evidence from the Laws of God and the Constitution of the Christian Church that Schism and unnecessary separation is a sin in the breach of Christian Vnity as that Adultery is a sin in breaking the bond of Wedlock And I account my self to be as certain that if ever there was any unwarrantable separation from any known Church since the Apostles time the separation from the Church of England is really such since our Church is truly as free from any just exception in its Constitution doctrine and worship as any other since that time either was or is And it seemeth highly probable if I do not mistake plain words that some of our dissenters themselves are at some times satisfied either of so much or of that which comes very near it concerning the excellent Constitution of our Church Dr Owen saith i Of Evang. Love p. 54 55. We look upon the Church of England or the generality of the nation professing Christian Religion measuring them by the doctrine received since the Reformation to be as sound and healthful a part of the Catholick Church as any in the World and again k ibid. p. 87. We believe that the generality of the inhabitants of this nation are by their profession constituted an eminent part of the Kingdom of Christ in this World But if pitieth me to consider upon what weak and unwarrantable pretences such persons venture upon the practices of real separation and by what insufficient excuses they plead for themselves in the defence thereof 14. This Authors opinion is a heavy charge against the most eminent Churches and men Obs 3. There are considerable prejudices against the truth of our Authors assertion as it is by him stated even such which beside the more direct evidences of which hereafter will perswade a sober man to be wary of entertaining it if he duly observe them For this opinion is not only against the Church of England but the most famous Churches in the Primitive times who used such set Forms in their publick worship as besides what hath been said already will sufficiently appear in the following Discourse This is also against the Constitution of many eminent Protestant Churches abroad which I have elsewhere l Libert Eccl. B. 1. Ch. 4. Sect. 1. n. 11 12. observed briefly and shall not need here to add further proof since this Author doth not deny the same but tells us m Reason Acc. Ch. 2. p. 9. the continuance of Liturgies upon the Reformation owes it self in a great measure to their not having men able to pray without a Form And yet I cannot but think that this Author is a person of so much modesty and hath such a respect to many of those Reformers and their Successors as not to think them inferiour to himself and then they must come under the censure of his assertion And to me it seemeth a very hard thing to embrace such a position as must cast reproach on almost all the Churches of Christ in all Ages and must also conclude all the most famous Ministers therein to have lived and died in the constant practice of the same sin unrepented of Now I can easily apprehend that such a consideration as this will have a different influence upon such men as this Author according to the different temper in which it may meet with them For at one time he tells us n Ch. 9. p. 163. authority or practice is a lamentable Argument but at another time he declares concerning the sense and apprehensions of good men that o Ch. 2. p. 44. the sensus piorum neither is nor ever was judged by persons of sobriety and worth an inconsiderable Argument for the truth of a proposition especially a practical proposition not plainly determined in holy Writ 15. Nor is it consistent with it self his very stating his Question overthrows the main foundations and chief Arguments of his Discourse and then he who will embrace our Authors assertion according as he hath stated it upon such Arguments as he chiefly urgeth must learn to affirm and deny the same thing or to reconcile things contradictory which to me and to all rational men must be when observed another great prejudice against his opinion Now in stating his Case he grants as I above observed that such Forms of Prayer as God hath commanded in Scripture if any such be must be used and other Scripture Forms though not commanded may be used as part of our Prayer and yet he declares it sinful for such Ministers who can pray otherwise to use Forms 1. From the duty of using their own p Ch. 2. p. 6 7 c. and Ch. 3. gifts and 2. From the hindrance of pious dispositions or attention and fervency from the use of a Form of words in Prayer and yet if these Arguments are of any weight they must conclude against the lawful use of Scripture Forms as well as of others which yet he asserteth to be lawful And indeed some Scripture Forms being in the New Testament commanded to be used that sufficiently manifesteth that a set Form of words in Prayer can be no hindrance to a religious temper of mind unless we will grant that our Saviours commands are hurtful to his Religion and that such Positions of men which are contrary to his Precepts ought to be preferred before them 16. He acknowledgeth also p. 3. that it is lawful yea necessary for them who join with others in Prayer to make use of his words who speaketh which c an be but a Form to them And p. 19. he saith such persons have nothing to do but to exercise their grace And this consideration was made use of to prove the lawfulness of Forms by q Pract. Catechism B. 3. Sect. 2. Bishop Tayl. Of Prayer Extempore n. 46 47. Disp of Liturg. Prop. 1. Arg. 6. Dr Hammond Dr Taylor and Mr Baxter Now from hence it not only follows that such Prayers are acceptable to God which are put up by pious men with devout hearts but without the exercise of their own gifts but it must also be hence concluded that Vnity in publick Prayer is more acceptable to God than the use of mens own abilities in conception or expression For otherwise it would be the duty of all persons in the publick Assemblies who have any such abilities not to take notice of the Ministers words or to join in them but distinctly to exercise their own gifts or make use of their private conceptions there or else to withdraw themselves from the publick Assemblies that they may have the more free opportunity for the exercise of them 17. Nor generally owned by the Non-Conformists I shall only add in the last place that this assertion of our Author is such that a great part and I think the greater part of the Nonconformists themselves will not own Indeed in Qu. Eliz. her time the r In Bishop Whitgifts Defence Tr. 9. Ch. 2. Div. 2.
from the first Ages of Christianity and in the Jewish Church both in their Temple worship and Synagogues p. 136 Sect. IV. Some expressions vilifying Uniformity and charging Forms of Prayer to be an Engine of perpetual discord with some others examined p. 164 Chap. IV. Forms of Prayer are not forbidden in Scripture Some things are necessary to be determined in Gods worship which he hath not particularly enjoined Of the Authority of Superiours and the judgment of discretion and some other things p. 177 Chap. V. Of other Prayers besides those in the Liturgy and publick service p. 193 Chap. VI. Of Preaching Whether it be as useful and fit to preach as to pray in a set Form of words Of what account preaching is Exceptions against the Sermons of our Ministers as being satyrical advancing the power of nature and justification by works answered p. 206 Chap. VII Praying by a Form is rashly charged with mocking God p. 219 Chap. VIII Forms of Prayer do not debase the Ministry Of the Ministerial Office and the need of learning and knowledge Of the Priestly Office under the Law and the large Revenue God appointed for the Priests and Levites The pretence of ill effects from Liturgies refuted p. 225 Chap. IX Several Arguments for Forms of Prayer proved solid and substantial and among them some things concerning submission to superiours p. 241 Chap. X. A Perswasive Conclusion directed to our Dissenters to consider how unaccountable to God and how dangerous to themselves their separation is p. 266 A Vindication OF LITURGIES The Introduction giving the Reader an account of the occasion of this discourse HAving several years since published my Libertas Ecclesiastica wherein I endeavoured a Vindication of our Liturgy there came lately to my hands a Discourse in which is a pretended answer to two Sections of my Book concerning the lawfulness expediency and antiquity of set forms of prayer When I first looked into it I thought it a strange undertaking to attempt to prove that it is sinful for Ministers who are able to compose Prayers themselves to make use of any form of Prayer in their Ministration which was composed by other men and that any man might justly suspect his own reasoning when it engaged him in such an enterprize But when I had read it I found many things said therein which might possibly misguide the weak and unwary Reader but nothing which was of any great weight And indeed no false position is capable of being firmly proved by solid Arguments though to undiscerning men it may be rendred plausible by mistaken fallacies Yet because I am very sensible that the Assertion maintained by this Author is both in it self false and erroneous and also tendeth to undermine the true exercise of Religion and the Peace and Well-fare of the Church of God I resolved to examine all his Arguments and to return a fair Answer to so much of his Book as was needful for the discussing of the Question proposed and for the defending my self against his Oppositions And this I thought my self the more concerned to undertake because so far as this strange assertion should be received as true it would make void the design of my former Book which was to manifest that it was both lawful and a duty for Ministers and People to embrace attend upon and join in the publick service worship and Ministrations of the Church of England And I knew not how far any appearances of reasoning might be magnified by such persons who are engaged against our Church many of whom in a sinking cause so far as concerneth the evidence of truth and reason may be willing to catch hold on any twig The Author of this Book hath not published his own name therewith and therefore I shall not be curious to enquire after it but shall treat him as an unknown person And I confess I cannot easily conceive that he under whose name it goes should be so defective both in learning and consideration as to be guilty of such mistakes and palpable over-sights as may be found in some places of this Book For besides many other unaccountable positions and misunderstandings divers of which I shall mention in my following Discourse it is observable that what he writes concerning the ancient practices of the Church after the Apostles time or concerning any thing written in those days is generally done so loosely and sometimes with such wonderful extravagancy as may surprize an intelligent Reader with some kind of admiration of which I shall give the Reader here one instance 4. When he speaks of the original of Liturgies he saith a Ch. 2. p. 68 69. We do believe that Gregory the Great 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 But first to speak of Gregory the Great eight hundred or a thousand years after Christ is far enough from truth when he died about the year 604. And secondly that Gregory the Great should be under the protection of Charles the Great is impossible when he was dead about two hundred years before Charles the Great began his Reign And thirdly it is altogether as unaccountable that the original of Liturgies was in the time either of Gregory the Gerat or Charles the Great when they were in use many hundred years before them both as I shall shew b Ch. 3. Sect. 3. in the following Treatise This mistake concerning these persons whose names were so famous in History that a man of ordinary reading could not be unacquainted with them is as if any person should presume to give an account of the Church of the Israelites and should assert that the offering of Sacrifices under the Mosaical Law had its beginning in the days of Eli the Priest in the Reign of King Jehosaphat six hundred or eight hundred years after the Israelites came out of Egypt Surely it is a strange confidence for any person to vent such things and to write positively what he no better understandeth 5. But whoever the Author of this Discourse is I shall apply my self to the clearing of the truth concerning the matter of it which I shall do with as much succinctness as is expedient And therefore though I shall not willingly omit any thing considerable which he urgeth against the lawful use of constant publick Liturgies or against what I have said in their defence yet where he mentions objections made by others against the force of his Arguments and gives his Answers to them I shall pass by such things where the insisting upon them is not needful for the defence of our Church or the decision of the Case proposed And in answering his Arguments I shall wave the repetition of his long Syllogisms which is a tedious way of proceeding and in rational Discourses of this nature is acceptable to few others than those who may admire the art of making a Syllogism But I
shall give a faithful account of the substance of his Arguments and leave it to the impartial Reader to judge of the validity of my Answers And that I may the more gratifie such who will compare his Discourse and mine I shall keep to his method which he hath used except where he speaks to the same thing in different places and in that Case I shall think it sufficient to have spoken to it once for all And I shall so order my Answer that my first Chapter may answer his first my second his second and so onward to the end of his Book 6. But touching my former Discourse which this Writer opposeth he seemeth not very well pleased with my having chosen that subject c In his last leaf to the Reader to write on viz. the defence of our Liturgy nor with the time when my Book was written which he saith was in that nick of time of his Majesties most Gracious Indulgence if it was possible to perswade the Parliament that there was no need of any indulgence towards them Now as to the subject matter of my Livertas Ecclesiastica if he dislike my having engaged therein or my undertaking now to defend so much of two Sections thereof as he hath opposed I am content so far to bear his dislike and censure but I think my self to have given a sufficient d Libert Eccles B. 1. Ch. 1. account thereof And if what he observes concerning the time was true I think that was a fit time to defend and justify our Communion when they who divide themselves from us made the greatest opposition against it and involved themselves in the heinous sin of Schism But the truth is I was engaged in that work before that Declaration came abroad but may Book was not published till after his Majesty had cancelled that Declaration the Declaration which was made March 1671 2. was Cancelled about the end of 1672. and my Book came abroad in Octob. 1673. 7. But as to the perswading our Governours against any Indulgence or favour towards them it is possible the positions of this Writer may do more to that purpose than I have done I did indeed justify the lawfulness of performing what is required of Ministers concerning the Liturgy which was no more than to vindicate what the practice and acknowledgment of every conforming Minister had before owned But I think it my duty to leave the ordering of publick affairs to my superiours and did not by any expression that I am aware of interpose in their work 8. But I know not how far such Discourses as this of this Author ma◠〈◊〉 vince superiours that such persons ar◠〈◊〉 capable of being taken in into any duly regulated and setled establishment because of the unreasonableness of their demands and the weakness of their Arguments since he declareth against the enjoining the ordinary use of any Liturgy or set form whatsoever in publick Ministrations And we may see by e Ch. 10. p. 164. the close of his Book that he accounteth it the only medium he can fancy for a just comprehension that there be no Forms of Prayer enjoined though they may be recommended by superiours and left at liberty And yet it seemeth probable from his f In the two last leaves Preface that all this is not enough for he there tells us of other six things he hath to put in dispute besides this I do not doubt but all those six things may be as easily answered as produced and the Reader may make a probable judgment of the strength and force of those other things by this one which he hath singled out from the rest and therefore surely he thought it to be as considerable as any of the other 9. And it might be expected that he who is curiously severe in judging of a fit time for publishing other mens Discourses should have a sufficient care of the seasonableness of his own And he who considers the business of our Enemies abroad and how they are encouraged by our discords at home may well think that they who have any true value for the Reformation should at this time encline to promote a setled establishment of the Church which may tend to uphold and secure it And since our dissenters by sufficient tryal found in our late distracted times that they could not erect much less maintain any establishment in their way we may thence discern that no settlement can reasonably be expected but upon the foundations of the Church of England which hath also the advantage of truth and agreement with Primitive Christianity And therefore it was no fit time now to vent such notions which widen our breaches are inconsistent with any publick establishment of a Church and which put advantages into the hands of other Enemies and serve their purposes And yet I confess this of the time is the least fault of this Discourse but that which is the greater is that the drift thereof tends to confusion and the things contained in it are unsound and untrue which I shall now come to manifest CHAP. I. Of stating the Question concerning the established constant use of Forms of Prayer in the publick service of God IN managing his opposition against the constant use of prescribed Forms of Prayer The Question proposed concerning the lawfulness of using Forms by Ministers who have gifts the forementioned Writer doth in his first Chapter give us the state of the Question which he undertakes to dispute and therein he expresseth what he yieldeth and granteth as lawful and what he judgeth and esteemeth to be sinful and undertaketh to prove it so and herein he hath declared himself with sufficient clearness and plainness What he contends for he thus expresseth a Reasonable Account p. 5. 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 in solemn stated publick Prayer by reading or reciting forms of Prayer composed by other men confessedly not divinely and immediately inspired although our superiours do requrie this of us 2. But he alloweth and acknowledgeth b p. 2. that their labours are profitable who have drawn the matter of Prayer into Forms c p. 3. that any Form of Prayer contained in the Scripture may be used as part of our Prayer whether it be under any command or no but if it be commanded it undoubtedly ought to be used d ibid. That if a Minister distrusting his own memory or invention shall compose Prayers for his own use he may do it e ibid. that it is lawful yea necessary for them who join with others in Prayer to make use of their words which yet are but a Form to them f ibid. that he that ministers in Prayer to others may use a prescribed Form of anothers composure if he have not the gift
of Prayer And g p. 4. that he alloweth short ejaculatory Forms such as Lord have mercy upon us This being the sense of this Writer I shall concerning his stating this Question observe three things 3. Obs 1. From these premises the Reader may yet have a little further insight into the matter of this Question to which end he may consider First that our Prayer is directed to the most high God and therefore it was called by the ancient Writers h Greg. Nys de Orat. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and i Cl. Alex. Strom. l. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an having to do with and speaking unto God Secondly that the ordinary wants of Christians except extraordinary emergencies which may be otherwise provided for and consequently the usual matter of Prayer for publick Assemblies especially is constantly the same He who will deny this must as well condemn the Directory for k Direct Of Assembling the Congregation Of publick Prayer before Sermon c. directing to the matter of publick Prayer as the Common Prayer for expressing the words nor can he have such honourable thoughts as he ought to have and as the Christian Church always hath had of the Contents of the Lords Prayer Thirdly that the granting it lawful for a Minister to use a prescribed Form of Prayer of anothers composure if he have not the gift of Prayer is as much as to acknowledge that such a Prayer piously performed is a true worship of God and may be acceptable to him otherwise it would not be lawful Fourthly That the difference betwixt praying for the same things in a Form and praying for them without a Form is this that in the former way the same words and methods are constantly used whereas in the latter the expressions are altered and changed The result of this Question is Whether variety of expressions be of great consequence for the pleasing God and oft-times the order and method also according as the person thinketh fit or as he is able to perform it 4. Wherefore fifthly The main result of this Question at the last comes to this Whether mens changing of expressions varying of phrases and altering their order and method in their Prayers to God be things so valuable and considerable in his sight that his laws and will do require this and that he hath such an eye unto it that the humble devout and Religious supplications and addresses of pious persons are not acceptable to him unless they be attended with such variety of expressions where the persons have so much volubility of speech Now upon a short view it may appear that the affirmative in this Question is very unlikely and improbable upon several accounts 5. If we consult the rules of holy Scripture The contrary appears from Scripture our Saviour particularly rebuked the vanity of them who think they shall be heard by their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 much speaking or many and various words Mat. 6.7 And as a remedy against it taught his Disciples that comprehensive Form of the Lords Prayer And from this Text S. Aug. l Aug. Ep. 121. c 10. accounteth superfluity of words to be unmeet for Prayer for things necessary And hence also S. Hilary inferreth that we should m Hil. in Mat. Can. 5. orare ad Deum non multiloquio sed conscientia pray to God not with a multitude of words but with a good Conscience And it is accounted a piece of reverence to God which Solomon directed us to make use of in our addresses to him Eccl. 5.2 Be not rash with thy mouth and let not they heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few 6. From the Jewish worship And it may be considered that under the Law God did not require daily various changes of the real expressions of religious worship and service but appointed them to be continually the same Numb 28.2 3 c. which makes it more than probable that the variety of verbal expressions is not requisite to obtain his acceptance under the Gospel The daily burnt-offering was continually without any varying the thing a lamb of the first year with the same sort of meat-offering and drink-offering and the Priests without any varying of rites about that Sacrifice were as Josephus saith n Joseph Ant. Jud. l. 3. c. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 performing their office always in the same manner Only upon their sabbath days the ordinary sacrifice was doubled and upon other days of great solemnity there was an addition of other Sacrifices And I need not direct the intelligent Reader to observe how much the service of our Church is in these things correspondent to what the wisdom of God himself then established our Evangelical services being now morning and evening offered unto God as then were the Legal as hath been observed by o Bishop Sparrow's Ration of Com. Pr. p. 3 8. And from the nature of God our Reverend and Learned Diocesan 7. And he who considereth that God is a spirit and that true piety and goodness and sincerity are the things in which he delights cannot easily perswade himself that the use of different phrases in Prayer can be of any great moment before him unless he had particularly commanded this and then indeed it would be a part of Obedience Proper words are necessary in publick Prayer that by their expressive significancy the whole Congregation may join in their united Petitions and also for the promoting order and decency and manifesting a due honour to Gods worship and reverence for his name and all these things may be most usefully provided for in a well ordered Form But words are not in religious service valuable in themselves further than they have respect to such things but a pure heart and the exercise of true piety is that which God accepteth 8. This truth is so manifest that even the Ethnick Writers do frequently express it The Satyrist declares of a well fixed integrity and inward purity of mind and heart p Pers in Satyr 2. Haec cedo ut admoveam templis farre litabo that this is the most valuable thing without compare in the publick worship And when Hierocles had declared q Hier. in Pyth. p. 26. what the Pythian Oracle spake to the same purpose he thus expresseth his own sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with piety of mind every expression is acceptable to God and without it none And amongst the Christian Writers such expressions are frequent as that of S. Cyprian r Cyp. de Orat. Dom. Deus non vocis sed cordis auditor est God hears not the voice but the heart and that of Cl. Alexandrinus that the most excellent service is ſ Cl. Alex. Strom. l. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a religious devotion and that as men observe our words so God observes our minds and thoughts But now
first Admonition disliked the being tied to any Forms of Prayer invented by men but Mr Cartwright in his ſ ibid. Div. 3. Reply declares his agreement for a prescript Form to be used in the Church And besides other particular persons the Presbyterian Commissioners at the Savoy made not our Authors Position any part of their objections yea they were willing to have composed t Grand debate in exceptions of Presbyt p. 29. new Forms as themselves express And it would be well if our dissenting Brethren would really consider how great their disagreements are among themselves even in so many things that it cannot be expected that any way of settlement should be agreed upon among themselves as it was experimentally manifested by the proceedings of 1643 1644 1645. and the years ensuing 18. And I should be wanting in due returns of civility to our Author if I do not do him so much right as to acknowledge that his perspicuous stating the Question hath made way for the fairer examination thereof And he also disowns those wilder extreams in denying the lawfulness of all Forms in general and also declares that he u p. 18. doth not argue for praying ex tempore but only in the use of our own gifts which excludes not premeditation But I must likewise do the truth that right as to observe that his position as he hath stated it is not consistent therewith and therefore ought not to be asserted or defended CHAP. II. Ch. II. Of the gift of Prayer THE first Argument produced against the lawfulness of ordinarily using a set Form by such Ministers who have a gift of Prayer is because saith he this gift is a mean given by God for the performance of this religious act of Prayer and therefore a Reasona Account p. 5 6. may not be neglected or omitted And he tells us by the gift of Prayer he means b p. 6. a mans ability fitly to express his mind to God in Prayer And that such a person who is able fitly to express his mind in his own words ought to make use of them in publick Administrations and may not lawfully pray by a Form he endeavours to prove by urging some Scriptures which require the use of some gifts as 1 Tim. 4.14 1 Pet. 4.10 11. Rom. 12.3 6. 2. What the gift of Prayer is Now that I may give the clearest satisfaction to the Reader in this particular I shall not content my self barely to answer this Argument and to shew the weakness thereof but I shall first give an account What that is which is and may be called the Gift of Prayer and how far this is afforded and how far mens own abilities must be exercised Of the nature of Prayer And for the better understanding of this it must be observed that a pious and devout Prayer doth contain a great part of the lively exercise and practice of Religion and Piety especially if we comprehend under the name of Prayer both confession and thanksgiving It includeth a professed owning the true God and Faith in him and acknowledging him to be the Governour and disposer of all things and the Author of all good and this is called by Philo c Philo lib. Quod Deus sit immutabilis p. 306. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great Prayer It taketh in also a professed owning the Almighty power infinite wisdom goodness faithfulness and Omniscience of God and also the exercise of reverence submission humility hope affectionate desire heavenly mindedness and repentance together with a lively sense and belief of the Gospel grace and promises and of the merits Mediation and Intercession of our only Lord and Saviour and a sincere love to all men and particularly to the Church and our Governours for whom we pray 3. Wherefore first that is eminently and especially to be esteemed the gift of Prayer which disposeth and enableth to the performance of the duty of Prayer And therefore since Prayer is not so much a verbal thing The gift of Prayer is a devout temper of mind as a pious address of the heart soul and spirit unto God Gods bestowing the supplies and assistances of his grace which kindle and excite pious dispositions in seeking unto God with earnest and affectionate desires a lively faith and the exercise of inward devotion this is most properly his vouchsafing and bestowing the gift of Prayer and our receiving and exercising them is our having and using the gift of Prayer For as the gift of Charity doth not consist in speaking of the matters or rules of Charity but in being inwardly disposed to the lively practice of that divine grace so is it also in Prayer Now if any persons shall here say as some are used to speak that what I have expressed is not the gift but the grace of Prayer he may consider that by Grace he can here understand nothing else but an excellent and gracious gift and as S. Austin declared d Aug. Ep. 105. Sixto ipsa oratio inter gratiae munera reperitur Prayer it self is to be reckoned amongst the works of grace 4. And whereas this Author e Reas Acc. p. 19. produceth two places of Scripture to prove the gift of Prayer from the holy Spirit This shewed from the Holy Scripture Zec. 12.10 and Rom. 8.26 it is remarkably observable that both these places so far as they speak of the spirit or gift of Prayer have particular respect to the inward affection and devotion of the heart and not according to his notion to the ability of expression The former place is Zec. 12.10 I will pour upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. Where the Hebrew word translated Supplications is by divers Interpreters as the Chaldee Paraphrast the Septuagint the Syriack and Arabick Versions and Pagnine agreeably to the derivation of it rendred Mercies or Compassions And since the spirit of supplications is the spirit of grace it therefore is to be understood according to the common sense of Interpreters of piety of mind and affections and an holy temper and disposition of heart to trust in God and call upon him And the following words and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and shall mourn c. will infer the same thing if those words be taken as expressions of true repentance which is the sense of many good Expositors though some modern and f Eus Dem. Evang. l. 8. Test 4. ancient Writers look upon them as expressing the anguish of them who had despised and disobeyed our Blessed Lord and Saviour 5. The other place is Rom. 8.26 The spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Now concerning the former part of these words it cannot be conceived
That a mean given of God Means or abilities not necessary for the performing duties may be omitted if it be only capable of being used and not a necessary mean to the performance of the duty may lawfully be omitted Especially when there are several means which may all of them singly be used he who chuseth one of them and the most profitable is not to be faulted because he doth not use the other which is less profitable Thus in the publick Prayers of the Church whereas a Ministers present fluency of expression or his remembrance of what himself hath before conceived with respect to that particular time or his using a set Form are different ways or means of performing this service he who chuseth the last which hath many advantages of the other two is not to be blamed because he doth not chuse either of those two And by this it may appear that this Writers own Argument if it were of any strength might easily be inverted and retorted against himself if we put in the phrase of a Form of Prayer instead of a Ministers own gift c. 33. Secondly That ability of expression was not peculiarly and particularly given by God to Ministers that they might thereby perform the publick Offices of Prayer This is manifest because this is also given to them whom God never calls to perform the publick Offices of Ministration And also because if our Lord had intended it to be the duty of all Ministers of the Gospel that they must use their own abilities of expression in the Prayers of the Church and might not make use of any Forms he would not himself have given them an Example of composing a Form of Prayer and delivering this to be used by his own Apostles and this too to be made use of not as their private addresses for themselves alone but with respect to the whole Christian Society and therefore beginning as was anciently observed f Cyp. de Orat. Dom. Non dicimus patermeus publica nobis est communis oratio Our Father as being a publick and Common Prayer And this was the more considerable because it was agreeable to and in approbation of what John the Baptist had directed his Disciples and the like method had been before used throughout all the state of the Jewish Church as I have in g Libert Eccles p. 103 104. another place evinced and shall further prove Ch. 3. Sect. 3. n. 27 28 c. 34. The Authority of our Governours is to be honoured The authority of our Governours is also in this Case of considerable weight For though the command of man is not to be performed if it be against the will of God yet since it is fit that a due order of publick worship in Christian Assemblies should be provided for by them who have the chief Authority and inspection therein the constant use of the Liturgy being of it self agreeable to the will of God becomes more obligatory upon us because this way of worship is wisely established by our superiours And the Apostle S. Paul declared that the use ever of extraordinary spiritual gifts must give place to decency and order 1 Cor. 14.26 33 40. 35. But he further saith that a man own gift or ability of expression in Prayer is h Reas Account p. 6 7 18. a divine mean but a Form oâ— Prayer is i p. 7. 18. Liturgies are no meer humane means for Gods worship a meer humane mean Now this must be upon supposition that an ability to compose a Prayer to speak it is a divine ability which how far it is true I have shewed above but the same ability to compose the same Prayer if it be to be written is a meer humane ability But no man can see any truth in such a supposition nor any reason for it 36. But however our Author think fit to talk so far as he hath proved any thing he hath proved the composing of Liturgies to be by a divine ability or gift of Prayer For he thus argues against those who deny any such gift as the gift of Prayer k p. 8. This is saith he either 〈◊〉 deny what is evident to sense That there are some persons able fitly to express then minds to God in Prayer or to deny the Scriptures which say Jam. 1.17 thâ—â— every good gift and every perfect gift cometh from above from the Father of lights Besides that it stubbeth up all Liturgies by the roots none it seems having any ability to make them Now the result of this Discourse is that the ability to make Liturgies is the gift of Prayer and a gift of God and consequently they must be a divine mean for the performance of Prayer or such an one as is afforded to us by the assistance of God Besides this God hath so far declared his approbation of Forms of Prayer that he himself delivered such and enjoined them under the Old Testament as our Saviour did under the New and if that may be further called divine which serves the ends of God in the World and conduceth to holiness and piety upon this account also good and well-ordered Forms must be so esteemed 37. But it now remains that I examine his proofs produced to shew that it is a duty in the publick Prayers of the Church for a Minister to use his own gifts of expression if he have such abilities His first l p. 6. proof is 1 Tim. 4.14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by Prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery But Ans 1. In this place the Apostle requires Timothy to take care of executing his Episcopal Office The Precepts of the Scripture concerning the use of gifts considered and exercising his authority which things were given by the laying on of hands and also to discharge the duty of his place and function with care and diligence according to the grace which God had giver him 2. Here is not a word spoken it this Text concerning Prayer or the performance thereof by any such gift as our Author pleads for nor doth the Context which mentioneth reading exhortation and doctrine speak any thing thereof And I suppose this Author doth not account the gift of Prayer to be given by the laying on of hands when himself saith the Church m p. 13. should judge of her Ministers gift of Prayer before she trust them with the publick Ministry 38. And 3. if this Text had particularly expressed the use of the gift of Prayer and intended this concerning utterance and expression as it doth not the Argument from Timothy at that time when publick Offices of the Church were often performed by miraculous gifts and who himself was in all probability furnished therewith would not be of force for them who have no such extraordinary gifts Yet such Precepts do not enjoin the use of any gifts further than may consist with
