Clefts of the Rocks in the Secret place of the Stairs Cant. 2.14 In such Retirements he uses most freely to Impart Himself And there should we cast and covet to Meet Him whom our Souls Love And not think it any hard Put upon us but the most sweet and blessed Advantage to leave even the best and Dearest Company to go to God our Exceeding Joy What care I for Chatting with Friends on earth said Bishop Hall shut up in the Tower when I may talk familiarly with the God of Heaven As our Saviour gave a discharge even to his own Disciples Mat. 26.36 Tarry ye here while I go and Pray yonder So get sometimes out of the Crowd and Hurry of worldly Avocations and distractions that thou maist find a full Vacation and happy Freedom to wait upon thy God And when so taken up with Him in Secret bethink thy self what main Grievance it is thou hast to make thy moan of What especial Favour thou hast to Beg What Sin that lieth hardest upon thy Conscience to be Pardoned What noisom Corruption to be Healed What most Wanted Grace or Good thing to be Desired And there tell all as having the fairest Opportunity to be Bold And put on hard as one that will not be Denied Abraham Retired into his Grove Isaac to the Field Jacob Wrestled with God upon the Way Elijah Prayed under the Juniper-Tree Jeremiah in the Dungeon Daniel in the Lions Den Jonah in the Whales Belly Our Saviour in the Garden and often in the Mount St. Peter on the House-Top No matter what is the Place so it minister to our Devotion and help us indeed to Draw nigh to God Which is not to be done with the Body and shifting of Places but in the Elevation of the Heart and Fervor of Affections Non Passibus sed Precibus itur ad Deum Aug. Prayer is the Messenger that doth our Errand there where Flesh cannot come And wherever a man is or however taken up even in the midst of his Worldly occasions His Soul may fly out and steal away to God Or send up Secret Ejaculations that shall pierce the Heavens and find as sure a Conveyance as if they had bounded from the Temple However then we should be Glad to to go into the House of the Lord when Opportunity serves Yet when we have a Motion to Prayer any where we must not withhold it for want of a Better Place from whence to send it up CHAP. V. The Liberty of Prayer as to the Persons Praying SECT I. The Liberty that All Sorts have to Pray EVery one that is Godly shall Pray unto thee ô Lord. Psal 32.6 No Godly man but will do it And all manner of Persons as they have Need So they are Allowed to do it Only the Priest of old entred the Holy Place Now he that hath Loved and Redeemed us and wash'd us from our Sins in his own Blood hath made us all Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 1.6 God is no Respecter of Persons The Poorest shall have as fair and full a Hearing with Him as the Biggest man in the World Tho he be the most High yet the Lowest are not beneath his Notice If they are Low in their own eyes and Poor in Spirit as well as of Low Estate and Poor in the World They are indeed the Nearer to his Acceptance Who hath Respect unto the Lowly And to this man will Look that is Poor and of a Contrite Spirit and Trembles at his Word Isa 66.2 This Poor man cried and the Lord Heard him and saved him out of all his Troubles Psal 34.6 From the Height of his Sanctuary he looks down even upon the most Abject wretches on Earth Even such as are Rejected of men and just ready to be Thrust out as not fit to Live in the World To hear the groaning of the Prisoner To loose those that are Appointed to death Psal 102.20 He will Regard the Prayer of the Destitute and not despise their Prayer v. 17. The Lord sees not as man sees To Regard men according to their Garb and Dresses but according to their Faith and Graces Yea according to their Cries and Necessities And even that Abjection and Beggary for which others Overlook and Scorn them is the very Motive of God's Inclining to them and taking Notice of them Do thou for me O God the Lord for thy Names sake because thy mercy is good Deliver thou me For I am Poor and Needy Psal 109.21 For the Oppression of the Poor for the Sighing of the Needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him at Liberty Psal 12.5 Tho God that hath Chosen the Poor of this World is not Fond of a man only for this reason because he is Poor For there may not be more Wicked men than many Poor men Yea such as are fain to Beg their Bread of Men may yet be none of Gods Beggars and so none of his Favourites This not for their Bodily wretchedness but for their Souls Ungodliness because matters are not so Ill with their Bodies but they are Worse with their Souls Yet caeteris paribus No Poor man shall be ever the less Welcome with God for his Poverty but be as soon Heard and as much Respected by Him as His Excellency or His Highness the most Eminent and Mighty who look to be Observed of all and that every one else must be Silent when they Speak Such are often too High to be God's Humble Servants Like the Wicked Psal 10.4 Who thrô the Pride of his Countenance will not Seek after God Tho there is none so Rich and well-provided but they stand in continual need of God's Alms And they that abound in the World 's Good must yet beg of him their Daily Bread and have need of all men to Pray hard That they may not be put off with their Portion in this Life and be Tormented when Lazarus shall be Comforted Let not the Rich man rejoice so much in his Riches as that he may go to God to save him from the Danger of them And let him not Pray the Less but the More That thrô so many Temptations he may get Safe into the Kingdom of God Let not any Nobles Gentlemen or Ladies ever fear it will Debase their Dignity to Cringe to Him that has far greater than any Kings or Queens on Earth for his daily Attendants If they are too Goodly to be Godly they will be too High to be Saved Prayer is Man well Drest Herb. The finest Creature is best Adorned when most Humbled And when the Knees are Bowed the Mouth Confessing the Hands Smiting the Eyes Blubbered the Cheeks bedewed Nothing in the sight of Heaven is more Becoming and Recommending Ephraim was heard so Bemoaning himself And presently it follows Is Ephraim my dear Son is be a pleasant Child For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord. Jer. 31.18 19 20.
Application of the Means Thou canst not be of God's Council Yet be sure it is to some purpose for thee to Obey his Commands He Commands thee to Pray And thou maist be Confident He would never Enjoin an Impertinent thing He would never bid thee Ask Seek Knock if it Signified nothing at all for thee to do so We are told of some Doctrines that spoil all Preaching and of some that destroy all Praying 'T is easy indeed for a man of Wit to Load with Absurdities any Doctrine he is Prejudic'd against But were it so that I must needs adhere to the one or the other For my part I should rather chuse the Doctrines that Enervate Sermons and Stain the Pride of man's Glory Than those that Vacate Prayers and cloud the glory of that Grace by which we are Saved and that not of Ourselves it being the Gift of God And herein I am proud to agree with our sweet and Excellent Poet where he thus declares I value Prayer so That were I to leave all but One Wealth Fame Endowments Vertues all should go I and dear Prayer would together dwell And for each Inch lost quickly gain an Ell. Herb. But St. Paul that zealous Assertor of God's Free Grace Gratiae Specialis Pugil Bradward did not think it an idle Exhortation when he call'd on his People To Work out their own Salvation with Fear and Trembling Thô at the same time he told them It was God that workt in them to Will and to Do of his good Pleasure Indeed if I must speak my own Sense I cannot but think my self the more Concerned to live and keep in his holy Fear when I believe all that ever concerns me lies in his All-disposing Hands And I count it to very great and good Purpose to Beg hard of Him for his Gracious Aids without whom I can do Nothing I shall leave them who think nothing is to be Askt which is given Absolutely by vertue of God's Decree to consider what room they leave for their Prayers When as themselves hold That God has Absolutely Determined to give to every one Grace Sufficient to Believe and upon their Believing to Endure to the end and be Saved And that beyond this Sufficient Grace Nothing is to be Sought of God only they are to exert the Power received and to Stir up the Grace of God that is in them And so according to their own declared Sentiments in this matter What should they Beg for that which they believe is Antecedently Secured to them Again I grant that God knows the whole of thy Case and how every thing is with thee Better than thou canst tell him But then thou art to remember That the end of thy Praying is not to Inform God of what he does not Understand but to Dispose and Qualify thee to receive what he has promised to Give To perform the Condition on thy part to be performed To Humble thy Soul and Raise up thy Heart and Enflame thy Affections and Open thy Month wide that he may fill it The Promise is Mat. 5.6 Blessed are they that Hunger and Thirst after Righteousness for they shall be filled Now thy fervent Praying argues such Hungering and Thirsting and so prepares thee for the Mercy Entitles thee to it and tends to Assure thee of it But it is a Tempting of the Lord thy God to expect his Immediate Aids without thy use of his Means And what if the Despiser of Prayer enjoy the Fulness of the World and live in all Pomp and pleasure and Prosperity And the loose Dives that Worships no God but his Fortune and his Belly is aforehand with many of God's daily Orators for the Sweet and Brave Accommodations of this Life Be sure The World 's Good shall never do them any Good who Snatch it without God's Leave and devour his Comforts without Asking his Blessing For the Creatures are Sanctified by the Word of God and Prayer And the very Blessings are Cursed to them that have them without Calling upon the Lord for them Who have them on easier terms than the Expence of their Prayers Or at least do not so Sanctify them upon the Receit shall have small Joy of them but will find them instead of Prosperous Gifts only Temptations and Snares Better indeed Ask and not Receive than Receive and not Ask. For Prayer coming between our Necessity and God's Bounty keeps the good Understanding and fair Correspondence between us and Heaven which is an Advantage of the highest consideration But then for the Better things that Accompany Salvation which are the Childrens Bread we must never expect them till we are qualified as Children going to our Father for them St. Paul calls Isaiah very Bold to say the Lord was found of them that Sought him not Rom. 10.20 However Liberal He is to Bestow such Favours Yet he is not Prodigal to throw them away upon such as count them not worth so much as the Asking for We shall not be Saved if not Sanctified Nor can we be Sanctified without the Spirit of God nor are we to look for that Spirit without our Asking Luk. 11.13 'T is not to such as Slight him but to them which Ask Him That God will Give the Holy Spirit SECT 3. Of Despising Prayer out of Profaneness THO' men of the best Rank are ambitious to attend in the Kings Presence and much greater Honour it is to attend upon the most High God Yet there are men too high to Stoop even to Him that Made them and who scarce meddle with his Name unless it be in their Oaths and to Droll upon his Word and Scoff at his Holy things They know not how to Worship and Pray and Call on the Name of the Lord But they know how to Curse and Swear and Blaspheme that blessed Name by which they are called Vile Bruits that never Look up to the Hand from whence they Receive all but go to and from their Tables as their Troughs and in and out of their Beds as their Sties without Asking of God's Leave or taking any Notice of their great Owner and Preserver So Good Fellows that they will not break Company and go Apart thô it be to Seek the Face of the Lord and to Enjoy God Himself Their ungodly Living takes them off Praying or else the Praying would take them off such kind of Living Alas what should they do with Him who they know Hates all such Workers of Iniquity He is out with them and they care not then for Drawing Nigh to Him Men Estranged from God are not for such kind of Company as Fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ For it is Likeness that breeds the endearing Friendship But what Communion hath Light with Darkness Where there is not first a State of Nearness there are not to be expected any Acts of Approximation Those Ordinances of Worship which are Breasts of Consolation to others are but dry empty Shells to them They find no
