the best and most warrantable Notion we can have of the Gospel That it is a form of Government which Christ hath left to the World for those that would be of his Church and People That by agreement of submission to those Rules prescribed a Company of faithful Professors might perfectly joyn themselves together into a comfortable Society and Communion For Man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Creature given to Society fitted by nature and by his ingenious disposition is inclined to it Now every Company or Society which is necessary for the well-being of Man must for that end have a frame of Polity a model of Government from just Laws deliberately agreed upon and wisely constituted and set over it And these things which are in every wise Government are eminently conspicuous in the Gospel which is undoubtedly the best frame of Government in the World So were those Inspired Authors perswaded that wrote the Canonical Epistles to the several Churches after Christs Ascension and 't is clearly apparent in that profound Epistle written to the Hebrews at Jerusalem For at that time when that Epistle was written there were two famous Governments that stood in Competition for precedence in that place The Old Law or Jewish Polity delivered by Moses to the Israelites and the New Law which is the Gospel given by Christ unto Believers And our Holy Author in that Epistle makes it his business to prove That the Gospel delivered by Christ was justly to be preferred before the Law delivered by Moses and that as Christ so did his Gospel in all things deserve the preheminence The Church then is a Society of the Faithful and the Gospel is to be looked upon as the model of Government which Christ left his Church Every Believer then must not only look on the Priviledges and Mercies promised and exhibited in the Gospel as the ground of his confidence but on the Laws enjoyned in the Gospel as just and wise Rules directive of his obedience And we cannot but observe that the Promises of the Gospel are not absolute but conditional upon our Faith and Obedience to the Rules prescribed if we love him and keep his Commandments Which till we do heed and observe we will be too favourable to the spawn of the Gnosticks those Libertines that multiply and thrive in the midst of us who looking on the Gospel as a Promise of Merey and not as a Rule of Duty turn the Grace of God into wantonness and continue in sin securcly because Grace abounds which God forbid When Christ is the Author of eternal Salvation to all them that obey the Gospel Heb. 5.9 And they that walk according to this Rule they may look for that mercy and peace which is promised to the Israel of God Gal. 6. So the Will of God under this last dispensation manifested and published by Christ and his Apostles is that which we understand by the Gospel Now of things thus manifested some are supernatural great mysteries of Godliness that Angels desred to peep into those perspicacious intelligences were glad to behold Things the Wise men of this World did not know flesh and blood could not discover but contrived they were by the manifold wisdom of God and published of his infinite goodness by his Son who hath kept nothing secret of the Counsel of his Will but hath declared what is necessary for us and our Salvation And unto these Objects Supernatural we are to make our application by Faith and Hope And from the Objects I suppose our applying our selves by believing and relying on them are called and accounted supernatural also Although certainly we have reason enough to assent to these things as true and rely on them and rejoyce in them as good which our gracious God who is truth and cannot lye of infallible veracity hath clearly manifested by his Son and his immense goodness inclined him to reveal by him what he saw was necessary for our Salvation and we are to apply our selves in reason to them accordingly But some things are Natural such as by disquisition of Reason may be discerned and concluded as That God the first infinite Being is a Spirit that he is but One and to be worshipped c. That our Neighbour is to be loved edified comforted and what we would that others c. And Christ came not to destroy this Law but to fulfil it These Rules Natural and Rational are afresh established by Christ in his last dispensation and by a new publication revived for Morality and mens comfortable Conversations These are reasonably called the Rules of the Gospel Now the Gospel as well as our Treatise respects not only single persons but Societies and several directions are given by Christ and his Apostles for ordering mens Conversations in Societies for publick good To shew that Governours by these Rules must be appointed over Societies is the next considerable SECT III. 3. NO sooner could Mankind multiply unto that number that might admit of Society or Communion but had they continued in a state of Innocence Superiority and Inferiority Dominion and Subjection would have been found amongst them Adam the first Father of all Mankind from priority of Nature and Existence from power wisdom and experience that was eminently in him from the protection his Posterity had from him and their dependance upon him had been absolute Monarch Ruler and Judge over all that descended from him And with this Authority of Rule Cain was invested when Abels desires were to be towards him and Cain was to Rule over him And when in every Family there is a Guide one Father one Master to be honoured and obeyed That in many Families united in Society there should be one supream Moderator to Rule is natural and necessary And that cannot be unlawful among Men on Earth which God