spake 7. The third thing he would have considered is whether any such attention be to be expected from people q p. 27. Of the attention of the People in Prayer to Forms of Prayer which they oft hear as to a conceived Prayers Now that part of attention which consists in considering the way and manner of expressions conceptions or method is like to be the greater in the use of a conceived Prayer by reason of its being new but this is of no benefit to Religion but a real hindrance to true devotion But a pious attention of soul to join in the matter of Prayer may be the better performed by persons Religiously disposed in a set Form when they know before-hand what Prayers they are to present and come prepared to join in them 8. But to render what he aims at the more plausible he saith r Ibid. God requires attention to his word in known duties as much as in new things it is at least an ingenious observation that God to stir up his peoples attentions and affections tells them he would do a new thing and that I did in my Preface to my Libertas Ecclesiastica say the humour of this Age is more apt to seek for new Books Ch. II. than to read 〈◊〉 ones Concerning what he first observeth 1. The Scriptures sometimes call that 〈◊〉 new thing which is so wonderful and â—â—raculous that the like was never hearâ— before Thus when the earth was to opâ—â— its mouth and swallow up Corah and 〈◊〉 Company this is called Gods making 〈◊〉 new thing Num. 16.30 The like expression is used in Jer. 31.22 which Teâ—â— was by the Å¿ Hieron in loc Aug. de Temp. Serm. 9. ancient Writers expounded concerning the miraculous conception 〈◊〉 Christ But are varied expressions thing of this nature 2. Doth God never intenâ— to stir up the attentions and affections 〈◊〉 men by his word but when he tells theâ— he will speak or do a new thing Surelâ— God declared Jer. 7.23 28. that the command of obeying his voice was thâ—â— which all the Prophets had urged anâ— yet he did not thereupon allow that 〈◊〉 should be the less attended to Anâ— whereas in this very page he said thâ—â— God hath secured an abiding reverence 〈◊〉 all pious souls to the holy Scriptures it waâ— not so ingenious an observation as our Author thought it to contradict himself here as if no such reverence and attentioâ— would be given by Gods people to hâ—â— word but in new things 9. And which way soever in otheâ— things the genius of men and the humour of the age may tend true devotion in Religion always enclines to the same things to wit to glorifie God for his infinite excellency to praise him for his abundant goodness to confess our sins and implore his pardon grace and protection and the blessings both of this life and of eternal life He who would leave out these old and constant matters of Prayer will but badly guide others in that duty and they who are diligently attentive to what is new in the variety and novelty of expressions but neglect attention to these old things will not be the better Christians Our Author tells us none gives that attention to a discourse or story he t Ibid. hath heard an hundred times over that he gives to a new one A devout temper not like that of hearing a Story to be pleased only with new things And I wonder he should have no greater sense and understanding in these things than to argue from such comparisons For though in things that tend to instruct mens understandings or gratifie and humour their fancies those things which are new do most affect them yet in the exercise of grace the fear and reverence of God and desires after the same kind of divine blessings are more serious and earnest in those persons who by a long continued practice have accustomed themselves to these very things Ch. III. than in them who have been hitherto strangers to them and unacquainted with the and to whom they are altogether new things 10. He next comes to prove Of fervency in Prayer that fervency and intention of spirit in Prayer is hindred by the use of Forms To this purpose he saith u Reas Acc. p. 28. p. 52. as to him that ministreth there is a great deal of difference between words following the affections and affections following the words And this he saith is an old Argument of Didoclavius And the very same was urged by x De Conscient l. 4. c. 17. qu. 4. Amesius and therefore surely was thought to be the best Argument these Writers could meet with And our Author also saith y p. 31 32. they believe the people do find a different flame in these Prayers but it is not easy to assign the reason of the difference 11. Now here I grant A Religious man is more devout in a Form of Prayer by his frequent use of it that in such a Form of Prayer as the person hath never before read or used there can be no particular previous preparation of heart or affections to join in the several Petitions thereof and this in the first use of such a Form I admit and acknowledge to be a disadvantage to devotion But if thus much be true it will manifest that the people must be hindred in the fervency of their devotions by joining in a conceived Prayer because being unacquainted before-hand with what would be therein expressed Of affections following words in Prayer their affections must follow the speakers words And thus the former part of what he asserts doth wholly undermine and disprove the latter which was laid down without any proof at all and this is the more considerable because the devotion of the people or the whole Congregation rather than of the Minister is chiefly to be regarded in publick Prayer and on their part lyeth this disadvantage 12. But in such an ordinary Form which he who ministreth is well acquainted with there is no such impediment to his devotion For he may come with his heart particularly disposed to apply himself to God for those special blessings and so may the people do also in the like case and so the pious disposition and acting of his spirit as to those particular Prayers is not only the sudden consequent of his present reading those words but is previous thereunto This Author partial But here I cannot but take notice of our Authors great partiality concerning the preparation of mens hearts to Prayer He declares in his own way z p. 26. that a premeditation of the greatness and majesty of God and of ones own vileness c. are of great use but to him who useth a p. 28. prescribed Forms he allows only that there may be some general previous preparation of affections but it is hard to keep them warm so long as until he comes to his work Thus
the Benediction of Eli the High Priest to Hannah and Elkanah 1 Sam. 1.17 Ch. 2.20 28. He goes on to tell us that they g p. 57. do not think that ever our Saviour intended the Lords Prayer to be used syllabically And h De Casib Consc l. 4. c. 17. qu. 5. Amesius also declares that our Lord did not intend to prescribe a Form of words to be constantly observed in the Lords Prayer Now it may well seem strange that any persons should harbour such an opinion as this if they had not some interest which enclined them to have such apprehensions concerning the Lords Prayer But as our late Gracious Soveraign observed i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 16. its great guilt is that it is the warrant and Original Pattern of all set Liturgies in the Christian Church And I cannot but wonder that k Grot. in Mat. 6.9 in Luc. 11.1 Grotius should entertain this extravagant and unreasonable conceit 29. But that our Saviour delivered this Prayer as a Form to be of ordinary use I gave manifest evidence l Libert Eccles p. 100 101 102. from the expressions of his precept from the occasion of his delivering it from the manner of its composure and from clear testimonies concerning the usual practice of the Primitive Church in the first second and third Centuries in observing it as a Form And our Author thought not fit to answer any thing to these proofs The Lords Prayer was directed to be a Form nor indeed to take any notice of them unto which I shall refer the Reader But this novel and groundless notion is also greatly opposite to the sense of the ancient Church in the following Centuries and would have been then earnestly exploded since they looked upon the Apostles themselves and all other Christians to have been enjoined by divine Precept to make use of this Prayer as a Form S. Hierome declared m Hieron adv Pelag. l. 3. c. 5. Docuit Apostolos suos ut quotidie in corporis illius sacrificio credentes audeant loqui Pater noster c. He taught his Apostles that every day believing in the sacrifice of his body they should say Our Father which art in Heaven c. And n Aug. Epist 89. S. Austin saith Omnibus necessaria est Oratio Dominica quam ipsis arietibus gregis i. e. ipsis Apostolis suis Dominus dedit ut unusquisque Deo dicat Dimitte nobis debita nostra c. The Lords Prayer is necessary for all which the Lord gave to the chief of his flock that is to the very Apostles themselves that every one should say to God Forgive us our trespasses c. 30. Among the Protestants as their Writers do generally acknowledge it to be a prescribed Form so Apollonius and the Classis of o Consid contr Ang. p. 177 178. Walachria observed In omnibus Reformatarum Ecclesiarum Liturgiis c. In all the publick Liturgies which are extant of the Reformed Churches the Lords Prayer is prescribed to be used But our Authors Assertion not only contradicts the sense of the ancient Catholick Church and the generality of Protestants abroad but he herein clasheth as well with the Directory and with that Assembly at Westminster which rejected our Common Prayer as with the Church of England In the p Direct Of Prayer after Serm. Directory they said The Prayer which Christ taught his Disciples is not only a pattern of Prayer but it self a most comprehensive Prayer and we recommend it to be used in the Prayers of the Church And the members of that Assembly in their Annotations affirm that q Assembl Annot. on Luk. 11.2 It is the most exact and sacred Form of Prayer indited and taught the Disciples who were to teach the whole World the rules and practice of true Religion by Christ himself who is best able to teach his servants to pray And again Christ prescribed this Form of Prayer to be used by them 31. Now it is an unreasonable confidence and presumption to oppose and contradict the general sense of the Christian Church in all Ages and even the truly Primitive and Reformed Churches if it be not upon great evidence Wherefore I shall now examine what this Writer hath to say for his opinion He saith r Reas Acc. p. 57. If the Apostles had apprehended it left for a Form of words and syllables we should have found some after record of the use of it But if he mean there would be some record of this in the Scriptures and writings of the Apostles this is very vain since it is certain they do not contain such Prayers as were used in the publick Assemblies and it is as unreasonable to expect this in them as to expect that all Books of instruction written by any of our Church should repeat our Publick Liturgy and it is very usual for such Books to have other expressions of Prayer and Supplication than those of our Common-Prayer And if this objection were of any weight it would as much prove that our Saviour never intended that Christian Baptism should be administred in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost as that the Lords Prayer should not be used though he plainly commanded both 32. But if by record The Lords Prayer used as a Form in the Primitive Church he means evidence beyond all exception from authentick ancient Writers concerning the practice of the Primitive Church though the producing such evidence is not necessary to make the Precepts of our Saviour valid I have sufficiently manifested so much in the place lately referred unto but if he took no notice thereof I cannot help that And besides what I mentioned above n. 29. S. Aug. assures us ſ Hom. 42. inter 50. Ad altare Dei quotidie dicitur Oratio Dominica The Lords Prayer is daily said at Gods Altar And in another place speaking of the Communion Service he saith that the Prayers thereof t Ep. 59. ad Paul Qu. 5. fere omnis Ecclesia Dominica Oratione concludit almost every Church doth conclude with the Lords Prayer And the use of it after the receiving the Sacrament was also observed by u De Sacr. l. 5. c. 4. S. Ambrose 33. But our Author saith 2. If Christ intended it for a Form x Ibid. p. 57. all that can be concluded is that Christ may appoint a Liturgy for his Church which surely none denies But it will also follow that Forms of Prayer are not to be rejected and condemned but ought to be esteemed of profitable use It gives an approbation to other publick Forms For since such Forms were of use among the Jews in our Saviours time as I have observed and shall more particularly manifest in the end of the next Section our Lord was so far from reproving this practice or John the Baptist his conforming to the like that himself taught his own
Disciples a Form also as the Baptist had taught his Wherefore this manifestly declares an approbation of Forms of Prayer taught and directed by others who have the chief authority in the Church 34. The last thing he urgeth is y p. 57 58. that supposing that Christ intended this as a Form at that time whether it was to last beyond his Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Ghost is a farther Question And though he doth not positively assert this yet he would have his Reader to be of this opinion and offers in proof of it what he saith was well observed which I shall by and by consider The Precepts of Christ which all ancient Churches reverenced may not now be laid aside But first Is it not a strange boldness and irreverence towards any Precept or Institution of our Saviour for him to suggest to men that it is expired and antiquated when our Lord himself gave no intimation of its being temporary and the Vniversal Church hath understood it otherwise Is not this a new piece of Pharisaism in teaching men how to make void the Commandments of God by looking upon them as out of date This Author may by these means do some service for them who contend that the Sacrament of Baptism was only intended for the first admission of Nations into the Christian Church so far as the reputation of his bare authority will go Yea and for those also who look upon the Lords Supper the Ordination of Ministers and many other Christian duties not to be needful for the succeeding Ages after the Apostles 35. The Apostles had extraordinary assistances and abilities before the Resurrection of Christ Secondly His supposing Forms might be requisite for the Apostles before Christ Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Ghost but that no such low things are since that time fit to be continued doth too plainly manifest that some persons are strangely big with swelling conceits of themselves Dare our Author speak out the plain sense of this suggestion which is this That himself and other dissenters are men of far greater abilities than the Apostles of our Saviour were before his Resurrection though they were then called to be his Apostles were sent forth to preach his Gospel and were enabled to work miracles and cast out Devils and consequently that these men now may reasonably look upon such directions and precepts to be of too low and inferiour a nature for them to observe which yet were enjoined upon and were fit for the state of the Apostles before the Resurrection 36. Thirdly his pretence of proof for this opinion is very shallow which is z p. 58. that Christ left out his own name in the Lords Prayer Of praying in the name of Christ but in that name his Disciples were afterwards enjoined to ask Joh. 14.13 14. Joh. 16.23 But to ask in his name is to ask through his mediation upon the encouragement of his merits and his being our intercessor and advocate at Gods right hand in our nature which is a priviledge peculiar to the time since the ascension of our Lord and also to ask sutably to the rules and doctrine of Christianity This is the sense which is generally given of this expression of asking in the name of Christ and even the Assemblies Annotations declare asking in the name of Christ to be a Assembl Annot. on Joh. 14.14 Ch. 16.24 26. through his mediation and they also add from S. Gregory si id quod non expedit petitur non in nomine Jesu petitur pater if that be desired which should not be God is not asked in the name of Jesus And this sense of this phrase In his name that it signifies upon his account and though him is evident from Joh. 1.12 Joh. 20.31 and many other places But the Apostles under the guidance of Gods Spirit did not always verbally express the name Jesus in all their Prayers as Rom. 15.13 2 Thes 3.16 and elsewhere 37. Now in the Lords Prayer we know that what we ask is according to the will of our Lord being directed by him We call not God Our Father but upon the account of Christ and upon his account we desire all our Petitions in the Lords Prayer to be granted And our desiring that Gods name may be hallowed that his Kingdom should come and that our trespasses may be forgiven c. have particular respect to our Mediator And in this whole Prayer we according to the direction of our Church-Catechism trust that God of his mercy and goodness 〈◊〉 do what we ask through our Lord Jesu◠Christ and therefore we say Amen And this is also the general sense of all b Formula à Resormatis usurpata ante illius Orationis recitationem Haec alia quae nosti Domine nobis esse necessaria à te postulamus in nomine Christi ea Orationis formula quam ipse nos docuit Pater noster c. Thes Salm. Par. 3. loc Com. 47. n. 13. sober Protestants 38. My second Argument to prove Forms of Prayer to be no disadvantage to devotion was c Libert Eccles p. 122 123. because it is generally acknowledged that the singing Psalms of Prayer and praise may be advantageously performed in a set Form of words and the Scriptures are not the less edifying because they are contained in a set form of words But concerning singing Psalms this Writer saith d p. 59. this is a mistake of the Question and e p. 60. that these are such Forms as God hath Canonized And he tells us he is against singing by any Forms not made of God which he calls f p. 18 19. p. 60.78 Apocryphal Anthems as much as he is against Liturgical Forms of Prayer And yet he allows g p. 78. p. 60. singing the Psalms in Meter though the words be not dictated of God My second Argument was that the Psalms in a set Form of words are useful to devotion and so are the Scriptures because the sense and matter in the Psalms in Meter is so directed 39. But when he saith this Argument mistakes the Question the Reader will easily see it was proper enough for the Question or Case of which I was discoursing which was in general whether Forms of Prayer are disadvantageous to Piety But our Author that he might avoid the force of this and some other Arguments hath put the Question into another method but hath not done it solidly nor hath he avoided the force of this Argument thereby For first when he grants concerning the Psalms of Prayer and praise that God hath Canonized those Forms he here asserteth what in Answer to the former Argument he would not own viz. that God ever appointed or prescribed any Forms of Prayer And as the matter of many of the Psalms is Prayer So S. Hierome observes there are h Hieron Epist 139. Comment in Ps 189. four Psalms which bear
Liturgy in this Age is not only what hath been generally received and acknowledged in the Greek Church but hath a further confirmation from Prâ—clus above mentioned and also from the testimony of the h Conc. in Trull c. 32. sixth General Council commonly so called where they also mention the Liturgy of St. James And when Julian for the begetting a greater respect to Gentilism ordered many thing therein i Soz. Hist l. 5. c. 15. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after the order of the Christian worship one thing which Sozomen declares they were to imitate the Christians in was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in their constituted prayers which k Naz. Or. 3. p. 101 102. Nazianzen calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a form of prayers to be expressed by parts this must manifestly prove the use of such forms then in the ordinary offices of the Christian Church Concerning this Age the Reader may add what I above mentioned from Eusebius n. 19. and from the Council of Laodicea n. 5 6 7 8. 25. In the preceding Age from the year 200. what I cited in my l Lib. Eccl. p. 108. Libertas Ecclesiastica from Origen in his Homilies on Jeremy urging a Clause out of their usual Forms of Prayer and speaking in his Books against Celsus of the Christians using 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And in the third Age beginning An. 200. the appointed prayers with what I there added from St. Cyprian and Tertullian may be considerable evidences that the Church then used forms of prayer To this may be added what I above observed m Sect. 2. n. 41. concerning the ordinary publick use of set Hymns composed by pious men under the time of Christianity which the Council of Antioch against Paulus Samosatenus censured him for disuseing 26. In the two first Centuries Publick forms in the two first Câ—â—turies we ment with few Christian Writers and yet theâ— are some things expressed in Justin Matyr and Ignatius which seem to favour the use of forms of prayer as I noted in my Libertas Ecclesiastica But the testimony I produced m Sect. 2. ibid. above from Pliny in his Epistle to Trajan at the entrance of the second Century doth sufficiently shew that the Christians in their publick Assemblies used a set form in Hymns of Ecclesiastical composure And the words of n In Philopat ver sin Lucian who also lived under Trajan give us a fair intimation if not certain evidence of a form of Liturgy then used by Christians Where he brings in Trâ—â—phon in his Dialogues expressing several things concerning the doctrine and practice of the Christian Church and at last he directs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the beginning the prayer from the father the Lords prayer and adding at the ending the Ode with many names or the famous hymn Indeed a learned man was of opinion that o J. Greg. Not. Observ in Scr. c. 38. the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was the Clause at the end of the Lords prayer For thine is the Kingdom c. but it is much more probable if not certain that there must be more than one single Clause in that which he called an Ode and it is very likely that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may here strictly imply the expressing many names or many titles According to this sense p View of the Direct Ch. 1. Sect. 17. Dr Hammond thought that Ode or Hymn intended might be that in the end of our Communion service Glory be to God on high c. And an Hymn much like to this appears to have been very ancient being expressed in that Collection under the name of q Const Apost l. 7. c. 48 49. Apostolical Constitutions And that this Clause in Lucian hath respect to a particular Hymn composed for the giving Glory to our Lord and Saviour especially I am enclined to believe from the testimony of Pliny lately referred unto from whence it appears that such an hymn which he expresseth soliti sunt carmen Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem was at that very time looked on as a remarkable thing in the Christian service and was of ordinary use in the Christian Assembly Now though I cannot be positive in determining the particular Hymn it is a considerable evidence that the Christians then used a form of publick service in that they began it with the Lords prayer which r Tertul. de Orat. c. 9. Tertullian also shews to have been anciently used before any other prayers and ended it with a particular known and remarkable hymn 27. And as before this time Our Saviour joined in a form of prayer and taught his Disciples a form our Saviour instituted that excellent form of the Lords Prayer so that is the greater warrant for the use of forms of prayer if we consider that such publick forms composed by such men who had chief authority in the Church were before our Saviours time and in his time of ordinary use in the Jewish worship But our Lord complied so far with the use of these forms that himself usually joined in this Synagogue-worship Luke 4.16 being of another temper as to the honouring of Gods publick worship than this Author and others of his mind since the farthest that they will go is as he tells us Å¿ Reas Acc. p. 21. that some of them at a pinch can hear prescribed forms And moreover our Lord thought fit as John the Baptist had done to continue this practice of directing forms of prayer amongst his Disciples and thereby gave a general approbation to this ancient usage in the Jewish Church and gave his own example for the like practice in the Christian Church of praying to God in forms piously composed and to be devoutly used 28. In their temple service their sacrifices and offerings were rites of t Phil. de Vict. p. 842 843. supplication and thanksgiving But these sacrifices being always the same upon the same occasion and the manner of performing them being unvaried and uniform The Temple-Sacrifices were real expressions of Divine worship in an unvaried form they were as constant forms of supplication or the same expressions of the same thing in the worship of God And as the daily service was constant and invariable so the several extraordinary Sacrifices were as different offices for special occasions And herein it also appears that God is so little pleased with variety of expressions that amongst the several numerous sorts of Cattel and Fowls u ibid. p. 835. only three sorts of the former as Philo observed viz. Oxen Sheep and Goats and two of the latter Pigeons and Turtles might be presented to God in Sacrifice Nor was there any alteration in the method of their ordinary service For whereas there was sacrifice and incense daily offered the same Authour acquaints us that the Priests strictly observed this order x Phil. de Victim offerent p. 850. first to offer the incense as
a rite of thanksgiving and after that their Sacrifice And their incense was daily offered before the rising of the Sun as y Anriq Jud. l. 3. c. 10. Josephus declares which is also agreeable to the direction of the Law it self Exod. 30.8 But in the evening service the incense was constantly offered after the Sacrifice 29. And their Sacrifices were attended in the Temple with particular prayers and praises The Levites in the Temple sung praises in a set form of words 2 Chr. 29.27 30. And the Priests joined prayers with their Sacrifices and that these in their constant and ordinary service were set forms besides what hath been by z Thornd of Rel. Assemb Ch. 7. some observed from the Samaritan Chronicle hath probable evidence from Philo who describing the Priest in this action saith he is a De Victim p. 843. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 making common lauds for all the people Publick forms of prayer accompanied their temple-sacrificis in the most holy prayers And we can produce instances of set forms of prayer used not only by the people but even by the Priests themselves upon the most high and solemn occasions Such is that when in case of a great impendent danger of sad calamity the Priests weeping between the Porch and the Altar were to say Joel 2.17 Spare thy people O Lord and give not thine Heritage to reproach c. And both the Talmud and other Jewish Writers declare how upon the day of atonement the High Priest himself used several stated prayers as b Hor. Heb. in Mat. 6.13 hath been observed by learned men and the very prayers themselves are thence expressed by c de Sacrif l. 1. c. 8. p. 95. c. 15. p. 169 170. Dr Outram And the forms of prayer used at the Jewish Passover have been noted by Scaliger Buxtorf Syn. Jud. c. 13. Ainsworth in Exod. 12.8 Dr Lightfoot on Mat. 26.26 and divers others 30. In their worship in the Synagogues and their Schools besides other prayers added of latter times the eighteen prayers which are much mentioned and of great account amongst the Jewish Writers are asserted by d Seld. in Eutych Buxt Syn. Jud. c. 5. the Rabbins to be as ancient as the time of Ezra But that little or nothing of this whole number of the eighteen prayers is of any later date than the time of our Saviour Dr. Lightfoot e Hor. Heb. in Mat. 6.9 affirmeth might be proved at large if need did require And I shall think it sufficient for me further to observe The like used in the Jewish Synagogues that it is certain they had forms of prayer of ordinary and common use in the Jewish Nation as early as the times of our Saviour from the testimony of Josephus concerning the Essens expressing before Sun-rise in their supplications f de Bel. Judaic l. 2. c. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some such prayers as were delivered to them from the foregoing Ages and were received amongst the Jews And upon a view of what I have now produced in this Section the Reader may see reason to believe the truth of what was asserted by g in Loc. Theol. de Precat Melancthon concerning forms of prayer Ecclesia semper eas proposuit publicè privatim eas exerceri jubet The Church of God hath always proposed them and thought them fit to be used both publickly and privately SECT IV. Some expressions vilifying Uniformity and charging forms of prayer to be an engine of perpetual discord with others in the latter part of his third Chapter reflected on HAving sufficiently I hope answered what hath been urged in this Discourse to prove the use of forms of prayer to be any hindrance to piety and devoutness in religious worship and vindicated my arguments whereby I undertook to prove the contrary it is but expedient to consider some other reflective expressions which are in the latter part of this his third Chapter 2. When our Authour observed that the Walachrian Classis commended forms of prayer as conducing to several good ends and particularly to this Sect. IV. That uniformity in publick worship may be in all Churches observed Of Vniformity or the having the same form of worship throughout the whole Realm he takes occasion to fall foul upon that Vniformity which they thought valuable and which is established in our Church But he first declares his approbation of h p. 54 55. Vniformity in the ordinary matter of prayer pursuant to an unity in Doctrine and this he tells us is necessary And then he thus expresseth his contempt of Uniformity in that sense our Church approves it and our Laws and Government establish it calling it i Reas Ac. p. 55. that pitiful thing now called Vniformity which lyes in an oneness of syllables words and phrases a thing which never came into the heart of God to command And in another place he enquires how it shall be proved that k p. 149. that pitiful thing called uniformity in words and syllables and phrases was ever desired of God or that it ever came into his or his Sons heart Thus he can come very nigh to a form of words and phrases in reviling them in others And here is one part of the difference between us that whilst we use a form of words in the holy exercises of Religion he useth his form of words in scoffing at this religious exercise and the Constitution of our Governours and to us it appears that the deriding religious exercises is not so good a work as the practising them 3. But whether God or Christ ever commanded a set form of words to be used in prayer which our Author so confidently denies Excellent benefits by the establishing this uniformity may be sufficiently discerned from what I have said in the foregoing Sections But is this Vniformity in the use of a devout and pious form such a pitiful thing as he represents it when by this means almost all the advantages in the use of forms which I have above mentioned are obtained Hereby a decent and regular way of worship in full and comprehensive sense and fit words is secured in all Assemblies of the Church of England Hereby sober and understanding Christians are assured that they can heartily join in the publick service which is to be presented to God Hereby the minds and affections of the people may be particularly prepared before-hand to go along with the several parts of worship Hereby both Ministers and people are relieved against various distractions which new variety of words and expressions do suggest Hereby the Unity of desiring the same things in so many several Assemblies may quicken a considerate mans devotion And hereby all unbecoming and scandalous expressions which disturb the soberest Christians and administer matter for derision to others of which too many instances might be given are in the chief parts of Divine service and worship
