distinctions of prayer p. 57. Sect. 1. The first into Mental and Vocal p. 58. Sect. 2. The second into Ejaculatory and set prayer ibid. Sect. 3. A third into diverse or the same where some advantages of each and many other things observed concerning publick and private Forms of prayer premeditated prayers each time extempore prayers by natural parts or supernatural gifts or present inspiration p. 63 Sect. 4. A fourth into prayer alone and prayer with others commonly called publick private secret where many things proposed concerning the publick external Worship of God p. 103 Sect. 5. A fifth into prayer for ones self or for others p. 129 CHAP. III. Contains the matter of that part of a prayer called petition together with some observations thereon p. 131 CHAP. IV. Concerning the great benefits of prayer p. 151 Sect. 1. The good that we may be the instruments of to others thereby ibid. Sect. 2. The benefits to our selves 1. Goodness 2. Comfort 3. Some good things the common causes of both it begetteth preserveth increaseth goodness or boliness in us 5. Ways among others viz. 1. by being an occasion of the exercise thereof or of those things which are immediately the most frequent and effectual means thereof where it is largely shewn that not all prayers may have this effect but that some may make us worse p. 162 to 182. Sect. 3. A second way how prayer preserves and increases goodness or holiness in us is by suggestion and bringing to our minds our duty or those things which are means to dispose and engage us thereto p. 182 Sect. 4. A third way how it doth it is by being an occasion of imitation of God p. 188 Sect. 5. A fourth way is by bringing to our minds the condition of our Petitions being granted p. 191 Sect. 6. A fifth way is by remuneration or reward p. 201 Sect. 7. That the second general benefit of prayer is comfort joy delight of Soul and that four ways 1. Immediately from the operations of our souls in prayer p. 205 Sect. 8. More particularly prayer is the cause of joy and delight by the exercise of saith hope and repose in God p. 212 Sect. 9. Prayer is the cause thereof 3ly by reflection upon our having performed our most just and reasonable duty to God and upon some more than ordinary excellent qualities in our selves which may upon this occasion appear Where two things observed which make a man more sensible of this part of his duty The first is its excellency compared with other parts of our duty the second the unusualness thereof A caution against vain conceit and pride p. 224. Sect. 10. Prayer is the cause of delight and joy by God's special immediate influence p. 237 Sect. 11. The third sort of benefits of prayer are some things which are causes both of goodness and comfort of which two only are mentioned viz. Spirituality and greatness of Soul An affectionate Exhortation to make tryal of these benefits of prayer p. 239 CHAP. V. Contains directions for prayer Sect. 1. The directions for prayer of two sorts I st to propose the due qualifications of a prayer 2. Some means to obtain them The 1st again are of two sorts 1. Those concerning the things contained in a prayer 2. Concerning the signs of those things The qualifications of the things contained in a prayer are again of two sorts 1. Those concerning the sense of a prayer 2. Concerning the operations of Soul in prayer The signs are either of our sense or operations of soul which are 1st Speech 2ly All other gestures The due qualifications of the sense or objects of a prayer are 1. its truth where some instances of more considerable mistakes in all the parts of a prayer p. 252 Sect. 2. A second qualification of a prayer is that it be just p. 280 Sect. 3. A third that it be principally of the greatest importance and concernment p. 284 Sect. 4. A fourth is that it be as extensive as may be this how meant p. 293 Sect. 5. The directions for the due qualifications of the operations of soul in prayer are 1. that they be sincere of which the meaning in two respects p. 298 Sect. 6. The second due qualification of our operations of soul in prayer is that they be intense and fervent p. 310 Sect. 7. The third that they be frequent p. 325 Sect. 8. The fourth that they be seasonable 1 in respect of the whole action of praying 2 in respect of the several parts of a prayer 3 in respect of the particular instances of those parts or ingredients 4 in respect of some adjuncts of prayer as vehemency length The fifth qualification very briefly that all our petitions be in the name of the Lord Jesus p. 334 Sect. 9. The directions concerning the due qualifications of the signs of our sense and operations of soul are 1st that they most perfectly convey the things signified p. 346 Sect. 10. 2 That they draw not the attention therefrom either by too much pleasing or displeasing and offending p. 347 Sect. 11. 3 That they somewhat please and invite the mind to attend to them p. 350 Sect. 12. 4 That they be the most universal p. 352 Sect. 13. 5 That they be the most natural p. 356 Sect. 14. 6 That they be the most clear p. 359 Sect. 15. 7 That they be the most distinct p. 363 Sect. 16. 8 That they be the most short p. 364 Sect. 17. The first direction to obtain the former due qualifications of our prayers is to reâ—â— and understand well the holy Scriptures and other good Books p. 372 Sect. 18. The second is to meditate consider and examine p. 380 Sect. 19. The third is to make use of prayers composed by others Four steps in the use of this means commended to most persons p. 385 Sect. 20. The fourth is to pray to God for those due qualifications p. 391 Sect. 21. The fifth is to be sincere and humble in the desire and possession of the gift of prayer p. 396 Sect. 22. The sixth refer all thy petitions most freely to the Divine Will p. 397 Sect. 23. The seventh be not content with any prayers p. 398 CHAP. VI. Contains the excuses or pretences why men do not pray p. 401 Sect. 1. The first pretence is that there is no need of it this answered ibid. Sect. 2. The second that they have not ability to pray answered p. 411 Sect. 3. The third that they have not time answered The couclusion p. 416 ERRATA Pag. 2. lin 9. dele it is so p. 14. lin 3. for he hath not read it is not ibid. lin 22. dele so far p. 16. l. 3. for or read and. ibid. l. 9. read but also to p. 20. l. 2â— del promises p. 29. l. 11. in the void space Sect. IV. p. 63. l. 12. del one p. 71. lin 16. del of p. 75. l. 16. our Judgments p. 81. l. 1. del affections and maintain them in our selves p. 121.
person in his sâ— Reflection or occasional thoughts takes notice of and clearly apprehends the Iniquity the Unreasonableness the Folly the Mischievousness either of Sin in general or of any particular inordinate and immoderate Appetite or Lust or on the other hand the profitableness and consequently the reasonableness and wisdom if there be any difference in the World in our Actions and all things be not alike eligible of Virtue in general or of any particular one as of Charity Self-denyal Humility Spirituality I say when one clearly apprehends these things his Soul may of a sudden swell and burst with a mighty Desire that the Almighty and All-good God would purge rescue and preserve it from such base and detestable things as his Lusts or that he would ingenerate increase and confirm in him that noble excellent most perfect Temper of Virtue And so likewise there may be Ejaculations or sudden dartings out of other Affections and Passions besides Desire and therefore in all the other Parts of Prayer as in Acknowledgment of the Divine Attributes upon a clear Sight and Apprehension of any of them in some Instance or upon any occasion according to the Nature of the Attributes apprehended mighty Admiration Honour Reverence Love Joy Faith or Trust c. may on a sudden break forth In Reflection upon and Confession of ones Faults a keen anâ— sudden sit of Hatred of them Shame aâ— Sorrow for them may be excited and so in thâ— rest When Men are on a sudden surprized â— frighted with any great Evil how naturalâ— do they shoot up a swift and strong Desâ—â— for God's Protection or Deliverance a 〈◊〉 have Mercy on them though they nevâ— otherwise prayed A designed Prayer is whâ— one doth sum up his Petitions forethinkiâ— them and so of the other Ingredients â— Prayer with intent to propose and direct theâ— to God This may be ordinary at some constant â— times and most-what of general things wiâ— occasionâ—l Additions as once or oftner â— some set part of the day Or extraordinarâ— when a Man sets some one time on purpoâ— apart for it when a Man expresly proposeâ— to enâ—ertâ—in himself with such Thoughts aâ— Affections according as he may have Opportunity and Ability Ejaculatory Prayer are usually very servent because the Good â— Evil of the things so occasionally desired â— very clearly and strongly apprehended and then the Soul for such a short time can better intend its Strength and Vigour and finally all Passions Mental or Corporeal especially these last in a little time fail and grow weak But here we are to have a care too as much as we can to proportion the Strength of our Desires to the Goodness of things and to get an habitual Judgment thereof These kind of Prayers thus directed and therefore especially in spiritual things if frequent are of excellent use well to dispose secure and guard a Man's Mind and to obtain all other the good Effects and Benefits of Prayer hereafter to be mentioned SECT III. III. A Prayer is usually distinguished by one Adjunct of the Matter or Contents of which it is composed viz. that it is the same or diverse A Prayer may be the very same with another that is like to iâ— in Sense Passion Speech or Words and other external Signs and their Circumstances as Order or it may be diverse therefrom A Prayer may be the same only in Sense but not in Speech or other external Signs they may change and it is ordinary to express the same Things and Passions too by diverse Words or other Signs Sometimes on the contrary a Prayer may be the same in Speech and Words and other Signs and not the same exactly in Sense and Passions Nay I think it hardly ever is and thaâ— no two Men who use the same Words and external Signâ— have exactly the same Idea's and Sense and the same Passions and Dispositions neither as to Nature or Degree Nay it seems more probable that even the same Person using at two several times the same Speech or other external Signs hath very rarely if ever accurately the same Sense and Passions signified Buâ— let it be enough just to have mentioned sucâ— a minute Speculation and yet not useless iâ— its Place but of greater consequence in diâ—putes and controversies than all are awaâ— of When a Prayer is the same with another both in Sense and Words it is calledâ— Form of Prayer which may be more or leâ— called so as it is more or less often repeateâ— and hath more or less of the same Sense anâ— Words so that there are Degrees And for is in premeditated and extemporary Prayer which may be more or less diverse from aâ— other Prayers This Form may be composed by ones seâ— who recites it or by another And according to this Sense of the Word a Prayer thaâ— is recited by one but once whether composed by himself or others is not a Form but if more than once or often it is Where also it may be observed that hardly any Man's Prayer but is more or less a Form that is it hath more or less of some Prayer which hath been before said or recited by some person or other at least by himself whether it was of his own or another's Invention I say it is a Form more or less and that not only in sense but in Words and in the Order too The greatest Difference even in the Prayers of those who are of most copious and various Conceit and Invention is usually in Words and Expressions and Order of Things which sometimes may be one way sometimes another and yet the Coherence not very remote but very good by reason of diverse Relations of things one to another As one one and the same thing may come in in a Prayer after one thing as its Cause and so as a Means after another as its Effect and so as a Motive after another as one of its Kinds or Instances c. and if the Prayer be premeditated by a Person used to reasoning this Variety is more easie but if it be extempore supposing his Prayer be one continued thing without Interruption his sight of the Relation of things and his Reasoning must be very quick or else oft-times the Order and Coherence will be very impertinent and unaccountable Though the Truth is that it is a thing of less Concernment so the Matter be but true and profitable and oft-times great and just passions cause a Man utterly to neglect Method To affect Variety in Prayers as every where else meerly for it self is a light and childish thing and the being pleased therewith is at least an Effect of Imprâ—dence and so much unseasonable as if noâ— to be wholly excluded yet to be sparingly admitted because otherwise it will usually take off Mens Minds from those things which are of greater Concernment and to which they are to attend in their Prayer in the first place that is the Truth and Goodness of things spoken plainly