THE LIBERTY OF PRAYER Asserted and Garded from LICENTIOVSNESS By a Minister of the Church of England Cum Judice fabulatur ad ejus penetralia Precator admittitur Neque ullus inde respuitur nisi qui in oratione Tepidus invenitur Cass in Psal Multoque melius est de duobus imperfectis Rusticitatem sanctam habere quà m Eloquentiam peccatricem Hier. in ep ad Nepot LONDON Printed by R. ROBERTS and are to be Sold by the Booksellers in London and Westminster MDCXCVI THE PREFACE TO THE READER THE Design of this little Tract is not to make or Widen any Breaches But rather to contribute some Endeavours towards the Healing of those Wounds which Angry men delight still to Vex and Torture Nor would I Expose Prayer as Cheap and Contemptible to any But make it Easy and Familiar to all That such as have but little List to it or Kindness for it may see what Need there is of it and be Quickened to it And that others who have more Inclination this way but find many Rubs and Perplexities lying before them may see the Passage clear'd and perceive that there are no such Difficulties in it but what any ordinary man who means well may Easily deal with And so be Encouraged to proceed And not Drag on Heavily but find the Duty a Delight And Serve the Lord with Gladness I confess the first Occasion of this Discourse was given by some Passages in Two Sermons upon Eccles V. 2. Preach'd and lately Publish'd by a Reverend and Learned Doctor whose Name I forbear to mention Not for dread of a Stab from his Pen But out of Regard to his Person as well as Place both upon the Account of what I have heard him long ago speak from the Pulpit in Defence of the Faith Doctrine and Religion of the Church of England expressed in her Articles And also what I have seen of late in some of his Writings from the Press to the same Intent Particularly his just Zeal to Vindicate the Gospel-Doctrine of our Blessed Saviour's Satisfaction against the Paganish Principles of such as imploy their Parts and Wit to Ridicule it Nor do I take upon me any Crimination of the main Contents of those very Sermons in which yet there is somewhat that I make bold to Reflect on For as I know how greatly they are in Vogue with many who perhaps may like the Eristical squabling Subject better than they do the old Anti-Remonstrant Author So I profess my self Beholden to him for some curious Notions I learned from them And do find a great deal more wherein I heartily Subscribe and Consent to him And all along give him the due praise of his exact Method his elaborate Periods his surprizing Turns of Wit and Quickness of Expression But there are other Words and Things he has dropt here and there which in my apprehension seem not so agreeable to the Genius of the Gospel at which indeed I have stumbled and am afraid they may have but a sorry Effect in giving Prejudice to many more considerable than my self Yea to give the Enemies of the Lord occasion to Blaspheme And to startle the pious Souls of Weak Christians and make them afraid to Stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us Free Not every florid Harangue trimm'd with Witticisms and pointed with Sarcasms to make the Juvenile Academicks Merry is the most Edifying discourse to Better the World I can remember since such Athenian Entertainments were Transporting Musick to my self which now I Abhor as the most harsh and grating Noises And I cannot applaud that for the Best Sermon which makes the worst part of the Audience most Sport May I be so happy to speak to the Conscience and Satisfaction of Serious and Experienced Christians And I am in little care to Tickle the wanton ears of Novices in Religion and Scoffers at Devotion But so far as I have somewhere briefly made bold to touch upon this Reverend Divine 'T is not in the bitter Satyrical strain wherein he has of late thought fit to handle his learned Brother Indeed as some are startled to observe a new sort of Calvinian Rigor and such boisterous Blasts from that Point which has a Name for the Mildest Quarter so I cannot but Admire to see men so freely deal their Blows and let fly at others for Insufferable Insolence both of Stile and Temper Animadv p. 353. crying out of them for Infinitely Scornful and Extreamly Spightful Thus seeming to Forget that Duty which say they every man owes both to Decency and himself always obliging him to speak only as becomes him however Adversaries provoke him A good Rule so apt to be forgotten That he whom most tongues do praise for teaching us the Governnment of the Tongue complains It is a piece of Morality which sober Nature dictates and yet in Controversies many of our greatest Scholars seem totally to have Unlearn't it Managing Disputes in Religion with such Virulence that one would think the Disputants had put off much of Humanity Dec. Christ Pi. p. 279. before they came thus to treat of Divinity Nor should I have said any thing at all wherein this Author might have thought himself concerned had not I fear'd his Reflections might Hurt others more than mine are like to Damnify him But being equally Engaged with him in the Common Cause of Preaching the Gospel As far as I understand it Wo to me if I do it not And when I know that Gospel to be no Servile Yoke but a Law of Liberty As such therefore I do appear for it And whoever cry out of a Gap opened to Licentiousness I think we should be in as much care to Maintain the Liberty as to prevent the Abuse Or else they who complain so much of the Priest-Riding however abusively they are wont to apply it Yet may pick out matter for a just Charge That we Handle the word of God deceitfully and Shun to declare to them all the Counsel of God And like Lords over his beritage and Harder Masters than Christ withhold from them what he has Granted them And Tie them up where he has set them Free It will be no Surprize to me If I find the Reward so commonly bestowed on such as write Irenicums for Adjusting and Compounding Litigious matters i. e. To be pincht on both Sides The Antesignani that lead Contending Parties thô all to pieces in every thing else yet can meet and hold together like Sampson's Foxes to carry Firebrands and set the Fields all in a Flame I know what the Moderate man uses to be taken for among such furious Drivers But I must beg their pardon If I cannot take them for any of the best Judges I had much rather be determined by our late most Reverend and Renowned Primate whose great Soul much disdain'd the mean Service of our Squibbing Boutefeus that fill the Church with endless Noise and Heat and pother about the Mint Annise and Cummin But was
that property among his Titles As a mighty Attractive to draw us with comfortable Expectation to Him But the Liberty of Praying will admit of a more particular consideration with respect to the Matter Manner Time and Place of Prayer And the Persons both Praying and Prayed for CHAP. I. The Liberty of Praying as to the Matter FOR the Matter of Prayer or the Petenda which we may put on for There is a very Large Grant and as much Scope given as any one can tell how to wish Mat. 21.22 All things whatsoever ye shall ask in Prayer Believing ye shall receive It leaves out nothing Desirable that a man can Need or has the Boldness to Crave But yet when words are too Wide for the Matter they must be Limited according to the Mind of the Author Which Rule is here to take place For who can imagine that our Lord would put us upon Praying for things Vnlawful things that would Dishonor him to Grant and Ruin us to Have which yet would be comprehended under All things whatsoever taken without any Limitation Who can imagine That he should ever countenance the Wanton Praying for Health to fulfil his Lusts Or the Malicious for opportunity to execute his Rage Or the Ambitious for High places to gratify his Pride Or the Covetous Praying for the Death of all that stand between him and an Estate Or the High-way man forrich Booty and Success in his adventures and Villany Men may be ashamed to make their Tongues the Index of their Minds as to such Extravagant Desires which yet notwithstanding may find harbor in their Hearts But these wild and wicked Requests be sure are none of the Petitions which our Holy Saviour emboldens us to offer The Devil that is very free of what is none of his own will promise without Exception as he did to Christ himself All these things will I give thee But by our Lord 's All we must never understand any more than is Lawful and convenient What is Fit for us to Ask And what he has promised to Bestow i. e. The Kingdom of God and his Righteousness With the addition of such Worldly Appendages as his Wisdom knows proper and Good for us Spiritual accomplishments and Temporal Advantages too Even all needful to bring us to Heaven And till we reach thither to Support us on Earth But we must not offer Vnreasonable Requests To have all that a roving Fancy can tower up Or for Impossible things That God should falsify his Word to save us without Holiness Nor put him upon the expence of Miracles to make us on a suddain The most Learned or Great in the world Nor Limit the Holy One to just the particulars of our naming As the mother of Zebedee's children That the one might sit on the Right and the other on the Left Hand in his Kingdom Nor Tempt the Lord our God to turn Stones into Bread Asking to be fed in our Sloth and carelesness to help our selves But All things we have Liberty to ask That make for the Glory of our Lord and for our own real Good here and our Eternal Salvation hereafter Indeed what he would have us Importune our Father which is in Heaven for He hath given us a Catalogue of in that best Platform of Prayer by which all ours are to be Modelled i. e. To mind first the Glorifying and Pleasing of God And then the Serving of our own turns The Blessings of Wisdom's Right Hand Such as