be prohibited they must be asserted to be unlawful And being thus prohibited no pretence of necessity on Mans part can make them lawful For according to that ancient rule Nulla est necessitas delinquendi quibus una est necessitas non delinquendi (e) Tertul. It can be never necessary for them to sin for whom it is only necessary that they do no sin And it is more necessary to forbear any present external expression of Homage to God than to make use of that which is unlawful and forbidden as is manifest in the instance of Saul's sacrificing 4. Obs 2. By this way of arguing the particular conceptions and expressions of him who prayeth without a Form are as much forbidden And will conclude Prayers without Forms to be fitful as the use of a Form is pretended to be since God hath not prescribed these Expressions But here our Author tells us that the light of Nature shews our own invention to be a mean and a sufficient mean in this act of Worship Thus Men who talk at this loose rate can tell when it serves their own turn how to allow what God hath not prescribed and to justifie it upon this very account because it is the Invention of Man though they can declaim against Ecclesiastical Constitutions under the very name of Inventions of Men. But if we may use words and expressions and a method and composition of Prayer not particularly prescribed of God what an unreasonable vanity is it to argue from this Topick against a Form of Prayer because these particular things in this Form are not appointed of God 5. But possibly he may tell us as some have done that by keeping to the constant use of a Form of Prayer we make that a proper part of Divine Worship Now though this was answered (f) Thes Salmur Part 3. de Liturg. n. 35. by Cappellus and in part by (g) Lib. Eccles B 2. p. 305 306. me elsewhere I shall here say That we are far from thinking that any particular Form of Prayer appointed in any part of the Church is necessary to be used in all Christian Churches in the World who all of them are obliged to perform all the proper parts of Divine Worship Nor is Religion and the Worship of God placed in the bare reciting the words of a Form but chiefly in the pious devotion of the Heart of which these words are an expression and guide And thus much must be allowed to the use of words in those Prayers which for distinction sake I call Conceived Prayers I hope he will not say that it is the constant and prescribed use of the same thing not commanded of God which only is forbidden in the Second Commandment as if the worshipping an Image was only forbidden where there is a constant Adoration given to the same Image but that it is allowable where there is so great a number of them that men sometimes make choice of one and sometimes of another with various changes We allow the Second Commandment and the Rules of Scripture concerning God's Worship to require that no act of Divine Adoration be given to any thing else besides God himself What God hath forbidden or commanded concerning his Worship and that that Homage and Service which is sutable to his Nature and according to his Will be religiously performed and that no such pretended Worship which is unsutable to his Nature or disagreeing to his Will ought to be presented to him But this suggestion that Forms of Prayer are forbidden by the Second Commandment as included under Idolatry is so unreasonable that (h) View of Direct Chap. 1. Sect. 22. Dr. Hammond might justly wonder at the strangeness and prodigiousness thereof and Cappellus might well declare concerning them who urge this as an Argument (i) Ubi sup n. Crasse admodum hîc homines isti hallucinantur These Men are herein exceeding grosly deceived 6. Obs 3. This Position That nothing may be used or appointed in God's Worship but what is particularly enjoyned by God himself besides (k) Reas Acc. p. 75 76 77. p. 86 87. necessary circumstances to humane actions as Humane is that concerning the falseness and dangerous consequence of which I discoursed largely in my Libertas Ecclesiastica (l) B 2. c. 1. throughout c. 2. to which I refer nor is any answer given thereto by this Writer And I shall here note that as it is improved That Position that nothing not prescribed may be used in Gods Worship is destructive of all Rellgion it is destructive to publick Worship and Religion For since God hath commanded us to pray but hath not in all acts of Worship enjoyned our Words or the performance of this Duty with or without a Form it must according to this Position be done in neither since each of these are by consequence sequence pretended to be forbidden being not prescribed The same may be said of our Saviour's Precept concerning the celebrating his Supper in Bread and Wine but he hath not prescribed or determined the sort of Bread or the kind of Wine And though God hath commanded us to sing Praises to him whatever this Writer saith he can never prove the singing continually the Psalms of David and others recorded in Scripture to be particularly enjoyned by a Divine Institution under the Gospel though the Church of God hath very generally and advantageously used them Wherefore the result of this assertion is for men to contradict themselves in the performances of Religion and which is far more intolerable to look upon God as having contradicted himself in giving such Laws which so clash with one another that they cannot be obeyed and that by the one he hath set us free from observing the other 7. But if these things may be determined by men as they indeed must be the common rules of Prudence will not allow that it should be lawful and fit for every Minister by his more sudden and vario thoughts to determine these things for the Congregation where he ministers Things necessary to be determined in Religion may be best determined by publick Constitutions and that it should be unlawful and unreasonable that any such things should be considered and resolved on by the deliberate Consultations of the most prudent Men And if we consider the Authority of our Superiours to reject pious Forms of Prayer by them appointed and which I have shewed to be of excellent use speaks a wnat of just Reverence and Submission to them and a not yielding to them that due Superiority in matters Ecclesiastical for the right ordering the exercises of Religion which belongeth to them of which I have in another Book discoursed some-what 8. But whilst this Author in this Chapter observes that some urge the Duty (m) P. 74 85 86. of obeying Superiours in things lawful and not forbidden of God as an obligation upon Inferiours in our Case to joyn in
of Prayer where the words express the sense of the Prayer and are not only significant but very useful And though such thngs as are appointed in the due order of the Church as the Forms and Order of Prayer Hymns and such like have been usually and frequently called things indifferent the word indifferent here is only to be understood in opposition to what is in it self absolutely necessary but not in opposition to or distinction from what is good useful and profitable to Edification so that such things are if I may so call them in themselves legally indifferent being particularly established by no Divine Law and which may as things of Ecclesiastical liberty be appointed by Superiors not morally indifferent as if the appointment and practice of them was not useful profitable and good 15. He saith also that (c) ibid. an appropriated habit is in worship sinful the contrary I have sufficiently proved in my (d) B. 2. ch 1. p. 320 321. ch 4. p. 492 c. Libertas Ecclesiastica and that for the Superiour to command any such thing will be a sin unto him as Gideons Ephod was a snare to his house Jud. 8.27 But the Scripture saith concerning Gideons Ephod which he made and put in his own City that all Israel went thither a whoring after it which thing became a snare unto Gideon and his house So that publick Idolatry in which Gideons family did in all probability joyn was that whereby â—â— became a snare unto them Of Gideons Ephod But neither was the Ephod of Samuel 1 Sam. â— 8. nor of David 2 Sam. 6.14 nor the Levites garments 2 Chr. 5.12 at all blamed in the Holy Scriptures but approved though none of them were appointed by the Law of God and therefore it must be somthing of another nature than the bare making an habit that was of so ill consequence to Gideon and his Family And as this at last came to a manifest and general Idolatry so there was probably somthing blameable in its first Constitution St. Austin (e) Quaest super Judic c. 41. from the great proportion of Gold allotted tot he making this Ephod Jud. 8.26 thinketh that other ministerial things relating to Gods service were made therewith and others think that Gideon making an Ephod like the high Priests intended to worship God and enquire of God thereby in his own city and not in Gods Tabernacle which was to erect a Schism Now Schism and Idolatry whether they be commanded by Superiors or practised by Inferiors joyntly or separately will be a Snare unto them as they were to the house of Gidcon 16. Our Author takes notice that (f) p. 91.92 commands in Scripture and examples are urged for forms of Prayer and saith it can never be proved that there were forms of Prayer in the Jewish Church or that the Lords Prayer was intended as an ordinary form and however what is produced from these things concerning the State of the Gospel he calls pitiful inconclusive Arguments And saith he if David made Psalms which are Prayers he was a Prophet but did he make an Act of Vniformity too But that the Jewish Church had forms of Prayer that the Lords Prayer which surely was delivered under the Gospel was delivered as a form and that the Arguments from hence are cogent I have proved in the former chapter And since the ordinary practice of the Jews in using forms was approved by our Saviour it is not considerable whether any of them were established by David or other persons in Authority Yet David did in some things appoint rules and orders for the service of God 1 Chr. 25.2 6. And Hezekiah and his Princes ordered in what form of words the Levites should sing praise to God 2 Chr. 29.30 CHAP. V. Ch. V. Of other Prayers besides those in the Liturgy and publick service of the Church HIs fourth Argument is That the admitting or agreeing (a) Reas Account p. 93.94 Ministers to use ordinarily prescribed forms of Prayer is of sufficient force to restrain the total exercise of the gift of Prayer which is sinful And that by this principle Ministers may not pray otherwise before and after Sermon And that if the Magistrate shall hereafter make a Law (b) p. 95. Of the use of other Prayers besides forms of the Latitude of that of Nebuchadnezzar to tie men to pray no where to God neither in Family or Closet but in the use of a form or the Churches Prayers they must obey this also by the same reason which obligeth them to use set forms in the publick use of the Liturgy And saith he (c) p. 97. who shall determine how far the Magistrate may impose or not impose Now in this Chapter he produceth nothing new to prove it a Duty for men to use their own abilities of expression in Prayer but saith (d) p. 93. he takes this to shine sufficiently in its own light 2. Wherefore in answering this Chapter I shall premise three things First That I have above shewed (e) Chap. 1. that mens abilities of expression which are not properly the gift of Prayer are not on other accounts necessary to be used unless where they be requisite for the better performing the worship of God 3. Secondly that since I have manifested the usefulness of set (f) Chap. 1. 2. forms in themselves for the publick offices of Religious worship and do not found their lawfulness and expediency meerly upon Obedience to our Superiors therefore I can be no way concerned here to determine or enquire after the extent or boundaries of the Authority of our Governors in ordering things relating to the worship of God 4. Thirdly The extent of Governours Authority not requisite to be questioned in every act of Obedience That it doth not express any great reverence to Superiors for any to deny submission to the lawful and useful Constitutions by them established and to plead for this by putting other Questions about their power of commanding things which seem disadvantageous to Religion and by declaring that the extent of their Authority is not sufficiently stated What confusion would it bring into Families if when Children or Servants are commanded there to joyn in any exercise of Religion as in prayer in the Family which our Author grants must be a form to them who joyn in the words of others they may be allowed to answer they will not comply therewith because by so doing they may be imposed on in Religion from one thing to another and they must first know the strict bounds of that Authority they are under and who shall fix them And the like may be said of the several conventions of different Separatists But if it be enough to say in the case of a Family that they may then deny actual obedience and subjection when any thing is required of them which they know to be evil we acknowledg the same in our case 5. And
thus much might be sufficient Whether it be a duty to use other Prayers besides formâ— for answer to this Chapter as it hath a particular aspect upon the Authority and commands of our Governors yet because I would not avoid any thing which may seem material and useful I shall farther here consider Whether and how far Christians or Ministers are under any obligation to Duty to use any other prayers besides set forms in all those particular cases mentioned in this chapter before and after Sermon in the Family and in the Closet Now comprehensive and well ordered forms being with deliberation fitted to the common state of Christians and the ends of our Religion are as I have above shewed to be preferred in the publick worship of God And that before or after Sermon there should ordinarily be new and varied Prayers I know no rule of reason or precept of the Christian Religion which requireth this and maketh it a Duty 6. Before Sermons Before Sermons (g) Of Religious Assembl c. 7 p. 237. 252. Mr. Thorndike observes That in the flourishing times of the Church Preachers were wont to commend themselves and their labours to Gods blessing But this was frequently at least done by a set form A short form to this purpose of St. Ambrose is as Mr. Thorndike there observed yet extant may be seen in Ferrarius de ritu concion and from thence in (h) Alliance of Divine Offices Chap. 6. p. 183. Mr. Hamon L'estrange and the form of Aquinas is published by (i) Casland Prec Ec. Cassander And some of the most eager of our Dissenters ahve formerly kept themselves ordinarily to set forms before their Sermons And our Church in her (k) Can. 55 Canons hath given direction for a form of Prayer to be used before Sermons as is there expresed or to that effect but among the different practices it is not necessary for me here to consider what liberty is hereby allowed to Ministers 7. In the close of the Sermon After Sermons many Homilies of the ancient Writers had some supplicatory expressions interwoven as a conclusory part thereof and sometimes with particular respect to the subject of their Discourse Such things were in some of their popular Discourses practised by (l) Basil Hom. 2. 6. in Hexaem De Jejun Hom. 1. de Mam. Mart. de Lib. Arb. St. Basil (m) Naz. Orat. 2.6 10 28 42. V. Schol. Gr. in Not. Billij in Naz. Orat. 18. Gr. Nazianzen St. Chrysostom in some Homilies ad Pop. Antioch and others and also in St. Augustine St. Gregory Bernard and divers others and our Church doth not seem to dislike this Method which is imitated in some of her Homilies But yet this was used but in some either of the ancient Homilies or of those of our Church St. Austin used most requently the same conclusory Prayer or Collect which is extant in (n) Aug. Tom. 8. pag. ult his works The method used by several persons of the several persuasions among our Dissenters who frequently have prayed over the several heads and parts of their Sermons that their Auditors might be persuaded of them stands chargeable with this fault among others that as (o) Disc Prayer extemporet Bishop Taylor observed as their Sermons according to their different parties were oft directed against one another and in contradiction to one another so by consequence were their Prayers and therefore the matter of Prayer must be in many of them unsound But that excellent Collect Grant we beseech thee Almighty God c. much used in our Chnrch after Sermons besides the expressions in the Prayer for the Church militant to the same purpoe is so pithy in desiring the blessing of God for obtaining the best effect of the Sermon that no pretence can remain to charge any blame upon those who use no different concluding supplicatory expressions of their own 8. Indeed there are sometimes extraordinary cases and occasions which are proper matter for our publick Prayers and Thanksgivings and ought not to be omitted It is observed by (p) Ann. Eccl. An. 37. n. 7.8 Banonius that the Church presented their especial Suffrages to God for the good success of Gratian against the Alemans and (q) Athan. Apol. 2. ad Constant Athanasius did publickly do the like for Constantius against Magnentius Such cases as are most weighty or usual are provided for by particular Collects in our Liturgy and if they be cases of particular persons they may be comprised in the Prayer for all conditions of men and the general Thanksgiving according to the directions in our Liturgy And these parts are as blameless and as commendable in their use as the ordinary parts of the Liturgy And if there should yet be some great and extraordnary case which is not sufficiently contained under any of these Prayers or Praises Dr. Hammond declared (r) Pract. Catechism l. 3. Sect. 2. The Church sometimes permits and upon incidental occasions prescribes other forms in the Congregation Such are upon great special reasons the Prayers for particular public days of Humiliation and Thanksgiving And if saith Mr. (s) Discour 1. on Mat. 6.9 â— Mede There be any sudden unexpected occasions for which the Church cannot provide the spirit of her Ministers is free Who will forbid her Ministers to supply in such a case that by a voluntary and arbitrary form that the Church could not provide for in a set form But such cases where this is necessary will be very rare and must keep their place 9. And for Family and Closet Prayers what ever freedom of expression any man hath whensoever he devoutly and piously addresseth himself to God in a form of words in the daily and constant matters of worship Of Prayer in Families and Closets as acknowledging and adoring the Divine excellencies and perfections blessing God for daily benefits and seeking to him for such mercies as we always stand in need of I do not see how the least blame can be charged upon such a Person but his mind may be enlarged his memory helped and his affections quickned thereby 10. And so far as I can discern the ordinary use of a well composed form may usually in a Family most conduce to the promoting inward and serious Piety upon many of the same grounds that prove it expedient in the publick service and the disparaging the use of forms of Prayer in Families is both unreasonable and really hurtful to Religion Forms of Prayer of great use in Families it being the probable occasion of the total neglect of such Religious services in many Families many persons on this account omitting the use of all Prayer in their Families rather than to expose themselves to be censured as weak in using a Form And other persons of greater confidence perform this much worse both as to matter and words of Prayer and the profit of others than they might do in the use
a renewed and Holy life is necessary hereto is manifest from that wrath and threatning denounced against workers of Iniquity and from the impossibility for them to find favour in the sight of God who do not do the Will of our Father which is in Heaven 14. Yet the Gospel justification upon these terms of Grace in the new Covenant is still through the redemption of our Saviour and faith in him and from the benefit of his Sacrifice we receive the pardon of our sins in the Holy Sacraments of the Gospel especially in the administration of which Sacraments is a principal part of the benefit of the Ministry of Reconciliation But it cannot be that the Righteousness of Christ should be so imputed to us that we should be looked on as having done or suffered what he did or suffered for then must every Christian be reputed and looked on as having performed the office of Mediator and having paid to God the price of Redemption for the sins of the World and as having made Reconciliation and obtained thereby Remission and then besides many other gross absurdities they might be invocated on this account for the dispensing the same And they who are reputed to have performed compleat actual sinless Obedience need no such Grace whereby they must receive pardon and Remission But the Holy Jesus by his Sacrifice hath made a way of Reconciliation and as our Mediator hath by his Blood established that new Covenant of Grace whereby through his Redemption we may be justified upon performing the Conditions of his Gospel And I see no other blame can be charged on this Doctrine unless it be that it is consistent with it self and with what was delivered by the Apostles of our Lord. CHAP. VII Praying by a Form is very rashly and injuriously charged with mocking of God IN his seventh Chapter he produceth his sixth Argument which is That for (a) Reas Acc. p. 115. Ministers who have the Gift of Prayer to perform publick Vocal Prayer by the prescribed Forms of others is to pretend to do an act of Worship and at the same time not to do it and is (b) P. 115 to mock God and deceive their own Souls 2. Now this is a very heavy Charge if it be true and can be proved but if all this shall appear to be a false Accusation and to be untrue Ch. VII it is then no little Slander and Calumny upon the Religious Worship of God Praying by a Form no mocking God and upon all those Churches of God and Pious Christians who make use of Forms in their Prayers And to make good his Charge our Author must here recal and deny what he hath so often granted That the use of Forms of Prayer are in themselves lawful and that they may be lawfully used by Ministers in some cases For if they be a mocking of God and the duty of Prayer is not really performed in the use of them but is only pretended so to be to the deceiving mens own Souls then they are certainly unlawful 3. Now his chief and yet trifling Argument to make good this very weighty and heavy Charge is this (c) P. 116 117. That the command to go and Preach requireth the Ministers exercise of his own Inventing and Composing and therefore so must the Command to make publick Prayers Now in answer to this it may be sufficient to say The nature and exercise of Prayer is sutably performed by a Form That every Duty is to be performed sutably to the nature of the Duty it self or in such a manner as may best tend to the pleasing of God and the exercising true Piety therein But in publick Prayer Religious Devotion and gracious dispositions and desires towards God are the great things to be practised and to that end the use of a Form of words in publick Service is well accommodated as I have shewed and therefore may be not only fitly but profitably used 4. And with respect to Preaching though our Author will find it a difficult task to prove that in every Instruction a Minister is bound to have new matter of Invention and Composition yet his greatest mistake is in supposing the cases of Instruction Exhortation or Preaching and of Praying to be parallel For where in instructing others in the knowledg of Religion Of the comparing Preaching and Praying it is the Ministers duty to teach them what they before understood not and to that end to use new Words that they may learn Knowledg it can never be imagined that he ought also to acquaint God in Prayer with what he before understood not And when in Exhortations to Men to make them better and to change their Tempers it may be of good use to suggest to them and urge upon them such Arguments and Considerations as before they either never thought of or at least did not duly consider the weight and force of them there is not the like reason of using frequently new words and expressions to God as if men were to put him in mind of the force of such things as he had not considered Surely nothing can be more weak than to insist on such unlike Comparisons instead of Arguments 5. But besides this he tells us that those words in Scripture which are used in commanding publick Prayer are not used concerning the reciting or reading the words of others Thus he saith when Prayer is commanded Hos 14.2 and Joel 2.17 the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say and he saith (d) P. 118. He is not awar of any Text in the Old Testament where that word signifies the Recitation or repetition of Words formed by others Of the words of Scripture which enjoyn Prayer Now if this was true it would be very little or not at all to purpose unless he could prove that the using of the words of a Form is not Speaking or Saying But yet in truth notwithstanding his pretence to Critical Observations in which he is also very unhappy this very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Speak or Say is very frequently in the Old Testament used for reciting the words prescribed by others as in Gen. 32.4 Deut. 26.5 Deut. 27.14 and in many other places 6. And he tells us (e) P. 119. That in the New Testament the Precepts for Prayer are expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Pray and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Say to wit in Praying But what meaneth he Are these words never made use of for the reciting a Form of Prayer when they are the very words by which the Lords Prayer is prescribed The former (f) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 6.9 and both of them (g) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 11.2 And the former of them together with the Noun derived from the latter is used (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 26.44 to express our Saviour his Praying the third time saying the same words I might also mind our
A Vindication OF LITURGIES SHEWING The Lawfulness Vsefulness and Antiquity of performing the Publick Worship of GOD by set Forms of Prayer Wherein several other things also of considerable use are occasionally discussed In Answer to a late Book Intituled A Reasonable Account why some pious Non-Conforming Ministers in England judge it sinful for them to perform their Ministerial Acts in publick solemn Prayer by the prescribed Forms of others By WILLIAM FALKNER D. D. LONDON Printed for Walter Kettilby at the Bishops-Head in St Paul's Church-Yard 1680. TO THE Right Reverend FATHER in GOD ANTHONY Lord Bishop OF NORWICH My Honoured DIOCESAN MY LORD IT is too well known that notwithstanding the purity of Doctrine and Worship and the Primitive Orders of the Ministry established in our Church in all which Excellencies and Perfections no part of the Christian World doth excel her if any equal her it hath been and still is her portion in Conformity to our Saviour to his Apostles and to the purest Primitive Church to be assaulted and impugned by the various oppositions of many Adversaries Besides others our Dissenting Parties within this last year have been very active both by other methods and by Books of several kinds expressing their objections against our publick Order and Constitution And one of them for the justifying their separation hath adventured so far as to charge the general use of prescribed Forms of Prayer to be sinful which if it were true would indeed be an high accusation against our publick worship and therewith against all the famous Christian Churches He pretends an Answer to all that I had said for the lawfulness and expediency of fixed Liturgies unto which I have here returned as I hope a sufficient Reply The manner of his writing is in this respect more commendable than of some others in that he plainly stateth his Question and then produceth his Arguments that the strength of them may be fairly tried But I could have wished for his own sake that he had not oft intermixed his passionate and groundless aspersions upon our publick Constitutions and Ministry and his talking at a high rate with confident words upon very weak and slender appearances of Reason For such things are testimonies either of the rashness and weakness of the Writer who brings these things as a supply for want of what is rational and substantial or else of the badness of the cause which needs such supports to maintain it And though I thought this discourse not at all like to prevail with understanding men there were many things which enclined me to undertake an examination thereof That Book is spread abroad under the name of a person of as great esteem amongst our Dissenters as any other in these parts There is a fair appearance of a regular way of reasoning though there wants strength of Argument and he more than once declares that he thinks himself to have fully answered what I had written for Forms of Prayer and therefore I was particularly concerned to shew his mistake And though the more cautious and wary men among our Dissenters will not affirm the constant use of Forms to be sinful because they think such a position not defensible yet the Genius of that party is much set against them and in their practice they reject them almost generally with some eagerness and therefore the determining this case is of the greater concernment with respect to our Non-Conformists in general And I have had so much experience of the World as to know that the greater part of men are not so intelligent and soberly considerative as to search into the strength or weakness of Arguments unless they be directed and assisted which defect when it meets with an unsteady temper is the occasion of much infelicity to Civil and Ecclesiastical Society And as I think it in any case a piece of Christian Charity to guide men in their duty so this is of greater moment where the Peace of the Church is concerned as well as the private duty of Christians But it was not the least thing which prevailed with me to this undertaking that the Book I answer led me to the considering several mistaken notions and assertions and I hope to the clearing them which having been presumed to be truths have misguided many well-disposed persons Upon many accounts this Discourse addresseth it self to your Lordship humbly entreating your acceptance thereof It defends that common way of Christian Worship by publick Liturgies which hath been the constant use of this established Church wherein your Lordship deservedly enjoyeth an eminent place and of the Reasonableness and usefulness of whose publick service your self gave a seasonable account And probably the Book I answer was also written within the limits of your Lordships Jurisdiction and therefore I present this Discourse to your view craving your Approbation And this I do with the greater confidence because of the truth of what I defend the clearness and evidence whereof is such as will also I hope recommend it self to any sober and indifferent enquirer I do confess I had this great advantage against my Opponent that I have manifest truth on my side and this advantage I have made the best use of that I could I am so apprehensive of my own defects that I cannot expect that this Treatise should be in all things free from them But I am sensible that if I have trifled in the main subject which is a matter of weight and seriousness I am so far from deserving your Lordships favour herein that I cannot reasonably presume on your pardon for prefixing your name hereunto But the chief reason of my presenting this to your Lordship is that I might express a thankful acknowledgment of those favourable respects I have received from you and profess that real honour which my self with the rest of your Clergy have for you And that God will preserve and bless your Lordship is the hearty desire and Prayer of him who according to his duty Hath a great and humble Reverence both for your Lordships Office and Person WILLIAM FALKNER Lyn-Regis June 9. 1680. THE CONTENTS THE Introduction giving the Reader an Account of the occasion of this Discourse Page 1 Chap. I. Of the state of the Question proposed by this Writer with some Observations thereupon p. 10 Chap. II. Of the gift of Prayer what it properly is How abilities of expression are the gifts of God and how far Ministers are obliged to use their own abilities in Religious Worship p. 28 Chap. III. Of Devotion and attentive fervency of mind in publick Prayer and whether the use of Liturgies be hindrances or helps therein p. 73 Sect. I. Various pretences for Forms of Prayer being hindrances to attention or fervency examined and the contrary manifested Ibid. Sect. II. A defence of some things urged in my Libertas Ecclesiastica to prove Forms of Prayer to be no disadvantage to devotion p. 98 Sect. III. The Antiquity of the publick use of Liturgies
