And although Luke 11. 2. hath it When yee Pray say Our Father c. Yet Luke may be expounded by Matthew as one place of Scripture is oft expounded by another So that Luke may very well be understood according to Matthew his words thus When ye Pray say viz after this manner Our Father c. Nor can this one only short Form of Prayer be a sufficient argument to make a large Book of Forms of Prayer and impose them by constraint upon Christians For either this one Form of Prayer taught by Christ was sufficient for the Apostles without any other or it was not if sufficient for them why not also for all other Christians And yet I know not any sort of these called Christians who confine themselves only to it or are willing so to do but think it needful to express their Prayers frequently in other Words for variety and change of Words when the matter is the same doth help to stir up and beget in men the more Fervent Affections But if that one only Form was not sufficient to the Apostles it is clear that Christ did not intend by teaching them that Form to give them or their Successors an intire System or Scheme of Common Prayer but as is already said to be a Pattern or Example unto them and also to afford unto them matter of Meditation as the Holy Spirit should open the deep and comprehensive Sense of it unto them so that by a due and serious and deliberate Meditation upon all the parts and words of it by the help of the Spirit they might be stirred up unto Prayer their hearts being lifted up unto God upon the Meditation on every part of it by saying Amen thereunto or expressing the inward desire and prayer of their hearts in the same or more words as the Holy Spirit should be pleased to enable and assist them And though I cannot and dare not recommend it to be read or said as a Prayer twice or thrice every day in a dead formal customary way as too many do nor can I limit any to the strict and precise number of words in it to pray by without using any more or less words lest thereby I should seem to limit the Holy Spirit who is most free in all his Workings Yet I can and do freely thus far recommend it even unto all Christians as well great as small as a most worthy subject of their frequent Meditation which the Spirit of the Lord will not be wanting to incline them unto and assist them in And how often in the Day Week Month or Year they are to Meditare upon it or how long their Minds and Hearts are to dwell upon the Thoughts and Meditations of it or any other places of Holy Scripture no outward rule can be given but must all be left to the free ordering and leading of the Spirit which I certainly believe as it is regarded and minded will be found very frequent For it is a great part of the Spirits Work and Office to bring the Scripture words and especially the words of Christ to our remembrance and the more useful and necessary any words of Scripture are unto us no doubt the Holy Spirit that Faithful Remembrancer will bring them to our Minds the more frequently and seasonable And I know no words in all the Scripture that are more necessary and profitable unto us to be remembred and often meditated upon than those very words contained in this excellent Form of Prayer taught by Christ. And indeed not only these few Words of Prayer taught the Apostles by Christ but any other words of Prayer whither Recorded in Scripture or that are Writ and Recorded any where else that have proceeded from a true Breathing and Spring of Life in these who first conceived and expressed them in word or writing may be and are of great service So that Forms and words of Prayer which proceed in the least measure from the Spirit of Prayer we are not against but for and our Souls have oft been greatly refreshed and quickned by them and the Spirit of Prayer yea true Prayer and Supplication hath oft been excited in us at the reading or hearing read such Prayers as are frequently to be found not only in the Scriptures but in the Books of true Martyrs and Witnesses of Jesus What precious Words of Prayer have oft dropped from them althongh but a little of those is recorded and it might be wished more of these precious words of Prayer or Thanksgiving and other Testimonies that came from the Spirit of God in them which flowed from them had been preserved if it had been the will of God. How oft when we hear or read or call to mind these precious Words of Prayer or some part of them that any Servant or Hand-maid of the Lord has uttered either at the Hour of their Death or any other time by the Spirit of the Lord which we find upon record in true History How oft I say and how purely doth Life spring in us and bear its Living Witness to the Original and Fountain of those Prayers out of which they have proceeded even the Pure and Holy Spirit of God and Christ And what pure inward living powerful and comfortable Touches of the same Spirit have we felt at such times confirming our Heavenly and Spiritual Unity with those dear and precious Servants of the Lord. Therefore I say we are not against Words or Fruits of Prayer for all Words have a Form that have at any time come or do and may come from the Spirit but are very much for them as fit and proper Subjects