long Prayers either as that God's people should never use them there is sometimes occasion for both and a time when neither is to be neglected for a sudden Prayer we have warrant for and encouragement to from the practice and prevalency of the Disciples Matt. 8.25 When upon a sudden storm the ship was ready to sink and they to perish they run to Christ with Lord save us we perish And there is occasion sometimes for long Prayers as there was in the time of God's provocation by the sins of Israel and Aaron when it was the Lord's resolution to have destroi'd them Deut. 9. vers 18 19. then Moses is at Prayer forty days and forty nights Which is also upon extraordinary occasions the practice of our Church for in the times of God's heavy Judgments upon the Land or upon some particular place theref the sure Evidences of God's displeasure because of our sins then our Church appoints days of Humiliation and the Prayers to God upon those days are lengthned then as well as fitted to the present occasions Which is also ordinarily the practice of our Church it being our duty from St. Paul's churge sometimes to remember in our Prayers all Men Kings and all in Authority Hereâ—â—on our Church lengthens our Prayers at times by the Litany and so that 't is hard to find where the concern of any one man is neglected yea and so well 't is composed also as to brevity fulness and 〈◊〉 to the dispatch of the Duty injoyned that I heard our late Bishop Reynolds where judgment was of high esteem with them of the Author's faction if they did not dissemble 〈◊〉 give it this Eâ—comium That it was the most excellent composed Prayer that ever was used in the Worship of God since the times of Christ and his Apostles and said He was of opinion that is â—ll the Divines then living shoulâ— join 〈◊〉 in making another they couldl not parallel it But let 's look now upon the third respect their lat City of refuge as to the present concern which is their more spiritual powerful and aâ—â— mentative way to be used in Prayer to prevail with God In which respect I preâ—â—â—e they challenge to themselves a more abundant help of the Spirit as to Prayer than others yea than those that composed this Form of Common Prayer for the Church and themselves to seek God by Well now as to the trval hereof we must to the Orale or Word of God and consider of the Precedents and Directions therein as to the way of powerfulness and prevalency with God by Prayer and see whose Pravers the Churches or theirs be best sitted to help the souls of people to a fiduciary servent and effectual way of praying to God or which be most sutable to Scripture Directions herein And as to lead to this we need go no further than to our blessed Saviour helping his Church in their Devotions and Pravers mait 6. vers 9. After this manner therefore pray ye Our Father which art in heaven c. Heb. 11. vers 6. The spirit of Christ tells us that without Faith it is impossible to please God in the performance of any Duty and there concludes that he that goes to God by Prayer effectually he must believe that God is both able and willing to relieve them that diligently seek him that is the summ of that place Now Christ as helping devont souls to obtain at God's hands the things they stood in need of by Prayer directs them in the beginning to the minding of that may raise and continue in the praying foul a faith or belief in God in order to a diligent seeking of God so as he may obtain Our Father which art in heaven for there he remembers them with the power of God to help in that he tells them God is in heaven to whom they pray and therefore above the reach of earthly things to hinder his will he also there minds them that he is as willing to relieve as able in remembrancing them he is their Father And in the close of his Direction he teacheth them to argue even undeniably with God to grant their requests For says he thine is the kingdom the power and the glory here are strong Arguments to incline a God of power of truth of justice of mercy and of greatness as God is to vouchsafe the things he directed his Church to ask and whereof they stand in need For there he teacheth his Church to remembrance God that he doth no wrong to any in granting their desired necessities they mind him he hath right to dispose of where he please the things they begged Secondly they mind him 't is in his power to grant their desires And lastly in the close of all they mind God of his own advantage upon the grant of their requests yea and enter into a Covenant also to be for ever thankful to God upon his granting their requests all these are couched together in that close commonly called by Divines the Doxology of that Prayer for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory for ever and over Amen And now having briefly considered of the direction of our Saviour as to the most powerful and effectual way of Prayer let 's peruse some of the Prayers of our Church Liturgy and some of the Prayers of them who have so undervalued and neglected the same and let the World and themselves judge who come nearest the Directory and Liturgy of our Saviour and the practice of God's Saints in the Scriptures herein And I 'le begin with the beginning of our Liturgy that pithy and effectual though short Form of Confession and Supplication