Peter God could not but hear the prayers of his Church of his servants assembled and united together in prayer and did hear them For the night before Peter was to be brought forth he sent his Angel into the prison raised Peter being asleep bound with two chains and lying between two Souldiers caused his chains to fall off opened unto him the prison doors went before him led him out into the City and so delivered him out of the hand of Herod and from the expectation of the people Thus you see the power of Common-prayer how much it prevaileth with God when the true servants of God joyn bands and unite themselves together in prayer beseeching God for any special blessing remember well what is written Act. 4. 24. when Peter and John being threatned by the Priests and Elders and commanded to teach no more in the name of Jesus came to their fellows and shewed them what had been done unto them it is recorded when they heard it they lift up their voices with one accord and said O Lord thou art the God c. And that God was well pleased with the lifting up of their voices together with their hearts in prayer may appear by ver 31. and when as they prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled together and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God boldly What are our words and voices but the Exprestions and Interpretations of our hearts then why may not our people joyn their voices as well as their hearts especially at some times with the Minister to stir up themselves and express their Devotion and to shew that they own the prayers of the Minister and do joyn with him in the Common-prayers of the Church 3. Consider the Reasons why the Clerk is sometimes to say after the Minister as in the confession of Sins the Lords prayer c. and why at other times to answer the Minister We may think that Wise men and Godly men would ordain nothing in the Church without good Reasons and Ground for it 1. For the Clerk you must know he is only appointed to answer as the Guide and Leader of the people and Congregation to draw them on and to encourage them to follow him for what he says all should say with him in the confession of sins the Lords prayer in the Letany repeating of the ten Commandments or elsewhere yea all Minister Clerk and Congregation should joyn with their hearts and may sometimes with their voices is all the prayers of the Church for Deliverance for Mercy for Grace for Peace c. what is uttered by one should be seconded with the Mouths or at least with the hearts of all the Congregation especially in saying Amen to all because all ought to joyn in the Common-prayers of the Church 2. For the people why they should joyn their hearts always with the Minister in the Common-prayers of the Church and may at some set times their voices these Reasons may be rendred 1. To stir them up to attention to shake off their sluggishness to keep them from slumbring and to bring them to the knowledge of the several parts of Divine Service you cannot but take notice that our common and ordinary people are not only ignorant but very dull and lumpish in the performance of Divine Service They do it without Reverence or Fear need often stirring up and quickning Many of them think it is enough if they come to Church and be there with their bodies wheresoever their hearts be therefore some as soon as they are setled in their seats hold down their heads and fall asleep others gaze about and some are slugging and slumbring little minding the Service of God so that they need quickning and stirring up Now if they would joyn and say with the Clerk as they ought it would be a means to put life into them to shake off drowsiness to raise up their attention and Devotion to mind them of the business they are about and to bring them to some measure of Knowledge and Understanding 2. To make them know that the prayers there uttered by the Minister are their prayers made in their name for them and in their behalf that they should own them go along in their hearts if not always in their voices with their Minister and saying Amen to all that it may appear that they understand what they do and not only give their consent but do joyn along with him in the Common-prayers of the Church so that no man can justly take offence at the Clerks answering but such as understand not the true grounds and reasons of it Obj. Our prayers are too many and too short some count them if not call them Shreds and Pieces of prayer Answ We cannot think that God is delighted with the multitude of words you know Solomons counsel Eccles 5. 1. Be not rash with thy mouth and let not thy heart be hasty to utter a thing before God for God is in the heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few and what our Saviour saith Mat. 6. 7. When you pray use no vain repetitions as the Heathen for they think to be heard for their much babling yet we do not disallow of long prayers so that the heart do not flag but be kept bent unto them and the fervency of the Spirit go along with them It is not as some imagine saith an ancient Father that long praying is that fault of much speaking in prayer which our Saviour doth there reprove for then he would not himself have continued whole nights in prayer as you read Luke 6. 