did all eat the same Spiritual meat and drank the same Spiritual drink By whose example he would have them take warning and not be flattered into a good opinion of themselves meerly upon account of their Baptism and holding Communion with the Church in Holy Administrations and being numbred among the Saints or Christians 1 Cor. 10. And truly they seem to be much more in danger of being betrayed into such a self-flattery who are not admitted to Church-fellowship upon their Christian profession unless besides that they can give such a satisfactory account to the Church of their conversion after they have been first received into the Church Catholique by Baptism in which there may be great mistake in them that so receive them And therefore the New-England Ministers in their Answer to Mr. Davenport's Apologetical Preface p. 43 44. say thus Indeed when Men confound these two and do tye visible Church-Member-ship unto such Conditions and qualifications as are reputed enough to Salvation this may tend to harden Men and to make them conceit that if once they be got into the Church they are sure of Heaven whenas alas it may be they are far from it But in all this there is nothing against the great usefulness and defirableness of Discipline in the Church for the Cure or Excommunication of the notoriously scandalous But yet a neglect of this in them to whom it belongs is no sufficient ground of separation from that Church where it is so neglected For though Discipline be necessary for the better being of the Church yet it is not of the Essence of the Church it doth not cease to be a true Church for want of it And the neglect of it in a Church is so far from being a reason why the better part in such a Church should separate from the worse as that it is indeed a reason against it why they should not Because where publick Discipline is wanting there is the more need of private application to delinquent Members which separation takes Men off from or at best puts them under a great disadvantage of doing that good among them thereby which otherwise they might Such a separation rather puts those separated from under a temptation of Making a party against them as is frequently seen and the division made and heightened thus on both sides tends more to weaken the Christian Interest in the main then all the exercise of Discipline in separate Congregations tends to promote it It s true if Christians were to mind only the pleasing of themselves it would be a pleasant thing for the good indeed to converse and hold Communion with such only as themselves But it will turn to a better account at last if by denying their inclination in this they help and bring on a worser sort and gain their Master ten Talent There should be more abundant honour given to that part which lacketh that there may be no Schism in the Body 1 Cor. 12.24 Our Saviour himself was chiefly for the bringing home of straying Sheep and as a Physitian to be among the sick rather then the whole Not because he loved them better but because they had more need and because he could thereby be more serviceable as to the main end of his coming into the World He came not to call the Righteous but sinners to Repentance to minister and not to be ministred to And to be this way employed seems to be more acceptable to God then to have to do only with the Righteous There is joy in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth more then over ninety and nine just Persons which need no Repentance And thus much I think may suffice to shew how unlikely yea how impossible it is to prove that the mixture of the bad with the good in the Parishes makes Communion with them unlawful 3. They cannot prove the constitution of parochial Congregations to be bad upon account of that distribution by which the whole Nation is divided into parts into so many Parishes which they are wont to call humane institution For first they are of the same institution in the main as those were which were planted by the Apostles themselves For from what were those called Churches but from the Christians usual Assembling together for Communion in Gospel-Ordinances The Greek word Translated Church properly signifying an Assembly And if the Parishioners in a Parish do usually Assemble together upon the same account are not those Gospel-Churches as well as the other and of the same institution Secondly for the Christians that live within the same Precincts or Parish-bounds to Assemble together for Communion in Gospel-Ordinances and so to be of the same particular Church and not of another is a thing which best answers the ends of particular Church-ship and the primitive patern For vicinity of Neighbour-hood and cohabitation which generally are not to be had so well in any other way as in that of parochial distribution do best accommodate those in Church-Relation with the knowledge of each others Condition and Conversation and with opportunity and advantage to watch over confer with and to admonish exhort and comfort one another and to Assemble together for publick Worship which are the ends of particular Church-association And accordingly the primitive Christians which lived together within the same civil bounds of Cities and Towns as of Corinth Cenchrea c. were constantly of the same Church and as such were still denominated by the places where they did reside And if some such distribution of the Christians in a Nation into several particular Worshipping Congregations as is now made by humane Authority is necessary of it