the Pardon of sin the Knowledge of our Lord's Will the Graces of God's Spirit and Eternal Life We are to pray for Urgently and Absolutely Because the things cannot chuse but prove for our Good And we cannot Glorify God and do Well without them Light and Grace and Sanctification and the Spirit of Supplication we must seek before Gifts and Peace and Consolation Because we may go Weak and Troubled to Heaven But if we know not God's ways we shall not Enter into his Rest And without Holiness no seeing the Lord. Then the World 's Good and what concerns our present Well-being in it As Food and Raiment Health and Ease Deliverance and Quiet Fruitful seasons and Prosperous circumstances We may pray for too and not count it Carnal to Seek after even those things which the Gentiles do When our Heavenly Father not only knows we have Need of them but also by his Command makes it our Duty to Ask them And by his Promise gives us Encouragement to Ask in Hopes of Receiving them We may Beg so much of the World 's Good as will really do us Good Yea and desire what shall Comfort as well as Support us In case it do not Hinder but Promote our Duty Tho' we dread the Best things of this World for our Portion Yet even these temporal Fruitions are desirable on Condition That we may thereby Honour our Lord and Secure our Salvation For we are not sure that those Means will effectually promote these Ends. God knows whether we shall be Better in a Rich Healthy Prosperous Or in a Poor Sick and Troubled state He is sometimes Kindest to us In Denying us what we are Eagerest upon The Chusing of our Inheritance for us then we had best Refer to Him And be well pleased to be at his Finding however he is pleased to use us But yet in the Conditional Petition even for Temporal things we are not so Tied up as to ask what comes to Nothing at all and leave the matter just as we found it There is more Liberty here than for the Sick man to pray as much for the Continuance or Increase of his Disease as to have it Mitigated or Removed The Request may be Absolute only attended with a signified or a Silent Submission to the wise and good Disposal of the great Lord of all tho' he should determine otherwise We may heartily Desire the thing But yet not be so Set upon it as to desire it in any Case Tho' God should be Offended or our Souls Damnified if not Undone by it We may desire Honor the better to serve the Publick Good And Wealth more to Honor the Lord and Cherish the Poor with our Substance And Health and Strength and Length of Days That we may be more Serviceable in our generation and bring greater Glory to our Heavenly Father Provided still we humbly Besign our Wills to His and take it Patiently Tho' we be Cross'd and fail of our Wishes Yea perswading our selves then It is Best for us that so it should be The World 's good things we must desire but Sparingly As not being sure but they may Succeed no better to us than the Quails to the Israelites to make us the Worse for them But Covet earnestly the Best Gifts those Holy qualifications and Heavenly Blessings that Accompany Salvation which will certainly do us Good and make us Happy Whether we come in or be left out of the Distribution of such Common Favours as God with an Indifferent
the most prevailing Master of Requests to Sollicite for us and make our unworthy Prayers as Current and Authentick even as the most just and powerful Commands SECT II. The Liberty of Vsing the Voice or not PRayer is the proper work of the Heart Lifting up itself and presenting its Desires to the Lord. It is only the Heart that Prays The Mouth can but Say Prayers And as many Words of Prayer may be spoken by one that doth not Pray at all So another may Tacendo clamare Pray heartily and effectually who yet says never a Word Words let them be never so Apposite and pithy are not Prayer but only the Vehicle of Prayer and the outward Signification of our minds 'T is all one to Him who searcheth Hearts and knoweth the Meaning of the Spirit Whether we send up to him our Naked Desires or Cloathed with Expressions He that Hears us without Ears Understands us without our Words and needs not our Voices to tell him what we would have It is at our own Choice then Whether we will use our Tongues or no every time we make our Prayers If we have the Spirit of Supplications we may offer up the Mental Prayer and hold our peace i. e. Humbly bethinking our selves of our Wants and earnestly craving and waiting for Supply from Above As Hannah spake in her Heart only her Lips moved but her Voice was not heard 1 Sam. 1.13 The Desires of the Heart are sometimes too Big to come out of the Mouth And then we pray more by Sighs and Groans than by Speech and Phrases And so as Bishop Hall speaks Our Silence may be more Devout than our Noise And to this sort of Prayer no Book or Learning no Invention or Utterance are requisite They that cannot Indite nor so much as Read or well Express themselves Yet can Think what most Troubles them and Ruminate on their Wants and Grievances And they can also Think what they would be most glad to have And raise up their Hearts in Wishes and Longings and desires of help and Relief at the hands of God And they can also Bethink themselves of any others that are more Wretched and worse than themselves And let their Souls then Bless the Lord for all happy Respects in which he hath made them to Differ And all this seriously and devoutly managed with the Soul and all Within us is good Praying thô not a word said And in such Offices we are only concerned to inspect our Hearts and look to the Frame they are in And need not the usual Vigilance to take care that there be a good Agreement between them and our Tongues And that these run not on before or without the other to draw nigh to God with our Lips when our Hearts are far from him But if I shall speak my own thoughts and experience I take this way of Prayer among most men to be more fine in Speculation than useful in Practice I only mention the Liberty which they have to Use it who can make any thing of it and find it available to answer the Ends of Prayer But as Words are of great and continual Use to express our Thoughts So I cannot but think them as useful to Fix our minds and Affect our hearts To Enflame our desires to regulate our devotion and to Engage all our Faculties to a due Attendance on the Work we are about That it may not be a thin Notional Business Too Spiritual for us to perceive it Or too Nice and difficult for us to discern when it is at a Stand or how it Proceeds And as long as we have the Use of Tongues Why should not he that Made them have them Imployed in his Service We are not only to Think Prayers but to Open our Lips that our Mouths may shew forth his Praise Psal 141.1 I cried to the Lord with my Voice with my Voice to the Lord did I make my Supplication He that is to Hear teacheth us what to Say When ye Pray Say Our Father c. Hos 14.2 Take with you Words and turn to the Lord And say to him Take away all Iniquity and receive us graciously so will we render the Calves of our Lips The only Fatlings which we are now to offer If Words be needful to Digest our Thoughts and shape the Ideas that arise out of our Minds If they make us more Sensible of the things which we Conceive And a Happy Expression that exactly fits our Meaning gives such a Pleasure as the Joy of a New-born Child Then in our Addresses to God where we have need of all Helps where we ought to have the Liveliest sense and our Dulness wants to be Excited by Pathetick words and all Quickening means We may find it very advantageous to the Service to form our Notions into agreeable Expressions Yea thô we are by our selves Yet to speak in our Own Hearing such Words of Prayer as we find conducing to Compose our thoughts and set our Affections afloat and make us in Earnest upon it Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Here then where we are under no Limitation but left to ourselves Whether we will at all times Think or Speak our Prayers Our care must be to take that way which helps us to perform our offices Best and makes us most Sincere and Lively Zealous and Devout That we may do all Heartily as to the Lord and Approve ourselves unto God In being curious to Examine and Discern what is Best and Conscientious to Hold in words or Pour them out thereafter as we find them to Help or else Hinder us in the Service SECT III. The Liberty to Vse Long Prayers or Short LEngth or Brevity are such Indifferencies as do not enter the Essence of Prayer For either of them may be Good or Bad thereafter as they are Designed and Vsed A Short Prayer made so through dislike and Weariness of God's Service And a Long one stretch'd out in Pride and Ostentation of Parts or Affectation to be Tedious that we may be thought more Pious are both of them equally Abomination to the Lord. But when we Contract our Prayers that we may strengthen our Devotion and cut them Shorter to make them the Livelier Such Short Prayers shall prove long enough to reach to Heaven And so we Pray much thô we say but Little And again when we Enlarge our Prayers as we find our Hearts Enlarged Our Attention and Affection keeping pace with our Matter and Expressions we need not fear the guilt of that Much-Speaking condemned Matth. 6.7 Nor of the Long Prayers Chap. 23.14 made a Pretence to Eat up the Widows When the Spirit of God Moves on the face of the Waters to raise up a full Tide of Affections in our Souls We have a Call and Invitation then to be more Free and Full in pouring out our Hearts before the Lord. And at Lower Ebbs we must take up with ordinary Offices No matter how Short is the Cold and Dull Prayer But
