1 If a man hath an antipathy to forms he saith It is no wonder that he can have but little intention and fervor in the use of them So then he who hath such an infirmity cannot pray with the like intention or fervor by them Now that such an Antipathy is sinful he hath not proved We suppose he doth not mean Natural Antipathy That must be necessary and by his own consequence not sinful If he means Moral It is the same with prejudice The goodness or badness of which depends upon the efficient cause If any be therefore prejudiced against them because he cannot apprehend it a way of worship instituted by God enjoned or practised by the Apostles or Apostolical church Let him demonstrate the sinfulness of this Prejudice we cannot 2 Men may be more intent he saith because of novelty of phrase Be it so so that they be more intent fervent If the newness of phrase will contribute towards it for ought we know it is a blessed Mean For surely it is lawful by Gods law and if by doing what is not in it self sinful we can advantage our selves in doing what is by a divine precept necessary he must by his next tell us why we may not do it 3 He saith p. 26. Nature it self is apt to be more intent and fervent in the exercise of a Gift then of a grace and therefore where there is a place for the exercise of both there may probably be more intention and fervor But say we the use of a gift is just no where forbidden by God but we are commanded to minister it to stir it up not to neglect it c. It is natural rational proper most immediate Given by God on purpose for the Act to which it relates 4 He saith Men are naturally more affected with their own inventions then with the inventions of others What need more What Scripture what reason makes the use of our own invention and words unlawful So that we think Mr. Ireneus hath fully proved that it is unlawful for him who himself hath an ability fitly to express his own and others wants in words unto God in prayer ordinarily to use the forms of others because he alloweth it our duty to serve God with the highest attention of thoughts intention of mind and fervor of Spirit which can be attained by lawful means and he hath also given us four or five reasons why we cannot pray with the like attention and intention by the prescribed forms of others as by words first formed in our own hearts Thus hath Mr. Ireneus concluded against Mr. Freeman and left him nothing to do but to prove That if Superiors command men to serve God in prayer with less Attention Intention Fervency it is lawful and such prayers may be more acceptable to God then such as are put up with greater Attention Intention and Fervor which we shall believe when he hath proved That if the Israelites Superiors had commanded them though they had Males in their flocks yet to offer females they might have lawfully done it and it would have been either as or more acceptable The case is the very same § 24 For what the same Author talks more of the heat of the Body and such as is caused by obstruction of breath and drawling out of words It speaks nothing but the Eructation of a profane heart more disposed to flout at Religion and to take any silly occasion true or false to reproach the Professors of it then to answer a good and solid Argument And so we have done with Mr. Freeman believing we have not left him so much as a figeale to cover the nakedness of his answer § 25 Let us now consider what is said against this Argument by Mr. Falconer the Reverend Author of Libertas Ecclesiastica who p. 120 121. thus speaketh It is further objected that Forms of Prayer are disadvantages to piety and devotion and the Noncon often plead Experience as a Testimony They are the cause of much deadness in mens Spirit and the hinderance of the lively exercise of Religion Hear on the other hand others by experience assert the advantage of set forms to promote Devotion when attended without prejudice and with a Religious design of joining in Gods worship To discern the truth in this difference it may be useful to consult the judgments of such persons as are least partial in this case and yet are able to make a true estimate of damage and advantage and then especially to consider the evidence of Reason which may be produced To which we say § 26 The sensus piorum neither is nor ever was judged by persons of our Reverend Brothers sobriety and worth an inconsiderable argument for the truth of a proposition especially a practical proposition not plainly determined in holy writ nor can be so judged as to the helps of true devotion they being like best to understand the best and truest means who are most exercised in the Acts and constant pursuit of the end Indeed it is very reasonable in this case That if the Proposition be not of that nature as the truth of it is variable with reference to several Christians that the Major part of pious souls and able should be taken into judgment And verily in this case were it possible that all religious souls having themselves the gift of prayer could be assembled we think we might trust the question in issue to their umpirage as to those though pious who have not attained to this gift we cannot judge them competent judges of what they have no experience but this being not to be hoped for § 27 We say we do not think but the experience of Christians may be different in the case and some may find the use of their own gifts more advantageous others may possibly find forms more advantageous it depends much on the degree of the gift which every one hath not in the same measure But this we judge That every one is bound in the duty of prayer to use that lawful mean which he by experience finds most conducive to himself to keep his thoughts attentive his mind intent his heart and affections fervent So as one may be under an obligation not to use forms another under an obligation for the present to use them The obligation here arising from the nature of the thing as it may be the best mean to one and not to another so he is bound or not bound Let not therefore him that useth them condemn him that useth them not nor he that useth them not condemn him that useth them And we do not think matters of this nature fit matter for a superiors command One minister by experience finds it best as M r. Herbert saith In time of prayer to seal up both his eyes shutting up the doors at which a wandring soul useth to go out Another finds it more expedient to keep his eyes open and fixed towards heaven both these aiming
of these will concern all ministers For doubtless some are able without book to pray so as to give no scandal but to edify the church and need no book to regutate their meditations desires words and actions if there be not we are sure there 's none fit to compose forms to help them So that all the business is That Vniformity may be observed Vniformity either respecteth the ordinary matter of Prayer or The words and Syllables used in prayer For the first surely there 's no need of forms for that that indeed is necessary abating particular cases and this is that Uniformity which the Scotish and English Divines have so pleaded for pursuant to an Vnity in Doctrine But 't is pretty to observe How some late little Authors have laid hold upon this word Vniformity in the writings of Presbyterians and Congregational Divines to make the world believe they were once patrons for that pitiful thing now called Vniformity which lies in an oneness of syllables words and phrases A thing which never came into the heart of their God to command nor of those his servants to commend or speak a word for and certainly If it were at all necessary would be fully as necessary in preaching but they must have something to bespatter poor Nonconformists Dolus an virtus quis in hoste requiret What other means of Edification there are excepting the word the Reading that and the administration of the Sacraments besides the gifts of Gods ministers and people we do not understand But Authority apart from the Reasons they give signifieth little in this case and therefore our Reverend Brother doth rightly say That the surest way of Trial is to consider the Arguments used in the case In which we freely join issue with him § 37 His first argument is Because God himself prescribed forms of prayer for the Jewish offerings and for the Priests blessings and our Saviour taught his disciples a form The Argument lies thus What God himself prescribed to be ordinarily used in his worship and what Christ prescribed to be ordinarily used in worship that can be no hindrance of piety and devotion But God himself and Christ hath prescribed the forms that are by ministers now ordinarily to be used in prayer Ergo. The minor here is apparently false If our Brother intended to argue thus If those forms which God appointed to be used and which Christ appointed to be used might be lawfully used Then Those which men appoint may be used We shall deny the Consequence The short is this That forms in themselves are not unlawful from their own nature This we freely grant But we hope Though God might be allowed a liberty to direct the images of oxen and Cherubims to be in his temple and the people might lawfully worship before them so be it they worshipped the true God yet Aaron might not of his own head nor to humour the foolish Israelites make a golden calf though before it they worshipped Jehovah If it be said God had forbidden images in the Second commandment We say and under that general all other mediums or means and helps of worship not of divine prescription yet This argument is urged as a huge conclusive Argument Both by the Leyden Professors and the Walachrians and by Mr. Ball whenas indeed it concludeth nothing though it could be proved that God and Christ did prescribe forms to be ordinarily used in his worship But that forms of prayer are not things in themselves unlawful as murther incest and things against nature But such things as God might legitimate and make lawful by his special prescript which it is more then we know if any one hath denied For our parts we do believe That some forms are lawful In particular Any Scriptural forms duly used nay That forms made by men are lawful for Some persons i. e. For such as have not attained to the gift of prayer and at Some times i. e. When men have not their usual liberty of Spirit or speech Nor will this argument supposing the Minor true prove That forms may be used without prejudice to devotion intention and affections God secures that to his own institutions § 38 But is the Minor unquestionable viz. That God and Christ prescribed forms of blessing and Prayer to be syllabically used by ministers or people We deny saith M r. Cotton in his Advertisements upon the discourse of set forms of prayer That God in his word hath set down any prescript form in such a sense as in this Question is intended The Priests Num. 6. 22 23. are indeed directed to a form of blessing But that they used that and no other form doth not appear It is evident the Apostles used diverse other forms For the Lords prayer we do not think our Saviour ever intended it to be used Syllabically If he had we do not think Dr. Causabon would have been put so hard to it to make it up out of all the Apostolical writings picking a sentence here another there Surely had they apprehended it left them for a form of words and syllables we should have found some after record of the use of it 2 Besides suppose he had so intended it all that can be concluded is That Christ may appoint a Liturgy for his church which surely none denies 3 Whether supposing Christ did at that time intend it for a form for his disciples Whether it were to last beyond his Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Ghost is yet a farther Question It is well observed by the learned authour of Bonasus Vapulans That if he had it is not likely that he would have left out his own name and till that time himself saith His disciples had so asked nothing Joh. 16. 44. But were afterwards so enjoined to ask Joh. 14. 13 14. Joh. 16. 23. We refer the Reader to what Mr. Cotton hath farther said to prove That God himself never did prescribe to his ministers forms of words to be used and no other in their publick ministrations Now by this it is very easy to consider How far from any thing of an argument this is in the case 1 It will not prove it lawful to use any forms but such as God himself hath prescribed or such as have been composed by men who were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and penmen of holy writ so as indeed the same argument would also prove a liberty for men to make us new Scriptures All which will follow from the Argument is That the use of forms is not a thing of it self like Blasphemy or some sin so intrinssecally evil as God himself could in no case will it But we hope Though God might command Abraham to sacrifice his Son and had he done it he might have been justified by that special precept yet without that it had been unlawful 2 It will not prove That the same forms may or ought to be used ordinarily and constantly and that syllabically 3 Much less will it prove
besides that since their times matters have been argued at a another rate then they were before and that the present N C. did never swear into the sense of their forefathers Another thinks it the easiest way to abuse them by feigning dialogues betwixt Con. Noncon there hee can make the poor Non. Con. speak as simply as hee desires and this it seems is a great Trophy Another complements them not thus far but falls upon them with a cartwhip and all the Rhetorick of Billingsgate and then writes another book to persuade the world it is his duty to revile them He thinks to kill them with envenomed words then to say He hath done God good service Most of them make it one ingredient in their sermons and discourses That the Non. Con. are a pack of aunces men whom they have no hope to convince that have nothing to say for themselves but are perfectly factious biassed prejudiced persons Wee refer thee Reader but to D r. Parkers some others scripts if thou hast so much patience do but there read with what Moral language the first of them especially hath treated persons to whom he is far inferious both in age and learning but he hath received a deserved answer The truth is All these are but serving another design who sees not that there is a New mess of Divinity bringing into the world which is not like to be well digested or received indeed while the N. C. are in any reputation but wee shall leave that to other hands As to our present purpose Reader If our Adversaries could have satisfied themselves to have represented us guilty of all manner of errors in our conversation wee might possibly have trusted our repute to those who every day see us and know our way of life but when this is not enough to them unless they can also perswade the world that wee are fools and have nothing to say for ourselves so as it is but a vain thing for their Rabbi-shipps to discourse us When in truth they have said nothing in answer to what hath been said by some of us which any but themselves will call Reason quis sit iniquae Tam patiens gentis tam ferreus ut teneatse This hath made us who have other work enough to do to give thee the trouble of these following sheets Every one who knows any thing knows that Six or Seven things must bee done by us before wee can bee admited into a capacity to take any livings and so bear our share in what they call the Church of England none of which wee can submit to not because of scandal onely though the Duke of Ormonds domestick chaplain would make the world believe so but because we judge every one of them unlawful and have arguments which appear very probable to us to evince them such Amongst them this is one Wee must ordinarily perform our ministerial acts in Prayer by the prescribed forms of others Wee believe that of all things required of us there be many think we have least to say for our opinion in this This is it wee have fixed upon and have given thee some of those arguments which makes this appear to us very probably sinful Wee have not willingly omitted any thing any of them hath said in answer to any of them nor misreported any of them Wee make thee our judge Reader whether they have said any thing amounteth to an answer If they can destroy the probability which these arguments appear to us to have wee shall then put some of the other Six things in dispute but till then wee need go no farther Wee have been a little the more concerned to do this because wee have observed That in the time of his Majesties most gracious Indulgence Some who appeared not before appeared to justify the lawfulness of all and Every thing required of us if it were possible to persuade the Parliament to believe that there is no reason for any indulgence towards us Amongst others the Reverend M r. Falconer a Norfolk minister at this nick of time ingaged himself with what success so far as he hath spoken to the point under our hands wee have examined and freely leave the judgment to every unbiassed understanding Reader Wee could have wished so worthy a person a better argument or better time for it is now that time of the day as to those things as a man can promise himself little repute from writing about them there being hardly room left for a new wit to croud in wee have not willingly balked any thing M r. Falconer hath said for wee had nothing to do with what he saith in justification of our Liturgy being not yet come so far as to dispute the lawfulness of these or those forms Wee have desired to treat Mr. Falconer with that honour which wee truly have for him though wee be of another mind to him and think wee have made it appear he hath not said enough to make of his mind any reasonable person otherwise minded But Reader as to this Read and judge and the good Lord lead thee and us into all truth and bring us all to one mind one heart A Reasonable Account why some Pious Nonconforming ministers in England judge it Sinful for them to perform their Ministerial Acts in publick solemn Prayer by the Prescribed Forms of others CHAP. I. The Question stated What is not the Question What is No question about the lawfulness of forms in general nor forms of a mans composure for his own use nor about any good use of forms nor about the lawfulness of the use of scriptural forms nor about short ejaculations But onely concerning the Lawful use of forms of Prayer composed by fallible men prescribed to others to be by them ordinarily used in stated solemn prayer whom God hath fitted for the ministry by giving them the Gift of prayer The negative asserted § 1. AMongst all Paralogismes there is none more unworthy of a Scholar then that which the Logicians call Ignoratio Elenchi where the Opponent cheats his adversary and the hearers with an argument that seemes to conclude against the question but indeed doth not nor is there that wee know any matter in controversy where in dispute this fallacy hath been made more frequent use of then in the Question under our present debate Let us therefore first truely state our Question that our adversaries may know what we speak and whereof we affirm and not loose their labour in proving what we do not deny nor bring arguments no way concluding the thing in Question betwixt us § 2 The subject of the Question is Forms of Prayer dictated or prescribed by other men to be ordinarily used in solemn prayer by ministers of the gospel furnished by God with the gift of prayer and having a natural liberty to use those gifts The Question is whether the use of them bee lawful or no We deny it say wee have arguments which
appear to us very probable whence wee have formed a particular judgment of conscience that they are Vnlawful that is That without sinning against God we cannot ordinarily use them in the discharge of our ministerial Act in solemn prayer § 3 Hence appeareth That wee are not disputing 1 Whether there may bee a good and lawful use of Forms of Prayer Wee desire with all thankfulness to God to own and acknowledge the profitable labours of those who have drawn the matter of prayer for more ordinary more extraordinary occasions into Forms from whence both young scholars and private Christians may bee taught the ordinary method and matter of prayer And allow the same use of good Prayer-books as of good sermon-books for Instruction of those that are less knowing It is onely the use of them as our Prayers is in question betwixt us 2 Nor do we question the lawfulness of using all forms of Prayer for our Prayers or part of our Prayers I if there can be found any forms of Prayer which either God or Christ or any in Scripture deriving authority from him hath commanded to bee used undoubtedly we ought to use it whether it be under such an express command or no we believe it may bee used as a part of our prayer though we do not think our selves obliged to it 2 If any minister distrusting his memory or invention shall think fit to compose a prayer or more prayers for his owne use we doubt not but he may do it he serveth God here as God hath given him the gift we should be loth to condemn him The question is onely of forms composed for our use by others those neither pretending to the Authority of Christ or his Apostles 3 Nor do we question the lawfulness of any persons using a form of prayer 1 We do believe it lawful for such persons as are to join with others in prayer to make use of his words who speaketh which can bee but a form to them did we say it is lawful yea it is Necessary 2 We do also believe it lawful for him that ministreth in prayer to others to use the prescribed form of anothers composure if hee can do no other we mean if hee hath not the gift of prayer to which many private Christians have not attained yea and many whom the church in the beginning of Reformation was forced to use for ministers and we should not find any difficulty to allow other ministers also to do the same Supposing them immediately hindred by God which often happens by some diseases in the head that at this or that time they cannot use the gift they have The Question is onely about Ministers and such as have the Gift or might have it and are not by the hand of God immediately hindred so as they cannot exercise the gift which they may do Ordinarily 4 Neither is the question about short Ejaculations but solemn stated Prayer Wee are not so ridiculous as to think wee may not say Lord have mercy upon us or the like because it is a form The Question then truly stated is this whether it bee lawful for ministers ordinarily to perform their ministerial acts in solemn stated publick Prayer by reading or reciting forms of prayer composed by other men in obedience to the commands of superiours § 4 From whence it appeareth That all arguments brought to prove the lawfulness of composing forms or ministers composing them for their own use and so using them or peoples praying by the form of him who ministreth or Christ commending a form to his disciples or God prescribing forms of blessing or Davids or other holy penmen of scripture composing or proposing or using forms if it could bee proved that they were at first composed commended for constant use and so used generally or from the lawfulness of the using of them by and commending them to such as had or have not the gift of prayer or the use of short ejaculatory forms Are perfectly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 arguments that proceed ex ignoratione elenchi and cannot conclude the Question All that we affirm is this That our consciences do from arguments which to us at least seem highly probable judge That it is unlawful for ministers having the gift of prayer ordinarily to perform their ministerial acts insolemn stated publick Prayer by reading or reciting forms of prayer composed by other men confessedly not divinely immediately inspired although our superiours do require this of us What those arguments are which to us appear highly probable in the negative part of this Question we now come to declare CHAP. II. The first Argument drawn from the nature of the Gift of Prayer considered as a Mean given us by God in reference to the Act natural proper therefore the use not to be omitted The Propositions opened proved The Insufficiency of six answers given to this Argumemt A 7th given by Mr. Falconer examined and found also insufficient The Assertion freed from diverse absurd consequences which some would incumber it with The Argument not conclusive against the lawfulness of hearing men praying by forms § 1. OUr first Argument we thus state To omit a mean for the performance of a Religions act given us by God for it being natural proper at the command of man when we perform that Religious action is sinful But for a minister having the gift of prayer ordinarily to perform his ministerial act in prayer by reading or reciting forms of prayer composed by others confessedly not divinely inspired is for him to omit a natural proper mean given him by God in order to the performance of such Religious act and in the omission of it to perform such Religious action Ergo. That a mans Gift or Ability fitly to express his mind unto God in Prayer is given him from that God from whom come all spiritual gifts every good and perfect gift as the Apostle speaketh we think will be denied by none who understandeth any thing of the Scriptures Nor that this Ability is given to a man by God as a means in order to help him in the performance of the Act for to what end else can any imagine it given which maketh it to bear the Notion of a Divine Mean and being so it must be most Proper unless men will pretend to be wises then God and that it is most Natural is as obvious now that such Gifts must not be neglected the Apostle is plain 1 Tim. 4. 14. Neglect not the gift that is in thee A precept extending as well to one ministerial gift as another But least any should say we do not neglect that the use of which superiours prohibit We put in the word Omit now who so in the performance of the act doth not use This Gift doth most certainly Omit the use of it and about the lawfulness of this omission at the command of men is the Question We judge this sinful and that partly