self in reference to the Church-Association though no humane Authority had required it then certainly the command of humane Authority that it should be so cannot make it unnecessary much less unlawful 4. They cannot prove the Worship now used in our parochial Assemblies to be such as may not lawfully be joyned in The Lawfulness of Communion in the Worship of the English Lyturgy is the thing in question And if they cannot prove Communion in it unlawful neither 1. Because it is a set Form nor 2. Because it is such a set Form as it is nor 3. Because it is imposed then I shall take it for granted they cannot prove it unlawful any other way And whether ever they are like to prove Communion in that Worship unlawful upon any of those accounts consider what I have to offer and then judge 1. They cannot prove Communion in that Worship unlawful upon account of its being a set Form because they cannot prove all set Forms of Worship fotbidden We have Prayer several times commanded in Scripture but no where determined that it shall be extemporary that ever I could learn And therefore if the want of an express precept for praying in a set Form made praying in a set Form unlawful the same thing would make extemporary prayer unlawful too When God hath in Scripture plainly
determined to whom we shall pray and in whose Name and for what and in what manner but not in what external mode as whether in a set Form or without either of them may be Lawful For the reason doubtless why God hath not restrained Prayer either to the one mode or the other is that either may be made use of as occasion serves or circumstances require For if he had not intended to have left Men at more Liberty in this then he hath in the object matter and manner of prayer he would have been as particular in determining in what mode he would be sought to as in what Name and for what It is in this duty of Prayer in reference to the mode much as it is in the duty of singing of Psalms the duty of singing them is expresly enjoyned in the New Testament as well as the Old but what Psalms in particular and whether such as are indited by them that sing or by some others for them or whether in Prose or in Meeter or whether by all the Congregation joyntly or by a part only are circumstances not determined particularly in the New Testament And why are they not But that there might be a Liberty left to vary in these particulars as circumstances should render it most convenient Some indeed have made such ill use of this as that because the Scripture hath not determined all these particulars they will not make use of any and so wholly neglect the duty it self to the dishonour of him who hath made it a duty as if he had been defective in not determining those circumstances when as Men were purposely left at Liberty herein for their greater edification And doubtless for the same reason is the external mode of Prayer left so much undetermined as it is By these things we may see how impertinently some use to object against the Lyturgical mode of Worship the sin of Nadab and Abihu in offering strange fire before the Lord and of Jeroboam's keeping the Passeover on the fifteenth day of the eighth Moneth and the like For if the offering of Incense had been commanded but with what fire not determined it would not have been their sin to have offered with any fire that had been conveniently useful for that purpose And so if the keeping of the Passeover had been commanded and neither time nor place determined it would have been no sin to have kept it on the fifteenth day of the eighth Moneth and in Bethel provided it had been to the Lord only So we say when Prayer is commanded but the mode not determined any are lawful as Circumstances shall render them convenient God had appointed with what fire Incense should be offered as well as that Incense it self should be offered viz. with fire from off the Altar And so he had in what Moneth and on what day of the Moneth the Passeover should be kept as well as that it should be kept at all and in varying from these was the sin of those Men. If God had limitted Prayer by his command to that mode which we call extemporary praying then these instances would have been pertinently alledged against the Lyturgy but this is not the case and therefore they and all other of like Nature are impertinently alledged against modes of Worship not determined in Scripture either one way or other And such is the allegation of those Scriptures also in this case which are against adding to the Word Deut. 12.32 against Sacrificing to Idol-gods which God saith he commanded not Jer. 7.31 and 19.5 Deut. 17.3 against making false representations of God by Images as in the second Commandment which because they do so are therefore called a lye all which refer to false Worship in the substance of it as being contrary to God's express Command and not unto such circumstances relating to the substance of Commanded Worship which are neither Commanded nor forbidden but left to the prudence of God's People to order themselves in by general Rules for which cause the allegation of them in this business is wholly impertinent and irrelative to the question And yet this way of misapplying Scripture hath been I think I may say the only way of upholding unlawful separations in the Church But the plain truth is if that would satisfie Men that the Scripture is so far from forbidding the use of a set Form in Prayer in any case as that there is much in the Scripture to countenance it God Commanded a Form to be used by the Priests in Blessing the People Numb 6.23 Hezekiah the King and the Princes commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord with the words of David and Asaph the Seer 2 Chron. 