appointed Surely the freedome of spirit stands not so much in freedome of words and in intention of zeale As a servant that delivers his masters message in his masters words may doe it with a free spirit So may a man pray when he takes to himselfe words and not coines them himself The best prayers are those that are delivered in Gods words and are our spirits stinted because we tye our selves to Gods words As Gods Spirit is not stinted when it speakes unto us by the Scriptures read so nor our spirits when wee speake feelingly to God by read Prayers Put case one man pray with a thousand that have large spirits will they say that their spirits are stinted because they are tyed up for the time being to his spirit so nor when wee pray with others Prayers Have wee a spirit better than the Disciples of Christ and doe wee know what will stint them better than Christ yet Christ gave them the Lords Prayer not onely to say after that manner when hee taught the Doctrine of Prayer but also to say when hee taught them the practice of Prayer But say they hath not God given every good Christian a spirit of supplication by which they have a faculty and power to pray The Disciples I hope were good Christians yet they say to Christ teach us to pray Yet know that there is a double power to pray An inward power by which the heart moves and goes out of it selfe after God Christ grace and salvation This power all good Christians have by the spirit of adoption whereby they cry Abba Father An outward power whereby they are able distinctly and judiciously to expresse the motions and desires of their hearts This power all have not and therefore have neede still to have further helpe and direction as our Saviour did helpe his Disciples But surely they may say the Lords Prayer is not a forme of Prayer taught his Disciples or us It is short and imperfect it hath no such glory in it as some other I may thinkâ— it though Christs word be say and none are tyed to this forme of Prayer alone Let all this stand till it be removed It is true it is short and in that is seene the glorious wisdome of Christ but it is most perfect We must pray all manner of Prayers Supplications intercessions and giving of thankes yet all these are comprehended in it Againe there is infinitely more glory in it then in all Prayers made by men If all Prayers be made they have their graynes of weight from hence It briefly comprehends them all and hath the best authority in the world The wisdome of God the son of God the beloved of God made it and expressed it with his tongue in such blessed order as men Angels cannot devise the like It is true that Christ saith say it but there is a saying with the mind and heart as well as with the tongue For there are two parts of Prayer the soule of Prayer when it is presented with understanding heart and spirit and the body of Prayer to helpe our fervencie as when we bowe our knees lift up our hearts with our hands and our eyes are lift up to God and our bones say Lord who is like unto thee and our tongues are the pennes of ready writers Yet hath not Christ tyed us unto this prayer only Christ himselfe hath other prayers beside this and the Apostles many together with the Church and godly particulars Yet by reason of the perfection of it both in matter order and words by reason of the sufficiency of it to supply all wants and by reason of our forgetfulnesse to aske all or halfe it is a sure and comforting way what ever wee pray to use it alwaies with judgement and understanding But say some of them it is of so large extent that wee cannot comprehend it It is true that it is of large extent and therefore we must labor for strength of judgmeÌ„t and memory to put it up from the heart that we may not tumble it over as the manner of some is as if it burnt their tongues But Christs lookes not that we should conceive of every thing in it every time wee use it As there are few prayers wee can make but are of larger extent then wee presently conceive as when we say the Lord sanâ—tifie your sickenesse unto you the Lord blesse you the Lord give you grace there are more things comprehended then presently meantâ— so in the Lords prayer and therefore wee must have docible hearts to understaÌ„d it better better and we must have wisedom according to our apprehension to apply it to severall occasions But say they this or any other stinted prayer are the very cut-throates of devotion and coolers of affections Indeed they are so to wicked hearts Children must bee pleased with novelties and wicked men loath Gods continued favours though it bee Mannah from heaven but if set prayers wrought so of themselves would Christ ever have given a set forme to his disciples Certainely they will be no enemies to devotion if Christians bee zealous and carefull in using them For the constant practise of the saints in scriptures commends them unto us in prescribed Psalmes and formes of blessing And such is the inequalitie of gifts dispensed by Christ unto his people that to some a prescribed forme is necessary when he hath not given them gifts of knowledge and utterance to expresse their desires in any comely way To others necessary too who are able fitly