could speak with diverse tongues never regarded to have what they said interpreted from whence nothing could proceed for Edification while many understood nothing of what was said and manifest Confusion several persons gabling diverse things at the same time To the avoiding of which the Apostle directeth 1 That they should not speak together but successively by course 2 To avoid undue lengths That not above Two or Three at most should speak at the same time 3 That if any should speak an unknown language some one should interpret That what was spoken might be understood by all This is all the Apostle saith Is there any Noncon that will not most freely grant all this 1 That Two or Three ministers should not pray and preach together to the same auditory and if any will be so disorderly the superior ought to restrain them that there be no Confusion 2 That if ministers will protract their discourses to unreasonable lengths they may be restrained 3 That if any be so vain as because he can speak Latine French Dutch or any other language not generally known to his poeple he will pray preach in such language The superiors shall forbid it that by authority of this scripture But surely our Reverend Brother is so much of a scholar a Divine as to conclude That because superiors may thus far restrain the notorious evident abuse of gifts therefore they may as they please limit the use of them yea forbid the use of them ordinarily in the performance of those Acts to which they relate If indeed he could have proved That the Apostle had sent them a Manuscript of his own and we know he had parchments of Prophesies Doctrines Psalms Revelations and commanded them that when they Prophesied taught sang they should ordinarily use them none but them This had come nearer the business yet not home to it till the same Infallibility could be asserted for present superiors as for the blessed Apostle as well as the same constitution of God for them to direct in all matters of worship and Ecclesiastical order which none can deny the Apostles to have been possessed of Yet the Apostle knew the mind of his master too well to send them books to pray preach by but onely directeth them to such an use of those Gifts with which God had blessed them as might be without what all men would cry out off as confused clamorous disorderly and unreasonable because the generality of hearers not understanding them could not possibly get any good or advantage from them Our Reverend Brothers Argument must lie thus If the Apostle Paul might in the Church of Corinth direct that none might speak in anVnknown tongue nor Two or Three gabble together nor any though he were able minister in a language which the people understood not and the Corinthians were bound to obey Then the Church or Churches of the present age may command all their ministers when they pray for three parts of four of their time so spent to spend it in praying omitting any use of their own gifts by reading or reciting the prescribed forms of prayers which they shall send them And those ministers are bound to do accordingly We leave our Reverend Brother upon second thoughts to judge of the validity of this consequence and do believe that it will not justify it self to his own private thoughts we cannot we profess reconcile it to any degree of Reason Here is a manifest arguing from things of one kind to things of another and that quite different It being one thing to restrain the abuse of gifts another thing to restrain the use and that not as to order of time and so as to make the use of them still established even in every individual act intelligible and of use to the church but so as it shall be onely denied or Suppressed as to the far greater Number of those individual acts wherein they should be used The upshot therefore of this argument is Those of our Brethren who will answer this argument must bring us some Medium which will conclude That it is lawful for ministers of the gospel having a spiritual gift given them of God as a proper mean to help them in the performance of their Ministerial acts in solemn publick prayer yet at the command of superiors ordinarily to perform those acts omitting the use of such means and using the prescribed forms of others Which we can by no means agree to 1 Because of the force of the scriptures before mentioned 2 Because we think we should allow men wiser then God if we should in practice prefer a mean of mere human invention before one that is Divine and therefore more proper and we are sure more natural § 8 We meet with no more pretended direct answers to our argument We are aware of the indeavours of some to reduce it to absurdity with what success we shall very shortly examine They tell us that admitting this Principle 1 All those Eminent Divines would be condemned who have used or do before their Sermons use a form of their own composure The vanity of this will appear from our stating the Question 2 He who preacheth must preach ex tempore This is as idle as the other we argue not for praying ex tempore but onely in the use of our own gifts which certainly excludes not previous meditation men may use what of that they please 3 We must not use the Lords prayer Let any one read our question see if it concludes against any such thing 4 The ministers also must make hymns and people must not sing by forms As if we had not scriptural forms to which we are tied in singing composed by men divinely inspired We think Apochryphal Anthems to be sang in publick worship no more lawful then Liturgical forms of Prayer Nor can it be proved that Hymn-making or singing is an ordinary ministerial act Nor that God hath to any promised the gift of Psalm or Hymn-making but it is certain he hath promised the Spirit of prayer Zech. 12. 10. Rom. 8. 26. 5 Nor do they speak any thing more to the purpose who tell us that according to our Principle None must join with others in prayer for the speakers prayer is a form to him The Question is not about him who barely prayeth who hath nothing to do but to exercise his grace but about him who is in prayer to minister unto others 6 We have met with some who have indeavored to encumber this argument with another absurdity telling us that according to this Principle Every minister who is able to interpret the Hebrew of the old Testament the Greek in the new is bound to read the scripture according to his own interpretation and not the translation received in the Church where he ministreth And indeed of any thing we ever heard objected this cometh nearest an argument to bring our Principle to an absurdity But yet we think it
§ 13 But the same Author offers at a second answer he had granted both the Major Minor proposition The Major p. 22 in these words Every man is bound to pray with the highest intention of mind and fervency of Spirit which can be obtained by lawful means we dare say no Noncon will ask him more The minor he grants again again Sect 7. p. 25 26 27. What will he deny then nothing remains but the Conclusion He would fix this intention of mind in conceived more then in prescribed forms of prayer upon some as he thinks false bottoms He instanceth in 8. 1 Prejudice against the use of forms 2 Novelty of words and phrases 3 The exercise of gifts with which we are more delighted then the exercise of grace 4 The Natural delight men have in their own more then in others Inventions 5 The scope men have conceived in Prayers for glory ostentation 6 The tumults of bodily Spirits 7 The bending their minds in Invention 8 The straining their bodies by drawing out words Now to this we answer First § 14 Either these must be the onely causes of greater Intension fervency of Spirit in conceived then in prescribed forms of prayers or else this is nothing to the purpose and onely concerneth those to whom these alone are the causes of such greater fervor intention But we have before shewed these are not the onely causes but because the soul is not so much diverted c. as it must be in the use of forms § 15 But Secondly When we have reminded our Reader what we understand by fervor and intention of soul we will consider the eight particulars which the Author confesseth contributary to it By the souls Attention we mean It s immediate contemplation of God without diversions to other objects A thing so necessary that the soul which doth not its utmost toward it doth but mock God and cannot be serious with him A Schoolmaster if he can discern it will not indure the Omission of it in a boys saying his lesson to him It is in short for the soul hoc agere indeed to do what it pretends to do My heart is fixed ô God! saith David my heart is fixed By Intention Fervor of Spirit we understand That holy zeal heat which the soul should be in in all religious acts required of all Gods servants Rom. 12. 11. Commended in Apollos Acts. 18. 15. But especially in Prayer called crying unto God A pouring out of our souls hearts before him A wrestling with him as in Jacobs case Hos 12. 4. This prayer is that which St. James calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jam. 5. 16. Thus Epaphras laboured in prayer fervently Col. 4. 12. We mean nothing less by it then the heat of the Brain or the body about which this Author trifleth at a strange rate we mean the heat of the Inward man which lies in the intense motions of the affection of Sorrow in confessing sin Desires in putting up petitions Joy in thanksgivings c. The eagerness of the soul to and in its work That which David calls The souls pressing after God Jacob A not letting God go The Prophet A not being quiet not holding our peace c. The duty required in the first commandment so far as concerneth prayer serving God with all our heart all our soul all our strength This being now every Ministers yea every private Christians duty We say Whatsoever means nature it self reason or our particular experience or Gods word dictateth as proper in order to it we must not we can not in Obedience to mans command barely omit And whatsoever either Gods word or nature it self or reason or our Experience sheweth us will in any degree hinder this it must be sinful let who will require it as being contrary to our Duty expressly required in the First and Great commandment And in many particular Scriptures referrable unto that § 16 This Assertion standeth upon that foundation confessed by all Divines That the precept requiring the end doth also include the means which surely must not be interpreted with an exception viz. Except superiours forbid the use of such means or commands the use of the contrary c. The precept legitimateth the means if another particular divine precept hath not forbidden them which it most certainly hath not § 17 To come then close to our Author 1 If the Bending of the mind to think what to ask of God how to ask it 2 If the exercise of gifts at the same time when grace is to be exercised will conduce to the farther exercise of grace and the not exercising them will in any degree hinder such exercise of grace 3 If the natural proness which is in man rather to have his heart dilate to be fervent in the use of words first formed in his own heart do evince that this fervor doth most usually attend conceived Prayers 4 If the tumult of bodily Spirits as he calls it being first occasioned by the souls intension upon its work being raised once will help the fervor of the soul nay 5 If the novelty of words and phrases will do it and these are five of the eight things which himself confesseth may cause it he must shew us they are sinful causes or he hath granted all we contend for § 18 If indeed as that Author would uncharitably enough insinuate the fervor of him who prayeth by conceived prayer be meerly from prejudice against forms though he should have done well to have opened to us that causation it is something hard to conceive or 2 from a sinful end of Vain glory or foolish ostentatiâ—n we do wholly condemn it And for his Eighth particular to us it wants an Interpreter how straining the body by drawing out words should cause fervency of soul So as what this Author pretendeth for an answer to our arguments is but a bundle of impertinencies having no cognation to an answer And indeed he who had so justly before granted us both Major Minor had nothing to do but like a young Logician to deny the Conclusion or to amuse us what he could with long and impertinent discourses But let us further take notice of some other loose passages in him and see whether any thing in them or in his distinctions will save him harmless § 19 He telleth us This fervency must be obtained by the use of just means This is most true and is not the use of a Gift given us by God for that end a just mean Is it not Natural Rational Scriptural Such a mean as the servants of God have used Is not this a just means think we That which he would have us to believe is That though it be our duty to pray with utmost fervor intention of Spirit and though in order to this Praying in the use of our own gifts be more proper effectual yet if the Magistrate forbiddeth us the use of this Mean it
at the same end and using that Mean which in their own experience they find best to keep their thoughts attent their hearts heavenly shall the superiors make a law in this Case That all ministers should pray with their Eyes shut or with their Eyes open or lifted up to heaven We do think such a law would be unjust and he that obeyed it should sin if he found the part commanded what he could not do but his heart more would wander and be less intent and less fervent Liberty in this case ought to be allowed and the private Christian cannot want it because he hath no liberty to serve God with a cold wandring and distracted heart § 28 Our Author p. 121. goth on telling us what the Leyden Professors declare in their Synopsis Disp p 36. Qu. 33. And the Walachrian classis in Apollonius his considerations Controver Anglic. cap. 7. Qu. 2. We will give our Reader a full account of what is said in the case by either of them The Reverend Professors at Leyden Disp 36. Qu. 33. do indeed say That they judge forms of Prayer not onely lawful but also very profitable if they be pronounced with due attention of mind Authority without reason signifieth little let us therefore attend to their reasons which they thus deliver us 1 Because every Christian hath not the gift This doth not at all touch the case as stated by us 2 Because in great meetings Attention is much helped by usual forms whence say they God prescribed a form of blessing Num. 6. 24. Christ used Davids form Mat. 27. 46. And the disciples had a form from Christ Lu. 11. 2. But yet Sect. 34. They confess it it very profitable yea almost necessary that all grown Christians especially pastors should stir up their gift of praying publickly without previous forms that as occasion shall offer it self they may pray and give thanks as the holy men in Scripture did § 29. The Walachrian classis begin with telling us That they do easily agree to the Leyden Doctors and D r. Ames his determination in the place by them there quoted Cas l. 4. cap. 17. Qu. 4. Now in that place that eminent Casuist thus speaketh Having put the question in general about the lawfulness of the use of forms of Prayer He thus answereth 1 It is manifest that it is lawful to use them Aliquando sometimes from the practice of the saints which the Scripture commendeth to us and the forms of blessing there used 2 It is profitable necessary Quibusdam for some to follow such forms though they onely read them out of a book 1 Because some are Adeorudes So raw imperfect that they cannot fitly express their minds in any measure 2 There are others who though they can do it well enough to serve themselves in private yet if they must pray with others they want ability to do it or a liberty we suppose he means a natural liberty of speech to exercise it 3 There are some for whom it is profitable that they may rule their Meditations and desires 3 But none ought to acquiesce in it but to labour for an ability that he may pray without this help for which he giveth us four reasons I Because while a prescribed form doth not follow our affections but plainly lead them he who so Prayeth doth that which is of the Nature of prayer less perfectly Observe that 2 Because in a prescribed form all those particulars cannot be opened which it may concern us to mention to God in prayer 3 Because God is wont in the time of Prayer to stir up in our hearts special Affections which are often hindred and extinguished by keeping to a form 4 Because by this means a laziness fear sluggishness in the performance of the duty creepeth upon us so as the form is onely customarily formally recited Thus far that incomparable Casuist D r. Ames with whom as with the Leyden Professors Apollonius and the rest of the Walachrian Divines in the first place declare themselves fully to consent The sum of what they say is That praying by forms is a less perfect way of praying and therefore not to be rested in but all ought to labour for an ability to pray without this help And surely when they have attained it then they ought to use it But they say Forms of prayer are not things in themselves unlawful But may be used Aliquando ab aliquibus sometimes and by some persons which they expound when men are so raw that they have not the gift or not in a measure fit for publick use or have not a liberty or freedom of speech We freely grant all this but it toucheth not our question § 30 But the Walachrians go on and reject 1 All such forms as are in their matter vicious having any thing illegitemum impertinens indecorum Vnlawful impertinent or indecent And upon this account they in express terms declare against the forms in our late Common prayerbook Whether justly or no we determine not but surely their authority ought not to have been brought by our Reverend Brother to countenance the use of those forms 2 They reject all those forms which by a Tyranny or violent commands are imposed upon mens consciences as parts of worship and absolutely necessary c. 3 Finally They state the Question onely about such a Prescription Quâ ad ordinem decorum cultus divini Ecclesiasticâ authoritate commendantur ut utiles conducentes iis vel facultate idoneâ vel eam exercendi libertate destituuntur c. That is By which they are by Ecclesiastical authority commended as profitable and conducive to them who either want the Gift of Prayer or a liberty to use it to express themselves decently and that by them as by certain means they might be ruled in their meditations desires words and actions and the attention of the hearers especially in great meetings of churches may be helped and directed and an uniformity in the exercises of publick worship may in all churches be observed for avoiding of scandals and for the greater edification of churches We say they do think such forms so used both publickly privatly lawful and profitable so that they be read with due attention reverence faith and Spiritual affection towards God and zeal and that not onely in a case of necessity when a minister wants ability to express himself in prayer or in other parts of Divine worship decently but when the Attention of the hearers is to be directed and helped and an Uniformity in the exercises of Gods worship is to be kept for an edification of the church of God This they prove 1 From the confessed lawfulness of singing by a form 2 Because they conceive that in the use of such forms all the essentials of Prayer may be found and observed 3 From our Saviours Prescription of a form in the Lords Prayer and for the administring of the Sacraments Hence they say
They are approved almost in all Reformed churches § 31 Our Question is not Whether forms of Prayer be lawful or no in themselves we have granted them lawful and expedient to be used where the persons to minister have not the Gift of Prayer or want a natural liberty to use it The Question is onely Whether it be lawful for them to whom God hath given the gift of prayer and a natural freedom to use it Whether they may ordinarily perform the Acts of prayer by the prescribed forms of others We think they may not As a Medium to prove it we have urged this That it at least in many hinders attention intension and fervency The great requisites of prayer What now do these Reverend Brethren say to this indeed they say Wee can say by experience That a prayer holy and lawful as to the matter may be read in a form and offered up to God with an humble sense of our wants with a desire and zeal with holy affections faith and a religious motion of the will towards God as our occasions require This we think too but it toucheth not the Question which is not about the thing in any degree but about the Magis Minus If our Brethren had said That a prayer may be read in a form with an equal attention of thoughts an equal intention and fervor of Spirit as if uttered from the immediate conceptions of our hearts they had then indeed offered their judgment and experience directly contrary to our judgment and experience But let us hear their Arguments § 32 They say The Scripture though in a form may be read with understanding humility reverence zeal a religious motion of the will towards God faith in him an application of the word read to our publick necessities and therefore why may not forms of prayer be so read We answer Because their is a vast difference between the pure words of God for which God both hath and ever will secure a reverence in all religious souls and forms composed by fallible men without any such direction from God Let any Christian experience whether it be possible for him to read any book of mans making a thousand times with that gust and holy reverence and with so little tedium as he may so read the books and chapters of holy Scripture Sic magnis componere parva solemus 2 Besides The due workings of the soul upon God in reading his word and in making known our requests unto him are of a quite differing nature To read the Scriptures fervently and to pour out our souls before God in reading Scripture or to wrestle with God in reading are very uncouth phrases such as we find not in our Bibles But to pray fervently to pour out souls in prayer to wrestle with God in prayer are scriptural proper usual phrases Nor indeed is it possible in the case to say any thing with sense as to prayers which are read For to say A soul may be as intent upon God when it must necessarily at the same time be diverted to look into a book as it might if the eyes were shut or fixed is to say what every persons Reason will tell him is impossible § 33 And to say That the Affections may be equally intense and that the prayer is as perfect when the Affections are made to follow the words as when they do procede them and are the causes of them is what we believe the experience of all serious and considerate Christians will contradict and what as we hear before Doctor Ames doth deny with whom the Walachrians profess fully to agree § 34 Again all the Authorities produced put in an If if they be produced with due attention of mind say the Reverend Professors of Leyden So they be read with attention say the Walachrians Due attention of the mind in this case must be equal attentions to what may be given in conceived Prayers for in the worship of God the highest attention is our unquestionable duty and the mean proper to that is most unqestionably to be used and no creature can controle the use of it and that less proper must be rejected now in this sense we think it impossible that any prayers should be read with Due attention that is with Attention equal to what may be had in praying by immediately conceived Prayer And therefore we cannot but observe That both the Divines of Leyden and those also belonging to the Walachrian classis speak not a word to justify the lawfulness or utility of reading Prayers Ex libro pronuncientur say the Walachrians which indeed if it be the minister may for ought we yet discern do his work with Equal Attention of thoughts For the attention of the hearers we yet a little doubt it and think that the prescribed forms of others or constant use of the same form though composed by the minister himself will be found so far from being conducive to allure or promove peoples attention that through the corruption to which we shall find all our own hearts subjected they will rather be a Temptation to the contrary Which makes us admire that our Reverend Brethren should so much as mention it as a due medium in the case § 35 It is manifest to us that both the Professors at Leyden and the Walachrians and Dr. Ames also speak rather to the question about the lawfulness of the use of Forms in general Then about the lawfulness of ministers using them And that all ministers and ordinarily as well such as have the gift of prayer in an eminent degree as such as have not Therefore the first Reason which the Professors at Leyden give and Dr. Ames also is Because all Christians have not the gift and the Walachrians in their stating the question Profess onely to speak to the case Where men want an ability or a liberty to exercise it Neither can we understand them concerning forms Vniversally imposed The word used by the Walachrians is Commendantur nor is there a word in any of them to justify the lawful use of forms imposed upon all ministers They have indeed some expressions which would make one think They judged it lawful for some ministers having the gift of prayer in publick to use the prescribed form of others commended to them sometimes For the second Reason given by the Doctors of Leyden is Because in great meetings attention is much helped by usual forms which the Walachrians also hint But we cannot possibly fathom this and think the contrary is demonstrable § 36 The Walachrians also urge some other reasons cursorily 1 That he who prayeth by them may be ruled in his meditations desires words and actions 2 That uniformity in all churches may be observed Scandals avoided The church edified Nothing in it self sinful can be done to avoid scandal nor can possibly tend to edification so as Those kind of arguments have no place while we are disputing the lawfulness of the thing In short but one
That the use of forms not particularly directed by God or parts of holy writ by reading them doth not prejudice devotion by hindring Attention Intention Fervor § 39 Our Reverend Brothers Second argument is thus by him stated p. 22 Because it is generally acknowledged that the singing of Psalms of Prayer and Praise may be advantageously performed by a set form of words and the holy Scriptures are not the less edifying nor the less applicable to our selves because they are conteined in set forms of words and both in reading the Scriptures and in prayer our hearts ought to be moved towards God though in something a different manner The Argument is this What in singing of Psalms and Reading and Applying the Scriptures doth not prejudice Devotion That in Prayer doth not prejudice devotion But set forms of words doth not as we confess prejudice Devotion in singing Psalms of Prayer and Praise nor in the reading and applying the Scriptures Ergo. The whole argument may be granted For it concludeth nothing against us Proceeding ex ignoratione Elenchi upon a mistake of the Question which is not about the lawfulness or unlawfulness of the use of set forms But of forms of words set us by men confessedly not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not authorized and directed by God to make such forms for general use by any special command The Minor therefore should have been laid thus But set forms of words in singing Psalms of Prayer and Praise being no parts of holy writ nor made by God or penmen of holy writ do not hinder devotion And if it be so formed we shall deny it for it is most certainly false § 40 For reading the Scriptures our Reverend Brother knoweth We can both shew him Precepts in Scripture for it and also Promises made to it if he can shew us but one precept for reading forms of Prayer or one promise made to it he will then have said something These precepts and promises are of that moment in the case That they make Reading the Scriptures on Gods part A sacred institution on our part A necessary duty And by reason of the promise to be done in faith Let our Reverend Brother if he can say as much for forms of Prayer made by men in these days § 41 The same may be said of the Psalms of prayer and praise which we sing They are such forms as God hath canonized and to which in our singing we conceive our selves limited Our Brother knows or may know we are as much against singing by others set forms as against Praying ordinarily by the set forms of others Besides it poseth us to fancy how it is possible that a whole Congregation should sing the same thing together otherwise then by a set form The peoples voices that we know are no where required in Prayer And for the meeter which some make an objection if it be not consonant to the Psalms in prose we abhor it if it be The words are but the words of Scriptures limited by measures for the apparent order and decency of the action singing being Gods institution it is not to be doubted but it may by a careful soul be performed by such Attention Intention and Holy workings of the soul upon God as he hath directed and will accept in the action § 42 But neither is the Major of our Reverend Brothers argument unquestionable for he knows and confesseth That the workings of the soul upon God and the motions of the soul towards God in Prayer are different from its workings and motions in Reading and Singing In Reading and Singing their should be 1 Some contemplation and intuition of God 2 Attention to what we are about 3 An exercise of faith believing what we read and sing to be truth But in prayer is required A more immediate intuition and contemplation of God 2 A striving and wrestling with God for the obteining what we ask therefore it is expressed By calling upon God crying to him pouring out our souls before him a wrestling with him a listing up of our souls it must be with strong crys groans Heb. 5. 9. Rom. 8. 26. Now that this cannot be done in reading of forms prescribed by fallible men or at least not so well done as when the soul hath nothing to do but meerly to look up to heaven and thrust out its own words by which it expresseth its own conceptions is to us next to a demonstration Besides there is as we conceive another Act of faith to be excercised in Prayer then in Reading the word c. viz. A particular motion of the soul devolving itself upon God and trusting in him for the granting of what we ask of him But enough is said to shew That neither is the Major of our Reverend Brothers Argument unquestionable § 43 His third Argument to induce us to believe that such forms do not hinder devotion is in p. 123. laid thus Because all the ages of the church from the First centuries have used them as an advantage to Religion and it is not at all probable that such excellent devout and religious men as the Fourth and Fifth Centuries abounded with should be so stupid and dull spirited as not any of them to discern between the helps and hindrances of devotion in matters of most ordinary practice wherefore though many mens minds may be most pleased and delighted with a variey of expression yet There is no prejudice to piety from a set form farther then this is caused by a prejudice against a set form and by want of a Religious temper to join in it The Argument is this What all ages of the Christian church especially such devout and judicious men as lived in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries judged no hindrance to devotion is no hindrance But all ages of the Christian church more especially those devout and Religious men who lived in the Fourth and Fifth Centuries judged prescribed forms of prayer to be read no hindrance to devotien Ergo. The Major is onely proved by It is not probable for certainly it was possible The Minor is taken for granted § 44 In the first place we cannot but observe The phrases our Reverend Brother useth they used them as an advantage to Religion So they might and yet they might be a disadvantage to the particular devotion of a great Number We do believe that the English Liturgies established in Ed. 6. Qu. Eliz. time was a great advantage to Religion in the nation in general so great an ignorance having prevailed upon the nation in general in the times of Popery as few were able to read much less to compose prayers But the tying of those to the use of it whom God had furnished with abilities that they needed it not was notwithstanding this A great disadvantage both to their particular devotion who had such gifts and so our Brethren at Francfort judged in Qu. Maries time and the general devotion of the whole church as to future