29.30 What are many of the Psalms but so many set Forms of Prayer and Thanksgiving The Title of the 102 Psalm is A Prayer for the afflicted when he is over-whelmed and poureth out his complaint before the Lord. The 72 Psalm concludes thus The prayers of David the Son of Jesse are ended The Title of the 90 Psalm is a Prayer of Moses the man of God Our Saviour taught his Disciples a Forme of Prayer as John the Baptist had before taught his and commanded them saying when ye Pray savour Father c. And is it not strange then that any of his Disciples should say when ye pray say not our Father c. Again do not they who sing Psalms pray to God and praise God in a set Form Nay is not the Prayer of every Minister a Form to all the People that joyn with him how extemporary soever it may be to him himself For they are as much confined in this case as if he read it out of a Book and every time he varies it is still but a new Form to the People So that they that are most against Forms are necessitated to use some themselves And so I have done with shewing my reason why the Prayers of the Lyturgie cannot be proved unlawful in respect of its being a set Form 2. They cannot prove it unlawful to joyn in the Prayers made according to the Lyturgie upon account of its being such a set Form as it is Neither 1. In respect of the object to whom nor of the Mediator by whom the Prayer is made Nor 2. In respect of the matter of it of which it doth consist Nor 3. In respect of the words and phrase significant of the matter Nor 4. In respect of the method the repetitions the abruptions the responses or popular conclamations thereby used nor because read out of a Book Nor 5. Though they should be able to prove the fore-mentioned repetitions abruptions responses and conclamations or the like to be real defects in that mode of Worship and that a better is desirable and that another might be more useful 1. They cannot prove Communion in those Prayers unlawful in respect of him to whom they are made nor in respect of him in whose Name they are made For they are made
certainly and without all doubt to prove the fore-mentioned repetitions abruptions responses and conclamations or the like to be real defects in that mode of Worship and that a better medium is desirable and that another might be more useful yet it will not from thence follow that that would be a sufficient ground or cause of separation from the substance of the Worship it self for these two reasons 1. Because those who count the use of these a disorderly way of praying need not be active in those things unless they will but only passive And if they be but passive they will not by their presence be guilty of the disorder I suppose they do not think their presence at conceived prayers by habit makes them guilty of all the disorders and defects that are found in them or some of them so long as they do not in their minds consent to those disorders and defects but are sorry for them For they are in such cases but involuntary defect as to them and defects of that Nature our best performances are more or less lyable to We may lay aside all duties at this rate if we think we may not endeavour a performance of them till we can do them without all involuntary defects But that in which a mans will is not is not morally the mans act Every Man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust and enticed Jam. 1. And no Man is to be counted a consenter to all that is done in his presence though he do not declare his dissent unless he declare his consent to it some other way then meerly by his presence If this were not so a Man would be guilty of all the defects he perceives in the Ministers Praying and Preaching unless he declared his dissent from them in the open Congregation which if practised would tend to open confusion When we consider the corrupt Estate of the Jewish Church in which our Saviour held Communion both in Temple-Worship and Synagogue-Worship at Nazareth where he was brought up I suppose no Man will think that the Administration of the Worship there was free from all defects especially considering that their Lyturgie was of humane composure and yet our Saviour's presence at this Worship and joyning in it did not make him guilty of the defects that cleaved to it The Scribes and Pharisees taught unsound Doctrine as well as sound and yet our Saviour encouraged his Disciples to hear them only cautioning them to beware of the leaven of their Doctrine lest they should receive it or approve of it Which had been a contradiction if their presence in reference to the good had been an approbation of the bad Nor did the private Members of the Church of Corinth by their presence at the disorderly Administration of Holy things complained of by the Apostle in the 11. and 14. Chap. make themselves guilty of that disorder without somewhat else besides their presence That 's my first Reason 2. The repetitions abruptions responses and the reading the Prayers out of a Book are not opposite to or destructive of the matter and ends of Prayer all that can be pretended is that they are less useful less conducing to the ends of Worship The things asked in that way are desirable in themselves the supposed defect lies in the supposed disorderly way of asking them For otherwise the petitioning for things in