conveyed and expressed Truth and Goodness of things aâ—â— called substantial things that is of ever way greater Use Benefit or Profit that Multitude Variety Unwontedness Novety and all Elegancy of Sense and Words Things and Expressions And we deserved blame and undervalue this Childishness â— want of Judgment of the Excellency Usefulness and Value of Things every where else in all other Writings in all our ordinar Conversations and Employments Thing most useful and true are to be first and priâ—cipally minded though never so common and ordinary and if it be necessary Varien of other things is chiesly to commend them and cause them more to be attended to â—â— please and to be applied to Use These substantial things are like Bread in our Dyet or our daily Food other Varieties are but◠〈◊〉 to repair our Appetites and restore them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and â—uch like more wholsome Nourishment If the Prayer be diverse from any other it is either each time premeditated or left to extempore Invention Judgment and Memory and that natural or inspired A Prayer diverse from another might be otherwise from other Respects distinguished but because these things are most talked of and very useful things concerning them may indeed be observed I shall take notice only of this Distinction and further observe some things not intending accurately to disenss the so siercely agitated a Controversie which is best concerning each of them Some therefore of the Advantages of Forms of Prayers of all sorts in some degree or other are First For the most part the Truth of what is prayed as also a more extended great and constant Goodness of the Things according as they have been allowed or not excepted against and remain so for there hath been more Time and more Persons for the Consideration and Examination of their Truth and Goodness thâ—n in premeditated or extempore Prayers and this still the more they are Forms that is the more there are the same Things and Words in them and the oftner they have been repeated and espccially oy a greater Variety of Persons For more Persons have had longer Time to attend to to take notice examine and consider the Truth and Justice of the things contained and to remark what is unlawful dubious false of little or of no good effect or hurtful and mischievous And therefore it is most Lâ—kely they have actually examined or taken notice of them and if they have done so it is more likely they would have discovered such things if they had been there This I say is a very probable sign of the Justice and Truth of the Things therein contained and which is wanting in premeditated or extempore Prayers I do not say it is a necessary one for many things dubious uncertain and not right may escape the Notice or the Correction of many Ages In a Prayer of Man 's own Composition the oftner hâ— hath used it the more probable sign it is hereof And here therefore publick Prayers have the advantage generally so far as they are noâ— excepted against and where they are ye it is not to be doubted that if most Meâ—â— Prayers of their own Composition premeditated but especially extempore were exposed as long to publick Censure and Exâ—mination there would be more justly found iâ— them more Desects and Faults and some shameful enough And sometimes so many and so very bad that their Prayers would be worse than none or but little better The Things and Sense being uncertain false trivial unlawful ill expressed of which more presently Nevertheless it is to be acknowledged that as extempore premeditated or private Forms of Prayer are more obnoxious to the Falshood Frivolousness Injustice Disorder of more of what is contained therein and to many other Defects than publick Forms So publick Forms not only of Prayers but of all other things will have those they have longer continued For first sometimes their Authority makes them less suspected and examined and then when any Defects are suspected or known they are not so readily declared out of Fear or a just Modesty and when they are declared they are more prejudicedly and partially defended and that generally by Persons of the choicest Wit and greatest Ability and when they are acknowledged by the generality of the Society and of the Governors themselves it is dissicult to have them altered because of the Number and Variety of Persons both Governors and Governed who are concerned to agree And the Inconvenience or ill Effects of Alteration is a greater Evil oft-times than the Continuance of many Defects For it is first difficult to get all the concerned Persons together and amongst so many Persons many things are objected and debated which takes up Time and Pains especially if some being as there always are passionate and prejudiced do not only calmly propose but contend and contrive that their Opinion may be retained or received Sometimes it is difficult to cause a new Constitution to be known or practised by the governed and many other inconveniencies may there be We see by experience how hard a thing it is to have any Defect though plain enough altered in publick Opinions and Practices constituted Wherefore the Constituters of publick Forms of Prayer and so of Opinions and other things have the more need of being wiser and uprighter than the Authors of private ones which notwithstanding is not always so But sometimes they may be composed and constituted in an ignorant hypocritical prophane cunningly Tyrannical or Sensual age There are many Prayers constituted or allowed of by that no less boasting than corrupt Church of Rome which in respect of their Falshood or Uncertainty their Trivialness and Uselessness their Impertinency Disorder and Confusion a Man of ordinary Examination and Understanding would disdain to use himself or appoint for the use of the meanest and most ignorant And I think I could instance in some as contemptible as any fanatical Mechanick among us hath blundered out extempore 2. Another advantage of a Form of Prayer consequent upon the first is that a Man may more joyn in his affections with all that is prayed and especially if it be a Form to him that is he hath often heard it repeated For he being more reasonably satisfied partly by Testimony partly possibly by his own Examination of the Truth and Righteousness of the things in the Prayer hath nothing to do but to send up the Desires of his Soul or to raise up other sutable Passions and Affections in himself whereas a Man being more reasonably obliged to examine other Prayers and to know both these before he be affected with them his Time will be taken up therein and little or none left for Affections Nay he may be so long in attending to the Truth or Justice of one thing spoken that he may neglect the greatest part of the rest Besides that Examination and Attention to and Judgment concerning the Truth of Things naturally indisposeth for all Passions but most especially just at the
by thy Tempor Life and Actions especially in Spiritual things if thou canst to be perfect and happy thy self here and hereafter If thou prayest with a fervent Spirit according to the goodness of things thou prayest every whit as well as if thou hadst invented all thy self and possibly a hundred times better than many conceited Persons but ignorant and vain-glorious do whose Prayers of their own composing may be stuffed with untrue unjust and trifling things and either they are cold and formal in them or else much hypocritical or superstitious that is either they have the signs of great Affections to things when they have not those Affections really in them at all or not so much out of a judgment and sense that things do deserve them as out of vain-glory Or their great Affections are to trifling things Men have been apt to attempt to run and fly too before they could go to attempt greater things before they could do less to attempt to do things before they were furnished with such Qualities which if they wanted they had better not do them at all or might have done them much better another way than that which they used This is the first step and may be used for some time only if we find our selves sufficient and let it not be carelessness and sluggishness that we are not to advance further This is no other than what all beginners to learn do They first read good Authors more or less who treat concerning the Matter they would learn The Second Step may be for Persons to take Parts of several Prayers and to attempt to put them together and compose them and then commit them to Memory To take such things out of them which they best understand and apprehend by Experience or otherwise which they think most proper and useful for them for their Temper Employment or Calling which they may be most affected withal Thus they may begin to use and exercise their own judgment in what things are best and what is best for them always with an humble and modest mind ready to be more informed A Third Step may be to add and interpose something of their own Invention or Observation especially if there be any particular Occasion As for Example If thou shouldst find any Sin or Lust more troublesome to thee and be more in danger of being overcome thereby if thou shouldst fear any particular approaching Evil or be under it either thou or thy Family If thou shouldst be so happy as to have overcome any Temptation or to have received any especial Favour If thou shouldst find thy self upon some special occasion very sensible of some Attribute of God as his Goodness his Power his Omniscience his Justice c. thou needest not stay till thou findest the Thing or the Expression in thy Book In order hereto therefore use thy self before thy Prayers to reflect and consider This which I now say principally concerns secret Prayer where it may be done more freely though it be imperâ—ectly and brokenly either conceived or expressed Fourthly and lastly Proceed to Imitation of others as much as thou canst that is to consider invent examine and judge the Matter or Sense of thy Prayers thy self what things are the most important great just true useful for thee and to affect thy self accordingly and to express and signifie them well and so to compose and make entire ones of thine own Which may be often varied by insisting now upon one now upon other things according to some Advices I have heretofore given that is what things may be the most seasonable best apprehended most affecting I could heartily wish all Mens Abilities and Employments were such that they might do more in this kind and imitate and exceed the best Patterns I wish to that End they were more spiritual in the Employment of their Thoughts and Affections and that there were no fault in their wills that they are not so I wish they might make use of what Time and Ability they have and ought so to use I wish they had more of those Qualities which may fiâ— them for the best Performances thereof the principal of which are as of all others Charity and Humility Finally Would God that all the Lord's People were Prophets and that the Lord would put hâ—s Spirit upon them SECT XX. 4. PRay we to God sometimes that he would help and assist us to pray as we ought to have more of all those due Qualifications whereby we are fitted to pray well This Prayer it self supposeth some already for that once or â—o often as we make it which may be often Ejaculatory Whatever kind of Prayer we think best and we desire to use there may be some or other of the fore-named Qualifications which may be prayed for As if one should pray a Prayer composed by another he might praâ— that God would give him Sincerity and Fervency in that his Prayer that God would keep him from Vain-glory Formality Coldness that he might do it in all sincerity of Heart as his Duty to God and to make and keep him good and that he might be enabled and disposed both by the Performance of the Duty it self and by the good things he shall receive upon his asking to serve God by doing good That he might not only have Words in his Tongue and be upon his Knees or any other Posture signifying Devotion but that he might also well understand and mind and attend to what he says with his Mouth and have proportionable degrees of Affection and Motion of Soul of Honour Love Reverence Faith Joy Desire Resignation and Submission towards Coâ— of Grief for and Detestation of Sin of Thankfulness for Benefits received of ardent Desires for Holiness and Virtue especially and hearty ones for all other good things Nay a man may pray for Frequency that is that God would excite and dispose his Mind to pray in Secret and Private as often as he hath Opportunity that he might not be so backward and averse therefrom so dull and inept thereto and that God would give him more Opportunities if it should happen he should want them I say these things a Man may pray for though he always prayed a Form and he could not pray that what he prayed might be just true important seasonable c. because all this was done already and the matter was supposed to be such or else it would not be made use of But in the other Steps of Prayer if a Man finds he can or ought to ascend to them such as composing out of more Prayers or out of his own Observation and Invention he may pray for the other Qualifications also as that God would excite him to use the Means forementioned of Reading Meditating Hearing or otherwise to pray what was true just important with Sincerity Fervency prudent Seasonableness and to express and signifie these things if he be to pray with others most aptly and conveniently that God would keep him from