12. that he spent the whole night in prayer to God but that we should use no vain superfluity of words as the heathens do no vain Tautologies for they imagine that their much speaking will cause them to be heard whereas in truth the thing which God looketh upon is how well our hearts are affected in prayer and not how copious our tongues are how well we are affected in the true devotion of our hearts when we come to present our Supplications before him and not how long we talk Our Saviour Christ denounceth a woe against the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 23. 14. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees Hypocrites for you devour widows houses under colour of long prayers noting their sin of Hypocrisie in that they devoured Widows goods and under a shew of godliness not as if he did find fault with long prayers so they be free from Hypocrisie and from vain ostentation and attended with the true Devotion of the heart yet short prayers may be as effectual also to prevail with God for a blessing when they are poured out of a contrite and broken heart proceeding from faith and followed with the fervency of the spirit Look upon the Parable of the Pharisee and Publican mentioned by our Saviour Luke 18. 10. Two men went up to the Temple to pray the one a
require nor injoyn these things altogether without reason Take a view examine all particulars the several gestures injoyned commanded by our Church The chief of all are these 1. Kneeling in the time of prayer 2. Standing up at the rehearsal of the Apostles Creed 3. Bowing at the Name of the Lord Jesus 4. Kneeling at the receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper 1. Kneeling in time of prayer the Scripture doth hold out unto us especially these three several Gestures in the time of prayer 1. Prostrating and casting down our selves upon our faces in our prayers to God for this we have the example of our Saviour Christ Matthew 26. 39. it is said there of our Saviour Christ a little before he was apprehended That he went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed c. and Mark 14. 35. it is said He went forward a little and fell down upon the ground and prayed And thus we read of the Primitive Christians in former times the warning sound was no sooner heard but the Churches were presently filled the pavement covered with bodies prostrate and wash'd with tears of devout joy Ad Domos statim Dominicas currimus Corpora humi sternimus mixtis cum Fletu Gaudiis supplicamus faith Salvianus 2. Standing some suppose that the Israelites did many times stand and pray this Christ our Saviour seemeth to intimate Mark 11. 25. saying When ye shall stand and pray forgive 〈…〉 read of the Pharisee and Publican when they came bâ—â—h 〈…〉 the Temple to pray Luke 18. it is said of the Pharisee 〈…〉 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself and of the 〈◊〉 ver 13. But the â—ublican standing afar off c. and Christ speaketh of the Pharisees Matthew 6. 5. And when thou prayest be no◠〈◊〉 the Hypocrites for they love to stand and pray in the Synagogues 〈◊〉 corners of the streets 3 Kneeling that was always the most usual Gesture thus we find everywhere in Scripture it is said of Solomon 1 Reg. 8. 54. when he had ended his prayer and supplication to the Lord for the Temple that he arose from kneeling upon his knees it is recorded of Daniel Dan. 6. 10. that he usually kneeled three times a day upon his knees and prayed praised his God and of St. Paul and the Church with him Act. 21. 6. When he departed from them they kneeled down upon the shoar and prayed Now the usual Gesture among us in time of prayer is either standing or kneeling we do not altogether disallow of standing in prayer but we may stand as a servant before his Master or as a subject before his Prince we may kneel upon our knees St. Stephen as we may suppose used both these Gestures praying for himself we may conjecture he prayed standing Act. 7. 59. it is said they stoned Stephen who called upon God and said Lord Jesus receive my spirit but ver 60. when he prayed for his enemies the Text saith And he kneeled down and prayed with a loud voice Lord lay not this sin to their charge But kneeling we account and judge the fittest posture to shew our true humility and our reverence to God This no man questioneth 2. Standing up at the rehearsal of the Apostles Creed and making our Christian confession this many stick at The reasons why this posture is injoyned and required may be these upon conjecture 1. To stir up the dulness and sluggishness of people and to keep them from slumbring and sleeping and to stir up their attention to consider of the several parts of the Service of God Common people are very dull and lumpish and many times very drowsie in the performance of the Service of God and having sate long in hearing the Psalms read unto them and the Chapters read are many times overtaken with slumbring and drowsiness and this standing up then at the rehearsal of the Creed may be a good means to cause them to shake off their drowsiness to keep them from slumbring and to quicken their attention to the Service they are about If there were nothing else this might in some