that which is Faithful and Fervent can hardly be too Long. He that says nothing as he ought is long thô he pronounce but Two syllables But he that speaks to the purpose is not Long thô he speak Much and for a Great while together Philemon quoted by Grotius The Shortest Prayer is too Long that is Vox praeterea nihil Nothing but an Empty Sound But the Longest is Short enough where the Mind and Heart hold out to the End and the Devotion is as Long as the Supplication As when we are Cold we may get us Heat by Exercise So by Continuance in Prayer we may Warm our selves into more Devotion And from Fluttering along the ground find ourselves carried up at last as high as Heaven Some are too Nimble in their Frisking Prayers and in too much Hast to Speed They come to God's Door But they will not Stay and Wait and so go away without their Errand The Striving with our selves in Prayer to bring our Hearts into better Frame is our Wrestling to Prevail with God So we Preach to our selves in His Hearing Not to Inform Him but to Edify our selves And when Repetitions flow from Heat of affections we have Scripture instances that not only Allow but Approve them Tho' when dull and Heartless resulting from a Fictitious Sanctity or opinion to be heard the sooner for Much speaking They are but the Sacrifice of Fools which we are forbid to offer And must not Roll in such Multiplication of Expressions to Wire-draw Devotion and think to make out in Length what is wanting in Heat and Weight 'T is a good Rule of the Dr. Let a man Contract his Expressions Pag. 198. where he cannot enlarge his â—ffection That he may not hold on speaking when he has done Praying But then where his Affections do Grow upon him in the Use of Words sure he is not obliged to leave off because Solomon says Let thy words be Few Eccles 5.2 Some may think he mistook his Text who from hence took occasion to make an Encomium of the Large Service of the Church and those Prayers which he owns to be near an Hour Long. And that is I think Pag. 214. more than half an Hour Longer than ever I heard any other The Discourse to some may look like a Libel upon our Liturgy And if all Tautology were Battology Common-Prayer it self then must fall under the Common Condemnation Some are weary in the very Beginning of their Prayers And others can hold out well even to the Last and find the Fire still more Enflamed by more Blowing Else what should they do e're the First and Second Service were at an end Tho' the Liturgy hath Variety and is as he calls it A String of Pearls Pag. 209. Yet if the String should be too Long it would spoil much of his Reasoning And if the frequent Breaks and Pauses be the main Commendation Then who can sufficiently admire the Popish Service and all their multiplied Collects Responds Jesu's Ave's and Pater Noster's Pag. 211. But he says The people so share in the Service it is almost impossible they should be idle Hearers or meer Lookers on Indeed it 's possible they may be Neither i. e. if they chance to fall asleep at the Service Nor is it quite impossible they may be both and yet Parrot over the words As wanton children and some Merry Griggs like they were bearing their Part in another kind of Action and shew a very Comical sort of Devotion Tho' it 's true Their indecent Carriage doth not reflect any real Disparagement on the Offices themselves to make them ever the worse Which under the management of true Zealous Worshippers do shew quite another Face And there such Interlocution and Alternate catching the Words of Prayer helps and Refreshes each others Devotion and is like a pious Contest and struggle between them which of 'em shall be most Earnest in the Service of their Lord. But I think he might have left out the Always when he said that Much speaking is the effect of Confidence Pag. 176. 7. And Confidence springs from the persuasion that a man hath of his own Worth For a man may Speak Much and yet Distrust himself Or he may speak in Confidence of a Better Worth than his Own Yea there may be more Impudence in a Few words than in Many according as they are Our Grand Exemplar Continued All Night in Prayer And tho' he were so much more Able to manage it than we Yet from the drift of the Doctor 's reasonings It must be Impertinent to use so many words with God in a Long-winded Harangue I confess the Long Grace looks not Seasonable when a man is ready to Starve And at a sudden Pinch or danger Lord Save me is a good Prayer But when he has more Time sure it is not his Fault to Pray Longer The Lord's Prayer it 's true is short But are we Confined just to those very words Then why doth the Church so much enlarge in other And the thing that is done and may Lawfully be done why should any Son of the Church argue so much against it What Inconveniences soever may attend Long Prayers I cannot think it Convenient to go and prove or insinuate That it is Silly or Wicked ever to use them To say Pag. 194. That the whole heart and soul may be wrapt up in three or four words And to tell the Success of an Ejaculation that Cleans'd the Leper Enlightned the Blind Justified the Publican And then add Pag. 206. I never yet heard or read of any Long Prayer that did so much is a Reflection that I would forbear if but for the Credit of that Church whereof I am a Member which prescribes Longer Prayers than ever I us'd of my own or ever heard any one else use So that there are some besides Heathens and Phanaticks in this Horrid Guilt of Long Praying And to make the Long Robes and Long Prayers A Cover for all Pag. 208. and affirm That they who are like the Pharisees for Long Prayers are like them for somewhat else does but give the Brethren in Querpo an occasion for Retort and Drollery upon some very Canonical men According to his fine Argumentation Pag. 179. If a Short Petition be a Panegyrick on the Great man's parts to whom 't is offered Then the Shortest Prayer that can be made does the greatest Honor to God and if it should be any longer it would but Dishonor him Nay if A Word to the Wise then Half a Word to the Only Wise God might be enough Yea for matter of Informing him None at all But indeed our Words are neither to Inform Pag. 180. nor to Persuade nor to Weary and Overcome him Tho' the Dr. says They must of Necessity be to one of these three purposes Yet himself soon after finds another Use for them when he surprizingly tells us That the proper use of Words
Cant but Pathetick Speaking which comes warm from the Heart that is likely to be most Prevailing Especially with our Heavenly Father Who is not to be wrought upon with Rhetorick or any arts of Persuasion But calls for the Heart which is an Instrument that makes the best Musick in his Ears when it is Broken And Fineries of Language look not so Agreeable for Mourners and the Beggars which we personate in our Prayers The plainest Garb that is Decent best fits the Former And to the Latter we are inclinable to give rather when they appear in Rags than in Ribbons Jingles and Quibbles are fitter to be us'd in Playing than in Praying And it gives suspition that we rather Play with our Prayers than pour them out from a heart Sensible of our Wants and Distresses When we can be so Gay and Flourishing and vary phrases to set off our Abilities The use of our Words in Prayer being rather to Affect our selves than to Move the Lord No matter therefore how Plain they be so they be Pertinent and not Loose and indecent For we are not so much Affected with words that are Trim or Hard as with those that are Significative and Hearty He that knows the Poverty of our case will not reject us for appearing before him in a Plain homely Dress Nor Despise the Prayers of the Humble because they are of a course Thread and not set off with Laces and Fringes We may speak our Minds Down-right to God even as we would to our dearest Friend And not fear a Repulse because our words want a Flourish He speaks Elegantly enough that speaks but Intelligibly and Affectionately And when I Feel what I say and Say that which makes others Vnderstand and Sympathize with me That is the Happiness of Expression which best answers the Ends of Speech But if we think any thing Better than this we May use it Nay we should Because God is Worthy to be Served with the Best He that chiefly requires Truth in the Inward parts will also be Honoured with the Mouth And did not give man Eloquence for any thing so much as to shew forth his Praise 'T is too Morose to exclude all Flowers of Language from the Pulpit and Prayer because of St. Paul's Demonstration of the Spirit opposed to the Enticing words of man's Wisdom The Deceiver is cursed that hath in his Flock a Male and Vows and Sacrifices to the Lord a Corrupt thing Mal. 1.23 Heart and Head too must be at his Service And the Best member we have must do it's Best for him that gave it That which is called our Glory must be imployed to his Glory And when we speak not in a Bombastick Affectation or Tawdry Phraseology but in a becoming Politeness and Awful Grandiloquence such as speaks us Mindful of the Infinite Majesty we are before When the Tongue and Mind are turnâ—d to an Vnison and there is Melody in the Heart as well as Quainteness in the Mouth Pleasing to God is that Eloquence Such as have even a Natural Facility and Felicity of ingeniously Expressing themselves need not fear it will create any Prejudice against their Prayers to speak as Handsomly to God as they do to Men. Nor think that Homeliness must be Peculiar to his Service But rather Dread to pour out Crude indigested stuff to provoke a Nauseous Qualm and make the Offering of the Lord to be Abhorred And such as are fain to Study for it before they can attain to the Better way of Expression yet need not fear that the Artificial will profane the Spiritual part of their Devotion But may rather take satisfaction in this That they do not Serve the Lord their God with that which Costs them Nothing The Dr. says well That where God hath given Learning and Vtterance Pag. 143.4 He will not endure Men should be Accurate in their Discourse and Loose in their Devotions To put off the Author of every good and perfect Gift with Ramble and confused Talk Babble and Tautology Nothing under the best a man can offer being fit to present to God Yet I doubt not but the man shall be Accepted according to what he hath who strives to be as Accurate here as he is any where else Thô he cannot express himself at the Rhetorical rate of some Wits True indeed It is not the Simplicity of the Head Pag. 142. but of the Heart Yet God knows the most learned Doctor 's best weighed words to be but Weak and course before Heaven And the plainest Speech of any ordinary man that is Sincere and Devout sounds as well with him as the most Florid Harangue of the greatest Master of Language SECT V. The Liberty of using this Posture or that THO' Bodily Exercise profitteth little yet as much as the Body is capable of doing it can no where Better perform than in his Service who Framed it We are commanded to Glorify him with our Souls and Bodies both And some Bodily Distance helps to bring our Souls Nearer to God The Body is the Servant of a Servant And it is fit my Servant should serve me in the Serving of my Lord. He that hath given us Knees and Bodies to Bow down and Hands and Eyes to Lift up instructs us by our very Frame as well as by his Word how we should carry in his Worship The call to Worship is also to Fall down and Kneel before the Lord our Maker Psal 95.6 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is to Crouch even as a Spaniel before his Master We cannot shew the Inner-man but by the Outer which is to tell how things stand Within and by proper Words and Tone and Gesture and Actions to profess the Profound Admiration we have in our minds of the glorious Excellencies and infinite Perfections of God Men that cannot see our Hearts yet take notice of our Carriage And we must dread to Scandalize those whom we ought to Edify A little matter here may give great Offence And we must not only Look to our own Hearts but take heed we do not stumble others Thô we must be so intent upon the Presence of God as little to regard who else is present with us at our Prayers and not let any Company Awe or Divert or Interrupt us in the Homage we are paying to Him who is infinitely Higher and Greater and Better than all who compar'd with Him are no more than mere Vanity and Nothing In Company we are to Pray as if there were none but God there and in Solitude as if the Eyes of all the World as well as His were upon us For he indeed is All and to Him all Persons and things else are as if they were not at all Yet it is not under pretence of Spirituality to Slight those external Signs of Reverence which are so mighty Influential to raise our own Affections and to Enflame the Zeal of others Thô we have that Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Yet even
