first Admonition disliked the being tied to any Forms of Prayer invented by men but Mr Cartwright in his ſ ibid. Div. 3. Reply declares his agreement for a prescript Form to be used in the Church And besides other particular persons the Presbyterian Commissioners at the Savoy made not our Authors Position any part of their objections yea they were willing to have composed t Grand debate in exceptions of Presbyt p. 29. new Forms as themselves express And it would be well if our dissenting Brethren would really consider how great their disagreements are among themselves even in so many things that it cannot be expected that any way of settlement should be agreed upon among themselves as it was experimentally manifested by the proceedings of 1643 1644 1645. and the years ensuing 18. And I should be wanting in due returns of civility to our Author if I do not do him so much right as to acknowledge that his perspicuous stating the Question hath made way for the fairer examination thereof And he also disowns those wilder extreams in denying the lawfulness of all Forms in general and also declares that he u p. 18. doth not argue for praying ex tempore but only in the use of our own gifts which excludes not premeditation But I must likewise do the truth that right as to observe that his position as he hath stated it is not consistent therewith and therefore ought not to be asserted or defended CHAP. II. Ch. II. Of the gift of Prayer THE first Argument produced against the lawfulness of ordinarily using a set Form by such Ministers who have a gift of Prayer is because saith he this gift is a mean given by God for the performance of this religious act of Prayer and therefore a Reasona Account p. 5 6. may not be neglected or omitted And he tells us by the gift of Prayer he means b p. 6. a mans ability fitly to express his mind to God in Prayer And that such a person who is able fitly to express his mind in his own words ought to make use of them in publick Administrations and may not lawfully pray by a Form he endeavours to prove by urging some Scriptures which require the use of some gifts as 1 Tim. 4.14 1 Pet. 4.10 11. Rom. 12.3 6. 2. What the gift of Prayer is Now that I may give the clearest satisfaction to the Reader in this particular I shall not content my self barely to answer this Argument and to shew the weakness thereof but I shall first give an account What that is which is and may be called the Gift of Prayer and how far this is afforded and how far mens own abilities must be exercised Of the nature of Prayer And for the better understanding of this it must be observed that a pious and devout Prayer doth contain a great part of the lively exercise and practice of Religion and Piety especially if we comprehend under the name of Prayer both confession and thanksgiving It includeth a professed owning the true God and Faith in him and acknowledging him to be the Governour and disposer of all things and the Author of all good and this is called by Philo c Philo lib. Quod Deus sit immutabilis p. 306. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a great Prayer It taketh in also a professed owning the Almighty power infinite wisdom goodness faithfulness and Omniscience of God and also the exercise of reverence submission humility hope affectionate desire heavenly mindedness and repentance together with a lively sense and belief of the Gospel grace and promises and of the merits Mediation and Intercession of our only Lord and Saviour and a sincere love to all men and particularly to the Church and our Governours for whom we pray 3. Wherefore first that is eminently and especially to be esteemed the gift of Prayer which disposeth and enableth to the performance of the duty of Prayer And therefore since Prayer is not so much a verbal thing The gift of Prayer is a devout temper of mind as a pious address of the heart soul and spirit unto God Gods bestowing the supplies and assistances of his grace which kindle and excite pious dispositions in seeking unto God with earnest and affectionate desires a lively faith and the exercise of inward devotion this is most properly his vouchsafing and bestowing the gift of Prayer and our receiving and exercising them is our having and using the gift of Prayer For as the gift of Charity doth not consist in speaking of the matters or rules of Charity but in being inwardly disposed to the lively practice of that divine grace so is it also in Prayer Now if any persons shall here say as some are used to speak that what I have expressed is not the gift but the grace of Prayer he may consider that by Grace he can here understand nothing else but an excellent and gracious gift and as S. Austin declared d Aug. Ep. 105. Sixto ipsa oratio inter gratiae munera reperitur Prayer it self is to be reckoned amongst the works of grace 4. And whereas this Author e Reas Acc. p. 19. produceth two places of Scripture to prove the gift of Prayer from the holy Spirit This shewed from the Holy Scripture Zec. 12.10 and Rom. 8.26 it is remarkably observable that both these places so far as they speak of the spirit or gift of Prayer have particular respect to the inward affection and devotion of the heart and not according to his notion to the ability of expression The former place is Zec. 12.10 I will pour upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplications and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and they shall mourn c. Where the Hebrew word translated Supplications is by divers Interpreters as the Chaldee Paraphrast the Septuagint the Syriack and Arabick Versions and Pagnine agreeably to the derivation of it rendred Mercies or Compassions And since the spirit of supplications is the spirit of grace it therefore is to be understood according to the common sense of Interpreters of piety of mind and affections and an holy temper and disposition of heart to trust in God and call upon him And the following words and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced and shall mourn c. will infer the same thing if those words be taken as expressions of true repentance which is the sense of many good Expositors though some modern and f Eus Dem. Evang. l. 8. Test 4. ancient Writers look upon them as expressing the anguish of them who had despised and disobeyed our Blessed Lord and Saviour 5. The other place is Rom. 8.26 The spirit helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray for as we ought but the spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Now concerning the former part of these words it cannot be conceived
spake 7. The third thing he would have considered is whether any such attention be to be expected from people q p. 27. Of the attention of the People in Prayer to Forms of Prayer which they oft hear as to a conceived Prayers Now that part of attention which consists in considering the way and manner of expressions conceptions or method is like to be the greater in the use of a conceived Prayer by reason of its being new but this is of no benefit to Religion but a real hindrance to true devotion But a pious attention of soul to join in the matter of Prayer may be the better performed by persons Religiously disposed in a set Form when they know before-hand what Prayers they are to present and come prepared to join in them 8. But to render what he aims at the more plausible he saith r Ibid. God requires attention to his word in known duties as much as in new things it is at least an ingenious observation that God to stir up his peoples attentions and affections tells them he would do a new thing and that I did in my Preface to my Libertas Ecclesiastica say the humour of this Age is more apt to seek for new Books Ch. II. than to read 〈◊〉 ones Concerning what he first observeth 1. The Scriptures sometimes call that 〈◊〉 new thing which is so wonderful and â—â—raculous that the like was never hearâ— before Thus when the earth was to opâ—â— its mouth and swallow up Corah and 〈◊〉 Company this is called Gods making 〈◊〉 new thing Num. 16.30 The like expression is used in Jer. 31.22 which Teâ—â— was by the Å¿ Hieron in loc Aug. de Temp. Serm. 9. ancient Writers expounded concerning the miraculous conception 〈◊〉 Christ But are varied expressions thing of this nature 2. Doth God never intenâ— to stir up the attentions and affections 〈◊〉 men by his word but when he tells theâ— he will speak or do a new thing Surelâ— God declared Jer. 7.23 28. that the command of obeying his voice was thâ—â— which all the Prophets had urged anâ— yet he did not thereupon allow that 〈◊〉 should be the less attended to Anâ— whereas in this very page he said thâ—â— God hath secured an abiding reverence 〈◊〉 all pious souls to the holy Scriptures it waâ— not so ingenious an observation as our Author thought it to contradict himself here as if no such reverence and attentioâ— would be given by Gods people to hâ—â— word but in new things 9. And which way soever in otheâ— things the genius of men and the humour of the age may tend true devotion in Religion always enclines to the same things to wit to glorifie God for his infinite excellency to praise him for his abundant goodness to confess our sins and implore his pardon grace and protection and the blessings both of this life and of eternal life He who would leave out these old and constant matters of Prayer will but badly guide others in that duty and they who are diligently attentive to what is new in the variety and novelty of expressions but neglect attention to these old things will not be the better Christians Our Author tells us none gives that attention to a discourse or story he t Ibid. hath heard an hundred times over that he gives to a new one A devout temper not like that of hearing a Story to be pleased only with new things And I wonder he should have no greater sense and understanding in these things than to argue from such comparisons For though in things that tend to instruct mens understandings or gratifie and humour their fancies those things which are new do most affect them yet in the exercise of grace the fear and reverence of God and desires after the same kind of divine blessings are more serious and earnest in those persons who by a long continued practice have accustomed themselves to these very things Ch. III. than in them who have been hitherto strangers to them and unacquainted with the and to whom they are altogether new things 10. He next comes to prove Of fervency in Prayer that fervency and intention of spirit in Prayer is hindred by the use of Forms To this purpose he saith u Reas Acc. p. 28. p. 52. as to him that ministreth there is a great deal of difference between words following the affections and affections following the words And this he saith is an old Argument of Didoclavius And the very same was urged by x De Conscient l. 4. c. 17. qu. 4. Amesius and therefore surely was thought to be the best Argument these Writers could meet with And our Author also saith y p. 31 32. they