and fully to doe it in private yet are not so faced and tongued that they can doe it with confidence in publicke to all it is excellently usefull that they may not onely have helpe of their owne spirits but of the publick spirit of God working in his church to advance them forward to heaven It is a world of pittie that men that have some great gifts as they thinke should contemn them that have them not though haply they have others better then they To have a gift of expressing our desires in fit order matter and words is a comely ornament yet may it and doth often fall upon an hypocrite it is not of the essence of a saveable Christianâ— but to say wee know not what to pray for as we ought but the spirit helpes me publickly and privately with groanes and sighes that cannot be expressed to say thus I say and to feele the truth of it too is a note of a good Christian and can fall upon none but a childe of the kingdome of heaven But say they put case that others may be helped by set formes of prayer yet is there no reason that a Minister or Presbyter that hath gifts should bee tied to a forme of words Neither is he alwaies but that he should bee tied to common solemne praier as with us there is
excellent reason for it as well as in all other reformed Churches except theirs First for uniformity that all Gods people in our Church might meete at the same time and put up the same petitions with earnest desires in the same manner And is not this a comforting thought that we have an opener way to heaveÌ„ made us by the joint suites of all good English or hearts Secondly for memory that he may not forget the generall necessities of all the Church and so sticke upon those particulars onely which are according to his owne feeling Thirdly for honour to the blessed saints and martyres whose prayers they were That as we have had benefit by them when they were put up to God before so wee may bring benefit to our selves and others by them when wee pray them now Fourthly for his calling sake Hee is not immediatly called by God 〈…〉 the Church Therefore as he is called by God he useth those gifts which hee hath received from God as he is called by the Church he is to use and honour the publicke gifts of the Church in interpretation prayer and the like What more need bee said to justifie our worship by set formes of prayer for the present I see not when I shall by Gods assistance I shall say more SECT 16. The Brownists maine exceptions in their former argument against our common-prayer booke more specially THough set formes of publicke prayâ—r may be lawfull usefull commendable and glorious yet they say that our common prayers are not so fit a way to worship God by nay they say more that that worship is plainely idolatrous I am sure that that assertion is weakely superstitious I would wish them that they be piously carefull that they speake not evill of that they know not because they are not careful or willing to know we ordinarily know unwise young men when their whose soules live in their affections to make many objections against many good orders and lawes who when ripenesse and experience hath made them see the reasons have beene ashamed of what they have done and may it not be so with these men and women Howsoever I would intreate them to consider what they may reade in the historie of our Church that when a godly martyr was reading in a primar of our Church and came to Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us an ungodly serving-man who was set to attend him blasphemously mocked at it but hee was strooke madde that night and dyed miserably Let them duely consider this and feare to open their mouthes against any comforts of the godly and advancement of godlinesse As for my part I have reade some liturgies beside our owne and have heard of others but blessed be God I never saw or heard of any more fully accomplished for the worke in hand But am I not deceived Let us in the feare of God take a view how it proceeds in all publicke service and call in along their exception which I know as we goe along There is in it first a preparation to publicke service and then the service and worship it selfe The preparation is by meditation exhortation and prayers The Presbyter or Deacon doth in the beginning propound some texts of scripture to be thought upon that we by their meditation may draw our selves into the presence of our God to heare and doe Yea indeed say they they doe corrupt the text For though they say At what time soever a sinner doth repent from the bottome of his heart God will blot them out of his remembrance which is not the speech of Ezekiel I pray is not this the full sense of the Prophet made speake to ordinary capacity if not his words Doth he not say if the wicked will turne Is not this equivalent to at what time soever whether to day to morrow or whensoever I hope when conditions are performed God will be as good as his word whensoever Doth he not say If they turne from all their iniquities and keepe all my Statutes What is this but repent from the bottome of the heart and leave no root of bitternesse behind Doth he not say Hee shall live his sinnes shall not be mentioned unto him what is