of Meditation and Occasions as the Spirit of the Lord is pleased to concurr to excite the Grace of Prayer in us thereby or any other Divine Grace and Gift as doth oft come to pass Also all such Prayers are excellent patterns and examples unto us of Prayer but yet we cannot set them up to be read or heard as our Prayers so as to tye and confine our selves or others to the precise number of the words contained in them Not can we acknowledg that the bare reading or repeating the Words are a Prayer as many do ignorantly imagine for all true Vocal Prayer comes from the Heart as it is moved and wrought upon by the Holy Spirit and the Words of Prayer simply considered are not properly the Prayer otherwise every one that hath and useth the words should pray those Prayers which is far otherwise but the words are but the signs and expressions of the Prayer which was in those who first conceived them and are called Prayer only by a Figure or Metonymie of the Sign for the thing signified And whereas it is objected by some that these Forms of Prayer as they are good and fit patterns of our Prayers so they may be used by us as Prayers even as some Weights and Measures which are kept as Standards to make other Weights by may be used themselves as
but yet come up from the Heart into the Mouth where they are secretly or silently whispered such as the Prayer of Hannah was 1 Sam. 1. 12 13. And it came to pass as she continued praying before the Lord that Eli marked her Mouth Now Hannah she spake in her Heart only her Lips moved but her Voice was not heard c. Q. May Vocal Prayer in words that are audible to others at some distance be used in private when a man is alone by himself A. Upon some solemn or extraordinary occasions it may be used as if such a wicked Law should be made that no man should pray unto God as in the case of Daniel cap. 7. Where it was decreed that none should ask any thing for thirty daies but of the King Daniel found himself the more concerned to bear a testimony against such a Law or Decree that even his private Prayer came under the observation of his accusers so that he could not satisfie himself with meer inward and mental Prayer which none of them could observe And it seemeth it had been Daniel's custom formerly so to do he living among Idolaters that so he might more abundantly bear a Testimony against their false Worship and for the true Worship of the True and Living God. Again 2. Vocal Prayer in private may be the more freely used when any hath the opportunity of some remote or retired place where none are within the reach of hearing them for sometimes the earnestness and pressure of Spirit in their earnest wrestling with the Lord may provoke and constrain some to use Vocal Prayer and sometimes the using of it helps them that are weak to excite and make them more servent and lively but it is to be used with great wariness and discretion when used in private to take away all occasion of Ostentation or Hypocrisie which is too incident to many who pray or cry out their private Prayers of purpose that others may hear them as the Pharisees did of old whose Hypocrisie Christ sharply reproved and he taught his Disciples the best manner to perform their private Devotions Matth. 6. 6. But thou when thou Prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy Door Pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly Now as this Closet or secret Chamber may partly be understood to be outward when men have the opportunity thereof or any outward place of retirement yet because it oft falleth out to good Christians that they have no Closet or outward Place of Retirement many being oft confined to a Prison where they must alwaies be in Company with others and sometimes with bad People In that case the Lords Servants have the Closet of their Hearts to retire into at all times where they may freely pray unto the Lord in secret and here also they must be careful to shut their Door to wit the Door of their Heart whereby shut out and exclude all idle and wandering Thoughts and Imaginations yea all thoughts even of their Lawful occasions that their hearts and thoughts may be wholly exercised for that space of time towards the Lord as he shall be pleased to assist them Q Is it not requisite and necessary that every true Christian set apart some time every day in a Solemn way for Meditation and Private Prayer as well as that some time is set apart once or twice every Week by a company of Christians for publick Worship where opportunity can be had A. That some part of our time is to be set apart for private Prayer and Meditation and waiting upon God as well as for publick Prayer and Worship or any other Religious performance is most clear from the practise and example of the Servants of God both in the Old and New Testament for not only the Prophets of old under the old Testament used frequent times of retirement to give themselves in a Solemn and peculiar way to waiting upon God Meditation and Prayer as did Abraham Isaac Iacob Moses David Elijah Daniel c. But Christ himself used such Solemn times and so did the Apostles As concerning Christ it is said Matth. 14. 