time thereof The reason why this Disadvantage of premeditated or extempore Prayers of single Persons hath not by most of the Despisers of Forms been taken notice of is because they have taken all for true and good which Persons have said and never examined or they have formerly and perhaps often heard the same things from them and others in Prayers and so far these very premeditated or extempore Prayers are indeed a Form to these â—earers 3. Another Advantage of Forms where the same Words are used is That in them the Sense is better conveyed the Meaning of Expressions is better understood Men especially the vulgar by often hearing and attending to Words and Expressions usually know better what they mean than those which are new and not before heard 4. Another Advantage of Forms is that they are very useful for the Memory being often repeated they are more impressed upon the Memory and so if they contain any good useful thing are always the more ready for Use come oftner to the Mind and thereby do some general good They can also be better quoted and cited by one to another upon Occasion of Advice or Reproof when one asks another whether he be and advises that he would or minds him that he is not so good as his Prayers Besides it hath some more Authority it is a Prayer which he himself hath liked approved joyned in it is readier therefore for use a Man needs not stand first to prove the Truth or Goodness of the Thing but presently apply it Whereas in Prayers which are always diverse there is little by most remembred of them and if they be forgotten they can do no more good then what they did at the present when spoken nor if they be remembred can they be so presently made use of nor have they so much Authority as Forms On the other hand the Advantages of a premeditated Prayer may be Frist Increase of Knowledge there being usually more Variety of Things and Things more particular and distinct This is an Effect of premeditated or extempore Prayers not of a Prayer Of many diverse Prayers opposed to a Form not of one only for one Form may contain as much variety of things as one premeditated or extempore Prayer but many diverse premeditated or extempore Prayers opposed to the same Form as many times repeated give Occasion for a more various and distinct and particular Knowledge of of Things It puts Men upon Invention and Consideration of things it prevents Iâ—leness and consequently which most-what follows Ignorance Dulness and Sensuality it causeth Men more to imploy their Minds about the two most excellent Objects of them Truth and Goodness It seemeth therefore in this Respect of one very good Consequence generally for there is Exception that the Clergy be at least permitted to compose Prayers of their own as well as Sermons but then it would be of better Effect still if they had at least sometimes one or more Governors to be their Auditors to overlook them and prudently to incourage them when they did well and direct them when they might do better There may be both too little and too much Employment they both are generally Causes of doing very slightly and ill what is done 2. Consequently for Attention to what is contained in a Prayer premeditated Prayers are a help thereto For what we very well know what we have often heard we are apt to neglect What is new whether Sense or Expression we are apt to take more heed to â—o mark and observe and this because of all our natural Appetites to increase our Knowledge and the Perfection thereof It is reasonable we should gratisie this Appetite but then we must have a care that we do not preser it before a better that is that of the Profitableness or Excellency of the Objects of our Knowledge We must not prefer the Novelty or Variety before the Utility of our Knowledge and so it may be Trisles before very useful Things We should order it so too what we can as to make them consistent one with another and one subservient to the other As that the Variety be of profitable and excellent things But very often Variety and Utility of Conceit are naturally inconsistent and the first is often a sign and sometimes a cause of the want of the second Men of very various conceit are often defective in Judgment or rather in the percepcion and sight of the Truth and Usefulness of things of which the cause might easily be more particularly shâ—wn if it were here proper Wherefore we should be so far from a general Approbation and Admiration of Men meerly for Variety and Multitude of Conceit that it should rather if we see no other reason to the contrary dispose us to undervalue them as being a probable sign of the Defect of a far better Quality than that is 3. Another Advantage of premeditated Prayer is the seasonableness and pertinency of things in Prayer For there may happen some Wants which could not be foreseen at any distance and therefore not provided for or if they he yet some may be more particularly and distinctly and with more Variety of Phrase or Speech and other signs both of our sense or meaning and of our affections which may be of good use though always the same persons should be our Auditors much more when there are many of different capacities insisted upon at some Times and Places than at others The Goodness of such things too thus seasonable pertinent and present is more clearly apprchended and consequently prayed for with more strong and vigorous Affections It may often happen to some persons that when their inventions are warmed with a serious and affectionate reciting their owâ— premeditated Prayer they may see in somâ— things a greater excellency then before theâ— had taken notice of whence their passioâ—â— on a sudden may be more raised and theâ— expressions of them in words more various natural and proper than at another time Sometimes also they may have some neâ— things start into their minds of great uâ— and very pertinent When this is an extempore interposition may be seasonable and nâ— to be excluded especially in private and seerâ— Prayer 4. Another Advantage usually not always of diverse premeditated Prayers is reality and fervency of affection by reason 〈◊〉 the variety of the matter Men generallâ— are less affected with old and well known things than with new The reason of which is the boundlessness of mens desires There is no good so great but we can conceive anâ— consequently desire a greater still till we come to infinite Whence it is that we take off desires from what we already possesâ— and consequently our love and esteem aâ— least for the present and reserve them for some other good still of which we are ignorant We generally think it a mean thing â—o sit down content with less than what we are capable of enjoying We are like the ambitious and covetous man who
grows cold in his esteem and love of the greatest places of honor and profit which he hath long inâ—oyed he is still pursuing and grasping at more and greater either he would make an addition to what he already hath or find out greater than they are This reality and fervency of affection is truly a very great benefit supposing the affections to be rightly and in due degree directed to things true and useful but if that be not supposed it may be as great a mischief For great inordinate and immoderate affections miserably corrupt the judgments and inclinations they render them erroneous and superstitious and I think one of the principal causes why of late diverse premeditated nay extempore Prayers have been preferred before Forms whether publick or private is an immoderate love to great and busling affections for any thing though never so unworthy of them to which we may add great variety and quickness of conceit and invention as in extempore Prayers The Advantage of Variety and Copiousness of Conceit is both in premeditated and extempore Prayers and is because there are many of them used in Opposition to but one as often a repeated Form as is before said But quickness of Conceit or Invention is only seeâ— in extempore Prayers where if the thing invented be but indifferently good there hardly any Quality of our Minds that is â— much esteemed and applauded by the geneâ—lity of Men. Of which one reason is and may be the principal because it is judged sign of an extraordinary Ability in the Persâ— to invent and apprehend most excellent thinâ— easily and clearly if he did premeditate Hâ— that can do so much extempore think theâ— what would he do if he were allowed Time which is very oft a great mistake There is another reason also very generâ— and that is That Men are much pleased wiâ— Dispatch or Performance of any useful thing in a short time And in truth he that â—â— perform the same thing in half the time which another can do it is in that particular twice â— valuable These things in Prayers although they naturally do and may much please the mindâ— Man yet they may do it too much in comparâ— with others which are better viz. the Truth and Usefulness of what is said A Fault that is very often committed in Sermons and Books and other Performances by those Persons who observe and complain of it in Prayers If we separate things and compare them without doubt it is better that one and the same excellent good thing should be apprehended and willed by us though never so sluggishly and dully than that many and a great number either of unprofitable trifling useless mischievous and bad things should be known by us and fly about in our Imaginations and be violently and vigorously with strong Passions willed and pursued The first indeed doth less good but yet some but this last doth a great deal of hurt If we must lose or part with one of these it is better to lose that of Variety and Celerity and Copiousness of Conceit and strength of Passion than that of the Certainty and Profitableness of the Objects of our Knowledge and Wills It is better to have no Passions at all and consequently in this state generally but languid and weak Inclinations than to have them directed to wrong Objects or to right ones in an excessive degree And yet men generally are incomparably more pleased with Life and Activity which is caused much and exerted in Variety and Celerity of Conceit and Greatness of Passions than with its right Determination and Goodness And as Men are for the most part unduely pleased with premeditated and even extempore Prayers upon the account of Variety and quickness of Conceit So there are others too who are pleased with publick or private Forms or very well content with them not so much upon the account of the truth and usefulness of the things there contained or other common advantages â— men thereby as because of the slowness and dulness of their own conceit and passions â— is difficult to them and consequently painful which all men naturally shun to apprehend any new thing to examine the truth and goodness thereof and to excite their heavy arâ— sluggish affections thereto but they easie conceive and are affected with that whiâ— they have been accustomed to that whiâ— they have very frequently heard and to whiâ— their affections have been used to be conjoyned Contrariwise those who are of quâ— conception and moveable affections they apprehend new and various things with eâ— and delight and are presently naturally â—â—fected with them It is observable that oâ— of the most general causes of mens incliâ—tions choices and esteems of things is thâ— own ability easily to obtain and possess theâ— Hence it may partly come to pass that mâ— advanced in years and of staid and sloâ— tempers are usually pleased with Forms â—â— any performance but young and hot persoâ— with Variety So little most commonly dotâ— reason or the foresight of the good or bad effectâ— of things determine Mens Judgments concerning their general Worth and Value And accordingly I believe it may be remembred that lately those who were against all Forms were generally of an active and passionate temper but those who were for some Forms at least were of a more staid and composed one Those Prayers in which are Variety Celerity and great Affections do more generally please Men and are preferr'd before those in which there is Truth and Usefulness for two reasons among others First Because Men are amiss and depraved in their Inclinations and love those qualities better than these Secondly Because those of variety quickness and affectionateness are discerned more easily by every body in a Prayer those other of the Truth or Usefulness not without more difficulty and but by very few it is a difficult thing to examine and see them The best is to make use of them all as there may be just reason First Be we sure that the Objects of our Knowledge and Wills be true and good and then let us furnish our selves with as plentiful a knowledge of them and have as strong Affections to them in compare with other things as they deserve Let us be sure the Matter be true and good and then know as much as we can and in proportion as it is so be zealously affected And here as to Affection I would propound this to be often remembred viz. That we should always regard not what doth strongly affect our selves or others what we seel to dâ— so but what should do so Possibly we have been or may be deceived and be mightily in love with and passionately desire whaâ— is of little or no worth while we are colâ— to things which are really of much more excellent Use Benefit and Concern in the World We must have a care of measuring the Goodness of Things by our Affections bâ— contrariwise we must adjust our Affections to the goodness of
things discovered by ouâ— own Reason and Observation divine and humane Testimony And as for this last let it be of the most wise sober virtuous unprejudiced honest Persons who are therefore the most free from Superstition It is certainly one of the most general and mischievous Cheats in the World that Men Judge things good or bad and more or less so according to their inclinations which are principally caused by passions Though not always and not according to the sight of good or bad Effects which is the principal use of our Reason We ought therefore if we be not so disposed to stir up the greatest Affections and maintain them in our selves Affections and maintain them in our selves for those things which really are the greatest good things which are so the most Universally the most Intensly and most Constantly Such as are generally in Forms and in the publick most likely if composed and allowed by Judicious wise generously Religious and Pious Persons The things which do most affect Men we may observe are selfish sensible and present good things sometimes one or t'other or all these such as are our being in God's favour our being elected justified pardoned saved when others are reprobated condemned punished Eternally sometimes Riches Plenty Health good Relations or Friends Honour or the like all which oft-times are the least good things and least to be desired compared with others either because they are but sensible or present or selfish good or all of them Whereas things of more universal and publick good Effect Spiritual future ought more to be desired though commonly they are much lesse Such as to be perfectly inherently righteous and holy to love God for himself and please him to be universally disposed and enabled to be beneficent or Universal Charity and Beneficence self-denyal Resignation to God's will because always for the Universal good Humility Spirituality of mind Mortification of all our Lusts or inordinate selfish appetites c. Afterwards Wisdom nay all the Perfections of our Knowledg We are more to desire the most publick and Universal good than our own and therefore our persection more than our Happiness the Love of God and Charity more than our own Felicity Again Spiritual good things more than sensible future more than present Our Judgment finally of the Truth and of the degrees of the utility and Excellency of the things should direct our desires and all our Affections in our Prayers Which Judgment as I said we are to informe as well as we can by our own Wisdom and Reason by God's Word and by the Testimony and Examples of wise holy and good Men so far as we shall have reason