This is indeed true notwithstanding any law or canon yet extant onely diverse of those ministers who use any family prayer who are to be too the examples to the flock do not think fit to use it but there also limit themselves to the publick book But the question is Whether supposing it be lawful to obey superiours commanding us to perform our ministerial acts ordinarily in publick solemn prayer by the prescribed forms of others yea and necessary too supposing hereafter superiours should command men to do the like in their families obedience also in that case would not be both lawful and necessary We have a scriptural instance of a Magistrates edict reaching to families We must profess if we could grant the obligation and judge it lawful to obey in the first which is our present case we cannot see with what pretence of Scripture or Reason we could avoid obedience to a superiors command in the Second case and we would gladly learn of our Brethren § 4 Nay supposing a law of the Latitude of that of Nebuchadnezzar extensive to a closet also That we should no where pray to the God of heaven but in the use of the church prayers What should hinder but that it should be lawful yea necessary to yeild a ready active obedience to it Will any one say That it doth not follow That because we are bound to obey Magistrates commands for worship in publick prayers and publick places therefore we should be bound to obey the same commands made to extend to private worship and places such as houses and closets We must profess we are of another mind and not able to assign any sufficient reason to the contrary and should be glad to hear any could teach us Our dull souls reasón thus Are not Magistrates and Subjects Relatives and is not dominion the foundation of the Relation and Relatives use to go together surely look how far the superiours Dominion and right to that extendeth so far obedience will be found a duty So as the question onely will be Whether the Magistrate hath not a dominion over his subjects in their private houses and closets If he hath his commands reach them there which if they do if the matter be lawful say our Brethren it is necessary to obey and why is not a command as lawful enjoining the constant use of prescribed forms there as in Churches or Temples Now the Magistrates daily and confessedly just punishing enormities in families closets bedchambers are sufficient instances of the extent of the Magistrates dominion to those private places and consequentially evince the duty of obedience supposing a command if in a matter wherein the law of God hath given him a power to oblige his subjects And although it be true That the Magistrate cannot take such a cognisance of what is done in private houses and closets yet that signifies nothing in the case for our question is Whether supposing such a command it might with a good conscience be obeyed If it might then it must be obeyed according to our Brethrens principle then whether the Magistrate knowes of the disobedience or no matters not yet he may come to the cognisance of it by children by eves-droppers by confessions c. The soul of the offender how ever is made guilty and stands bound over to the Judgment of the great day So as we profess we cannot see but if we might lawfully in obedience to man perform our ministerial acts in prayer by the prescribed forms of others if the superiour commandeth We may lawfully also use nothing else but those forms in our families and closets Nay we must use no other in case of such a command so as we cannot do it without implicitly saying If the Magistrate commands us to use no other prayers while we live but the Publick prescribed forms either in publick or in private either before or after sermons either in our houses or closets we do judge that it is sinful for us to use any other though by this means the gift of prayer in all the ministers of Christ shall plainly be suppressed and made of no use § 5 We can by no means be satisfied with what we hear some say think it a sufficient answer viz. That though man may impose in part yet he may not impose upon the whole use of any ministerial gift such a command they say ought not to be obeyed This appeareth worse then a figleaf to our consciences For 1 Who shall determin what is the Quota pars How far he may impose or not impose 2 By what rule shall that limitation be made The word of God directs him no more to impose upon a part then upon the whole Let us but understand by what rule of Scripture or Reason he shall limit us to pray by forms in the Desk and not in the Pulpit Though he do's go so far he leaves room for the use of gifts in families nay why may he not command the like in families He leaves room yet for the use of gifts in the closet We know when he go's to visit the sick he must keep to them we must wait to hear what other answers our Brethren shall make to this Argument we can see no evasion from it CHAP. VI. The Fifth Argument stated from the Equal lawfulness of obeying a command requiring Ministers ordinarily to preach sermons composed by others The unlawfulness of obeying such a command proved The Proposition argued betwixt commands for forms of prayer and forms of Sermons The Vanity of Ireneus Freemans discoursed in pretending to shew a different reason Because in Prayer the Minister speaks in the name of the people and because all points to be preached on cannot be comprehended in forms § 1 WE proceed to a Fifth Argument To agree a principle which agreed would allow man also a power when he pleased to suppress all ministerial gifts in preaching is sinful But to agree it lawful for ministers to obey man in performing their publick ministerial acts in Solemn prayer by the prescribed forms of others were to agree a Principle which once agreed would allow man a power when he pleased to suppress all ministerial gifts in preaching Ergo. We do know that some of our Brethren here will deny us the Major and allow man a power to suppress all preaching and it hath been whispered in some both Pamphlets and Pulpits That Preaching in a constituted church is needless and serveth onely to breed Disputes and Schisms It was indeed necessary at the first for the first plantation of the gospel when men were Pagans But now they are converted it is not necessary As if There were not a conversion from sin to God necessary to salvation as well as from Paganism to a Christian Profession If some of these men had not plowed with a Popish Ass and a Socinian Heifer they had never found out this Riddle Dr. Fuller in his church history p. 262. tells us That it was the
very Argument the Popish Abby-lubbers Monks and Priests used to persuade the Pope to appropriate to Covents Abbies the tythes belonging to many Parishes and the Racovian Catechism de Eccles c. 11. hath it plain enough Postquam igitur Doctrina Christi secundum consilium Dei patefacta confirmata fuit abundè iis personis quae eam patifecerent confirmarent nihil amplius loci in Ecclesiâ relictum And the Arminians agree much with them Episcopius Disput 28. determineth preaching profitable but not necessary But blessed be God the number of these men in England is not great all men almost acknowledging Preaching a great Ordinance of Christ an ordinance not onely to make men Christians in name and outwardly but Christians inwardly and indeed changing their hearts and turning them from all sin and lust to serve the living God It was the unhappiness of England to have three or four Prelates of great power who thus depretiated the greatest ordinance of the gospel But as they are gone and ere this know whether they in this thing did well or ill so there are not many that approve their sayings or will rise up to call them blessed We therefore take it for granted that Preaching may not be suppressed and are little affected with a Critial Authors witin distinguishing betwixt Preaching and Teaching and essays to prove it is not the ministers duty to Preach but to Teach In short we think that Critick had need himself be taught before he either preacheth or teacheth § 2 Our onely question is Whether it be in the power of man to suppress the gift of preaching in a minister of the gospel We think it is not because of the frequent commands in Scripture to ministers To stir up and not to neglect that gift and to minister it 1 Tim. 4. 14. 2 Tim. 1. 6. 1 Pet. 4. 10 11 c. And to us nothing can be more absurd then to fancy That God should have given abilities and gifts to men for so great a work as the work of the ministry and given them an heart to desire the imployment and the church should have approved of them as furnished by God for his work and sent into it and after this it should be in the power of men to suppress the use of these gifts and appoint them in stead of it to readsome discourses of others to the people § 3 The onely doubt then can be about the Minor Proposition which stands upon this foundation That God hath given unto man no farther liberty to stifle and suppress one ministerial gift then another Nor can any sufficient reason be given of their farther authority in the one case then the other and therefore our wise Reformers seing a necessity to make a provision for that most sad state which our and other Reforming-churches were in in the beginning of Reformation at the same time provided ministers both a book of Homilies and a book of Publick prayers and Homilies at first just proportioned to the Number of sermons they willed to be preached every year That was 12 on each month Well knowing That if they had Authority to do the one they had Authority to do the other And those who had need of the one had an Equal need if not greater of the other The Doctor Respondent therefore within these few years at a Commencement having given the lawfulness of Imposing and using forms of prayer for his Question and being pressed by one of our Learned Prelates with this Argument That then it was lawful to impose and use forms of sermons too Like a wise man granted the Consequence and denied the Assumption And his hearers thought he answered well to avoid a publick baffle though he affirmed a falshood by denying the Minor we are sure some of us did judging the Consequence by no means to be destroyed by the Art of man § 3 Every considerate person will easily understand That if it be lawful for man to compose all forms of prayer and forms of sermons to be used by ministers and they may discharge their ministerial office by reading them both We shall neither need Grammar-schools nor Vniversities to breed up men for the Ministry Let us but make sure of good School-dames in every Parish to learn children to read and every parish will commence a Nursery of very able and sufficient Clerks that is Such as can read Primers Psalters and Bibles or any other books of reasonable good Prints If any will tell us that a Minister hath some other work We answer we know of no other But the administration of the Sacraments where God himself hath made the Form certain the Minister in those ordinances hath nothing farther that we know to do but to add the application of Prayer and Exhortation the two general acts of his office to that particular performance Let none tell us That he is to Convince gainsayers for that so far as it is the work of every ordinary minister it is by way of plain Scripture and ministerial reproof and for that too there are books enough in English So that we are confident That if St Paul had thought such kind of Discharge of the ministerial work would have acquitted Timothy's soul before God he would never have so called upon him as he doth 1 Tim. 4. 13. To give attendance to Reading to Exhortation to Doctrine Neglect not the gift that is in thee c. Nor have told him that such labourers in the word and Doctrine were worthy of double honour 1 Tim. 5. 11. Nor charged him To prove ministers was it whether they could read or no think we Not to lay hands suddenly on any Nor charged him as 2 Tim. 1. 6. To stir up the gift of God Nor called upon him rightly to divide the word of truth it had been divided to his hand he would never have called upon Timothy as 1 Tim. 4. 15. To Meditate on the Scripture To give himself wholly to that study that his profiting might appear to all § 4 But we find our old friend Ireneus Freeman here again opposing us not urging the lawfulness of Magistrates imposing and Ministers using forms of sermons but pretending a different Reason betwixt Forms of Prayers and of sermons which indeed may enfeeble our Minor Proposition we have onely to Examin what he saith whether it will amount to what he would have it For otherwise the strength of our Argument is evident enough to every deliberate Christian He begins with telling us That one would in charity think That these men were none of the Contrivers or Approvers of the Directory for these lamentable restraints both of sermons and Prayers are to be found there To which we answer That one would in charity also think That this Author a Scholar and Divine should speak truth And not abuse his Reader with a known falshood Surely he never read the Directory or hoped his Readers never would Who ever saw one form of
it What God hath not forbidden is lawful True what God hath not forbidden either Generally or particularly either 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 literally or by direct consequence of Scripture is lawful But if our Brethren by Forbidden mean Particularly and Expresly forbidden or Literally forbidden and lay the Proposition thus Whatsoever is not in the letter of Scripture particularly and by name forbidden that is lawful Our Brethren will we trust give us leave to deny the Proposition because they agree with us in determining a hundred things to be sinful and some of them in a most heinous degree sinful that are not particularly and by name forbidden onely as they fall as Specials under some other Generals or by a first and just consequence If they so understand the Major we do think That ministers are in Gods word forbidden plainly enough forbidden having abilities to express their own and their peoples minds to God in publick prayers ordinarily to perform their ministerial acts in prayer by onely reading or reciting forms of prayer composed by others being no Gods nor by any plain designation of God appointed to compose such forms for the use of the church Forbidden 1 By the second commandment as a mean of worship not instituted by God 2 Forbidden by all those texts mentioned in justification of our first argument commanding us To stir up not to neglect our ministerial gifts but as every man hath received the gift so to minister 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it c. 3 Forbidden by all those texts that command us to worship God in the best manner we can with all our hearts all our souls all our strength not having a male in our flocks to offer a female 4 Forbidden by all those texts that require of us in prayer the highest attention of thoughts intention of mind and fervor of affections All which we have before justified under our five first arguments so as in short we deny the Minor in that first Argument and if all do not think it forbidden in this manner yet we do and our consciences must be the proximate rule of our actions so as it is at least to us forbidden from Rom. 14. 23. § 4 They object in the second place the form of Blessing Num. 6. The forms of Psalms composed by David The Lords prayer The Argument is thus If it were lawful for Christs disciples to use the Lords prayer and for the church to use the form of blessing directed by God himself Num. 6. And for the church in Davids time to use his forms of Psalms Then it is lawful now for ministers having the gift of Prayer ordinarily to perform their ministerial acts in Prayer by the forms prescribed not immediately by God but by men and those no prophets nor persons divinely inspired c. But the former was lawful therefore the latter is also lawful We deny the consequence not onely because we do not think That God ever intended the form of blessing should syllabically be used so often as the Priest blessed the people but onely That the name of the Lord to that sense should be lifted up upon them Nor that Christ ever intended to enjoin his disciples the syllabical-use of the Lords prayer Nor do we read That either the former blessing nor the latter Prayer was so ordinarily used But we find diverse forms both of prayer and blessing used But also Because we think no man hath such authority now to prescribe in matters of worship as God and Christ unquestionably had or as David and other holy Penmen of Scripture had Which this argument must suppose or the consequence must be false But we have spoke to this fully before § 5 A third Argument is this What is matter of meer decency order and circumstance in the worship of God may be lawfully commanded by Superiours and lawfully obeyed by Inferiours But this is matter of meer decency order and circumstance Ergo. We deny the Minor order is not concerned in it that onely respecteth prius posterius first and last Nothing can be decent but the contrary must be indecent there is no medium participationis in the case No sober person will say it is indecent for ministers having the gift of prayer to pray without the prescribed forms of others Circumstances relate to actions as humane actions but the prescribed forms of others in prayer have no such relation to prayer it may be performed without them They must be therefore if at all circumstances appropriated to the action quatenus a religious action and no such circumstances we conceive are left to mens liberty to determin being properly Ceremonies or religious rites which in them have something of homage to God § 6 A Fourth Objection or Argument is this If all the essentials to prayer may be found or observed in the prescribed forms of others Then the minister may in his publick ministry use them But all the essentials to prayer may be found and observed in the use of the prescribed forms of others To justify this some tell us That matter and form are the onely essentials to prayer Others tell us Due affections and grace may be equally exercised in praying by a form To which we answer That Prayer may be considered either in Facto esse as a composition of words and phrases so indeed The essentials are the same as of all other compounded things Matter and Form The due matter of prayer is Things agreable to the will of God The form in the name of Jesus Christ We most freely grant That both these may be found in a form composed and prescribed by men What follows Therefore this form is a good form and it may be used It is granted it may lawfully be read for instruction by the best it may be used as an help for children or men that have not yet attained the gift of prayer All this is true But we are considering Prayer not in this notion but as an human Action and say That a religous action a piece of homage and worship which his minister in the Congregation puts up to him To this action It is essentially necessary not onely that he confesseth sins putteth up petitions c. according to the will of God and that with a sutable exercise of Grace and Sanctified affections but that 1 He useth an audible voice and this all will grant 2 Say we that if he hath them he useth his own gifts not other mens He thus understands his Lord saying to him Go and preach why should he otherwise interpret him saying to him Go and pray When he hath bidden him minister his gifts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and according to the Grace given so to minister Rom. 12. Besides we have declared both our judgments as that and our reasons why we so judge That he who prayeth by reading or reciting the prescribed forms of others cannot pray with the same Attention Intention and fervour essentiall things to acceptable prayer § 7
to do which too every Romish-priest and Jesuite will help him in that is To evince to men that the Bishop of Rome in all Spiritual things is all Christians superiour And he hath done the Popes business as effectually as he could have done it had he been hired to it by a Cardinals cap. But both St. Paul Col. 2. 23. and Bp Davenant as before cited on that text have told us what kind of Humility this is § 12 An eighth Argument used by some is this The people that join with a minister in prayer pray by a form The ministers prayer is but a form to them and limitation of them c. Therefore the minister may lawfully do it We have fully answered this before but in short 1 The Question is about vocal-vocal-prayer the people are onely required to pray mentally this is quite another species of Prayer In mental-prayer God onely requireth the exercise of grace In ministerial-vocal-prayer he also requireth the exercise of gifts And that not such gifts as remotely but such as specifically relate to the Act. 2 It is one thing barely to worship in prayer Another thing to minister to others in worshipping Our question is what is lawful for him that doth not onely worship but ministreth in worshipping § 13 Ninthly say some If a minister in publick be suffered to pray by conceived-prayer he may vent Blasphemy Heresy Nonsense and how shall the people say Amen This also we have fully before answered But 1 This argument holds equally if not with much more advantage against any other preaching then by reading or reciting other mens Sermons 2 If the minister doth vent error blasphemy c. we hope every one hath his Amen within his own teeth which he may withold if he hear Petitions come out his mouth not according to the will of God nor 3 Is it impossible that men may do the like by miscalling or misplacing words in reading or reciting forms § 14 But Tenthly Forms they tell us are necessary for Vniformity but we must first enquire whether Vniformity be necessary or at all desireable in the sense we here take it Where by it we understand nothing but an uniformity in Sentences Words and Syllables used in prayer Vnity is indeed a beauteous thing whether it be in Affections or Judgment So is Vniformity if understood of a worship of God in the same solemn time That is on the Sabbath-day and by the same specifical Acts of worship or As to the matter of prayer Thus far all sober men are agreed We all observe the Sabbath we all on the Sabbath publickly Read the Word Pray Sing Preach c. In our prayers we all Confess our sins put up our petitions to God for good things which we or others need and give God thanks for good things which we or others have received here now is a great and beauteous Vniformity we all speak the same thing do the same thing and on the same day But how shall it be ever proved That that pitiful thing called Vniformity in Words and Syllables and Phrases was ever desired of God or that it ever came into his or his Sons heart Or that it is acceptable to him Or that it hath more beauty in it then would be in a Congregation where all men wear the same coloured clothes Or had the very same lines in their faces or the same fashioned periwiggs upon their heads 2. The Beauty of no end can justify any sinful mean Gods glory is the noblest end the Apostle hath told us That it needeth not our ly to promove it 3 If it be lawful for men to fancy ends as fine things which God never spake of It is no wonder if they can find no means adequate to them but such as are justifiable by no Right Reason or Divine Rule The Princes of Babylon had an end to destroy Daniel they saw that except in the matter of his God nothing was to be found against him In their opinion therefore it was necessary to establish an uniformity in prayers yet not that we read off in words but as to the object of the Act All must be commanded to pray onely to Darius possibly there might be some form limited but the end was naught so was the mean 4 But suppose Vniformity syllabicaluniformity Necessary Lawful Beautiful Desirable and certainly desirable it is as to Doctrines of Religion and some particular terms and phrases by which they may safely be expressed We remember what a difference was made both in the church and the Doctrine of it by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How yet shall forms of prayer help us with it without forms of Sermons too and a constant sticking to the use of them and no other § 15 In the next place cometh Ireneus Freeman in and telleth us in p. 38. of his Reasonableness of Divine service That in case liberty be granted to some to do that for which they have a gift it will provoke others who have it not to imitate them He adds If the denial of liberty to some who have the gift be to Cut the man fit for the bed the granting of such a liberty as we desire would be to Stretch a man fit for the bed Now seing both will ly together he saith it is more equitable That the tall man should pull up his leggs then that the low man should be put to the rack The question in issue is Whether it be lawful universally to impose upon ministers Forms of Prayer to be ordinarily used in their publick ministrations Or for ministers whom God hath furnished with the gift of prayer to perform their ministerial acts ordinarily by the use of those forms though imposed Yes saith Mr. Freeman for it is necessary Every thing say we which is necessary eithir is so from nature or a supervening command The first is not pretended But the Second It is necessary because Magistrates or Superiours command us and God hath commanded us to obey our Superiours We say God hath onely commanded us to obey our Superiours in things where in we may obey them and not sin Which say we in this case we cannot You may saith Mr. Freeman And why Because it is necessary If this Medium be good It must be made so by some precept of God particularly relating to this case not by the general precepts of Gods word to obey our Superiours For the thing must first be agreed lawful before we can have in it any superiour but God onely Now whether This use of forms be so or no is the matter in question How then doth what he saith evince the necessity of them 2 All that he saith amounts but to a contingent disorder which may happen upon a liberty given by some to use their gifts in prayer But shall a contingent danger be pleaded in bar to a duty think we Or shall the sin of another be sufficient to justify our superiour in prohibiting
us before Chap. 3. § 37 c. What he farther saith of the use of them in the Christian church we have answered in that Chap. 3. § 43 44 45 46 47 48 49. In short We think we may say of this as we say of the Papists plea for themselves From Peters being at Rome If they could prove That forms of prayer were universally imposed upon the whole church and used by all ministers in it within 400 years after Christ and so in the ages downward it would not prove either the lawfulness of such general Imposition or use but they shall never be able to prove it while they live Let us therefore leave inquiring What those who lived before us did or thought might lawfully be done and enquire what Christ and his Apostles did or determined lawful to be done While we are disputing about what is lawful and unlawful Authority or practice is a lamentable argument and will never be insisted on by wise and understanding men but for want of such as are better and more cogent It will be a very hard thing to justify all those things to be lawful which were established by councils of as great antiquity as any they can pretend to for the establishment of forms of prayer to be universally used And thus much may serve for an answer to all we have heard or met with pleaded for the lawfulness of a general imposition or use of forms of Prayer in the church We shall onely say That our Brethren dealing with those who in their consciences judge them unlawful We think were concerned to have proved them necessary For certainly if Superiours will think themselves in the least obliged by the Roial law of love they ought not with their meat which they may eat or let alone command to be eaten or not eaten to destroy the souls of their inferiours for whom Christ died Either by tempting them to do what in their consciences they think is sinful or without necessity laying their souls under a guilt for disobeying them if that be true That whosoever obeyeth not the command of his Superiour in a lawful thing sinneth against God CHAP. X. The Conclusion of the discourse nothing said against any particular forms No judging or condemning of those who judge otherwise in the case No unlawfulness concluded to join with those who use pious forms It is reasonable to propose and recommend some forms leaving them at liberty This the onely mean of Comprehension § 1 THat we may not be misunderstood in this discourse we hope every ingenuous Reader will easily understand That we have not levelled any thing in this discourse against any particular forms or books of Prayers In the present question we suppose Forms as good and perfect as the wit and piety of men can make and dispute their state in worship i. e. Whether they may be indiscriminatively imposed or lawfully used by such ministers as God hath blessed with the Gift of prayer We have an equal Reverence for the First compilers of the English Liturgy as the later compilers of the Directory believing they both did famously in their generations We onely think The forms mistaken in their opinion of the lawfulness of an universall imposing or use of them in publick worship § 2 Nor do we judge our selves infallible in our sententiments in this case but as we believe so we speak so we must practice We condemn not our brethren that judge otherwise and accordingly practice We trust God will either to us or them reveil his mind that we shall at length know who are mistaken Let not them judge and condemn us we are in our dissents in the cases anothers servants And that other we take to be our common Lord and Master Jesus Christ Let us 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 according to the Apostles precept strive for truth walk in what we apprehend to be truth yet walk in love § 3 We do not think it unlawful to join with another praying by the use of forms provided the matter be good and pious We have in such praying nothing to do but to say Amen Whether he who ordinarily doth so doth his ministerial duty We confess That we question But that we may do our duty though he faileth in his we do not question If any Nonconformists amongst the ministers or people judge otherwise it must be upon some principle forreign to this discourse such as that of scandal c. Which is not our business here to argue § 4 We do think it not onely lawful but Reasonable That some Forms of Prayer or Directions at least should be proposed and commended by the approbation of our Superiours and left at liberty That those may use them for some time at least who have not attained to the gift of prayer or may distrust themselves or not have their usual natural liberty to express themselves in prayer And indeed this is the onely medium we can fancy for a just Comprehension and restoring to an use in the church of all Valuable Dissenters We humbly leave our thoughts in this case and the Candor of our Spirits to the Judgment of all Whether our superiors or Brethren in this famous church FINIS