23. And when he had sent the Multitudes away he went up into a Mountain apart to Pray And when the Evening was come he was there alone And a little before his Passion or outward suffering at the place called Gethsemane Matth. 26. 36. he retired from his Disciples and Prayed alone at three several times saying O my Father if it be possible let this Cup pass from me Nevertheless not as I will but as thou wilt Next as for the Apostles we find in the Acts cap. 10. 9. That Peter went up upon the House in some upper Chamber to Pray about the Sixth Hour Which according to the Jewish Account of Hours was the middle of the Day And no doubt Peter made it his frequent practise to retire himself thus unto Prayer And Paul after his Conversion lodging at the House of Iudas was exercised in Prayer when Ananias was sent to him at which time he had a Vision of Ananias his coming as Peter had of the Vessel coming down from Heaven as he was at Prayer in private in the House of Simon the Tanner Thus we see how the Lord did bless and countenance such solemn private exercises of Prayer unto his Servants And no doubt the same was the practise of the other Apostles and servent Christians of those times But as to any limited time for Prayer we find no Precept in the Scripture for Christians or those who live in Gospel Times Under the Law Morning and Evening Sacrifices were to be offered up which no doubt were accompanied with Prayer by the Faithful David said Morning and Evening and Mid-day he would call upon the Lord yea Seven times a Day and Daniel used Thrice in the Day to pray unto the Lord. And surely the Devotion and Fervent Zeal of Christians should be no less in Gospel Times than was theirs under the Law but rather more and more frequently exercised Although Christians are not under any tye or command given in general as to the number of times how oft to be retired out of all worldly occasions to give themselves solemnly to Prayer every day that and many other things being wholly left to the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit which as it teacheth all true Christians what and how to Pray so no doubt it sheweth also the times when which times are frequent even of the Holy Spirit his moving of the Souls and Hearts of true and tender Christians who are become acquainted with the movings and leadings of the same And if by outward occasions such true and tender Christians may be diverted or hindred by some inevitable lets or hindrances as to the outward as oft falleth out that they cannot have either conveniency of time or place to be so frequently retired in the outward posture of
Prayer they will and ought to take care to supply it another way that every day at least inwardly if not outwardly they have frequent times to be retired into the Closet of their Hearts the Door of their Hearts being shut and there in secret to Pray unto the Lord laying aside all wordly thoughts for that time Nor is it safe to neglect this exercise or lay it aside upon the pretence of the constant and continual sort of Prayer which consists in the Soul's desire after God and may well be without all words so much as inwardly conceived for no doubt the Prophets and Apostles had this constant sort of Prayer that consists in a manner wholly or for the most part in the will and desire and affections of the Soul which keeped their Hearts continually in a godly and spiritual frame but notwithstanding of this they used also frequent Solemn times of that other kind of Prayer which exerciseth not only the will and affections but the understanding also whereby they spoke unto God at least in their Hearts words of Prayer which some call discursive Prayer or the Prayer of Meditation the which is frequently necessary to be performed by every true and good Christian for the strengthening and encreasing the Prayer of the will and desire which ought to be a continual thing and without the said discursive Prayer used at least in the Heart and that frequently the prayer or desire of the will groweth flat and dull yea languisheth and is ready to die and be extinguished unless it be helped and assisted with discursive Prayer and Meditation in the frequent exercise of it For discursive Prayer when duly and rightly performed exciteth and stirreth up the Prayer of desire even as the blowing of the Bellows makes the Fire to burn the better and raiseth it into a bright and burning Flame And the Prayer of desire which is principally lodged in the will and affections is like the continual motion of the heart in the body of a living man which must be preserved and assisted with Eating and Drinking and other outward Labours and Exercises of the Body without which the inward motion of the Heart would soon fail and he extinguished Nor is it sufficient for any to excuse their not using this kind of Prayer by speaking to God in their Hearts upon a pretence of not being called or moved thereunto by the Holy Spirit for whoever do not find themselves frequently called and moved to such a Divine and Heavenly Exercise so exceeding necessary to every true Christian it is too manifest an evidence that they are carnal and earthly also that they have quenched the Spirit and resisted the same and that they are