hath revealed to be among the Angels in Heaven where there are Thrones Principalities Powers and Dominions The highest in the Order ruling subordinately under God without Tyrannical insulting and the lowest Subject without murmuring or opposing Regere Regi necessarium est To Govern and be Governed is necessary and natural Neither beauty nor being of this Glorious Universe could subsist or continue without Order unless some part did Rule and some Obey unless one were Chief to Command others that belong to it Consider that the God of Nature hath thus ordered every thing In our Bodies One head over the members In our Souls One understanding over the other faculties In the visible Heavens One Sun in the Firmament over all the Stars Over the whole systeme of Creatures Heaven and Earth visible and invisible One GOD ruleth over all And if no Superiority were setled over a Company associated by Heirship or Descent of necessity there must be Rulers elected and Judges appointed to determine Controversies and preserve Peace without which the happiness and welfare of the Society could never be promoted For if every mans Opinion or Will were suffered arbitrarily
their own and Subjects satisfaction This concerns the whole Congregation and is to be done not only by the Clergy but Laity not only Priest but People not only Men but Women nor only they that are grown up but Children Out of the mouth of Babes and Sucklings God thus hath his praise perfected and in his Temple when met for Gods worship every one must speak for his Honour of such as have received the Faith of the Gospel And this we are led unto by the eminent Examples of Angels and Saints who served and pleased God that Church triumphant in Heaven Thus when we knew not where we were before the foundations of the Earth were laid every Angel signified his consent and delight he had in the enjoyment of God Job 38.7 All those Morning Stars sang together and all the Sons of God shouted for joy No Dignity exempted any of those from Duty They all sang together they all shouted together for joy And the multitude of that heavenly Host that appeared to the Shepheards commended this practice to every particular Saint it being observed and recorded for an imitation that every one was praising God and saying Glory be to God on high on earth peace good will towards men Luke 2.13 14. And the Vision that St. John recorded that glorious Divine that now is equal if not above Angels is for direction and imitation of us and others to the end of the World and what he heard Revel 5.11 12 13. And I beheld and heard the voice of many Angels round about the Throne and the Beasts and the Elders and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousand of thousands crying with a loud voice Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power c. and every Creature which is in Heaven heard I saying Blessing Honour Glory and Power c. Certainly this was recorded to instruct us that this ought to be the duty of every particular Saint on Earth which does the work of every Saint and Angel in Heaven That every man of Christs Temple below as well as of that above should speak to his Honour set forth his Praise And thus they thought it and practiced the Apostles and Disciples of Christ in their first meeting who made confession of their Faith in that Article of the Resurrection Luke 24.33 34. not only the Eleven but they that were with them were saying The Lord is risen indeed and hath appeared to Simon The Disciples come from Emmaus were they silent They told what things were done in the way and how he was known by breaking of Bread And thus they continued speaking till Christ came among them Acts 13.2 3. the Church met together at Antioch and there we find them met at their Liturgy there was a publick ministration they all agreed in That ministring was not touching the People then it would have been 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something done for Gods honour and service and it was Fasting and Praying To instance in one more 1 Cor. 14.24 they were all Prophesying In their holy Assemblies at Corinth the Apostle St. Paul supposeth that there was a business they were all imployed in it is set forth in the word Prophesying what can we in reason understand by that word Sure it was not Preaching for if all were preaching who could be hearing It was not fore-telling things to come this was given about that time to some extraordinarily upon the plentiful effusion of the Spirit but not commonly or generally to every Believer It was not extatical effusion from gifts of Tongue given to all to speak that was not given to all and the Unbeliever if he upon his coming in had found them all thus busied would have accounted them mad but Laity and Clergy Women as well as men might be imployed in this Prophesying But this work every Believer was busie about it must be therefore some open and plain declaration either of some Article or Articles of Religion or some acknowledgment of the divine Perfections or some speaking freely in praising of God or praying unto him for they were publickly ministring to the Lord they were falling down and worshipping him as the Apostle supposeth that being convinced by the joynt actual concurrence of every Believer the Vnbeliever coming in would fall down and worship God with them saying of a truth God was in the midst of them He supposeth it done by the Believers and Saints at Corinth what he desired might be done by the Saints at Jerusalem that they did not decline their Assembling themselves together for Religious purposes nor in their Assembling did any one decline the profession of his Faith which every one was