cannot do like some of the rest I my self feel more Inclination as I see more Reason sometimes to give to a Beggar that is a sorry Faultering Orator than to another that speaks Exactly in Mood and Figure 'T is not so much his Fine Words and Cadence as his Want and Misery join'd with Simplicity and Humility that makes him an Object of Charity And I know it is not so much for our Speech and the Words of Prayer as for our Hearts and the Spirit of Prayer that He regards us who will be worshipped with our Souls and Spirits We should indeed Chuse words to Reason with him But when we compose somwhat of our Own it speaks our greater Care to be Acceptable And Bishop Hall in his Devout Soul tells us That a Stammering Suppliant may reach to a more eminent Devotion Pag. 11. than he that can deliver himself in the most fluent and Pathetical forms of Elocution 'T is not to rake together a parcel of good Petitions and seek to give them some Life in the Utterance unless we Draw Nigh with a True heart in full Assurance of Faith For it it is Faith in God's Promises that is the Foundation of all our Prayers And Prayer is but Faith putting forth itself in a Flame of Desires God hears no impenitent Sinners that Regard Iniquity in their hearts Let their words be never so fine and Apposite And he rejects no Humble Faithful Supplicant be his Speech never so weak and Imperfect Tho such be not Eloquent they have words sufficient to do their Business Even Broken words will serve the turn when they come from a Broken heart When going to Prayer then I will remember I am going to my Father And tho I know a Son honours his Father and so I will know my Distance and pay a profound Veneration and Exert the best of my Abilities in his Service Yet while I keep off from the Vncreaturely Boldness I will not run upon the Vnchildlike Strangeness To be curb'd with such a Spirit of Bondage that I dare not Speak for my self Nor dejected with a Servile Dread of his lying at catch to Trepan me in my words if I do not place every one Aright As if he were so Inconsiderate of my Frailty or could carry like so Rigid an Enemy to Cast off me and all my Suit if there be but the least word knockt out of Joint At this rate did I listen to the Teachers of such a Ghastly Frightful Religion I should make it a more Dangerous thing to Pray to God than to Keep away and never come before Him But I will never be persuaded that the Father of Mercies has the Spirit of some Rough and Sowre Doctors Who yet can make as bold with God in their Manners as they think others do in their Prayers And are not so Strict in Tutoring their Neighbours Tongues but they can be as Lax in ordering their Own I cannot question in the least But there have been many and gross Abuses of this Way of Praying which if rak'd together may furnish out matter enough for Satyr and make abundance of work for any Doctor or other that has such a Talent And tho Stories seldom lose in the reporting by such as are known to have a strong Byas Yet let Commin's Hypocrisy and Weyer's Villany both pass without Contradiction That the one could so Masquerade it for the Pope and the other Command good words while himself was Commanded by the Evil Spirit And to these Two let Twenty more be added of the same Stuffing 'T will but prove what none denies That there have been Ill men of all Pretentions Satan himself can be Transformed into an Angel of Light And one that was a Devil had yet a Name among the Disciples of Christ But let False Coin and Counterfeit Wares be Detected and Cryâ—d down This is no Prejudice at all to that which is Current right and good Nor does my Undertaking oblige me to answer for all the Cant and Gibberish Jargon and Impertinence flowing from any shatter'd Heads or wild Tongues under pretence of Exercising their Gifts Men may Hurt themselves even with God's Gifts and turn their very Remedy to their Ruin They may be proud of their New Words as of New Cloaths And there may be much more Pride than Devotion in the case When we are ashamed to Appear before the Lord unless it be still in a New Dress But if the Abuses must lay an Embargo on the Use I know not what Prayers then of any sort will be left us Or what will become of the Common Prayer it self but it must cease to be Common or to be at all because many have made as Wretched work with that as ever was made of Free Prayer But I know some would heavily resent it for a most Tyrannical Imposition To be tied up for ever medling with a Bottle of Wine because it has Happened with so many That when the Wine was in the Wit was out This Doctor is not therefore for Renouncing the Doctrine of the Trinity because he takes that for an Adulteration which another Doctor calls a Vindication of it Holy things and Pearls will sometimes light among Dogs and Swine But yet they do not for that lose their Nature The Things themselves are not a jot the Worse tho the Profaners of them are a great deal Let those that are Guilty answer for that But why should the Children of the Kingdom be turn'd out of their Privilege for the sake of some illegitimate Interlopers that have made Invasions upon it Whither should a Child go but to his Father And if he must not speak a Word to him but what he Reads out of a Form Where 's the Ingenuity and Freedom of a Child and the Boldness at the Throne of Grace And what advantage then of the Spirit of Adoption above the Spirit of Bondage Sure we may have Boldness and Assurance without being Sawcy and Malapert And tho it is not for a pitiful Worm to think of being Hail-Fellow with his Glorious Maker Yet I think it is an untowardly way of Honouring my Father to take him for such a one that I Dare not Speak with him or if but a word Amiss to think he would not Hear nor Forgive me Desires are the Wings of the Soul on which it mounts up to Heaven Prayer sets them a working But where are many Appendages they 'll be like but to Cumber and Clog the Motion which the more Natural the more Free and Easy Tho a dexterous Art may help Nature Yet Grace added to both is the best accomplishment and the Crown of all Prayer is God's Breath in man Herb. Nothing to be done in this matter without the Spirit Helping our Infirmities And that I take to be what they call Praying by the Spirit whether with Book or without when the good Spirit of God gives his gracious Guidance and Assistance for the true and zealous performance tho not an
unexpected occasion happen Diatrib on Mat. 6.9 for which the Church cannot provide The Spirit of her Ministers is Free Who will forbid them in such a case to supply that by a Voluntary and Arbitrary Form which the Church could not provide for in a Set Form With whom Dr. Falkner sets in Lib. Eccles p. 120. Nor doth the Establishing a Form for the Publick Office of the Church deny the Liberty in due place of using other Prayers according to the practice of ours and the Ancient Church A Christian that cannot Pray says the good Bishop how much more a Minister is like an Orator that cannot Speak or a Traveller that cannot go This Gift is a part of our Spiritual Armour And for a Soldier to be without any skill in the Vse of his Arms is both an Vnsuitable and a Dangerous condition And what he there speaks of the Advantages of this Gift and the Inconveniencies of its Want to Private Christians is still more applicable to him that is the Mouth of the People viz. To be able upon all occasions to relate their Condition according to especial circumstances and several Emergencies Or else when surpriz'd by any sudden Exigence or lying under any great Strait wherein no Help is to be expected but from the Hand of God To be at a Loss what to say without having recourse to some prescribed Form which perhaps has no proper reference to the particular occasion How Inconvenient and prejudicial will this be to lye under such a Disability of Expression The Readiness of Expression and Enlarging our Desires in fit manner That he calls the Gift of Prayer Tho some I know would have it to consist in those Pious Dispositions within us which I take to be rather The Spirit of Supplications For sure we ought to Distinguish the one from the other However it is Possible for them to stand together and most Lovely they are in Conjunction Yet one may have a Praying Heart that hath not a Voluble Tongue And again another may Roll in apt Expressions that is a Stranger to the Spirit of Supplications Now tho it is not for the Weak to put themselves upon Services above their Strength Yet it looks ill when men are Fluent on other Occasions and only Tongue-ty'd at their Prayers When they pass for good Speakers every where else but are Down in the mouth at the Throne of Grace This speaks a Defect that is suspicious to be not only their Calamity but their Impiety Indeed the very Sense of Want and Pain where prevalent will open the Mouths not otherwise Eloquent and sometimes suggest and dictate things above their common Capacity As a Malefactor tho no Orator yet when Begging for his Life will find Words Significative and Moving However many may often need the assistance of Books and Forms And whoever find their case better Exprest by others than they know how to do it themselves have their Liberty so to help themselves And instead of Scrupling to use Others words may Thank God for that Advantage to warm their Hearts and raise their Affections and Enflame their Devotions It makes my Prayer neither better nor worse whether my Eyes take words off the Paper before me Or whether by recollection I fetch them out of my Memory which is as the Bishop calls it but a kind of Invisible Book To Read or speak by Rote Is all alike to him that Prays With 's Heart what with his Mouth he says Harvey But that I will conclude to be the Best way for me to take whichsoever it be that helps me to Pray most pertinently humbly faithfully and fervently Some can Pray better with this Form some with that and some with none Therefore Let every Devout Christian that makes Conscience of Worship and gives himself to Prayer consult his own Experience and Enjoy his Liberty to take that way which he finds Best for himself There is an Abridging ourselves that gives Check to our Improvement And I am not tied always to use this very Staff or any at all If I find that I can do as well or Better without it There is a Growth in Knowledge and Grace as well as in Bodily Stature and Strength And some Sutes of Prayer as well as Suits of Cloaths we may be Out-grown As Piety brings me upon my Knees then So Prudence must Adapt my Words Tho Old words it 's true may be used with New Affections and serve as well where the case is the same Yet there are some New Occasions of my Life that call for a New Song And where the Expressions as well as Affections are New and the best that we can fetch out of our Treasure It speaks the Value which we put upon our Benefactors favours That we prize them more than to mention them still in the ordinary Rote We count it not only Flat and Dilute but Contemptuous and Slighting to speak after that Manner to our great Friends on earth How much more concern'd should we be to Appear before the Greatest and Best of all which is in Heaven with somewhat to express our highest Regard of Him and his Blessings and also our most Careful Hearts to approve our selves Sensible and duly Affected Of which our Speech is the Indication And so that we Express our selves to the purpose it matters not whether the words be our own or Borrowed from one or another We may Press them into this Service wherever we find them But thou poor weak Christian whose Parts and Abilities are not equal to thy Zeal and Piety When thou art Moved to Pray and hast but a Praying Heart O take heed that thou never Forbear thy Prayers for want of Words at Command to Set them off For if thou couldst not so much as Read or Speak at all Yet thou might'st Pray And tho thou hast not a Fluency of Speech and Choice of Expressions in a Readiness which indeed are Gifts more for the Service and Edification of others than for any Saving Benefit to the Owners Yet throw and Prostrate thy self before the Lord and Try to make somewhat of it in opening the fense and the Desires of thy Soul at the Throne of Grace 〈◊〉 Doing as thou Canst where thou canst not as thou Would'st And thou may'st do e'en as well without the Flowing Utterance and Elocution Yea peradventure Better Because thereby thou art kept Humbler and so fitter for his Acceptance who to this man will Look even to him that is Poor and of a Contrite Spirit and trembles at his Word SECT VIII The Liberty of Varying our Prayers as to the Parts and Words THE usual Method of Prayer is Confession Petition and Thanksgiving Yet we are not in every Prayer tied up just to this Order We may sometimes omit one of the Parts or put the Last First or only Beg without Explicite Confessing our Sins or Blessing the Lord. Tho we are bound to all these things yet not at all Times that we make our