in order to forgiveness of sins past and of amendment of life for the future As the due and fullest confession of sins is an infallible way so also 't is an only way to obtain forgiveness of sins upon supplication thereof through Christ Which we see in the Prodigal being come to himself and after that to his Father in the same way Luke 15. vers 17 21 22. Now that devout souls might come up to a due performance of both our Church follows our Saviour's fore-mentioned Directions It begins with Almighty and most merciful Father A Procemium fitted to help every sinful confitent and petitioner to faith to continuance and increase in faith so as they may return with the Prodigal's hope and desire to God their heavenly Father Almighty God and with as happy a success as he did to his For here is means fit to help sinners to go to God in 〈◊〉 faithful hope of forgiveness and consequently to seek it of him diligently For here they are briefly instructed they are going to him for forgiveness and for their wants who is the most merciful Father in the World nay to him whose compassion and inclination to forgiveness is as far beyond an earthly Father's as the Heavens are higher than the Earth Isa 55. vers 9. which thing is argued by our
Saviour in Luke 11. vers 11 12 13. to make men importunate and diligent seekers of God in Prayer If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father will be give him a stone or if he ask a fish will be give him a serpent or if he ask him an egg will be give him a scorpion No the summ is this an earthly Father will give a Child upon request the things he hath need of Ay but what follows how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost to them that ask him But if there be never so much willingness to help yet if there be not ability to relieve there will be but a slack and faint address made though there be never so much want But now ye may see our Church here after the Practice of our Saviour hath made provision for the latter as well as for the former for it ascribes to him power to forgive all sins and to amend all sinfulness of life in man in attributing to him almightiness as well as it preached before his willingness in those words placed before the Confession and Supplication Almighty and most merciful Father See Exod. 32. Vers 31. And in the close of this Confession and Prayer the Church follows Christ there and the Saints of God close There our Church helps a devout soul to plead strongly with God for forgiveness and assisting grace by way of an humble remembrancing of God of his PRomise made to Mankind thereupon in Christ Jesus And citer that pleads with God for his help to amend their lives that they might be instruments for his glory thereby And indeed it ye look upon the Absolution upon the second Collect at Morning Prayer which is for Peace upon the third which is for Grace upon the second at Evening-Prayer which is for peace of Conscience peace with God upon the Prayers for his Majesty the King for the Queen the Duke of York and the Royal Family for the Ministers of the Word and all Congregations committed to their charge and upon most of the Pravers to be used with the forementioned Prayers in our daily Devotions they are fitted to awaken and help our Faith and â—â—…erchy to strengthen our wrastling souls with God by Prayer that we might overcome him as Jacob did at Peniel and the Lord not able to deny us blessings meet for us and his own glory And now look upon some of the Prayers and Thanksgivings of them that have so dispised the former and are so much more inabled by the Spirit to those Duties by their own Pretensions and see which have come nearest the help of our Saviour and the powerful and argumentative way of the canonized Saints in the Calendar of the Spirit of God At a Market-Town in Norfolk there being a Meeting in order to setting up the Presbyterian Government the Minister in his Sermon instructing the Lay-Elders as to the due execution of their places told them they must be as exquisite Chirurgeons who have Hauks eyes Ladies hands and Lions hearts But one of that Faction taking on him to pray a Blessing upon the work of the day among other things he desired God he would give the Lay-Elders Hauks eyes Ladies hands and Lions paws That I shall not omit of one in his Prayer before his Sermon in his Thanksgivings blessed God for the twelve Bishops being sent to the Tower in the long and mad Parliament because that thereupon God had set Christ Jesus twelve steps higher in his Throne than ever he was before Another Minister being to Preach a Funeral Sermon at another Minister's Parish he that officiated before the Sermon read the 8th of Ecclesiastes where in the 4th Verse 't is said Where the word of a King is there is power and who can say to him what doest thou The Minister that was to Preach being for the present Rebellion fearing the people in all probability might have been brought to or continued in Loyalty upon the remembrance of Solomen's Doctrine used this poisonous Antidote in his Prayer before the Sermon O Lord though Solomon hath said that Kings cannot be controuled yet we thy people know by the Spirit that Kings may be questioned and call'd to account I will insert but one more Expression in Prayer which was lately told me by one