the affecting variety of words in the worship of God where fit words may be best secured by a good Form is both apt to hinder due devotion and it also speaks such persons much concerned about that which is too low and mean to procure Gods acceptance And it implies a misconception of the divine nature and Being in them who look upon such things as of great concernment to please him And the making that a necessary part of Religion which is not such by laying a doctrinal necessity upon it where men are able to perform it cannot be excused from being a piece of superstition or a teaching for doctrines the precepts or fancies of men Chap. I. 9. Obs 2. Opposition against our Church and Liturgy is upon uncertain grounds It may be noted that this Author though he sometimes talk high doth not account himself certain of the truth of this position which he layeth down in his stating the case and in the following part of his Book undertakes to prove His position expresseth the sinfulness of using Forms of Prayer in the Case he proposeth and he saith t p. 2. their judgment of Conscience is that they are unlawful and this they u Ch. 8. p. 132. from their hearts believe and so must practise But when he speaks of his Arguments he saith they have Arguments which x p. 2. appear very probable and y p. 5. seem highly probable with other like expressions And how far this evidence doth prevail with himself we may discern by these words z p. 164 p. 70. We judge not our selves infallible in our sentiments in this case we condemn not our brethren which judge otherwise and accordingly practise a p. 132. in p. 22. We dare not judge those who we think have the gift of Prayer but think not fit to use it in their ordinary service Whether it be sin in them we leave to Gods determination we pray God that if we be in the mistake God would reveal it to us These words do plainly speak doubtfulness and uncertainty as do those in the Margent for no understanding man can use such expressions concerning what he certainly knows to be sin In speaking of the sinfulness of theft or lying he would not say we condemn not them who practise otherwise c. to wit thieves and lyars since he certainly knows these things to be sin and therefore that the practisers of them ought to be condemned Yet at sometimes he speaks as if he proceeded on b P. 25. p. 123. demonstrations 10. Now I hope to make it manifest that his Arguments do not so much as prove any probability of truth in his assertion yet I could in the mean time heartily wish that both he and others with him would seriously consider how unsafe it is for themselves The hurt and danger of such practices considered and dangerous to Religion for men to oppose the state and order of a well setled Church upon probable Arguments Where we have certain evidence of any thing being our duty we are bound to embrace it whomsoever we contradict but certain evidence no man can have of an errour being truth And to proceed upon probable Arguments only yea or on such as men may by their mistake esteem and confidently assert to be certain is in an errour no safe foundation for practice 11. The Donatists by their restless Pleas and various disputations manifested that they proceeded on such Arguments which to them seemed highly probable the same may be said of the Arians and Eunomians whose Arguments are frequently produced by c Athan. contr Arian Or. 4. passim Athanasius d Naz. Orat 35 36. Gr. Nys Basil adv Eunom Gr. Nazianzene and other ancient Writers to a greater number than this Writer hath against Forms of Prayer And almost all who were of old guilty of any Heresy or Schism as also at this day the Romanists Anabaptists Quakers and other such Sects have their Arguments which they account probable And for the Brownists who declared in their e Praestant Viror Epist p. 925. Preface to their Confession that the Church of England its Ministry and its worship were all adulterous Fr. Johnson published his f John â— Reasonâ— for sâ—â—â—â—tion seven Arguments of one sort and seven of another sort such as to them seemed probable and all of them in Syllogisms as our Author produceth his seven Arguments in Syllogisms against Forms of Prayer And Erbury and others with him had their Arguments which to them seemed probable which they undertook g Mr. Long in Exam. of Mr Hales of Schism p. 133. at Oxford to produce and urge against all ordination and ministry Yet if I should ask this Author whether he thinks all these persons did perform their duty to God aright and were to be discharged from sin in thus venting their errors and heresies and that the Church of God received no disadvantage from them I presume he would not assert this however we are sure of the contrary And then the consequence will be that if it be a duty to hold Communion with our publick Assemblies and to perform the worship of God according to our established Constitutions they cannot be acquitted from sin nor excused from doing hurt to the Church of God who reject these duties upon their probable Arguments 12. But in requital for his so favourable expressions towards us in not condemning our using the Liturgy of the Church this Author expects that we ought not to change him and others of his perswasion with any blame in their dissent and separation h Reasonable Account p. 64. Dissenters are to be blamed We condemn not our brethren Let not them saith he judge and condemn us We are in our dissents in the case anothers servants Now it becomes no man to pass that judgment on others which is peculiar to God as concerning the hidden things of the heart of man or his final state but we are allowed to account and judge those actions of men to be evil which are manifestly so And it is very unreasonable that if they who violate any Laws of God or Man do not blame others for keeping them that therefore they must not be charged with the breaking them If S. Peter did not fault S. Paul who according to his duty kept Communion with the Church at Antioch S. Paul did not therefore think himself obliged not to rebuke S. Peter for his unwarrantable withdrawing from it but he declares in this case Gal. 2.11 I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed and v. 14. I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel 13. Wherefore because I think it my duty to deal faithfully and plainly in these things I do freely profess that besides what concerns the Laws of the Church and of the Realm I account my self to have as plain
that this great Apostle and other Christians at that time should be ignorant of the common matters of Christian Prayer who could not but be acquainted with g Aug. Ep. 121. ad Prob. the Lords Prayer but a considerable part of the sense of this clause is that whilest under troubles and sufferings of which the Apostle was discoursing even good men are apt to think their present redress and deliverance most desirable as this Apostle himself did the departing of that outward affliction which he calls h Aug. ib. Chrys in Rom. 8.26 a thorn in the flesh 2 Cor. 12.7 8 10. the influence of Gods spirit directs them to seek his Kingdom and with hope and patience and submission to resign themselves unto the will of God that that may be done on earth and that his most wise Government should order all their affairs in this life And the guidance of the Holy Spirit by keeping pious men humble preserves them ordinarily from such irregular inclinations and desires as appeared in the request of the two Sons of Zebedee James and John which they made to our Lord. And all this is performed by the influence of the grace of the Holy Spirit 6. And in the latter part of these words the Spirits making intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered may well be applied to vehement affections and inward gracious motions of the heart but cannot consistently with common sense be referred to words and expressions But I see no great difference whether this clause be understood immediately of the Holy Ghost himself as most of the i Aug. Ep. 105. Ep. 121. passimâ—â— Ambrâ—â— ad Horonâ—â— Ancients understand it that he gemendi inspirat affectum promotes affectionate groans as in a like way of expression they observe the Spirit is said to cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 because thereby we cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 Or whether it be understood of the gifts of the Holy Ghost and the spirits of pious men who are influenced thereby in dependance upon him which is the interpretation of k Chrys in loc S. Chrysostom and is also mentioned by l Contra Serm. Arian S. Austin 7. The continued and encreased supplies of this divine grace and gift of Prayer This gift necessary to be exercised or inward devotion of mind is usually vouchsafed to pious men according to their diligence and progress in piety goodness and righteousness and their frequent practice of these duties of Religion with careful preparation of mind And the exercise of this gift being so great a part of Religion and of singular use for obtaining various blessings from God it ought by all men to be performed with the greatest seriousness And as that ability of expression whereby a man largely professeth the particular doctrines of the Christian Faith in the several Articles of our Belief is not properly the gift of Faith or of believing so neither is the like ability of expressing the matter of our Prayer to be accounted in any proper sense the gift of Prayer but rather of speaking utterance or Elocution But it is the inward gracious dispositions and motions of our hearts and minds which is the most powerful Oratory to prevail with God And this whether with or without a Form of words yea whether joined with outward expressions or attended with silence is the effectual and fervent prayer of a righteous man which availeth much Hereby as Cl. Alexandrinus m Cl. Alex. Strom. l. 7. saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We speak distinctly though with silence Of the extraordinary gifts used in Prayer in the beginning of Christiauity and utter inward loud cries where no voice is heard 8. Secondly There was also a gift of Prayer and praying with the spirit when together with what is above expressed many Christians in the beginning of Christianity were frequently enabled by the extraordinary impulses and immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit upon their minds so to pray either in their own or other Languages that these motions of their hearts and inward desires and also their words and expressions were the proper and extraordinary works and dictates of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 14.14 15 16 17. And it seemeth highly probable that the Apostle had some respect to this gift Rom. 8.26 27. according to the interpretation of n Chrys in Rom. 8. S. Chrysostome who thinks that for the better clearing those words there must be recourse had to the times of such extraordinary gifts which in his days were ceased And he saith God then gave gifts which are called also spirits and having mentioned the gift or spirit of prophecy of wisdom healing miracles tongues c. he addeth after all these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there was a gift of Prayer which is also called a spirit or spirit of Prayer and he who had this saith he prayed for the whole multitude And in another place the same Father observes that this gift which he there also calls o Chrys in 1 Cor. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was sometimes accompanied with the gift of tongues or an ability by the inspiration of the spirit to express these Prayers in other Languages which is also manifest from the Scriptures themselves 1 Cor. 14.14 15 16. 9. How far such extraordinary gifts were to be used Now he who had this gift ought to make use thereof in a due and regular manner especially so far as concerned the matter of this inspiration and guidance For this was an extraordinary and singular favour from God and these impulses were most excellent assistances and infallible guides for the right performance of the duty of Prayer and making intercession according to the will of God Rom. 8.27 But these eminent and extraordinary motions being miraculous were peculiar to that primitive time for which they were calculated when the Christian Faith needed Confirmation by the demonstration of the spirit both for the establishing of Christians and the Conversion of others But no man now can justly pretend to speak or pray by such infallible inspirations nor ought he to be credited who shall so pretend Yet they who then received these assistances were not obliged always to make use of them meerly for the exercising of their gifts in the Christian Assemblies but they ought only so far to use them as was consistent with the rules of order and decency and edification but in other Cases they were to forbear the use thereof as is manifest from 1 Cor. 14. And upon this account the Apostle argues against the publick use of the gift of Prayer in an unknown tongue though in the use of inspired gifts 1 Cor. 14.14 my spirit prayeth but my understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is unfruitful i.e. my gift is exercised and my own mind and spirit is affected but my sense and meaning is not declared to the profit and benefit of others For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here rendred understanding appears
to be used by S. Paul in this place for the declared sense of his words and expressions or the true p Valla Lud. Cappel in loc meaning of what he spake as appears from v. 19. and so it is used elsewhere in this Epistle 1 Cor. 2.16 we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mind of Christ or the plain and true manifestation of his mind and doctrine 10. From this 1 Cor. Ch. 14. I had in my Libertas Ecclesiastica given this as an Answer to that Argument against set Forms of Prayer that they limit the use of gifts q Lib. Eccl. B. 1. Ch. 4. Sect 2. p. 120. That by the will of God bounds and limits were to be set even to the use of the extraordinary gifts of Gods spirit that the Church might be edified 1 Cor. 14.26 27 28 30 33. Whereas now no such miraculous emanations of the Holy Ghost can be pretended Now in reply to this this Author useth r Reas Account p. 14 15 16 17. many words and saith these Precepts of the Apostle in this Chapter were against two or three speaking or gabling together and for the avoiding undue length in their Discourses and that if any speak in an unknown tongue some should interpret And then he declares that such disorderly things may be restrained but saith it is one thing to restrain the notorious abuse of gifts but it is a quite different thing to restrain the use of them And to this purpose he misrepresents my sense in a Syllogism of his own and then triumphs over what himself had formed wherewith I shall not trouble the Reader but shall in a few words declare what manifest evidence there is in this Chapter for that which I urged from it 11. Rules for the exercise of such gifts laid down 1 Cor. 14. considered My intention was to shew that the use of particular gifts is not of so great necessity in the Church because they are gifts but that even some of the extraordinary emanations of the Holy Spirit might be and ought to be forborn to be exercised where this forbearance tended to decent order or edification And if this be plainly proved from this Chapter the general urging the necessity of the use of all gifts given of God further than that use is orderly and needful for edification is an errour and mistake Now the Apostle in this Chapter declares that charity edification and the good and profit of others are things to be preferred and valued above extraordinary spiritual gifts v. 1 2 3 4 c. that they who had these extraordinary gifts of the spirit were not bound to use them in the Church meerly because they were gifts unless the use thereof was for the profit and edification of others v. 2 6 18 19. Yea the use of the gift of tongues though given by the special inspiration of the Holy Spirit was totally forbidden where there was no interpreter v. 23 27 28. and yet so far as concerns the nature of gifts an ability to speak with other tongues by peculiar assistances of the Spirit was as much yea more a gift than an ability of expressing our selves in our own tongue without any such extraordinary and peculiar assistance And they who had other gifts of revelation interpretation or doctrine were to hold their peace so far as was requisite to the observing the rules of order and decency and the avoiding confusion v. 26 30 33 40. But in our Case there are no such gifts in being now as then were in the Church and therefore no restraint laid upon any such here is no prohibiting that which is the proper gift of Prayer as I have above shewed nor is any thing forbidden directly or indirectly by the injoining Liturgies which is of greater use to the edification of the Church as I shall ſ In Ch. 3. hereafter shew but here is a direction for a better and more useful performance of the duty of Prayer prescribed 12. Thirdly I acknowledge there is an ability in many persons whereby they can express their minds in some degree fitly to God in Prayer This our Author doth t Reas Acc. p. 6 8 10. divers times declare to be that which he accounteth the gift of Prayer And I do not love to contend about expressions yet the phrase of the gift of Prayer is no where used at all in the Scripture and the ancient Writers do usefully for the promoting devotion in Prayer discourse of it as a work of the heart and soul and not of words Prayer saith S. Basil u Basil in Mart. Julitt in Bas de Orat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we do not at all define to be a business of words and whilest we are warned against confidence in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 much speaking it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a diligent disposition of heart that is of great use Wherefore as I before said I esteem not this ability of expression to be properly the gift of Prayer but rather of speech or utterance or a piece of elocution 13. How far readiness of expression in Prayer is a gift of God This facility of expression is procured and enlarged in men who have a competent natural freedom of speech by use and exercise and is advanced by various methods I acknowledge that in some an affectionateness of devotion doth contribute much thereto and in others confident self-conceit and an heated fancy and as I have read some particular instances even diabolical contracts have promoted the same And as I cannot admit these things last mentioned to be called the gifts of God so neither is it to be allowed that the natural product of them in those persons should be so esteemed and much less are they to be called Gifts of the Holy Spirit And it is manifest that a readiness of expressing the sense of their minds with fluency of fit words and volubility of speech doth attend even such men who make use of their Prayers and other Discourses to propagate and uphold errors and heretical doctrines and Enthusiasm and even them who are sunk into the depth of impiety as well as those who design to promote truth and goodness And it must be an high dishonour to the Holy Spirit for any to say that he gives his immediate and peculiar assistances to the advancing of error and falshood S. Paul observed a sleight and cunning craftiness in them who lie in wait to deceive Eph. 4.14 and that by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men of innocent and harmless intentions Rom. 16.18 And Nazianzene describes the discourses of Hereticks that they had x Naz. Orat 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a quick nimble and voluble tongue and they spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a masculine and generous stile and choice and approved words And these persons and such like might be forward enough to call these things
he would hereby in some degree avoid this difficulty But he hath shut himself out from this Plea since in the same place he declareth that Christ and his Apostles made use of this Version though as full of mistakes as any other And in that the Pen-men of the New Testament did sometimes vary very considerably from the Septuagint as for instance in that Prophecy of Zech. 12.10 cited Joh. 19.37 where the Septuagint in p Hieron in Zech. 12. S. Hieroms time were observed and affirmed by him to read it as our most ordinary Copies thereof now do this is evidence enough that they did not esteem that Version to be of divine inspiration 25. A second instance I shall give No new Creeds to be daily made concerneth the Creed or profession of the Christian Faith Now supposing according to the assertion of q Voss de Trib. Symb. Dissert 1. c. 25. c. Vossius that the Creed called the Apostles was not made by themselves In reciting the Articles of the Christian Faith at Baptism or according to the ancient Custom to the r Aug. de Symbol ad Catechum Catechumeni before Baptism it cannot be expedient that every Minister should every time exercise his gifts in forming a new Creed And if he should do this it would neither be so close and pithy in its matter and substance nor of that authority which the received Creeds are and this would be the way to lose the old faith by a changeable novelty of words The ancient Custom of the Church was to keep to their Å¿ Ruffin in Symbol fixed Creeds And then they who would not acquiesce in the received Symbol or Rule of Faith were looked upon with t Socr. Hist Eccl. l. 2. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 suspicion of having designs against the true Faith 26. Publick Forms allowed by Dissenters The like may be said of publick Confessions And which way soever our Author may be enclined in this Case some of the chief persons of the Presbyterian Party in our late times discerned so much hurt by the rejecting these publick Forms as made them earnest in pleading the usefulness of them Thus for instance Dr Tuckney on 2 Tim. 1.13 Hold fast the Form of sound words Whence he declares u Form of sound words p. 246. Forms so much decryed in our times were not so undervalued in Paul ' s who you see left with Timothy a Form of words And he said x p. 248. these have been ever in use since God himself wrote the Decalogue and Christ taught us his own Prayer And the Apostles their Canons Act. 15. and the Primitive Churches and Fathers their Creeds And he not only asserts y p. 252. that the Forms of sound words are useful and in some cases necessary but complains also that our z p. 258. experience in these wofully distracted times too sadly cryeth aloud that the not keeping more close to such Forms of sound words which our Church was sometimes famous for in point of Doctrine hath miserably torn us in pieces and divided us in semper divisibilia with more to that purpose And concerning every man taking the liberty of venting his own novel composures of this kind he declares a p. 272. many such Forms are in these times of Deformation rather than Reformation minted daily So he in the Year 1650. 27. And amongst the Independents when their Elders and Messengers from the several parts of the Realm met at the Savoy to publish their joint Declaration of Faith and Order this their General Assembly it seems thought it not necessary or requisite for them to make use of their gifts to compose a new Confession of Faith For in the main part of what they published b In Declar of the Faith and Order of the Congr Churches in several whole Chapters and most of their Paragraphs they kept exactly even to the words of the Confession of the Assembly at Westminster making very few alterations in any other things save where the Independent opinions differed from the Presbyterians And yet themselves c In the Preface highly magnified and applauded their own proceedings in this Convention and their Vnity therein 28. And it may be further considered Well consiâ—â—â— Forms more compleat than other varied composâ—res that in all these things viz. the Version of Scripture the Declaration of the Articles of Faith and in publick Prayers it may well be presumed that what is well considered and setled or prescribed as a Form is more perfect and compleat in the composure than can be expected in any method of ordinary variation And to assert that these things may be always better or as well performed and composed by every Minister or even by the most eminent person whomsoever in a constant way of varying in the use of their own abilities than in a well considered and digested Form is as much as to affirm that the varied expressions of men at every particular time are more proper pithy expressive and full than the best composed Prayer that is at any time made and reviewed with the greatest consideration and care for so it may be expected that a publickly established Form is 29. And he who talketh of this our Church that if all her Ministers cannot constantly in their daily new Prayers equal or out-do the perfection or exactness of a well considered Form for this must be his sense if he speaks to any purpose that d Reas Account p. 157. this may be spoken to the shame of the Church of God in England these raw and extravagant speeches will be to the shame of those who utter them so far as they will be ashamed of uncharitable and reproachful calumnies against the Church of God and of speaking against all sense and reason 30. Now the result of what I have hitherto discoursed is that what our Author contends for is neither the true and proper gift of Prayer which is necessary to be exercised nor yet any singular or peculiar gift of the spirit of God as a special benefit of Christs Exaltation but it is an ability of a more common and ordinary nature And that it is neither a duty nor yet expedient that such abilities should be used and constantly exercised any further than is agreeable to the rules of edification and order Thus much I thought fit to write for the Readers better satisfaction concerning the subject or matter of his first Argument but I shall not need to do the like concerning the rest And now it will be no hard thing to Answer the Argument it self 31. The substance of his Argument is e Reas Acc. p. 5 6. that a Ministers own gift of expressing his mind fitly to God in Prayer is a mean given by God for the performance of the Religious act of Prayer and therefore may not be omitted no not at the command of man To which I Answer 32. First
order and tend to edification which are general rules for the exercise of all gifts And when the Apostle saith in this Verse and 1 Tim. 1.18 that Timothies Ordination and the discharge of his Function was by prophecy even this hath respect to those miraculous emanations of the Holy Spirit who in those times did in an extraordinary manner often make choice of persons to be ordained and directed the Apostles by Prophecy or some other way of guidance whom they should make choice of To which purpose n Ep. ad Corinth p. 54. Clemens Romanus speaks of the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chusing and approving by the Spirit those whom they ordained Bishops and Deacons And o Euseb Hist Eccl. l. 2. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eusebius from Clemens Alexandrinus declares as a certain account of History concerning S. John that he ordained Bishops and others of the Clergy of persons 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who were signified and marked out by the spirit 39. Now how severe this Writer is enclined to be against such like Arguments produced by others against his opinion from Texts where there is no mention at all of Prayer we may discern by this instance When he took notice that that Text Rom. 15.6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God was produced as well it might be in favour of Forms he breaks out into a swelling passion and in contempt cries out p Reas Acc. p. 142. Ridiculous is there in that Text a word concerning Prayer c. Now though there be in that Text a more general expressiâ—â— of glorifying God of the practice and exercise of which q Grot. in Rom. 15.6 i. e. Ut cum Deum laudatis eique preces funditis faciatis id non tantum eodem verborum sono sicut 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 fieri solebant sed animo pleno mutuae dilectionis Prayer is one part 〈◊〉 branch yet if there had been no suâ—â— expression if I had been of his Council I would have advised him to milder expressions for his own sake towards such ways of arguing as himself maketh 〈◊〉 of but with less strength and evidence 40. Another place of Scripture he produceth is 1 Pet. 4.10 As every one haâ—â— received the gift even so minister the saâ—â— one to another c. Now this Verse is bâ— r Dr Hammond in loc many Writers understood of giviâ—â—alms to which sense its Connexion wiâ—â— the former Verse doth incline But if 〈◊〉 be understood concerning any ministerial abilities of which the following Verâ—â— discourseth the main part of what I meâ—tioned in the second and third Answer to the forecited place of Scripture wâ—â— equally agree to this And indeed thâ—â— place cannot be understood to have aâ—â— particular respect to Prayer since 〈◊〉 speaks of ministring one to another Whereas in Prayer and all proper acts of wâ—â—ship as well as in sacrifice he that ministreth ministreth only to God to whoâ—â— alone the Prayers and Service of the Church was directed 41. He mentioneth also Rom. 12.6 Having gifts differing according to the grace given to us whether Prophecy let us prophesie according to the proportion of faith But the same Answer will fit this place also for neither here nor in 1 Pet. 4.10 is any mention at all of Prayer but the other gifts which the Apostles had their particular eye upon are expresly named in the following Verses in both these Chapters And yet if the Apostle had then commanded them to have used such expressions in Prayer as they were furnished with by the gifts of the Holy Ghost as Å¿ Grot. in in Jud. 20. Grotius seemeth to think that praying in the Holy Ghost Jude v. 20. is to pray according to the dictates of the Holy Spirit which yet is more probably from the connexion of that phrase with their most holy faith preceding it and the love of God following it to be understood of the grace of the Spirit this would not have a like respect to us now since the like dictates and effusion of spiritual gifts are not now afforded They then not only prayed but also sung by the peculiar guidance of the Spirit as is manifest 1 Cor. 14.15 26. and were therefore infallibly guided in both but neither assistances of infallibility are now pretended to from the divine spirit save only in the deceits of Popery and Enthusiasm nor will our Author allow that t Reas Acc. p. 18 19. new hymns ought to be composed by the exercise of gifts 42. And he produceth Rom. 12.3 where the Apostle requireth every one to think of himself soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith and giveth us the last part of this Verse in Greek as if there were some stress to be laid thereupon But this appears to be so little to his purpose that I cannot ghess what he aimed at herein unless it be that a Minister ought to think himself able by his constant gifts to outdo the perfection of Liturgies which is directly against what the Apostle enjoined in the former part of that Verse that no man should think of himself more highly than he ought to think For I conceive it to be a manifest truth that there is now no man whosoever he be who by constant alterations and making new Prayers according to his own abilities can perform these services at all times with that exactness which may be had in a Form but he will sometimes either omit something expedient or be defective in due expression or be wanting in that pithiness closeness and comprehensiveness which may be provided for by a Form 43. Now as there is not one word in any of these Texts concerning the particular use either of extraordinary gifts and much less of ordinary abilities in publick Prayer so I cannot see how any Christian can conceive that they were at all intended against the use of Forms unless he can first perswade himself that these Apostles intended to contradict the direction and command of our Saviour concerning the Lords Prayer 44. Having now sufficiently as I hope answered what he produceth as his Argument I shall not take notice of those other particular Answers which he mentioneth as having been by some given to this Argument and unto which he gives his replies though several of them are sufficiently vindicated from what I have said But there are two or three other passages in this Chapter which I shall briefly reflect upon 45. His description of the gift of Prayer for the publick service of the Church as being u p. 6 8. This Authors account of the gift of Prayer very deficient an ability to express ones mind fitly to God in Prayer is very defective and imperfect especially in two things though I use the phrase of the gift of Prayer here improperly in his own sense 1. In that he accounts this ability of composing or forming Prayers to consist only
in a persons being able to express his mind whereas it is chiefly to be provided that the conceptions of his mind be sober and well ordered comprehensive and every way sutable to the nature of the duty 2. In that he only mentions the expressing his mind Whereas in publick Prayers it is not a mans own private desires or wants so far as they are peculiar to himself which he is to present to God but he is to express what is fit to represent the minds of the whole Assembly and the common desires and wants and joint Devotions of all the Congregation 46. Another place I shall examine is where he tells us they x p. 9 10. His defavâ—ing the ministry of our Church is unjust and unreasonable think 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 Thus in this place and in many others he takes any occasion to reproach and cast dirt upon the Ministry of the Church of England even to such excess as sometimes to call them though he excepts very many particular persons from that charge y p. 124. an ignorant lazy and sottish Ministry And he is the more liberal in these exorbitant Censures when he doth withal bespatter our Liturgy as in both these places or what he terms z p. 149. that pitiful thing called Vniformity in words and syllables and phrases 47. Now I conceive my self abundantly warranted to say that the abilities of the present Ministry of the Church of England are such as were never in this Church outdone if equalled in any foregoing Age nor as I verily believe in any other part of the Christian World since the Apostolical times in any Church of so large extent And it is an easy thing but mightily unworthy of a Professor of Christianity to speak bad and evil words of the mosT worthy men and things But doth the use of a Liturgy hinder men from studying the Scriptures or their own hearts which is a loud calumny upon our Ministry and many other excellent persons of eminent piety and goodness who have a very high value for our Liturgy and were the ancient Fathers and our first Reformers and their Successors who closely adhered to a Liturgy men of no understanding in the Scriptures and men of no piety of heart or holiness of life Or is the dayly reading the Scriptures as is done in the Liturgy and by the Ministry of England at other times also that which must hinder mens study and understanding in them and is the constant use of morning and evening devotions which the Liturgy directeth the great obstacle to piety and to mens taking serious care of their own hearts to have them possessed with fear and reverence of God and disposed to the exercises of Religion and universal obedience And what a wild accusation is this to revile and asperse a National Ministry at random and at a venture concerning such things wherein every Reader may discern that it is impossible for him to know what he speaks to be true and others blessed be God know them to be false 48. And I wish our Author be not himself defective in some part at least of what he chargeth upon others For in studying the Scriptures he could not but meet with Precepts against evil speaking false accusing rash judging and uncharitableness and in studying his own heart he would discern whether he had not offended in any of these And I presume him though I am not very certain who he is to be so much a Scholar as to know that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the usual Greek word for the Evil one doth properly and primarily signify a Calumniator and it is thence unlikely that any of the spirit of Christianity should be contained in reproaching others which Nazianzen accounted to be a Naz. Orat 53. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one of the greatest evils 49. In Answer to such words I could also without much pains find out defaming and reflective expressions if I were enclined that way but I am content herein to be inferiour to him but truly sorry to see what liberty he sometimes gives himself in such things I have long since learned from the example of our Lord and Saviour from the rules of the Christian Religion and particularly from our Church-Catechism to keep my tongue from evil-speaking lying and slandering And if he will not take it ill from me which I assure him I intend no otherwise than with a truly charitable mind I dare confidently affirm that if he shall please to be a strict observer of so much though it be out of our Liturgy he will not thereby be the worse man 50. And I hope he may be the less offended with me for this Counsel because I do not write it out of any private provocation or any apprehension of disrespectful expressions towards my self I acknowledge his expressions towards me in particular to have been very civil and courteous and I thank him for them And I shall not return to him any thing unmeet But I should not be faithful to the truth nor to himself if I should not shew the weakness and mistakes of his Arguments so far as I discern them And the duty I owe to the Church of which I am a member cannot well be discharged without taxing his reproachful words against it where I meet with them 51. What he speaketh concerning b p. 18 19. Hymns and Anthems I shall have occasion to take notice of in the next c Ch. 3. Sect. 2. n. 38 c. Chapter CHAP. III. Of Devotion and attentive fervency of mind in publick Prayer and whether the use of Liturgies be hindrances or helps therein SECT I. His pretences for Forms of publick Prayer being an impediment to attention and fervency examined and the contrary manifested HIS second Argument against the lawfulness of the ordinary publick use of Forms by him who hath abilities of expressing himself without them is that they hinder the attention intention and fervency both of Minister and people and therefore a Reas Acc. p. 23. may not be used But this charge against well-ordered Forms can never be made out and his proofs will appear very weak and slender 2. Now I freely acknowledge and assert Pious devotion greatly needful in Prayer that in our Prayer we ought to have a holy and Religious sense of God and of Jesus our Mediator We ought also to be serious in minding and attending to the duty in hand Ch. III. and as free as may be from distractions and to have a lively exercise of faith hope reverence and such other Christian Graces as I mentioned in the b n. 2. former Chapter And the