believe the people do find a different flame in these Prayers but it is not easy to assign the reason of the difference 11. Now here I grant A Religious man is more devout in a Form of Prayer by his frequent use of it that in such a Form of Prayer as the person hath never before read or used there can be no particular previous preparation of heart or affections to join in the several Petitions thereof and this in the first use of such a Form I admit and acknowledge to be a disadvantage to devotion But if thus much be true it will manifest that the people must be hindred in the fervency of their devotions by joining in a conceived Prayer because being unacquainted before-hand with what would be therein expressed Of affections following words in Prayer their affections must follow the speakers words And thus the former part of what he asserts doth wholly undermine and disprove the latter which was laid down without any proof at all and this is the more considerable because the devotion of the people or the whole Congregation rather than of the Minister is chiefly to be regarded in publick Prayer and on their part lyeth this disadvantage 12. But in such an ordinary Form which he who ministreth is well acquainted with there is no such impediment to his devotion For he may come with his heart particularly disposed to apply himself to God for those special blessings and so may the people do also in the like case and so the pious disposition and acting of his spirit as to those particular Prayers is not only the sudden consequent of his present reading those words but is previous thereunto This Author partial But here I cannot but take notice of our Authors great partiality concerning the preparation of mens hearts to Prayer He declares in his own way z p. 26. that a premeditation of the greatness and majesty of God and of ones own vileness c. are of great use but to him who useth a p. 28. prescribed Forms he allows only that there may be some general previous preparation of affections but it is hard to keep them warm so long as until he comes to his work Thus
prejudices hurry men into the most unreasonable absurdities and unaccountable censures of others And that we may further see how much this Writer fights in the dark and doth not weigh the force and tendency of what he urgeth to prove Forms to be an obstruction to fervency in Prayer he tells us they b p. 28 29. think it not possible that the words of another should so well fit our hearts and be so expressive of raised affections as our own Some things urged against forms of Prayer will equally conclude-against all publick worship Now these words are of no weight against Forms since they may best express what things we ought to desire But I suppose he did not consider that what he thus speaks tends to declare that the people cannot with fervent affections join with the Minister in any Prayer whatsoever because they are not their own words and then all publick Prayer fitted to the people must be condemned and so they must either take up with the Quakers silence or the Romish service where the Assembly are not capable of understanding and consequently of joining with the Priests in their Service 13. But he hath another thing to urge which particularly concerneth the Ministers reading of a Form and that is that then c p. 29. the soul looks through the eye and is diverted from its contemplation upon God His sense is that the looking upon the words in the Book must hinder his heart from being directed unto God because as he after saith d p. 31. and the same sence p. 52. it is impossible that any created being should in the same action duly intend two objects Now our Author is so unhappy in his Arguments that they not only recoil with equal violence upon himself but what he urgeth is against all vocal Prayer whether of Ministers or others in publick or in private and also against others joining with them For the considering of words phrases method and sense is a different thing in conceived Prayer from the directing the heart and spirit unto God and this must take up more of his mind and thoughts than the looking upon a Book doth And the peoples hearing and observing the words of Prayer spoken is as different a thing from the motions of the mind toward God as the seeing the same words is Reading or hearing words hinders not the minding the sence of them But in truth since the main use of words is that they are to express things the use of the same act about the word and the thing signified by it as to understand each of them or the use of such different acts about the word and the thing signified by it as to read or hear the one and to understand or be affected with the other are no impediments at all to the vigorous actings of our souls and minds He must be no ordinary man that is able to make out that the seeing or hearing the words of any Proposition or Discourse hindreth from clearly understanding the sense thereof when these words are wholly subservient to the thing to express the sense and meaning thereof Nor can I be perswaded that I affect any thing of God or goodness the less for hearing or reading such words as represent and express them or direct and excite my affections towards them And withal he who is well acquainted with a Form of Prayer needeth no industrious exercise of his eye in the use thereof 14. But on the other hand Manifold advantages to piety from the use of Forms of Prayer since in such conceived Prayers as our Author pleads for the Ministers mind must be imployed in considering and conceiving and digesting his words and his method and sense and is apt to be sometimes solicitous lest he do amiss in any of these and may sometimes have pleasing reflexions upon his own fluency or the contrary these things may more justly be esteemed hindrances to his devotion And besides what I have abovesaid concerning the devotions of the people the using conceived Prayers as the publick service of the Church may be an impediment thereof upon these several accounts 1. They are not certain that they can join in the matter of a new conceived Prayer till they have well considered it and therefore are the more apt to hesitate concerning it 2. In the time of Prayer they may be too apt to give their minds liberty of observing the expressions and the manner of the composure of the Prayer either to judge of it or imitate it which tend to distract the mind and divert it from the worship of God 3. And they further want this benefit which attendeth our publick Form that the joining in that Prayer which is with one accord put up to God in the several Assemblies of our Church may reasonably be and to many is a quickning of their devotion from the benefit of Christian Vnity and the e Bishop Sparrow's Rationale of Com. Prayer p. 9. promise annexed thereunto Mat. 18.19 20. Concerning which Text S. Cyprian observed that though some not considering the whole discourse made use of the last clause to encourage division yet it appears from the Connexion of that with the former Verse If two of you shall agree c. that f Cypr. de Unit. Eccl. si collecti unanimiter oraverint duo aut tres licet sint impetrare possunt de Dei Majestate quod postulant if they be gathered together with one accord though they be but two or three they may obtain what they seek for of the divine Majesty And therefore there may be a greater hope of obtaining those very things which we particularly know to be the joint desire of so great a number of Christians 4. Besides this there are very many persons who have not that quickness of capacity which is necessary for their hearts and affections to go along with new Prayers who yet can piously and devoutly join in those they have been well acquainted with 5. And withal whensoever there are as is too frequent any impertinencies or unadvised and unbecoming expressions in conceived Prayer or whatsoever is the result of passion imprudence negligence weakness or bad principles and erroneous opinions this must be expected to be a disturbance and hindrance to the fervency and devotion of the Auditors 15. But because I am apprehensive Whether in the Apostles times all publick worship was performed by extraordinary gifts that some may be apt to think that much of what I have said in the preferring the use of publick Forms to other conceived Prayers may seem applicable at first view to the Apostolical times also as if the use of their miraculous gifts when they used no Forms were to be undervalued I shall therefore desire these things may be considered First that as it is manifest that under the Old Testament they who had the gift of prophecy were not at all times under the special impulses of the divine spirit
of Prayer And g p. 4. that he alloweth short ejaculatory Forms such as Lord have mercy upon us This being the sense of this Writer I shall concerning his stating this Question observe three things 3. Obs 1. From these premises the Reader may yet have a little further insight into the matter of this Question to which end he may consider First that our Prayer is directed to the most high God and therefore it was called by the ancient Writers h Greg. Nys de Orat. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and i Cl. Alex. Strom. l. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an having to do with and speaking unto God Secondly that the ordinary wants of Christians except extraordinary emergencies which may be otherwise provided for and consequently the usual matter of Prayer for publick Assemblies especially is constantly the same He who will deny this must as well condemn the Directory for k Direct Of Assembling the Congregation Of publick Prayer before Sermon c. directing to the matter of publick Prayer as the Common Prayer for expressing the words nor can he have such honourable thoughts as he ought to have and as the Christian Church always hath had of the Contents of the Lords Prayer Thirdly that the granting it lawful for a Minister to use a prescribed Form of Prayer of anothers composure if he have not the gift of Prayer is as much as to acknowledge that such a Prayer piously performed is a true worship of God and may be acceptable to him otherwise it would not be lawful Fourthly That the difference betwixt praying for the same things in a Form and praying for them without a Form is this that in the former way the same words and methods are constantly used whereas in the latter the expressions are altered and changed The result of this Question is Whether variety of expressions be of great consequence for the pleasing God and oft-times the order and method also according as the person thinketh fit or as he is able to perform it 4. Wherefore fifthly The main result of this Question at the last comes to this Whether mens changing of expressions varying of phrases and altering their order and method in their Prayers to God be things so valuable and considerable in his sight that his laws and will do require this and that he hath such an eye