to hold fast without wavering In probability there was some Liturgy they agreed in at Corinth as there was among the Believers at Jerusalem and at Antioch and Alexandria and every Believer accounted himself obliged to give his attendance on it and joynt concurrence with it to the honour and worship of God Every one offered a Sacrifice not private or mental which was not discernable by man but vocal the fruit of his lips and Unbeliever might sensibly perceive it and this tended to the service of God though external and well they were assured that with such Sacrifices which was every Christians duty to offer when they were offered God was well pleased Thus every Believer by the practice of the Church of Christ in purest times is led to profession of Faith and I appeal to any mans Reason or Experience to determine if he be a Christian whether upon a wilful omission of this Duty any true Believer can rest satisfied For if I be a sincere Believer I can never satisfie my self unless as I owe so I give all unto Gods glory The Hypocrite will to his power keep back something but the Christian which is sincerely holy will give all He knows and considers that his Body is created redeemed sanctified and shall be glorified to present them a living sacrifice to God is but reasonable service That it is not a gift but a debt he owes and is bound to pay that as with his Soul he is to know God and love him so he is to offer his Tongue to praise God and his Body to worship him But if I be diligent in the Profession of my Faith I forthwith feel a content and satisfaction attending and accompanying my holy imployments and a delightful pleasantness spreads it self over my Soul while my Body is busied in religious exercises It s the most relishing meat and drink for Gods Children thus to do their Fathers will and these Services are their greatest freedom Those that are beloved of God and after his own heart feel their Souls satisfied as with marrow and fatness while their Mouths freely praise him with joyful lips No such full content as in those exercises of Godliness which hath the greatest profession of delight in this life
the operation of one Faculty hinders the operation of another the imployment of the Vnderstanding and Invention must hinder the intention of the Will and Devotion Sure we must acknowledge the busying of the Invention in him that speaketh and his Consideration in him that heareth whether things be warrantable or acceptable that is spoken or not must hinder the Intention of either And since Intention is more prayer and more likely to prevail with God than Elocution I may possibly busie my head and strain my Invention when I go about to please men and if possible quicken my Elocution in preaching But I will settle my heart and fix my Intention when I go about to intreat or speak to my God In Reason therefore I must conclude and from Experience avouch it That Devotions united in same Expression like Waters streightned in one Channel run the most irresistably yea undoubtedly premeditated and fore-known Expressions heighten Intention and Devotion and make the Prayers of any Congregation the more acceptable and the more prevalent with God The Objection is frivolous and weak which our dissenting Adversaries make against those Repetitions used in our Common Prayer as if they did remit and bedead our Affections when if rightly considered and applyed they intend inliven and invigorate them Our Saviour at the last Agony in the Garden three times retired himself and prayed thrice the same words Mat. 26.44 Sure none dare say he wanted ability to alter his Expression or that he wanted affection though he did not No sure we may safely conclude to this Point That as Christ so the Christian hath his Devotion helped and not hindered by a set and foreknown expression 3. The weakness of the People is to be considered and I appeal to any sober man to judge It being to be granted that the generality of the People are dull of Apprehension of slow Judgment prone to inconsiderateness and inadvertency whether set Forms seriously fore-weighed and prudently digested and prescribed are not more probable Helps of Devotion and better preparations for the Peoples general Concurrence who have neither quick Apprehensions nor discerning Judgments than extempore indigested and voluntary effusions 4. The manifold necessities we are involved in and wants we are streightned with and the infinite number of Mercies wherewith we are blessed and have received cannot in an instant be called to remembrance and duly be considered So it is not to be supposed that our Petitions or Thanksgivings can be fully or comprehensively expressed upon extempore effusion but only upon serious and deliberate premeditation Lastly It would be good to leave to future times and to other Churches for their Example our setled Agreement and Consent unanimously concurring in the soundness and incorruptness of our Religion which we cannot evidence without we agree in constant Vniformity in Words and set Forms fore-known and agreed unto by Priest and People But I forbear If we will follow the practices of all Nations that pretended to Religion true or false If we will be guided by the Rules and Directions of the Gospel If we will follow the dictates of discursive Reason we must conclude it lawful necessary and expedient and conducing to the practice of true Piety That Vnity of Faith should be signified by Vniformity of Expression in all Believing Congregations And as Vnity of Faith was to be signified by agreement in the same Words so by Vniformity in alike Gestures and Actions in all the Congregations that were parts of the Catholick