more devout we are to the higher degree we are raised of this temper and active disposition of mind This is indeed of great consequence in our addresses to God and as c Aug. de Temp. Serm. 157. S. Austin saith Prayer being a spiritual thing it is so much the more accepted of God by how much our spirits and affections are answerable to this duty If this be what he means by his attention and intention it will be readily granted that that way or model of service which hinders these duties and is not consistent with their exercise is thereupon unlawfull And this seems to be his sense when he saith d p. 33. attention is for the soul hoc agere to do what it pretends to do and by e p. 34. intention and fervour he means an holy zeal and heat of the inward man of sorrow in confession desires in petition joy in thanksgiving But there may be too great a stress laid upon zeal earnestness and fervency since this is sometimes found even to some degree of ecstasie in men of hot heads strong imaginations and deluded minds in whom it is far from the temper of sober devotion Sect. I. And an awful reverence of God a Religious and godly fear a humble submissiveness and sober exercise of other Christian graces is far to be preferred before it Now I doubt not but that a pious man may pray seriously religiously and affectionately either in the use of a Form or without one but I think the former hath in many cases the advantage and specially in the publick service of the Church as may hereafter appear 3. When he comes to prove that the use of set Forms of Prayer hindreth attention and fervency he useth high words and saith f p. 25. it is to them next to a demonstration and g p. 26. it is impossible for any without self-condennation to deny it But if after all this his proofs shall appear shallow and insufficient then these will be evinced to be rash words and talking lavishly with immoderate confidence 4. In his discoursing concerning attention instead of Arguments he proposeth three questions which he would have considered First h p. 25. Whether it be possible for any person to read any discourse with that degree of attention of thoughts Diligent attention may be easily given to what is read as he must pronounce the same with by heart To which I Answer that it is certain this may be easily done and I think it strange it should be questioned How usual is it tâ—â— read the Scriptures and other Books wiâ—â— as great attention as the same things caâ— be spoken without reading Particularâ—â— in considering his Arguments I shoulâ— have thought him big with strange conceits who should tell me that I must bâ— at the pains of getting them withouâ— Book before I could attend to their senseâ— and I know I can do it better by viewing them in his Book If our Author caâ—â— not do thus much he cannot be of capacity to make any great proficiency by any thing he hath read and he must bâ— the unfittest man of any I know to answer other mens Writings when he cannot well attend to their sense in readinâ— them And it is strange to me that any man should write a Book if he think 〈◊〉 man can much attend to its sense in reading it and he that is of this opinion needs not be much concerned how carelesly he writes 5. The ancient Christians declared the reading the Holy Scriptures to have had 〈◊〉 mighty efficacy upon their minds and spirits insomuch that he devout Readeâ— was thereby as i Orig. cont Cels Origen expresseth it iâ— a manner inspired which could not have been without a diligent attention 〈◊〉 them But if our Authors way of Dicourse course were of any force the delivery of Christian Doctrine by Oral Tradition must be much more vigorous lively and powerful than by the Scriptures I confess he doth make a particular exception concerning the Scriptures when he speaks of oft reading what we are before acquainted with and saith k p. 27. God hath secured an abiding reverence for them in all pious souls But I suppose he doth not mean that this is done in any extraordinary and miraculous manner And it is plain that even the Scriptures are read by many with carelesness and have been long observed to have been perverted and abused by l Iren. adv Haer. l. 1. c. 1 c. 15. Tert. de praescript adv Haer. c. 17. Hereticks Wherefore the reverence that pious men have for the Scriptures in reading them is chiefly with respect to God because they are his word and his laws whereby his will is declared to men But since as m Aug. de Temp. Serm. 112. S. Aug. observed when we pray we speak to God and when we read God speaks to us a Religious honour and fear of God so far as it prevails will secure a reverence to the frequent use of the same Prayer because therein also we have to do with God and address our selves unto him 6. A second thing he would have considered which as the former hath particular respect to him that Ministreth is whether any thing can more conduce to 〈◊〉 the thoughts upon the duty and God n p. 26. than when a man can trust his affection to thrust out words A pious temper of mind doth more six mens hearts on God in Prayer than the greatest freedom of expression can do Now having considered this I think it past all doubt thâ—â— a devout sense of Gods presence and oâ— his purity and of the great assurance wâ—â— have of his readiness to help and bleâ—â— them who Religiously and diligently seeâ— him together with humble considerations of our dependance upon him and a careful preparing our hearts to approach unto him do wonderfully more conduce to fix our thoughts and minds upon God and our duty than using our own word with freedom of expression and a voleble tongue can do And by this method the whole Christian Assembly as well as the Minister may be prepared for the right performance of this service Our Authorâ— method may occasion him who ministreth to attend the more carefully 〈◊〉 his words but this only is that which commands and guides the heart And that mens hearts may be as much composed anâ— their Spirits as fervent in the use of a fet Form as in any other way is manifest from what I formerly observed o Libert Eccl. B. 1. Ch. 4. p. 135. that our Saviours praying more earnestly in his agony was in repeating again and again the same words And the Leyden p Syn. pur Theol. Disp 36. n. 33. Professors observed that when upon his Cross he said my God my God why hast thou forsaken me he used a Form of deprecation from the Psalmist and yet sure no Christian can think that he the less attended to what he
prejudices hurry men into the most unreasonable absurdities and unaccountable censures of others And that we may further see how much this Writer fights in the dark and doth not weigh the force and tendency of what he urgeth to prove Forms to be an obstruction to fervency in Prayer he tells us they b p. 28 29. think it not possible that the words of another should so well fit our hearts and be so expressive of raised affections as our own Some things urged against forms of Prayer will equally conclude-against all publick worship Now these words are of no weight against Forms since they may best express what things we ought to desire But I suppose he did not consider that what he thus speaks tends to declare that the people cannot with fervent affections join with the Minister in any Prayer whatsoever because they are not their own words and then all publick Prayer fitted to the people must be condemned and so they must either take up with the Quakers silence or the Romish service where the Assembly are not capable of understanding and consequently of joining with the Priests in their Service 13. But he hath another thing to urge which particularly concerneth the Ministers reading of a Form and that is that then c p. 29. the soul looks through the eye and is diverted from its contemplation upon God His sense is that the looking upon the words in the Book must hinder his heart from being directed unto God because as he after saith d p. 31. and the same sence p. 52. it is impossible that any created being should in the same action duly intend two objects Now our Author is so unhappy in his Arguments that they not only recoil with equal violence upon himself but what he urgeth is against all vocal Prayer whether of Ministers or others in publick or in private and also against others joining with them For the considering of words phrases method and sense is a different thing in conceived Prayer from the directing the heart and spirit unto God and this must take up more of his mind and thoughts than the looking upon a Book doth And the peoples hearing and observing the words of Prayer spoken is as different a thing from the motions of the mind toward God as the seeing the same words is Reading or hearing words hinders not the minding the sence of them But in truth since the main use of words is that they are to express things the use of the same act about the word and the thing signified by it as to understand each of them or the use of such different acts about the word and the thing signified by it as to read or hear the one and to understand or be affected with the other are no impediments at all to the vigorous actings of our souls and minds He must be no ordinary man that is able to make out that the seeing or hearing the words of any Proposition or Discourse hindreth from clearly understanding the sense thereof when these words are wholly subservient to the thing to express the sense and meaning thereof Nor can I be perswaded that I affect any thing of God or goodness the less for hearing or reading such words as represent and express them or direct and excite my affections towards them And withal he who is well acquainted with a Form of Prayer needeth no industrious exercise of his eye in the use thereof 14. But on the other hand Manifold advantages to piety from the use of Forms of Prayer since in such conceived Prayers as our Author pleads for the Ministers mind must be imployed in considering and conceiving and digesting his words and his method and sense and is apt to be sometimes solicitous lest he do amiss in any of these and may sometimes have pleasing reflexions upon his own fluency or the contrary these things may more justly be esteemed hindrances to his devotion And besides what I have abovesaid concerning the devotions of the people the using conceived Prayers as the publick service of the Church may be an impediment thereof upon these several accounts 1. They are not certain that they can join in the matter of a new conceived Prayer till they have well considered it and therefore are the more apt to hesitate concerning it 2. In the time of Prayer they may be too apt to give their minds liberty of observing the expressions and the manner of the composure of the Prayer either to judge of it or imitate it which tend to distract the mind and divert it from the worship of God 3. And they further want this benefit which attendeth our publick Form that the joining in that Prayer which is with one accord put up to God in the several Assemblies of our Church may reasonably be and to many is a quickning of their devotion from the benefit of Christian Vnity and the e Bishop Sparrow's Rationale of Com. Prayer p. 9. promise annexed thereunto Mat. 18.19 20. Concerning which Text S. Cyprian observed that though some not considering the whole discourse made use of the last clause to encourage division yet it appears from the Connexion of that with the former Verse If two of you shall agree c. that f Cypr. de Unit. Eccl. si collecti unanimiter oraverint duo aut tres licet sint impetrare possunt de Dei Majestate quod postulant if they be gathered together with one accord though they be but two or three they may obtain what they seek for of the divine Majesty And therefore there may be a greater hope of obtaining those very things which we particularly know to be the joint desire of so great a number of Christians 4. Besides this there are very many persons who have not that quickness of capacity which is necessary for their hearts and affections to go along with new Prayers who yet can piously and devoutly join in those they have been well acquainted with 5. And withal whensoever there are as is too frequent any impertinencies or unadvised and unbecoming expressions in conceived Prayer or whatsoever is the result of passion imprudence negligence weakness or bad principles and erroneous opinions this must be expected to be a disturbance and hindrance to the fervency and devotion of the Auditors 15. But because I am apprehensive Whether in the Apostles times all publick worship was performed by extraordinary gifts that some may be apt to think that much of what I have said in the preferring the use of publick Forms to other conceived Prayers may seem applicable at first view to the Apostolical times also as if the use of their miraculous gifts when they used no Forms were to be undervalued I shall therefore desire these things may be considered First that as it is manifest that under the Old Testament they who had the gift of prophecy were not at all times under the special impulses of the divine spirit
so it is neither certain nor probable that in all the Primitive Churches these extraordinary gifts were constantly afforded to all its Ministers for the performing all their Ministrations thereby The Apostle's directions to Timothy to give attendance to reading meditation care and diligence 1 Tim. 4.13 15 16. 2 Tim. 2.15 do seem plainly to evince the contrary And since the Jewish Church both at and before the coming of our Saviour made constant use of Forms of prayer as hath been observed by divers g Buxt Syn. Jud. c. 5. learned men and the same hath been particularly proved both both from their Talmud and Rituals as well as from their other Rabbins by h Seld. in Eutychium Mr Selden as was observed by Dr Hammond in his view of the Directory Ch. 1. Sect. 15. and also by i Hor. Heb. in Mat. 6.9 Dr Lightfoot and conformably hereunto the Baptist and our Saviour taught their Disciples Forms of Prayer I see no reason at all to conclude that the publick Prayers in those early Primitive times were never performed by the use of Forms But of this the Reader may judge more when he hath read to the end of this Chapter 16. Secondly When they had these extraordinary assistances it is but reasonable to think that the Holy Spirit did not put them upon designed constant using variety of words and new phrases in those things which were their common and usual parts of worship For since our Saviour himself shewed his dislike to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or many and various words in Prayer and gave an example for the due performance of it in his comprehensive Form the Spirit of God in the Primitive Christians acting according to the will of God would not guide them to what was contrary to our Saviours prescriptions Thirdly Great difference between Prayer by Apostolical and extraordinary gifts and other conceived Prayer Where there were such extraordinary motions of the spirit for the composing Prayers Psalms or Hymns these were free from those disadvantages I have above expressed which attend conceived Prayers of other men Under those impulses the speaker need not be solicitous in his thoughts about words and composure There could be no defects in the matter or fulness of expression where these things were directed by the guidance of the Spirit And the plentiful effusion of that Holy Spirit tended rather more to promote inward fervency and devotion of pious men both speaker and hearers than to guide their expressions since grace and holiness were his chief gifts and principal design And the people could not make any doubts or demurs about their ready consent to every part of those supplications which were directed by extraordinary inspirations And the knowing that they were the special motions of the Holy Spirit would both excite their attention and raise the exercise of their faith and hope in a firm confidence that those intercessions by the Holy Spirit being certainly according to the will of God were accepted of him 17. Now though what I have said may be sufficient to answer his Argument and to vindicate Forms of Prayer from being any obstructions to serious piety yet with respect to this Argument I shall desire three things to be observed Obs 1. That Attention and intention and fervency as our Author expresseth them is not the whole business that is needful to be minded and taken care of in the publick service of the Church as he seems to intimate both in the tendency of this Chapter and particularly when he saith k Reas Acc. p. 27. Attention of thoughts is not all our duty in Prayer intention of spirit and fervency of affections is also a prime requisite Other duties as necessary in Prayer as intention and fervency But men may be vigorous and earnest in the exercise of all this while the matter of their Prayer may not be in all things sutable to the will of God and even when several things which ought to be part of our Religious Addresses are omitted Wherefore there must be a chief care that the matter of our Prayers be rightly ordered and that our expressions and behaviour be such as manifest a due reverence to the Majesty of God And in this Case a well composed Form hath a manifest advantage above other Prayers 18. And we must also take care that our zeal and devotion be regular and orderly and that they do not cross any other duties which we are obliged to perform and the care of such duties are in many Cases of greater consequence than the degree of fervency Thus if any man think he can be more fervent in his private Prayers than in joining in any publick service he is not thereby allowed to neglect the publick Assemblies and to retire himself at that time to his Closet since this publick worship is a special homage we are to do to God and is particularly enjoined in the New Testament Heb. 10.25 as it was in the Old Testament and by the Laws of nature And if any man conceiveth that a different method from that used in the Church whereof he is a member would more conduce to raise his affectionateness he may not thereupon separate and make a Schism but as a member of the Church he is to endeavour the preservation of its Vnity and to obey them who have the rule over it and not to intrude into the place of the Chief Governours Otherwise Schisms would be perpetuated and multiplied without end and yet must they be all justified since they have been generally observed to have appeared under the disguise of exalting Piety and Religion Other Cases might be produced to the same purpose as if a Minister could be more fervent in the publick Assembly in expressing such things as are peculiarly his own private concernment or if the Jews thought their zeal for God to be the highest and their service to him the greatest in their opposing the Gospel but these may manifest that this pretence of fervency being hindred by Forms if it were true as it is not is so ill managed by the Dissenters in being made a principle of separation that it could not justifie their undertaking 19. Obs 2. There may be in many persons a want of due devotion or attention and fervency in the use of a Form and yet this not at all proceed from the Form it self which therefore is not to be blamed but from other manifest causes which ought to be removed Want of devotion in the worship of God is the fault of the person and not of the service in a wel-composed Form It is not possible that well ordered expressions of the matters of Prayer and Religious service should of themselves hinder mens affectionate joining in them Nor can I think that there is any hindrance in any Christian whomsoever of the most Religious exercise of Christian graces or of the most raised devotion in the use of a Form of Prayer unless it
be where persons are under prejudices against Forms or else are negligent in the exercises of Piety And both these are faults of the person which ought to be amended It is too manifest that the censures our Dissenters unjustly vent and the out-cries and oppositions they make against our useful and pious publick Forms hath made many in their attendance upon the publick service of God more irreverent in their gestures and more careless of their devotion and hath caused others to neglect the publick and I fear all private exercise of Religion too and have made others to engage in separation with that giddiness that at last they know not where to stand nor which way to go And can they think they have hereby done good service either to God or the souls of men in occasioning the worship of God to be by many neglected and the minds of men to be perperted from true Piety Our Author speaking concerning Forms of Prayer saith that l p. 40. 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 This is one effect of suggesting needless scruples against Forms and which the Authors of them must Answer for 20. Obs 3. Publick service being that That is the best model of worship which is most guided by the rules of our Religion in which the whole Church is interested it ought to be so ordered as may fit the general temper of the true Christian spirit but must not be censured if it suit not with the inclination of all particular persons which is not possible to be done especially where their minds are disordered by passion or prejudice And this due order is best effected where there is most care taken of due reverence to God and of using the best consideration for the digesting and ordering all things duly and according to the rules of Religion But Forms have manifestly this advantage of having been most considered and of reverence to God in not being rash and hasty to utter any thing before God Eccl. 5.2 21. There are several other expressions in the former part of this Writers third Chapter which might deserve some reflections Some of them I shall wholly wave But when he so oft inculcates that we may not use less proper means in God's service m p. 22 43 44. passim if our superiours command or if man command or whoever require it with other such like expressions these things seem to have no favourable aspect upon our Governours but rather to insinuate that the Question under debate is in the Issue whether Gods command or mans which is contrary to it must be obeyed But I hope I have sufficiently shewed that he hath said nothing hitherto to prove the Sanction of our Common-Prayer to be against the command of God If it were so he need not name nor we would not plead the commands of men 22. When he describes the Souls attention in Prayer to be its n p. 33. p. 61. In Prayer is required a more immediate intuition and contemplation of God immediate contemplation of God his expression here and that in the margent seems to me to be too high for such persons as have not out-done S. Paul who said now we see through a glass darkly And I shall only further note that our Author is at sometimes more kind and complying to wards and hath more savourable expressions concerning the use of Forms than at other times For speaking concerning Prayer without Forms as most exciting fervency of affections he saith o p. 32. We believe this will justifie it self to the experience of every pious deliberate soul But he yields a little farther when he said p p. 44. 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 the more advant ageous others may possibly find Forms more advantageous And in another place he saith concerning attention in the use of publick Forms against which he had levied so many forces q p. 53. 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 SECT II. A defence of some things urged in my Libertas Ecclesiastica to shew Forms no disadvantage to devotion FOR trying whether Forms were any prejudice to piety and Religion I proposed it a Lib. Eccl. B. 1. Ch. 4. p. 121. as useful to consult the judgment of them who are least partial and yet able to make a true estimate and especially to consider the evidences of Reason which may be produced This method this Author approves of and undertakes first to examine what I mentioned under the former head 2. And in the entrance upon it he tell us what I lately noted from him of the different experiences of Christians And thence he saith b Reas Acc. p. 45. every one is bound in Prayer to use that lawful mean which he finds most conducive to keep his thoughts attentive and his affections fervent so as one may be under an obligation not to use Forms another under an obligation for the present to use them And then he declares that things of this nature are no fit matter for a superiours command and compares it with superiours making a law that all Ministers should pray with their eyes shut 3. Now concerning his former clause Sect. II. I desire it may be observed that what ever is pretended there is more of sincere piety and true Religious fervency exercised in complying with a well ordered establishment than by breaking it For the preserving Unity and giving due reverence to superiours are duties which our Religion enjoin And that Argument whereby c p. 24. More of piety and fervency in the keeping peace and unity than in breaking them this Writer proves attention and fervency to be necessary because we must love the Lord our God with all our heart and with all our soul doth also require an universal practice of all piety and Religious obedience this being the love of God to keep his Commandments And he who seriously minds his duty must have a conscientious regard to Vnity order and the duties of due submission and the observing them are not the way to make him less devout and fervent unless we can imagine that the breaking some of the divine Precepts is a way of preparation to fit and dispose us for the keeping others Whereas in truth all practices of sin do more or less indispose men for the pious discharge of their duties but Religion is so Vniform that the exercise of one part of our duty will never hinder a pious man from the best performance of another nor can it unless the duties of Religion should thwart and cross one another to assert which would be a reflexion upon God himself And
I have in d Libert Eccles B. 1. Ch. 1. p. 16 17 18. another place observed that the promises of Gods grace and presence are chiefly made to them who embrace Peace and Vnity and that therein is the greatest encrease of Christianity in persons who are serious and diligent 4. And concerning the acceptable worshipping of God I desire that it may be further considered that when our Saviour commands him â—â—â—king V 〈…〉 nd 〈…〉 ing superioâ—rs â—â—in 〈◊〉 sâ—â—â—ces who brings his gift to the Altar if his Brother hath ought against him to go first and be reconciled to his Brother and then come and offer his gift Mat. 5.23 24. this Precept must needs be of the greater force when it hath respect to the whole Church or Society of Christians and also to our superiours For if the Church of which any one was a member hath this against him that he hath unwarrantably broken its peace and unity and forsaken its Communion and if his superiours have this against him that he hath disobeyed that authority which God and our Saviour hath established and hath not yielded due submission and respect thereto he must according to our Saviours direction first return to his duty and be reconciled to those whom he hath injured before he can expect that God will receive his service 5. Concerning the fitness and reasonableness of superiours making laws about Forms of Prayer I shall discourse somewhat in e Sect. 4. a. 〈◊〉 another place But whilest he compareth the enjoining a well-ordered Liturgy 〈◊〉 estâ—â—â—â—ment of the order of â—â—â—â—hip to be honoured which is really of great use to Religion with making a law that all Ministers should pray with their eyes shut which can be of no advantage this looks too like a design of humouring the vain fancies of unruly men in exposing the pious actions of superiours to their contempt and derision as if they were empty and foolish things But these are not things to be sported with when according to S. Peters doctrine 2 Pet. 2.9 10. the speaking evil of dignities is one part of the description of them whom God chiefly reserves to the day of judgment to be punished 6. And there can be no publick worship in any Congregation unless it be first determined to be either with or without a Form And is it allowable and necessary for order that he who officiateth in any Christian Assembly should determine this by his authority but only unsit that our Governours should determine any thing herein though God hath charged them with the care of his Church and hath fixed in them a supremacy in matters Ecclesiastical Without this great confusion But if our Authors opinion be as it seems to be by his discourse that all private Christians ought so to determine themselves as to join in the several different modes of worship according as themselves are inclined and consequently they must change these too as oft as their inclinations vary and all their Church-Covenants and obligations to continue in Communion with any particular Society will be as unjust encroachments upon Christian Liberty as penal Laws and an Act of Vniformity this also is very unaccountable For this makes our Saviours constitution of his Church so far void as to account the members born and baptized in an established Church to be under no obligation to the guides and Pastors of the Church but that they are wholly left to themselves to seek or found a new one and it takes away all possibility of any furture establishment And the Issue of any future establishent And the Issue of this must also be at last that it shall be necessary that there be as many several ways of publick worship exercised in every Precinct as there are different opinions and fancies of men living in it that none of them may be at a loss for such a publick worship which themselves best approve And likewise there must be no care of establishing such things as may express most reverence to God or tend most to the real prosit and advantage of men but in Religion every man must do what is right in his own eyes But this is such a way of confusion as gratifies the fanciful inclinations of men but doth not provide for the honour of God and the care of true piety 7. That Forms of Prayer are not disadvantageous but useful and profitable to piety I f Lib. Eccl. p 121. produced two testimonies against which I supposed our Dissenters would not object The first was of the Leyden Professors who say they contend Of the Leyden Professors that they are not only lawful but very advantageous because every Christian cannot fitly conceive new Prayers and the attention of Auditors in great Assemblies is not a little helped by usual Forms Now oâ—â— Author doth not deny that they 〈◊〉 to this purpose but first saith g Reas Account p. 46. 〈◊〉 without reason signifieth nothing But it signifieth as much as I intended that is to express the sense of such persons whom he cannot charge with partiality but my reasons I afterward expressed But he further observeth that they recommend the ability h Syn. Theol Diâ— 36. n. â— of praying without previous Forms upon emergent occasions But doth their adding this deny what they before declared with some earnestness concerning the ordinary publick service We do esteem such abilities also in their proper place and do set a value upon those Books of devotion which are composed by them with prudence and piety And how far Prayers without Forms are desireable to be used I shall give my sense in i Ch. 5. another Chapter where he treats of them 8. The other testimony I produced Of the Walachrian Classis was from the Walachrian Classis who commend Forms for helping the attention of the Anditors in great Assemblies and for k Consid Cont. in Angl. c. 7. p. 173 174 176. keeping Vniformity preventing scandals and encreasing edification and they declare how piously God may be worshipped in the use of them Now though our Author saith little to the former testimony he hath much to say to this Sometimes he seemeth â—o acknowledge them to speak against his sense and opinion And therefore l Reas Acc. p. 51. 54. he sets himself to answer some few of their Arguments which they urge for the use of Forms And speaking concerning a prescribed Form promoting attenting saith m p. 53. He admire that our Reverend Bâ—â—iren should so much as mention it 〈◊〉 a due medium in the case And he acknowledgeth n p. 54. They have 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 Forms of others commended to them sometimes In which words he useth a great deal more wariness of expression than will appear agreeable to their sense And again he saith o p.