from Scripture partly from Reason § 2 We judge so from Scripture 1 Pet. 4. 10 11. As every man hath received the gift so minister it one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God If any man speak as the oracles of God if any one minister c. The Apostle is evidently there speaking of gospel ministrations and giving a Rule about them his Rule is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As every man hath received the Gift ministring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the substantive to that must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This is the same which the Apostle expresseth in a little different phrase Rom. 12. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As God hath divided to every one a measure of faith v. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 According to the Grace given to us The Apostle makes the gift 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that which we are to minister and we are commanded to minister according as we have received it Now in administrations by other mens forms and prayer is the one half of our ministry we neither minister The gift nor as every one hath received the gift but as we find in the Book or in the forms prescribed A gift indeed we use Reading is a gift but not the gift of prayer § 3 But if we had no such express Scripture The very light of Nature and Reason would make this very probably appear to be the will of God to us 1 Because we use in an act of worship a less proper less natural and perfectly human mean and in the mean time we omit a more proper more natural Divine mean 2 Because wee cannot use other mens forms omitting our own gift but we must omit a mean given us by God for the act to use a mean under no Special divine prescription And we think it but reasonable that nothing but a special divine prescription should controle a general rule whether written in Scripture or approving it self to our Reason Especially if it be in matter of Divine worship and to be done ordinarily This is our first Argument delivered and opened with as much freedom and plainness as we are able to express it in We have indeed met with Six or Seven answers but such as we cannot acquiesce in we will fairly relate them all and shew why they apear to us by no means satisfactory § 4 Some have gone roundly to work denying any such gift as the gift of prayer But this is either to deny what is evident to sense viz. That there are some persons able fitly to express their minds to God in prayer or to deny the Scriptures which say Ja. 1. 17. That Every good gift and every perfect gift cometh from above from the father of Lights Besides That it stubbeth up all Liturgies of Prayer by the roots none it seems having any ability to make them But those who have thus answered have been very few and very invaluable § 5 Others therefore tell us That all ministers have not this gift and it were unreasonable to presume it in such a clergy as that of England consisting of 9 or 10000 persons To this we answer If they who answer thus intend by all Ministers all who are ordained by men or all those whom the church in some stress of necessity is forced to make use off in stead of ministers have not the gift of prayer we do agree it But if they mean that All those who are sent of God into the ministry have not the gift of Prayer we think we should too much trespass upon the reverence we owe to God if we should grant That hee sendeth any into his work whom hee hath not first fitted for all the parts of it 2 We do grant That there may be such a state of the church when for the present it cannot be furnished with perfect ministers by perfect we mean such as are tolerably fit for all the parts of their work Our forefathers experienced this both in the beginnings of our Reformation in K. Edw. in Qu. Eliz. time as also did our Forefathers Brethren in other churches They were so far from finding persons enough fitted to pray preach that were well affected to a Reformation that they had much a do to find such persons enough that could read And it is said the Priviledge in our courts of Judicature which persons guilty of theft separated from Burglary other crimes have comes from this defect of former ages And we do believe that the Orginal or continuance of Liturgies upon the Reformation owes it self in a great measure to this But we say These were but Tanquam ministers better these then none their Reading may give the people some instruction But 3ly suppose some that must be made use off for the present necessity of the church have not the gift must they therefore who have it be restrained in the use of it We do indeed think that it will be hard to find nine or ten thousand scholars in England furnished with the gift either of praying or preaching in any tolerable manner and one great reason is Because they have been so tied to a Liturgy that they have never applied themselves to the study of the Scriptures and their own hearts as they should but to tie up all to the use of such forms is the ready way never to have such a number Therefore this answer is far from a satisfaction § 6 Another hath told us That the same gift may serve for several uses and he that useth it to one use is in some cases excused from using it in another especially if he be hindred by authority This gift he saith may be used another way both in the worship of God out of it In the worship of God because the same faculty which enableth a man to utter a good prayer to God enableth him to make a good exhortation to people Out of the worship else those Laymen who have it and are no ministers sin This is Ireneus Freemans answer in his book called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But certainly this author had forgot whereof he spake By the gift of prayer must be understood An ability in man fitly to express his mind to God in prayer in asking things agreeable to his will Can this gift or faculty be used in making good orations exhortations to the people or can any thing be spoken more absurdly then to say That the gift of prayer may be put to some other use out of Gods worship Surely the author doth not think it lawful to pray to Saints Angels But by the Gift of prayer he certainly understands nothing but the gift of speaking or at most of speaking sense But surely the gift or ability of working in Brass iron wood are differing abilities or gifts though at several times they be exercised by the same person proceed from the same reasonable soul But distrusting this answer he hath a Fourth § 7 That
the man sinneth not who omiteth a gift when the using of it would hinder another and this he saith excuseth ministers that they do not pray without end but afford some time for preaching yea and for reading too Yea he saith without this most men would be inexcusable if they did not come into the church and make prayers there For in that they do not it is manifest they use not their gift He applies it p. 20. If the laws say that he who will use his gift of prayer shall not use his gift of preaching but lie in prison or worse it is manifest that it is better to use one of these gifts then by using them both to be suffered in the use of none Now good Reader judge if it be possible an ingennous soul should be patient at such Ridiculous trifling was there ever any further question then Whether it be lawful to omit the use of the gift when we are performing the Religious act to which the gift relates Did ever any say They were bound to use the Gift of prayer at all times or onely at all times when they ministred in prayer 2 Is the gift of prayer onely to be used in temples that a Layick may not use it in his family if he hath it Is not this a learned Medium to prove That those who have the gift of prayer may ordinarily omit the use of the gift of prayer given them by God as a mean for it without sin when they are performing the act to which it relates because When they are not to perform such acts but acts of a quite differing species they may omit it He saith The exercise of the gift of Prayer may be omitted when it would hinder the use of the gift of preaching He saith true if the hindrance of the exercise of the gift of preaching proceedeth from the irregular and disorderly use of his gift of Prayer by the voluntary act of him who hath both gifts and stands bound to use both in their order he may omit such a measure of the use of one as would hinder the due use of the other But certainly he otherwise speakes very impertinently and not like a Divine For in that I am hindred in the exercise of the gift of preaching by a meer human law is the fault of others nor can I sin in it if I be free to do it without such circumstances as are sinful It is the sin of others that we are not suffered to do what God hath called us to do and as he hath required us to do it Now whether such ordinary praying would not be our sin is the matter in question God needeth not mans ly for his glory A fifth answer we have met with is That a minister hath a liberty to use his Gift of Prayer before his sermon and in his own private family This is more then any thing before said But 1 It reacheth not the Question for stil he must Ordinarily perform his ministerial Act in Prayer in the omission of the Divine mean given him on purpose for the performance of it for certainly He that useth the prescribed forms of others as oft as he publickly ministreth doth it Ordinarily in his ministerial act 2 If we look wistly into the law we shall find it is but an assumed liberty men take to use their owne gift in prayer before their sermons and this Bp. Wren Cosins understood well enough therefore would indure no such thing where they had to do And this M r. Kemp hath told us in print in a sermon since printed preached in St. Maries in Cambridge with this brand upon such practice That it is a Geneva trick brought in by John Calvin Thomas Cartwright For his liberty left him in his family that is not in his publick ministry besides that we shall shew anon that granting this Principle That obedience to superiors in this case is our duty we lie at mercy for that too and both these pretended liberties may be taken away when our superiours will please to say you shall do so no more § 9 For a Sixt Answer we are slightily told by some That the Church must judge whether her Ministers have such gift of prayer or no But 1 Certainly it were a strange judgment for a church to make that none of her ministers have the gift of prayer 2 Again we freely agree That the church must judge whether men have both the Gift of prayer and preaching too but we say this should be before she trusteth them with the publick ministry for in setting them apart to the ministry she hath passed her judgment That they have an ability both to pray and preach Or else she hath dealt very unfaithfully to her Lord and Master by ordination declaring That Christ hath sent those whom he never sent when she ought first to have proved them 3 If the church hath found her self mistaken she ought to confess her error by removing them from the ministry who are not fit for it not to help them by prescribing them what to say A late Reverend Author Mr. Falconer in his Libertas Ecclesiastica p. 120. hath given us another answer viz. That gifts may be limited which he saith is manifest because by the will of God bounds limits were set even to the use of the extraordinary Gifts of Gods Spirit 1 Cor. 14. 26 27 28 33. This is all which that Reverend Author saith to this argument besides what we shewed the weakness of in our reply to the fifth Answer now to this we answer That the word Limited is a very general term We will freely grant That Limitations may be put and that by present superiors upon the disorderly and extravagant use of Ministerial gifts and that is all which is proved by that text 1 Cor. 14. 26 27 28 33. The words are these v. 26. How is it then Brethren that when you come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine hath a Tongue hath a Revelation hath an interpretation Let all things be done to Edifying v. 27. If any man speak in an unknown tongue let it be by two or at most by three and that by course and let one interpret v. 28. But if there be no interpreter let him keep silence in the church and let him speak to himself and to God v. 33. For God is not the Author of confusion but of peace in all the churches of the saints Here is indeed a direction given by an infallible Apostle for the exercise of those extraordinary gifts A direction whose end was Edification and this by the avoiding of Confusion and a reason given For God is not the author of Confusion The Confusion is plainly by the Apostle signified 1 That several persons who had these extraordinary gifts would at the same time be communicating to their Brethren their Psalms their Doctrines their Revelations their Interpretations Their gift in languages 2 That those who
is not sufficient For not to dispute whether Publick Reading of the scriptures be though a good work and fit to be used in the Congregation as Moses was read in the Synagogue strictly a ministerial act we never read Christ saying to his Ministers Go read so as for ought we know The scriptures may in the publick Congregation be read by inferiour officers as is very ordinary in other Reformed Churches we say not to insist upon this which yet were a foundation not to be shaken we take that Principle which if we remember right we have some where read in M r. Capel to be a true Principle That God never yet had a church in any place of the world but he at the first planting of it and so after as there was occasion stirred up the Rulers to employ some in making a true version of the scripture which persons so employed God hath upon experience been found constantly so to asist That they have not erred or mistaken in any point of Doctrine necessarily to be known believed and that it is his will that particular ministers members in such churches in their ordinary use reading of the scriptures should use such version or the version of some other church which they may find more exact perfect This is so fully proved by experience the frequent use which both Christ his Apostles made of the Septuagint version though as full of mistakes as any other if compared with the Hebrew that nothing is to be said against it nor need any more be said in answer to this objection The sum of what is said is this That to interpret the body of scripture to be read to people is no private ministerial act or gift nor is any single minister fit to be trusted with it nor to enter a dissent to the ordinary version used either in the church of which he is a member or some other orthodox church as to a particular text but with great modesty and upon weighty grounds § 9 We think enough said to justify our argument against all answers we have met with and those who are so ready upon all occasions to send us for satisfaction to Mr. Hooker D r. Sanderson should do well to tell us in what Page of either of their works this argument is answered for we can in neither of them find an answer to it Our adversaries may also see that we do not neglect to inquire into all their writings for satisfaction Though it be our misfortune to find them rarely speaking to the true question but first making to themselves a man of straw then pelting him with arguments and immoral language § 10 Hence also appears to our weaker Brethren an obvious reason why some of us can at a pinch hear other ministers pray in the use of such pescribed forms though our selves cannot use them When we join in prayers with others we have nothing to do provided the petitions we hear be according to the will of God but to say Amen exercising our faith c. But if we be our selves to Minister in prayer either we are mistaken which we must first be convinced of or besides the exercise of Grace God requireth also we should use Our Gifts being the mean he hath given us for those acts Whether he who ministreth acquitteth himself to God or no Viderit ipse it is nothing to us let him look to that Nor can there be any thing of scruple in the hearing of ministers praying by the forms of others provided the matter of them be good and according to the will of God Unless some should scruple it as encouraging a minister in that which they judge sinful But why may not we think That he who doth use them doth it in an humble distrust of his own abilities thinks at least that he doth agere optimum do his best Why must we think our selves infallible We dare not judge those who we think have the gift of prayer but think not fit to use it in their ordinary service because their superiors command the omission of it but as we do not judge them so we dare not practice after their copy Whether it be sin in them we freely leave to Gods determination we are sure it would be sin to us As we believe so we speak sowe must act but shall freely listen to what any of our Brethren can say to the taking away of the appearing Probability both of this argument or any other we shall bring In the mean time we would not be crowed over as such dunces who have nothing to say but are hardned with Prejudice blinded with passion biassed by false Principles c. See Dr. Asheton's Ded. Ep. Nor as meerly peevish Grubstreet Divines c. which with abundance more of such brutish stuf another useth Till these confident men have let the world know That they have given a sufficient answer like scholars to what we say and that they are good at something else besides reviling we are not careful to answer them CHAP. III. The second argument The terms opened What is meant by Attention Intention Fervency Both propositions proved M r. Freemans answer considered What M r. Falconer hath said in answer to this argument proved in sufficient The Judgment of the Leyden Professors and the Walachrian classis not duely opposed to this Argument M r. Falconers three reasons why forms should not hinder devotion answered § 1 WE proceed to a second Argument which we thus state To use such a mode in the ordinary performance of our duty in solemn publick prayer as either from the necessary workings of human nature or otherwise upon experience we find either hindring the Attention of our own or others thoughts to the duty or the Intention and Fervency of our own or others Spirits in the performance of the duty when we can so perform it as neither of them will be to that degree hindred is Vnlawful But for him who hath the Gift of prayer ordinarily to perform his ministerial Acts in publick solemn prayer is for him to use such a mode in those Acts of worship as either from the Natural workings of human nature or from some other cause scarce avoidable is upon experience found to hinder his own Attention and also the Attention of others thoughts to the duty and the Intention Fervency of his own others spirits in the duty when in the mean time he hath a natural ability so to perform it as neither of them will at least to that degree be hindred Ergo This we conceive to be what by Mr. Falconer is represented as a second Objection under the terms That it is disadvantageous to devotion We shall with what candor becomes us towards a person of Mr. Falconers worth candor consider both what he saith in answer And also ex abundanti what we find to have been said to less purpose by any others And examine whether what
he or they have said amounteth to a strict answer which may free us from the probability of truth which appears in this argument § 2 For the Proposition it is so evident from Scripture being indeed a branch of the commandment which our saviour calls The first and great commandment Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart and all thy soul all thy strength And inforced by so many Scriptures directly requiring Attention of thoughts and Fervency of Spirit in all the service of God especially in prayer That we never met with any bold enough to deny it For he who denieth it must affirm That though God hath commanded us to love him with all our heart soul strength yet if man commands us not to do it it is lawful though God hath commanded us to serve him with the Attention of our thoughts with Fervency of Spirit and commanding us to pursue this end hath also enjoined us to use the means most proper for it yet If our superiour commands us to use such means as are less proper we may lawfully do it Which to us appears very strange assertions neither becoming Divines nor good Christians nor indeed rational men For supposing that there is a God The light of nature is enough to shew us He must be served with all our hearts with the highest attention of thoughts intention fervency of Spirit § 3 So as all the Question can be is about the Minor proposition Whether he that performs his Ministerial act in Solemn Prayer by the prescribed forms of others doth not use a mean less accommodate to his own others Attention of thoughts and Intention Fervency of Spirit then he who deales with God immediately using his tongue to express conceptions first formed in his own heart To us it is next to a demonstration that he doth and that upon that account it is unlawful to which purpose we desire That these things may be wistly considred by any deliberate person § 4 Whether it be possible for any person to read any discourse be it a Prayer a sermon an Oration what it will with that degree of Attention of thoughts as he must pronounce the same discourse with by heart if he so pronounceth it as but to speak sense We do think none will find or say it is The thoughts of man are wild things impatient of a long intense abode upon any object we speak of the generality of men but never so busy to break prison wander as when we are employed in the holy services of God And that partly in regard That God is an insensible metaphysical object Partly Because of that natural aversion from communion with God which since the fall hath been the universal disease of human nature So that considering how human nature is stated since the fall we believe it a thing impossible We know it will be said and that truly that this argument concludeth not against the ministers use of forms prescribed by others if he reciteth them by heart but onely against his performing his ministerial acts in prayer by reading such forms We confess it and say That if but this post be gained much is done God would doubtless be served with much less distraction and divagation of thoughts then he ordinarily is on the part even of him that ministreth which was the Reason why the Reverend and very learned Author of Altare Damascenum allowing the use of forms at first to help those who have not attained the gift of prayer in any proportion fit for ministers would yet have them enjoined to recite them by heart § 5 Secondly Whether any thing can in reason be imagined more conducive to fix the thoughts upon the duty God in the duty Then when a minister hath attained to such a familiarity with the phrase of Scripture and such a knowledge in the body of Divinity That although he will always need a premeditation of the Greatness Majesty of God his own vileness nothingness and the weightiness of the duty yet he needeth not compose his form syllabically before he comes but can trust his Affections to thrust out words while his eyes may be shut sent to his heart as our Divine Poet speaks Or open and lifted up to heaven and fixed towards the place where his heavenly father is and while his heart is enditing a good matter And his tongue employed as the pen of a ready writer We think this is so evidently more conducive to the fixation of a mans thoughts and the commanding their attention to the duty That it is impossible for any who will not deny the workings of a reasonable soul to be able without a self condemnation to deny it § 6 A third thing which we would have considred is Whether considering the infirmity of all our natures any such attention is to be expected or hoped for from people to forms of prayer which they hear a thousand times over as to conceived prayer We lay no great stress upon it but think it at least an ingenious observation That God himself when he would Stir up his peoples attentions affections to what he was doing tells them He would do a new thing We are sure common experience teacheth us That none gives that attention to a discourse or story he hath heard an hundred times over that he giveth to a new discourse or story excepting onely to the holy scriptures for which God hath secured an abiding reverence in all pious souls And this is owned by M r. Falconer giving it in his Epistle as a Reason why after so many learned men he wrote upon this subject Because the humour of this age he might have said all ages is more apt to seek for new books then read old ones Whether this be the infirmity of our natures and if our infirmity whether our sinful infirmity or no are not much material to our present question Let it be the one or the other if not to be shaken off and if by a mean which Gods word forbids not it may in any measure be helped certainly considering how necessary it is to the duty that mean ought not to be neglected in obedience to any creature § 7 But Attention of thoughts is not all our duty in prayer Intention of spirit and fervency of Affections is also a prime requisite to an acceptable performance of it Rom. 12. 11. Jam. 5. 16. Yea It is so necessary as without it the soul plainly mocketh God and deceiveth it self now we cannot apprehend That either the person ministring should have the same intention fervency in reading the prescribed forms of others as when his prayer is first formed in his own heart or that the people should be so advantaged in their fervor and intention § 8 As to him that ministreth There is a great deal of difference betwixt words following the Affections and Affections following words This is an old Argument made use of