this but I will put them or blot them out of my remembrance This is not corruption I hope when the Text is plainly expressed in the true sense of it Secondly he doth exhort the people according to the Scriptures to confesse their sinnes with a lowly penitent and obedient heart saying after him By this hee puts them in minde what to doe namely to confesse their sinnes aright that their poyson being vomited up they may the better set themselves to seeke God in the other acts of worship But say they what need this saying after me seeing the Presbyters Prayer and the peoples Amen is enough Indeed it is enough to a Prayer the petitions whereof are not knowne to the people before such as that of Ezra and when men exercised their owne gifts for the edification of many But is it therefore unlawfull for the people to say after their leader when hee prompteth them or they are taught by the Church Doe not all the people as well as the Presbyter pray to God and praise God in singing Psalmes And I am sure the Word of Christ which warranteth what is commanded and what it goeth not against is not against it It is true it is uncomely for many mouthes to put up a petition to the King at once It would confound him whose apprehension and understanding is limited But it is not so to God who is understanding it selfe wisdome it selfe to whom millions sing Psalmes at once and thousand millions pray to him at once over all the world Thirdly he doth pray for and with them that they may doe as hee exhorted them For first there is the joynt confession of all their unworthinesse and Prayer to GOD that they may live better in after times Confession without a purpose to amend does no good therefore are both united in our good confession Then doth he for their encouragement declare and pronounce the absolution and forgivenesse of sinnes to true penitent beleevers according to the Gospel and applying it to the people prayes that upon their repentance their sinnes being done away they may doe worthily that service which now they are about Aâ—d then to supply all defects in all all pray with one heart as one man the Lords Prayer which is the King of Prayers and so rise with short and earnest prayers that they may praise God and that God would help them and with a profession of their faith in the Trinitie and desire that all glory may bee given unto that blessed three in one Thus I am sure if wee have pious and humble soules may we be prepared for the publike worship of God publikely Now for the service and worship it selfe in this good
the full advantage of their plea. But if all this were true it doth not follow that wee are not the true ministers of Christ nor that our Church is not his true Church Not the first because that exposition of Christs words is their owne and not Christs If Christ had said unto us that hee would have such a governement erected in every parish then wee should dishonour our master and rob Gods people not to preach it Others have with prayer care and conscience looked upon those words of Christ as well as they and yet some finde in that Church mentioned by Christ onely the Iewish Sanhedrim some the Pope and his conclave some the presbytery of mixt elders some the consistory of preaching elders and some Bishops and superintendents who have the highest oversight to punish Church scandals under the Magistrates under whom they live But these men as if they would exclude other mens discourses and binde up their consciences to their interpretations will have their meaning to be the true sence and no other Neither doth it follow that our Church is not the true Church of Christ What though-something that Christ hath commanded to be observed be not taught nor observed doth it therefore follow that such a Church is not his What Christian is there that hath all Christs observations taught in every congregation where hee comes or if hee have them all doth observe and doe them as he ought And yet I hope he may be a true Christian and saved in the day of Christ As in a Christian wee must observe what gives him saving fellowship with Christ to wit Repentance from dead workes and Faith unfained and how he walketh worthy of this fellowship in the way of life to wit by deniall of himselfe taking up of the crosse and following Christ so farre that no wilfull nor deliberate sinne raigne in him and then though he do not observe every outward forme and rule yet I hope Christ may be his Christ and he Christs member to life So in a church must we observe what gives it true ecclesiasticall fellowship with Christ to wit the Apostles doctrine and fellowship breaking of bread and praier and then if it professe to know these and to continue in them so far as it is come though it observe not every thing that other men thinke it should yet I hope it is a true church of Christ But say they we have not the Apostles doctrine and fellowship for want of this popular governement Let them prove once that this is any part of the Apostles doctrine and fellowship Indeed they tell us as before that Christ said goe tell the Church and so forth but how this Last serves their feet comes next to bee discussed If this church were every congregation