unto it that the humble devout and Religious supplications and addresses of pious persons are not acceptable to him unless they be attended with such variety of expressions where the persons have so much volubility of speech Now upon a short view it may appear that the affirmative in this Question is very unlikely and improbable upon several accounts 5. If we consult the rules of holy Scripture The contrary appears from Scripture our Saviour particularly rebuked the vanity of them who think they shall be heard by their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 much speaking or many and various words Mat. 6.7 And as a remedy against it taught his Disciples that comprehensive Form of the Lords Prayer And from this Text S. Aug. l Aug. Ep. 121. c 10. accounteth superfluity of words to be unmeet for Prayer for things necessary And hence also S. Hilary inferreth that we should m Hil. in Mat. Can. 5. orare ad Deum non multiloquio sed conscientia pray to God not with a multitude of words but with a good Conscience And it is accounted a piece of reverence to God which Solomon directed us to make use of in our addresses to him Eccl. 5.2 Be not rash with thy mouth and let not they heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in heaven and thou upon earth therefore let thy words be few 6. From the Jewish worship And it may be considered that under the Law God did not require daily various changes of the real expressions of religious worship and service but appointed them to be continually the same Numb 28.2 3 c. which makes it more than probable that the variety of verbal expressions is not requisite to obtain his acceptance under the Gospel The daily burnt-offering was continually without any varying the thing a lamb of the first year with the same sort of meat-offering and drink-offering and the Priests without any varying of rites about that Sacrifice were as Josephus saith n Joseph Ant. Jud. l. 3. c. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 performing their office always in the same manner Only upon their sabbath days the ordinary sacrifice was doubled and upon other days of great solemnity there was an addition of other Sacrifices And I need not direct the intelligent Reader to observe how much the service of our Church is in these things correspondent to what the wisdom of God himself then established our Evangelical services being now morning and evening offered unto God as then were the Legal as hath been observed by o Bishop Sparrow's Ration of Com. Pr. p. 3 8. And from the nature of God our Reverend and Learned Diocesan 7. And he who considereth that God is a spirit and that true piety and goodness and sincerity are the things in which he delights cannot easily perswade himself that the use of different phrases in Prayer can be of any great moment before him unless he had particularly commanded this and then indeed it would be a part of Obedience Proper words are necessary in publick Prayer that by their expressive significancy the whole Congregation may join in their united Petitions and also for the promoting order and decency and manifesting a due honour to Gods worship and reverence for his name and all these things may be most usefully provided for in a well ordered Form But words are not in religious service valuable in themselves further than they have respect to such things but a pure heart and the exercise of true piety is that which God accepteth 8. This truth is so manifest that even the Ethnick Writers do frequently express it The Satyrist declares of a well fixed integrity and inward purity of mind and heart p Pers in Satyr 2. Haec cedo ut admoveam templis farre litabo that this is the most valuable thing without compare in the publick worship And when Hierocles had declared q Hier. in Pyth. p. 26. what the Pythian Oracle spake to the same purpose he thus expresseth his own sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with piety of mind every expression is acceptable to God and without it none And amongst the Christian Writers such expressions are frequent as that of S. Cyprian r Cyp. de Orat. Dom. Deus non vocis sed cordis auditor est God hears not the voice but the heart and that of Cl. Alexandrinus that the most excellent service is ſ Cl. Alex. Strom. l. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by a religious devotion and that as men observe our words so God observes our minds and thoughts But now
evidence from the Laws of God and the Constitution of the Christian Church that Schism and unnecessary separation is a sin in the breach of Christian Vnity as that Adultery is a sin in breaking the bond of Wedlock And I account my self to be as certain that if ever there was any unwarrantable separation from any known Church since the Apostles time the separation from the Church of England is really such since our Church is truly as free from any just exception in its Constitution doctrine and worship as any other since that time either was or is And it seemeth highly probable if I do not mistake plain words that some of our dissenters themselves are at some times satisfied either of so much or of that which comes very near it concerning the excellent Constitution of our Church Dr Owen saith i Of Evang. Love p. 54 55. We look upon the Church of England or the generality of the nation professing Christian Religion measuring them by the doctrine received since the Reformation to be as sound and healthful a part of the Catholick Church as any in the World and again k ibid. p. 87. We believe that the generality of the inhabitants of this nation are by their profession constituted an eminent part of the Kingdom of Christ in this World But if pitieth me to consider upon what weak and unwarrantable pretences such persons venture upon the practices of real separation and by what insufficient excuses they plead for themselves in the defence thereof 14. This Authors opinion is a heavy charge against the most eminent Churches and men Obs 3. There are considerable prejudices against the truth of our Authors assertion as it is by him stated even such which beside the more direct evidences of which hereafter will perswade a sober man to be wary of entertaining it if he duly observe them For this opinion is not only against the Church of England but the most famous Churches in the Primitive times who used such set Forms in their publick worship as besides what hath been said already will sufficiently appear in the following Discourse This is also against the Constitution of many eminent Protestant Churches abroad which I have elsewhere l Libert Eccl. B. 1. Ch. 4. Sect. 1. n. 11 12. observed briefly and shall not need here to add further proof since this Author doth not deny the same but tells us m Reason Acc. Ch. 2. p. 9. the continuance of Liturgies upon the Reformation owes it self in a great measure to their not having men able to pray without a Form And yet I cannot but think that this Author is a person of so much modesty and hath such a respect to many of those Reformers and their Successors as not to think them inferiour to himself and then they must come under the censure of his assertion And to me it seemeth a very hard thing to embrace such a position as must cast reproach on almost all the Churches of Christ in all Ages and must also conclude all the most famous Ministers therein to have lived and died in the constant practice of the same sin unrepented of Now I can easily apprehend that such a consideration as this will have a different influence upon such men as this Author according to the different temper in which it may meet with them For at one time he tells us n Ch. 9. p. 163. authority or practice is a lamentable Argument but at another time he declares concerning the sense and apprehensions of good men that o Ch. 2. p. 44. the sensus piorum neither is nor ever was judged by persons of sobriety and worth an inconsiderable Argument for the truth of a proposition especially a practical proposition not plainly determined in holy Writ 15. Nor is it consistent with it self his very stating his Question overthrows the main foundations and chief Arguments of his Discourse and then he who will embrace our Authors assertion according as he hath stated it upon such Arguments as he chiefly urgeth must learn to affirm and deny the same thing or to reconcile things contradictory which to me and to all rational men must be when observed another great prejudice against his opinion Now in stating his Case he grants as I above observed that such Forms of Prayer as God hath commanded in Scripture if any such be must be used and other Scripture Forms though not commanded may be used as part of our Prayer and yet he declares it sinful for such Ministers who can pray otherwise to use Forms 1. From the duty of using their own p Ch. 2. p. 6 7 c. and Ch. 3. gifts and 2. From the hindrance of pious dispositions or attention and fervency from the use of a Form of words in Prayer and yet if these Arguments are of any weight they must conclude against the lawful use of Scripture Forms as well as of others which yet he asserteth to be lawful And indeed some Scripture Forms being in the New Testament commanded to be used that sufficiently manifesteth that a set Form of words in Prayer can be no hindrance to a religious temper of mind unless we will grant that our Saviours commands are hurtful to his Religion and that such Positions of men which are contrary to his Precepts ought to be preferred before them 16. He acknowledgeth also p. 3. that it is lawful yea necessary for them who join with others in Prayer to make use of his words who speaketh which c an be but a Form to them And p. 19. he saith such persons have nothing to do but to exercise their grace And this consideration was made use of to prove the lawfulness of Forms by q Pract. Catechism B. 3. Sect. 2. Bishop Tayl. Of Prayer Extempore n. 46 47. Disp of Liturg. Prop. 1. Arg. 6. Dr Hammond Dr Taylor and Mr Baxter Now from hence it not only follows that such Prayers are acceptable to God which are put up by pious men with devout hearts but without the exercise of their own gifts but it must also be hence concluded that Vnity in publick Prayer is more acceptable to God than the use of mens own abilities in conception or expression For otherwise it would be the duty of all persons in the publick Assemblies who have any such abilities not to take notice of the Ministers words or to join in them but distinctly to exercise their own gifts or make use of their private conceptions there or else to withdraw themselves from the publick Assemblies that they may have the more free opportunity for the exercise of them 17. Nor generally owned by the Non-Conformists I shall only add in the last place that this assertion of our Author is such that a great part and I think the greater part of the Nonconformists themselves will not own Indeed in Qu. Eliz. her time the r In Bishop Whitgifts Defence Tr. 9. Ch. 2. Div. 2.