becometh an unlawful mean and lawful for us to omit it though we pray less fervently therefore he tells us p. 23. He that is by the Magistrate forbidden to go to the next church and therefore is necessitated to go to one more remote must needs be more indisposed to prayer by his long journy except some men of a temper by themselves so that he shall not perform the duty with so high an intention of mind or fervency of Spirit as might probably be experienced in case he came to the church less wearied and weather beaten but yet such a man may lawfully go to the farthest church and pray there though these hinderances of intention and fervency be consequent thereupon because they are necessary not voluntary he wisheth the case were otherwise with him but as the case standeth if he should go to the next church contrary to the Magistrates Prohibition he should sin and Evil is not to be done that Good may come of it especially when a greater evil might come of it then the good aimed at as in this Case § 20 To all which we answer God send his church in England better Divines then this Author The case is this The unlawfulness of ministers ordinary use of forms prescribed by others was indevoured to be proved because it hindred intention of mind and fervency of Spirit Two things from reason and by Gods special command and determination necessary to every good prayer He grants they are both necessary whence it followeth That he who omitteth any means given or allowed him by God being natural rational which may help him in this must needs sin against God whose law commanding an End always commandeth the use of all proper Means relating to it He granteth this a Mean in it self lawful he must acknowledge it proper and natural yet he saith It is no sin to omit it and so consequently no sin for one to serve God with a lesser intention and fervency when we have a natural power to serve him with a greater intention and fervency And why none Because he saith It is necessary not voluntary Is it not voluntary That is strange he did not put the case of the Magistrates forcing him to be draged to another place at such a distance where his Spirits must be exhausted before he could come How was it necessary then Not naturally not by coaction It remaineth therefore that it must be necessary by some divine determination In what leafe of Scripture shall we find it He offers no texts but what commands our obedience to Magistrates But is there any Scripture requireth an obedience to man in all things Or must those texts be limited to such things where we may obey them without disobeying God Thus this Author hath finely answered by begging the question which is Whether it be lawful to omit the use of a proper Mean given by God for the performance of an Act in his worship according to his will The Apostles surely determined better Whether it be better to obey God or man judge you To his instance therefore the Answer is easy If when we may with equal advantage to our souls go to a nearer church and to one farther but yet not at such a distance as before we come there we shall be spent our Spirits exhausted and we fitter to sleep then to serve God we think we ought to obey But if they will command us to go to a place at such a distance as we cannot reach in any time or without such a wasting tyring of our Spirits as when we come there we shall be unfit for the service of God we cannot obey He trifleth to say The thing is Inexpedient It is unlawful and he is a fallacious Sophister in Divinity who talkes of chusing lesser evils of sin before greater There can be no necessity of sinning § 21 In his p. 26. he seemeth to hint a time when a less intention is more acceptable to God then a greater That time we would gladly know for the Scripture saith nothing of it He tells us when the Over-plus ariseth from the gift not from the Grace This is a strange nick of time we always thought The grace exercised in prayer lay very much in Gods assistance of us to keep our minds attent to our duty and intent upon fervent with God in our duty so that to us it seems a strange piece of sense That the overplus of Attention Intention and Fervency should proceed not from the Grace but from the gift he goes on tells us p. 28. Seeing the same things are prayed for in the Litany which can be the matter of the longest conceived prayer though not in that variety novelty and elegancy of Phrase if the heat and the intention they speak of proceeded from the strength of their desire to the things themselves it would be equal in both cases but seeing it is not equal it must needs proceed from some other cause and probably from some of those assigned § 22 He saith true It must either proceed from some different matter or some other cause But 1 we doubt whether what he sayes of the Litany be true We think it far short of conteining the whole matter of ordinary Confession or Petitions or thanksgivings See what the Commissioners at the Savy in their papers since printed have said to this But suppose 2 The matter were ful Can there be nothing else frigidam suffundere to cool a Christians Spirit What if there be a mixture of something else which a Christian cannot in his judgment allow In the Popish Missal is much excellent matter but we should think him but a luke-warm Protestant that could be fervent in Spirit serving the Lord by it It is a great cooling to a Christians Spirit when his mind suggests doubts to him Whether this be a way mode or method of worship which God will accept because never directed by him Here we instead of stirring up exercising our own gifts and ministring them borrow the gifts of others and serve God with what costs us nothing but a little lip labour § 23 To conclude for this Author we need no more then Mr. Ireneus against Mr. Freeman Every man is bound to pray with the highest intention of mind and fervency of Spirit which he can by just means attain But he who having an ability to express his own wants wants of others to God in prayer in words first formed in his own heart doth in the exercise of prayer use the forms of other men doth not pray with the greatest intention of mind fervor of Spirit which can be obtained by just means Ergo. This is M r. Ireneus argument in his book called The Reasonableness of Divine service Let M r. Freeman answer it we profess we cannot The Major is made up of M r. Ireneus his own words in the aforesaid book p. 22. The Minor is not onely said by Mr. Ireneus but proved too
times both hindring ministers care to study the Scriptures and to improve in spiritual ministerial gifts and making an engine of perpetual discord from that time to this and which hath been made use of for to deprive the church of God of the gifts and abilities of hundreds of able godly and painful ministers while in the mean time many have crept into the employment of it being by Liturgies and Homilies now made so easy for them of whom every one who hath any concern for Gods glory or the churches repute hath cause to blush and be ashamed § 45 But Secondly we would see it proved That all the devout and judicious men in the five first Centuries That is for five hundred yeares after Christ either judged Prescribed forms of prayer to be ordinarily used by all ministers in their publick ministrations advantageous to devotion or that they so used them We often hear of this But when we call for proof we can meet with nothing but Gloria patri c. Sursum corda Where we desire it may be observed That a proof that in that time there were some forms extant or used by some in some particular churches will not reach the case We are not against a form to be composed proposed and left at liberty that those may use it who either have not or durst not trust to their own gift We farther know That there then might be and still may be some particular reasons in some particular churches which was the cause of the Canon of the Milevitan Council in regard of the errors of Pelagius being in matters of Doctrine ordinarily falling into ministers Confessions and Petitions And if in such a stress as that There could be proved a temporary imposition of the use of forms of sound words in prayer upon ministers who are suspected tainted in matters of doctrine we should not oppose it § 46 But whom doth our Brother call The church in the fourth and fifth Centuries or the three preceding or how doth it appear to him or can it appear to us That they generally so judged of forms of prayer or so generally used them as helps to devotion Certainly our Brother doth not call the 22 or 32 or if there were 42 Bishops in the Council of Laodicea more none speaks of the church in that age Besides that if there were 42 it is possible that 20 of them might be of another mind for we know that in councils the Major part must carry it let the excess be never so small Yet That Council of Laodicea saith nothing of stated forms of prayer cap. 18. onely orders prayers to be poured out morning and evening but that they should be read or recited out of a book given that Council saith not Nor doth the Third Council of Carthage Can. 23. quoted by our Reverend Brother p. 106. speak any thing at all nay it plainly hinteth us the quite contrary viz. That ministers were wont to compose their own prayers onely in regard it was a time of errour they required the weaker sort of ministers not to use the prayers they had made for their use without first shewing them to their more able Brethren The whole canon as Caranza gives it is this That none in their prayers should name the Father for the Son or the Son for the Father and when they stood at the Altar They should direct their Prayers to the Father And whatsoever prayers any minister should write for himself he should not use them till he had conferred them with his more able Brethren Doth not this Canon plainly imply They had no publick set forms at that time for if they had there could be no such mistakes as it is made against This was about the year 398. For the Milivitan councill Anno 402. It doth indeed decree in that overspreading floud of Pelagianism That the prayers agreed upon by the Council should be used in that Province it doth not say no other onely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 No others against the faith should be used It doth not follow That because set prescribed forms were advantageous to devotion in that African Province so tainted in its ministry with Pelagianism that therefore they are Universally so our Reverend Brother is mistaken therefore in saying That we hold they were in use for 1300 years upon the account of these Canons for we hold no such thing nor see any pretence for it from these Canons § 47 And for the Centuries preceding we do not think it worth the while for us to write over again what hath been said almost by all who have wrote Critically upon the writings of the Ancients to shew the horrible imposture of the Liturgies said to be made by St. James St. Mark St. Andrew St. Peter St. Mathew Clemens Dionis Areop c. We onely shall say this That they are so generally rejected by all sober and learned Authors both Papists and Protestants that we stand amazed to hear our Reverend Brother so much as naming them Let those that are at leisure read Morneium de Missâ cap. 2. What a lamentable shift it is to tell us That they have undergone diverse alterations Who altered them In what things How doth it appear Those who know any thing know it was the interest of the Church of Rome to have a sottish ignorant inferiour clergy and that these could not do their work without Liturgies and therefore it was their concern First to have them made Then to avouch their original as high as they could It pleased God in their hast in this business to let them slip into most notorious errors ascribing Liturgies to Chrysostom Basil c. Where were prayers for persons not in being for some hundreds of years after and Doctrines averred That all know the Church never knew for many years after Now when the forgery is thus detected for any Protestants to tell us it is true There are some manifest interpolations which are of a later date but the Liturgies are ancient is both gratis dictum a thing can never be proved and a fair offer at the destruction of our most convincing argument of the Popish abominable forgery § 47 For what Mr. Falconer saith about Constantines composing godly prayers for his souldiers It is a good argument that the church had then no publick Liturgies for surely Constantine needed not then have made any and it had been a great derogation from the honour of the church In short our Reverend Brother might have remembred That his Majesties Commissioners at the Savoy replied to that part of his Majesties Commission which required them to compare the English Liturgy with the Ancient Liturgies of the pure and primitive church That they could not find any authentick record of any Liturgy generally imposed upon any national church for more then 300 years after Christ we believe they might have said 600 and did upon the point challenge the opposite Commissioners to justify that which they make their
Palmanum Argumentum Let but the Indifferent Reader See and Judge of what was answered though it may reasonably be presumed considering the Learning and interest of their opponents that they omitted nothing which could with any truth or modesty be spoken in the case All they say is this That there were ancient Liturgies in the church is evident St. Chrysostoms St. Basils and others And the Greeks tell us of St. James's much older then they And though we find not in all ages whole Liturgies yet it is certain there were such in the oldest times by those parts which are extant Sursum Corda Gloria Patri Benedicite Hymnus veré Cherubinus Veré dignum est justum c. Dominus Vobiscum cum Spiritu tuo With diverse others Though those which are extant may be interpolated yet such things as are found in them all consistent to primitive and Catholick Doctrine may well be presumed to have been from the first especially since we find no original of those Liturgies from general councils For answer to this We shall refer our reader to the Answer of the Noncon commissioners p. 76. Of the account of their proceedings printed 1661. § 48 To bring this point to an issue There was a book published 1662. called Asober and temperate discourse concerning the Interest of words in Prayer where chap. 3. 4. The Reader may at Large see what we judge of the Original of Liturgies when our Reverend Brother or any for him hath given a strict reply to those two chapters then we shall think they have more to say for their Antiquity then we have yet seen In the mean time we do believe That Gregory the great usually said to be the worst of all the Popes that went before him under the Protection of Charles the great was the father of all those that dwell in these tents and this eight hundred or a thousand years after Christ An imposed Liturgy unless in a particular Province for a time in a particular case such as was that of the spreading of Pelagianism we cannot find And for a Liturgy to be proposed onely and left at liberty we know most reformed churches have such a one and we have before declared our judgment for the reasonableness of it he who thinks such an Eminent man as Gregorius Magnus would do nothing which should disadvantage true Devotion hath not we think attentively either read his story or considered the Acts of the Governing-part of the church in his time § 49 We are not so uncharitably disposed as not to think there were many eminently good and judicious men in the fourth and fifth Century who were able to judge what was of true advantage or disadvantage to devotion But this is that which we say That the same things are not at all times nor yet to all persons advantages either to publick or private Devotion We have already granted forms of prayer advantages to the devotion of particular persons who being to minister before others have not attained the gift of prayer i. e. an ability in that duty fitly to express themselves 2 To the general devotion of a church when her ministers are very many of them tainted with errors in Doctrine which was the cause of the Milivitan Canon We do know that in the fourth Century there was An Arnobius A Lactantius An Athanasius Ambrose Chrysostom Augustin Hierom and very many others but we also know there was an Arius and Pelagius and that their herecies were of desperate consequence and had over spread a great part of the church yea had tainted a very great part of the ministry of it now it will not follow That because set forms were advantages to devotion in such a time and in such parts of the church for a time therefore they will be Universally so Nor do we think that either in the fourth or fifth Century There was generally such knowledge as in the later ages of the church nor is it proved That in those ages set forms were generally imposed The Question is Whether set forms be advantages or hinderances of devotion to such whom God hath blessed with the gift of prayer and to such churches who have such ministers and are not so tainted with erroneous opinions in the fundamentals of Religion And thus we think we have fully answered whatsoever Mr. Falconer hath offered in answer to this Argument But because our strict design is not to answer M r. Falconer but to shew we have probable Arguments inducing us to believe That what ever it be to others It would be sinful for us ordinarily to perform our ministerial Acts in Prayer by reading or reciting the prescribed forms of others We will yet proceed to add some further Arguments inductive of such a persuasion in us still professing That we do not judge our selves infallible nor condemn any of our Brethren who are of another mind in the case onely as we our selves apprehend and believe so we speak so we act and not out of any factious humour as we are rashy judged CHAP. IV. The Third Argument propounded Both propositions in it proved The second commandment forbiddeth all means of worship not directed in Scripture M r. Freemans answer considered What the Noncon grant His instances answered Bishop Jewels opinion and Bishop Davenants against blind obedience The Difference between circumstances and Ceremonies what circumstances are in the power of man Why Forms of Prayer may not be commanded as well as Time and place Acts rites and means in worship must appear reasonable in themselves to him who conscientiously obeyeth § I WE thus state our Third Argument To use a mean in an Act of worship which God hath neither by the light of nature directed nor in his word prescribed no natural necessity compelling us so to do is sinful But for us or any of us to whom God hath given the gift of prayer ordinarily in prayer to perform our ministerial acts by the prescribed forms of others read or recited were for us no natural necessity compelling in Acts of worship to use means neither of God directed by the light of nature nor by him in his word prescribed Ergo. The proof of the major proposition depends upon these hypotheses 1 That divine worship is nothing else but an homage done unto God in consideration of his excellency In this we think all are agreed 2 That it belongs to God alone to prescribe both the Acts and Means of this homage which certainly is the most reasonable thing in the world That God should tell us what homage he will have at our hands and how performed God hath as much right to appoint the way of his worship as to be worshipped saith Dr. Ashton himself in his Case of persecution p. 45. 3 God having determined our Acts of worship hath likewise in his word and by the light of Nature given us sufficient direction as to the means Which if it be true it certainly must be impious
to neglect or despise it and to omit it and use others directed by man would be an implicit owning the wisdom of man as paramount to and excelling the wisdom of God 4 God hath also as we conceive expresly in his word forbidden the use of any other mean in his worship then what either nature sheweth us and directeth us as necessary as we cannot speak a prayer without the use of our tongue or what he hath prescribed in his word The first of these needeth no proof § 2 To prove the Second we need say no more then this That it is evident That the use of a mean in worship which ought not to be used quite altereth the nature of the worship and of true maketh it false To pray to God is an act of true worship but if a man in prayer set an image before him as a mean of worship it makes it idolatry So as in worship none can pretend a right to prescribe a mean but he that hath also a right to prescribe the act § 3 For the proof of the third hypothesis we desire but an instance of any Act of worship for which we cannot shew a sufficient mean either by the Light of nature or Scripture directed As to what is the matter of our present debate both the Light of nature sheweth our own invention a sufficient mean and Scripture commands us to minister as we have received the gift § 4 But for the last which we think will be most stumbled at we shall onely mention the second commandment The sense of which we say is this Thou shalt worship in no other way by no other mean or religious rites then what I have prescribed The term Graven image is undoubtedly a Generical term figuratively put to signify not onely that but any other mean that hath no more of divine institution then that hath And if this be not the sense of it it will be impossible to reduce all the precepts in Scripture relating to the manner of external worship to the second precept in the Decalogue To spare saying over again what hath already been said in justification of this we refer our Reader to a book of Mr. Cottons called Advertisements upon a discourse of set forms of Prayer p. 17 18 19 20 c. § 5 The minor proposition standeth firm until our Brethren have shewed us where God hath prescribed any such mean But here again our old Adversary M r. Freeman cometh across us and tells us There is a general command for forms of prayer when they are imposed for we are enjoined in Scripture to obey our Rulers in such things as Gods word doth not forbid and such things are forms To which we answer 1 That we can find no precept in Scripture in the terms mentioned by him 2 The same argument will prove that it is the duty of Priests in popish countries in baptism to use salt oyl spittle and cream Rulers require it where hath Gods word expressly forbidden the use of them 3 We do not know what he meaneth by not forbidden There is an explicit and an implicit forbidding God by determining the Acts of his worship and directing sufficient means for the performance of them hath we say consequentially forbidden any other means to be used § 6 But he telleth us that Both in words and deeds we grant That a particular command or example is not necessary we suppose he means to justify any acts or the use of any mean in the stated worship of God or else he saith nothing to the matter in question For we sing Hopkins and Sternholds Psalms for which is no particular command 2 We anoint not with oyl though St. James doth command it Because we meet with this so often we who take our selves to be ready to give account of our faith to every one that asketh us shall once for all tell him what we believe and hold in this great point § 7 We believe the Holy Scripture to be a full and perfect rule as of Doctrine so of worship both as to the Acts and Means of it with no other help then the light of nature directing the application of some common circumstances either necessary to all human actions as time and place are and some common actions and signs signifying no more in sacred then in civil actions and this either from nature or the general guise and custom of the countries wherein the worship is performed 2 Hence both we and all Protestants deny a power to any man to institute New ordinances of worship for which there is in Gods word no particular precept or example either of Christ or his Apostles And certainly worship being nothing else But an homage done unto God in consideration of his excellency It is every whit as reasonable That God should direct both the Acts and Means and Rites of his worship As that an Earthly Potentate should direct his subjects or servants the manner of their addresses to him or the habits they should appear before him in Gods word especially declaring against will worship 3 Hence we judge All Acts religious Rites and Means of worship prohibited by God which either in express terms or by first consequences from some Scriptural Propositions are not in the word of God prescribed or Commanded But natural Reason assuring us That as all human actions must have some circumstances So Religious worship being a human action must have some appendant circumstances either such as are necessary to all human actions of which number are time or place or necessary for actions of that nature So we judge it as reasonable That a bell or a Trumpet should call people to worship God as scholers living in several colledges to a Convocation or Towns men living scattered up and down the town to a townhouse or Assembly We take Pulpits and Pewes Churches to be as reasonable as that in the Sessions the Judge should have a Cushion and a Taller-seat or the Major in a Guildhal or that the Commoners or Aldermen being to sit two or three hours all that time should not be put to stand but have seats pewes In this sense it is true that D r. Ashton in his case of persecution hath told us 48 after 40 before him These circumstances must be and are not determined in Scripture We do yeild our superiours a great power in determining these Circumstances of Religious duties as they are human actions without which they are neither at all to be performed or with no Conveniency Nay further There are some Circumstances necessary upon the account of Decency the not observing of which would make the action appear either from the light of nature or from the guise and custom of the country irreverently brutishly and indecently performed If any will come naked or half naked or shoulder-naked into a religious assembly or pray to God with his hat on we believe superiours may as well restrain them as they may restrain one
that should run up and down a market naked or one that should refuse to pull off his hat when he speaketh to his Prince And so for any thing of this nature where is onely a general application of the rules and customs of places for reverence order and decency in all human actions to religious actions If two or three will confusedly be babling together in a meeting for religion we believe superiours may restrain them as well as he may restrain such a confusion in a Town-hall or civil Assembly met for any civil ends For these circumstances it is true again that Dr. Ashton saith p. 50. They must not be left indetermined But all this reacheth not Ceremonies that is Religious rites be they habits or gestures or actions appropriated to Religious actions these are quite other things and must have something of the generical nature of worship in them Because of their appropriation to acts of that nature We say onely That no creature hath power to command those things in Gods worship 1 Which are in Gods word either explicitly forbidden or implicitly as having something of worship in them Or 2 Which the superiour acknowledgeth not in themselves necessary and the inferiour thinks are forbidden Those of the first sort being eminently against Piety Those of the latter sort as eminently against Charity Having thus freely and plainly opened our minds Let us now consider our Authors instances from which he would make the world believe That we little value a Divine precept in acts rites or means of Divine worship § 8 His first instance is our Singing Scriptural Psalms in the meeters of Sternhold and Hopkins which in derision he calls Hopkins and Sternholds Psalms And there is he thinketh the same reason for ex tempore Hymns as for ex tempore Petitions We have already said enough and the learned and judicious Cotton hath said more to answer this pitiful Cavil but that we may be troubled with it no more This objection must be either against the matter of what we sing or the form of the meeter 1 The Matter is Scripture directed by the Spirit of God composed by the Penmen of holy writ we abhor any Singing of other compositions in publick worship 2 It is plain that singing and by such forms hath been ever used as an ordinance of God both in the Churches of Jews and Christians 3 It is manifest not one of many attains the gift of Hymn making It is a known saying Poeta nascitur 4 We do not know that God ever promised his Spirit to teach his people to compose Hymns but he hath promised to teach us what to pray for 5 Singing being the joint action of a congregation cannot possibly be done but by a set form without notorious and eminent confusion It is more then we know That in the publick congregation the people are all to pray aloud together 6 We cannot understand how the metrical forms used by us in Singing make the Psalms we sing more Hopkins and Sternholds then our Bibles are the Translators Bibles 2 For the meeter it makes no alteration in sense onely limits the number of Syllables in a pause for order in Singing We do see many things in the ordinary meeter of our English Psalms which do no better fit the English idiom of our age Then with my body I thee worship fits it to express the honour which a man ows to his wife But we see Davids sense kept in that meeter as the Hebrew sense was much kept especially in material things by the 70 interpreters and therefore we do keep to it And this we think enough to have said to shew the Vanity of his first instance We proceed to his second § 9 Again saith Mr. Freeman when they visit the sick they anoint them not with oyl yet they shall be so far from producing an instance for such a visiting from the Scripture that they shall find the contrary in St. James If they say there is not the same Reason for that anointing now which was then I reply Neither is there the same reason now for unpremeditated prayers forms of prayers composed by others he should have said as was then for now forms are commanded by our Rulers then according to their opinion they were not § 10 In answer to which we first ask will our conformable Brethren then when they visit the sick anoint them with oyl or have they any Rubrick for that How dare they omit it If it were a standing institution of the gospel They are yet a peg higher then we thought off if they also will maintain a power for superiors to abrogate any gospel institutions Was it a temporary practice What an impertinency is it then to urge it § 11 We confess we do not anoint the sick with oyl not onely because we do not know what oyl to use and much depends upon the kind whether it wrought by a natural virtue or by virtue of an institution But because we learn from Mark 6. 13. That anointing with oyl was annexed to the extraordinary and miraculous gift of healing which gift both reason and experience tells us is now ceased So that notwithstanding these two instances Mr. Freeman may see we are consistent enough to our principles And this we take to be something a better answer and more particular then what he supposeth we would say viz. There is not the same reason now That is true but it is further true That God in his providence making the miraculous gifts of healing to cease hath taken away any pretended Reason for that practice Whereas he saith neither is there the same reason for unpremeditate forms now because Rulers command the contrary We answer That Mr. Freemans friends think they were then also commanded But suppose they had been then commanded doth this make a sufficient Reason for a practice in Divine worship that man commandeth it § 12 But because this is so oft repeated as if all the world were drunk with Hobbism Parkerism believing That the Superior commanding not the inferiour obeying must answer for the sin if any be committed by any such obedience Let us discourse this point a little In the first place this must be an exception to the general rule of Gods word which hath told us The soul that sinneth shall dy and the child shall not be punished for the parent or else it must be a new gloss or a thing forgotten by St John when he described sin to us to be A transgression of the law And Thirdly They should do well to tell us which way the obliquity of one creatures action should pass to another creature that he should bear his Brothers sin Again if the command of superiors will justify the Inferiours from guilt in their acts of obedience to their commands The Command of the Pope will do it for all under his jurisdiction and would have done it for us here in England while he was here without controle