Prayers We may Insist but upon one Point and yet not Maim or Mangle our Devotions According as we are particularly Disposed in our Minds or prest with any particular Occasions in our Lives That which at this Time we find we have most Need to do or are fittest for the doing To do it Heartily will suffice and find Acceptance Tho every thing be not mentioned that belongs to a Full Prayer It is not a Guilt at which we need to Deject our selves for Curtailing and Dismembring our Offices When we leave out some Part and are Intent upon another in which we think our selves Now more immediately Concerned 'T is well and indeed a great Attainment in which we may Hug our selves If we can dispatch but any one Part with serious and fervent Devotion Tho the Enumeration and Confession of our Sins with Confusion of face and Compunction of heart to Humble us before the Lord and prepare us for his Pardon and Grace is of the greatest use for poor Obnoxious Sinful Creatures Yet in our Lord 's own Form there is no Confession but only what is Tacit and Implicite As where in asking for Daily Bread we acknowledge our Wants and Indigence In begging Forgiveness of our Trespasses we acknowledge our Guilt and Wickedness And in Praying not to be Lead into Temptation we acknowledge our Weakness and how prone we are of our selves to go all to Naught And also that we Deserve the Punishment which we Pray to be Delivered from So that altho we should be us'd and forward to Confession Yet we must not Entangle our Consciences with a Conceit of the Necessity lying upon us expresly to Confess our Sins in every Prayer Nor yet the Necessity of particularly Reciting the Mercies and Favours which we have received at the hands of God Tho Thankfulness which is our good Manners towards Heaven as much becomes his Obliged as Confession which is a Self Arraignment to clear our Judge becomes his Offenders Yet there may be the Broken and the Grateful heart sensible both of Sin and Mercy without the particular Naming either our Sins or God's Benefits However 't is my own Sense and my desire to make all I can alike minded That it not only Becomes but Behoves us to be Thankful which being a Tribute we owe to the Crown of Heaven I count it no better than Wrong and Robbery to withhold it Nay so Material a point is this That some I think not amiss have summ'd up the whole of our Religion in the one Word Gratitude To be sensible of our Receits from Above and all our Obligations to the Lord and still Acknowledging the Debt which we are never Able to Pay Full of Concernment What we shall render to the Lord for all his Benefits And where the Poverty of our case checks all thoughts of Retaliation yet giving unto God at least the Glory of his own Gifts Yea for the due Expression of this Gratitude Loving and Honouring and Praising our great Benefactor Trusting and Delighting in him Afraid to Offend and Lose him and studying and striving in all things to Please him And as it is our Reasonahle Service and the most Ingenuous Disposition of Soul as well as the sweetest Solace of our Lives The Marrow and Fatness of our Religion and the joyful Employment of Blessed Spirits above thus to Observe and Recount to Particularize and Magnify the Favours of Heaven to us So 't is the most Decent Begging of what is yet Wanting and our prudential Gaining upon the Goodness of God to run on still in the same Channel Seeing he accounts his Benefits there best placed where they are most Gratefully Resented This then we must be in care not to leave Undone And yet I dare not say that we are bound to do it toties quoties every time we Pray So tho it looks most proper for the Guilty and Conscious to go upon their Submission to the Holy Majesty offended and before they Ask to Acknowledge how unworthy they are to Receive and make their Confessions the Introduction to their Prayers Yet a Great man well vers'd in these matters The Right Reverend Bishop Hall in an Epistle concerning the Continual exercise of a Christian to Keep his heart gives this Advice To begin our Prayers with the Praises of God Taking notice of all his Goodness to us and the great things which still he has done for us and the continued Favours with which he goes on to Oblige us To be in Thanksgiving first and then in Requests And to Bethink our selves How Unworthy we have walk'd of such Mercy and to recount our Abuses of his Kindness and Love may prove an effectual Method to Melt and Dissolve our hard and stony Hearts That laying to heart how Good he has been to us and how wretchedly we have Misbehav'd our selves and carried most ill to the Best of Fathers The Goodness of God may lead us to Repentance Now they that upon trial find the Benefit of this course are Free to take it And I shall not think it Preposterous in my Prayers To deliver my self First of that which lies most upon my opirit and chiefly Affects my Heart whatever it be Good things to be Begged Or Sins or Mercies to be Acknowledged I take it for a Direction and Call to Begin with that which I am so Full of and in Pain till I have poured it out However it may seem to Invert the common Order And if you make use of Another's Form You must not think your selves obliged to every Word and to take All before you But may alter or add or leave out as Diseretion shall suggest or you Judge fittest for your purpose They that are Conversant with God have a Taste for Spiritual things as well as for their common Food To Distinguish between better and worse And then they are not bound to take all that they find and to swallow that which they do not Like But may pick out of the Book all one as at the Table what is Agreeable and let the rest alone and make it up with what they find most Grateful to them and Beneficial for them Yea he that is to be the Speaker in Praying with others may Change his Prayers according to the Company without being a sinful Time-server or Man-pleaser Tho it is the same God I speak to every where Yet the Wants and Humours of men are so exceeding Different that what most Takes with some is as much Disgusted by others And tho I am not to Comply with them to Harden or Hurt them and must not care so much to Please men as God nor be check'd by the Company nor let my Devotion flutter among them instead of flying up to Heaven nor Regard any Men comparably to the Great God But Cease from Man whose breath is in his nostrils for wherein is he to be accounted of Yet there is a Lawful Becoming all things to all men and Pleasing all for their Good to
is the main Trial of them There they are apt to Personate others Here they are Themselves and make it appear whether they would have God or themselves to be Vppermost A Prayerless Family is no better than a Beast house and indeed a Den of Thieves too where God is robb'd of his Tribute and all their Souls of the Benefit O what Masters of Families are they and how unworthy of that Name and Post who will Provide no better for those of their own House but Justle out of doors Him that has most to do there How can he walk in his House with an Vpright Heart who resolves not with Joshua I and my House will serve the Lord Doth any man think to keep up the dignity of his Place with Huffing and looking Big As if he were too goodly to Cringe every day at God's Footstool Silly as well as Proud wretch Whoever thinks to bear himself up with a Credit Vsurpt at the loss of God's Honour who will be sure to make his Despisers Contemptible When men Live together as if they were Ashamed to Pray together or to take any notice how they are all Oblig'd to the great Benefactor whom they every one continually live upon They can scarce hold their Countenances to make such a Mock business of it to Bow the Knee to him in Prayer whom they make so Bold with every where else They so walk in their Houses that we may ask in quite another sense than David did O when will the Lord come to them The ill Education and want of any good Orders that is got into Loose Families is the Bane of Church and State and Plagues the World with such Mischiefs as are the daily Grief of every Sensible heart But the Zeal which should be Exerted in this Service how commonly is it turn'd against it Men Ill affected this way stand upon Terms with Christ Jesus to Reason themselves from under his Yoke They cry out Imposition and Slavery and Twenty Evasions to keep them off their Knees 'T is Hyperdulia and wherefore is all this Waste And O how glad of any thing like an Apology to Supersede the Irksom Imployment He that will but undertake to prove That they may do as well without Prayers in their Families shall Oblige them to be his Humble Servants or any ones rather than His that Made them Nay he shall be even Ador'd as a Saviour that comes to set them Free where God and some of his Ministers would tie them up The Preacher of such Latitudinarian Doctrine shall have Espousers and Proselytes in abundance But who and what are they Any to Credit the cause Why all the Swearers Drunkards Fornicators Rude Ruffians and Vile companions of the neighbourhood are ready to be his Converts and Admirers For he speaks their very Hearts and exactly fits their turns All the Scandalous company whose Carriage puts them out of conceit with all pious Offices and makes it a Hell to them to draw nigh to the Holy God They catch with the greatest Greediness that Liberty which any of the Sons of Corruption offer them When they shall be taught to Slight God with good Warrant and to ask Who shall Confine them where the Scripture it self hath left them Free But they that are so ready to stand off here for want of an Express Command are known too well