this way tends to the same end as when the same things are prayed for in a supposed more orderly way though comparatively with some disadvantage A greater degree of usefulness doth not exclude a less but only exceed it A mode or medium of Prayer is not therefore useless because another is more useful especially when a more useful one cannot be made use of and the other declined without a greater inconvenience otherwise They will not say its unlawful to joyn in conceived Prayer with a Minister or private Christian that is less able then another and perhaps far inferiour to some then present A less useful version of the Psalms doth not make it unlawful to sing Psalms by such a version The gesture of kneeling in Prayer is the best and meetest and yet that doth not make the use of another gesture in Prayer unlawful If the Common-Prayer-Book medium of Worship then be in the fore-mentioned respects or any other less useful then another it might be indeed a reason inducing them that think so to make use of another which they judge better if they were at Liberty to do it without drawing on a greater inconvenience such as separation is with all its ill effects But otherwise can any Man think that the less usefulness of a mode but of part of the publick Worship for it is no more to be a sufficient ground of separation when there is a necessity of using the one or practising the other Under such Circumstances doubtless a less useful mode of publick Worship is much more eligible then to run all the hazards and to bring on all the evil effects of a separation for the use of one but comparatively better It is most certain that separation upon account of a less useful mode tends more to the hurt and dammage of the Religious interest in the main then the use of a less useful mode of but part of the publick Worship can with any colour of reason or truth be pretended to do All that can be pretended is that it tends less to the good of Religion but not at all to its hurt as separation doth 3. And lastly as to this They cannot prove Communion in the Worship prescribed by the Lyturgie to be unlawful upon account of its being imposed by Man and commanded by humane Authority Before they can prove this they must prove such Communion to be forbidden of God which as I have been shewing before cannot be done For that Law of God which will bear us out in doing a thing cannot be repealed by the Law of Man commanding the same thing There is no such enmity or inconsistency between God's Laws and those of Men which are but subordinate or not opposite to God's as that any thing should become the less acceptable to God meerly because commanded by his Minister Nay we obey God in obeying the higher powers in such things as are not contrary to his Laws because God hath commanded us to obey them in such things It is not a setting up of Man in God's stead till Man is obeyed against God not when he is obeyed in subordination to him But let us turn the Tables a little and suppose that the Law of the Land did forbid the use of any set Form of Prayer in the Church as sometime the use of the Lyturgie was forbidden and that all Ministers were by Law commanded to pray extempory would such an imposition or command make extemporary Prayer unlawful and only a Form of Prayer then necessary I suppose they will not say it would and if not then for the same
to the true God only and only in the Name and Mediation of the only Mediatour Christ Jesus 2. Nor secondly in respect of the matter of which they do consist I know no Prayer in the Lyturgie appointed for the ordinary publick Worship but what refers either to confession of sin or petition for pardon or for the assistance of God's grace and Holy Spirit or for some temporal or other spiritual or eternal Blessings or for the averting of the contrary evils or to thanksgiving to God for benefits relating to this Life or that which is to come and all this in the behalf of our selves and others And if there be nothing but what is of this Nature the matter of the Prayers to be sure cannot be proved to be unlawful 3. They cannot prove Communion in those Prayers unlawful upon account of the words and phrase by which the substantial matter of the Worship is expressed They are not made in an unknown tongue or Language not understood by the people Nor will they ever be able to prove but that in respect of the words and phrase that mode of Prayer is of the common Nature of any right mode of Prayer whatsoever The best mode of publick Prayer is but a medium of conveying the substantial matter of Prayer to the understanding and affection of them that pray and from thence to God It is necessary indeed in this respect that the words and phrase should be significant and expressive of the import of the matter and substance of which the Prayer doth consist As when God is to be magnified for the glory of his perfections and marvellous doings and when we would be humbled for the pravity and degenerateness of our Nature and miscarriages towards him and when in the sense thereof and of God's declared goodness through Christ we would beg forgiveness of sin and the assistance of his grace for amendment and eternal Life in the issue or any temporal Blessing it is necessary that these things be expressed in words and phrases that have some aptness in them to fill the Soul with apprehensions and affections suitable to the respective matter of the parts of Prayer to which they do relate The general Nature of all right modes of Prayer consists in this whether