allowed to be the Head of the church But our forefathers the Martyrs were not of this impudent Religion If they had they might have saved their lives But let us hear what hath been the opinion of more valuable and ancient Protestants in this case we will instance in two both eminent Bishops of Salisbury The one at the beginning of the Reformation The other dying within a few years last past Bp Jewel and Bp Davenant § 13 What Bishop Jewel thought may be read in his Apology against Harding chap. 2. Divis 7. The subject saith he is bound to obey his Prince how be it not in all things but where Gods glory is not touched These Nobles he speakes of those in Scotland had learned of St. Peter It is better to obey God then man And of the Prophet David It is better to trust in God then in Princes for they are mortal and shall dy Neither may a Godly Prince take it as any dishonour to his estate to see God obeyed before him for he is not God but the minister of God Leo saith Christ determined That we should give to God the things that are Gods and to Cesar the things that are Cesars Verily this is not to rebel against Cesar but to help him c. § 14 In the next place let us hear Bp Davenant in his excellent commentary on the Collossians chap. 2. v. 23. Ignatius Loyola saith he the father of the Jesuites in that Epistle of his which is read in the Jesuites Colledge every month warneth and commandeth them seriously by a blind obedience absolutely to do whatsoever their superiors command not considering whether it be good or profitable yea or no for that saith he takes away the value and merit of obedience It is also the common opinion of the Papists That there ought to be in Christians such an humility of mind that they must not in the least doubt of those things which are commanded by the Church of Rome either to be believed or done in Religion or in the worship of God but we sayth he notwithstanding this truly say That this Blind obedience is not onely foolish but Impious and Irreligious 1 Because we are not bound to obey superiors but in cases wherein they are our superiors now as to Doctrines of Faith and Divine worship God alone is our superior If therefore men indeavour to forge new Doctrines of faith or to bring in a New worship they go beyond the bounds of that power which is committed to them and are not in this thing acknowledged to be our superiors 2 Because the command of an inferiour power doth not oblige to obedience when it contradicteth the command of a superiour power Asts 4. 19. We must rather obey God then man 3 Because no intelligent person will expose himself to the danger of mortal Sinning as the school men speak but whosoever voweth and performeth absolute subjection and blind obedience to man exposeth himself to a manifest hazard for every man may err by commanding those things that are evil According to the Doctrine of our new edition of Divines we would gladly understand how any man can run a danger either of mortal sin or venial either by doing any thing in obedience to the command of superiors 4 Because what is proper to God cannot without great impiety be given to men But an absolute dominion over mens souls bodies is proper to God alone To him the will of man oweth an absolute obedience to him his understanding oweth in all things a prompt assent But those who require this obedience of us use to object That it is not the subjects part to judge of the faith actions of their superiors they seem therefore to recede from their duty when they doubt whether the things be true and lawful which are published and confirmed by the Authority of those who are set over them This he answereth Subjects neither may nor ought with a judgment of Authority to judge of their superiors actions but they may and ought to judge of them so far as concerneth themselves with a judgment of Discretion Aquinas excellently gives the reason of it Every one saith he is bound to examin his own acts according to the knowledge which he hath from God Whether it be natural acquired or infused for he is bound to act according to Reason It is saith he confirmed by the Examples of all pious men who although they did not arrogate to themselves a judgment of Authority upon Magistrates or Prelates yet they used their judgment of Discretion concerning things commanded by them Thus far that Reverend and very Learned man § 15 This is the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches and was wont to be the Doctrine of the Fathers in the Church of England and we humbly offer it to the consideration of our Rulers whether there can be greater factors for Popery in England then those who so boldly assert the duty of Blind Jesuitical Obedience and declaim against the Judgment of private and practical Discretion The first is the very foundation of Popery The latter the foundation of the Protestant Religion § 16 But to proceed with Mr. Freeman he telleth us The Nonconformists have in word granted more then he asketh Let us first know what he asketh then see what they have granted that which he asketh is our concession That it is lawful in the worship of God to do somethings not commanded by God What have the Nonconformists granted He instanceth in three things 1 To command in the circumstances of divine worship what is generally commanded in the word of God 2 To appoint time and place 3 To appoint such circumstances without which the worship of God in the judgment of common Reason Must be indecently and disorderly performed of which he makes the following improvement p. 35. Of the Reasonableness of Divine service 1 A form of prayer is but a circumstance of Prayer and I have proved That if the Magistrate think them convenient they are in the general commanded 2 If he can appoint the time and place which he thinketh most convenient though otherwise it would be less he would fain know a reason why he may not appoint a form which he thinketh most expedient though otherwise it would be less expedient To appoint to begin at such a time is as really a limitation of the Spirit as to appoint a form For the ordinary reason which they speak of it must either be the Reason of the Magistrate or of the People or both If they mean the reason of the people Then the sense is That the Magistrate hath power to appoint such things as the People judge reasonable We thank them for nothing If both we thank them for as much If they mean that Reason which is best without restraining it to any subject I reply That Reason in the Idea doth nothing but as it is somebodie 's Reason Except the Magistrate hath power to command what he apprehendeth agreable
to the best Reason He must command what the Subjects apprehend so or nothing at all therefore it remains That that Reason which must judge what is indecent must be the Magistrates and if he commandeth such things as be indecent so they be not otherwise unlawful The people must submit To all which we answer § 17 As to the matter of our present debate There were no great loss in granting all he saith for the matters pleaded against are not onely pleaded as indecent though none hath power to command any indecent thing in Gods worship but as unlawful But we know he would then say we must not then use this as a medium to prove them so Because they are not commanded We will therefore reply more strictly § 18 He saith we have granted a power to superiors to command particular circumstances of Divine worship which circumstances are generally commanded For Example Reverence and Order are commanded generally as Moral duties and especial regard is to be had to them in the worship of God If any will come to the publick Congregation in the ridiculous habits of moris-dancers or naked The Magistrate may for ought we know command them into a gaol But what is this to our Authors purpose A form of prayer he saith is but a circumstance and that is generally commanded in the Divine precepts for obedience to Magistrates We answer that we do indeed make a great difference between a circumstance and a Ceremony The first we say is appendant to an action as an human action The latter to a Religious action as a Religious action But we do not know that in reference to Divine worship men may appoint whatsoever may come under the notion of a Circumstance in the Latitude of the term nor do we think our Brethren judge all circumstances in worship determinable by creatures § 19 There is a Rhetorical notion of a circumstance and so Circumstances are usually comprehended in that verse Quis quid ubi quibus auxiliis cur quomodo quando If this Author thinks That all Circumstances of Divine worship in this large notion are determinable by man he must affirm That Magistrates may appoint whom they please to Baptize administer the Sacraments That is the Quis. And that if the Magistrate thinks fit to command men to worship God before an image that also becomes lawful quibus auxiliis is a circumstance he knows There is a Logical notion of a circumstance and so a circumstance is Quicquid rei praeter essentiam adjungitur Whatsoever is added to the essence of a thing and in this sense no ceremony can be a circumstance for the Appropriation of it to the Religious action makes it a piece of Homage done to God so as it partakes of the general nature of the whole action in which it is used We never thought that men might institute or appoint such circumstances as wanted nothing but a Divine institution to make them True Divine worship Will any say There was nothing of divine Homage in the High Priests garments which he might never put on but in his approaches to God we by Circumstances understand Appendants to actions as meer humane actions such are Time Place and possibly so much of the quomodo as is natural to restrain an indecency and disorder which the light of nature or the particular custom of the place sheweth to be such These things we believe in their kind required in the General precepts of Gods word for order and decency hence it appeareth § 20 The fault was not in us but in his own Reson That as he tells us he cannot see why the Magistrate may not as well command forms of Prayer as determine Time Places Are therefore forms of prayer in the general necessary to the act as human or as Religious Or could any one think That Gods word should set down a certain rule for times and particular places of worship for all churches in the world This is so miserable trifling as we are ashamed to make any reply to But we must follow the Author yet further § 21 He would know whose Reason must judge in the case Whether the Reason of the Magistrate or of the people To which we freely answer If the question be about Lawful or Vnlawful Every private Christians Reason must judge as to his own practice unless we will turn Papist and vow Blind obedience If the thing be confessed both by the superior and the inferiour A thing in it self indifferent we believe most Noncon will allow the judgment to their superiors If the Author will but consult Bp. Jewells Apology pag. 435. He will find him laughing at the Papists for their obedience in carying baskets from Palestina to Damascus Sitting 7 years together Silent and watering for 12 months together a dead tree Let the author determin whose Reason was to judge in those cases § 22 To make the business short In all Religious commands there must appear to the person that obeyeth some Reason from a divine command either particularly or generally requiring the thing The meer will and authority of an another in these things is not reason enough to justify our obedience In matters of that nature we must be very wary of idle and superfluous actions To be of no use and insignificant is enough in worship to make a gesture or action sinful yea and an appropriated habit too There lyeth no necessity upon the superior to command any such things nay to do it will be a sin unto him as Gideons Ephod was a snare to his house Judg. 8. 27. Precepts in such things must be for farther use and evidently so then to try inferiours obedience The lawfulness or policy of precepts of no farther significancy in things of a meer civil nature may be disputed The Magistrate is the minister of God for good Rom. 13. 4. But in these matters it is out of question In matters of civil nature the Magistrate hath unquestionably a far greater power then in them yet even in those things he that will not grant that all commands must refer to some general or particular good will be brought to strange absurdities But he is a judge of good especially in particular relating to political concerns he is judge of the best means of order and policy and every particular person is not to be a privy counsellor which warranteth in such things much of a blind obedience Besides there are various dispositions of people several complexions of Political bodies for all which it is not imaginable that God in his word should have set down particular laws for their preservation and civil order Nor hath God in his word laid out any general platforms of civil Government But in Matters of worship There is both a general and sufficient rule all the Earth is tied to worship God and to worship God by the same acts Every particular person may and ought to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God so as
there being a sufficient rule for worship in Scripture both for the Acts and Rites and Means of it supposing time and place by the church determined or by the Magistrate either people following no other rules then the light of nature and of Scripture sheweth them may so worship God as neither he will be offended nor any good man need be scandalized It is every individual Christians duty to enquire into the Mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven and to be acquainted with the laws of Divine worship and he cannot do that there in meer obedience to his superior which he can neither see the Light of Nature Reason or Scripture requireth of him or which his conscience or Reason telleth him is idle superfluous or ludicrous and so under such circumstances repugnant to the Divine will without an high profanation of the holy name of God If such things be commanded he must patiently suffer if he doth them he unquestionably sinneth against the Lord who in matters of his external worship hath particularly told him That he is a Jealous God § 23 But our Author goes on telling us There are particular commands and examples of forms of prayer in Scripture Davids Psalms are prayers so Hos 14. 2. Joel 2. 10. Acts 4. 24. Luke 11. 2. Though this be sufficiently before answered yet in short we again desire our reader to consider That if this Author by commands doth not mean That there is some command that the church of God and all the ministers in it at least in some National church should use ordinarily in their stated Solemn prayer certain forms made by others he saith nothing to the purpose we have said again and again That we do not think Forms of Prayer unlawful That we are not against forms to be used by some persons at some times much less against them as made by any minister for his own use and the proposing of a form which those who will may use David made some Psalms which were forms of Prayer but did he make an Act of Uniformity too Again a great Prophet and Penman of holy writ made forms of Prayer Suppose he had enjoyned the constant use of them too in all places of publick worship may therefore men that are no Prophets no Penmen of Scripture no pretenders to such an inspiration do the like Farther suppose That it could be proved which it never can that there were forms of Prayer composed for and used in the Jewish church or that the Lords prayer was intended for a form of words and commanded to be ordinarily used for a time yet we never met with any that said The Apostles might ordinarily use no other how doth this prove That it was the will of Christ concerning the church under the gospel That because Christ who was the head of the church enjoined the use of such a form Therefore any Superior deriving from him may do the like and add fourty times as much and enjoyn it to all ministers after Christs ascension on high pouring out the gifts of his Spirit upon all flesh who seeth not what pitiful inconclusive arguments these are But our Author pretendeth to give some reasons for the Necessity of Imposing forms of prayer They are but the Ordinary topicks which all make use of in the case we will therefore reserve them for a proper place and go on yet with our other arguments CHAP. V. The Fourth Argument stated Because actively to obey in this case is to grant a principle improveable to suppress the total exercise of the gift of prayer in Publick meetings Families Closets all places to which the superiors dominion extends To say This is not yet commanded is in part false as to prayers before and after sermons if true no answer The Vanity of those that say though the superior may impose in part yet not in whole The Quota pars not determined nor determinable from Scripture Reason No power in man to suppress the total exercise of any ministerial gift § 1. OUr Fourth Argument we state thus To agree a principle which being agreed is of sufficient force to restrain the total exercise of the gift of prayer is sinful But to agree it lawful for ministers ordinarily in their Solema prayers to perform their acts of prayer by the prescribed forms of others were to agree such a principle Ergo. We hope there is none will deny the Major until he hath proved to us That it is lawful for man wholly to suppress any ministerial gift and make it useless as to its end yea and sinful to use it at any time which to us appears a strange task we shall therefore at present not labour in the establishing of that taking it to shine sufficiently in its own light § 2 For the Minor we say All Prayer is either Publick in the Congregation or Domestick in the family or Private or Secret in the Closet For that which is made in the Congregation We are indeed often told That the minister hath a power left him to pray before and after Sermon But 1 Suppose he had yet he may be restraind we hope by the superiors precept and if he be we hope he is bound to Obey it For why should it be less lawful for him to ty himself to the use of forms in the Pulpit then in the Desk 2 But it were worth the examining whether he hath such a liberty Did the late Bishop of Durham Dr. Cousins think so Let any minister in his diocess enquire about that Did Bishop wren think so Doth Mr. Kemp think so Let the Reader read his sermon on this subject Doth the Act of Parliament say so But once for all Let the Reader judge of this by what he shall find in the Printed account of the proceedings of the Commissioners of both persuasions p. 19. He shall find The Commissioners on the Bishops side and they were no less then eleven Bishops and nine Doctors of Divinity of which five have since been made Bishops thus speaking We heartily desire that according to this Proposal great care may be taken to suppress those private conceptions both before and after sermon least private opinions be made the matter of prayer in publick as hath and will be if private persons take liberty to make publick prayers Here is Heartily desire and Great care to be taken to suppress private conceptions both before and after Sermon It seemes they apprehended The law gave no such liberty and therefore are very heartily desirous the Executors of it would take care yea and great care too that none might take it Let us therefore hear no more of a liberty not so much as indulged and if it were no more then indulged for ministers at all to use their ministerial gift in prayer There is no such liberty but as assumed § 3 So that the publick ministerial exercise of this gift is wholly supprest but yet we are told Ministers may in their families use their gifts
prayer or of a Sermon in the Directory Who ever heard any minister tying himself to the words there Doth not the name shew the matter of that book It onely directs the general matter which fourty other books do both as to Prayer and preaching and surely it is a charitable work Where doth it so much as direct much less prescribe a form of words or command the use of any such thing M r. Freemans Readers must take heed they look with their own eyes for never were more impudent imposings of that nature then some men are now hardy enough to make But possibly he goes on to more purpose I cannot saith he conceive them to be so unlearned as yet to learn why forms of sermons should not be imposed as well as forms of Prayer A mans mother-wit may prompt him with two Reasons We must confess we are so unlearned and ready to sit at this Gamaliels feet if he can instruct us in the case and onely fear his Mother-wit as he calls it not sufficient to instruct us or any part of the reasonable world in this point But let us hear his two Reasons for any thing of that nature shall be welcome to us His first Reason as he calls it he thus delivereth § 5 Because in the Sermon the minister speaketh what he thinketh is true if it appeareth otherwise the people may reject it But in prayer the Minister in the name of the people for he saith not I but we presenteth desires to God which sometimes happen to be quite contrary to the desires of some yea of all the people It may possibly fall out that the people cannot join with him in one expression whereby it comes to pass That both the Ministers Prayer is a falshood and that the people being in a praying posture do make a kind of Profession that they say Amen to those petitions which their souls Abominate Which makes it appear why there is more Reason that people should know beforehand what shall be prayed then what shall be preach which foreknowledge is the effect of forms To all which we answer That foreknowledge indeed may be the effect of forms provided that he who Readeth readeth them true at which we have more then once heard some very unhappy but the Question is what need there is That people should aforehand know the Words and Syllables by which their minds should be expressed to God more then the Words and Syllables by which Gods will should be declared unto them both duties must be done in the exercises of Faith Love Reverence Meekness Humility c. The pretended Reason now produced by this acute Author is Because in preaching the minister speaketh what he thinkes to be truth and if it be otherwise the people may reject it It is true That the Minister in speaking if he be not a very wretch speaketh what he thinketh to be true and that too in a Theological sense for he is the steward of the mysteries of God and of stewards it is required that they should be faithful he is the Embassador of Christ and God intreateth by him 2 Cor. 5. 20. It is as true That it is possible that a ministers words may be otherwise What Remedy hath the people They may reject them he saith that is not believe them 2 They may if he goeth on complain to the church who are to say to Archippus Take heed to thy Ministry If yet he will go on in such kind of preaching they may and ought to remove him Is it not the very same case as to Prayer should not he who prayeth petition for such things as he believeth to be according to the will of God Suppose he doth not May not the people at the time withold their Amen May they not complain of him to the officers of the church Should not they admonish him And if he go's on remove him from his station What shadow is here of different Reason But he saith In Prayer the minister speaketh in the name of the People for he saith not I but we Pitiful And when he is preaching doth he not speak in the name of God Is he not in Christs stead 2 Cor. 5. 20. We would have the reader but consider Which ought more warily to be done Is there a fear that the minister in Prayer should beg of God something which the people would not have him ask which indeed as to many of the people who have no mind to be purged of their lusts he doth every time he prayeth as he ought to pray And is there no fear that in preaching the Minister should declare something which God would not have him declare And is not this full as ordinary and a thousand times greater error For it is not the peoples willings that is our Rule in prayer but Gods will on the behalf of people And we think The same reveiled will of God is the rule of our preaching too as well as Prayer And we would fain know Why the people may not withold their Amen in Prayer as well as in Preaching And their faith and Assent in hearing Are not these subtil ratiocinations for one to Domineer over his brethren with He saith It may sometime so happen that a Prayer may be put up and the people cannot join in one Petition That surely is a rare case And it may be it is nothing but the error and lusts of their hearts hinder them but that in the same prayer they may join in every petition the Prayer for all this may be for things according to the will of God and in the name of Christ which is the ministers rule not the peoples sentiments and lusts But let us now compare Is is not possible also That a preachment or Harangue may be made in a pulpit in which the people cannot find one entire proposition which they can give assent to How many discourses of late years have we had in Pulpits pretending to prove Men have a natural power to things Spiritually good That we are not justified by the imputed Righteousness of Christ but by our own works How many perfect Satyrs Raillerys and Evomitions of the lusts and choler in the Preachers hearts Such as people could not assent to one Proposition nor in hearing exercise the least Faith Love or Reverence but according to Gods will they have abhorred and abominated But he saith The people being in a praying posture do make a profession of assent to the Petitions which they abominate Doth their posture do it in prayer will not their presence and sitting still do the same in hearing May they shew their dissent in preaching by turning their backs and departing and may they not do the same in Prayer if they see cause So as this first pretended Reason signifieth just nothing Nay it may be improved to an higher advantage for us See the Commissioners Accompt of their Proceedings p. 20 21. It is known that in Preaching a man hath far greater