mens judgments be a sufficient ground for this injunction as long as the Gesture is indifferent in it self 2. This standing up at the Creed the Confession of our Christian Faith may be required to teach blind and ignorant people and to inform them that the Creed is no prayer There be too many ignorant people notwithstanding the great Light we have and the plentiful means of instruction by continual Preaching Teaching and Catechising here among us yet still take this Creed to be a prayer which formerly by most was accounted among their prayers and so used by them as a prayer Now because ordinarily in our prayers we do kneel as is fitting and we are required This very posture of standing up at the rehearsal of this Creed may convince them fully that it is no prayer but a publick Confession and Profession of our Christian Faith 3. The chief reason at all why we stand up at the rehearsal of this the Apostles Creed is to shew our Christian resolution to maintain and defend this our Christian Doctrine For this Creed is a short abridgment and Epitome of all the Apostles Doctrine which they received from Christ our Saviour and delivered to us in the New Testament The rule of our Faith the Touch-stone of Truth the very Pith and Substance of our Christian Religion the very Badge and Cognisance of a Christian whereby he is not only known from Pagans but distinguished from Hereticks Therefore we are injoyned not only to stand up at the rehearsal of it but to joyn our selves also in rehearsing it to testifie to the world our readiness and constancy to maintain this our Religion and Profession being the true Catholick Faith whereof this is a full abridgment that we are willing to stand to it to the death and to live and die in the Profession of it 3. Bowing at the Name of the Lord Jesus this indeed is also required that as all persons should reverently kneel upon their knees when the general Confession and other prayers were made stand up at the saying of the Creed and Belief so when in the time of Divine Service the Lord Jesus should be mentioned due and lowly reverence should be done by all persons present testifying by these outward Ceremonies and Gesture their inward humility Christian Resolution and due acknowledgement that the Lord Jesus Christ the true and eternal Son of God is the only Saviour of the world in whom alone all the Mercies Graces and Promises of God to mankind for this life and the life to come are fully wholly comprised according to that of S. Peter Act. 4. 12. Neither is there Salvation in any other for among men there is given none other Name under heaven whereby we must be saved Though all do not agree that this bowing is either commanded in those words of the Apostle Phil.
2 10. That at the Name of Jesus every knee shall bow of things in heaven things in earth and things under the earth Nor that it can be by any strong and undeniable Argument drawn from them because they conceive that the Apostle doth not mean or intend those words of the outward knees of the Body seeing Angels and Devils have no bodily knees But his meaning is that all Creature in Heaven and Earth and under the Earth shall acknowledge him to be their Lord shall honour worship him obey him and give him the Glory that is due unto him yet we cannot think that any reasonable understanding man can judge it altogether unlawful either to uncover the head or bow the body at the naming of the Lord Jesus to shew the reverence that is due unto him so that the inward intention of the Mind and Devotion of the Heart be joyned and go along with the outward Gesture of the Body but the fear is that God may complain in this of many as he did of the Jews Es 29. 13. They come near me with their lips and honour me with their mouths but their hearts are far from me So many honour the Name of the Lord Jesus formally in a complemental outward way of Cap and Knee who regard him not in their hearts nor make any Conscience to live up unto him in their lives yet again we must consider that this is our fault the fault of men and their corruption not the fault of the Ceremony And we may also conceive that it was the Wisdom of the Church when it saw how dead dull and lumpish nay stupid common people are in Divine Service to appoint this Ceremony to stir up people shake off their sluggishness raise up their Devotion and quicken their attention to the hearing of the Word of God Read or Preached least they should be overcome of drowsinesse and so if rightly used it might be a good means to help us to amend that fault and to quicken our attention But you will say why should we give more honour to the Son then to the Father to the Name of the Lord Jesus then to the God who is the Father To this we may answer he that honoureth the Son honoureth the Father we do not thereby deny any honour that is due unto the Father or rob God the Father of his honour but we do honour God the Father in his Son acknowledging the great love and wonderful mercies of God the Father unto Mankind sealed up in the Lord Jesus his Son for the Redemption of the world according to that of our Saviour John 5. 