and if one man may bind and loose it is certaine the whole congregation may doe so also and so have the greatest power of church governement in their owne hand but whether the text will conclude for such power is the thing in question Learned men of most ages have much looked upon that text and have applied it either by way of allusion or properly to church discipline some way or other Some churches in this last age have looked upon it fully and as they thinke have squared an exact discipline according to it though I cannot finde that they cut their course fully according to their owne sence Some particular persons finding this to bee the strongest hold for that new discipline have sought to overthrow it so as utterly to roote out excommunication from the church and others finding the good use of that censure for the well being of the church have beene as eagar to maintaine this hold But discipline and that censure hath hold strong enough from other texts though that of Christ bee set in its proper sence For when wee looke to that promise of Christ to his disciples in the name of Peter and how he made it good to his Apostles lay together the rules practises of the apostles especially in the epistles to the Corinthians and to Timothy which last are spent in rules for the well ordering of the governing and the governed we shall find ground sufficient for church governement either in patterne or precept generall or speciall though we suffer this text to appear in its own colors Let me tell them then that as Paul saith Forbeare one another and forgive one another if any man have a quarrel or complaint against any so Christ in that chapter gives a remedy against private contentions This is plaine to everie eye that is not wilfully blinded that Christ in that chapter tells of the danger of scandals and thereupon he gives a double direction first to live so as not to give scandal to others and secondly to carry themselves aright to others that give scandal to them and that all this is to bee referred to private offences the unbroken course of the chapter shewes as Saint Basil hath observed many hundred yeares agoe That which moved Christ to this discourse was the present state of the Iewish disciples under the Romane Empire The Romanes had no governement over them and the authority of their edlers was much diminished For many of the Iewes became servants to the Romanes as their Publicanes to gather in their tribute such were Zacheus yea and Matthew These were freed from the authority of the Iewes as all other Iewes were that were freemen of Rome which made Paul when hee saw oppression before him to appeale to Caesar and to plead that he was free borne This was a great vexation to the Iew in recovering of right and defending himselfe from wrong Therefore Christ to moderate the Iewes passions arising one against another directs them what course to take you must not deale saith hee one with another presently as with Publicanes Heathens who are out of Iewish power and cannot bee impleaded any where but before a Romane barre but to cut off al differences betwixt you and your brethren yee must proceed in a gentle way Why what must they doe If thy brother a Iew shall trespasse against thee a Iew right thy selfe by degrees First deale with him fraternally according to the rule of charity tel him his fault betweene thee and him alone If that will doe no good to gaine him then secondly deale with him legally take with the one or two more that may heare the difference convince him of errour and perswade him to peace for this is Moses law that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word bee established If that will not yet bring him home then thirdly deale with him Iewishly tell it unto the Church complaine to the Sanhedrim tell the seventy elders who sit yet by Gods approbation to heare harder causes and to decide greater doubts against peace and charity If yet hee bee
Booke it hath three degrees the Beginning Middle and End of it In the beginning of it there is reading of Psalmes principally to raise up our affections and of other Scriptures both of the Old and New Testament to confirme our judgements in the truth and to helpe us to search whether things heard are so or no. There is confession of our faith that wee may professe it as a briefe rule from Scriptures to try whether we stand in the faith whereto we may referre the truths of faith in the Scriptures And we have Prayers wherein wee are not long at once or with a breath but have distinct and divided salutations praises and Petitions for our selves chiefe members and the Church that we may the better hold out unto the end without distractions All this I am sure none if they understand can justly blame Onely there is one thing worth notice which doth hardly relish to some fewe and can by no meanes be indured by the Brownists and that is the Litany This stickes most because they are more carefull to make objections against it then answers for it that they may have comfort and peace with us Therefore with Christs helpe I shall indeavour two things to shew the reason of the name and how they may satisfie themselves against such scruples as may arise