got into a false liberty of their fleshly will out from under the Yoak and Cross of Christ whereas all such who keep under his blessed Yoak and Cross to crucifie self and all the thoughts and desires thereof are kept in a living tender and sensible condition of Soul and Heart and these feel the callings and movings of the Holy Spirit to be frequent in them to Prayer Meditation giving of Thanks and all other necessary Duties and such continually watch unto Prayer and are still waiting for the Spirit 's gentle and soft breathings and the more they wait for them the more they find them and have experience of them Q. How and after what manner doth the Spirit help and assist the Faithful to Pray in words either inwardly conceived and spoke only in the heart unto God or outwardly expressed in the audience of others Doth he give or dictate to them all and every one of the words of their Prayer just so many in number and neither more nor less and doth he make use only of their Understanding and other powers of their Soul in a passive way so as only to receive what is delivered unto them as the Conduit or Water-pipe only sends out the Water that is put into it or as the Wax or Clay only showeth the figure or form of the impression it hath received from the Seal A. It is somewhat hard and difficult to express the manner of the Spirits helping us to pray in words for all the Operations of the Spirit are better and more clearly felt and perceived in the Souls of them who witness them than they can be uttered or expressed in words And it is very hard to express the manner of the natural Operations of a man as how he seeth heareth smelleth tasteth and feeleth or how he speaketh and how the words arise from his mind and heart until they come to his mouth and how the Mouth Tongue and Lips do utter them And if these natural Operations whereof we have daily experience are so hard to be explained as to the manner of them how much more hard and difficult are they which are Spiritual and Supernatural to be clearly explained and expressed in Words unless the Lord give an ability in a good measure However somewhat may be said to those who have a single and honest desire to be informed that may be of service unto them but as for such who are only curious to pry into this Mystery and lye at the â—atch to take advantage they are like to receive no satisfaction And now to the Question I Answer directly and positively thus that the Soul and its powers are not wholly and altogether passive and meerly receptive or recipients in this case as Water-conduits or Wax and Clay in respect of the Seal but partly passive and partly active as the Earth is in the production of its Fruits and Vegetables or as the Womb of the Mother is in bringing forth of her Children for both the Earth and the Woman are active as well as passive in the production of their respective Births and bring them forth from the Seeds which they have received And hence it is that true Prayer as it is a Fruit of the Spirit who has â—own the true seed of it in the Soul and causeth it to grow with its Divine and Heavenâ—y Influences so is it also a Fruit of the Soul which the Soul being quickned and made aâ—ive unto God and made fruitful with the Divine-feed it hath received and the Divine over-shadowings of that Holy Spirit of promise brings forth unto God. And hence it is that dead and fruitlesssouls in Scripture which are empty of good Fruits are compared to dry and barren Trees and also to barren Ground as the good and honest Heart in the Parable is compared to good Ground which brought forth some an Hundred Fold and some Sixty and some Thirty And said Iohn the Baptist to the Pharisees Bring forth Fruits meet for Repentance for now the Ax is laid to the Root of the Tree every Tree therefore that bringeth not forth good Fruit is hewed down and cast into the Fire Now true Prayer is one of these good Works and Fruits which the Souls of the Faithful bring forth unto God the Husband-man
sentences have more than others as that Spirit is felt from whom originally they came And though all the Scripture words did proceed from the Holy Spirit yet some have proceeded from a greater measure of it and more depth of the Divine Wisdom and hold forth somewhat of more Majesty and deep inward sense and mysterie and are commonly accompanied with a greater measure of the Spirit when they are used either in Reading or hearing them Read or in Meditation and may be also used at this day in Prayer as the same Spirit doth move any of his Servants thereunto either in part or in whole But we do not find that even under the Law or at any time before the Lord did limit and confine his People or Servants to such a precise number of Set Forms of Prayer and made unlawful unto them to use any others when they prayed in publick or that any one was ever forbid to whom God had given any spiritual gift of uttering words either of Prayer or of a Psalm or Song ex tempore by the help and moving of the Spirit to make use of it But on the contrary we find that many prayed ex tempore by the inspiration of the Spirit what the Lord did give them or put into their mouthes of words both in private and publick as Solomon's prayer at the Dedication of the Temple also Esdras's Prayer Chap. 9. and the Levites Prayer Nehem. 