Church of Christ From those Prophecies that fore-tell what there would be we may conclude what there should and ought to be expected in the Church of the living God Christ fore-told his Spouse in her Militant state Cant. 6.9 10. should be an Army under Banners sub vexillo Crucis whatever distraction of an Army when secure yet when terrible under Banners They all agree in the same posture offensive or defensive In the same guard the same march and motion And no less is intimated Cant. 1.9 when the Church is compared to a company of Horses in Pharaohs Chariots for this resemblance was not only to intimate of believing Parties equally joyned together in the same design that like Pharaohs Horses there was quickness in expedition but also that there was Vniformity in that motion Not that one stood up and another ly'd down not that one drew forward and another backward that one pulled this way another that way But when one stood they all stood when one ran they all ran all went the same way all the same pace all used the same motion And thus the Saints of Believing Congregations might be said to be like a company of Horses in Pharaohs Chariots And that inlightned Divine that saw a door opened into Heaven and a Throne fixed and one sitting upon the Throne and Elders and Angells ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands worshipping him that sate upon the Throne represents them to us in their glorious state as all unanimously agreeing to fall down and cast their Crowns before him that liveth for ever and ever and all saying Blessing honour glory and power c. All recorded without question to inform us what ought to be our behaviour on Earth if we would be like them in Heaven namely alway to be busied in a joynt concurrence of acknowledging and worshipping God as with the same words so with the same actions And if any would yet further defire to see this Vniformity more expresly urged by the Apostle upon particular Churches in the Primitive times let them observe St. Pauls direction to the Church at Corinth To them he could not write unto as spiritual but as carnal and the reason was because there were strifes and divisions and that when they came together in the Church of God they eat and acted distractedly and shew'd they were bent more to gratifie the humour of a Party rather than to preserve the Vnity of a Society by a well-ordered decency Shall the Apostle praise them in this No such meetings were for the worse and not the better They were to maintain no such custome in the Church of Christ in that there were to be no Divisions but all things were to be done decently and in order So to the Ephesians If they would walk worthy of the Vocation whereunto they were called they were to hold the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace True indeed Vnity of spirit is internal but Peace and its bond their endeavour and walking were all external and it is no more than this That they would endeavour to hold the Spirits Vnity by their obliged Vniformity So Heb. 10. After the Divine Author had set out the glorious Priviledges they might expect from Christ he proceeds to direct them a joynt profession of Faith to a demonstration of love to a provocation to good works to mutual exhortations to Publick meeting And as he to them so to all the rest of the
themselves by their operations Love is practical and works where seated a care of keeping Commandements Hope is purifying He that hath hope of heaven is heavenly and purifieth himself as God is pure And Faith it self works by Love and Love by Obedience This then is that precious Faith we should contend for as becometh Saints In this we should strive to continue in grounded and setled and not be moved away from the Hope of the Gospel All these things are premised that the Reader may easily conclude what we plainly understand by that Faith which the Ruler hath religiously injoyned and the Subject is bound willingly to maintain namely a sincere and a firm purpose of mind of adhering and conforming to the Rules of the Gospel by a total Obedience He that Believes thus shall not be ashamed when Faith makes him have respect to all Evangelical Commandments SECT II. Of this Faith there must be Profession NAturally we are to look of our selves as related to Society so that of our internal Piety there must be an external signification intending not only Gods glory by setling our private Peace but by promoting our Neighbours good and edification So that as care must be had by us of Religion so of its Exercise and as of Faith so of Profession of Faith And this is required by the Gospel evidently when it is injoyn'd That Christ be confessed before men that all that by Baptism are consecrated to the obedience of the Gospel hold fast the Profession of their faith without wavering 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is sometimes rendered Confession sometimes Profession in that they agree either of them it is frankly and openly to declare what we hold in matters of Religion to justifie and bear witness to any Truth of the Gospel be they either supernatural or natural Priviledges or Mercies promised or Services or Duties injoyn'd yea the offering the sacrifice of Praise to God continually that is the fruit of our Lips is explained by an Holy Author to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Heb. 13.15 a giving thanks or confessing to his Name Profession of Faith we understand to be a voluntary and open declaring amidst the Society in which incorporated of our free and full consent in believing the Gospel not only the Mercies promised but Duties injoyn'd and that we assent to them all not only as true and