23. all men should honour the Son as they honour the Father He that honoureth not the Son the same honoureth not the Father which hath sent him so that thereby we do not deprive God the Father of the honour due unto him but rather add to his honour including in the Lord Jesus all the mercies and graces of God the Father which are conveyed unto us by his Son and sealed up unto us in the Lord Jesus his Son But you will say We desire to know some Reason for it why we should give more honour to the Name of the Lord Jesus then to the Name of God the Father These Grounds and Reasons may not unfitly be given 1. There is no Nation in the world but doth acknowledge God Nulla Natio tam barbara Nulla Gens tam Efferata cui non infideat haec Opinio Deum esse could Tully an heathen man say that there is no Nation in the world so barbarous but doth acknowledge God and worship God or somewhat instead of God But we know there be a great many Nations in the world Jews Turks Pagans and all Infidels that do not acknowledge the Lord Jesus to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the world Therefore to convince and convert them and to make out our profession to the world we Christians may give somewhat the more reverence to the Name of the Lord Jesus 2 The work of our Redemption which was wrought by the Lord Jesus may in some respect be accounted a greater work of power and mercy then the work of Creation In the creating of other creatures God spake the word and it was done but when he came to make man the most noble creature we find that he entred into a consultation Gen. 1. 26. Let us make man after our own Image yet we do not read that God bestowed much pains or labour about his making it is said Gen 2. 7. The Lord God also made the man of the dust of the ground and breathed in his face the breath of life and the man was a living soul But for the great worâ— of our Redemption wrought by the Lord Jesus that was a work of greater difficulty we may say of that as the Poet speaks Multatulit fecitque Jesus sudavit alsit â—he did not only abase himself for us men and for our salvation in coming down from heaven but being God became man suffered all the miseries belonging to mankind Poverty Ignomy Stripes and Buffetings yea bore all our sins sweat drops of bloud besides that cruel cursed and shameful death of the Cross which he did suffer and undergo for our Redemption in so much that an ancient Father saith â—ajus erat opus reficere quam facere it was a greater work to Redeem us then at first to create us For in our Creation God made man but in our Redemption God himself became man was made man In this regard then you see we have cause to give then somewhat the more reverence to the Name of the Lord Jesus 3. The work of our Redemption is a more beneficial work to us then the work of our Creation It is true that at the first God made man a glorious creature after his own image in righteousness and true holiness indued him with many excellencies and gave him power over all creatures but yet made him mutable and so mortal subject to death if he broke the Covenant And man by his disobedience did break the Covenant with God so plunged himself and his Posterity into all kind of eternal miseries had not the Lord Jesus come to save us and redeem us Then in this regard also seeing the Lord Jesus did indure those bitter torments to redeem us and to save us from the curse and wrath of God and all those miseries wherein by the fall of Adam we were plunged and were brought into such an estate of misery as without the mercy and merites of the Lord Jesus in working our Redemption it had been happy for us never to have been born never to have been made we have cause for ever to reverence the Name of our Lord Jesus 4. The word Jesus signifieth a Saviour it is Christs proper name the name of his nature a name above every name a name given him by the Angel before he was born Nominatus priusquam natus he had
his name before his Birth yea a full and significant name expressing all his goodness to us as you find Math. 20. 21. where the Angel tells Joseph Thou shalt call his name Jesus and giveth the reason For he shall save his people from their sins A name so sweet that it containeth in it all the treasures of comfort it is Mel in Ore Melos in â—uâ—e Jubilus in corde as Bernard speaketh as sweet as honey to the mouth melody to the ear and joy unto the heart in delight whereof St. Paul useth it as Genebrard observeth five hundred times in his Epiples and Mr. Fox writeth of that zealous and Learned Martyr Johannes Mollius that he never spake of the name of Jesus but instantly tears dropt from his eyes Seeing then it is a name above every name and that name alone whereby we must be saved as St. Peter speaketh Act. 4. 