to be none of the Tenderest or forwardest men to Follow the Lord fully where his Word doth speak out Expresly When they are commanded to Walk in the Spirit and by it to Mortify the deeds of the Body Yet who more Carnal and Loose than they By which we may too evidently perceive That it is not so much out of Conscience as for the Belly-God that they plead and contend They would have Elbow-room enough to Expatiate after their Lusts and a Way in Latitude and Ease and State to Heaven and not be Limited to that Narrow way which they could never abide But doth not the Holy Scripture oblige us to Serve and Honour God in all our Relations and to Recognize our common Lord in our Joint as well as Personal Capacity Not neglecting those Conveniencies which we have to Adore him Then how can the Housholder with his Family think themselves Excused If we are to Pray Every where that is fit for it Is the House in Vtopia no where to be found And shall we omit those Inviting opportunities when we Dwell together and Eat and Drink and Converse together and yet not Pray together How can the Master reasonably expect Homage of his Servants when he lets them not see him as careful to serve his Master in Heaven Men will not dispute themselves out of their Meals and their usual Refreshments because the Scripture doth not determine just Where and When and How they shall Eat and Drink and Divert themselves Nor will they ask What Text binds me to go to such a good Friends House and receive his Kindness Or to go to such a Market or Fair to Buy and Sell and get Gain They can go Without a Command and it 's well if they do not often venture to go Against the plainest Commands for their Bodily pleasure and their Worldly profit And then what is wanting but the Spiritual Appetite to Savour and relish the things of God's Spirit as good a Stomach to the Food of their Souls and as great a Concernment for their Eternal Advantage to Determine their Choice and Practice this way And to make them flock as fast to the Throne of Grace and to see that all their Houses be Houses of Prayer A dear Love to the Service would be above all Arguments in the World for it And assoon as any are Quickned in Christ Jesus and become Alive unto God they will save us the labour of Persuading them to go and Feast their Souls with Him and to join in the Sacrifice wherewith he is well-pleased Whatever Short cuts some may fancy to Heaven and laugh at the Round-about-way of Morning and Evening Prayer I never heard of any Dying man that was of that mind How many then do sadly Bewail it that they had not taken this course So that the Praying Families are on the Surest Side all must acknowledge And they may be infinite Gainers But for certain they can never Lose by this Service When it looks like Loitering by the way and Hindring their work Yet they are about their Heavenly Father's Business And he that Imploys them in it will not suffer them to Lose ground by it It stops them but like a Traveller's Eating and Refreshing himself to recover Strength for his Journey And poor people that cry they have not Time for it may more truly say They have no Mind to it For they can find Time for many matters of less Importance And they had better abate some Gains and themselves be turn'd out of Doors than grasp so much Business as to Justle Prayer out of Doors But indeed Prayers never made any
it is also a Chufing of Death and running violently upon the Wrath to come which every man in his Wits will do all that ever he is Able to Flee from CHAP. V. Of Licentiousness as to the Object of Prayer PRayer is the main part of all our Worship and to pay this Royalty of the Crown of Heaven The Tribute of Adoration to others than to God himself Be it to Images Saints Angels or any thing else is expresly forbidden Mat. 4.10 Get thee hence Satan for it is written Thou shalt Worship the Lord thy God and Him Only shalt thou Serve In all such Divided Worship may be seen the Print of the Cloven Foot To worship any Creature with Divine Worship is to make it an Idol And Idols are of his Erecting who is all for Vsurping God's Honour to himself And so the Children which were Offered to the Idols of Canaan were said to be offered unto Devils Psal 106.37 38. The Apostle makes Invocation peculiar to the God in whom we Believe Rom. 10.14 How shall they Call on Him in whom they have not Believed For I must Believe him to whom I Pray to be Omnipresent Omniscient and Omnipotent Or else I am sure he could not Hear and Help me and all my Fellow-Supplicants all over the World in all the things which we have to Beg. And if Saints and Angels be Omnipresent Omniscient and Omnipotent what then are they less than Deities And what more can we ascribe to the most High God As there is but One God So we are told but of One Mediator between God and Man 1 Tim. 2.5 And that is Enough For none can have more Power and Interest with God than He. None can have more Pity and Kindness for us And what we cannot obtain thrô the Mediation of Jesus alone We may despair ever to get by Ingratiating ourselves with any other Friends This One is better than all the Strings which they have at Rome to their Bow He that taught us to say Our Father adds not a Syllable of any Prayers that we are to make to his Mother Nor does God stand in need like the imperfect Princes of the Earth to be Sollicited by Courtiers and Proxies who must indeed first Learn from Him the very Matter which they present to Him And all the Good Manners of fetching this wide Circuit is utterly spoil'd by the Disobedience of the thing It is such a piece of Good Breeding as the Law calls Treason to give the King's Crown to a Courtier It is to offer Rebellion for Sacrifice and pretend to Honour God with the Violation of his own Law It 's true We may desire our present Friends to Pray for us But we use not to stand here and Call upon some in the East Indies Nor to apply to our Friends with the very same Gestures and Expressions as unto God Himself Indeed even the Ora pro Nobis applied by us to those in Heaven is Impertinent enough and we may better imploy ourselves than so spend our Breath which we know not if ever it Reach to them whither we direct it But if we shall be allowed capable of Understanding the common Construction of the Popish Offices as plain as words can express They do Pray Directly to Saints for the very same things that we do to God As for us We would Honour God's Saints more than to think them so Proud as ever to Arrogate or Abide the Glory of their Blessed Maker to be conferred upon Them Or to think them Ambitious of that Worship which was the Devil's desire When their language on Earth was Sirs Why do ye these things Stand up I my self also am a man See thou do it not Sure they have not since Vnlearn'd that Humility in Heaven for which they were so Eminent here below as to thank us now for the Service No they are too Good to Endure it And they that Pray to an Image Not only do Dishonour the Infinite Majesty that can never be so Represented without being most grosly Abused But also Debase themselves into a Likeness with that Senseless thing which they fall down to Psalm 115.8 They that make them are Like unto them So is every one that Trusteth in them And whoever Trusts to any thing which they Are or Have to any thing in them or about them and fly for that Refuge to any Fruitions Interests Friends or Creatures in the World which is only to be found in Him that Made Heaven and Earth As they Desert and Disoblige Him who will not give his Glory to another So they miserably Disappoint and Abuse themselves and come under the Imprecation Jer. 17.15 Cursed is the man that Trusteth in man and maketh Flesh his Arm and whose Heart departeth from the Lord. CHAP. VI. Of Licentiousness in the Manner of Praying SECT I. Taking no Care of the Heart WHEN men draw nigh to God with their Mouth and their Hearts are far from him Contenting themselves to go over so many Words in the meer Lip-labour and Yawning over some faint Petitions in a Listless drowsy manner as if they were not well Awake doing nothing Heartily as to the Lord Yea when their business is not to Meet and Enjoy the Lord but like such as Visit only out of a Formality and not for any Cordial Friendship care not if the Person be at Home or no so that they have performed the Task They do but Take the Name of God in Vain and take on them to Worship For it is but the Picture or Carkass of Worship no Worship indeed unless we Serve him with our Spirit If it be not the Act of the Mind it is not We and no more than Personating the Devout When the Supplicants have no concern either to Prepare the heart for Prayer or to keep it Intent upon the work in Praying When they presumptuously go forth in their own Strength and rush upon the Service without considering what they are going about And when fallen upon it they mind not whither the Heart Roves and gads Let the Tempter Jog and Interrupt them as the Pythoness did St. Paul when he went to Prayer Acts 16.16 Yet they take no care to seize and call in the Vagabond Thoughts Then the Prayer is nothing else but only so much Said and a Huddle of Words pour'd out into the empty Air Of no Significancy at all but only to Accuse and Condemn them for making so Bold with the Searcher of Hearts To lie Babbling in his Presence and make but a Noise as Sounding Brass and the Tinkling Cimbal Yea and commit a sort of Perjury Invocating the Deity to witness but a Lye because they Intend nothing less than what they say and if they but stay out the Time and run over the Words the work is done Such careless Prayers are never like to effect any great and Desirable matters And when Duty so flags no wonder if their Comfort also droops for the vigorous Exercises of Godliness are