infallible but also as good and comfortable and a declaring of our desires study and care to observe them accordingly An express signifying of Profession of Faith is a declaring of our resolution of Evangelical Obedience our assenting and adhering to the right Exercise of true Religion as prescribed in the Gospel The work of Faith and Religion is not wholly to be done within but many externals are necessary and essential for constituting a visible Church she is to be a light upon an Hill Every Believer is to shine as lights in the World in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation and that can only discern Externals Therefore the Believers outward carriage and deportment and converse must be so ordered like lights to the inlightning and warming the blind and benummed World Outwardly we are to manage our selves as we may direct strengthen and comfort our Neighbour Poverty of spirit hungring and thirsting after Righteousness Purity of heart c. These are Duties of the first rank and primarily to be taken care of to present our selves so as to be approved by our God These ought ye to have done and not to have left the other undone For there be many external Duties necessary for Communion amidst the society of the Faithful that must not be omitted and refused as Preaching and hearing the Word Administring and receiving the Sacraments meeting and assembling together in those Assemblies mutual exhortations and provocation to good Works confession of Sins of Thanks declared resolutions as well as desires of Holiness and other Duties all comprehended in profession of Faith These are all External yea are all Gospel Duties and have been and will be used in the Church of Christ Thus the Church of God among the Jews that met at the Ark and Temple in Jerusalem The Tribes went up for the Testimony of Israel to give thanks to the Name of the Lord and these were External Thus the Church of Christ united under the faith of the Gospel had their Praying preaching the new Law singing of Hymns while Christ continued on Earth amongst them And when gone up to Heaven they continued in Assembling and breaking of Bread and Prayers They had their Liturgies and publick Administrations not only in works of Charity but works of Piety They had their sacrifices of Praise the fruit of their lips and giving thanks to the Name of the Lord. They had their prophesying at Church at Corinth and what was to be done by the Church on Earth They had Visions of the Examples to lead them from the Angels both in Earth and Heaven Neither can a visible Church or Society think to be continued without open profession and declaration And in the Gospel They that worshipped God in their spirits were ready to bow their knees to him They that knew God made their acknowledgment They that believed in their heart for their Righteousness made confession with their mouths to help on their own and others salvation Thus by Presidents of Saints on Earth and Angels in Heaven the Gospel of Christ doth lead his Church as the Law of Nature directs it not only to Religion but its exercise nor the Gospel only to Faith but the profession of Faith that every Member united to that visible Society of Believers must hold the profession of his Faith without wavering And there 's the next particular The injunction of what both Nature and the Gospel directs us unto is not unlawful but necessary and both require that of our Faith we should make Profession and it is very good that Rulers from their Subjects require the same SECT III. Every particular Believing Subject ought to be injoyn'd to this open profession of Faith PRofession of Faith is an essential of the visible Church and none can be concluded in the Judgment of men of the visible Church that doth not make profession of Faith The visible Church is not a Company but a Society and what makes the Society a Church is profession of Faith Every one is to evidence himself of this Society if he will claim right to the Priviledges of a Society he must perform the offices and duties and be diligent in the Ministration of the Society A Minister may gather a Company but he cannot gather a Church nor make them to be so by his own single confession Every man that will approve himself of the Church must not only give a tacit but an express consent by an open Profession This is necessary for constituting every man in Church-membership and this is rationally required and injoyn'd of Christian Governours to their Believing Subjects for
direction Timothy was to hold fast the form of sound words at his Church at Ephesus that as there is but one Faith so in Believing Congregations there might be but one Confession And this not only evinced from Scripture and Reason as expedient but from the Apostles practice who having received the promise of the Father and power from on high at Jerusalem they agreed on one summary Rule for their own Teaching and the Peoples believing a compendious sum of Evangelical Doctrines exquisitely composed which is delivered to us by Tradition from Antiquity and generally received under the Name of the Apostles Creed In which Confession the intelligent Believer not only makes an acknowledgment of his assent to Promises of Mercy to be rely'd upon but to the reasonableness of Duties of Obedience that are injoyned by the Gospel to be practiced and makes open profession of Communion of Saints which must be maintained by the practice of Holiness and comprehend all the duties of Christianity that are required And this compendious Confession of Faith by repeating this set Form prescribed by the Apostles hath been used by the People as well as the Minister by which they openly