It is called a Litany which is an humble prayer whose use is most for adversity It comes of a word that signifies to supplicate from whence comes suppliant prayers The ancient Churches were full of them as I could shew which usually beganne with Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us and why should ours be empty seeing wee would be accounted as good Christians as they There are divers exceptions against ours therefore let us see next how they may satisfie themselvs against them There is no Church that I know but must have a favourable construction of some things and so must ouâ—s yet in this I see not but that all excepters may be fully satisfied The exceptions that I have yet met with are against the manner of this prayer and against the matter of it Against the manner they say that it is with repetitions of the people and interlocutary passages As for that I finde that in the scriptures God hath commanded publicke prayers that is that Presbyter and people should pray but he hath not commanded any forme or manner to carry their prayers in but onely that it bee done to edification Therfore he hath left that free to the wisdome and judgement of the governours And this we have often experience of that if a continued prayer be but halfe so long some will bee nodding before it bee done whereas if they be kept busie by the matter in hand they are more vigilant But say they he hath given us the Lords prayer all in one length and set Amen in the latter end This is true yet marke he said to his disciples when yee pray say Our Father and Amen too and hee hath not told them in what manner they should say it when they pray together whether one should say the Petitions and the rest Amen or whether all should say the Petitions and Amen too In this he hath left them to edifâ—cation and us also But it is said that some parts of the Litany are so said that the reader shewes onely what they must pray for and the people make the suite as when they say from such and such a thing good Lord deliver us and this seemes to bee absurd That the people should make it without the minister is not injoyned that the minister doth not intend and make the suite is false except hee bee carelesse and wicked As the people say Amen aloude and the minister saith it too though happly not so loude so the minister intends and saith Good Lord deliver us though the people in turnes exceede in voice Against the matter of this prayer many things are objected few things weighed and nothing proved but evident quarrels There are exceptions against words and phrases and against suites conveyed in them The wordes and phrases are by thy crosse and passion by thy pretious death c. Which some of them out of the leâ—ity of minde call conjuring some out of worse cal swearing as if none could out sweare the Litany Let them take heede how they blaspheme the piety of Gods servants It was none of Elies goodnesse when hee reproached the prayers of Hannah as if shee were drunke when shee made them Let them apply this to themselves It will not be denied but that Christ brought us a great benefit by all these For what hee did as a publicke person hee did for us and our salvation in one degree or other Now what is this but a praying that all these acts and passions of Christ in their vertue and merit bee applyed to us by Gods love that wee may finde the profit of them But now the suites that wee convey in the words of that good Prayer are troublesome to them both when we sue for things and Persons As for things wee pray against two things which they doe not like against sudden death and against the sinnes of our forefathers As for the first there is a double sudden death sudden in time and sudden for want of preparation God hath said that hee will come before that wee are aware like a thiefe in the night His will bee done wee pray not against that But wee pray that his comming may not be so sudden but that through wisdome given we may set our houses in order and bee as the wise virgines having our lampes and oyle in a readinesse and from such sudden death good Lord deliver us As for the sinnes of our forefathers which being dead are now out of the state of forgivenesse wee pray not that their sinnes bee forgiven them but that they bee not remembred to be punished in us God punisheth to the third and fourth generation and the Psalmist saith Let the iniquitie of his fathers be remembred before the Lord and let not the sinne of his mother be blotted out that their posterity bee cut off and in the generations following their names bee blotted out And because these comminations have conditions of Repentance annexed to them doe not wee well to repent and cry to God remember not the iniquity of forefathers for feare of those sinnes that have gone before us But yet they like not the Persons that we pray for when wee say that God would have mercy upon all men For Christ saith he prayed not for the world but our Church cares not whom they pray for Indeed because wee finde that wee have a Precept pray for all men and an holy practise Let the People praise thee O God let all the People praise thee therefore wee doe as wee are bound in praying for all men