55. authority apart from the reasons they give signifieth little in the case 9. And now I must entreat my Readers patience a while that I may examine his exceptions he enters against this testimony or its being intended to the sense for which I produced it And though some of these lie scattered in his Discourse I have so collected them as to digest them under particular heads 10. He first objects that Reas Acc. p. 46 47 48. the q Cons Cont. in Angl. p. 171. Walachrians profess themselves to agree with Amesius de Cas Consc l. 4. cap. 17. qu. 4. and with the Leyden Professors And then he takes pains to prove that Amesius was not for preferring the use of publick Forms as of most advantage to Piety but in the place cited speaks of them as the less perfect way of praying Now I acknowledge this to be the sense of Amesius But it should have been observed by our Author that the Walachrians only declared their Agreement with him in that Question which was by them proposed viz. Whether Forms were lawful and not superstitious and whether it be lawful to communicate with them who use them And in the resolution of this Question they agree with Amesius in hac controversia faciles accedimus iis quae ab Amesio super hac Quaestione scribuntur But it is another Question Whether praying by publick Forms be the most useful way of performing that service and though Amesius in the same place seems by general expressions to take in this Case they could not in this agree both with him and the Leyden Professors and their own sense of this they fully express r Cons Cont. p. 173 174. that Forms in publick worship help the attention of Auditors and are for edification And they declare not their own sense alone but ſ p. 178 179. in omnibus pene Ecclesiis Reformatis approbantur Ecclesiasticae Liturgiae precumque formulae ut utiles aedificationi Ecclesiae conducentes In almost all the Reformed Churches Church-Liturgies and Forms of Prayer are approved as profitable and conducing to edification And more concerning their sense may appear from n. 13 14 16. 11. Secondly he saith t Reas Acc. p. 48. the Walachrians rejected our English Common-Prayer Book and therefore their testimony ought not to have been produced to countenance it Now I acknowledge that they did rashly condemn u Cons Cont. p. 172. the English Service nor did I produce their testimony as if they had particularly favoured it I am inclined to think it was misrepresented to them But their evidence is the more considerable in what they say concerning Forms in general for which purpose only I cited them since they were so far from being partial on our side that they closed too far with them who were for the subverting our Liturgy and censured it as Idolatrous and superstitious 12. Thirdly he saith they x Reas Acc. p. 53. and the Leyden Professors speak rather of the lawfulness of Forms in general than of Ministers using them Whereas they propose their Question concerning Forms y Consid Cont. p. 171. in publico cultu in publick worship They and the Leyden Professors declare their usefulness in magnis praecipue Ecclesiarum conventibus especially z p. 173. in the great Church Assemblies and in publici cultûs exercitiis in the performances of publick worship and they discoursed of them as a p. 179. Forms of Prayer and of administration of Sacraments Now in these Cases they must have special respect to Ministers using them and the same appears from what I cited concerning Liturgies n. 10. and also from the following Paragraph 13. Fourthly He saith b Reas Acc. p. 53 54. there is not a word in them to justifie the lawful use of Forms imposed upon all Ministers Now the Reader may observe these words say they c Cons Cont. in Angl. p. 179. Mascula est sententia J. Calvini in Epistola 87. ad Protectorem Angliae Quod ad formulas inquit precum c. It is an excellent sentence of Calvin in his 87th Epistle to the Protector of England Concerning Forms of Prayer and Ecclesiastical Rites I much approve that it may be certain from which the Pastors may not depart in their function both to provide for the unskilfulness of some and that the consent and agreement of all Churches may be more manifest and that a stop may be put to the changeable levity of some who affect novelties And they add d Ibid. there ought to be a stated Catechism statam Sacramentorum Administrationem publicam item precum formulam a stated Administration of Sacraments and a stated publick Form of Prayers 14. Fifthly He saith they say e Reas Acc. p. 50 51. holy affections may accompany a Form This saith he toucheth not the Question which is about the magis and minus And so he excepts against them as not speaking an equal intention and fervency to be exercised in Forms Now I might say that they do speak of due attention and reverence in the use of Forms p. 174. and our Author saith due attention must be equal attention p. 52. And when they declare Forms to be profitable and that by them attention is helped p. 173 174. this not only speaks the devotion to be equal in the use of Forms to what it might otherwise be but that it may be hereby the greater And they commend them f Cons Cont. p. 174. ad majorem Ecclesiarum aedificationem for the greater edification of Churches and this must be for the making them the better 15. Sixthly He saith g Reas Acc. p. 53. they speak not a word of the lawfulness or utility of reading Prayers And what they speak of Forms he would it seems have meant not of Forms read but gotten without Book of which he discourseth p. 25 26. But they judge Forms profitable h Cons Cont. p. 174. p. 176. modo cum debita attentione reverentia c. ex libro pronuncientur if they be with due attention and reverence pronounced out of a Book This our Author but half a page before p. 52. thus expressed so they be read with attention so the Walachrians If this be not enough they further declare i p. 176. sacras Scripturae literas legunt fideles c. Christians read the holy Scriptures with understanding humility reverence zeal c. and why may not Prayers be pronounced in the same manner Ch. III. out of prescribed Forms And here again our Author but two pages before p. 51. translates these words of the Walachrians quidni orationes eodem modo ex praescriptis formulis pronunciari possunt and therefore why may not Forms of Prayer be so read These frequent contradictions in this Discourse make me sometimes apt to think that whereas it always speaks in the plural number as we believe we judge we say it may possibly be
that some part of it may be written by one hand and something added by another and that may be the cause of its so many disagreements with it self 16. Lastly We are told k Reas Acc. p. 53. the Walachrians in stating the question profess only to speak to the case where men want an ability or a liberty to exercise it But the Classis of Walachria tell us they discourse of Prayers prescribed l Cons Cont. p. 173. ut utiles c. as profitable for them who want ability or a liberty of exercising it ut attentio auditorum c. and that the attention of the Auditors in great Assemblies may be helped and guided And again they commend them as m p. 174. profitable non tantum in necessitatis casu c. not only in a case of necessity where fit ability is wanting but also that the Auditors attention may be helped and directed c. And their sense herein may be also manifest from n. 13. 17. Now though I laid no great weight upon this testimony as is manifest from the words immediately following it n Libert Eccl. p. 122. But the surest way of tryal is from considering several Arguments yet the Reader may easily see that they spake fully enough to the purpose for which I produced them And though our Author when he first mentioned this testimony of the Walachrian Classis promised o Reas Acc. p. 46. We will give our Reader a full account of what is said by them he hath not only been very defective in his account but hath uttered divers manifest falshoods This must discover either an high degree of carelessness which is not to deal faithfully with his Reader especially after his particular promise to the contrary or else which I am not willing to suspect a design of imposing upon those who will take things of this nature upon his credit And if all these things were meer mistakes and oversights as I am most enclined to believe it pitieth me greatly to see how strangely some mens minds lie open to them against very plain and clear evidence 18. To prove Forms of Prayer to be no disadvantage to piety I urged in my p Ch. 4. p. 122 123. Arguments to shew Forms of Prayer to be no hindrance to piety 1. From God and our Saviour prescribing them Libertas Ecclesiastica three Arguments My first Argument was That God himself prescribed a constant Form of Prayer for the Jewish offerings and for the Priests blessing and our Saviour directed the Lords Prayer as a Form but the Holy God and our blessed Saviour would not enjoin what is of its own nature an hindrance to godliness piety and Religion 19. In answer to this Argument our Author turns every way He sometimes misrepresents my sense as if I affirmed that God and Christ had appointed the Forms of Prayer which are now ordinarily used p. 56. or as if the scope of my Argument was to prove that men may lawfully appoint what God may appoint and saith the same Argument would prove a liberty for men to make new Scriptures p. 56 58. But the Question under debate was not at all concerning the authority of men nor concerning the lawfulness of appointing Forms merely but it was whether the use of them be an advantage or prejudice to Religion Nor am I so void of all reverence to God as ever so much as to think that any Creature hath an authority to do or command whatsoever God himself can do or command But the substance of what he further Answers is reducible to two heads 20. First That God q Reas Acc. p. 56 57 58. may legitimate some things by his Precept which otherwise would be unlawful and then such things being commanded will be no prejudice to devotion since God will secure his own institutions And here he tells us God might direct Images of Oxen and Cherubims to be in his Temple and the people might worship before them but Aaron might not make a golden Calf And God might command Abraham to offer up Isaac And therefore this will only conclude that Forms of Prayer are not in themselves unlawful as murther though by his instance they may be as unlawful as for a Father to kill his Son or incest 21. Now the sense of this part of his Answer is That the God of infinite goodness and purity may appoint and enjoin and consequently may be pleased with such things as are in their nature hurtful to piety and oppose goodness and purity in the World And I desire our Author upon his further thoughts to consider what high reflexions these things cast upon the divine majesty Indeed God did appoint the Ceremonial worship of the Israelites Nothing which God commands is a rule of practice can hinder piety which was a more imperfect way of serving God than that under the Gospel yet considering the state of the World as it then was and how God condescended therein to the infirmities of men and that this was typical of Christ to come it was at that time a real help to Religious Piety But it is contrary to the divine nature to assert that God should give institutions and rules for ordering that part of his worship which is moral and perpetual as Prayer is and these to be of force both throughout the Jewish and Christian Church which yet are a disadvantage to Piety But besides many other Forms those in Deut. 21.8 and Deut. 26.3 5 .... 10. and v. 13 14 15. were to be of use throughout the Jewish State and the Lords Prayer throughout the Ages of the Christian Church It was called the daily r Conc. Tolet. 4. c. 9. Prayer by one of the Councils of Toledo and to be used thrice a day in the time of the Å¿ Const Ap. l. 7. c. 25. Constitutions called Apostolical 22. The pretences on which our Author relies are very weak How far Gods institutions are secured from mens making ill use of them For it is unreasonable to imagine that God should establish standing institutions which in their own nature tend to hinder piety and then should undertake by some extraordinary method to preserve them from being abused when it is plain he doth not further secure his most excellent institutions from being abused than their own excellency and the piety of the Christian Spirit doth conduce thereunto The holy Scriptures have been wrested and perverted by evil men and Prayer it self hath been abused to Hypocrisy and yet both these are divine institutions 23. And concerning the Images of the Oxen and Cherubims he is mistaken in saying that the people might lawfully worship before them which were in the Temple for the people might not come within the Sanctuary where they were and so might not so much as see them But there is a greater mistake than this Of the Images of Oxen within the Temple and of Cherubims upon the walls and doors thereof
concerning their use in worship There were indeed Cherubims graven upon the walls and doors of the temple 1 Kin. 6.29 35. but God never allowed or appointed these to such ends and purposes as the Golden Calf was made and used but for the adorning the Temple They were not intended as representations of God himself nor might the people give to them any part of divine honour or say to them these are thy Gods O Israel Ex. 32.4 But molten or carved work when it was not made to be worshipped or to be a Symbolical representation of God was never forbidden to the Jews as many of the Jews themselves have by mistake imagined nor were those pieces of art when secured from these abuses any disadvantage to Piety and Religion There was anciently the stamp of a Castle and other resemblances upon the Shekel of Salomon and other Jewish Medals as appears from the representation of them in t Waser de Antiq. num Hebr. Walton in Supplem ad Brerewood de Pond c. Waserus and Bishop Walton and neither this nor the Lyons about Salomons Throne were to be condemned as unlawful 1 Kin. 10.19 20. Nor did the second Commandment forbid the likeness of any Creature to be made so as in general to condemn the Arts of limning carving and engraving but only forbad it to be made so as to receive any part of that worship which is due to God as u Ant. Jud. l. 3. c. 4. Josephus truly gives an account thereof 24. Nor will the command given to Abraham to offer up his son prove that Gods Precepts require any thing to be performed which is in its own nature prejudicial to Piety For this was only a Precept of tryal God did not desire that the Father should slay his Son but as x Amb. de Abr. l. 1. c. 22. S. Ambrose said tentabat si Dei praecepta praeferret filio made a tryal whether he esteemed the commands of God above his son Of the Precept for Abraham's Offering Isaac And this Tryal was no disadvantage to Abrahams Piety but a great evidence and high exercise of it But Gods withholding Abraham from slaying his Son by giving him a countermand after he had tried his obedience is a considerable instance to shew that nothing is grateful and pleasing to God that is not every way reconcileable to goodness and the ancient Christian Writers accounted justly the bloody inhumane and obscene rites of many of the Pagan Deities to be a sufficient objection both against them and their worship And besides this Isaacs bearing the Wood and being laid upon the Altar hath been accounted y Aug. de Civ Dei l. 14. c. 22. First Lesson on Good Friday in our Common Prayer a figure of the suffering of our Saviour and this act of Abrahams obedience might be commanded with some respect thereunto and upon this obedience Abraham received some peculiar instructions and promises concerning the Messias Gen. 22.16 17 18. all which tended to promote and advance his Faith and Piety Now as it is unsafe from such instances as this to censure the usefulness of any of Gods ordinary Precepts which he appointed to be of continued use so I desire our Author to consider whether this branch of his discourse be an help or hindrance to piety and Religion in teaching men to slight and disesteem and consequently to neglect and break any of the least of Gods Commandments 25. But he further saith z Reas Acc. p. 57. it is not unquestionable whether God and Christ prescribed Forms of blessing and prayer to be used by Ministers and people Gods command is express in the Old Testament for Forms of Prayer Now the Forms of Prayer I above mentioned out of Deuteronomy are so plainly and expresly directed that he who will be so bold as to assert that God only intended that they should use those words or such others as themselves should think more fit for that purpose he may as well say that when God appointed his particular Sacrifices his meaning was that they should either offer those sacrifices which he had appointed or some other which they should think more expedient For the injunction of the special sacrifices God appointed is not more express than of those Prayers which he commanded 26. And as the particular Form of the Priestly benediction is plainly appointed Num. 6.23 24 25 26. so it hath been observed by a Buxt Synag Judaic c. 21. Buxtorfe Drusius and other learned men that upon the day of atonement the High Priest solemnly pronounced this Form of blessing the people in the Temple And for the Priests blessing and did then peculiarly pronounce the name of Jehovah And some Christian Writers have thought that the name Jehovah being thrice expressed in that Benediction was some intimation of the Trinity And the b Par. Chald. Jon. in Num. 6.23 24 25 26. Chaldee Paraphrase under the name of Jonathan ben Vziel to express the constant and strict observation of the very words of this solemn Benediction in the Hebrew Tongue reciteth all the words thereof in the Hebrew before he gives the sense of it in his Paraphrase but doth not do the like in other places of the Law And this very blessing is not only used as a Form by the Church of England in the Office for the Visitation of the sick but the same is in the Geneva Liturgy composed by c Prec Eccles Form Genev. Calvin and also in that drawn up by d Luther Tom. 3. f. 10. Luther at the beginning of the German Reformation And the members of that Assembly which set up the Directory in the place of our Liturgy did so far assert the Form of this Priestly Benediction that in their e Assembl Annot. on Num. 6.23 Annotations on those words On this wise ye shall bless saying they say Or thus in a set Form of words 27. All that our Author hath against this is to declare in these strange words of Mr Cotton f Reas Acc. ubi sup The Priests are indeed directed to a Form of blessing Num. 6.22 c. but that they used that and no other Form doth not appear It is certain the Apostles used divers other Forms Now though what I have said be sufficient to give an account of the use of this Benediction yet it is very unreasonable to suppose that Gods Precepts have not authority enough to make what they prescribe a duty unless we can prove that men undertook the ordinary and constant practice of them Nor is the Apostles using other Benedictions at all to his purpose since this Benediction was not prescribed for them but only for the Priests Aaron and his Sons in the Temple Service And besides this a Benediction prescribed for any solemn publick service doth not hinder the use of other Benedictions out of that particular service and upon other occasions though they be given by the same person as was
the title of Prayers to wit as he counts them according to the Septuagint Psal 16.85.89.101 but in our English Bibles Psal 17.86.90.102 And from hence we may infer the usefulness of Forms for the promoting piety according to the purport and design of my foregoing Argument 40. Liturgies justified by allowing Psalms in Meter to be sung Secondly Whilst he allows the using set Forms of Prayer and praising God in meter to be good and Religious because the matter is directed by God though the expressions are not he doth hereby so far as concerns reason and Argument yield that which will necessarily infer the usefulness of Liturgies to be in like manner generally used For the like allowance may certainly be made to the use of words in prose which may be made to them in meter which is according to his sense that they may by all Christians be profitably used where the matter of them is none other than what God himself hath directed us to pray for and the words such as are fit to express that matter which is according to his will And there is greater security of the matter of a fixed well-considered Liturgy being such as God approves of than there can be in the usual variations of the conceived Prayers of some thousands of persons 41. Thirdly Whilst our Author declares he i p. 78. Ecclesiastical Hymns of publick use in the Christian Church abhorreth any singing in publick worship or what is not composed by the Pen-men of holy Writ even this also is very unreasonable The Scriptures indeed direct us both to pray and to sing praises to God but it is the matter and pious performance of them and not the different tone or flexure of the voice which God regardeth And it is certainly as hard a task for him to prove that we may sing to God in no other Hymns but what are expressed in Scripture as it would be for him to prove that we may pray to God in no other Prayer than what is contained in Scripture which would be as much against other conceived Prayers as against Forms Especially when in some ancient Churches as well as modern their practice was what k Aug. Cons l. 10. c. 13. S. Augustine commends in Alexandria in the time of Athanasius that their reciting Psalms or Hymns was modico flexu vocis with a small alteration of the voice and the manner of uttering them was pronuncianti vicinior quam canenti more a deliberate speaking than a proper singing But there must be an extraordinary acuteness of nicety to discover why any person may express the praises of God according to his own conceptions in his ordinary way of speech but may not do it in somewhat a more deliberate way of pronunciation 42. Fourthly If it had been for our Authors purpose he would have thought it a sufficient proof from Scripture for the composing new Hymns that the Prophet Isay with respect to the Gospel times commands to sing to the Lord a new song Is 42.10 And that the Angelical Hymn Luk. 2. and those of the Virgin Mary of Zechary and of Simeon were all of them newly composed for the special occasions that the Apostle declared he would sing with the spirit 1 Cor. 14.15 and that S. John in his Vision of the Gospel worship representeth the Church as singing a new song Rev. 5.9 and ch 14.3 And however this Writer censureth this the general practice of the Christian Church hath ever admitted and used some hymns composed by men having a particular respect to Christianity as our Church ordereth the Son of S. Ambrose Very many such Ecclesiastical Hymns are collected by l Cassand Hymn Eccl. Cassander And this practice was as early in the Church as the end of the first Century when Pliny upon Examination of the practice of the Christians in their Assemblies found that they were wont upon a set day to meet together before it was light m Plin. Epist l. 10. Ep. 97. carménque Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem and to say an hymn to Christ as being God one towards another Now in that it was their usual practice to say such an Hymn and that this was expressed by the generality of the Assembly this speaks it a Form which they used and the phrase of secum invicem is a considerable intimation that they expressed it by parts or Responsals one towards another And its being said to Christ as God makes it highly probable that it was an Hymn particularly composed under Christianity in honour of Christ But this is fully confirmed in that it was part of the charge against Paulus Samosatenus by n Eus Hist Eccl. l. 7. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Council of Antioch that he suppressed the use of those Hymns which were upon our Lord Jesus Christ as being new things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the compositions of men of late days And that there were various Psalms and Odes composed before that time by Christians concerning the Divinity of Christ is also declared in o Eus Hist l. 5. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eusebius 43. But the true cause why our Author doth not allow of any Hymns composed since the Apostles time is not from any Reason or Scripture but because this would not serve the interest of his opinion and withal secure the practice of our Dissenters For he acknowledgeth that the whole Congregation joining in singing p Reas Acc. p. 78. cannot possibly be done but by a set Form without notorious confusion and therefore the allowing new Hymns to be composed would include an allowing men to appoint Forms of Prayer and praise And besides this he is sensible that they cannot without running into many indecencies pretend to abilities of constant varied conceptions in the making Hymns since as he saith q p. 78. not one of many attain the gift of Hymn-making 44. Concerning the Holy Scriptures he saith r p. 60. there are Precepts for reading them and also promises in the same case But this doth the more strengthen my Argument because such Forms as are so far appointed and approved of God can be no hindrances to Piety He saith also f p. 61. that there are different workings of the Soul to God in Prayer and in reading But though there be different acts of the mind exercised in these duties yet that consideration reverence faith submission and other gracious dispositions which sute the special parts of divine truth doth require as much seriousness diligence and care in reading the Holy Scriptures as in Prayer And however having shewed that a Form of words in Prayer doth not hinder any exercises of piety therein I do not think this exception to deserve any further answer 45. But what he saith t Ibid. that there are different workings of the soul towards God in singing and in Prayer I suppose he will upon further consideration discern to be an oversight Since the
application to God for the same things require the same pious exercises of mind whether it be in prose or in meter And it was another oversight that he declares me to know and confess what he thus asserts when I never declared any such thing but know the contrary SECT III. Of the Antiquity of set Forms of Prayer MY third Argument for Forms being no hindrance to Devotion was a Libert Eccl. p. 123. that all the Ages of the Christian Church from the first Centuries have used them as an advantage to Religion My third Argument was from the use of Forms of Prayer in all the Ages of the Primitive Church And when I added that it is not at all probable that such excellently devout and judicious 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 This Author first saith b p. 62. Certainly it was possible i. e. possible all those judicious men should be so stupid Now this is a rash and contumelious expression and if this be true concerning such men as S. Athanasius Basil Ambrose Hierome Eusebius Chrysostome and S. Austin and others such like all pretence from experience must in this case be laid aside For though our Author sometimes intimates that these famous men are now out-done by those for whom he pleads there is so little appearance of the truth hereof that this needs no particular answer 2. When I said c Lib. Eccl. B. 1. Ch. 4. Sect. 1. n. 9. p. 106. that Forms of Prayer were of use in the Church about thirteen hundred years since is acknowledged by them who plead most against them from Conc. Laod. c. 18. 3 Carth. Can. 23. and Con. Milev c. 12. he d p. 66. somewhat misrepresenting my words saith we hold no such thing But whatever singular and unreasonable conceit he or some other persons may have c Smect Answ to Remonstr p. 7. Smectymnuus derive the Pedigree of Liturgies from those three Canons acknowledging that the Church in the Laodicean Canon ordained Our chief Dissenters own Forms of Prayer to have been used 1300. years that none should vary but use always the same Form that the Carthaginian Canon further limited the Form and the Milevitan Canon would have none other used than what was approved in the Synod Thus they And the Presbyterian Commissioners at the Savoy say they f Grand Debate p. 11. cannot find any Records of know credit concerning any intire Form of Liturgies within the first three hundred years And their fixing this period of time is sufficient to justify my assertion 3. But our Author saith he believes g p. 67. they might have denied any such Record of a Liturgy generally imposed for six hundred years and fixeth the Original of Liturgies upon h p. 69. Gregory the Great under the protection of Charles the Great and this eight hundred or a thousand years after Christ Liturgies not first established by Gregory the Great under Charles the Great Of which gross mistake in History having taken notice of it in my Introduction n. 4. I shall say no more here but that we may not reasonably expect any accuracy in the right computation of the time of the birth and first production of Liturgies from him who talks so loosely and falsly about the Age in which Gregory the Great lived whom he would make the Father of them And it is speaking enough at random to fix their original now at six hundred years after Christ and then at eight hundred or a a thousand years after Christ but if in which soever of these periods they began it must be under Gregory the Great he must then suppose against the credit of all certain History that Gregorius Magnus was Pope for above four hundred years in imitation of the Jewish fancy that Phinehas the High Priest lived i R. Dav. Kimch in Mal. 2. v. 5. V. Scalig. in Eus Chron. an ab Abrahamo 861. above three hundred years And if this could be true which I never saw so much as hinted in any Author before then Gregory the Great might become contemporary with Charles the Great and being by that time unable to govern himself by reason of his extream Age might be put under his protection 4. Now though something was done by Gregory the Great in the new modelling Sanction of Charles the Great for the enjoining the Roman Offices I shall before the end of this Section produce as much evidence as is necessary for the satisfaction of the unprejudiced Reader concerning the use of set Forms of Prayer in the Christian Church in the several Centuries before the six hundredth year of Christ And thereby I hope to give a fair proof for that assertion of Cappellus and for a more early practice also who said k Syntag. Thes Thes Salm. Part. 3. Loc. Com. 47. n. 49. Earum formularum usus in universa Ecclesia Christiana toto terrarum orbe jam à plusquam 1300. annis perpetuo obtinuit A publick Form of Liturgy hath obtained in the universal Christian Church throughout the whole World for above thirteen hundred years And he addeth in the same place that it doth now every where obtain nisi apud novitios istos Independentes but amongst them who embrace the new upstart Innovations of Independency 5. But our Author will not allow all the three Canons above mentioned to have any respect to Liturgies and their establishment and herein he hath engaged himself against what Smectymnuus asserted to whom my words had a particular respect He first excepts against what is inferred from the Canon of Laodicea which Council Baronius though he had sometimes thought l Annal Eccl. An. 125. n. 158. otherwise upon a more accurate consideration as he thought m In Appen ad Tom. 4. n. 1 7. concludes to have been before the time of the first Nicene Council But I must confess the other opinion that this Council sate about the year 364 is the more probable from the observation of n de Conc. Sacerd. Imper. l. 3. c. 3. n. 5. De Marca That Conc. Laod. c. 7. condemns the Photinians when Photinus himself lived in the Reign of Constantius 6. But he saith The Bishops o Reas Acc. p. 64. in that Council may not be called the Church in that Age. Indeed this was a Provincial Council yet many Bishops from the several Asian Dioceses were here assembled The eighteenth Canon of the Council of Laodicea considered as appears from the title of that Council And this may appear a remarkable testimony concerning the general state of the Church if we consider that this very Canon was taken into the Code of the universal Church being the 122d therein which Code was extant at the time of the Council of Chalcedon An. 451. which was the greatest
of the four first General Councils and was so far approved therein that that Council cited some Canons of Provincial Councils which were taken into that Code as general and authentick Rules not taking any notice of the Provinicla Councils by which they were first made but only citing them according to the number and order they were in that Code This is manifest from the testimonies produced out of that Council which are prefixed to Justellus his Edition of the Codex canonum Ecclesiae Vniversae and thereby it appears that the Canons of this Code were owned to be of universal authority by this their reception though they were many of them only provincial in their first Constitution 7. And this Code or Collection of Canons was also confirmed and established in this p Conc. Chalced. Can. 1. General Council and therefore this Canon which was one branch thereof is sufficient to acquaint us what was generally approved in the Christian Church at that time when this Code was composed and received And we have this further argument to prove that this Canon was of general approbation when it was first composed because there was no appearance of any part of the Christian Church then opposing it or declaring against it For it was then usual that when any Bishops or Synods asserted or determined any thing either concerning doctrine or rules of order wherein other Bishops or Churches thought them to err they would withstand them Thus concerning the receiving penitents the Novatian errors were condemned by q Libel Synodic Syn. 21 22 23. Western Eastern and Carthaginian Councils and the oppositions against the general rebaptizing Hereticks and the contests about the Roman and Asian time of celebrating Easter are obvious in the Histories of those ancient times 8. Our Author further tells us r p. 65. that Council of Laodicea saith nothing of stated Forms of Prayer c. 18. only orders Prayers to be poured out Morning and Evening Thus he clasheth with Smectymnuus above produced And to clear this matter this Canon declares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that there ought always to be the very same service of Prayers both in the Mornings and in the Evenings That is there must be the same Morning service and the same Evening service continually and as ſ Zonar in Conc. Laod. c. 18. c Balsam ib. Zonaras expounds it that those Prayers only should be used in their publick service which had been received in the publick Assemblies and to the same purpose Balsamon And for further confirmation that this Council had a particular respect to set forms of Prayer then in use in its next t Conc. Laod c. 19. Canon it gives an account of some part of the order of their service that after the Sermon or Homily they had first the prayer for the Catechumeni and when they were gone out the prayer for the Penitents and when they were gone away three prayers for the Fideles the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in silence the second and third 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by open pronouncing And all this was performed before the Communion or Consecration thereof the whole Assembly as I conceive being to join in heart and affection but silently in the first prayer but in the two other they were to join in vocal expression Now this cannot be otherwise understood than to enclude the use of a form and also an obedience to orders and rules established by the authority of the Church 9. He next takes some notice of 3. Conc. Carth. c. 23. which enjoins Quascunque sibi preces aliquis describit c. Whatsoever prayer any one shall copy out for himself he may not use them unless he first conferre with the understanding Brethren Our Authour saith u p. 65. This plainly hints that Ministers were wont to compose their own prayers But if he had considered what account I gave concerning this Canon in my x Libert Eccles p. 119. Libertas Ecclesiastica he might have seen reason to have been of another mind But he takes no notice at all of what I said concerning it when I particularly considered it and did shew that that Canon gives no proof that constant forms were not in use before that time but he observes only that I quoted this in Libertas Ecclesiastica p. 106. where I only mentioned it as being owned by our Dissenters to have contributed something toward the establishing of forms 10. The next y Conc. Milev c. 12. Liturgies established by the Council of Milevis Canon which Smectymnuus allow to give a full establishment in the African Territories to Liturgical forms is something though not much differently expressed in several Copies thereof both in the title and in the body of the Canon But as it is in the African Code which is the most authentick and of highest authority its Title is Of Prayers to be said at the Altar And the z Conc. Carth. Gr. in Zonar c. 117. in Balsam c. 106. Cod. Can. Eccl. Jusicl c. 103. Canon it self requires that the prayers which are approved in the Council in the several parts of publick worship should be celebrated of all persons and that none other which be against the Faith be at all used but those shall be said which are collected by the wiser men But that which our Author saith to this Canon is a p. 64 65 66. that the African Ministry being tainted with Pelagianism Prayers agreed by the Council were thereupon decreed to be used in that Province and yet they do not say no other but no other against the Faith should be used 11. Now in the sense he taketh it it doth go as far for the establishing Forms of Liturgy as agrees with the practice of our Church But when I consider what S. Austin who was a Member of this Council of Milevis declareth b Aug. de Bapt. cont Donat. l. 6. c. 25. that the Prayers used by many persons were daily amended when they were declared to the more learned men and that many things were found in them contrary to the Catholick Faith and that many persons took up with Prayers composed not only by unskilful persons but also by Hereticks I say when I consider this I encline to another sense of this Council And that is that in the former part it makes constant provision for the use of Forms ordered by the Council in the publick service of the Church and in the latter part it takes care that no private Books of devotion which were composed by Hereticks should be entertained by any Catholick Christians and the same thing was very probably taken care of in 3 Conc. Carth. c. 23. above mentioned 12. But though both Heretical and Schismatical Principles had spread themselves in Africa it is no way probable that their Ministry was at this time tainted with Pelagianism nor could that be the foundation for enjoining Forms For it appears by this Council of c Conc. Milevit 1.
c. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Milevis that the Bishops and chief of the Clergy were very severe against it and yet they obliged themselves to constant Forms And when Coelestius an African Presbyter had before this time earnestly espoused Pelagianism there was d Oros de Arbitr Libert p. 621 622. no stay for him in Africa but he was forced to desert those parts I shall only add further that the vast Precincts of the African Church who were directed by this Canon were much larger than our national Church and might equal a considerable part of Europe 13. And whereas I gave several testimonies in my e p. 106 107 108 109. Libertas Ecclesiastica of the use of Liturgies before the time of those Canons above-mentioned our Author takes no notice at all of most of them and what he doth mention is with great oversight and carelesness I declared that I yield it most probable that the ancient Roman Jerusalem and Alexandrian Offices Of the Liturgies under the name of S. James c. were called the Liturgies of S. Peter S. James and S. Mark because of their certain early use in the Churches where they presided though it is not certain that they were composed by them this being mentioned by no ancient Writer of the first Centuries But our Author intimating as if I did assert these Liturgies to these Authors adds f Reas Acc. p. 66. what a lamentable shift it is to tell us that they have undergone divers alterations but those words were not at all used by me concerning any of these Liturgies but concerning those of S. Chrysostom S. Ambrose and S. Basil Libert Eccl. p. 107. But I might well have used them concerning these other Liturgies also He speaking of g Ibid. the horrible imposture of these and other Liturgies of S. Andrew S. Matthew Clemens Dionys Areop c. which I did not so much as name declares they are so generally rejected by all sober and learned Authors both Papists and Protestants that we stand amazed it seems a little thing will affright him to hear our Reverend Brother so much as naming them 14. Now I grant that these Liturgies according as they are now exhibited under the names of S. James c. are manifestly proved not to be intirely their genuine off-spring both from several doctrines and names which are expressed in several of them But this is not enough to prove the other parts thereof to be of no primitive composure For so far as concerns the mention of some names of persons living in after Ages it seems to me no sufficient Argument to prove that our English Liturgy which was in use at the beginning of our Wars was not in substance established under King Edward the Sixth or Queen Elizabeth because there were then Prayers for King Charles Queen Mary and Charles Prince of Wales And concerning doctrines for instance that the Liturgy now extant under the name of S. James oft expresseth the Blessed Virgin to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which yet was never urged against the Heresy of h Eus Hist Eccl. l. 5. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Artemon or against Nestorianism by the ancient Fathers who made use of all the testimonies they could meet with whereas this must have been a testimony very obvious and of great authority if this had then been in that Liturgy as received from S. James I think it but reasonable to imagine that when a general Council had declared any doctrine to be Heresy some such expressions might thereupon be added to the constant Liturgies then in use as may manifest their holding the Catholick doctrine in detestation of those Heresies And in like manner when corrupt doctrines became generally received especially if they concerned any thing of worship as of adoration of Saints c. it cannot but be expected that they should be inserted into the Liturgy of that Church which embraced them 15. But I fear our Author spake without his Book when in general and with respect to all the Prayers therein he said these Liturgies are generally rejected by all sober and learned Authors both Papists and Protestants To instance particularly in the Liturgy of S. James Amongst the Romanists it is asserted to him by i An. 63. n. 220. Baronius and k De Ritib l. 2. c. 3. n. 6. Durantus and very great numbers of other Authors The same is affirmed in a peculiar Tract written to that purpose by l Allat de Liturg. S. Jacobi Leo Allatius who also produceth the testimonies of Sixtus Senensis Possevinus Pamelius Sanctius and many other Latin and Greek Authors even as early as to Proclus who was Bishop of Constantinople in the next Age to S. Chrysostom being educated under and ordained Deacon by m Socr. Hist l. 6. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 l. 7. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Atticus who was Bishop of Constantinople the next year after S. Chrysostom was thence banished And Bellarmine also owns it to have been S. James's though he admits it to have been greatly altered 16. Amongst the Protestants also many appear inclined to own Liturgies to have been established from and by the Apostles Even n In Annot minor in 1 Cor. 11.34 Beza saith Quae ad ordinem spectant ut precum formulae caetera hujusmodi disposuit Apostolus in Ecclesiis The Apostle did set in order in the Churches such things as had relation unto order as Forms of Prayer and other things of like nature And the Walachrian Classis acknowledged that the Churches o Cons Contr. in Angl. p. 180. ab Apostolicis Primitivae Ecclesiae temporibus from the Apostolical and primitive times unto this day have performed the publick worship of God out of certain and prescribed Forms And if they were from the Apostolical times it may well be that some Apostles had an hand in making them 17. And more particularly in our own Church p Annot. on S. Jude v. 20. and View of the Directory Sect. 17. Dr Hammond judged that the Apostles and they whom the Holy Ghost set apart to plant the Churches had miraculous gifts and by them they prayed he addeth some of these special Prayers thus conceived were received and kept by those whom they thus taught and are they which the ancients mean by the Liturgy of S. James c. And q Eccl. Angl. Vind. c. 10. D. Durel concerning these Liturgies of S. James c. saith mihi dubium non est I make no doubt but some things are found in them which do proceed from the Authors to whom they are attributed And r Salmas contr Grot. opus Posth p. 254. Salmasius as was observed by Dr Hammond in his view of the new Directory said Jacobi Clementis Basilii Chrysostomi Liturgiae partim verae sunt partim falsae the Liturgies of James Clement Basil Chrysostome are partly true and partly false Which words shew that he accounted
some things to be genuine in them but with an addition of other things spurious See also Mr Å¿ Of Religious Assembl c. 7. p. 248. Thornedike to the same sense 18. Our Author also takes a slight notice of that weighty evidence I produced for the proof of Forms of Prayer t Lib. Eccl. p. 107 108. in the time of Constantine And he only tells us that u Reas Acc. p. 67. Constantines composing Godly Prayers for his Souldiers is a good Argument that the Church had then no publick Liturgies for surely Constantine need not then have made any and it had been a great derogation from the honour of the Church 19. But if our Author had duly observed what I produced Forms of Prayer used in publick service in Constantines time and consulted Eusebius in the places to which I referred he would have found 1. That these Prayers which Constantine made and Eusebius applauded were peculiarly fitted for his Souldiers as is manifest from that particular Prayer related by x De Vit. Const l. 4. c. 20. Eusebius and therefore his inferring from hence that the Church had no Forms before that time is as if he would conclude that because we have had Prayers lately framed to be used at sea that therefore we never had before that time any Common-Prayer And besides this y Ib. c. 19. Eusebius declares that these Prayers he composed were to be used on the Sunday by that part of his Souldiers who had not embraced the Christian Religion whilest the other part of his Army who were Christians did attend the Assemblies of the Church and join in its Prayers 2. He might also have further observed that Constantine was said by Eusebius de Vit. Const. l. 4. c. 17. to order his own palace according to the manner and usage of the Church in that taking into his hands the Books he either applyed himself to the Scriptures or expressed 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 those Prayers which had received an authoritative sanction But this clear evidence for the use of Forms of Prayer he was willing to overlook as also what I produced from Origen Cyprian and others 20. But because this Authour pretends Liturgies more ancient than six hundred years after Christ that there was no established Liturgy before the time of Gregory the Great nor till six hundred years after Christ that the Reader may see how much he would be imposed upon by giving credit to any such untrue and groundless Assertion I shall waving very many Citations of some Clauses of Liturgies in St. Austin St. Chrysostome and many other of the ancient Writers produce as many testimonies as are sufficient to satisfie an indifferent Reader that in all the first Ages of the Christian Church for the first six hundred years there were publick forms of Prayer and Liturgies established 21. Justinian the Emperour began his Reign above seventy years Enjoined by the Imperial Law An. 541. and ended it almost forty before the year 600 and his Imperial Sanctions were of as large extent as his Empire He accounteth it a great fault z Novel 137. in Praef. that there were some persons of the Clergy and Monks who were not versed as his Canons required in the prayers of the usual Service and of Baptism And he declares that he would have things canonically ordered which if it had been before done they would every one have acquainted themselves with the holy Liturgies a ibid. c. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And he also by his Imperial Sanction required that every person ordained Bishop b ibid. c. 2. should recite the office for the holy Communion and the prayer for Baptism and the other prayers And he also enjoins c ibid. c. 6. these prayers in the performing publick offices and in the administring Baptism not to be said by the Bishops or Presbyters silently but so as they may be heard Which things are plain testimonies both that the Church then had Liturgical Forms and that they were established and enjoined by an Imperial Law 22. And besides this it was enacted by Justinian d Novel 131. c. 1. that the Canons of the four holy Synods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 both such as were made by them and such as were confirmed by the Council of Nice Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon should have the force of laws And therefore if there was any Canon which enjoined the use of forms of prayer confirmed by the Council of Chalcedon for the proof of which I referre to n. 6 7 8. and 23. of this Section then by virtue of this Constitution that Canon had an equal authority with a law of the Empire throughout all the Dominions thereof And both these Constitutions of Justinian bear date in the same year 541. which is fifty nine years before the period our Authour fixeth upon 23. In the middle of the foregoing Century from the year 400. and downwards Their ordinary and established use in the fifth Century manifested was the General Council of Chaladon An. 451. in which that Code wherein was the Canon of Laodicea which required the constant use of Liturgies was both approved and confirmed as may appear above n. 6 7 8. and therefore the use of Liturgies was hereby established in the Christian Church as far as the authority of a general Council did extend In this time Proclus a Bishop of Constantinople of good note declared forms of divine service to have been e Procl Const de Tradit Liturg in Bibl. Patr. delivered from St. James and Clement and to have been ordered by St. Basil and St. Chrysostome But how far soever his authority may prevail concerning the time almost four hundred years before him when St. James and St. Clement lived he being the first Writer which I have met with who mentions the ancient Liturgies under their particular names yet for the later times his authority is unquestionable that there were then Liturgical forms and that these had been so long in the Church as not to be then accounted new upstart things And he could not but have sufficient opportunity to understand fully what he delivers concerning St. Chrysostome especially since 〈◊〉 was Bishop in the same See of Constantinople and was educated there about the enâ—â— of St. Chrysostom's time And at the beginning of this Century was the Council of Milevis whose Canon enjoining seâ— forms of Prayers is f n. 10 11 12. above produced iâ— this Section 24. In the Century beginning An. 300 the attestation to the Liturgy of St. Chrysostome in the foregoing Paragraph 〈◊〉 the more considerable in this Case because as g Theod. Hist Eccl. l. 5. c. 28. Theodoret informs us his Government and Authority extended it selâ— over Thracia Asia and Pontus and he established excellent laws 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to twenty eight Provinces within those Regions The like in the fourth Century St. Basil's ordering a publick form of
please other men 10. But in truth the establishing Liturgies doth in a considerable measure put a stop to discords and divisions To this purpose Cappellus accounted it very fit that as far as may be there should be k Thes Salm. ubi sup n. 46. una in Ecclesia externi cultûs divini fermula the same Form of publick divine worship in the Church and this he thought of great use ad unitatem spiritûs charitatis inter fideles quantum obtineri id potest conservandam for the preserving as far as that can be obtained the unity of the spirit and of charity amongst believers And though our Author would be content that some should use Liturgies but other Ministers should use their own words and method Cappellus in the same place declares that this is by no means adviseable and that this would be so far from procuring peace that from hence would arise contemptus odia rixae contentiones c. contempt hatred clashings contentions strife and infinite quarrels to the great scandal of the Church 11. But plain experience doth beyond all authority prove that concord is never like to be the effect of the laying aside all Forms of publick worship For when this was done in our late sad times thereupon all manner of errors sects heresies and blasphemies were broached and vented After this it was that i Jus div Min. Evang Ep. to Read 1653. the Presbyterian Ministers complained of the bitter woful and unutterable fruits of divisions which say they have almost destroyed not only the Ministry but even the very heart and life of Religion and Godliness 12. Our Author saith also that Forms of Prayer m p. 63. hinder Ministers care to study the Scriptures which he before urged and I before answered Chap. 1. n. 47. 13. He saith also n Ibid. that hereby many such Ministers have crept into the Church of whom every one who hath any concern for Gods glory or the Churches repute hath cause to blush and be ashamed Now I shall leave him to consider by himself whose work he is doing whilest he takes all occasions to reproach that Ministry and thereupon to hinder their labours whom our Saviour hath called to serve him in his Church And we have so little reason to blush and be ashamed of the generality of the English Ministry that we have abundant reason to bless God for their great worth And besides this the faults which can be chargeable upon any particular persons in the Ministry must be either from their being 1. not sound in doctrine or 2. not of a holy and good life or 3. from their not being men of sufficient abilities and such as diligently â—â—charge their Ministerial work But set Forms of Prayer piously composed and instantly used can contribute nothing 〈◊〉 either of the two former when they manifestly promote the contrary good And for the last as the great abilities of our Ministry is very evident so I shall answer this where he doth more particularly insist upon it in o Ch. 8. n. 10. another place 14. This Writer in the end of this Chapter declareth p p. 70. that he thinks he â—â—th fully answered whatsoever I had ofâ—â—red but I leave it to the diligent Reaâ—er to judge how little reason he hath to think so But he there saith his strict design is not to answer me but to shew they â—â—ve probable Arguments inducing them to believe that it would be sinful for them ordinarily to use the prescribed Forms of others and therefore he proceeds to add further Arguments Nor is it my design in this discourse mainly to vindicate my self much less to oppose him but to vindicate the truth and therefore I shall add my Answer to his remaining Arguments contenting my self only to give an account of the main substance of them if I may so call it and not to interpose my self in what he speaks against other particular persons or in any digressions which are of no necessary concern to the Vindication of fixed Forms of Prayer or defending other publick Constitutions CHAP. IV. Ch. IV. Forms of Prayer are not forbidden either in the Second Commandment or by any other Divine Precept HIs third Argument is that it is Sinful for Ministers having the gift of Prayer to use prescribed Forms no necessity compelling because God hath (a) Reas Account p. 71. neither by the light of Nature directed them nor in his Word prescribed them Now it is acknowledged that all the parts of Divine Worship must be such Of the parts of Divine Worship and the manner of performing it as the light of Nature or the revealed Will of God do direct By the former our dependance as Creatures doth oblige us to acknowledg and honour God and to call upon him and pray unto him And the holy Scriptures give us further Precepts and encouragements in these Duties And in the parts and duties of Divine Worship the manner of performing them and our outward expressions therein must be such as is sutable to the Duty it self as swerveth from no Divine Precept or Institution and is recommended either by the light of Nature or Scripture But from what I have said in the former Chapter it may appear Forms of Prayer are agreeable to the light of Nature and Scripture that Forms of Prayer in the publick Worship of God are recommended by the Light of Nature as it directeth us to chuse the best and most expedient and profitable way of performing that Worship and that the Scriptures also do encourage us in and give their approbation of the use thereof 2. But there is yet a further design in this Argument which is That nothing may be used in God's Worship which he hath not himself prescribed To this end he saith the sense of the Second Commandment is this (b) P. 73. Thou shalt worship in no other Way by no other Means or Religious Rites than what I have prescribed And again (c) P. 75. the like P. 74. We judg all Acts Rites and Means of Worship prohibited by God which either in express Terms or by first consequences from Scripture are not prescribed Now if he will be consistent with himself and conclude any thing in the Case under debate from these things which are rather Positions And are not forbidden be the the Second Commandment and unproved Assertions than Arguments his Inference must be That no words and expressions for of these we are now discoursing ought to be used in the Worship of God which are not by him prescribed But concerning this Argument I shall observe three things 3. Obs 1. That he here contradicteth what he declared in the stating his Question and hath oft repeated having as he tells us (d) P. 91. Again and again said That they do not think Forms of Prayer unlawful This Argument Clasheth with himself But if they be not prescribed and all means not prescribed
our publick Forms of Prayer besides what he urgeth against this that Forms of Prayer are things forbidden of God as I above noted he hath some other expressions concerning the Power and Authority of Superiours and our obedience to them which I shall reflect upon 9. He grants that the Superiour may in some cases determine of such a thing (n) P. 88. which both he and the Inferiour confess to be in it self indifferent but not in things (o) P. 77. which the Superiour acknowledgeth not necessary and the Inferiour thinks are forbidden Useful things are fit to be stablished tho some by mistake may rashly Condemn them Now if any Inferiour or any Person whosoever account any thing to be forbidden and proceed in his judgment upon good and true grounds no such thing may be appointed being in it self evil whether the Superiours acknowledg it not necessary or by mistake think it is so But where any Superiours do upon good grounds judg any thing to be of good and profitable use for the publick good though not absolutely necessary in it self And some Inferiours out of mistakes or forwardness to censure will condemn such things as sinful and unlawful it is no way fit that such good Orders be laid aside and many others and the Church it self be deprived of the good they might receive from them by yielding a Compliance to these mistakes And whereas he here urgeth (p) P. 77. the duty of Charity he ought to consider that real charity in providing for the good and profit of the Souls of Men is of far greater value than that which he calls Charity in gratifying the Opinions and complying with the Errors of Men in their mistakes But of the appointments of such things as are scrupled I have treated more at large in another (q) Libert Eccl. B. 2. Ch. 2. § 3. throughout Discourse 10. Concerning obedience to Superiours he saith (r) P. 80. Doth this make a sufficient reason for practice in Divine Worship that Man commandeth it And he produceth (Å¿) P. 81. Bishop Jewel's Testimony that God is to be obeyed rather than Men which we assert And (t) P. 82 83 84. Bishop Davenant condemning the blind obedience of the Jesuits and asserting unto all men such a judgment of discretion that they may consider whether the things be true or lawful which are directed by their Superiours And then he tells us That (u) P. 84. blind Obedience is the very foundation of Popery but the judgment of private and practical Discretion is the foundation of the Protestant Religion 11. Now it is true That to yield such a blind Obedience to Superiours as to account them Infallible and thereupon to account that all they deliver must be received without any liberty to examine the truth and lawfulness thereof is a foundation of Popery But to own the due Authority of our superiours and Spiritual guides and to acknowledg that they may determine matters of Order and Decency in the Church and that it is the duty of Inferiours to submit themselves to such Determinations if they be not contrary to the Will of God is that which Christianity requireth and is a necessary foundation of Peace and Vnity What judgment of discretion the true principles of Religion do allow in all Men. And to make use of our own judgments and understandings so as to reject whatsoever we certainly know to be false and evil is that which all true Religion and good Conscience and the Christian and Protestant Principles will direct But for any to think it their duty to close with such Arguments as seem to them probable but are weak and fallacious and are of no clear evidence and undoubted certainty and to account themselves warranted thereby to pursue what is against the established State and Order of the Church and its Peace and Welfare and against the Authority of their Superiours or any rules of Duty this will lead Men into all manner of evil Faction Schism and Fanaticism and such Principles cannot justifie themselves in the sight of God or good Men as I have (w) Ch. 1. n. 9. c. above shewed 12. This is that which the Writers of our Church declare against and so do Protestants generally and so doth particularly (x) Daven de Judice Controvers c. 1.2 Bishop Davenant who first reserving to god the Supreme power of judging (y) ibid. c. 16. asserteth to our Superiors the ministerial judgment whereby besides other things they have Authority to judge de constitutionibus ad externam Ecclesiae politiam pertinentibus of Constitutions belonging to the external Polity of the church And he then declares the necessity of a judgment of discretion in all Christians which he understands according to the sense I have in the former Paragraph expressed as is manifest both from that Treatise and the other cited by this Writer In Epist ad Colos c. 2. v. 23. And he particularly acknowledgeth it to be the general sense of Protestants (z) ibid. cap. ult Judicium hoc discretionis vanum falsum fanaticum esse concedunt quando ex privato sensu phantasmate ipsius judicantis dimanat verum firmum legitimum cum oritur ex lumine infuso Spiritus Sancti dirigitur ad normam verbi That they acknowledg that judgment of discretion to be vain false and Fanatical when it proceeds upon the private sense and fancy of him that judgeth but that it is true firm and allowable when it is inlightned by the Holy Spirit and directed by the rule of the word Wherefore he gives no allowance to mens proceeding upon probable and uncertain arguments but only upon manifest and clear evidence in opposing what is established by Superiors And indeed disobeying upon such grounds as are not manifest is but a blind disobedience which may well be ranked with blind Obedience We and all sober Protestants are against both and if the former should be followed by Children to their Parents and Servants to their Masters especially in working Fancies and weak Judgments it would bring nothing but confusion into Families 13. This Author also tells us That to justifie the Subjects obedience (a) p. 89. there must appear to him some reason from a Divine command requiring the thing Here if the Precepts of Vnity Peace Order and Obedience be sufficient these are frequent and clear but if he still mean that no particular thing may be established unless it be some way determined by a Divine Precept this I have above refuted n. 2. c. 14. He declares also (b) ibid. that Gestures or Actions that are idle or insignificant are in worship sinful and therefore may not be submitted to Now it is well he hereby disallows the fond notion of them who decry our Rites or Ceremonies because they are significant The appâ—inting Liturgy in what sense to reckoned among things indifferent But this can make nothing against Forms
of a good form And I desire that this thing may be seriously and carefully considered it being of concernment to the real profit and good of men however it may be slighted by some conceited and self-pleasing Persons To this purpose Cappellus declared his dislike of them who (t) Thes Salmur de Liturg n. 30. certas orandi formulas etiam in privatis familijs damnant condemn fixed forms of Prayer even in private Families And what Melancthon speaks in approbation of forms in private as well as in publick I have (u) Ch. 3. Sect. 3. n. ult above noted 11. But because many private cases which may be of great concernment to particular persons and Families may be more properly taken into the subject of Family Devotions than of publick Assemblies it is expedient and ordinarily necessary that such things also be upon emergent occasions presented to God for obtaining his help and blessing in as suitable words as the person is able to express and without affecting variety of words And in the Closet many things concerning the persons own particular case and wnats which cannot be comprised in a form are needful matters of his private and retired Devotion which may either be by vocal expressions or only by the inward lively motions of a contrite spirit as the person himself finds most expedient Wherefore Dr. Hammond declared (w) ubi sup That it is supposed by the Church that in the Family and Closet every man may ask his own wants in what form of words he shall think fit and what he said and the liberty therein expressed was observed as an instance of the moderation of our Church by my worthy friend (x) Moderat of the Chur. Ch. 7. §. 6. Dr. Puller And I acknowledg That if any Superior should forbid all such private Confessions and Petitions this being against the duty of a Creature and a Christian ought not to be submitted to But blessed be God our Governors are far enough from any such thing nor ought our Author to propose it 12. Wherefore the result of this matter is this That the performing the publick offices of the Church by a set-form is that which is really profitable to Christianity and the appointing them to be so performed ought not to be looked on as meer act of Power and Dominion in our Superiors which is designed no farther than to try the Subjects obedience but in this case it is a pious act of their Christian care and prudence If all Ministers should perform these Offices without prescribed Forms how many inconveniencies Constant use of Liturgies is advantageous and what impediments to piety must constantly in some things and might frequently in others thence ensue is easie to be considered and in many things hath been and in part will (y) Ch. 9. farther be expressed in this Book the celebrating these Offices by some with a Form and by others without one would be an engine of Discord and Faction and men of high conceit and rash confidence who are most apt to miscarry would be most impatient of that restraint from which others are free And if any one person under a wel-constituted order use his own different way of celebrating Divine Offices being member of that and not of any foreign Church even this would be against the peace of the Church and so not to be desired of any good man And this man also whoever he be unless he keep himself to the same seriously premeditated things will not perform these with that exactness that is in a Form and may be sometimes liable to defects of memory or expression And Forms of Prayer are also of excellent and singular use in Families and in Closets 13. Yet we account other Prayers besides Forms in their place (z) Dr. Hammon Pract. Catech. of Prayer allowable God forbid that any should speak against the general matter and design of such a Work as St. Austins Confessions or the pious Meditations and Soliloquies Other Prayers in their place useful of many ancient and modern devout men And we esteem it so useful an exercise of Religion for Christians frequently to set themselves to take a strict account of themselves and penitently to confess their particular neglects and trespasses and to implore the needful mercies and blessings of God that none need to fear that any Christian Governor will ever prohibit such things And whereas by a constant strict course of Piety some persons have arrived in a tranquillity of mind to an higher degree of Mortification Of the highest and most raised Devotions and holy sublime affections to and sense of God and his Goodness than the generality even of other pious Christians it is fit that in their private Devotions they express as they think most expedient the noble grave and sober sentiments of their Souls in acts of Adoration But such things are unfit for publick conventions being too high for the common state of men who can more easily admire them than joyn in them And all En. husiastical pretences and the methods of speaking mystical non-sense deserve no where either commendation or any allowance 14. And I humbly beseech Almighty God in the name of his only Son who founded his Church in Vnity that all men who have any love of God or goodness may at length learn to study and to do and speak those things which tend to peace in the Church and not to make breaches therein and to divide it And that we may all more thankfully acknowledg the signal mercy of God to us That we have the priviledg of having been educated in so excellent a part of the Christian Church as our Church is And God grant that this Discourse may have some influence towards these ends 15. But it would be diligently considered No peace and order where every person or party will undertake to new-model the Church That no Church can enjoy Peace but that whose members keep their own station and the governing and ordering part is left to the Governors and Superiors to be determined by them others yielding due submission in things lawful But if every man or every several club or distinction and party of men may claim to themselves a power of new-modelling the state of the Church this not only tends to confusions but speaks them to intrude themselves into the office of the Supreme Governor Ch. VI. and that they may overlook and overturn all the foundation and fabrick of a well ordered Church CHAP. VI. Of Preaching and whether it be as reasonable to preach in a Form of Words composed by others as to pray in a prescribed Form HIS fifth Argument is (a) Reas Acc. p. 98 100. that if Ministers may obey Men in performing their Ministerial Acts of solemn Prayer by the prescribed Forms of others upon the same principle may all Ministerial Gifts in preaching be suppressed and Ministers may be appointed to read some Discourses of others to
the People Now what I premised to the foregoing Argument may be again useful to be considered here But since I have manifested the ordinary and constant usefulness of set Forms of Prayer in Publick Worship for the advantage of Religion if he be able to prove the same concerning the ordinary using the Discourses of others in Preaching as I conceive he never can he hath then and not till then made the Cases parallel 2. The different practice of the Christian Church Forms of Prayer being most expedient do not prove it best to have constant Forms of Preaching which for many Ages before the Romish Corruptions overspread it constantly used set Forms of Prayer when their Sermons were composed by the Preachers themselves and the like usage in our own Church may incline modest men to think that these Cases are not alike The Apostolical Doctrine required of the Clergy that they should be apt to teach and so doth our own Book of Ordination and the (b) Can. Ap. 58. Syn. in Trul. c. 19. Ancient Canons required their diligent practice herein And the use of such Instructions or Exhortations in the Christian Assemblies is of as early Original as from the first Ages as appears from the Testimonies of (c) Just Mar. Ap. 2. Justin Martyr and (d) Tert. Apol. c. 39. Tertullian and the continuance thereof is evident from very many Homilies Tractates and Orations of following Ages which are yet extant And our Author may if he please consider such differences as these 3. First Preaching is directed to Men but publick Prayer to God in the name of Men. And therefore as both (e) Disc 1. on Mat. 6.9 Mr. Mede and (f) Of Prayer extem n. 57. Bishop Taylor observe It is convenient the People should know beforehand what the Minister puts up to God in their names but there is not the like reason for Preaching And variety of Words and Expressions have a considerable efficacy upon the minds of Men Whereas it is a thing unworthy of God as (g) Instit l. 3. c. 20. n. 29. Calvin observes to think that he is humano more persuadendus to be wrought upon by words as Men are For while he searcheth the Heart his attention is not to be procured by arts of Speech or himself moved affected or pleased by a new composure of words Several things which make the case of Prayer and Preaching herein different And besides this a pious reverence not only in our Hearts but in well-deliberated words and in gestures also is considerable in the sight of God and this is more due to God to whom we pray than to Men to whom we preach 4. Secondly As the matter for Sermons or popular Discourses is of so large extent as to include all the great and necessary Doctrines and Rules of Religion so that are too oft corrupt Notions and Opinions which subvert Piety and ill practices which may be apt to prevail at some special times and places Now here a watchful Minister will endeavour to beat down all such Notions and Practices which cannot well be done but by his own Abilities in answering all their Pleas Pretences and Objections 5. Thirdly By this means he can acquaint his People with such things as he thinks in the Matter of them most proper and sutable to them and can propose these things in such a manner as is most agreeing to their Capacities which thing was noted by (h) Tr. 13. Ch. 1. Div. 7 Bishop Whitgift to be of great advantage in order to profiting And to this purpose also it is reasonable that the Method and manner of Composure of popular Discourses be such as suit the Place Time and Age wherein we live 6. Fourthly It is not only requisite that our Publick Service of God be at all times so comprehensive as to take in all the usual parts of Religious Worship Adoration Thanksgiving and Supplication for all ordinary Blessings but this also seemeth enjoyned by Apostolical Precept 1 Tim. 2.1 2. and therefore it is expedient to secure this Comprehensiveness by a publick Form But it is no way needful that every Sermon should contain all the necessary points of Doctrine and Practice but such a particular Branch thereof as the Speaker thinks most proper But was he to declare or express all the Articles or Doctrines of the Christian Faith certainly a known Creed is more fit for this purpose than a new Composure And besides this as the temper of the Age accounteth it a Disparagement to preach a Sermon composed by another Man this temper having nothing of hurt in it as the condemning Forms of Prayer hath is fit to be complied with for the benefit of the Hearers And these things will shew that able Ministers ought ordinarily to preach Sermons of their own preparing See also Chap. 7. n. 4. 6. But notwithstanding this Instructions and Exhortations in some cases best performed by a Form it is far from being a Sin for Ministers in their instructing others to make use of what is Composed by others in such cases where this may tend to the greater profit or advantage of the Persons to be instructed In acquainting others with the principles of Religion or Catechising them it is certainly best that this be done in the use of a known set Form of Catechism The short exhortation in administring the holy Communion and the like may be said of other Offices where the Graces to be exercised and the Duties to be performed are constantly the same may be better performed in a well composed pithy Form than by a continued varying 7. And for Sermons as it may be very allowable to cite one or more sentences from an approved Author when this may be of good use So I know no reason why in some cases the using a larger portion of anothers Discourse openly and freely owning the Author may not be done without any blame where the authority of the Person or the Discourse it self might have a greater efficacy on the promoting Goodness and Religion than what the Speaker might express in his own words It was (i) Aug de Doc. Chr. l. 4. c. 29. St. Austin's judgment that such of the Clergy who could not compose Discourses so well as they could speak them might do good service to the Church by publickly pronouncing what was made by others And I doubt not it had been much better for many Teachers and for the Church of God too if they had sown good Seed received from other faithful Hands rather than to have dispersed their own Tares Errors and unsound Doctrines In the Primitive Times it was ordinary to read publickly on the Lord's Days in the Christian Assemblies the Epistles of some eminent Men and some Historical Relations which concerned the Church And there would be the same reason for a Sermon or Homily where that might have a remarkable influence on the Churches good And it is most probable that the Apostle