that this great Apostle and other Christians at that time should be ignorant of the common matters of Christian Prayer who could not but be acquainted with g Aug. Ep. 121. ad Prob. the Lords Prayer but a considerable part of the sense of this clause is that whilest under troubles and sufferings of which the Apostle was discoursing even good men are apt to think their present redress and deliverance most desirable as this Apostle himself did the departing of that outward affliction which he calls h Aug. ib. Chrys in Rom. 8.26 a thorn in the flesh 2 Cor. 12.7 8 10. the influence of Gods spirit directs them to seek his Kingdom and with hope and patience and submission to resign themselves unto the will of God that that may be done on earth and that his most wise Government should order all their affairs in this life And the guidance of the Holy Spirit by keeping pious men humble preserves them ordinarily from such irregular inclinations and desires as appeared in the request of the two Sons of Zebedee James and John which they made to our Lord. And all this is performed by the influence of the grace of the Holy Spirit 6. And in the latter part of these words the Spirits making intercession with groanings which cannot be uttered may well be applied to vehement affections and inward gracious motions of the heart but cannot consistently with common sense be referred to words and expressions But I see no great difference whether this clause be understood immediately of the Holy Ghost himself as most of the i Aug. Ep. 105. Ep. 121. passimâ—â— Ambrâ—â— ad Horonâ—â— Ancients understand it that he gemendi inspirat affectum promotes affectionate groans as in a like way of expression they observe the Spirit is said to cry Abba Father Gal. 4.6 because thereby we cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 Or whether it be understood of the gifts of the Holy Ghost and the spirits of pious men who are influenced thereby in dependance upon him which is the interpretation of k Chrys in loc S. Chrysostom and is also mentioned by l Contra Serm. Arian S. Austin 7. The continued and encreased supplies of this divine grace and gift of Prayer This gift necessary to be exercised or inward devotion of mind is usually vouchsafed to pious men according to their diligence and progress in piety goodness and righteousness and their frequent practice of these duties of Religion with careful preparation of mind And the exercise of this gift being so great a part of Religion and of singular use for obtaining various blessings from God it ought by all men to be performed with the greatest seriousness And as that ability of expression whereby a man largely professeth the particular doctrines of the Christian Faith in the several Articles of our Belief is not properly the gift of Faith or of believing so neither is the like ability of expressing the matter of our Prayer to be accounted in any proper sense the gift of Prayer but rather of speaking utterance or Elocution But it is the inward gracious dispositions and motions of our hearts and minds which is the most powerful Oratory to prevail with God And this whether with or without a Form of words yea whether joined with outward expressions or attended with silence is the effectual and fervent prayer of a righteous man which availeth much Hereby as Cl. Alexandrinus m Cl. Alex. Strom. l. 7. saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We speak distinctly though with silence Of the extraordinary gifts used in Prayer in the beginning of Christiauity and utter inward loud cries where no voice is heard 8. Secondly There was also a gift of Prayer and praying with the spirit when together with what is above expressed many Christians in the beginning of Christianity were frequently enabled by the extraordinary impulses and immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit upon their minds so to pray either in their own or other Languages that these motions of their hearts and inward desires and also their words and expressions were the proper and extraordinary works and dictates of the Holy Ghost 1 Cor. 14.14 15 16 17. And it seemeth highly probable that the Apostle had some respect to this gift Rom. 8.26 27. according to the interpretation of n Chrys in Rom. 8. S. Chrysostome who thinks that for the better clearing those words there must be recourse had to the times of such extraordinary gifts which in his days were ceased And he saith God then gave gifts which are called also spirits and having mentioned the gift or spirit of prophecy of wisdom healing miracles tongues c. he addeth after all these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there was a gift of Prayer which is also called a spirit or spirit of Prayer and he who had this saith he prayed for the whole multitude And in another place the same Father observes that this gift which he there also calls o Chrys in 1 Cor. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was sometimes accompanied with the gift of tongues or an ability by the inspiration of the spirit to express these Prayers in other Languages which is also manifest from the Scriptures themselves 1 Cor. 14.14 15 16. 9. How far such extraordinary gifts were to be used Now he who had this gift ought to make use thereof in a due and regular manner especially so far as concerned the matter of this inspiration and guidance For this was an extraordinary and singular favour from God and these impulses were most excellent assistances and infallible guides for the right performance of the duty of Prayer and making intercession according to the will of God Rom. 8.27 But these eminent and extraordinary motions being miraculous were peculiar to that primitive time for which they were calculated when the Christian Faith needed Confirmation by the demonstration of the spirit both for the establishing of Christians and the Conversion of others But no man now can justly pretend to speak or pray by such infallible inspirations nor ought he to be credited who shall so pretend Yet they who then received these assistances were not obliged always to make use of them meerly for the exercising of their gifts in the Christian Assemblies but they ought only so far to use them as was consistent with the rules of order and decency and edification but in other Cases they were to forbear the use thereof as is manifest from 1 Cor. 14. And upon this account the Apostle argues against the publick use of the gift of Prayer in an unknown tongue though in the use of inspired gifts 1 Cor. 14.14 my spirit prayeth but my understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is unfruitful i.e. my gift is exercised and my own mind and spirit is affected but my sense and meaning is not declared to the profit and benefit of others For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here rendred understanding appears
to be used by S. Paul in this place for the declared sense of his words and expressions or the true p Valla Lud. Cappel in loc meaning of what he spake as appears from v. 19. and so it is used elsewhere in this Epistle 1 Cor. 2.16 we have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mind of Christ or the plain and true manifestation of his mind and doctrine 10. From this 1 Cor. Ch. 14. I had in my Libertas Ecclesiastica given this as an Answer to that Argument against set Forms of Prayer that they limit the use of gifts q Lib. Eccl. B. 1. Ch. 4. Sect 2. p. 120. That by the will of God bounds and limits were to be set even to the use of the extraordinary gifts of Gods spirit that the Church might be edified 1 Cor. 14.26 27 28 30 33. Whereas now no such miraculous emanations of the Holy Ghost can be pretended Now in reply to this this Author useth r Reas Account p. 14 15 16 17. many words and saith these Precepts of the Apostle in this Chapter were against two or three speaking or gabling together and for the avoiding undue length in their Discourses and that if any speak in an unknown tongue some should interpret And then he declares that such disorderly things may be restrained but saith it is one thing to restrain the notorious abuse of gifts but it is a quite different thing to restrain the use of them And to this purpose he misrepresents my sense in a Syllogism of his own and then triumphs over what himself had formed wherewith I shall not trouble the Reader but shall in a few words declare what manifest evidence there is in this Chapter for that which I urged from it 11. Rules for the exercise of such gifts laid down 1 Cor. 14. considered My intention was to shew that the use of particular gifts is not of so great necessity in the Church because they are gifts but that even some of the extraordinary emanations of the Holy Spirit might be and ought to be forborn to be exercised where this forbearance tended to decent order or edification And if this be plainly proved from this Chapter the general urging the necessity of the use of all gifts given of God further than that use is orderly and needful for edification is an errour and mistake Now the Apostle in this Chapter declares that charity edification and the good and profit of others are things to be preferred and valued above extraordinary spiritual gifts v. 1 2 3 4 c. that they who had these extraordinary gifts of the spirit were not bound to use them in the Church meerly because they were gifts unless the use thereof was for the profit and edification of others v. 2 6 18 19. Yea the use of the gift of tongues though given by the special inspiration of the Holy Spirit was totally forbidden where there was no interpreter v. 23 27 28. and yet so far as concerns the nature of gifts an ability to speak with other tongues by peculiar assistances of the Spirit was as much yea more a gift than an ability of expressing our selves in our own tongue without any such extraordinary and peculiar assistance And they who had other gifts of revelation interpretation or doctrine were to hold their peace so far as was requisite to the observing the rules of order and decency and the avoiding confusion v. 26 30 33 40. But in our Case there are no such gifts in being now as then were in the Church and therefore no restraint laid upon any such here is no prohibiting that which is the proper gift of Prayer as I have above shewed nor is any thing forbidden directly or indirectly by the injoining Liturgies which is of greater use to the edification of the Church as I shall ſ In Ch. 3. hereafter shew but here is a direction for a better and more useful performance of the duty of Prayer prescribed 12. Thirdly I acknowledge there is an ability in many persons whereby they can express their minds in some degree fitly to God in Prayer This our Author doth t Reas Acc. p. 6 8 10. divers times declare to be that which he accounteth the gift of Prayer And I do not love to contend about expressions yet the phrase of the gift of Prayer is no where used at all in the Scripture and the ancient Writers do usefully for the promoting devotion in Prayer discourse of it as a work of the heart and soul and not of words Prayer saith S. Basil u Basil in Mart. Julitt in Bas de Orat 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we do not at all define to be a business of words and whilest we are warned against confidence in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 much speaking it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a diligent disposition of heart that is of great use Wherefore as I before said I esteem not this ability of expression to be properly the gift of Prayer but rather of speech or utterance or a piece of elocution 13. How far readiness of expression in Prayer is a gift of God This facility of expression is procured and enlarged in men who have a competent natural freedom of speech by use and exercise and is advanced by various methods I acknowledge that in some an affectionateness of devotion doth contribute much thereto and in others confident self-conceit and an heated fancy and as I have read some particular instances even diabolical contracts have promoted the same And as I cannot admit these things last mentioned to be called the gifts of God so neither is it to be allowed that the natural product of them in those persons should be so esteemed and much less are they to be called Gifts of the Holy Spirit And it is manifest that a readiness of expressing the sense of their minds with fluency of fit words and volubility of speech doth attend even such men who make use of their Prayers and other Discourses to propagate and uphold errors and heretical doctrines and Enthusiasm and even them who are sunk into the depth of impiety as well as those who design to promote truth and goodness And it must be an high dishonour to the Holy Spirit for any to say that he gives his immediate and peculiar assistances to the advancing of error and falshood S. Paul observed a sleight and cunning craftiness in them who lie in wait to deceive Eph. 4.14 and that by good words and fair speeches they deceive the hearts of the simple 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 men of innocent and harmless intentions Rom. 16.18 And Nazianzene describes the discourses of Hereticks that they had x Naz. Orat 33. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a quick nimble and voluble tongue and they spake 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with a masculine and generous stile and choice and approved words And these persons and such like might be forward enough to call these things
gifts and to use our Authors Argument against the restraint of them 14. The high advantages of the influences and aids of the Holy Spirit in the Church of God are with great thankfulness to God and our Saviour to be acknowledged but the operations of this spirit tend to produce purity holiness and goodness Christians are commanded in the Holy Scriptures to pray in the spirit which besides what was extraordinary and peculiar to those times consists in inward piety of heart and not in variety of words And copiousness of expression is so far from being an evidence of his conduct that in S. Chrysostoms judgment where there is an over-flowing abundance and multitude of words in Prayer this cannot consist with that praying in the spirit which is commanded by the Apostle Eph. 6.18 It is saith he y Chrys in Eph. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to pray in the spirit when any one useth multitudes of words and repetitions And indeed to pray in the spirit as the Apostle directs is to perform the duty of Prayer with a pious temper of mind according to the Christian rules whereas the designed use of variety of words and expressions and the affecting this is contrary to the Precepts of our Saviour The Commentaries under S. Ambrose his name declare z In Eph. 6. Hoc est in spiritu semper or are munda conscientia fide integra precem ad Deum dirigere This is to pray always in the spirit to direct prayer to God with a pure conscience and an upright faith and Calvin explains praying in the spirit by declaring the inward devoutness of affection which is a fruit of that spirit a In Ep. Jud. v. 20. hinc ardor vehementia hinc denique gemitus illi inenarrabiles Hence proceed warmth and earnestness of spirit and groans that cannot be uttered 15. I acknowledge a sober and due freedom of expression to be a gift of God in the same manner that the capacities of mens understanding and all other abilities of mind and body are Gods gifts But it is plain that this liberty of expression is the product of the natural capacities men receive from God which are improved in well disposed persons by ordinary means under Gods blessing And I cannot discern and I think no man else can that a Ministers ability of speech either for Prayer or Preaching or Conference is of any other nature than that freedom of expression which a Lawyer hath to plead or which other persons of good capacities and liberal education and who have accustomed themselves to discourse do make use of concerning such things as they have well considered only it may be advanced by a pious affection towards the things he may discourse of 16. I shall now consider whether it be the duty of Christians or particularly of Ministers to make use of such abilities at all times in the exercises of Religion And besides what I have said before How far Ministers are obliged to exercise all their abilities it may justly be accounted a considerable if not an unanswerable objection against the necessity contended for of a Ministers using a particular gift or ability wherewith he is endued meerly because it is a gift in that this would equally make it his duty to use his present or extempore ability of conception and expression in Prayer or Preaching if he have any such ability and the use of his memory in declaring what he hath himself conceived or thought on before-hand and also his reading what hath been before composed either by himself or by others But the use of these several abilities at the same time is impossible because of their being inconsistent with one another But God obligeth no man to impossibilities 17. And besides this if it be necessary to the obtaining the favour of God for Ministers to use their own gifts in uttering variety of expressions in their Prayers to God because they may not neglect the use of any of their gifts or abilities then it must be necessary also where the person who Ministers hath an ability to perform it and the Auditory among learned men and Scholars hath a capacity to understand it to perform the Offices of Prayer in the use of divers languages some part in one language and some part in another exercising therein all his several abilities For our Authors Argument will as much prove the necessity of this as the necessity of his using his own parts in different ways of expression in his own language since the former is a more eminent and extraordinary ability than the latter and if no gift or accomplishment may be totally neglected in the service of God then not this which is of so considerable a degree But yet if we consider God b Cl. Alex. Strom. l. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he desires not and is not pleased with the variety of sounds of words and languages and the urging such a practice as a necessary duty of Religion would represent Religion as if it was a business of affectation fancy and humour and not of piety and seriousness Now this I mention to manifest hereby of how low and little concernment in Religion the meer exercise of a mans own abilities are further than they have an influence upon the profit and edification of others 18. No duty to use any ability further than is orderly and for edification And there are also many other abilities gifts or perfections of another nature which God bestows upon some Ministers the exercise of which they may lawfully and usefully wholly omit in their Ministerial employments For instance he who is eminently able by critical learning to explicate divers difficult Texts of Scripture or who is one of a piercing judgment to fathom the depth of the greatest controversies will not only be free from sin but may be commended if he silence these his abilities in his popular Sermons and acquaint common Auditories with such doctrines and duties as are both useful for their practice and sutable to their capacities Thus S. Paul dealt with his Corinthians feeding them with milk 1 Cor. 3.2 19. I shall now go further and shew 'T is best for the Church that the ablest men in some cases ordinarily make use of what was formed by others abilities that Ministers who have themselves gifts and abilities of the greatest degree both lawfully may and for the greater good of the Church ought to make use of what is drawn up to their hands by others in some great and weighty cases rather than of their own gifts in the neglect of what is so composed drawn up and established And of this I shall give two instances 20. My first instance shall be concerning the translation of the Holy Scripture Now I presume this Author will acknowledge As the Translation of Scripture that Ministers ought to instruct their people in the doctrine and Religion of Christianity out of the holy Scriptures But
more devout we are to the higher degree we are raised of this temper and active disposition of mind This is indeed of great consequence in our addresses to God and as c Aug. de Temp. Serm. 157. S. Austin saith Prayer being a spiritual thing it is so much the more accepted of God by how much our spirits and affections are answerable to this duty If this be what he means by his attention and intention it will be readily granted that that way or model of service which hinders these duties and is not consistent with their exercise is thereupon unlawfull And this seems to be his sense when he saith d p. 33. attention is for the soul hoc agere to do what it pretends to do and by e p. 34. intention and fervour he means an holy zeal and heat of the inward man of sorrow in confession desires in petition joy in thanksgiving But there may be too great a stress laid upon zeal earnestness and fervency since this is sometimes found even to some degree of ecstasie in men of hot heads strong imaginations and deluded minds in whom it is far from the temper of sober devotion Sect. I. And an awful reverence of God a Religious and godly fear a humble submissiveness and sober exercise of other Christian graces is far to be preferred before it Now I doubt not but that a pious man may pray seriously religiously and affectionately either in the use of a Form or without one but I think the former hath in many cases the advantage and specially in the publick service of the Church as may hereafter appear 3. When he comes to prove that the use of set Forms of Prayer hindreth attention and fervency he useth high words and saith f p. 25. it is to them next to a demonstration and g p. 26. it is impossible for any without self-condennation to deny it But if after all this his proofs shall appear shallow and insufficient then these will be evinced to be rash words and talking lavishly with immoderate confidence 4. In his discoursing concerning attention instead of Arguments he proposeth three questions which he would have considered First h p. 25. Whether it be possible for any person to read any discourse with that degree of attention of thoughts Diligent attention may be easily given to what is read as he must pronounce the same with by heart To which I Answer that it is certain this may be easily done and I think it strange it should be questioned How usual is it tâ—â— read the Scriptures and other Books wiâ—â— as great attention as the same things caâ— be spoken without reading Particularâ—â— in considering his Arguments I shoulâ— have thought him big with strange conceits who should tell me that I must bâ— at the pains of getting them withouâ— Book before I could attend to their senseâ— and I know I can do it better by viewing them in his Book If our Author caâ—â— not do thus much he cannot be of capacity