declared their unfeigned Assent to what they did believe and their stedfast Resolution of what they would do in every Congregation that would be reputed of the Church of Christ And if it be lawful and expedient to have set Forms for Confession of Faith it cannot be unlawful and unfitting to have set Forms for the exercise of Devotion It cannot be a reproach but a duty to have our Spirits thus stinted when the Spirit of Grace limits himself in the Rules of Holiness and hath the denomination of Holy from this limitation And if new sorts of Words and variety of Expressions must be used in praying as some wildly fancy I wonder St. Paul in all his Epistles in the beginning should use the same Salutation and in the end should use the same Valediction and that Christ in his Agony who wanted neither expression or fervency should pray thrice together the same words At Antioch that the Christians there in their Congregation had their Liturgy At Corinth that the People were all Prophesying At Jerusalem that in their Religious Assemblies they were to hold fast the profession of their Faith without wavering is so evident as doubtless it can need no further illustration And if set Form of Words were unlawful in Gods service certainly the multitude of Angels would never have been represented unto us as agreeing in one Anthem on Earth nor they above in the same doxology in Heaven And if the Examples of Saints and Angels may lead us rightly if Nature God and Christ and his Apostles may direct us safely we must conclude That Vniformity of Words is not only lawful but expedient in the exercise of Godliness 3. I shall prove Vniformity of Words necessary and expedient by Reason 1. And Reason it self will tell us if we have not abjured it that Vniformity in Words is necessary and conducing to the practice of Godliness for take this away and see what giddiness and distractedness must necessarily ensue in every Assembly Without agreement in these things to terminate and bound both our Thoughts and Words how improbable is it that most men should be secured from inconsiderate wandrings and unwarrantable expressions But being confined to words of Faith and Devotion we call home our Thoughts to consider what these import and signifie that are injoyned and prescribed us and reverently we worship God and pray to him and confess to his Name And our wilful Opposers give Testimony to this Truth by their practice that set Ferms must be prescribed to the People When the best gifted Brother is appointed and agreed on to put up Prayers which are set Forms to the whole Congregation and it is not to be denied but every Member that is truly Religious secretly doth concur with such Prayers and limit their Thoughts to what is signified by such Expressions Weak Creatures never considering that they split upon that Rock which they pretend studiously to avoid while they voluntarily enslave themselves and stint their spirits and thoughts to conform to the sudden wild effusions and oft unwarrantable expressions of their idolized Teacher and dare not spoil their Liberty to submit unto and concur with the deliberate Forms and Prescriptions of their sober Governours and Rulers which will undoubtedly guide and lead them to the right exercise of true Religion that tends to peace Poor inconsiderate People they know not what to do for it is not a set Form they hate which they may see they cannot avoid but a spirit of Contradiction they love while they oppose the warrantable directions of their Religious Leaders and willingly suffer themselves to be captivated by wild ungovern'd Enthusiasts and run headlong into an inexcusable sin of a wilful Disobedience But if any can think set Forms to be unlawful and will be tied to none but avoid them then must every pretended Saint bring a distinct Prayer and Psalm to be poured out by himself in their several Congregations And it must necessarily follow when every one is singing a several Psalm in their Congregation it must happen what St. Paul saith was at Corinth when they all spake with several Tongues a Stranger coming in must in reason conclude that there was madness in the midst of them Thus in Reason we must determine to terminate and bound the Thoughts and Considerations of them that would be truly Religious there ought to be set Forms of Words agreed upon and prescribed in Believing Congregations 2. That is best to be used that will most heighten our Devotion and Intention in our Religious addresses to God for how shall I hope that God should intend me if I do not intend my own Petitions And I am verily perswaded Prayer without Devotion is like a Body without a Soul it is dead and ineffectual Now this I do deliberately affirm and maintain That premeditated and set Forms of Prayer must heighten any mans Devotion and Intention I desire such as obstinately oppose premeditated and composed Forms to consider that in this they contend only for freedom of Words And have Words any power or influence over God Can we imagine that God is taken with variety or shift of Phrases Words or loeutions are for mans necessity not Gods information They are of no necessity to make our hearts known to him who understand what we need before we ask him and our Thoughts afar off And it is the affections of our Hearts not the expression of our Mouths that make us prevail with our God What therefore may best conduce to settle our Consideration to fix our Desires and Intentions on God and good things is most lawful and most expedient to be used And this I dare say upon Reason and from Experience is best done by well-weighed Forms of set Prayers foreknown and assented unto both by Priest and People For