with or without the use of a Book whether uttered in a set Form of words or from the present invention and conception of the mind And it cannot with any colour of reason or truth be denyed but that the Lyturgical mode of Prayer is of this Nature The words and phrase are intelligibly significant of the matter and substance of Prayer to which they relate and so serve for publick edification according to the Rule 1 Cor. 14.9.14 15. And if so then we may if the fault be not in our selves and if a heart be not wanting seriously and devoutly present our necessary Confessions Petitions and Thanksgivings unto God in that mode It is too gross an apprehension of God to think that a greater variety of words and phrases as such do delight him but it is Humilite Reverence sense of wants fervent desires of supply and faith of acceptance through Christ concurring with words significant of such things whether pronounced out of a Book or otherwise that he is pleased with Nor is it comely for us to think that it is the repetition of the same words every day as in the Lord's Prayer that doth displease the Lord but it is the irreverent rash careless and customary pouring out words before him without any due sense of what they import that doth offend him If Men be but attentive and careful to engage their hearts to go along with the matter signified by the words and to be duly affected with the import thereof it is not their being read out of a Book that will make these Prayers unacceptable or ineffectual As on the other hand if Men are careless and unconscionable therein it is not its proceeding from a gift of him that utters the Prayer that will make it acceptable and effectual how excellent soever the matter and words may be I conclude then that the mode of Prayer in our English Lyturgie doth in the general Nature and quality of it agree with all right modes of publick Prayer whatsoever and with the general Rule by which all right modes of Prayer are to be squared The question is not whether it be the best but whether it is so competently useful as to render Communion in Prayer by it lawful 4. They cannot prove Communion in the Prayers of the Lyturgie unlawful in respect of the method repetitions abruptions responses or conclamations thereby used For so long as the Scriptures in which the duty of Prayer is enjoyned have not determined whether it shall be with the help of a Book or without or whether longer or shorter or whether all the publick Prayer meet for the Assembly shall be put up to God in two or three Prayers or more or whether all shall be pronounced by the Minister only or part by the People also or whether kneeling or standing I cannot see how it will be proved unlawful to do it any of these wayes as circumstances in the case may be For the question before us is not at all which is most convenient where Men are at Liberty to chuse but only what is Lawful or which is to be chosen under a necessity of either using such a mode or of separating It is not unlawful for all the People in a Congregation to pray to God or praise him together with one voyce in singing of Psalms and how then it will be proved unlawful for them to do it in another way of praying I know not We read of many that by their conjunction of voyces were as one to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord 2 Chron. 5.13 They may perhaps think such repetitions of the same Prayer as are used by the Lyturgie may be forbidden by our Saviour when he said when ye Pray use not vain repetitions as the Heathen do Mat. 6. But they will hardly prove it if they do but consider what the vain repetitions which the Heathen used were For there seems to be no likeness or proportion between the repetitions in the Lyturgie and those of the Heathen For they repeated the very same words it may be a hundred times over and more in a little time as they in 1 Kings 18.26 who from Morning untill Noon cryed O Baal hear us O Baal hear us The very same words are used twenty six times in Psal 136. and often in many other Psalms and yet I dare not say they are a vain repetion and I suppose nor they neither * If accompanied with suitable affection without expectation of acceptance meerly for much speaking which makes repetition vain It is said of our Saviour that again he went away and prayed and spake the same words Mark 14.39 5. Although they should be able
true is no good Argument against the due use of it in propagating the true He is the Minister of God to thee for good saith the Scripture and as long as he doth that which tends to publick good he is not out of his way to be sure Rom. 13.4 Every Christian is bound to promote the interest of Religion according to his capacity he that is head of a Family as such is bound to do it and so he that is head of a Kingdome as such is bound to do it likewise every one is under an obligation to do it according to their Talents and several abilities It 's true indeed that since all such as are the Higher Powers are Ministers of God for good to the People and have no power from God to do any thing against the Truth but for the Truth It is greatly to be wished and fervently to be prayed for in behalf of all Christian Princes and Governours that God would give them Wisdome that nothing may be imposed upon their People by them in the Worship of God but what hath a plain and apt tendency one way or other to further Edification or to help their Devotion And that such wayes and methods of promoting these ends may be made use of as are least