that heard it being present himself at a Church in Suffolk in the Prayer of a Minister in great esteem in those days After some Groanings and small coughing Respits these words came forth Lord go on with thy Reformation while it is time and after some more coughing Respits he went on thus For if thou dost not thou wilt not know what to do And that these and such like ridiculous and profane Expressions and dead argumentative helps were too frequently used in the Prayers of those so boldly assuming to themselves a superlative or extraordinary help of the Spirit to call upon God are in common charity and probability to be received as truth even by those that have not heard them or the like to them considering the report as to such like particulars left to be published by King Charles the First of most blessed memory being then in his own thoughts but a few steps from the grave For in his Observations upon the Ordinance against the Book of Common-Prayer in the twelfth Paragraph there having stigmatized many of their Prayers with statness rudeness confusion ridiculous repetitions yea with sensless and oft-times blasphemous Expressions c. In the thirteenth Paragraph he concludes to my present purpose in these following words Wherein they must be straâ—â—â—…ly impudent and flatterers of themselves not to have an infinite shame of what they so do and say in things of so sacred a nature before God and the Church after so ridiculous and indeed prophane a manner But notwithstanding what hath been last sâ—â—d I cannot but grant that some of them infatuated with the same spiritual pride and self conceitedness have been more prudent and careful than others in composing and wording their Publick Prayers but yet if they be weighed in the Sâ—des and with the Weights of the Sanctuary with the Collects and Prayers of our Liturgy so despised by them their best Prayers will be found lighter than the other in the judgment of meek humble and devout souls knowing how to pray as they ought through the help of the Spirit of God Look upon the sixth Consideration which begins thus How little good if any at all hath been done by the long use of the Service-Book though men have prayed long by it that the rest of their lives might be holy and righteous yet they still continue profane and unrighteous The Author's opinion there is thus Those men that have made never so long use of the Service-Book and have prayed never so long by it to God for a sanctified and righteous life have never attained to any part thereof It appears plainly to be his opinion for
positively and indefinitely he saith though men have prayed long by it that the rest of their lives might be holy and righteous yet they still continue profane and unrighteous To which I answer This being the judgment and sentence of the Author or of any that read his Pamphlet let them return speedily with a penitent heart for and from these thoughts For I see not but they may be ranked with the man of sin St. Paul speaks of in the 2d Epistle to the Thessalonians chap. 2. vers 4. who as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing and professing himself that he is God For in the I st of the Corinthians chap. 3. vers 17. A Church of God a Congregation of believers are there called the Temple of God Now this man or any following this his opinion living with or among a Church of God a company of true Worshippers of God he or they holding and professing the aforesaid opinion are got into the Temple of God hereby professing themselves that they are God in judging and condemning a great part of God's Church before Christ to whom is committed all Judgment be come in the clouds to justifie some and condemn others Or if they may not be ranked there I am sure they may with them St Paul in the 2 Epistle to Timothy chap. the 3d at the first vers and so on said should come in the last and perilous times namely blasphemers and despisers of those that are good which evidently belongs to them if ye do but consider the conversations and spiritual comforts of the late reverend Bishops Deans Prebends and of others outed sequestred persecuted imprisoned and murthered both of Clergy and Laity that were constant Worshippers of God in that Form of the Service-Book in publick whilst it could be so used and in private afterwards Seeing that these through the grace and help of God serving God that way might and I believe did in and from their hearts say in St. Paul's hope as well as words 2 Epist to Tim. chap. 4. vers 7. namely that they had fought a good fight and kept the faith and that there was laid up for them a crown of righteousness Nay their blasphemy and unparallelable despications upon this their condemnation are yet more evident and rise yet higher in their not excepting our late King Charles the blessed Martyr It cannot be denied but that he was a constant Worshipper of God in Publick by the Service-Book And prayed even to the last unto God by it Now I do positively say and who shall contradict it that there was much sanctifying grace to him from God upon his Devotion and Worshipping God thereby which will be evident if his Book Composed by him were but perused Where ye may see a testimony of his Spiritual Comforts and of Sanctifying Righteousness vouchsafed him of God yea and of his possession