Author that giving thanks to God is in Scripture expressed to be done in reciting the words of others 1 Chron. 16.7 But though I was not willing to pass by any thing which he urged though but under the appearance of an Argument I must intreat the Readers pardon in giving him the trouble of perusing a thing so very inconsiderable as this Argument is 7. Indeed he tells us (i) p. 120. he layes a greater stress upon his former Arguments than upon this but what little reason he hath to lay any such stress upon them may I hope by this time appear But he saith he cannot think this altogether vain and impertinent but of that let others judge But withal this Argument had need to be of great force when upon the account of this he tells us again in the (k) Ibid. close of this Chapter he makes it a great question whether if we think to fulfil the command of God for vocal Ministerial prayer by reading Forms we should not come short of what God requires and both mock God and deceive our own Souls Thus some men with extravagancy enough can speak great and swelling words supported or rather unsupported by weak feeble and impotent Arguments And his last words of this Chapter are That there is neither Precept nor President for praying by Forms which assertion he hath peremptorily avowed again and again though it be plainly against both the Scriptures and the sense of the Vniversal Church and the contrary thereunto I have above (l) Chap. 3. Sect. 2 3. plainly proved CHAP. VIII C. VIII Forms of Prayer are falsly accused of debasing the Ministry and of several unblest Effects HIs seventh Argument is (a) Reas Acc. p. 120 121. That Ministers performing their Ministerial acts in Prayer by prescribed Forms tends to level the sacred Office of the Ministry to the capacity of the meanest of the People but saith he (b) p. 121. God would never have erected an Office to do what the meanest person in the Church hath a natural ability to do And he there adds there is nothing plainer in the whole Book of God than that God hath established a peculiar order of persons to be his Ministers to declare his will unto his People and on their behalf to intercede with God in Prayer And he saith if this (c) p. 122. might be performed by Forms there would be no great reason for any peculiar maintenance for the Ministry nor for Honour and Reverence to them Now in answer to this I shall observe four things 2. Obs 1. That he gives a very defective description of the work and business of the Ministry as if it only consisted in being Orators and in the well using words and expressions Of the work and Office of the Ministry And this is no more than a master of a Family may do to instruct and pray for those of his Family but it must be the exercise of a special power of Office which must be the chief Ministerial performances of those who are in the Sacred function of the Ministry Wherefore by special Authority and Commission to receive persons into the Church in the name of Christ and to govern them in it to exercise the power of the Keys to consecrate the holy Sacraments and therein to exhibit in Christs name the tender and seal of remission of Sins and by his Authority Ministerially to dispense Absolution and Remission to them who are qualified to receive it by performing the conditions of the Gospel these and other such acts of Authority are the great and chief parts of the Ministerial office which he wholly omits And even instructions and prayers performed by those who are in this Sacred function are of greater moment because of their Office But what God worketh by their Ministry is especially to be regarded and if this was nothing as (*) Chrys in 2 Tim. c. 1. Hom. 2. St. Chrysostome argues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Thou thy self neither hast any Baptism nor dost thou receive the Sacraments nor dost thou enjoy Benedictions nor indeed art thou a Christian 3. Obs 2. The use of Forms of Prayer is far from rendring learning knowledg and such like abilities useless or needless for the Ministry nor can any man that knows the work and duty of a Minister judge so Besides his preaching so as to approve himself a workman that need not be ashamed he is by his Office to be a spiritual Guide to the consciences of others Learning and knowledg greatly requisite to the Ministry when they apply themselves to him for Counsel and Advice not only for their comfort but chiefly for their practice He is to direct and oblige Offenders who are under his care to observe the due rules and exercises of Repentance and this with respect to conscience men ought to take more notice of than most persons do And in a time when the Church and Truth hath many enemies and this Author might have been better employed than to have appeared as one the Ministers of the Church are to be able to convince or at least to confound their Adversaries and detect their errors and the danger of them They are also to watch over their charge and as much as may be to preserve them from being led aside by the slight and cunning craftiness of them who would deceive them And these are things which require far greater abilities study care and diligence than is needful to enable any man to use fluent expressions in Prayer 4. The weanest persons Aâ—â—ristred in the Church when forms of Prayer were disâ—â—ed most Obs 3. The time when Liturgies were laid aside in England was that time when many of the meanest of the People both men of weak abilities who yet could speak confidently and also men of bad and erroneous Principles were thought fit to be taken into the Ministry in the place of many sound and able men who were cast out And the performing Prayer and popular Sermons after that method our Author contends for in expression of their own may be effected to the satisfaction of great numbers of ordinary hearers whatever may be pretended to the contrary by a man who hath a forward tongue and but indifferent parts without any considerable learning or study and without much knowledg of the Doctrines of Religion and Christianity There are so many evidences of this among the several parties of our divided Separations that the chief persons among our Dissenters do very well know the Truth thereof 5. Obs 4. Our Author's assertion That God would never erect an Office or Order of Persons to do what the meanest of the People have a natural capacity to do is also certainly false The Priests Office under the Law For under the Law the office of the Priests was particularly appointed to minister before the Lord by offering Incense and Sacrifices though Corah and his Company and any other of the
matters of Demonstration to us These (l) P. 131. he calls Effects obvious to every Eye and entring upon them saith (m) P. 124. Let us instance in some too evident effects of Forms of Prayer c. And the first of these is The filling the Church of God with an ignorant lazy and sottish Ministry He indeed here excepts very many Persons but yet these are his reproachful words reflecting upon the generality of our Ministry or in his own expression those that fill the Church Now such an open notorious and shameless Calumny ought not to pass without just rebuke The great accuser of the Brethren to his grief and indignation knows that there is now in England as Learned Able The English Clergy falsly aspersed as Ignorant Lazie and Sottish and Industrious a Clergy as this Church ever had or any other of so numerous a Ministry Nor can the main Body of our Clergy be called Ignorant and Sottish but by such Persons as make no conscience of Slandering and speaking falsly And truly Sir to say no more the reason and understanding part of this your Discourse which you intitle A Reasonable Account c. is very far from being above the pitch of the generality of that part of our Ministry which I have had the opportunity to know And if you were indeed the main Men acquainted with Knowledg and Learning and had the advantage of Truth also on your side as you pretend how easily might you bafle and confute us by clear and plain Evidence which your selves are sensible enough you cannot do And therefore your most usual Methods are to work upon the fearful and melancholy temper of some and upon the fierce and angry disposition of others and upon the earnest and weak affections and the prejudices of many well-disposed People But you can hope to prevail little on men of even calm and composed Tempers and Persons of the best judgment and understanding 11. A second effect he instanceth in is (n) P. 125. The loss of Ministerial Gifts and Abilities But blessed be God there is no loss in our Church of any Abilities requisite for the due discharge of the Ministry But he here again falls upon the gift of Prayer of which as also of the lawfulness and profitableness of using of Forms of Prayer I have sufficiently discoursed in the former part of this Book 12. His third and last (o) P. 130. If not effect yet experimented consequence of prescribed Forms is a flood of Iniquity for more than an hundred Years caused thereby in our parts of the World Hence saith he Bitter words in Pulpits and printed Books which have vexed righteous Souls who have had nothing to reply but The Lord rebuke you They it seems wholly imitating the pattern of the Archangel contending with the Devil Jude 9. Ill effects charged upon Liturgies proceed from another cause Or of the Lord checking of Satan Zech 3.2 Hence saith he Are ungodly representations to Superiours of Men of whom the World was not worthy hence suspensions of so many thousands and Ruines of so many eminent Servants of God and their Families and hence the separations of Christians from one another Thus our Author chargeth a great deal of evil upon our Laws and Governours which according to his rash Position they must stand guilty of unless all enjoyned Liturgies and Uniformity be utterly rooted out of the Church and unless they will lay aside that care they ought to have of the due order and decency of the publick Worship of God and unless an Inlt may be opened to such Confusions Heresies yea and Blasphemies as in these Kingdoms were brought into the Church when Liturgies were shut out and the publick Worship was performed even by men of Erroneous principles according to the vanity of their own minds But that our Author hath mistaken the true cause of that evil he complains of I have shewed (p) Ch. 3. Sect. 4. above to which I refer But that the violent and ungrounded oppositions against lawful constitutions are too great an inlet into much iniquity will I think appear manifest enough from what I wrote in my (q) B. 1. Ch. 1. throughout Libertas Ecclesiastica And I do both heartily pity and am really grieved and sorry for the temper of such persons who by their mistakes and too much of eagerness and passion in them not only expose themselves to outward inconveniencies but which is of far greater concernment both run themselves into many sinful undertakings and are the occasion of much hurt and evil to the Church of God and make use of the latter as a remedy against the former 13. If any persons among us have spoken or written with overmuch passion or sharpness we will defend no man wheresoever he deserves blame but our Governours and the Constitution of our Church are not concerned herein But have our Dissenters replyed nothing but calmness and meekness as this Author suggests One might be apt to think upon considering such words that he is a stranger in England and unacquainted with affairs here and may have lately come from some unknown Island separated from converse with other parts of the world I heartily wish their party had been as free from all fierceness as this Author pretends Many sad and evil effects from the opposers of our Liturgâ— and then both Church and State would have enjoyed more quiet and many things had never been heard of which have been a scandal to Christianity But if their writings be reviewed from Martin Mar-prelate to this present year many of them will manifest that keen and bitter words and reproaches and revilings are no strangers to their Tents It seems not wholly to have savoured of the spirit of Christian meekness patience and gentleness when they made such violent invectives against our Governours and Establishment as kindled our late dreadful civil Wars when they ejected sequestred imprisoned and put to Death great numbers of the Clergy Gentry and Nobility for their loyalty to the King and their honourable respect to the Church when they strained their hands and more deeply their Consciences in eager and forward shedding the blood of many thousands of Christians and dared to stretch out their hands against the Lords Anointed and to take away the life of one of the best Princes that ever the Christian world enjoyed All this seems not to speak only the meekness of the Lamb and the innocence of the Dove 14. Besides the writings of particular persons could it be any other than a strange fierceness in (r) Answ to Remon p. 83.84 Smectymnuus in charging the Clergy of our Church with bringing in a new Creed other Scriptures another Baptism and Eucharist and another Christ too and another Heaven from what Christianity proposeth which they call an Heaven receptive of Drunkards Swearers Adulterers c. Can it be otherwise than that passion and uncharitableness made them write what they could
not but know to be far from Truth They who have much conversed with very many men of this way cannot be unacquainted with their temper of rash censuring and uncharitable speaking and may see reason to conclude that these are not the great examples of Christian meekness These things I should not have mentioned but that as a charge against the establishment of our Liturgy and the care of our Governours therein our Author pretends many unblest effects to proceed from it Ch. IX whilest there is nothing but goodness and mildness in them who oppose it though he afterward acknowledgeth passions in them CHAP. IX The Arguments for set Forms of Prayer are solid and substantial IN his ninth Chapter he mentioneth divers Arguments produced for Forms of Prayer to which he returns his answers Now since I have above not only answered his Arguments but in several parts of my Discourse have proved the profitable use of Forms of Prayer and have in my third (a) Sect. 2. Chapter vindicated several Arguments which I urged in my Libertas Ecclesiastica it is not necessary for me to undertake the defence of others which are insisted on by other men But the five last Arguments expressed in this Chapter which were urged by my self I shall particularly consider reflecting also upon some other Arguments and expressions 2. And indeed my foregoing Discourse hath given a sufficient reply to many of his answers Ch. VIII to the Arguments he recites in this Chapter For instance To the first Argument for the lawfulness of Ministers using Forms (b) p. 134. Forms of Prayer are not forbidden that what God hath not forbidden is lawful he answers that Forms in the case by him stated are forbidden by the second commandment which I spake to Chap. 4. that they are forbidden by the precepts to stir up gifts which I considered Chap. 2. and are forbidden by those commands which require us to worship God with all our hearts and with the greatest attention and fervency and of this I discoursed Chap. 3. 3. To the second Argument from the Lords Prayer being a Form and from the use of the Psalms of David and the Priestly blessing under the Law (c) p. 135.136 he only repeats what he had before spoken and the mistakes of which I have manifested Chap. 3. Sect. 2. 4. The third Argument which hath respect to 1 Cor. 14 40. is that Forms of Prayer (d) p. 136. Of matters of order decency circumstance are matters of meer decency order and circumstance and therefore may be lawfully commanded and practised Now though I account them to be more than so and not to be only things of external order but to be more internally of profitable use and conducive to the edification and good of the Church and its members yet I shall observe what weak answers he gives to this Argument As to order he saith (e) ibid. order only respects prius and posterius first and last This was I conceive rashly written for surely he could not be ignorant that the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had respect to order of regular constitution and appointment and not to order of number and mere succession of one thing after another Concerning Decency he saith (f) ibid. nothing can be decent but the contrary must be indecent Now though a Form and no Form are not properly contrary but rather contradiction and though many indecencies have been committed where Forms of Prayer have been rejected and the condemning Forms is worse than indecency being an hurtful errour yet his assertion is also false a white Garment may be decent and so may a black one and yet white and black are contrary Concerning Circumstances he saith (g) p. 137. Forms are no Circumstances relating to the action as humane because it may be performed without them By this reason standing or any other particular gesture in reading is no circumstance which yet hath been usually thought so Ch. IX and some gesture is at all times and in all actions necessary And as for the words of publick Prayer there can be no such Prayer without any words nor unless these words be fixed on and determined by some person but the sense and matter taken care of in Forms of Prayer is of an higher nature than a Circumstance And he adds (h) ibid. that he conceives no Circumstances appropriated to an action as Religious are left to mens liberty to determine According to which rule it must be sinful for a Father to command his Child or for any man to determine himself to kneel in Prayer out of any reverence to God because this is a circumstance to the action as Religious If all this be not trifling I know not what is 5. The fourth Argument is that (i) ibid. all the essentials to Prayer may be found I would add may in publick Prayer be best secured in a prescribed Form This Prayer may be in the matter agreeable to the will of God it may be put up in the name of Christ and it may be attended with exercise of Graces and sanctified Affections But he here answers (k) p. 138. All things necessary and essential to Prayer may be in the use of a Form that the use of his own gifts is also necessary but this pretence I have refuted Chap. 2. and I presume no pious man can easily think that the will and pleasure of God should require a mans own abilities to be exercised merely to shew his parts when the whole business of Religion may be every way as well or better performed without them as may appear in every Minister undertaking to make new translations of Scripture whensoever he cites them that his gift may be exercised But he saith also that (l) ibid. he hath given his reasons why Praying by Forms cannot be with the same attention and intention and fervency But these reasons I have answered in my third Chapter and have manifested the contrary 6. In his sixth Argument he produceth 1 Tim. 2.1 2. where the Apostle commands that Prayers c. be made for all men and here (m) p. 140. he takes notice of what I said in my Libert as Ecclesiastica p. 109. that many have thought the Apostle had a special eye to the composure of Forms of Prayer agreeably to what the Baptist and our Saviour prescribed to their Disciples in this his command to Timothy the Governour of the Church And he observes that I added though the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may either signifie that Prayers be put up to God or that they be composed in this place it may well intend both And I now add That the evidence I have given of the use of Forms in the earliest Ages of Christianity and also in the Jewish Church makes it the more probable that the Apostle might have some eye unto them 7. But he tells me but upon what reason I know not
(n) P. 141. that I am a little critical with the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Poet comes from it but he is but a miserable Poet who should only read or recite Copies of Verses composed by others Now though I speak of composing Prayers which might be recited or publickly used yet to gratify our Author I shall acquaint him that though the Imperial Law of Justinian established the use of Forms of Prayer as I (o) Ch. 3. Sect. 3. above shewed yet the praying by these Forms is (p) Justin Novel 137. c. 6. there expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But besides this he is but a little Critical in imagining so unreasonable a thing as that the signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be every where accommodated to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Poet. Our Authors fancy about Poetry And he is so unhappy in this his Fancy as well as in his Arguments that as weak as it is it is not so much as fitted to serve his own Design I am persuaded that upon further thoughts he will not open his mouth Ch. VIII for practising according to his own little Criticism or for making Prayers after the manner that Poets make Verses who are for exercising their own Fancies and gratifying the Humours of other men more than for keeping close to truth or minding what is serious And I wish that no such miscarriages may prevail with any according to our Author's way and method which he contends for And with respect to the Speaker if this Criticism was of any weight as they are not the best Poets who trust themselves to their present sudden abilities of expression but rather they who with great care consider both matter and words and write them down and have left their Writings for lasting Monuments those also must be the best Prayers which are composed in like manner But for the People they are utterly cut out from having any part in making publick confessions or supplications to Almighty God according to this conceit though the Scriptures and the Language of the Church admit them to have a share therein 8. His seventh Argument being only intended as a general proof for the lawfulness of Forms enjoyned is this (q) Reas Acc. p. 146. that a man may lawfully determine himself to the use of Forms and therefore may be lawfully determined to them by his Superiours Here he first tells us this doth not reach his Question concerning Ministers who have the gift of Prayer But he saith further A Christian hath a liberty to determine himself where he may not lawfully be determined by his Superiour as in case of Marriage to a particular Woman in the choice of his Trade and course of Life and a Minister may determine himself to write his Sermon constantly at length Now these words as many others in this Discourse being written with reflection upon the authority of Superiours I shall consider the weight of them with respect to the Case in hand 9. Wherefore it may be observed that there are two Cases concerning the matter of a Law which may render it unlawful Of the lawfulness of being determined by our Superiours where we may determine our selves to be enacted by Superiours The one when it takes away the just civil Rights and freedoms of the Subject and imposeth unreasonable needless burdens the other when it is against the rules of Conscience In the former case it is true that a man 's own civil rights are so far at his own disposal and in his own power that he may here determine himself to what his Superiour may not determine him Thus a free Subject of a considerable estate may if he please settle his Estate upon another Person or remove his Habitation into another Country or resolve upon a single Life or put himself into the condition of a Servant Another Person of like competent Estate may determine himself to a retired Life a sparing Diet and a mean Garb and if he be free from dependent Relations may resolve to give the surplusage of his Estate to pious publick and charitable Vses But it is not fit nor lawful for his Superiour so to deprive him of his civil Rights as to put upon him so much burden and trouble But in things which are lawful or unlawful according to the rules of Conscience where he may lawfully as to Conscience determine himself to any thing he may lawfully be determined by his Superiour and if from the unlawfulness in Conscience he may not be determined to any particular thing by his Superiour neither may he determine himself to it And the reason of this is because if this thing be a Sin a man may not lawfully determine himself to it but if it be no Sin no principle of Conscience will oblige him not to be determined by his Superiour Now the appointing prescribed Forms of Prayer taking this in general as our (q) P. 163 164. In the present Question we suppose Forms as good â—nd perfect as the Wâ—t and Piety of men can make Author discourseth of it can be no invading the civil rights of Subjects or imposing things burdensome to their outward condition considered apart from Conscience and therefore if there be any dispute about the lawfulness hereof it must proceed from the rules of Conscience And therefore if a man may lawfully determine himself in this case or any other of like nature he may also be lawfully determined by his Superiour 10. He also tells us (r) P. 147. It is no Popery for People to think their Spiritual Guides and Governours wiser than themselves That the Author of this Argument would persuade us to be Papists in that he would have men think that the judgment of Superiours is better than our own But he might consider that since God hath appointed Spiritual Guides it is both the most prudent course and the duty of private Persons in cases of practice which themselves do not throughly understand to consult them receive their counsel and be directed by them And his establishing other Governours manifesteth that they are appointed to consider what within the sphere of their Power is useful for the publick good and others are to be directed by them and to rest satisfied in their determination Nor is this any thing of Popery but due Christian sobriety Only this limitation must be admitted that as I have (s) Ch. 4. n. 11.12 above shewed if any thing be proposed by them which upon plain and certain evidence appears to be unlawful those who are under them ought then to reject their Direction and Authority as being contradicted by a greater and higher 11. The tenth Argument mentioned by him is That (t) Reas Acc. p. 149. Forms are necessary for Vniformity And here he again declares against that pitiful thing called Vniformity in words and syllables and phrases as he upbraidingly stiles it But having answered
this in a (u) Ch. 3. Sect. 4. former Chapter and therewith justified Uniformity and shewed the great benefit of it and of Forms of Prayer upon this account I shall not need to repeat it again here 12. But that he may vent himself the more against Liturgy and Vniformity he tells us that in the case of Daniel the Princes resolved (w) p. 150. it necessary to establish an Vniformity in Prayers and all must be commanded to pray only to Darius Yet here was nothing of Vniformity in words and phrases of which he was discoursing but that matters not An act for Uniformity is no such wicked thing as the prohibitive Act of worship by Darius so long as an occasion can be taken to reproach Vniformity He might as well if he had pleased have called that precept of our Saviour Mat. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve an act of Uniformity only that would not serve his purpose to insinuate that Liturgy and Uniformity are like that act in the time of Darius designed wholly for mischief and to hinder the worship of God and to establish Idolatry against the second commandment though not so grosly as in worshiping the Persian Kings who were wont to receive Divine worship as is evident in the many testimonies produced by (x) Drus in Esther c. 3 Drusius But these things are so manifestly uncharitable that every sober considering man may easily discern them And since the Holy God appointed certain Forms of Prayer to be used under the old Testament and our Blessed Saviour prescribed the Lords Prayer under the new and since the ancient Jewish Church and the Christian Church in the purest times used Forms of Prayer no considering person who hath any sense of God or Religion can think that all these must be condemned of designing nothing but mischievous things and the ruining the true way of Religion how far soever some mens angry temper may be unjustly displeased with Forms and Vniformity 13. This Writer in some following pages discoursing about the ability or gift of Prayer at length saith (y) p. 154. as we judg 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 So he But I hope he was not knowingly so bold with the Holy Scripture as to alter and change both the words and sense of it as he pleaseth when the Apostle speaks nothing in that place of Prayer Praise Preaching or Sacraments but of offering gifts and sacrifices for Sins And therefore I shall pass by this as a gross oversight in him or possibly something may be left out by the Printer 14. I now come to justifie five Reasons mentioned in my (z) Ch. 4. p. 97.98 99. Expediency of set Forms proved Libertas Ecclesiastica besides others which I vindicated in the third Chapter of this discourse for the requisiteness of set Forms of Prayer which I there produced to shew not only the lawfulness but the usefulness and expediency of Forms 15. My first Reason was because 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 To this he saith 1. That alone is (a) p. 156. 1. as best securing a fit and right way of worship a right way of worship which God hath instituted And I reply that Prayer performed with a devout heart where the matter is holy pious and religious and expressed without affecting variety of words is according to his will and appointed by him But he hath not instituted the very words we are to use upon all occasions whether we pray by a Form or by any conceived Prayer of which I said more Chap. 4. 16. He saith (b) ibid. 2. That God should be so worshipped is reasonable but that this should aforehand be secured is not possible in men who may err nor will Forms secure it which may be read falsly and disorderly enough To which I answer That when he requires that none should be admitted to the Ministry (c) p. 153. and in other places who have not the gift of Prayer is not the intent of this to secure as much as may be the right performance of that duty but this may be best provided for by a Form as I shewed in the second and third Chapters And what he speaks of reading falsly as a disparagement to Forms is inconsiderable and is one of the weak Arguments of the meanest disputants for Oral Tradition against the Scriptures For there may be as many mistakes Of reading falsly see also n. 24. in reading the Scriptures as the Prayers of the Church and besides that they who would decry their Authority can talk of their being possibly printed false or it may be in some things translated amiss or that the copies whence they were translated might not be every where pure and right But such little objections are easily seen through by men of understanding 17. He saith 3. (d) p. 157. That for twenty years together the worship of God was performed in a well-ordered manner in hundreds of Congregations in England without Forms Now though I have shewed Chap. 2. 3. that it cannot be reasonably expected that it should be constantly performed so well in any one Congregation by any Person whomsoever in a way of constant varying as in the use of a good Form yet there ought to be respect had to all our Congregations And we do not think that a well ordered Worship where one or both the Sacraments were in many places disused and other considerable parts of Worship and Prayer as confession of Sin purposely and generally omitted by others as I observed above And the several Sects ordered the Worship of God according to their own Errors And I can as easily be persuaded that the Papists Arians and Donatists did rightly order the Worship of God as that all our several Sects and Parties did so 18. My second Reason was That needful and comprehensive Petitions for all spiritual and outward wants with fit thanksgivings may not in the publick supplications of the Church be omitted which can be no other way so well or at all secured To this he saith (e) P. 157. It is to the shame of our Church 2 As providing for a comprehensiveness of Prayers if there be not Persons enough sufficient for this and however there are some Now in this Answer he contradicts what in the foregoing Page he said in answer to my former Reason to wit That it is not possible to secure this right Worship before-hand And I have above shewed that no Persons in using constant alterations can perform publick Worship with that due fulness comprehensiveness and
pithiness which is in a well-ordered Form 19. But that able men may not be under restraint he is willing that (f) Ibid. Forms be composed extant and left at liberty This he again mentions in the last Paragraph of his Book And this method was declared by Didoclavius (g) Alâ—ar Damasc p. 613. whom our Author cites in his Title Page to have taken place in his days in Scotland Who also tells us that himself having been many years in the Ministry had never used them nor did he think them wise that did And the leaving Forms of Prayer at liberty Ill effects of having Forms left at liberty would besides the inconveniences above observed have this ill issue in the end That they who seek to be esteemed of a dividing Party or are solicitous to avoid the fierce censures of rash Men or who are highly conceited of themselves and affect singularity or who are Erroneous and not willing to walk in the sound path of Religion will be most sure to avoid Forms for the promoting these ill purposes which will be to the great damage of the Church 20. He adds that (h) P. 158. This Argument would hold stronger for Forms of Sermons It holds indeed to prove a comprehensive summary of the Articles of the Christian Faith to be better expressed in the fixed words of known and received Creeds then in the composing of new Creeds of every mans own making But for ordinary Preaching I have shewed the contrary Chap. 6. 21. My third Reason was That the hearts of pious men may be more devout and better united in the Service of God by considering beforehand what Prayers and Thanksgivings they are to offer up and come the more ready and prepared to joyn in them To this he saith (i) P. 158. Such a particular foreknowledg is not needful and (k) P. 159. it rather hinders devotion and affection as he hath proved But this pretended proof I have answered 3. As conduâ—ing to the better preparation of mens hearts and affections and evidenced the contrary in the third Chapter And sure the Ministers premeditation what he should ask in the way and method our Author proposeth which he alloweth and so must every one who thinks care and consideration to be useful in the most weighty things or who would not be rash to utter any thing before God which he would not do before a Prince must be an hindrance to his devotion if the Peoples knowledg beforehand what they shall pray for must hinder theirs 22. He further saith (l) P. 158 159. there needs no more than a general composure of spirit to seek God to ask whatsoever they or others stand in need of and to confess all Sin Now I acknowledg this to be very good and pious But possibly what they come thus prepared to do as to confession of Sin may be omitted and also the asking of many other things which are reliefs for our constant wants and other things may be prayed for which they cannot so readily joyn in And this general composure or preparation where these parts of service are omitted can be of no more use than such a general preparation is in the worship of the Romish Church where the vulgar know not particularly what is expressed by the Priest But in a well-composed Form according to the use of the Reformed Churches these things are much better provided for 23. He saith also (m) P. 158. If the Minister transgress his Rule Concerning the People correcting the erring Minister and ask what is not according to the Will of God the People may withhold their Amen But such a worship in others our Author would be apt to call offering the Blind and the Lame and when they have a Male in their flock to offer to God a corrupt thing when the Speaker in his part doth amiss and the People at best must forbear their act of publick worship in the time of it and when they come to perform it But besides this the people are not able thus to over-rule their Teachers and it is a great distraction and discomposure to them where they must be constantly put upon these doubtful disquisitions and it is too plain that many thousands are misled by the errors of them whom they receive as their guides into Antinomianism Popery Quakerism and the worst of Sects 24. But that he may catch at every thing he saith again here (n) ibid. that Forms may be read falsly But beside what I above answered this is very unlike in what is so well known and constantly used but if there should be some words pronounced amiss the People may more easily help themselves here they having oft heard and joyned in this Form which is no new thing to them and many of them having the advantage of their Books also 25. 4. As best fitted for the difficultest offices of Sacramental Administrations My fourth Reason is That such difficult parts of Church-offices as Baptism and the Lords Supper the matter of which requires great consideration may in composing 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 boldest opposers Now this Argument is of the greater weight because of the great concernment of Sacramental Administrations If an error be committed in any thing essential to Baptism the Baptism it self and the persons membership in the Church must thereupon be questioned If the like happen in the Lords Supper which without Forms may sometimes be occasioned by defect of memory and some present confusion there may not only be a loss in the high benefits and blessings of that ordinance but as in Baptism also a profanation of the ordinance it self 26. Here he saith (o) Reas Acc p. 159 160 161. In the Lords Supper the Consecration is by reading the words of Institution and Prayer the distribution hath nothing of difficulty and the application is by Exhortation and Prayer and surely he that can pray and preach can do that And for Baptism the Baptizing in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost with a foregoing Prayer and Prayer or Thanksgiving concluding is he judgeth sufficient without a Form Now it is well that the words of Christs Institution in the Lords Supper and the Form of Baptism are thought needful to be retained and observed But I know not why other persons may not think themselves to have a liberty of varying here with as much reason as our Author rejects the use of the Lords Prayer And therefore it is not certain if Forms were laid aside how far and how long he could give any security in this particular when some may as (p) Irenaeus adv Haeres l. 1. c. 18. Irenaeus tells us some who forsook the Catholick Church did vainly by obscure Paraphrases alter the Form of Baptism in the name of the Father c.
and the matter also or the use of Water 27. And touching Prayer in this case and Exhortation also there is no small difficulty For there are various mistakes concerning the Sacraments which some would have only significative signs others will have them to be an absolute sealing in Christs name remission and other blessings to every person who communicateth in them and that therefore certain evidence of actual grace in the Communicants is necessary to the Administration thereof And other mistakes there are concerning the effects and gracious benefits of the Sacraments concerning their efficacy and operation and the manner of Christs presence therewith Now they who keep a well ordered Form are in the most sure and safe way But they who affect to vary constantly may from the difficulty of the Subject more easily go astray here than in other cases And here particular Persons will be apt to express themselves according to their own different opinions whereby they may err and miscarry and great inconvenience and hurt may ensue 28. My fifth Reason for the expediency of Forms of Prayer is That this may be an evidence to other Churches and future times after what way and manner we worship God and that such a Church is in its measure a pure and incorrupt Church To this he saith (q) p. 162. 1. Where hath God required the leaving any such Testimony Now we need not a special command 5. As leaving a testimony to others of our right worship for every particular thing which is of good use and his question might equally be put concerning Forms of publick Confession which all Protestant Churches have owned amongst other ends for a Testimony of their owning the true principles of Religion And the precepts of Christian profession and the case of Vnity with all true parts of the Christian Church doth at least greatly recommend such a Testimony as this And since in all cases of Religion we are to give an answer to them who accuse us where that is needful to this end Forms may be of considerable use Besides the charge of the Romanists some earnest Lutherans accused the Churches of the Palatinate for not having the Sacraments truly Administred for the refelling of which (r) Ursin Praesat in Apol. Catech Vrsin appeals to their publick Forms 29. He saith 2. (s) ibid. That Forms of Sermons are also needful to this end but though we have many volumes of our Printed Sermons they are no direct part of our common Worship 30. He saith 3. While we declare our selves Christians and that we worship God according to his word (t) ibid. we leave a sufficient Testimony that we are a true Church of God If this be true our Author hath now found a precept for giving such a Testimony if he allow any precept for declaring our selves Christians But indeed if persons so declaring themselves Christians c. do enough in this case then all manner of Sects and Hereticks who own the Christian name give sufficient Testimony of their being a true Church and of their right worshiping God But we are further to profess the true Catholick Doctrine and to worship God according to the true rules of Christianity 31. He saith 4. (u) ibid. a confession of Faith is a sufficient Testimony It is so as to our Doctrine not as to our Worship since several chief parts of worship as the Sacraments may still be neglected and there may be many other defects in worship performed without the use of Forms by forgetfulness or being at a loss And withall no such Confessions of Faith were kept to in England by all those who undertook to guide others in the worship of God in our late times when the Liturgy was taken away nor do all our several dividers who reject our Church and Liturgy agree in any such Confession at this time CHAP. X. Ch. X. A persuasive Conclusion HIs tenth and last Chapter which contains little more than one Page is has Conclusion wherein in some things he more particularly repeats his own sense but addeth nothing of any further Argument which requires my answer Among these things he saith (a) Reas Acc. p. 164. We do not think it unlawful to joyn with another praying by the use of Forms provided the matter be good and pious It is granted that the Congregation may discharge their duty by joyning in publick Forms 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 fails in his we do not question From these words it is apparent that after all his discourse he here freely grants that all the Congregation except the Minister who officiateth may without question do their duty in the use of Forms of Prayer And then they cannot be justified and excused from Sin who make separation out of dislike of them 2. But as the conclusion of my Discourse I shall hence take occasion to apply my self a little to all those who dissent and divide from our Church both Teachers and People Our dissenting Brethren intreated 〈◊〉 consider how they will answer for such sad divisions and among them to the Author of that Discourse which I have examined if he shall please to take notice of it by serious and earnest persunsion And that I would intreat of them is that they would calmly consider what good account they can give to God and what security they have from the dangers of Sin in making that sad separation wherein they engage and too much please themselves That these Divisions do hinder Religion and Piety and disorder the Spirits and Minds of men is so manifest that some among your selves have much complained thereof That these are the great encouragements to Popery and that here is the greatest danger of undermining our Protestant Reformation both many Romish Authors and some of your own Writers do acknowledg And many other sad effects there are of these Dissentions 3. Friends can you think rending the Church to be a slight thing Hath God given you any special leave or authority to overlook all your Obligations to a Constituted Church Or may any Christians at their pleasure divide themselves from any Church When they cannot and mostly do not charge our Commution with sin and frame new Models to themselves Or will your dislike of some things upon highly probable Arguments as our Author calls them and yet without any certainty of truth secure you Very few men of any note among your selves dare charge any sin upon our Communion and they who do it are not able to give any tolerable proof of their Accusation and without evidence of sin in communicating separation can never be justified I hope what this Writer I have dealt with hath insisted on for the unlawfulness of ministring by a Form will sufficiently appear to be weak enough And yet his