impartially to think them so and we must use the best means we can to know who are so and lastly much by a natural Sense consequent Passions God having made our minds so as to be much affected with some things our Consciences allowing it he hath anticipated our Natures with such Impressions if we can distinguish them from others contracted by bodily temper education Example This of Testimony and Example of those whom we judge wise and good Men is so considerable amongst Men and hath naturally so much Influence that few Persons are determined in their Opinions by any other reason and I think it one of the reasons why a premeditated Prayer and even a Form composed by a private Person and recited by himself hath been generally prefer'd before a Form composed by the Publick and recited by a private Person viz. because Men generally are moved to think and judg the things true or profitable which are said or recited by the Testimony and Example of him that says and recites the Prayer If he judg that it is so they are apt to judg so too and consequently to be affected Now Men judge that he that recites a Prayer composed by himself did and doth judge the things true and of great Concernment and sees them to be so otherwise why should he say those things rather than others But they as they think have not the same reason to judge so of him who is obliged to recite a Prayer composed by another For he is obliged to say and recite that and no other and therefore he doth it when it may be he attends not to nor is affected with the Truth and Goodness of the Things he recites any more then a School-Boy is with his Lesson Nay though the Reciter of such a Prayer should have as many external signs of Reverence and Affectionâ— as he that recites a Prayer of his own Composition yet his Example and Testimony is not ordinarily so efficacious For Men are apt to think that that Affection may come from Custome or Compliance or the like But here we should do well to do these three things First To look upon such publick Forms as composed by the Publick who most-what are to be presumed wiser than private Persons and that they did judge the things true and of exceeding great Profit and Benefit or else they might have chose other things as well as those let the Reciter behave himself as he will And then Secondly That some and surely considerable Men who recite them with Afction do it really in those things which they judge and because they do judge them true and exceeding profitable not only out of Custome and Compliance And then it may as reasonably be suspected that the great Affections of those who recite their own Prayers oftimes especially in extempore are forced least they should seem could oft-times they proceed more from their being their own and invented by themselves as we see Men are very apt to be much pleased with their own than out of any clear sight or Judgment of their Truth and Utility If they do judge they are true and profitable that very Judgment may proceed from that Self-Love and Esteem Thirdly We are therefore to excite and stir up our Affections which otherwise it may be are dull and sluggish in Proportion to such our Judgment though we should not have the Example of him that says or recites them If we think not good to follow the Judgment of the Publick herein we should have great and clear Reason against it and such Modesty as to be backward to signifie it Let all Men here as in all Prayers do what they can what they see and assent to as true and Judg it good and so far forth as they do so let them joyn in that and stir up and excite their hearty affections in that as much as they can not through Laziness or Prejudice especially from Revenge wilfully negâ—ect or reject it We have said That the advantage of sincere and fervent affections in diversity of Prayers is more usual or general but not constant or Universal For sometimes on the contrary a form of Prayer may be more affectionately used As when persons are of a slow and staid temper not caring to enlarge their knowledge or their desire but
very well content with what they have also when they believing what they already have in their Prayers to be very excellent or the very best or much better then what they are likely to meet withal in any other purposely keep cherish their affections for those things upon which they have already placed them withhold them from others For then by reason of frequent repeated Conjunction their affections are far more real ready and strong to those things which are contained in their Forms then to any new things not before heard by them in other Prayers As admiration and esteem of any thing are caused by ignorance of what is better or equal to it as it is in new things where we have not time nor perhaps ability to compare so are they much more by a knowledg or belief that nothing or very few things are so Such a knowledg and judgment is much more the cause of esteem and love then ignorance If wee 'l try for Example in the Lord's Prayer we may find it so If we often say Our Father and have a clear apprehension of the comprehensive signification of the Word viz. that God is wisely and tenderly good to us hath brought us forth brought us up doth still and must always provide for our good in all respects Spiritual bodily here hereafter and as often endeavour to joyn a cordial and ardent Affection of Love to this our dear Father and joy in him we shall find that by frequent usage when we pronounce these words We shall most readily have such a conceit and Apprehension and strongest affections too at the same time And so when we pray Forgive us our Trespasses c. Have we then an Apprehension or sense of the most intense and most Universal Charity for whom shall we not love when we love our Enemies and conjoyn we strongest and eagrest desire therewith send the Petition wrapped up in an inward sigh that God would grant it us we shall find upon use that whenever we hear or pronounce the one we shall be the most apt and ready to have the other too Those who have piously and devoutly read the holy Scriptures may have oft-times experienced that if any sentence therein hath much affected them the oftner they have thought thereof the more real and ready and great hath been their Affection There may be too much Frequency and the Succession may be too quick What Invervals of Forms are convenient and do not hinder Attention and Affection will easily be known by Experience where let us be assured there be no Prejudice As for extempore Prayer left to the extempore Memory Invention Judgment of the Reciter whether natural or pretended to be inspired it hath so much the disadvantage to compare it first of the other two viz. publike or private Forms and premeditated Prayers and the Inconveniencies thereof are so many more and greater and the Conveniencies so much fewer or lesse that it is never to be admitted where they can be had except very rarely As where a Person may be of such a peculiar Temper that his extempore may be better then his own premeditated or recited Form and in it self too very good Some Men may have more considerable things suggested by a quick and sudden Excitation and heating of themselves with exercise and by consequent bodily Passions and they may give better Judgment of their Truth and Utility than if they considered never so long with which their Heads are dulled Attention confounding them Nay even according to the constant Laws of Union between body and Soul or naturally they may hereby be more generously intellectually divinely disposed and inclined viz. to things that are large and great and therefore to things that are future Spiritual of most Universal good Effect their animal Spirits being in great Plenty subtilized and strontly but not ungovernably agitated Where we may observe that governable bodily Passions are not to be always neglected but they may be sometimes on purpose made use of and approved by our Prudence But except I say such a rare Case only where a Form or premeditated Prayer cannot be had an extempore one may sometimes be used As where a Person hath not the other two present or hath not Leisure and Time to premeditated one and yet it is expedient that some Prayer be recited to as in some sudden Danger Even in profitable Affections much more in Sense and Words the other Prayers have the Advantage of extempore Prayer For that Affection which is in it is most-what forced and strained or excited by loud Voice and bodily Action or by bodily Temper in general and is not the Effect of any preceding Judgment of the Goodness and Truth of the Things prayed even in those very Persons themselves who pray as inconsiderable as their Judgment may be though most Auditors are oft mistaken and think it is Or their Affections are but the reliques of some they have formerly had it may be with Judgment little enough Whence they are generally less and more superficial than especially in premeditated Prayers where we have with Approbation pitched upon things it is sure they are worse used and placed To speak of it absolutely supposing a Man could use no other sometimes it may be worse than none at all sometimes better than none sometimes very good It is according as the Persons are and their present Temper according to their Quickness of Approcheâ—sion and Memory both of Things and Consequences and of Words whether just wheâ— they are praying or sometime before invenâ—ted by themselves or learnt from others Or as is usually expressed according to the Quickness of their Invention Memory anâ— Judgment Moreover according to the viriety truth profitableness of their thought accompanied with suitable affections or â— useth to be said according as their Minds arâ— well furnished with matter both of sense are language anâ— with due affections formeth judiciously or at present by a certain genâ—rous habitual Temper of Mind excited tâ—wards things sutably to their Degree or Valâ—â— and Excellency I say according as these aâ— more or less in a Person his extempore Prayâ— will be better or worse and he may more 〈◊〉 less trust to it But it is very rare that thoâ— very Persons who by reason of these Qualities can perform extempore Prayer well cannot with some Premeditation do it far better But as for the most part of Persons they are so deficient in them that it is far better they should themselves make a Form of their own or use another's or at least premeditate and sometimes it were better they should altogether abstain and omit to pray at all For slowness and faultringness of Conceit and Utterance for want of quick Memory Invention Judgment Tautologies for want of either past Invention or present ready ready Memory Falshood Trivialness Unprofitableness Mischievousness of things and Improprieties and Unfitness of Speech for want of past or present good Judgment and present Memory
so also vain and groundless Affections strained and forced by bodily Temper Loudness of Voice or stirring Actions only are certainly all of them scandalous and contemptible things to be prevented and better to be put into their Room if it can be without greater Inconveniencies as sure there may by the use of either a publike or private Form made by others or one's self or by Praemeditation Extempore Prayers especially spoken with real or seeming great and counterfeit Passions may be oft-times so hurtful that there had better be none at all For thereby those who do not see nor understand their Defects in those things before-mentioned get a Habit of imitating them have their Minds which are capable of so much better things furnished with and their Affections raised to Non-sense that is only Words and Sounds or to Things extraordinarily confusedly conceived and understood and those mean trash false trivial or mischievous particularly sometimes as relating to God impious But for those who have Knowledg anâ— Judgment enough to observe those Defectâ— let them be never so candid at least they caâ— not joyn with them so far as their Prayers aâ— to them such and then they are justly offeâ—ded to see so useful an Office so much spoyleâ— and ill performed so unbecomingly trissingly or mischievously when it might be doâ— much better Some and very many lâ— wise and candid are disposed to neglect anâ— despise by too rash a Conclusion from one â— more Persons particular Defects and Infirâ—â—ties the whole Prayer his Person and his Religion too and it may be oft-times if not â— Religion yet all the external publick Officeâ— thereof and think that truly there is no gooâ— to be gotten by them that they are childâ— or vulgar things not becoming Men but â— ordinary degree of Understanding in the Vâ— lue of things and that they may spend theâ— Time elsewhere better I say again so far forth as a Man hath weâ— considered and judged of Plenty and Variety of Things true and profitable whether by himself invented or learned from other wise and pious Men these things also cloathed with fit and convenient Expressions and is oâ— a ready easie strong Memory to retain and use them so far as he is of a quick Invention and Judgment to discern the Verity and Usefulness of things at present suggested or invened from their Likeness to or Consequence from those things which he hath deliberately from his own Reason or others Testimony judged true and useful and hath been accordingly discreetly affected So far is the Man more sit to use and trust to extempore Prayers with others Add hereto That Frequency of use of either a Form or premeditated or extempore Prayer or all of them and of judicious Reflection thereupon may make it more easie and allowable insomuch that Variety of true useful and just things will never fail speedily to presenâ— themselves to some Persons What comes to their Mind and what they speak may be but as it were Pieces of various Forms premeditated and composed by others or themselves when they were best able and in best Temper a little altered or disposed by a present Prudence And therefore they may be as tâ—ue just important and more seasonable and fervent than the Things in any one or more Forms of others or their own composing when possibly they were not in so good a Temper especially if the Person is possessed habitually with holy and generous Affections But how few are there who are such in any