opportunity to vent a private opinion then in Prayer It is known de eventu That it is much more ordinary And if you say that in Preaching The minister speaks not the words of the Church but his own nor unto God but man and therefore it is a less matter We answer It is as considerable if not much more from whom he speaketh then to whom In preaching he speaks as a minister of Christ in his stead and name 2 Cor. 5. 19 20. And it is as an higher so a more Reverend thing to speak in Gods name to people Then in the peoples name to God and to speak that which we call Gods word Truth or Message Then that which we call our own desire We make God a liar or corrupt his word if we speak in his Name a falshood we make but our selves lyars if we speak a falshood to him in our own names The former therefore is the more heinous and dreadful abuse and more to be avoided We might further add That if there were any reason in this Reason it would be of equal force against all conceived Prayers before others as well in the Pulpit as in the Desk as well in the family as in the more publick Congregation Let us now see if Ireneus Freemans Second Reason hath any thing more in it He gives it us in these words § 6 Because the minister in his preaching is to expound confirm and apply all the Articles of faith as occasion shall be which is a work would require many days if not years It would be endless to comprice the substance of all Sermons in forms But we pray for the same things continually and therefore the Directory saw reason to put down the matter of prayer though not of sermons Here the Author forgot he but even now had told us the Directory had put many lamentable restraints upon preaching Here now we confess is something that hath a great shew of Reason Against the flail of Necessity there is no defence It must be obeyed and hath no law If it be true as he saith That forms of sermons cannot be made comprehensive of all we are to preach he saith something To prove this he assumes 1 That the minister in preaching is to open confirm and apply all the Articles of faith 2 That the substance of these cannot be comprehended in forms The First is granted but the stress lieth upon the Second and our advantage is That no medium will serve him to make it good But That they are infinite for if they be finite they may doubtless with all their appurtenances of Explication Confirmation and Application be limited by forms The question is not whether 12 or 24 forms will comprehend them But whether No Number of forms are comprehensive of them Are not all the Articles of faith with plentiful Explication Confirmation and Application of them conteined in many books Suppose now supperiours should command all Ministers in stead of studying the Scriptures and composing discourses of their own to read some of these books by portions The question is Whether they might lawfully do this instead of composing sermons themselves and then preaching them or of he should command them That for three parts of four of their time used to be spent in sermons of their own They should do this and leave them at liberty for a fourth part to preach from their own parts and abilities Were this lawful If he saith yes we are sure that D r. Ames M r. Perkins and all valuable authors we have met with have determined the contrary and do believe the whole company of Christian hearers would be found of another mind And could we think this lawful We should see no further need of Vniversities then to accomplish a few Gentelmen with some Philology for which four colledges might serve in stead of 34. If he saith Such a command were not lawful nor could lawfully be complied with We would understand the Reason why All ministers might not in this case lawfully obey Certainly it must be because in doing this They should contrary to the Apostolical command Neglect the gift that is in them or not stir it up nor rightly divide the word of God instead of shewing themselves workmen that need not be ashamed they should shew themselves no workmen at all If such a thing might not be lawfully commanded what can be the reason but Because man who hath no power but what he deriveth from God can have no power to suppress and smother those ministerial gifts with which the most wise God hath immediately furnished his ministers with as means in order to their ministerial acts and by their having or not having of which the Church must judge whether God hath called or not called them to the ministry We do here allow our superiours both in church and state a great power 1 In regard that he who desires that office 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 desires a noble work and that a Bishop as the Apostle saith should be blameless c. apt to teach 1 Tim. 3. 1 2 3. Holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience v. 9. and therefore v. 10. He must be first proved We say the church is to prove them whether they be indeed sent of God or meerly thrust on by their desire of gain or love of preheminence And in this judgment we say The church acteth in the place of God and we do think the Christian Magistrate may appoint some of the church to do this work 2 In regard all men are fallible and those entrusted with this Judgment may be mistaken in their judgment and find that the persons they have sent our are not what they took them for but blameable persons lazy covetous unfit to teach winebibers strikers men of ill report unsound in the faith we do allow a judgment to the church in case any be found such to say to Archippus Take heed to thy ministry to admonish them to remove them and we say the Magistrate may command this from the church but still allowing them men fit for their stations We say None can hinder them in the use of their gifts though they may be restrained in and reproved for the abuse or disorderly use of them For what the superiour doth he doth vice Dei in the place of God and God having given his ministers gifts as means in order to this work cannot be presumed to will the omission of them whence it must follow That the commands of the church in such a case are contrary to the will of God and to be superseded by It is better to obey God then man The same reason holds against forms of prayer to be imposed upon all ministers yet certainly forms of Preaching are as necessary 1 For Vniformity 2 To prevent Heresy 3 For people to know and deliberate beforehand what they should give their assent unto which are the great arguments for forms of Prayer to which we shall hereafter
speak particularly § 7 Mr. Freeman assumeth in the third place what is false viz. That we are continually to pray for the same things Certainly we have neither the same sins at all times to confess nor the same wants at all times to begg a supply of nor the same receipts of mercy at all times to give thanks for and therefore forms of prayer will no more fit us then forms of preaching where neither have we any new gospel or doctrine to preach Witness that known Ipswich story Where an eminent son of the church not being able out of the Liturgy to fit the case of the man that was goared by an Ox with a thanks giving was put to it to read in his case The office for churching women We must profess we tremble at the force of the consequence of this Argument so horrid a thing do we look upon it to establish a power in man at his pleasure to smother and totally to suppress ministerial gifts The great means which God hath thought fit immediately to give and by his word to appoint for converting and perfecting souls and make them wholly useless That we stand amazed that any understanding Christian should agree to it § 8 But we hear some saying That they do not agree to any such power though they think they shall not sin in obeying such a command yet they think the superior sinneth in commanding To which we answer We must grant that there are many things which the superiour cannot command but he must sin yet the people may without sin obey if they be commanded And in requital to us for this concession we are sure the most wise and sober of our brethren will grant to us That there are thousands of other things which can neither lawfully be commanded nor obeyed if commanded The question is in which order of things The ordinary discharge of our Ministerial acts in prayer by the prescribed forms of others is Or whether in neither of them but such as may both be universally commanded also used Our Brethren we believe judge the last but for advantage against us Suppose them in the first order we think them in the Second order Because Prayer is a divine institution Praying and Preaching are both so and great means in order to the conversion edification and eternal salvation of souls and that in order to both of them God hath furnished his ministers with gifts Man saith you shall not use that means but another mean in the performance of those acts which I judge more accommodate to this end then your own gift To say no more Those who think That obedience in this case is not a disobedience to God seem not to have that Reverence for God which we desire that our souls may be possessed of to judge his wisdom paramount to the wisdom of men § 9 When we could relieve our selves by thinking But there is yet no such thing required of us or ordinarily to perform our ministerial acts in preaching by reading sermons made to our hands We find we cannot because our consciences tell us we grant the Principle That it may be done and if commanded we are obliged no more to dispute such command In granting man a power to suppress or smother one ministerial gift we yeild him a power for him to impose upon us as to the other and oblige our selves to obey We must profess let others think what they please we cannot but judge That those who can swallow this and stumble at a Ceremony do but strain at a gnat while unwarily they swallow a camel This is more to us then a thousand surplices or rings in marriages But we have said enough to establish this argument which we cannot find any where answered in the All-satisfying Mr. Hooker CHAP. VII The Sixth Argument Stated and Justifyed Whether the precept for ministerial Vocal prayer includes not the use of our own gifts The precept for preaching ordinarily so interpreted There is in all languages a difference betwixt the words that signify to Read and those by which the Action of Prayer is exprest § 1 WE proceed to a Sixth Argument which we thus form To pretend to perform an act of Divine worship and at the same time not to do it is sinful But for ministers furnished by God with the gift of prayer to perform their ministerial Acts in prayer by the prescribed forms of others is to pretend to the performance of an act of Divine worship and at the same time not to do it Ergo. The proposition will be granted by all who will be so just as to acknowledge It is sinful both to mock God and to deceive our own souls so as all we have to prove is the Assumption and that depends upon the resolution of this single question Whether the Precepts for Vocal ministerial prayer doth not imply the first forming of the petitions in our hearts which we utter with our lips Where we desire our Reader to observe That the question is not about the precept for Prayer in the general but about Vocal prayer when we are to express the desires of our hearts by the words of our lips such is all Ministerial prayer The case is quite otherwise when we onely pray but do not minister in prayer We know Hannah may pray and her voice not be heard but we also know That a minister in his publick ministry must not so pray as we hope all will grant Now we profess we do very much incline to the affirmative part of the question That is we think wheresoever God hath commanded his ministers in their Publick ministry to pray The meaning is That they should first in their own hearts form such petitions as they judge according to the will of God both on their own behalf and their peoples and then to express such conceptions and desires by their own words and we are induced thus to judge from these reasons § 2 The whole world almost the Christian world we mean thus interpreteth for Preaching No sober Divine that ever we met with ever said that a minister of the gospel could discharge his ministerial office in preaching no not in one Individual Act by reading or reciting another mans sermon Mr. Perkins Dr. Amer two of our Protestant Casuists determin the quite contrary and tell us That To Read or recite another mans sermon is not to preach and therefore a late hypercritical son of the church took himself concerned in a book printed some few years since to distinguish between Preaching and Teaching and took upon him to learn us a new lesson That a Minister is not bound to Preach but to Teach And that if we may believe him he may do By reading anothers Sermon or good book By writing a good book By setting another to teach By living a good life c. But none we know off ever affirmed That to read or recite another mans Sermon was a lawful discharge of the
do onely that which the meanest person in the church had a natural ability or power to do There is nothing plainer in the whole book of God then that God hath established a peculiar order of persons to be his ministers in his name to declare his will unto his people and on their behalf to intercede with God in prayer Now if they may do the one by forms of sermons made for them and the other by forms of prayer also made for them This is no more then the meanest of their people could do as well as they it requireth no extraordinary knowledge in the Scriptures no study and meditation c. The minister of the gospel would onely stand distinguished from the people by imposition of hands upon him He would have nothing to do but what any one might do supposing him under the same circumstances of ordination The Apostle Paul needed onely have given Timothy a charge to have found out faithful men for such as should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 able they were easy enough to find if this were all the ability requisite Now we cannot entertain any such thoughts of God especially considering how much care he hath taken in his word For a double honour for such as labour in the word and Doctrine which Divines do interpret of Reverence and Honour and Maintenance And if that be not the sense of that phrase yet we are sure that both of them are by many other Scriptures required for the ministers of the gospel Supposing this were lawful there were no great reason for either 1 Not for any peculiar maintenance it were but ordaining so many of the people and that charge might be saved Besides the reasonableness of maintenance depends very much upon their separation from worldly businesses that they might study and attend to their office and be fit for their work but none of this were needful if the great acts of their ministerial office might be so discharged 2 For Honour and Reverence God that knoweth our frame knew it would be hard to gain of the world a reverence for those whom people should onely see their superiors in a notion or by an inoperative character We therefore observe that God himself when hee called any to a place of publick employment constantly capacitated them to some farther noble and powerful actions then others could do or set upon them some special sensible marks of his favour by which rationally an honour and reverence was gained for them Moses is called up to the mount his face shineth so as they were not able to look upon him Moses and Aaron are empowred to do miracles So also the Prophets and the latter to soretel future contingencies The Apostles work miracles speak with tongues c. and though these extraordinary miraculous operations be ceased which were at first to give the gospel credit in the world yet he still gives gifts unto men and that which gains a reverence for ministers is when people see them in gifts and graces higher by the shoulders then themselves There is nothing of such efficacy to destroy the ministry and to make the officers and offerings to be a contempt as to let the people see or to induce them to believe that they are no other then what the meanest of them could offer And of this every day giveth such an ample experience That it were idle for us to spend many words in the proof of it But this would follow viz. That God hath erected a sort of officers to do that which the meanest people might do as will as they if it be lawful ordinarily to perform ministerial acts in Prayer and preaching by the prescribed forms of others for setting aside the application of those general acts there is nothing in the administration of the Sacraments but any one may do who hath hands and a tongue This makes it very probable to us That this principle is false and that it is not lawful c. § 2 It were an easy thing to multiply arguments but we shall onely instance in one thing more and that is those unblest effects which are matters of demonstration to us We hope the Argument will not be judged improper both because our Saviour hath learned us the Topick and most of the Arguments brought for such forms are beholding to this Topick Besides that we say in Logick Talis causa qualis effectus which it true where the effects are natural and any way necessary Yea or ordinary But our Saviour hath taught us to conclude what the tree is from the fruits Math. 7 Let us therefore instance in some too evident effects of forms of prayer universally imposed and to be ordinarily used by ministers 1 The First is The filling of the church of God with an ignorant lazy and sottish ministry This we confess is no necessary consequent A minister may be a diligent painful holy man that yet in his ministerial prayer may think fit to use the prescribed forms of others Blessed be God we have had and have very many that are so Far be it from us either to say or think otherwise But we say That the establishing this for universal use opens a door for such persons to enter in and as a deluge overflow the Church And while such a door is open it is not to be expected but they will enter in and it is evident many such have ordinarily entred in Experience tells us That conscience is not enough in all to oblige them to their duty nay That the very best of men had need of all the obligations that can be laid upon them over and above the bare obligation of conscience arising from the force of the Divine precept We have before said That forms of sermons may every whit as lawfully be imposed as forms of prayer Supposing both we would fain know why a minister may not neglect the use or stirring up of his own gifts improving his mind by study and meditation nay if his own lusts so incline him why he may not spend the whole week at an alehouse and be ready too for his work on the Lords day He will have no ty upon him to take more pains in his study and meditations from the work he hath to do nor from any honour in doing of it well his work if it be meerly to read first Prayers then an Homily needs no preliminary pains and may be done as laudably ex tempore as upon the longest premeditation Whereas if every one were obliged to pray and preach constantly in person and in the excercise of their own gifts men would have an obligation upon them to study to meditate and to give up themselves to their proper work and would not find so much leisure for markets and taverns and coffee-houses Or were forms of prayer onely recommended and left to liberty men would have some obligation upon them from honour and repute to Take heed to their ministry Besides the Test of
ministers upon ordination would be proportionable none would be admitted to that sacred office but such of whose abilities both for praying and preaching a trial would be first made and those fitter for any other employments would and that justly be remitted to the prosecution of them whereas indeed there is no reason for such a scrutiny if according to the Doctrine of one whom we knew but wonder how he raised it from his text That Reading is Preaching and Teaching he should have added praying too A very ordinary Ordinary may judge An legat ut clericus But this is but the first ill effect we thought reasonable to instance in § 3 A Second of no whit inferior evil consequence is The loss of ministerial gifts and abilities as to persons that minister That this de facto is and hath proved the effect of forms is past all denial from a Clericus cum libro came a clericus absque libro non valet ova duo Multitudes of instances of this nature are and have been we have known some of us persons of honour and quality by this very thing brought out of love with prescribed forms sending for one after another in a sickness and finding them not able to pray with them beyond the office for visitation of the sick and the Litany § 4 Thus is that Scripture fulfilled Math. 25. 29. For unto every one that hath shall be given and he shall have abundance but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath To every one that hath i. e. That hath for his Masters use That hath and useth them for his Masters service and honour in the Acts for the performance of which his Master hath given them to him To him shall be given and he shall have more abundance His gifts shall improve and grow more and more But from him that hath gifts as the man in that parable had his masters talent so as to have them not for his masters use i. e. so as not to use them in his masters service for the performance of those acts to capacitate him for the performance of which his master hath given them even that which he hath shall be taken away he shall loose his parts and gifts § 5 Nor is this more then the providence of God doth ordinarily make the punishment of the not using any habits either wholly acquired or though founded in nature yet improved by study and practice whether of more or less Spiritual tendency Every days experience teacheth us it The preserving almost of any gift or faculty depending upon the use and exercise of it A knowledge and skill in writing or speaking any language or in the practice of any art whether liberal or mechanick is in a few years lost by disuse of practice So as it is not at all to be wondred at that there should be the same effect of a disuse of a Spiritual gift which we naturally do not so much delight in as in such which are of a more secular use and afford us more sensible profit and pleasure § 6 We do know That a constant exercise of the gift of prayer though it be but in our families will preserve the gift in a great measure We say in a great measure for wholly it will not we frequently see That the minister who can with great freedom preach to a few in a country-church is not able to do so in a great or learned auditory through a diffidence and distrust in himself And we believe the same of a minister that is consciencious to use his own gifts to pray twice a day in his family if he wholly omits the like performance in a congregation and tieth up himself to a form we much question whether after some few years he would be able if he set himself to it to pray otherwise then by a form in the Congregation we see he that hath used himself to notes cannot preach without them how able soever he be § 7 We do with all humble thankfulness to God and due honour to the persons acknowledge That very many of our brethren in the ministry who do conform have not felt this ill effect of their use of forms but are able to pray pro re natâ as God offers them occasions and that to great acceptation and with eminent abilities But as the number of these comparatively is very few so we believe that both they and we are for this preservation of those eminent gifts beholding not onely to their constant praying without prescribed forms in their families But also to that liberty of praying by conceived prayer before and after sermon which they have assumed and do assume a liberty no more then indulged to them The statute-law alloweth it not It is sufficiently known That diverse late Bishops Who may be presumed to have known the law both of church and state severely forbad it suspended diverse for the use of it And we do believe that even to these of our brethren who yet by this means preserve their emeninent gifts Seven years experience of tying themselves to prescribed forms in the pulpit as well as in the desk would justify what we say and that at the end of them they would find a decay at least of those gifts though all this while nursed up by a more private practice in their families Ability to the publick exercise of ministerial gifts will like some creatures hardly be kept alive in a confinement to the walls of a private house § 8 Besides that as we before proved granting the lawfulness of these commands as to and ministers practice in publick prayer and the liberty of using ministers gifts at all in publick prayer may at any time be knockt down by the same cudgel And for the liberty of using gifts in private Domestickprayer it will not be able with any modesty to ask farther favour then that of Polyphemus to be devoured last it will but wait for such a command as is now with reference to Desk-prayer and hath been lately throughout some diocesses pressed as to all publick Pulpit-prayer and as we heard before passionatly wished That it might be revived and urged for they thought there is already a warrant by law though dormant for it and then certainly all ministerial gifts would quickly sleep their last sleep § 9 Besides this How many are there while publick prescribed forms are imposed who will magnify them they must be the very sword of Goliah none to them And this must be taken defide as matter of faith because the church commands them without examining either the comprehensiveness of the matter or the decency of the form or the dueness of the connexion of phrases or the safety of any expressions or the fitness of their fashion to the present age to excite affections and while they do so they will think and do think using their gifts in their families while they have a publickbook in the house like offering a
female while they have a male in their flock and accordingly in hundreds of ministers families there is nothing heard but the Prayers of the Church or if any thing It must be a form conceived-Conceived-prayers are defamed the others have all the repute and hence it is That though indeed the loss of ministerial gifts be not an universal and necessary effect of ministers limiting themselves by prescribed forms in some parts of publick worship yet it is a certain effect as to very many and is like enough to be as to many more as that practice shall gain more repute and authority But we shall add no more to our discourse upon this second effect § 10 A third if not natural effect yet experimented consequence of them and that of a very sad and melancholick consideration is a floud of iniquity which the universal imposing of them hath for more now then an hundred years caused in our parts of the world This This hath been the mother of those bitter words with which many and those ministers of the gospel both in pulpits and in printed books have vexed the righteous souls of their brethren who have had nothing to reply but The Lord rebuke you Hence the uncharitable and ungodly representations to superiours of men of whom the world was not worthy Hence the suspensions and silencings of so many thousands the imprisonments and ruins of so many eminent servants of God with their families which have caused so many appeals to the great day and hath made so many thousand cases depending before the great tribunal betwixt poor ministers and their families and their Ecciesiastical superiours Hence the separations of Christians in communion one from another Upon this most be charged and at last come most of the suspensions silencings imprisonments revilings sufferings of all sorts of the righteous servants of God even from the first disturbance upon that account made at Franckfort by Dr. Cox hunting out Mr. Knox unto this very day which with a thousand evills more which we forbear to mention had been all prevented if Dr. Cox his Spirit and some others of his age could have allowed The ministers of God to have served him in the use of their own gifts or at least allowed That a puhlick Liturgy should have been by authority proposed and commended but left at liberty We will not say but many of our forefathers and brethren may by their passions have increased the heap of these sins we know they have and excuse them not unless it be a Tanto Zipporah under her circumstances might be a little excused though she threw the foreskin of the child at her husband and said A bloudly husband hast thou been to me § 11 We say That we reflecting upon these bitter effects and consequents which are obvious to every eye cannot but think it very probable That a submission to this practice is not lawful but the principle false which must justify our such submission viz. That it is lawful for us being ministers of the gospel who durst never have entred upon the sacred office of the ministry if we had not hoped and the church had not first judged That we were furnished with abilities both to pray and preach to perform our ministerial acts in prayer by reading or reciting forms prescribed by others We cannot but say surely if this thing had been pleasing in the sight of God if our Brethren that for these many years have done it had in it done what God would have had them do we should not have seen such effects and consequents of it and those so far from abating in this long process of time that we see them every day more and more increasing How be it in this thing we are far from judging our selves infallible and therefore do not condemn our brethren nor judge them who are otherwise minded to us in this case But pray God That if we be in the mistake God would reveil it to us But as we from our hearts believe so we speak so we must practice and beg no more then a liberty for us so to do leaving our Brethren to the latitude of their own consciences If we have said enough to evince to the world we are not such fools or sons of Belial as D r. Parker D r. Ashton and many more in their printed discourses would persuade our superiors we be and as we are daily represented from inconsiderate tongues of them that have the sole priviledge of publick-pulpits t is all we aim at And whether we have done that or no We freely leave to the judgment of all sober intelligent and unprejudiced persons It will be time enough when we are convinced by our adversaries or it be proved by them to the world That these arguments are of no force To examin whether we have not also probable arguments to persuade us That the use of significant ceremonies Reordination c. is not lawful We shall shut up our mouths and our discourse at present with considering in a single chapter what our Brethrens arguments are for the lawfulness or expediency of such prescribed forms to be universally imposed or used where we shall have liberty to weigh what contrary good effects of them are pretended And whether they will ballance these evil effects and consequents which we have mentioned CHAP. IX Several Arguments answered brought to prove the lawfulness of set forms by several Authors Ireneus Freemans and M r. Falconers reasons for the lawfulness or expediency of them considered and answered § 1 BEfore we come to reply to the Arguments alledged against our opinion in this case we shall onely desire our Reader to consider That all that which our Brethren labour for is but to prove the thing in dispute betwixt us may lawfully be commanded They do not so much as pretend it necessary This is all the Reverend Author of Libertas Ecclesiastica pretendeth to or indeed any other who hath wrote ought worthy of our notice § 2 But to make our work the shorter in answering objections let us admonish our Reader wistly to consider That the matter in question which was to be proved is this That it is lawful for ministers of the gospel furnished with the gifts of prayer ordinarily to perform their ministerial acts in publick prayer by the prescribed forms fothers and those such as cannot pretend to any immediate Divine Inspiration § 3 To this purpose they thus argue What God hath not forbidden is lawful But God hath not forbidden this to ministers Ergo. This is an old souldier of the churches and hath fought many a field yea never was there a Battel fought between a Con. and Noncon but this commanding Argument appeared It hath been wounded and had its head cut off oftner then ever Hydra's was by Hercules but how it comes to pass we know it not like that monster it puts up its head again in the next pulpit or press Let us once more try a fall with