of Christ's and Steven's Spirit at his approaching death in both freely forgiving and fervently praying for his cruel Enemies Nor can it be thought but that God through the use of that Service-Book did vouchsafe him help cheerfully to drink off that Cup of Death so imbitter'd by his Enemies especially considering the true report goes of his Morning-Worship the day before he suffer'd His Majesty being to receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper the Morning before his Passion being the 30th of January The Service was to be performed by the Book of Common-Prayer which Bishop Juxen then officiating observed punctually and coming to the second Lesson to be read named it the 27 chap. of St. Matthew At the Bishop's naming the Lesson being the History of our Saviour's Passion His Majesty in all probability not eying the Calender as then it concerned him not to do steps to the Bishop and in meekness asked Why he did apply that Chapter to the present occasion The Bishop replied to this purpose and said It was the portion of Scripture that by providence was appointed for the second Lesson by the Common-Prayer Book for the Morning-Service Then said his Majesty Go on So that at the dreadful hour of his death being then at greatest need of help to suffer as Christ Jesus was in his bloody Agonies at the approaching of the hour of his Passion God by this his appointed Lesson for his Majesty's Passion made the Common-Prayer Book do for this blessed Martyr at that time what the Angel did for Christ when appearing to him in his Agomes from Heaven strengthning him for thereby questionless God helped his Majesty to pass towards the gate of death calmly undauntedly and chearfully as he did as thousands can yet testifie nor can I see how it should be less or otherwise seeing that God thereby gave an unexpected and extraordinary Testimony to him that that day he was to suffer with him even as he did one for many and consequently to reign with him and that he should this life ended be with him in Paradise sitting with the noble Army of Martyrs praising and magnifying the God of his salvation And last of all to conclude against this most false and damnable determination of the Author let it be consider'd of that God hath often given testimony of his acceptance of that Form of Prayer and of the Worshippers of him thereby seeing that when God at any time hath shewed his Indignation against the sinful people of this Land by his sore Judgments upon some places thereof why the repenting Inhabitants humbling themselves before this God and seeking his atonement and reconciliation in this Form of Worship and Service together with some few set Prayers and Portions of holy Scripture fitted to the present occasions why I say this Common-Prayer Book with those few apt alterations have oft-times done for England what David's rearing an Altar at the Word of God and offering burnt-offerings and peace-offerings thereon did for Israel 2 Sam. chap. 24. ver 25. it hath not been long before the Lord hath been intreated and the Judgments stayed To the 7th Consideration How much hurt it hath done in shouldering and thrusting out many godly painful soul-saving Preachers c. I presume that in this Consideration the Author hath respect to the times before the beginning of the long Parliament and the Wars they raised against his late Majesty of blessed memory when according to the Law of the Land as now it is the same the Ministers that would not conform to the Book of Common-Prayer could neither hold their Livings nor Preach In this respect he means the Service-Book shoulder'd and thrust out many godly painful soul-saving Preachers this being the sense of the Author in this former part of the Consideration as I verily believe it is it contains this following Proposition Those Ministers that would not conform to the Book of Common-Prayer were godly painful soul-saving Preachers Answer To make which Proposition true the Author must have recourse to some of their new light for I am sure that the old light the Old and
without fear shame and sorrow that have cast out persecuted imprisoned or otherwise afflicted the true Preachers and Servants of God who did choose to obey God rather than men And to observe his Divine Will rather than the Traditions of men Consider what I say and the Lord give thee you understanding in all things 2 Tim. 2.7 I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way Psalm 119.128 With these fourteen Considerations Vavasor Powel begins his Invectives against Liturgies set-Forms of Prayer and Common-Prayer Books c. which was Printed at London for Livewell Chapman Anno 1661 and was deliver'd to me to peruse and to give my judgment thereof the fore-mention'd part whereof I have consider'd and according to promise do return some of my thoughts upon these considerations in the following words To the Opposers Contemners and Neglecters of Common-Prayer and to the Disputers and Writers against Common-Prayer I Would desire you all in the Name and Fear of the All-seeing All-mighty and All-judging God to set these following Propositions Conclusions c. to your Hearts and your Hearts to them being evidently enough though secretly closed and couched in the wombs of the fore-mentioned Considerations But before I come to open the