considerable Degree As for secret Prayer there needs no extempore Prayer at all a Man may take what Time he pleaseth to find out and judg what iâ— most fit to be prayed and particularly whaâ— he would have he may put what Interval hâ— pleaseth between every Sentence and affecâ— himself with it and therefore surely iâ— would be a very unadvised thing for him â— say any thing that should happen to comâ— next As for Inspiration that is Invention Mâ—mory Judgment Affection excited and furnished by God's special extraordinary Influencâ— and Action it is a thing by no means now â— be trusted to in our Prayers with others Mâ— are very naturally fond of this as a Signâ— great Favour with God Almighty and a prâ—bable one it is indeed but not a necessary onâ— For God may inspire a bad Man or at leaâ— worse than some not inspired not for his owâ— but for others sake and a very sincerely generously holy and righteous Man self-denying pious just charitable humble and spiritually minded is a far more excellent Perscâ— than an inspired one unless it be with a greater degree of habitual Holiness Nor is the absolute and ultimate affectation and Love of any such great Priviledg as Inspiration any better than a Branch of spiritual Pride which it's likely was much the Fault of the Church of Corinth and the first Christians when God was pleased for the Honour and Propagation of Christian Religion to grant it often and liberally to all sorts of Christians St. Paul exhorteth them to covet earnestly the best Gifts such as Prophesying Tongues c. all which are but the Perfections of our natural Faculties wrought by God's special immediate Action but yet tells them he would shew them a more excellent way and that was Charity He saith also of himself though he had all those Gifts and that in the greatest degree of Eloquence Prophesying understanding of the obscurest and deepest Mysteries universal Knowledg Power of working Miracles c. yet if he had not Charity to his Brethren expressing it self in all those lovely Effects mentioned by him it all profited nothing he was a sounding Brass and a tinkling Cymbal a thing that made a great noise was much admired but vainly it did no good nay it may be harm Those three Chapters of St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinth viz. 12 13 and 14. would do well to be often read by those who are apt to pretend too huffingly to and value themselves too much by the Gifts of the Spirit That generous and sincerely holy Man deserves more to be honoured for his Wisdom Spirit and Temper expressed in that and such like Places than for all the Mysteries he taught and all the Parts and Gifts he had and all the Miracles he wrought and it is to me a much surer Sign than they are of his Inspiration and the divine Superintendency and Care over him in all the rest he wrote I know no sufficient reason to deny that God by his immediate special Influence may assist or help our Invention Memory Judgment and Affection in Prayer but then â— add who knows when and how much it may please him so to do That I think it iâ— principally to the diligent in Conjunction with our Care Endeavour Use of Means which is none in extempore Prayer but in a premeditated Prayer a Man doth or should seâ— himself to invent what is most useful and needful to examine what is true or to
take heed that nothing false is said by him to cause himself to attend to what is true anâ— important to awake and inflame Affections thereto by proposing or urging the reasonableness of them by upbraiding his Infirmity Dulness Ignorance Mistake Slavery in his Senselesness of the best things I think too that this Assistance is principally in holy Affections that is such as are rightly directed and moderated to the most excellent Objects and in their due Degree more than in Sense and Words also principally upon some extraordinary Occasion either for the great need of its being well performed just at such a time or the necessary want of Time and it may be of natural Ability of the Person if innocent and humble and therefore always especially to the innocent and particularly the humble and modest not to the lazie negligent weak yet vainly conceited presumptuous and proud Person I rather think that they have most of this Assistance who least pretend to it who least therefore wilfully neglecting their own endeavours trust to it but only modestly think it may be sometimes in some things and whether it be so or be not so do attribute all they are or do or can perform ultimately to God whether it be by natural Parts or habitual Gists or present Influence who acknowledg that all holy Desires all good Counsels all just Works do proceed from him and thank God that he is pleased to do any good to others by them though they should be very well pleased too if it were done by others so it were done If it pleased God to afford a greater degree of this Assistance to do good this way there is no good Man I suppose but would be very glad thereof and willingly receive it and thank God for it And for ought I know it may be afforded to the World in greater degree First in respect of good and holy Inclinations and sense of Soul called Graces and then in those Perfections of our understanings which are called Gifts before the whole design of Christianity and consequently the present condition of Man-kind here on Earth hath and End but then we must certainly know it to be so when it is The Badness the Pride and Vanity of many Persons their self-conceit swelling with a false opinion that they are so highly favoured of God Contempt of others because inferiour to them in this respect want of Humility Modesty Charity also Falshood Uncertainty Unintelligibleness to other Persons wise and Pious in the Reciter's Non-sense or great Confusion Trivialness and Uselessness of things and consequently the Pedantry or Childishness of the Persons sometimes also the mischievousnesâ— of things are sufficient signs in their degreeâ— Non-inspiration and therefore of the Madness and Contemptibleness of such pretences They are signs even of want of ordinary considerâ—tion Reason Judgment of Ignorance Duâ—ness Confusion Error and yet Rashness anâ— Confidence And where Prayers and Persons are bettâ—â— and the clean contrary yet surely full easilâ— may all that we now see be by the Goodnessâ— the natural Parts before mentioned and by hâ—bituaâ— Gifts that is those Faculties endoweâ— with some Perfection belonging to them by God's special Influences some time or timeâ— in our Lives without the special Influence â—â— the Spirit just then And we find extempâ—râ— Performances in other matters to be performed as well as in those divine Offices as in Orations in common discourse especially when warmed with Talking and Passions and yet these are attributed only to natural Parts which in some Men are very quick and lasting of great Variety conversant about more than ordinary things and may not unfitly be termed natural Enthusiasm Of which the bodily cause according to the Laws of union of Body and Soul which God hath fixed is Subtilty Solidity Copiousness of Spirits a well constituted Brain Organs of Speech and the Nervous passages of the Brain thereto c. I would try any Man who should pretend to be even a Prpohet and did even work Miracles by such Signs as I have now mentioned and they may reasonably in some degree over-weigh the greatest appearing Miracles themselves For I may have more certainty and evidence that some things are unworthy of God or that they cannot be done by oâ— proceed from such a Nature as Gods is then that any effect is caused by God's immediate action or influence for the Confirmation of any thing taught or affirmed and not by some natural and second causes And we see accordingly the Jews were admonished by Moses that even if one should rise up who should foretell things to come and yet teach that Jehovaâ— was not the true God but should draw them to other Gods and there is the like reason in all Truths as clearly manifested by Revelation or Reason he was not to be believed that God had sent him but to be rejected and put to death Deut. 13. v. 1. As for those poor deluded or Hypocritical Men who sit in deep silence a great while and of a sudden break out with abundance as is said of Non-sensical stuff or Prophetical Phrases cluttered together and then think themselves inspired by the Spirit most probably their silence was at first affected or if not their bodily Temper was only dull and after some time their Brains were agitated with thoughts and their Hearts with Passions or their Temper was fortuitously changed as most Men are apt to be silent and talkative once in two or three Hours or at least the Examples of others make them begin to talk too and to shew the Spirit comes upon them They may do well also to have a care there be noâ— something a worse cause when Men so proudly and wilfully expose themselves to such miserable sottish Delusions These few things I have at present upon the mentioning these Sorts or kinds of Prayer only briefly suggested If one had a mind accurately and particularly to determine in this matter a Form premeditated and extempore Prayer would be considered first absolutely with each ones conveniencies and Inconveniencies good or bad Effects in which again are to be observed the degrees of their Extension as to Subjects that is Persons of their Intension of their Duration or their Frequency in three words their degrees of greatness as to Extension and Intension and of Lastingness And then again they would be considered comparatively which had most or least Conveniencies or Inconveniencies for all things have some of both and whether the using of one of them or a mixture of all of them would be best to obtain the greatest Conveniencies or good Effects with the least bad ones A Method which is to be observed in the Determination of the goodness absolute or comparative of all things To do which to any good Effect Men must be impartial and indifferent to any thing but the Truth out of Charity to Mankind as in all other Cases of Controversie and Debate it is perpetually to be admonished and dispose themselves by
deliverance of the Jewish Nation the people of God from their Enemies all of them things of great concernment especially considering God's Honour concerned too and consequently also the good of men sometimes in vindication of his greatness in opposition to false Gods because the Heathen would think their Gods the mightier if they should prevail sometimes in vindication of his Providence both his Justice to punish very wicked persons his most unjust Enemies and his Mercy in being kind and rewarding the righteous and true lovers of himself such as he was and some with him according to his promise I have before instanced in the 51 Psal where David so vehemently and earnestly begs for Purification Pardon Peace Indeed his Sins were great and hainous and much aggravated and so we must have a care that we imitate him when the things we desire are of as great concernment our degrees of Earnestness and Affection must be proportioned always to the importance or good effects of the action most what depending upon the goodness of the objects thereof but I doubt it is but too ordinary for Christians to be guilty of more and more hainous sins than David's were and yet not to use the least part of the Importunity that David here doth for forgivness if they do desire it at all and make not a sport at it And so of other good things they betake not themselves to God St. James tells us that the effectual fervent Prayer of a righteous man availeth much or the active Prayer that in which there is much of activity and life 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That earnestness or fervour is principally meant there by those words seems from what follows of Elias's praying earnestly that it might not Rain c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an ordinary Hebraism to express earnestness James 1. 16. 17. Our Saviour after he had given his Disciples an Example of Prayer he adds an advisement of great importunity in Petitions sometimes and for some things when necessary and of great importance and intimates that sometime it may be a condition of our receiving what we ask Luke 11. Verse 5. And he said unto them Which of you shall have a friend and shall go unto him at midnight and say unto him Friend lend me three loaves for a friend of mine in his Journey is come to me and I have nothing to set before him c. And Verse 8. I say unto you that though he will not rise and give him because he is his friend yet because of his importunity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because of his Impudence properly that is Importunity so great as it might seem near to that or as men impudent use to do who without the restraint of fear or shame do things and with the greatest vigour and ferventness he will rise and give him as many as he needeth And verily it may sometimes be very reasonable for God to with-hold any benefit asked especially if a great one on purpose to heighten the eagerness and fervency of our desires that we might be more sensible of our dependence upon him and obligation to him and be more thankful when we do receive after such long importunity And it might reasonably seem good to God net to give the thing at first or with only cold and luke-warm wishes and desires nay never to give it if we will not take the pains to continue and invigorate inliven our Supplications and Entreaties And this may often actually be one reason why as St. James saith we ask and receive not namely because we ask so rarely and seldom so weakly languidly and remissly and consequently so unbecommingly to the great and good God so infinitely superiour to us and to the things themselves the least being too good to be given to such idle and heartless Petitioners Indeed a man may reasonably think that rather than such Prayers should be the condition of receiving they should oftner be a cause of denial or should even as little be the condition of receiving as none at all if not less God may give us benefits indeed but not on condition of such Prayers as he often doth when we do not pray at all ungrateful Creatures SECT VII III. A Third due Qualification of our Operation of Soul in