But then saith a Reverend person for a child or scholar to use a form which is prescribed by his Father or Master would be unlawful Let us turn it into a form What is not unlawful for a child or scholar we will add to advantage the argument or save our selves labour of more words or a private person that hath not attained to the gift of prayer or such whom the church is enforced to use in publick ministrations for want of persons better qualified to do in prayer That is not unlawful for ministers to do ordinarily to whom God hath given the gift But to pray by the prescribed forms of others ordinarily in private or publick is not unlawful for children or grown persons or such ministers Ergo. The Assumption is granted but the Proposition is unquestionably false sincerity is accepted not according to what a man hath not but according to what he hath We do believe many an honest hearted minister in the beginning of reformation who never preached nor yet was able to do it was accepted of God in reading good Homilies But we do not think That any who were able to preach otherwise was also accepted We trust He that hath ten talents must improve them all though it had been enough for him that had but one if he had not laid it up in a napkin but improved that for his masters glory and advantage This Argument therefore onely proveth That forms of prayer are not in themselves unlawful to be used not that they may not be so to some persons whose circumstances vary Our question is onely about Ministers to whom God hath given the gift or who onely want it through their own default or negligence § 8 But Sixthly A great Doctor and that in a publick Sermon as well as diverse others in their printed discourses tell us That there is a command for Prescribed forms of prayer to be used in the church under the gospel 1 Tim. 2. 1 2. 1 Cor. 10. 13. A text urged weakly enough by the author of the book called Pulpit conceptions Popular deceptions and Mr. Falconer p. 109. tells us That many have thought that the Apostle had a special eye to the composure of such forms of prayer agreable to what the Baptist and our Saviour prescribed to their disciples in commanding Timothy the Governour of the church That amongst the things which concerned his behaviour in the church of God Ch. 3. 15. First of all prayers intercessions supplications and giving of thanks should be made for all men c. For this he quotes Dr. Hammond in loc And addeth Though the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may either signify That prayers be put up to God or that they be composed in this place it may well intend both c. It is enough for us that our Reverend Brother justly alloweth That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prayers be made doth not necessarily signify That church Governours should make Liturgies for all Ministers from whence it followeth That this text will afford no cogent argument for such an institution Nor will any other text give relief in the cause coming in as an auxiliary to this It is indeed a plain command for Timothy in his publick ministry himself to pray and to enjoin all inferiour ministers to do the like but we have produced other and those plainer texts enough directing ministers how to perform their ministerial acts by ministring their gift according to the grace given Stiring up not neglecting their gift c. And because our reverend Brother is a little critical with the verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we shall onely tell him that he knows that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Poet comes from it and we know him so much a scholar as he would judge him but a miserable poet That should onely read or recite copies of verses composed by others If indeed prayers intercessions supplications giving of thanks could not be made for all men unless superiors prescribed or ministers used the prescribed forms of others there were something in this text But it is an observable vanity that when men are possessed of some singular notion hard to be made out they fancy every verse almost in Scripture to be for their purpose The Doctor saw the word Prayers here and he fancieth it must be a Liturgy or Prayer-book Just like another who meeting in the epistle of Peter with a phrase of Offering up Spiritual Sacrifices to God runs away with as much confidence of a new 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for a Liturgy though there be not a word for it near the text Yea and in his heat runs down the Puritans arguments in his way like durt But with this discretion That though it is like he saw some better forces of theirs standing by then any which he tried his skill upon yet he thought fit rather to pursue the chase of the left wing of Pigmies then to stand to hazard a battel with some other men of war that faced him all the while § 9 The Author of the Pulpit conceptions hath he thinks found out some other express Scripture 1 Cor. 1. 10. That you all speak the same thing Rom. 15. 6. That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God And he is hugely confident That the first mentioned text is not to be forced into a contrary interpretation Ridiculous Is there in that text a word concerning Prayer Is that the Theme the Apostle is there treating of Were the Divisions for a Remedy as to which he gives this advice about Prayer It not the Apostle both to the Corinthians and Romans giving Catholick directions And will not then this Argument prove that not onely Liturgies But the same Liturgies verbatim must be used in all churches to the end of the world But let us turn this into an argument That the Doctor may see we will deny him no just advantage which his learning may have upon us more then we are aware of Those who are to speak the same thing and are with one mouth to glorify God may lawfully or must use set forms of Prayer But Christians are to speak the same thing and with one mouth to glorify God Ergo. The Major is to be proved and when he hath proved it let him consider whether the same argument will not prove That in all families and closets also the same form must not be used And whether such another learned Topick will not prove That all ministers must use the same syllables words and sentences in preaching Yea and in all their more private religious discourses Certainly sober persons ever thought that by these expressions the Apostle intended onely an unity in the matter and substance of Religion not in words and syllables expressing their conceptions about it either to God or men But to do the D r. right he lays his Argument from these texts in a little different form we will not conceil it from our Readers Valeat quantum
us from the discharge of what is our duty 3 For his Similitude it is more then ordinarily unlucky for whereas we say no similitude runs on all four feet This is so unhappy As to halt on all four for surely in the case as stated by him It is not the Magistrate that stretcheth that confident little fellow he talks of or puts him upon the rack So as the Question is Whether the superiours ought to gratify those little persons lusts Or to give liberty to those whom God hath fitted for their work to use the means which he hath immediately furnished them with in order to those specifical performances But our author will not yet have done he go's on § 16 In case liberty be given to an officer to do something for which he hath a gift and the denial of it to another officer of the same society which hath no such ability but cannot be spared any more then the former would make the weaker officer contemptible and useless Especially if he be the weaker onely in that case but far stronger in others in this case as he thinkes the first mentioned liberty ought to be denied to the officer first mentioned The Reason lies in this narrow compass It is necessary to impose forms of prayer upon all ministers and they may lawfully be used by all ministers That those ministers who are otherwise useful and of whom an use must be made may not be made contemptible to the people tho they have not such abilities gift of Prayer Every one sees That the truth of this depends upon diverse Hypotheses 1 That a man may be a true and perfect minister of Christ and yet not have the gift of Prayer This we deny Believing God sends none into his work not fitted for it 2 That the church cannot be without such ministers as are destitute of this Gift This we also deny and think she may better be without them then furnished with them 3 That some ministers praying by forms will make them contemptible we are apt to believe this hath something of truth in it But they who urge it are concerned to reconcile it with what they ordinarily say That the greater part of the people are for forms onely an inconsiderable number of singular fanaticks If so surely they will the more reverence such as keep to them When these are all proved it may be seasonable to inquire upon these two things 1 Whether it be not the sin of any man to thrust himself into the work of the ministry or of superiors to admit him into it who hath not the gift of prayer He is not fitted for his work therefore not called or sent of God to it The gift of prayer is what we question whether God denieth to any who will but duly study the Holy Scriptures their own hearts and their people as they ought The three books which Luther thought sufficient to accomplish a Divine A minister that cannot pray is to us as much nonsense as a workman that cannot work Now shall the sins of any rule Superiours conscientious in their Government to restrain others in what is either their duty or their liberty What kind of Divine is he who knoweth not what God is or under what name to speak unto him What sin is and what is Commanded and forbidden in the law of God What those things are or many of them at least which aggravate sin and make it more exceeding heinous What men have need off both for their souls and bodies And what according to the will of God they may ask What good things he or others ought to give thanks for c Or that is not more then ordinarily versed in the Holy Scriptures Which knowledge being attained surely if the man can but speak the gift of prayer is gained if want of exercise and neglect of practice hindreth not 2 Whether men can have the gift of preaching that want the gift of prayer We doubt it The same knowledge being necessary to preaching that is necessary unto prayer and nothing more as we said before being necessary unless frequent exercise 3 Whether that Church which hath twice ten thousand Christians who want not the gift of Prayer can but by her own fault want ministers who have that gift Considering That as we judge The Apostle Heb. 5. 1. hath given us the perfect notion of a minister in the description of the High-priest he is but a person taken from men and ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he might offer Prayers and Praises Preach and Administer the holy Sacraments If a church hath ministers that she hath manu errante ordained which can neither pray nor preach she may clave non errante cast them out and ordain those that are not yet ordained but fitter for the work § 17 In short our Hypothesis is That it is lawful for such to whom God hath given the gift of prayer ordinarily to perform their ministerial acts in prayer by the prescribed forms of others is not to be overthrown by an argument drawn from necessity Because there can be no necessity of sinning And whereas all necessity ariseth either from nature or the Original will of God as the First cannot be pretended so supposing the thing unlawful To say it is necessary in the Second sense is to blasphem Neither can there be any necessity in this case but what sin makes either the sinful commands of men or the sinful laziness of the minister § 18 We shall onely say this If it be necessary that some of the places for publick preaching should be in the power of some who shall have so little of conscience as either for a little mony or to make a match or to gratify a friend or to ascertain themselves obsequious servants will present most unable and unworthy persons And that the Bishop should be under the danger of A Quare non admisit If when the Clerk cometh he doth not institute him if he be but able to turn nine or ten lines of the Thirty nine Articles into Latine which a child of eight or nine year old may do We say If there be a necessity of these things there may be a necessity that not onely Forms of Prayer but of Sermons too should be made to capacitate these men to do any thing like the sacred acts of their office But this is a woful sinful necessity which nothing but the corruptions of ages and manners have made and cannot infer either the goodness of the end or any just reason for imposing forms upon all nor can infer a farther necessity for forms of Prayer then for forms of Sermons He that dreamed of an absolute necessity when he burnt his shins by the fire that the chimny should be pulled down and set farther off might with less labour and charge too have removed his leggs to a farther distance from the fire And we think That those who dream of an absolute necessity of
forms of prayer for all because some ministers or that go for ministers can do nothing in prayer without might with less guilt and reproach to our church cure that disease destroy that necessity which is but a Chimera made by their own fancies § 19 The Reverend Author of Libertas Ecclesiastica p. 98. c. hath given us Four or Five farther Reasons as he calls them for forms of prayer which in the last place we will consider He saith Hereby a fit true right and well ordered way of worship in addresses to God may be best secured to the church in the publick service of God that neither God nor his worship may be dishonoured There being many easily discernable ways of considerable miscarriage in the pubiick offices of the church even by those who err not in the Doctrines of Religion To which we answer 1 That alone is a fit true right and well ordred worship which God hath instituted Worship is his Homage and there 's all the reason in the world he should prescribe to his own Homage 2 That God in the Church should be truly fitly rightly and in due order worshipped is reasonable but that it should aforehand be secured That he should be so worshipped by ministers who are but men and may err is not possible Nor will forms secure it which ministers may if they will be careless and many have done it read falsely and disorderly enough There is therefore no security to be had in the case caution may be used The Rulers may say to Archippus Take heed to thy ministry 3 We do think That for twenty years together The worship of God was truly fitly rightly and in a well ordered manner performed in hundreds of congregations in England where no forms of prayer were used in the eye of all sober reasonable men better then where they were used we therefore see nothing here but a flourish of words § 20 His Second reason is That needful comprehensive petitions for all common and ordinary Spiritual and Outward wants of our selves and others with fit thanksgivings may not in the publick supplications of the church be omitted which considering men as they are can no other way be so well or at all assured To which we answer Pudet haec opprobria nobis dici potuisse c. Let it be spoken to the shame of the church of God in England and it shall be for a lamentation in it if in a church whose territories are so large there cannot be found persons enough sufficient without others prescriptions to them to put up full and comprehensive petitions not onely for common and ordinary but for emergent and extraordinary Spiritual and Outward wants of any persons with fit thanksgivings But Secondly If there be not men enough to do this yet certainly there are some and very many ministers of all persuasions that can do it what need therefore is there farther Then that such Forms be composed extant and left at liberty Must those be restrained that are able to perform their duty because there are others that either cannot or will not set themselves to the due performance of it Besides That this Argument holds stronger for forms of Sermons too to be imposed For those who know how in preaching to reveil to people the whole counsel of God most certainly know how to put up full and comprehensive petitions for all common and ordinary Spiritual Outward wants of themselves and others § 21 Mr. Falconers Third Reason is That the Affections and hearts of pious and Religious men may be more devout and better united in their presenting their Services to God where they may consider beforehand what particular prayers and thanksgivings they are to offer up and come the more ready and prepared to join in them This is an advantage of which many are deprived by a bad temper of mind sucked in by prejudice or swallowed down by carelesness To which we answer that in this pretended reason we can see nothing but words Are not we to ask of God for our selves or others all good things under such limitations as his word directeth submitting our petitions for temporary things to the will and wisdom of God Needs there any more when we come to prayer then a general composure of our Spirits to seek God for all good things we or others stand in need of If not what needs such a particular foreknowledge of the words and phrases to be used in asking If the minister transgresseth his Rule and asks what is not according to the will of God and that he may do by reading forms falsely may not people withold their Amen The Affections and hearts of all good people though the publick prayers be not by prescribed forms are united 1 As to the duty They all say to God Thy face will wee seek 2. As to the matter of the duty To Confess all sin Original Actual To beg of God whatsoever they or other stand in need of which God hath promised to give For the particular phrases There is no such need of a foreknowledge nor will it at all as we we have proved before promove but rather hinder devotion and affection § 22 His Fourth Reason is That such difficult parts of church-offices as Baptism and the Supper of the Lord the matter of which requireth great consideration That they may be aright and clearly expressed as both Conformists and many Nonconformists acknowledge is evident by the many disputes about them by men neither of mean parts nor dangerous designs may by a considerate care in the composing of a form be so framed That men of greatest understandings may with readiest assent entertain them and that they may be sufficiently vindicated against the the boldest opposers We do confess that we have met with some of our Brethren who lay some stress on this But we are no more taken with meer words from Noncon then from other men And we cannot understand What there is in the Administration of the Sacraments that makes Forms of Prayer c. necessary For the Sacrament of the Lords Supper where if any where it seemes most necessary What is there in that Administration more then 1 The Sanctification or Consecration of the elements 2 The Distribution of them and words used in the distribution 3 The Application of the General acts of the ministerial office Prayer and Exhortation to that particular action For the first the Apostle hath taught us that Sanctification or Consecration is by the word Prayer The word is nothing but the words of Institution which are in Scripture The Reading of which declares Christs separation of those elements for that use and our separation of them in his name for and during that time for that ordinance For other words and forms of consecration we know no need of them no warrant for them and believe them of ill original and consequence Now any one that can read a form can read the
Scripture For the distribution of them It is no further work then every hand can do what words to use Our Saviour hath set down from which we know no need to vary In using of them can be no errour in deviating from them indeed there may For the Application of Exhortation Prayer to that act surely he that can Pray and Preach can do that The like is to be said of the other Sacrament so that a Righteous law that all should keep to the Scriptural-institution is enough we think in that case And wonder at their fancies That think of such a special need of a form in those cases believing no pretence of necessity but what depends upon a fancy of a reasonableness to add to the Divine institution in the case of which we cannot be convinced For God-fathers and God-mothers and Forms of questions to be propounded to them we understand neither necessity nor use of them much less any particular Forms of words besides those the Scripture gives us for Consecration or to be used in the Distribution of the elements in the Supper The points in dispute can this way come into no dispute that we know nor any error infused into poeple It is mens varying from the Institution in this case which alone hath given advantage to the Envious one to sow tares If any minister having the elements of bread and wine before him shall read I The words of Institution as delivered by the Evangelists or the Apostle Paul Then solemnly praying to God First That as he had instituted that ordinance for the remembrance of Christ The shewing forth of his death The communion of his body and bloud c. So he would at that time bless it to those ends c. Pardoning his peoples want of preparation and accepting them in their desires to honour him in his own institutions c. Or to that purpose Then giving the bread repeating onely our Saviours words with but a small and that necessary change Take eat This is the body of Christ in stead of my body which was broken for you And after the cup repeating onely Christs words This cup is the new Testament in the bloud of Christ c. We would fain know if this man concluding all with a prayer hymn of thanksgiving had not duly administred the Sacrament of the Lords Supper If he had what need is there of forms of words in this case other then what the holy Scriptures have given us For as to the Prayer before and after as we conceive him a pitiful minister and very unfit to be trusted with that office which often calleth him to pray upon particular emergent occasions for which a form cannot be made ready if he cannot without it apply his petitions to the particular business in hand viz. The administration of the Sacrament So if he distrusteth himself he may compose himself a form of prayer fitted for that purpose For the administration of that ordinance is seldom or never so sudden as to surprice a minister So for the other Sacrament Will any one dare to say That a lawful minister having water before him who shall first beg of God To own and bless his own institution To wash away the sin of the person to be baptized with his own bloud And to grant that it may be born again of water and the Spirit c. Or to the like purpose And then having had a previous knowledge That the parent is a believer i. e. one who either hath a true faith or maketh profession of such true faith shall take water and pour or sprinkle it upon the childs face or dip the person in it saying J. Baptize thee in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost is not truly Baptized A prayer and thanksgiving usually concludes the Action But what need here of a form more then the Scripture hath furnished us with or directed us to May one minister say J. Baptize thee c. Another Let this person be Baptized c. A third Be thou Baptized c For our parts we think the difference not so much as to require a prescribed form to reconcile and should not doubt but the person were truly Baptized under any of those variations of words Water being poured or sprinkled on it and the action declared to be in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost We conclude as we said before That we can see nothing in either Sacrament but the inventions of men superadding to the institutions of the gospel diverse rites and actions of which Christ never spake which makes any pretence for a need of Forms in the administration of them There being nothing to be done in them that requireth any special ability comparable to that which Preaching Praying according to the various states of the church and the particular cases of souls in it doth require § 23 Mr. Falconers Fift Reason is thus by himself expressed To be an evidence to other churches and future times after what way and manner we worship God and that both the matter and expression of our service to him is sound and pious in our general and common worship And this may be a full Testimony That such a church receiving the true faith and expressing a right way of worship is both a true and in its measure a pure and incorrupt church We answer 1 Where hath God required the leaving any such Testimony 2 If he had forms of prayer had not been sufficient without forms of Sermons too 3 While we declare our selves Christians and that we worship God according to his word we leave a sufficient Testimony that we are a true church of God 4 A confession of faith publickly owned subscribed unto by all ministers which we never opposed doth far better effect this which may be done without making a new act or mode of worship § 24 Mr. Falconer at last comes to this argument from example which yet he doth not lay so much stress upon as to aver They evince a necessity of Forms but he thinks the countenance the lawfulness and expediency of them For what he saith about the Lords prayer it is answered by us before In short It reacheth not the case There can be no conclusion from Christs power to the power of ordinary Governors now in the church Or from the lawfulness of Christs disciples using a Form of prayer dictated by Christ himself in that time before his ascension and the effusion of the Holy Ghost to the lawfulness of ministers in after ages using a bundle of forms neither composed by Christ nor by his Apostles Besides the probabilities we have before offered that even then when it was first given it was not intended for a form of words nor do we ever read of it after so used but as a more general direction for the ordinary matter of our prayers § 25 As to what Mr. Falconer saith further of Scripturalforms it hath had its answer from