unto them and them unto His Son and this Son of God Who taking their nature hath redeemed their Soules from all adversitie washing them in His owne blood we were saying they cannot endure to heare their Father Blasphemed nor their Lord called accursed nor that Signall Word Amen ecchoed forth by persons little better than Quakers and Ranters damnable Hereticks wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly But wee have done These are our Reasons why a Godly Minister may not adde the Lord s prayer to th' end of his owne Onely you will remember here what an Excellent Man said It is Better to occasion wrath in the Bad than greife in the Good CHAP. VIII And fift Querie Q. V. WHether John the Baptist taught his Disciples to pray by giving them formes of prayer to say And which may be queried thereupon Whether a Parent can teach his child to pray by setting formes of prayer before him whereafter to pray As thus for wee would be cleare as to the holding-forth our meaning and perswasion in this matter here Child is a forme of prayer when you pray say as you see here is prescribed unto you That this ought to be we meane That a child may and ought be taught to pray by formes of prayer set before him is affirmed and argued from Johns practise with his Disciples Now our perswasion is That John did not give his