the Oyl to keep in the shining Lamp of Heavenly Hope and Joy And when the Heart instead of stooping down under the humble Sense of Sin is Lifted up in a Proud conceit of themselves and so directly Contradicts the Self-abasing work they are upon Instead of Praying in Faith Believes nothing that God hath said and so puts a Bar to all their Hopes of receiving any thing at his Hands Instead of abounding with Love is full of Cores and Malice neither for the Giving or Forgiving Charity and so turns the Supplication even into an Execration because our Lord who has charg'd us when we Stand or set ourselves upon Praying to Forgive Teacheth us to ask and Expect the Mercy to Ourselves but only as we shew and Extend it to Others And when instead of Burning with fervent Zeal like the Fire in the Alembick to send up its earnest Desires the Heart is Playing behind the Curtain and the Oscitant pretenders to Worship do but Trifle and offer up a Heartless Service as those who seem very Indifferent whether they be Heard or not yea rather Afraid to be taken at their Words All this while there may be somewhat like Seeking but here is no Striving to Enter when the Heart is no more Engaged to the Lord. Nay 't is but a meer piece of Mock-Devotion that instead of Attoning for our Sins does but Add still more to the Number And then alas What Hope can men have from such kind of Prayers even for which they have a great deal more to Answer No Wit or Parts or the most curious Art to Pack words neatly together is enough to make a good Prayer without the Drawing Nigh of the Heart and the Spirit of Supplication The Springs of Action upon what Motives we proceed and to what Ends we do it are most of all to be regarded tho they be Latent like the Roots of things that lye under Ground Yet in the Scrutiny and Examination of ourselves this is the main Enquiry Whether our Principles and Designs be right and sound at the Bottom Whether God's holy Fear and Faith and Love set us a going and whether the Pleasing of his Will the Honouring of his Name and the attaining of his Favour to be made Liker and to be brought Nearer to Him be our grand Aim and Intention Better let the Heart lead the Words thô they be but few and mean than be full of fine Expressions and no Heart to follow But O how is the Deceiver Deceived that goes about to Mock the only Wise God As good Affront him in the Face of the Sun as to Dissemble with him in the Secret of the Heart And let such as are for playing the Hypocrite with him but forbear till they can do it so as he shall not be Aware of it And then be sure they will never Dare to offer it SECT II. Taking no Care of the Words THE main Province of man is to Keep his Heart but yet it is not All nor the Only thing that he hath to look after He must see that out of the Abundance of his Heart his Mouth speak to the Purpose and as Becomes him 'T is an intolerable Presumption for poor Mortals that are but Sinful wretched Worms to be Rash with their Mouths to utter any thing that comes Vppermost tho never so Crude and wild before the most High and Wise and Holy God As if the Words of Prayer needed no other recommendation than Boldness and men might speak what their List in the greatest Presence As if they thought the Lord either such a Sorry Master whom any thing were good enough for Or one so far off as to be out of Hearing and not to Know what were said But it is the Liberty of Praying not of Prating that I plead for If it be a License taken I am sure it is not Given to roll and Luxuriate in empty Expressions without either Spirit or so much as any Good Sense To prevent which we may do well to Digest aforehand the Words as well as the Matter of our Prayers At least to have in store and readiness such a Stock of Authentick Expressions as are fit and proper for our Devotions Out of which we may produce what is Pertinent and not be at a Loss to express the Sentiments and wishes of our Hearts Tho an easy Vnaffected Stile suited to the Understanding and Infirmity of the Worshippers is the fittest and best Because Words in Prayer are used more for our own Sakes than His that understands our Desires without our Words Yet too Loose a Dress argues a Contempt of the Presence we are in When if the Tongue be but kept Going any impertinent Clack or the most course and tatter'd stuff shall serve the turn Nay so Weak and Flat are some and so Homely and Fulsome are others in their Prayers that if we may here credit Reports The Silliness of the one and the Rudeness of the other makes their Company in Pain for them and where others beg to be Heard it might be better for them if God did not Hear them Their very Tone of Prayer betraying their Contempt of Heaven when they Gabble over what they have to say without any Submissive Voice or Lively Accents or Affectionate Strain to shew how Awful and in what good Earnest they are Our Voice is the Index of our Mind and by that we signify the Devotion which is in our Hearts And he that talks at Random before the Lord shews little care that his Heart is in to perform Service meet for God's Acceptance We had as good Pray in an Vnknown as in an Vnregarded Language The one is to say We Know not what and the other We Care not what But if we must Worship with the Spirit it is requisite we should Know what we say and Pray with the Vnderstanding or else how can our Mind and Spirit be concerned 'T is less Affront to be Silent before the Lord than to offer to Him Service that is to us Vnintelligible Gibberish or Empty Talk And I cannot but tax it for a very condemnable Intemperance and Looseness of Speech in Prayer when the Tongue is suffered to run out quite beyond the Sense and Devotion of the Speaker and also as far beyond the Attention and Patience of the Hearers When the Prayers are spun out to a Tedious Length to shew how far a man is able to hold out and Jade and tire all his Company till they Long for nothing more than to be out of that Pain and then rejoyce in the Deliverance and Dread such another Affliction May they Beware by whom such Offence comes that they Distaste not any too apt to Imbibe such Prejudices against the Worship of God to whom they should use all Ingenuous and harmless Artifices to Recommend and Endear it SECT III. Taking no Care of the Behaviour in Prayer GOD that is Terrible out of his Holy Places ought Greatly to be Feared of all
that are about Him And none of his Kindness to us must ever tempt us to forget our Distance and Grow upon Him as if he were but Such a one as our selves Ignorant people think basely of God in the form of an Old man sitting in his Chair to which Bungling Conceit the Popish Painters have lent their Help daring so to Picture Him that is Invisible and Incomprehensible And answerable to the Opinion conceived of God uses to be the Worship paid to him When men think Low and Slightly of God they can be as Rude and Saucy with him and divulge their Inward Contempt in their Carriage Abroad Presenting no Oblations but what more Affront than Honour him As if they came not to Adore and Pray but to Vaunt and Huff to Shew or Divert themselves to Scandalize their Neighbours and Sadden the hearts of some and make a Game for others To cast their Dirt and Scorn upon Holy things in their Yawning or Sleeping over them or Laughing the while and Playing with them And by their Countenance and Gesture and Actions shewing no more Concern in the Worship of God than if it were an idle Gambol or the most Trivial business They will observe and Revere a frail man that shall Dye but make even nothing of the Almighty Everliving God who Awes the World with a Look and will make his Despisers discern to their eternal Cost between them that Honoured and them that so Vilified Him Christians that behave themselves Rude and Vnmannerly in their Worship shall be condemned in Judgment by the Turks who are said to be so Curious in this point they think it will Spoil all their Prayers if they but Scratch the head with a Finger while they are upon them The dreadful Judge of Quick and Dead is not to be treated after the rate of an ordinary man They that have such a Clownish Familiarity have never the more but the less Friendship with God The Prayer that Puffs up serves but to do us hurt When we are Proud of our Prayers which are indeed but Acknowledgments of Indigence and Guilt and Offices of Humiliation and Repentance we quite mistake their Design and shall as much fail too of their Success And instead of Drawing nigh to God He will See us afar off 'T is his Grace to take even our Best in good part at our hands which is but a mean Present for the most High and to imploy sinful Worms in his Service who Humbles himself to Behold even the things that are in Heaven and hath the highest Angels ambitious to Attend upon His Throne And if we use to Applaud ourselves Principibus placuisse viris to fit the Humour of Great men How much more should we rejoyce to be Acceptable to Him in whose Favour is Life Who unless we hold Back what is in our Power to Give will not Despise us that it is no Better when he sees we Have no Better But he will not endure that Proud Scorners and rude Lubbers should come to his Face only to Pollute his Ordinances but will cast their wretched Offerings as Dirt in their Faces especially when they are called by his Name and pretend to be a People Nigh to Him And yet he could not be worse Served by any that are Afar off but his Name is more Dreadful among the Heathen Tho Religion then is not to be Gawdy yet we must not strip it so Naked under pretence of Spirituality that it appear in no Decent Garb Nor make Irreverence and a Worship without any Becoming Circumstances the distinguishing Note of a Godly man For that is the way to bring all our Religion under a just Suspicion when we carry towards the great Adorable Object of it as if we had no Awe of Him nor Regard or Love to Him Cursed is he that doth the Work of the Lord so Negligently At his Peril it is who meddles not with the Worship of God but to Expose and Blaspheme it and Wo be to that man whose very Oblations are the highest Provocations SECT IV. Of Praying without taking care of our Living THE Blessed God who Lacketh nothing stands not in such Need of men's Services as to accept the Present that is all Soiled with Filthy Hands When he accepts nothing indeed from us but only to do us a Kindness and makes us much more Beholden to Him to take Notice of our Offering than ever we can Oblige Him with the Service He will Abhor even our Holy things if we Abhor his Holy Ways Therefore when we are off our Knees the Apostle cautions us to take heed how we Walk 1 Pet. 1.17 If ye Call upon the Father who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work Pass the time of your Sojourning here in Fear All the Religion of wicked men is upon their Knees without looking to their Steps They may sometimes shew Devout in their Prayers who yet are most Profligate in their Lives and use their Offices only as a Cloak for their Sins and to Compound with the Divine Justice for Going on still in their Trespasses Depositing their Pageant-like Piety in the Church Pref. to Caus of Decay of Christ Pi. only to make a Shew with on Holidays But such as are so Rotten and corrupt at Heart and quite out in the very Drift and tenour of their Life must not think to put off the Holy Jealous God with a parcel of Good Words and Demure Looks and fine Postures He will scorn all the Prayers of such as cast off his Fear and disregard his Holy Word They shall cry in vain for his Help that neglect their honest Endeavors to Help themselves They that Trust in the Lord and do no Good but presume that Christ will Save them against his own Gospel are a sort of Worshippers that are like to find as little Success in their Praying as God finds Integrity and Piety in their Walking Their Carnal Living spoils all their Spiritual Worshipping They shall find small Wellcome with Him when they love to be most Vnlike Him When they cannot abide his Friends And love none so well as the Worst of his Enemies Nay can Blasphemously Swear elsewhere as fast by the Name of their Maker as they Bow mannerly at Church to the Name of their Saviour And when they take on them to Pray the Lord to have Mercy upon them for Taking his Name in Vain and to Incline their Hearts to keep that Law and yet are so far from Minding what they Say that presently after in the accustomed manner they fall Foul upon Him and make nothing of it to Play with that tremendous Name as their Bable O how Vain are their Oblations What Abomination is their Incense Yea what Iniquity even their Solemn Meeting As good they Slew a Man as Kill'd an Ox or Cut off a Dogs neck as Sacrific'd a Lamb. Isa 66.3 If any man be a Worshipper of God and do his Will him he Heareth Joh. 9.31 The only