to make any great proficiency by any thing he hath read and he must bâ— the unfittest man of any I know to answer other mens Writings when he cannot well attend to their sense in readinâ— them And it is strange to me that any man should write a Book if he think 〈◊〉 man can much attend to its sense in reading it and he that is of this opinion needs not be much concerned how carelesly he writes 5. The ancient Christians declared the reading the Holy Scriptures to have had 〈◊〉 mighty efficacy upon their minds and spirits insomuch that he devout Readeâ— was thereby as i Orig. cont Cels Origen expresseth it iâ— a manner inspired which could not have been without a diligent attention 〈◊〉 them But if our Authors way of Dicourse course were of any force the delivery of Christian Doctrine by Oral Tradition must be much more vigorous lively and powerful than by the Scriptures I confess he doth make a particular exception concerning the Scriptures when he speaks of oft reading what we are before acquainted with and saith k p. 27. God hath secured an abiding reverence for them in all pious souls But I suppose he doth not mean that this is done in any extraordinary and miraculous manner And it is plain that even the Scriptures are read by many with carelesness and have been long observed to have been perverted and abused by l Iren. adv Haer. l. 1. c. 1 c. 15. Tert. de praescript adv Haer. c. 17. Hereticks Wherefore the reverence that pious men have for the Scriptures in reading them is chiefly with respect to God because they are his word and his laws whereby his will is declared to men But since as m Aug. de Temp. Serm. 112. S. Aug. observed when we pray we speak to God and when we read God speaks to us a Religious honour and fear of God so far as it prevails will secure a reverence to the frequent use of the same Prayer because therein also we have to do with God and address our selves unto him 6. A second thing he would have considered which as the former hath particular respect to him that Ministreth is whether any thing can more conduce to 〈◊〉 the thoughts upon the duty and God n p. 26. than when a man can trust his affection to thrust out words A pious temper of mind doth more six mens hearts on God in Prayer than the greatest freedom of expression can do Now having considered this I think it past all doubt thâ—â— a devout sense of Gods presence and oâ— his purity and of the great assurance wâ—â— have of his readiness to help and bleâ—â— them who Religiously and diligently seeâ— him together with humble considerations of our dependance upon him and a careful preparing our hearts to approach unto him do wonderfully more conduce to fix our thoughts and minds upon God and our duty than using our own word with freedom of expression and a voleble tongue can do And by this method the whole Christian Assembly as well as the Minister may be prepared for the right performance of this service Our Authorâ— method may occasion him who ministreth to attend the more carefully 〈◊〉 his words but this only is that which commands and guides the heart And that mens hearts may be as much composed anâ— their Spirits as fervent in the use of a fet Form as in any other way is manifest from what I formerly observed o Libert Eccl. B. 1. Ch. 4. p. 135. that our Saviours praying more earnestly in his agony was in repeating again and again the same words And the Leyden p Syn. pur Theol. Disp 36. n. 33. Professors observed that when upon his Cross he said my God my God why hast thou forsaken me he used a Form of deprecation from the Psalmist and yet sure no Christian can think that he the less attended to what he
the Benediction of Eli the High Priest to Hannah and Elkanah 1 Sam. 1.17 Ch. 2.20 28. He goes on to tell us that they g p. 57. do not think that ever our Saviour intended the Lords Prayer to be used syllabically And h De Casib Consc l. 4. c. 17. qu. 5. Amesius also declares that our Lord did not intend to prescribe a Form of words to be constantly observed in the Lords Prayer Now it may well seem strange that any persons should harbour such an opinion as this if they had not some interest which enclined them to have such apprehensions concerning the Lords Prayer But as our late Gracious Soveraign observed i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 16. its great guilt is that it is the warrant and Original Pattern of all set Liturgies in the Christian Church And I cannot but wonder that k Grot. in Mat. 6.9 in Luc. 11.1 Grotius should entertain this extravagant and unreasonable conceit 29. But that our Saviour delivered this Prayer as a Form to be of ordinary use I gave manifest evidence l Libert Eccles p. 100 101 102. from the expressions of his precept from the occasion of his delivering it from the manner of its composure and from clear testimonies concerning the usual practice of the Primitive Church in the first second and third Centuries in observing it as a Form And our Author thought not fit to answer any thing to these proofs The Lords Prayer was directed to be a Form nor indeed to take any notice of them unto which I shall refer the Reader But this novel and groundless notion is also greatly opposite to the sense of the ancient Church in the following Centuries and would have been then earnestly exploded since they looked upon the Apostles themselves and all other Christians to have been enjoined by divine Precept to make use of this Prayer as a Form S. Hierome declared m Hieron adv Pelag. l. 3. c. 5. Docuit Apostolos suos ut quotidie in corporis illius sacrificio credentes audeant loqui Pater noster c. He taught his Apostles that every day believing in the sacrifice of his body they should say Our Father which art in Heaven c. And n Aug. Epist 89. S. Austin saith Omnibus necessaria est Oratio Dominica quam ipsis arietibus gregis i. e. ipsis Apostolis suis Dominus dedit ut unusquisque Deo dicat Dimitte nobis debita nostra c. The Lords Prayer is necessary for all which the Lord gave to the chief of his flock that is to the very Apostles themselves that every one should say to God Forgive us our trespasses c. 30. Among the Protestants as their Writers do generally acknowledge it to be a prescribed Form so Apollonius and the Classis of o Consid contr Ang. p. 177 178. Walachria observed In omnibus Reformatarum Ecclesiarum Liturgiis c. In all the publick Liturgies which are extant of the Reformed Churches the Lords Prayer is prescribed to be used But our Authors Assertion not only contradicts the sense of the ancient Catholick Church and the generality of Protestants abroad but he herein clasheth as well with the Directory and with that Assembly at Westminster which rejected our Common Prayer as with the Church of England In the p Direct Of Prayer after Serm. Directory they said The Prayer which Christ taught his Disciples is not only a pattern of Prayer but it self a most comprehensive Prayer and we recommend it to be used in the Prayers of the Church And the members of that Assembly in their Annotations affirm that q Assembl Annot. on Luk. 11.2 It is the most exact and sacred Form of Prayer indited and taught the Disciples who were to teach the whole World the rules and practice of true Religion by Christ himself who is best able to teach his servants to pray And again Christ prescribed this Form of Prayer to be used by them 31. Now it is an unreasonable confidence and presumption to oppose and contradict the general sense of the Christian Church in all Ages and even the truly Primitive and Reformed Churches if it be not upon great evidence Wherefore I shall now examine what this Writer hath to say for his opinion He saith r Reas Acc. p. 57. If the Apostles had apprehended it left for a Form of words and syllables we should have found some after record of the use of it But if he mean there would be some record of this in the Scriptures and writings of the Apostles this is very vain since it is certain they do not contain such Prayers as were used in the publick Assemblies and it is as unreasonable to expect this in them as to expect that all Books of instruction written by any of our Church should repeat our Publick Liturgy and it is very usual for such Books to have other expressions of Prayer and Supplication than those of our Common-Prayer And if this objection were of any weight it would as much prove that our Saviour never intended that Christian Baptism should be administred in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost as that the Lords Prayer should not be used though he plainly commanded both 32. But if by record The Lords Prayer used as a Form in the Primitive Church he means evidence beyond all exception from authentick ancient Writers concerning the practice of the Primitive Church though the producing such evidence is not necessary to make the Precepts of our Saviour valid I have sufficiently manifested so much in the place lately referred unto but if he took no notice thereof I cannot help that And besides what I mentioned above n. 29. S. Aug. assures us ſ Hom. 42. inter 50. Ad altare Dei quotidie dicitur Oratio Dominica The Lords Prayer is daily said at Gods Altar And in another place speaking of the Communion Service he saith that the Prayers thereof t Ep. 59. ad Paul Qu. 5. fere omnis Ecclesia Dominica Oratione concludit almost every Church doth conclude with the Lords Prayer And the use of it after the receiving the Sacrament was also observed by u De Sacr. l. 5. c. 4. S. Ambrose 33. But our Author saith 2. If Christ intended it for a Form x Ibid. p. 57. all that can be concluded is that Christ may appoint a Liturgy for his Church which surely none denies But it will also follow that Forms of Prayer are not to be rejected and condemned but ought to be esteemed of profitable use It gives an approbation to other publick Forms For since such Forms were of use among the Jews in our Saviours time as I have observed and shall more particularly manifest in the end of the next Section our Lord was so far from reproving this practice or John the Baptist his conforming to the like that himself taught his own