12. Neither is there salvation in any other for among men there is given no other name whereby we can be saved How can we then deny this honour and reverence to this name to bend not only the knees of our bodies but the knees of our hearts yea all the powers and faculties of Soul and Body at the reverent and religious Name of the Lord Jesus 5. Kneeling at the receiving of the Lords Supper this hath been an ancient custom in our Church neither can I conceive how any moderate-minded man can judge it any way unlawful or unfitting at that time to humble our selves to the very dust and to kneel upon our knees at such a time when we come to acknowledge our unworthiness to confess our sins and bewail them with hearty sorrow whereby we have offended God to beg pardon of him and reconcilement by the merits of the Lord Jesus to gain again the favour and mercy of God held out unto us by his golden Scepter in the merits and mediation of his Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ at the receiving of this blessed Sacrament the remembrance whereof we do there celebrate and receive those blessed mysteries To confirm our faith and to give us an assurance of the performance of all the promises of mercy made unto us in the Lord Jesus our alone Saviour we cannot but judge him unworthy of pardon who having offended his Prince and justly deserved punishment shall be so high or unthankful that he refuseth to receive his pardon upon his knees There have indeed formerly been differences raised in the Church about this gesture yet those who were against kneeling could never agree what gesture to have Some would have it to be taken standing some would have this Sacrament to be taken sitting some again leaning with their body these be poor Punctilio's to stand upon for a wise man to make difference in the Church a Schism and a Rent upon so small an occasion The most men who are moderate count the gesture and posture of our bodies at and in the receiving of this holy Sacrament to be a thing meerly indifferent so we come with true faith and repentance and our hearts be every way rightly affected with reverence to this Service as we ought to be prepared whether we sit stand lean or kneel but it must needs be acknowledged that kneeling is the most reverent and most humble posture of them all and humility is a great ornament in a Christian But the most in these late times of liberty have pleaded for and used sitting at the receiving of this holy Sacrament pretending that it is a Communion whereby we have a fellowship with our Saviour Christ a fellowship among our selves And that it cometh nearest to that gesture which was used by our Saviour Christ himself at the first institution of it we cannot deny but it is a Communion whereby we have a fellowship with Christ our Saviour and a fellowship among our selves but we cannot think that it is such a fellowship as to sit as we say Cheek by Jole with Christ at his Table to keep no distance and that he expecteth no honour or reverence at our hands And for the gesture of our Saviour at the first institution of it we grant that the Evangelist St. Matthew speaking of it as our English Translation in our Bible is saith Math. 26. 20. When Even was come he sate down with the Twelve But the Greek word there for it which in the original is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Tremellius translateth Discumbebat Beza discubuit the word there you see is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the proper English whereof is He lay down the same word is used again by St. Mark Mark 14. 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the English is still And as they sate at table and did eat c. Quumque discubuissent saith Beza Quumque discumberent saith Tremellius the proper English being And they lying down or when they lay down But St. Luke maketh use of another word for speaking how by Christs command his Disciples had prepared the Passeover he saith Luke 22. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And when the hour was come he sate down and the Twelve Apostles with him The Greek word there is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Tremellius interpreteth by the word Accubuit Beza Recubuit the English for it being properly He fell down lay down or lay all along All these words sound as if our Saviour did rather lean or lie down upon a bed at the eating of the Passeover and institution of this Sacrament of the Lords Supper This will better appear if we search what was the ancient posture of their bodies at their Meals and their fashion of eating Meat in those times by all likelihood it appeareth that the gesture of our Saviour at the Table was such as the Romans used and at that time as it seemeth was in use among the Jews which as our ancient records tell us was thus Their Table was placed in the midst round about the Table were certain Beds sometimes two sometimes three sometime more according to the number of their Guests upon these Beds they lay down in manner as followeth each Bed contained three persons sometimes four seldom or never more if one lay upon the Bed then he rested the upper part of his body on his leâ—â— Elbow the lower part lying at length upon the Bed but if many lay upon the Bed then the uppermost did lie at the Beds head laying his feet behind behind the seconds back in like manner the third or fourth did lie each resting his head in the others bosom accordingly we find it expressed by the Evangelist John 13. 23. That John the beloved Disciple of Christ leaned aâ— Supper on Jesus bosom and John 21. 20. it is said of that Disciple whom Jesus loved That he leaned on his breast at Supper Their Tables were perfectly round whence their manner of sitting was termed Mesibah a sitting round and their phrase of inviting