9. and Daniel's Prayer Dan. 9. and for private Prayers David's Prayers in the Psalms and Asaphs also Moses and Samuel and Habbakkuk their Prayers with many others under the Law are clear instances and before the Law Abraham Isaac and Iacob their Prayers Nor do we find that ever a Book of Prayers containing so many Prayers in number to be said or read in order was ever made in the Church by any of the Prophets as Prayer or as any part of Worship in the Law. For though divers excellent forms of Prayers are recorded in Scripture and put into Books yet they were not appointed by the Lord to be read or used in so many words without adding or diminishing as Prayers But they were read in the Congregation as other parts of Scripture pattly for information and partly to excite the Spirit and gift of Prayer in the Hearers Excepting only some very few short forms as above mentioned which did not hinder or stop the liberty of the Spirit of Prayer to express it self ex tempore in any other words And those few Forms they used as Prayers and Blessings we do not find they read them out of a Book when they prayed them but spoke them from their hearts where they were livingly as it were Writ and Recorded And tho the words of these short Forms were formerly conceived and in that respect were old or ancient yet as they uttered or pronounced them in a fresh and living sense of God's Spirit and power which never waxeth old this gave them alwaies a new luster and put a new Savour of life in them and made them as it were alwaies new to them And thus it is at this day with the Servants of the Lord whom he hath endued with a Spirit of Prayer who when they Pray either in private or in publick do frequently find and feel Scripture words of Prayer formerly conceived and uttered by the Servants of the Lord as Moses David c. to arise in them from a fresh and living sense of the Word of Life to speak them forth in Prayer and this without any limitation of the Spirit of Prayer but coming freely in the liberty of the Spirit and also of Heart Soul and Understanding and the liberty of the Spirit of Prayer as also of the Heart and Understanding of him that Prayeth is manifest in this that it is the free choice of the Spirit what words of Scripture to make use of and to bring into the Remembrance of him that Speaketh who doth not also limit or confine the Man's Understanding only to those Scripture Words but giveth him liberty to make use of any others that freely arise or spring up in him in unity with the life as it is opened in him as a Fountain or Well of Living Water 2. It is Objected That Christ taught his Disciples to Pray in a set Form of Words who even then were endued with a measure of the Spirit Matth. 6. 9. Luke 11. 2. Answ. Though they are endued at that time with a measure of the Spirit yet it was but small in respect of what was to follow And we must remember that as yet the dispensation of the Law remained in force and if Moses prescribed unto the People under the Law some short but of a very excellent composure Forms of Prayer and Blessing without limiting them only to these well might Christ teach his Disciples this short form of Prayer which is of a most excellent and wonderful composure in regard of its plainness and simplicity and yet most comprehensive in respect of the largeness and fulness of matter expressed in so few Words a most worthy Pattern of all our Prayers and of all that we can ask or desire for it is a sum of all the Prayers that ever was or can be made by any of the Servants of God and whatever is lawsul to be prayed for is most easily reducible to some of the Petitions of the said Prayer and though it hath great plainness and simplicity of Words yet great depth of matter and may be compared to Solomon's Temple which had not only the outer Court but the Holy place within it and within the Holy place the most Holy or Holy of Holies For beside the Letter and Words of it which answer to the outer Curt it hath a Holy inward Sense or Understanding which none can reach or come into but who are made a Royal Priest-hood unto God as none were to enter into the Holy place but such as were Priests under the Law. And although many Christians have reached to the inward Sense of the whole Prayer in great part yet who can say he has reached to the full depth of it and most inward Pith or Marrow thereof which is as the Holy of Holies It is a Question if any ever reached into the most inward Sense and Understanding of it but Christ Jesus himself who spoke and uttered it in whom dwelt all fulness and riches of Wisdom and Understanding who is our High Priest made higher than the Heavens and all the Angels that dwell in them But 2. Christ did not limit them only to this Form of Prayer nor did he give them a Book of Forms of Prayer or any other Forms that we read of but this only which therefore was rather to be a Pattern and Example unto them according to which they were to Pray than tye or confine them to the precise number of the Words of it as is clear from Matth. 6. 9. After this manner therefore said he Pray ye