lyable to exception or disputation thereby to cut off as much as may be all occasion of Division and pretence of dissatisfaction that so Peace Love and Unity may be recovered and the happy effects of them obtained Yet when all is done that can be done there will in all National settlements of this Nature be place for the Exercise of humane prudence And indeed I know no Sect or party but though they decry humane prudence about the Worship of God never so much yet do make use of it themselves in their Administration of Holy things and are necessitated so to do if they will Worship God publickly at all The Ordinances of Baptism Lord's Supper Word and Prayer as touching the matter and substance of them are particularly and expresly determined in Scripture But many particulars about the Administration of these are left to the guidance and direction of general Rules for Edification It is not determined in particular what Prayers shall be made either before or after the Administration of Baptism or the Lord's Supper or what exhortation shall be made to the People upon the occasion of them It is not determined in particular how or in what way or method the Word and Prayer shall be used in Church-Assemblies As how much and what part of the Scripture shall be read at one meeting or how or what way the Minister shall improve the Word by Preaching as whether by what occurrs to his present thoughts upon occasion of what is then read or by uttering what he hath prepared by painful studies otherwise or whether he shall do this with or without the help of Notes Nor is it particularly determined whether all or part or none of the publick Prayers shall be in a prescribed Form except the Lord's Prayer or whether any of it shall or shall not be read out of a Book or whether Prayer shall be made both before and after Sermon Now in this case those to whom it belongs to take order for the setling of God's publick Worship in a Nation with the best advice they can take will necessarily be put upon considering whether it is best to leave all these things wholly to each Minister's Liberty and choyce or wholly to limit them or whether to leave them partly at Liberty as in the Pulpit and partly to limit them And while they deliberate on these things several circumstances will come under consideration As the different abilities and various tempers of the Ministers and the various capacities and tempers of the People as whether that which may be best for some may be best for all or whether somewhat of a middle Nature may not best accommodate all and what hath anciently been practised in the Church of God and what is practised in other Reformed Churches and which way is most likely to preserve Truth and Peace in the Church and the like And when Men have only general Rules to guide and govern themselves by in determining such things as these it must be remembred that it is a thing incident to the holiest and wisest Men to differ in their application of particular cases to general Rules when a great variety of Circumstances are to be taken in to make a right judgment in the case their different measures of light if not of Interests too exposing them thereunto Their late differences under a greater Liberty in this kind then can now be expected is a sufficient proof of this And when things of this Nature are done determined upon the best terms as is thought by them into whose hands the Providence of God hath cast it though it should be otherwise not only in the thoughts of many others but also really in it self yet if nothing be thereby imposed as a Condition of Communion but what Circumstances considered is Lawful the reasons formerly given may I conceive well sway with all sober and peaceable-minded Christians rather to make the best use they can of the present settlement then to chuse to separate because it is not in all things to their mind For if there should not be a bearing with one another in such lesser differences for general Edification sake and the interest of Religion in the main and for the maintenance of Peace and Love till by discreet sober and peaceable means those that differ can work themselves or those that differ from them into a nearer agreement how should it ever be expected that Christians should maintain such fellowship upon their agreement in the substantials of Christianity notwithstanding circumstantial differences as for which the Scripture is far more express then it is for such particular modes of Worship as those are about which they differ If differences in judgment about Circumstances whereby the substance of Religion is not in danger should be a sufficient ground of separation its probable there would be almost as many separations as Churches in the World Having now done with what I had to say to take Men off from those Dividing Principles which are chiefly considerable I shall pursue my Directions for endeavouring to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace no further considering what plentiful provision there is already made for Direction in the Cure of Church-divisions as by others so especially by that laborious Servant of the Lord Mr. Baxter I shall therefore conclude this Discourse with a few motives to perswade the several parties which are Divided to Unite again and to endeavour to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace And that all on all hands would manifest themselves to be such hearty lovers of Peace Unity and Charity as for the sake thereof those that are uppermost would count it no