Prayer or rather of Prayer in general is that it be as frequent as ought to be and this our Prudence must determine For Ejaculatory Prayers they may be at all times in all places all companies upon all occasions And we are always to keep our mind in such temper and so truly innocent as that we may in the beginning especially of any considerable action send up to God a smart desire for Wisdom Discretion and Prudence sincerity and uprightness in our Intension and Design to do that which is in those circumstances best for the greatest good and most pleasing to God for courage and strength and constancy or vigour and perseverance that we might do nothing we might have reason to repent of for success or deliverance He also who much addicteth himself to and frequently useth this sort of Prayer may pray much more in the sum and most-what doth pray more fervently and more seasonably than he that prayeth many long continued Prayers his Acknowledgments Confessions Professions Thanksgivings Petitions being when he is under a stronger and distincter apprehension and greater sense of the things he conceives in his short Prayer As for publick Prayers they are determined by the Publick and I do not see but that most men generally might if they pleased be there as often as they are appointed many more than there are surely But especially those whose affairs are not so much abroad whose time and garb and other circumstances might be more easily fitted thereto whose affairs are more regular as to time and more at their own dispose And if all those were but present who stand still looking about or who purposely find themselves very little business as well to be done at another time all those who are either idle or do business of far less if of any concernment to be done just at that time the number I do not doubt would be very considerably increased And as for private and secret Prayers surely most persons may have opportunity to perform them once or twice a day in some length or other or some part of the day or other I confine them not to time nor length though it may be best for men who can to fix some time and to use to order their affairs so as not to interrupt them and that they may not be hindred by them as possibly before them all and after they be all dispatcht Better too they be short than none at all If it be but some short and pithy comprehensive form with the Lord's Prayer of which some learned judicious pious and devout men have been so deserving of the Publick as to give great variety which men need not be ignorant of if they have
God by doing this way as we think the most good to the World we can we do an act of Obedience and consequently of Worship to God But alas this extreme of Praying more than the necessity of other affairs will permit is but rare in compare with the other of seldom or never praying especially in this irreligious and prophane Generation How many are there who have hardly ever vouchsafed that they can remember One O God or so much as a Lord bless me seriously except prophanely or customarily much less do they ever allot a minute or two some-â—â—times to say with any understanding and affection any short Prayer And as for the Publick either they come thither not at all but like Brute Beasts lie sotting and swilling or sleeping at home or when they come they possibly pray sometimes as little as those that are at home or as the seats they sit upon or very gravely and imperiously they contemn it as below their wisdom or their great mind contrary to the practice of all even the most barbarous and ignorant Heathens of all ages who all of them ever have had some things which they called God's except some late Relations should be true which they thought could do them good or harm to Worship acknowledging praising thanking and praying to them A sign that the thing is so evidently useful and consequently reasonable to all who want any good thing they are capable of and yet cannot give it themselves and know any other being who can that the most stupid of Mankind are not ignorant or negligent of it SECT VIII IV. THe Fourth Qualification is that our Prayers be seasonable both the performance of the Duty of Prayer in general containing all the parts before mentioned and also all the several parts thereof And by seasonable I mean that both the whole and such parts thereof be then used when they do the most good when they will do more good than to omit them or to do another thing or to use another part of Prayer in their place The season or opportunity of every action is when it will do more good than the omission thereof or another action in its place and time and the best season is when it will do most good more than the omission thereof And 1. That the whole action or performance of set Prayer which requires any set time or place I speak principally be seasonable For while we are in this fleshly life supposing it our duty to maintain our selves in it or rather to do all the good we can which is God's service in this fleshly life and as long as we can there are a multitude of things in their times of more good effect than praying at the same time would be as I have before said Such are our food sleep exercise and that in such certain quantity or quality For without these we either cannot at all subsist in this life or very untowardly with distempers pains dulness indisposedness to the best actions of Soul and consequently even these in Prayer In general we must and ought to take so much care of and allow so much attendence and time to our bodies that they may be the fittest instruments for our souls that they may the least hinder and the most permit or help or dispose them to the most perfect actions they are capable of and consequently whereby while we are in this body we may do the most good And this is as various and diverse as there are persons For some persons tempers and constitutions may be so happy as that a little attendence to their body serves turn and the rest of their time they may spend in more imâ—ediately momentous actions Others again may be of so unhappy and weakly a one that most of their time must necessarily be employed about their bodies that they may have some and but a small time for the more useful and excellent actions of life such as Prayer contains and if they did not spend so much time about their bodies they should be able to spend yet less or none at all about their souls And yet even these persons if they do but ultimately propose to themselves sincerely to do all the good they are able for and to please God thereby so far as they do so are very innocent and sinless And if they mightily desire and earnestly wish they were able to do the greatest good as much as the most knowing strong or powerful or are in sincerity strongly resolved and bent if they had never so much power they would use it all to serve and please God by doing good with it I say if they be thus affected which is but rare for want of use in persons who cannot employ their minds much and often and attentively about Moral and Divine things they are most excellently virtuous and good and it may be more than those which can spend more time in set Prayer and sincerely and fervently performed too Some of these very weakly persons being often indifferent and little concerned for worldly things by using themselves to the proposal of this end and most frequently attending to it even in their small actions of life and by God's immediate influence may arrive to as great or a greater degree of Virtue than those who can spend more time even in set Prayers duly performed much more still if there want the due end thereof or sincerity and fervency It is not seasonable for persons to set themselves to pray premeditated extempore or any other long Prayers when they want strength through past bodily or intellectual toil and labour or sickness and infirmity for men will then do little good by their Prayers and also it may be indispose themselves to do twenty times more afterwards both by their Prayers and otherwise whilst they contract more Distempers and Infirmities of Body or in general more ineptness to do any good Meer dulness indeed may be overcome by Resolution and it may be good somtimes so to do but weakness cannot Nor is it seasonable when a man's mind is filled with other thoughts of lawful or necessary business and in pursuit thereof to use a long premeditated or extempore Prayer The most seasonable Prayers then would be some Form and frequent Ejaculations There are also a multitude of other actions whereby at certain times we may do more good of which in the sum there will be greater good effect than if we prayed at those times as Reading Meditation Study or Conversation any ways to inform our selves with the most useful knowledge of God his Nature and Providence of the Revelation of his Will by Christ or our Christian Religion of our selves of Humane Nature what men are what they should be how they come to be so bad or ignorant or erroneous how they might come to be better or wiser One good effect of which knowledge is to make us more able and fit to pray as we ought and according to those very directions
in the World I say generally not always c. For sometimes a man may better know the cause effect or like of a thing than its essential nature and then it will be better to endeavour to convey the knowledge or conception of this essential nature by a word which properly signifies to him its cause effect or like c. and accordingly we often see that we are sain to describe especially an intellectual thing by its likeness effects c. to make some persons understand and conceive it But I am slipping too far into a Philosophical Digression To apply this direction more usefully It is particularly to be observed That many Scripture-Words and Phrases which are figurative though often used do not convey their sense to the generality of Auditors or Readers so clearly as proper words now in common use among us both because they are figurative and also because the things from whence they are taken and other circumstances of speech are nothing near so well known to us now as they were then to those to whom they were first spoken or written or as the natures of the things themselves There are many Metaphors Allegorys and other figurative speeches of the Scripture especially of the Old Testament used ordinarily in Prayers and Sermons which people generally do not at all â—r very obscurely and darkly understand â— am sure they would far more clearly understand the sense it self designed to be signified by them if it were expressed by the most sit words of our own Language Of this it were easie to give instances Moreover Many things in the Scripture might have been more clearly by proper â—peeches expressed even to those to whom they were then delivered if God had so pleased but it might seem good to Divine Providence for many reasons which we have not generally that some things should be delivered obsurely as to excite mens diligence and endeavour to understand them â— detain mens employment about them â—nger to give occasion for mutual forbearance and charity in case of dissenting Nay one reason might be that we might have the satisfaction of finding out and conveying the sense more clearly to others Wherefore when we use Scripture-Phrases which are not clear enough of themselves as it may be often sit for the Authority and better memory of what we say This Rule as well as the rest having their exceptions it will be most prudent for us to paraphrase or to explicate them by the speech most proper for the things now in use with us of which some instances are given in a following Direction Hereby also many confused and erroneous conceits in the sense of Scripture would be prevented The Holy Scripture is the most abused piece of writing extant that I know and that not only by the unlearned always and especially of late among us but many times by some of the learned Fathers Councels Postillers And if men should have explicated and used the Text of Aristotle or the Terms of any Science with as little understanding as they do the Holy Scriptures they would have exposed themselves to shame enough But because the Holy Scriptures are of so mighty concernment to all sorts of persons it is more reasonably permitted to them to be more conversant therein though with great defects and follys which notwithstanding men are to prevent and mend all they can that so they may have the greatest benefits and advantages of the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures with the fewest and least inconveniencies SECT XV. 7. LEt our words and phrases the signs of our conceptions or thoughts be distinct in opposition to ambiguity and doubtfulness Let them not be such as may signifie in all the circumstances with which they are spoken more things than one Such are very many words and phrases and it is a principal defect of Language I speak not concerning the confusedness complexness of our conceptions or thoughts one of the chief defects of knowledge yet remaining to be remedied as much as the World can bear but of the signs of them If our thoughts be complex confused general as we may out of choice prepare only such and not too subtle and distinct according as men are more or less capable our words should be those which properly and distinctly signifie such Whether our conceptions be confused â—or distinct our words should be such as properly signifie them But of this though but â— little is enough in this place SECT XVI 8. LEt not these signs and expressions be longer than are needful for the most perfect conveyance of Thoughts or Affections c. As 1. Not more words when one would serve not a Sentence by which I mean now not a Proposition but many words when one word may be had and easilier too which may serve a great usage of our modern style whereby a great deal of paper and time is spent oft-times to little or no purpose 2. Not many different words or sentences for the same thing except for some such reasons as have and may be mentioned as because of the variety of Auditors or to detain their attention longer or for memory or to signifie affection or on purpose to obscure a thing or for any other reason which prudence may think fit The multitude of ideas of words and sentences confound divert or blunt the perception and attention of the mind to the conception of the things signified 3. Not more of the same words or sentences for the same thing or not the same repeated called Tautology when a man saith the same thing in the same words This doth in common use admit of frequent Exceptions For it is better to use this Tautology than not when the thing that is to be conveyed is very excellent of great good use and very necessary for which there is and ought to be in the conveyer very great and somewhat lasting Affections or Passions and consequently his Attention to the thing it self is so much and strongly detained that he neglects the alteration or variety of words to signifie it by as if he had not time or leisure for that I say in such case which in Prayer is and ought to be a frequent thing Tautology or repeating the same words for the same things is and ought to be used and is a natural sign of real and strong affections for excellent things and particularly for that thing where it was used And thus we see it on purpose used in some set Forms But contrariwise it is not allowable when it is used in mean and and smaller things compared with others in Prayer and to which not so great and lasting an Affection is to be given For the time might have been better spent in attention to other things which might have succeeded It is not allowable meerly to gain time or lengthen our Prayers to no better purpose than that it might be said we pray'd so long An Example of this Tautology is that frequent needless repetition of the same