of the four first General Councils and was so far approved therein that that Council cited some Canons of Provincial Councils which were taken into that Code as general and authentick Rules not taking any notice of the Provinicla Councils by which they were first made but only citing them according to the number and order they were in that Code This is manifest from the testimonies produced out of that Council which are prefixed to Justellus his Edition of the Codex canonum Ecclesiae Vniversae and thereby it appears that the Canons of this Code were owned to be of universal authority by this their reception though they were many of them only provincial in their first Constitution 7. And this Code or Collection of Canons was also confirmed and established in this p Conc. Chalced. Can. 1. General Council and therefore this Canon which was one branch thereof is sufficient to acquaint us what was generally approved in the Christian Church at that time when this Code was composed and received And we have this further argument to prove that this Canon was of general approbation when it was first composed because there was no appearance of any part of the Christian Church then opposing it or declaring against it For it was then usual that when any Bishops or Synods asserted or determined any thing either concerning doctrine or rules of order wherein other Bishops or Churches thought them to err they would withstand them Thus concerning the receiving penitents the Novatian errors were condemned by q Libel Synodic Syn. 21 22 23. Western Eastern and Carthaginian Councils and the oppositions against the general rebaptizing Hereticks and the contests about the Roman and Asian time of celebrating Easter are obvious in the Histories of those ancient times 8. Our Author further tells us r p. 65. that Council of Laodicea saith nothing of stated Forms of Prayer c. 18. only orders Prayers to be poured out Morning and Evening Thus he clasheth with Smectymnuus above produced And to clear this matter this Canon declares 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that there ought always to be the very same service of Prayers both in the Mornings and in the Evenings That is there must be the same Morning service and the same Evening service continually and as ſ Zonar in Conc. Laod. c. 18. c Balsam ib. Zonaras expounds it that those Prayers only should be used in their publick service which had been received in the publick Assemblies and to the same purpose Balsamon And for further confirmation that this Council had a particular respect to set forms of Prayer then in use in its next t Conc. Laod c. 19. Canon it gives an account of some part of the order of their service that after the Sermon or Homily they had first the prayer for the Catechumeni and when they were gone out the prayer for the Penitents and when they were gone away three prayers for the Fideles the first 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in silence the second and third 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by open pronouncing And all this was performed before the Communion or Consecration thereof the whole Assembly as I conceive being to join in heart and affection but silently in the first prayer but in the two other they were to join in vocal expression Now this cannot be otherwise understood than to enclude the use of a form and also an obedience to orders and rules established by the authority of the Church 9. He next takes some notice of 3. Conc. Carth. c. 23. which enjoins Quascunque sibi preces aliquis describit c. Whatsoever prayer any one shall copy out for himself he may not use them unless he first conferre with the understanding Brethren Our Authour saith u p. 65. This plainly hints that Ministers were wont to compose their own prayers But if he had considered what account I gave concerning this Canon in my x Libert Eccles p. 119. Libertas Ecclesiastica he might have seen reason to have been of another mind But he takes no notice at all of what I said concerning it when I particularly considered it and did shew that that Canon gives no proof that constant forms were not in use before that time but he observes only that I quoted this in Libertas Ecclesiastica p. 106. where I only mentioned it as being owned by our Dissenters to have contributed something toward the establishing of forms 10. The next y Conc. Milev c. 12. Liturgies established by the Council of Milevis Canon which Smectymnuus allow to give a full establishment in the African Territories to Liturgical forms is something though not much differently expressed in several Copies thereof both in the title and in the body of the Canon But as it is in the African Code which is the most authentick and of highest authority its Title is Of Prayers to be said at the Altar And the z Conc. Carth. Gr. in Zonar c. 117. in Balsam c. 106. Cod. Can. Eccl. Jusicl c. 103. Canon it self requires that the prayers which are approved in the Council in the several parts of publick worship should be celebrated of all persons and that none other which be against the Faith be at all used but those shall be said which are collected by the wiser men But that which our Author saith to this Canon is a p. 64 65 66. that the African Ministry being tainted with Pelagianism Prayers agreed by the Council were thereupon decreed to be used in that Province and yet they do not say no other but no other against the Faith should be used 11. Now in the sense he taketh it it doth go as far for the establishing Forms of Liturgy as agrees with the practice of our Church But when I consider what S. Austin who was a Member of this Council of Milevis declareth b Aug. de Bapt. cont Donat. l. 6. c. 25. that the Prayers used by many persons were daily amended when they were declared to the more learned men and that many things were found in them contrary to the Catholick Faith and that many persons took up with Prayers composed not only by unskilful persons but also by Hereticks I say when I consider this I encline to another sense of this Council And that is that in the former part it makes constant provision for the use of Forms ordered by the Council in the publick service of the Church and in the latter part it takes care that no private Books of devotion which were composed by Hereticks should be entertained by any Catholick Christians and the same thing was very probably taken care of in 3 Conc. Carth. c. 23. above mentioned 12. But though both Heretical and Schismatical Principles had spread themselves in Africa it is no way probable that their Ministry was at this time tainted with Pelagianism nor could that be the foundation for enjoining Forms For it appears by this Council of c Conc. Milevit 1.
a rite of thanksgiving and after that their Sacrifice And their incense was daily offered before the rising of the Sun as y Anriq Jud. l. 3. c. 10. Josephus declares which is also agreeable to the direction of the Law it self Exod. 30.8 But in the evening service the incense was constantly offered after the Sacrifice 29. And their Sacrifices were attended in the Temple with particular prayers and praises The Levites in the Temple sung praises in a set form of words 2 Chr. 29.27 30. And the Priests joined prayers with their Sacrifices and that these in their constant and ordinary service were set forms besides what hath been by z Thornd of Rel. Assemb Ch. 7. some observed from the Samaritan Chronicle hath probable evidence from Philo who describing the Priest in this action saith he is a De Victim p. 843. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 making common lauds for all the people Publick forms of prayer accompanied their temple-sacrificis in the most holy prayers And we can produce instances of set forms of prayer used not only by the people but even by the Priests themselves upon the most high and solemn occasions Such is that when in case of a great impendent danger of sad calamity the Priests weeping between the Porch and the Altar were to say Joel 2.17 Spare thy people O Lord and give not thine Heritage to reproach c. And both the Talmud and other Jewish Writers declare how upon the day of atonement the High Priest himself used several stated prayers as b Hor. Heb. in Mat. 6.13 hath been observed by learned men and the very prayers themselves are thence expressed by c de Sacrif l. 1. c. 8. p. 95. c. 15. p. 169 170. Dr Outram And the forms of prayer used at the Jewish Passover have been noted by Scaliger Buxtorf Syn. Jud. c. 13. Ainsworth in Exod. 12.8 Dr Lightfoot on Mat. 26.26 and divers others 30. In their worship in the Synagogues and their Schools besides other prayers added of latter times the eighteen prayers which are much mentioned and of great account amongst the Jewish Writers are asserted by d Seld. in Eutych Buxt Syn. Jud. c. 5. the Rabbins to be as ancient as the time of Ezra But that little or nothing of this whole number of the eighteen prayers is of any later date than the time of our Saviour Dr. Lightfoot e Hor. Heb. in Mat. 6.9 affirmeth might be proved at large if need did require And I shall think it sufficient for me further to observe The like used in the Jewish Synagogues that it is certain they had forms of prayer of ordinary and common use in the Jewish Nation as early as the times of our Saviour from the testimony of Josephus concerning the Essens expressing before Sun-rise in their supplications f de Bel. Judaic l. 2. c. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 some such prayers as were delivered to them from the foregoing Ages and were received amongst the Jews And upon a view of what I have now produced in this Section the Reader may see reason to believe the truth of what was asserted by g in Loc. Theol. de Precat Melancthon concerning forms of prayer Ecclesia semper eas proposuit publicè privatim eas exerceri jubet The Church of God hath always proposed them and thought them fit to be used both publickly and privately SECT IV. Some expressions vilifying Uniformity and charging forms of prayer to be an engine of perpetual discord with others in the latter part of his third Chapter reflected on HAving sufficiently I hope answered what hath been urged in this Discourse to prove the use of forms of prayer to be any hindrance to piety and devoutness in religious worship and vindicated my arguments whereby I undertook to prove the contrary it is but expedient to consider some other reflective expressions which are in the latter part of this his third Chapter 2. When our Authour observed that the Walachrian Classis commended forms of prayer as conducing to several good ends and particularly to this Sect. IV. That uniformity in publick worship may be in all Churches observed Of Vniformity or the having the same form of worship throughout the whole Realm he takes occasion to fall foul upon that Vniformity which they thought valuable and which is established in our Church But he first declares his approbation of h p. 54 55. Vniformity in the ordinary matter of prayer pursuant to an unity in Doctrine and this he tells us is necessary And then he thus expresseth his contempt of Uniformity in that sense our Church approves it and our Laws and Government establish it calling it i Reas Ac. p. 55. that pitiful thing now called Vniformity which lyes in an oneness of syllables words and phrases a thing which never came into the heart of God to command And in another place he enquires how it shall be proved that k p. 149. that pitiful thing called uniformity in words and syllables and phrases was ever desired of God or that it ever came into his or his Sons heart Thus he can come very nigh to a form of words and phrases in reviling them in others And here is one part of the difference between us that whilst we use a form of words in the holy exercises of Religion he useth his form of words in scoffing at this religious exercise and the Constitution of our Governours and to us it appears that the deriding religious exercises is not so good a work as the practising them 3. But whether God or Christ ever commanded a set form of words to be used in prayer which our Author so confidently denies Excellent benefits by the establishing this uniformity may be sufficiently discerned from what I have said in the foregoing Sections But is this Vniformity in the use of a devout and pious form such a pitiful thing as he represents it when by this means almost all the advantages in the use of forms which I have above mentioned are obtained Hereby a decent and regular way of worship in full and comprehensive sense and fit words is secured in all Assemblies of the Church of England Hereby sober and understanding Christians are assured that they can heartily join in the publick service which is to be presented to God Hereby the minds and affections of the people may be particularly prepared before-hand to go along with the several parts of worship Hereby both Ministers and people are relieved against various distractions which new variety of words and expressions do suggest Hereby the Unity of desiring the same things in so many several Assemblies may quicken a considerate mans devotion And hereby all unbecoming and scandalous expressions which disturb the soberest Christians and administer matter for derision to others of which too many instances might be given are in the chief parts of Divine service and worship