Contents of the Considerations which I presume are framed especially for a Scare-crow to the Worshippers and Servers of God in the Way of our Church of England by the Book of Common-Prayer and by a Composed Form or Forms of Prayer by the Ministers before their Sermons I desire all that admire the reasons laid down against this kind of Worship to consider that the Author doth not intend only the Condemnation of our Common-Prayers but of any Common-Prayer whatever hath been Composed or shall be for he writes to the Disputers and Writers for Common-Prayer and to the Composers Imposers c. of Common-Praver which terms are indefinite and are equipollent in Logic to Universality so that the Author is against all Common-Prayer whatever have been or shall be Composed or Imposed c. so that you may see by the Immediate succeeding discourse there is no less then a condemnation by the Author of David of St. Paul of all the ancient and modern Churches and Divines yea and of Jesus Christ himself that came into the World to seek and to save that was lost And now to shew ye the blindness of this Guide Disputing and Writing against Common-Prayer and the danger of them that follow him and such as are of his erroneous Judgment First I desire ye to search the Scriptures as concerning this matter where we find Records that Common-Prayers and set-Forms have been Composed Imposed and Used by them that were sanctified yea by them that had Authority from Heaven to instruct and guide men in the Worship and Service of God In the 1 Chron. 16. vers 7. Then on that day David delivered first this Psalm to thank the Lord into the hand of Asaph and his brethren if ye look upon what follows ye have the form of the Thanksgiving If ye look before that 7th Verse ye shall see the occasion thereof and the Quire appointed to sing it unto the Lord in the Ears of the Congregation But come we to look into the Gospel and that in the 11th of St. Luke at Verse the first our Saviour's Disciples desired him to teach them to pray as John also taught his Disciples hereupon Christ composed a Prayer the Form being Our Father which art in Heaven c. yea and imposed it upon them to be used by them when ye pray say Our Father which art in Heaven c. Now this Prayer was and is Common-Prayer 't is a Prayer belongs to every one of Christ's Disciples because it sutes all their occasions and 't is commanded That they use it as oft as they pray When ye pray say Our Father c. but yet not so injoined that they should use no other when they pray but that as good Expositors give the meaning as is the practice of the best Reformed Churches and men of the soundest judgments they should either at the beginning or ending or in some part of their Devotions send up the desires of their hearts to God in that form of Prayer And if upon these Considerations that Prayer be not Common or a set-Form of Prayer I know not what is meant by the notions of Common or set-Form of Prayer King Charles the First of most blessed memory in his Contemplations upon the Ordinance against the Common-Prayer-Book saith of this our Lord's Prayer that it is the warrant and original pattern of set-Liturgies in the Christian Church Further considering Christ's Disciples request there 't is more then probable that John the Baptist had Composed a set-Form of Prayer to be used by his Disciples in their Devotions and Service of God One Precedent more I shall mind ye of for justification for Composing and Using set-Forms of Prayer in the Churches of Christ which I bring from the practice of St. Paul in the beginning of his Epistles to the several Churches of Christ St. Paul knowing as he saith in the 1 Corinth Chap. 3. Verse 6 7. That 't is not of his planting nor of Apollo's watering by the word alone that Grace is begotten or increased in men but that 't is by God's blessing the word thereto doubtless hereupon it was that he ever began his Epistles with prayer to God for spiritual blessings to be to them through the word he sent them And if ye peruse the beginning of his Epistles he being to bring down the same blessings upon the several Churches from God by his Epistles and Prayer to God he useth ever the same set-Form of Praâ—er Rom. 1. Vers 7. and Ephes 1. Vers 2. his Prayer for them is in the same form of words Gâ—ace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ See St. Paul having the same mercies of Grace and Peace to seek at God's hand to be power'd down upon those Churches by his Epistles to them his heart ascends up in desire to God for their spiritual benefit thereby in the same words Nay and 't is not a Common-Prayer or Liturgy for himself only to pray by but for others also for himself and Sosthenes 1 Corinth Vers 2. for himself and Timothy 2 Corin. Chap. 1. Vers 2. and Philip. Chap. 1. Vers 1 2. and Colos Chap. 1. Vers 1 2. Yea 't is a set-Form for himself Silvanus and Timotheus Epist 1. Thessal 1. Vers 1 and 2. Thessal Chap. 1. Vers 1 2. Yea further 'T is a set-Form for himself and the Brethren with him at Rome praying to God through the means of that Epistle for the re-establishing the Galatians in the Gospel from which they were fallen 't is the Prayer for them all Grace be to ye and peace from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ Galat. Chap. 1. Vers 1 2 3. So that the