Appellation of God or the like in Prayer commonly taken notice of The first fault of which is in the thoughts or conception and proceeds from ignorance slowness and dulness or carelessness and consequently scarcity of Invention or Memory For want of something to succeed a man repeats the same thing till something else do come And then for the same want of invention in words too he repeats the same thing expressed by the same words This Tautology as it spends time needlesly so it offends also the Auditors and disposeth them at least not to mind or attend to any thing the speaker saith either because they judge it probable he will say nothing considerable or that they might as it were punish him for or discourage or disapprove such ignorance dulness slowness or carelessness and negligence That advisement of our Saviour's to his Disciples that they should not in their Prayers use vain Repetitions as the Heathens did because they thought they should be heard for their much speaking Matth. 6. Verse 7. as it may in general forbid all needless and unprofitable use of things or words in Prayer so more particularly as one Example or Instance of that general to use as the Heathens did multitude of things and words whether various or the same whether properly Tautology or not out of an opinion that that should be the cause of their being heard or should procure them audience And that either because they thought their Gods might not presently hear them but might be employ'd about some other affair so as that they could not either know they prayed to them or not be at leisure to attend to them if they did or because they thought their Gods to be Imperious that they would be much courted and long waited upon and would give their Oratours some tediousness and trouble being ultimately pleased in such signs of superiority above and being honoured by their worshippers whence also they might use many Titles or Appellations of their Gods conjectured by a learned man to be the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 much speaking mention'd by Christ by which also they conceived their Gods would think themselves more honoured or because lastly they thought their Gods did not particularly know and understand all they wanted if they propounded it only in general and did not particularly explicate it unto them And so their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 would be a very particular and minute petitioning This last cause seems to be intimated from the 8th Verse subjoyn'd as a reason why they should not use vain repetitions or rather vain and useless multitudes of words and things whether the same or not viz. because their heavenly Father knew what things they had need of before they asked him The Heathens did not think or know certainly so concerning their Gods but they believed that they might have need of their Information at least sometimes Our Saviour therefore prohibits not all long Prayers but only superfluity in general nor all very particular petitioning of God which is often extraordinary useful but only to use it with the belief that by this means a man might be heard and that otherwise God might know and understand his condition and what in particular he wants as the Heathens here probably did This and all the former directions for our speech and gesture as hath been suggested in some of them are but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and for the greatest part Now and then our general prudence whereby we direct all our actions to their last end of serving God and doing good may see good reason to depart from them But this is not only to remember us that there are few if any Rules that have not their Exceptions which most men take no notice of till an Objection obligeth them And thus have I dispatch'd the first sort of Directions concerning Prayer viz. to suggest some considerable due Qualifications of Prayer 1st Of the Things 2dly Of the Signs Of the Things 1st Of the Objects or Sense 2dly Of the Actions or Operations of Soul in Prayer I know very well that there are many things in these last Directions concerning the Signs and Expressions of our Sense and Operations of Soul in Prayer which are not peculiar thereto but general things of good use particularly applied and which one may never have the opportunity of discoursing in their due place may be allowed to be mentioned in a particular argument I shall only just observe before I mention the second sort of Directions that these Qualifications of Prayer mentioned will direct us to some considerable conveniencies and inconveniencies of Prayers whereby we may be prepared in some measure to determine concerning several sorts of Prayers compared which is to be preferred and in what respects For Example whether Prayers composed by some selected out of a National Church for a whole Nation and for an Age or two or more constantly or frequently to be used or Publick Forms of Prayers be best to be used in publick and private or Prayers composed by a private person for his own constant or frequent use or one each time he hath occasion called premeditated Prayer or Prayers left to the felicity of the Invention Memory Inspiration of private persons called Extempore Prayers As if it should be said that generally speaking for all these things have exceptions and sometimes very numerous ones in respect of the truth justice and importance of the sense in Prayers and of the best conveyance or signification thereof Publick Prayers are to be preferred In respect of Extensiveness in particulars and consequently variety Premeditated Prayer In respect of the sincerity in the Reciter and of fervency and seasonableness premeditated Prayers again A premeditated Prayer only in respect of things and of their order and not in respect of all the words and speech except one word or so as a sign to the memory for a matter which may take up many sentences to express which may be furnished by an habitual memory seems to be better than with every one premeditated word or sentence For attending exactly to each word and sentence and their order takes off the attention from the things and consequently our suitable affections even in composing the Prayer but in reciting it by heart much more The care or attention to those particular expressions that they may come to memory and in such an order cause a man less to attend to and be affected with the things they signifie But then this habitual memory of Language must be gained by more or less use and excerâ—ise If this be not for want of parts or time or diligence it is better men should premeditate every word and keep themselves thereto than hesitate falter express themselves improperly rudely slovenly childishly or otherwise unfitly But for Extempore Prayer in any length I mean not short Ejaculatory Prayers the Inconveniencies in it are so much greater and the Conveniencies so much less than in Forms or Premeditated Prayers
that I do not see it is any where to be used where the other can as I have before said Nor is it to be permitted to all even when there is no opportunity of using a Form or Premeditation but only to persons who have been and are of great consideration and judgment concerning such things as are to be the matter of our Prayers and have well exercised themselves therein and consequently are of copious and quick Invention and Memory of true just useful things and of convenient Speech to signifie oâ— express them All Conveniencies considered possibly a mixture of Publick and Private Forms and of Premeditated Prayers may be best whereby the Inconveniencies in all may be corrected or remedied by each other and the peculiar Conveniencies of all obtained especially if there be some discreet and pious Superiours frequently to take an account of to hear and direct those who may be less sufficient when they perform this Duty in publick SECT XVII II. I Am now to propound some of the Second sort of Directions viz. How to obtain these due Qualifications of Prayer of which I have been discoursing and they be these six or seven among others 1. Read we much and understand well the Holy Scriptures that we may apply them truly and usefully to our own Cases The least useful to this end though there are many other excellent uses are those Parts which are Controversial or Historical except those which deliver the Actions but especially the Speeches of Holy Persons such as our Saviour's Discourses amongst which are some Prayers as our Saviour's and of some of the Apostles The most useful are those which are Devotional such as the Book of Psalms out of which there are many truly excellent Examples of all the Parts or Ingredients of a Prayer the circumstances being rightly understood of which I have still successively made use Also those Parts which are Preceptive which contain Instructions for our Duty what our Temper and Spirit ouâ— Actions and Conversations ought to be as the Book of Proverbs our Saviour's Discourses many Chapters of the Epistles I say these are more useful for this end than those which are controversial as most part of the Epistle to the Romans and to the Corinthians and Galatians c. though out of these too much may be had It were to be wished that with the Scripture there was always some short and plain Paraphrase to be read with it for the better understanding of its sense and that the Sentences thereof which are not plain might not be used ignorantly confusedly falsly and erroneously It is very well known we may think we pray in Scripture when we do not we may pray with the words of Scripture but not with the sense As if praying that we might not be conformed to this World we should mean all other Christians of different perswasions from our selves and not the corrupt and sinful manners of all men whatsoever which was then and is now generally the condition of Mankind in this World Or Confessing our very best doings are polluted rags we should mean the best of the best man's actions and particularly his sincerest and ardentest love to God that he can at that time exert which surely may be in one action were a sin and not understand it of a Nation generally even in their religious performances or the best of their actions formal hypocritical insincere c. which was the sense of those words when spoken and therefore in such case to be used or such like instances Wherefore we should be careful rightly to understand and to have the true sense of Scripture and not through vain imagination rashness confidence self-conceit abuse the Language thereof And where the sense is doubtful and pious holy and wise men differ rather to abstain therefrom We may find elsewhere expressions enough besides for our sense and meaning There are abundance of Scripture-Expressions very plain and clear in their sense and need no Paraphrase or other words for their better understanding As that we may live soberly righteously godly in this present world that we may love the Lord our God with all our heart and our Neighbour as our selves that we might do God's will here on Earth as it is in Heaven that he would cause us to be loving without dissimulation merciful with chearfulness to abhor that which is evil cleave to that which is good to be kindly affectioned in honour to prefer one another fervent in Spirit serving the Lord those especially whose Office it is to instruct in the Knowledge of the Doctrine and Design of the Lord Jesus to be rejoycing in hope patient in tribulation continuing instant in Prayer especially when in the like condition with the persecuted Christians given to hospitality to bless them that persecute c. as that most deliciously honest Chapter of Romans the 12th goes on and Rom. 13. And likewise Coloss 3. and Gall. 5. Further that God would give us repentance unto life that God would give us forgiveness of our Sins for his Name 's sake who is the Propitiation for our sins and for the sins of the whole world and scores the like But if we use any Scripture-Phrases obscure and doubtful it is best as short and clear as may be at the same time to Paraphrase them or express them in our most known and therefore plain Language as hath been before briefly advised Thus by using our selves to Read much and rightly understand the Scriptures we shall furnish our selves with good store of true just useful and important matter for our Prayers though we ought if we can to judge what even Scripture matter is most important and useful for us in particular for there is great difference Moreover Scripture-Phrase thus used is such as doth invite to attend to the sense of what is said by the authority thereof because spoken by Authors for whom we have worthily a great veneration and we judge at least directed and overseen by God himself in their sense and expression Scripture-Phrases likewise which are plain are like to be so much the more clear and quickly understood as they are more common and used which is much more than any other I said just now where Scripture-Phrases are obscure there it will be best as shortly and as clearly as we can to Paraphrase them in other Phrases most used and therefore best known what they signifie As for Example if we should pray in Scripture-Language that we might be found in Christ that we may be in Christ that we may obtain Christ c. we may add that we may be sincere firm and constant believers or Christians who may give our selves to obey the will of God sent by the Lord Jesus Christ by believing all the Doctrine that he hath taught and practising accordingly not that we may be in a state of favour with God for Christ's sake or that by his effectual procurement God would pardon our Sins acquit us from Punishment
certain from the Scripture and Reason too that there are better consequences of willing to pray and of praying or desiring things from God than of omitting or neglecting it and particularly besides those many other excellent ones a little before mentioned the receiving of many good things for our selves and some the best we are capable of Better consequences than these I am sure the neglect or omission of petitioning God cannot so much as pretend to Nay hence also it further still follows that if we have any liberty or faculty of self-determination it is not only our perfection to pray but also our obligation such is my sense of that word For certainly we are bound to will and chuse that which is our perfection if we do not see it inconsistent with a greater good as surely we do not see this to be And thus much for the First Pretence SECT II. 2. A Second Pretence men make use of is want of Ability to Pray Alas they for their part are very ignorant of and not able to discern the truth justâ—ce importance of the matter of their Prayers they know very little they are ignorant of the Nature and Attributes of God they know or can remember very little of their own hearts and actions what are and what are not sins and of what they have been or are guilty And as little still are they able to know and call to mind the particular Favours and Benefits they have received or the things they want or should desire especially spiritual ones They want Prudence to attend to what is seasonable Moreover they are dull and heavy and inept to apprehend attend to be affected with such things Finally they want Understanding Memory Judgment Affection for God their Sins their Mercies their Wants and most of all do they want Invention and Memory for fit Words and Speech Alas how should they know to express themselves well Sometimes they have good things in their mind but they cannot speak them To this Effect is their Second Excuse To which I Answer 1. All this except that of want of Apprehension and Affection is no just Excuse for not joyning with others in Prayers either in Publick or Private it is no Excuse for not being at Prayers and coming to them For there most-what both things true just and useful very particularly sometimes and Words too are invented to our Hands And as for our apprehending conceiving and being affected with such things as our Prayers should contain many things we can in some measure apprehend and are affected withal in general as God's Power his Omnipresence his Universal Goodness his Mercy his Justice our own Temporal Wants and Mercies at least some very gross and palpable Sins Begin we here and mind we these things first And then as for other more particular and more spiritual things we must and may apply our Minds excite and stir up our Affections to them The oftner we do this the better we shall do it let us begin and try and use our selves to it a while How many who make this Excuse of Non-Ability are unwilling and backward so much as to joyn with others in praying either in Publick or Private A sign they have no Mind or Inclination to it they care not for their Duty and they are willing to be and do so still and indulge themselves in it Let Persons but use themselves to come and be present at Prayers they 'l find in time some good or other of it they 'l sometime or other apprehend something sometime or other their Affections may be touched and they may begin to find something which may please there Howsoever they will not be so averse thereform it will not be so tedious to them This especially if People live pretty sober Lives and they are not addicted to things which they know to be materially evil and naught but their chief Fault hath been they have not minded their due End in their Actions so much as they might have done 2. All this Non-Ability except again that of Ineptness to apprehend and to be affected with Spiritual things or the Matter of our Prayers which is to be remedied as aforesaid is no reasonable Excuse for our not using others Prayers or Forms either in the Scripture as the Lord's Prayer or composed by judicious and pious persons For here again are good Matter and Words ready for us and cannot we read or repeat these with Understanding and hearty Affections or learn them and repeat them by heart whether we can or cannot read The meanest and ignorantest and those who cannot read who I hope will be every day fewer can learn some such Prayers without Book shorter or longer fewer or more such as the Lord's Prayer and other Prayers none hath so bad a Memory as to do nothing in this kind And that all may have the less Excuse let Parents and those who Educate Children teach them some such Prayers as soon as may be That Persons may begin as soon as they are capable of understanding things to take notice of God their Creator and Sustainer from whom they have every thing 3. I have propounded some Means already which Men are able to make use of and by the Use of which Men may either be present at and joyn with others Prayers or read and repeat judicious and devout Forms of Prayers with Understanding and Affection in some degree or other and they may still further advance some at least to compose Prayers of their own out of others Prayers or their own Inventions and Observations or both together Can we not read nor hear read the Holy Scripture and understand the plain places and some of us the obscure by others Explication Can we not read other good Religious Books or hear them read can we not sometimes retire meditate reflect think of God and our selves what we are what we would be what we should be what we shall be Can we not read observe commit to Memory the Patterns of other wise and good Christians whether spoken or written Can we not pray to God to help and assist us to obtain one or more of the Qualifications of good Prayers especially Sincerity and Fervency I say cannot Persons use these Means I think they can All of them some or other more or less I know there are many Degrees in these things some Men can make use of more of these Means and more frequently All Men have not the like Ability or Opportunity but all have some And I do not think but the most busie dull ignorant and inept Persons may use more Means to be better than they are No Men that are imperfect and bad do all they can to become better Not so much as the Beggar who goes from Door to Door or sits upon the Dung-hill or waits upon Swine and Beasts And this is that which will be laid to their Charge be sure whatever else will and which will condemn them SECT III. 3. A Third
contemptible It must be oftimes done with frequent Repetitions and Inculcations many homely Similitudes many most easie and obvious Inferences and general Prooss or else the greatest part of Auditors and even of those who are of good understanding in other Affairs will never take the pains themselves to mind understand remember or be affected with what is delivered For the frequency of the performance of this Office it seems necessary to augment the number of those who are to discharge it that so it might be done the better The too often and frequent performance of it by one Person doth cause it to be done generally very meanly and injudiciously sometimes very coldly and dryly and sometimes with a great deal of non-sense and noise to supply the place of sound Sense and discreet Affection In sumn oftimes to little and sometimes to had purpose Nor is it long since that this very mean performance of Preaching was one principal cause why the Office was so shamefully invaded by every one who had a hot Head and great Lungs with such success as to be thought by themselves and the people too to be as good Preachers as the best and even to be inspired For how else thought they could illiterate men Extempore equalize and exceed those who had the advantage of Education and Study And as it may be of great use to multiply and encourage accommodate and fit Instructers of the People So it seems necessary that there should be some of more speculative calm and subtill and others of more prudent Tempers who should be the Judges and Determiners of the Truth of Doctrine and the Expediency of Discipline For neither these Popular nor yet more Courtly Orators are usually so sit for that though generally they are apt to take it upon them and often have done it despising the other Sort of Persons of fitter Qualities for it They have much more pleased and been more applauded by the Generality of Men than the other whence they have not only judged themselves in general more deserving and valuable which may be oft-times but particularly more fit to be Governors and Directors which hath seldom proved so For commonly as they are Persons of great and it may be good Passions so they are but of general confused and narrow Appre hension and oft-times of too much employment and besides extraordinarily prejudiced by the frequency of their Zeal and other Passions to judge things true and great which are often not so It seems certain they are very excellent and useful Instruments but not so fit to be the uppermost Masters and Governors And we see Men sensible of this in Civil and Secular Matters where every Haranguer is not thought sit to be a Judge or Privy Counsellor Finally it is to be heartily wished and endeavoured without the least envy or contention that every one might have Opportunity and just Encouragement to make use of his Talent greater or less in the Church of God and every where else for his Master's Service the doing of good And as to direct and improve it for that End is every Man's greatest Perfection so it is we know the only Condition of his Reward But many of these things and many more seen in this our Age to be rather wished by those who Cordially desire the Propagation of Religion than hoped that they should be so much as taken into Consideration However we may and ought by our humble importunate Petition perpetually solicite the Great King and Lord of all things that he would without or with what Means he pleaseth erect his Kingdom in the Hearts of Rebellious Mortals and dispose their Souls to a free Obedience to his Laws howsoever promulated or made known As for the following Treatise to which this somewhat long Preface leads It pretends to no great Matters The Subject of it being the most common and beaten in our own Tongue and a great part of it composed at first for a very plain Auditory it cannot be expected but that a great many things which Occur therein should be ordinary well known and more vulgarly expressed in a dress suitable to it and probably with too many little defects of style left hanging about them Nor is it fit that in a Treatise of the whole argument they should be emitted provided they be but true and profitable though but to meaner capacities Nevertheless I think I shall not be mistaken in saying that there are in it many things of good Importance not at all observed many not so distinctly many not so much with their respective Reasons delivered by others If it should be otherwise and there should be no valuable difference between this and other Discourses of the same Subject in our Tongue yet it might not be altogether superfluous For this might fall into the Hands of some and be read by them for some Consideration or other when others would not I look upon such Books as many Shops of the same Trade which sell the same Commodities Though one might be sufficient to furnish all Buyers if they would come thither yet many would omit their own Conveniencies and never buy at all if there were not others nearer hand or in their way or belonging to some Friend or Acquaintance Finally if it should happen that the same things may be had elsewhere better and with more advantage I shall be seriously glad of it and much more pleased at such a reason of my Mistake than troubled at my Mistake it self However it was thought best to err on the safest hand and considered that Superfluity doth less Harm than Want I pray God it may be somewhat serviceable to his Honour and the good of Men. G. B. THE Contents CHAP. 1. COncerning the Principal Parts or Ingredient of a Prayer Sect. 1. The Introduction to the following Treatise Page 1 Sect. 2. The Definitions of Prayer and of A Prayer the principal ingredients of a prayer recited pag. 9 Sect. 3. The first Ingredient An express attention to and acknowledgment of the Divine Perfections the proper and other occasional uses thereof in a prayer 12 Sect. 4. The second Ingredient A Confession of past and present sinfulness or iniquity of our actions and temper or inclinations Of this also the proper other good uses in a Prayer pag. 27 Sect. 5. The third Ingredient A solemn profession of future obedience and amendment Of which briefly the proper and collateral good effects 35 Sect. 6. The Fourth Ingredient Thanks giving or an actual loving of God for his favours already conferred The like here as in the foregoing particulars p. 40 Sect. 7. The Fifth Ingredient A rehearsal or particular proposal of ones wants and what one is about to desire The uses of this p. 46 Sect. 8. The Sixth Ingredient An express petition or desire that God would relieve and grant them unto us A Prayer thus performed containeth all the parts of Divine Worship p. 52 CHAP. II. Contains some of the most usual