please other men 10. But in truth the establishing Liturgies doth in a considerable measure put a stop to discords and divisions To this purpose Cappellus accounted it very fit that as far as may be there should be k Thes Salm. ubi sup n. 46. una in Ecclesia externi cultûs divini fermula the same Form of publick divine worship in the Church and this he thought of great use ad unitatem spiritûs charitatis inter fideles quantum obtineri id potest conservandam for the preserving as far as that can be obtained the unity of the spirit and of charity amongst believers And though our Author would be content that some should use Liturgies but other Ministers should use their own words and method Cappellus in the same place declares that this is by no means adviseable and that this would be so far from procuring peace that from hence would arise contemptus odia rixae contentiones c. contempt hatred clashings contentions strife and infinite quarrels to the great scandal of the Church 11. But plain experience doth beyond all authority prove that concord is never like to be the effect of the laying aside all Forms of publick worship For when this was done in our late sad times thereupon all manner of errors sects heresies and blasphemies were broached and vented After this it was that i Jus div Min. Evang Ep. to Read 1653. the Presbyterian Ministers complained of the bitter woful and unutterable fruits of divisions which say they have almost destroyed not only the Ministry but even the very heart and life of Religion and Godliness 12. Our Author saith also that Forms of Prayer m p. 63. hinder Ministers care to study the Scriptures which he before urged and I before answered Chap. 1. n. 47. 13. He saith also n Ibid. that hereby many such Ministers have crept into the Church of whom every one who hath any concern for Gods glory or the Churches repute hath cause to blush and be ashamed Now I shall leave him to consider by himself whose work he is doing whilest he takes all occasions to reproach that Ministry and thereupon to hinder their labours whom our Saviour hath called to serve him in his Church And we have so little reason to blush and be ashamed of the generality of the English Ministry that we have abundant reason to bless God for their great worth And besides this the faults which can be chargeable upon any particular persons in the Ministry must be either from their being 1. not sound in doctrine or 2. not of a holy and good life or 3. from their not being men of sufficient abilities and such as diligently â—â—charge their Ministerial work But set Forms of Prayer piously composed and instantly used can contribute nothing 〈◊〉 either of the two former when they manifestly promote the contrary good And for the last as the great abilities of our Ministry is very evident so I shall answer this where he doth more particularly insist upon it in o Ch. 8. n. 10. another place 14. This Writer in the end of this Chapter declareth p p. 70. that he thinks he â—â—th fully answered whatsoever I had ofâ—â—red but I leave it to the diligent Reaâ—er to judge how little reason he hath to think so But he there saith his strict design is not to answer me but to shew they â—â—ve probable Arguments inducing them to believe that it would be sinful for them ordinarily to use the prescribed Forms of others and therefore he proceeds to add further Arguments Nor is it my design in this discourse mainly to vindicate my self much less to oppose him but to vindicate the truth and therefore I shall add my Answer to his remaining Arguments contenting my self only to give an account of the main substance of them if I may so call it and not to interpose my self in what he speaks against other particular persons or in any digressions which are of no necessary concern to the Vindication of fixed Forms of Prayer or defending other publick Constitutions CHAP. IV. Ch. IV. Forms of Prayer are not forbidden either in the Second Commandment or by any other Divine Precept HIs third Argument is that it is Sinful for Ministers having the gift of Prayer to use prescribed Forms no necessity compelling because God hath (a) Reas Account p. 71. neither by the light of Nature directed them nor in his Word prescribed them Now it is acknowledged that all the parts of Divine Worship must be such Of the parts of Divine Worship and the manner of performing it as the light of Nature or the revealed Will of God do direct By the former our dependance as Creatures doth oblige us to acknowledg and honour God and to call upon him and pray unto him And the holy Scriptures give us further Precepts and encouragements in these Duties And in the parts and duties of Divine Worship the manner of performing them and our outward expressions therein must be such as is sutable to the Duty it self as swerveth from no Divine Precept or Institution and is recommended either by the light of Nature or Scripture But from what I have said in the former Chapter it may appear Forms of Prayer are agreeable to the light of Nature and Scripture that Forms of Prayer in the publick Worship of God are recommended by the Light of Nature as it directeth us to chuse the best and most expedient and profitable way of performing that Worship and that the Scriptures also do encourage us in and give their approbation of the use thereof 2. But there is yet a further design in this Argument which is That nothing may be used in God's Worship which he hath not himself prescribed To this end he saith the sense of the Second Commandment is this (b) P. 73. Thou shalt worship in no other Way by no other Means or Religious Rites than what I have prescribed And again (c) P. 75. the like P. 74. We judg all Acts Rites and Means of Worship prohibited by God which either in express Terms or by first consequences from Scripture are not prescribed Now if he will be consistent with himself and conclude any thing in the Case under debate from these things which are rather Positions And are not forbidden be the the Second Commandment and unproved Assertions than Arguments his Inference must be That no words and expressions for of these we are now discoursing ought to be used in the Worship of God which are not by him prescribed But concerning this Argument I shall observe three things 3. Obs 1. That he here contradicteth what he declared in the stating his Question and hath oft repeated having as he tells us (d) P. 91. Again and again said That they do not think Forms of Prayer unlawful This Argument Clasheth with himself But if they be not prescribed and all means not prescribed
be prohibited they must be asserted to be unlawful And being thus prohibited no pretence of necessity on Mans part can make them lawful For according to that ancient rule Nulla est necessitas delinquendi quibus una est necessitas non delinquendi (e) Tertul. It can be never necessary for them to sin for whom it is only necessary that they do no sin And it is more necessary to forbear any present external expression of Homage to God than to make use of that which is unlawful and forbidden as is manifest in the instance of Saul's sacrificing 4. Obs 2. By this way of arguing the particular conceptions and expressions of him who prayeth without a Form are as much forbidden And will conclude Prayers without Forms to be fitful as the use of a Form is pretended to be since God hath not prescribed these Expressions But here our Author tells us that the light of Nature shews our own invention to be a mean and a sufficient mean in this act of Worship Thus Men who talk at this loose rate can tell when it serves their own turn how to allow what God hath not prescribed and to justifie it upon this very account because it is the Invention of Man though they can declaim against Ecclesiastical Constitutions under the very name of Inventions of Men. But if we may use words and expressions and a method and composition of Prayer not particularly prescribed of God what an unreasonable vanity is it to argue from this Topick against a Form of Prayer because these particular things in this Form are not appointed of God 5. But possibly he may tell us as some have done that by keeping to the constant use of a Form of Prayer we make that a proper part of Divine Worship Now though this was answered (f) Thes Salmur Part 3. de Liturg. n. 35. by Cappellus and in part by (g) Lib. Eccles B 2. p. 305 306. me elsewhere I shall here say That we are far from thinking that any particular Form of Prayer appointed in any part of the Church is necessary to be used in all Christian Churches in the World who all of them are obliged to perform all the proper parts of Divine Worship Nor is Religion and the Worship of God placed in the bare reciting the words of a Form but chiefly in the pious devotion of the Heart of which these words are an expression and guide And thus much must be allowed to the use of words in those Prayers which for distinction sake I call Conceived Prayers I hope he will not say that it is the constant and prescribed use of the same thing not commanded of God which only is forbidden in the Second Commandment as if the worshipping an Image was only forbidden where there is a constant Adoration given to the same Image but that it is allowable where there is so great a number of them that men sometimes make choice of one and sometimes of another with various changes We allow the Second Commandment and the Rules of Scripture concerning God's Worship to require that no act of Divine Adoration be given to any thing else besides God himself What God hath forbidden or commanded concerning his Worship and that that Homage and Service which is sutable to his Nature and according to his Will be religiously performed and that no such pretended Worship which is unsutable to his Nature or disagreeing to his Will ought to be presented to him But this suggestion that Forms of Prayer are forbidden by the Second Commandment as included under Idolatry is so unreasonable that (h) View of Direct Chap. 1. Sect. 22. Dr. Hammond might justly wonder at the strangeness and prodigiousness thereof and Cappellus might well declare concerning them who urge this as an Argument (i) Ubi sup n. Crasse admodum hîc homines isti hallucinantur These Men are herein exceeding grosly deceived 6. Obs 3. This Position That nothing may be used or appointed in God's Worship but what is particularly enjoyned by God himself besides (k) Reas Acc. p. 75 76 77. p. 86 87. necessary circumstances to humane actions as Humane is that concerning the falseness and dangerous consequence of which I discoursed largely in my Libertas Ecclesiastica (l) B 2. c. 1. throughout c. 2. to which I refer nor is any answer given thereto by this Writer And I shall here note that as it is improved That Position that nothing not prescribed may be used in Gods Worship is destructive of all Rellgion it is destructive to publick Worship and Religion For since God hath commanded us to pray but hath not in all acts of Worship enjoyned our Words or the performance of this Duty with or without a Form it must according to this Position be done in neither since each of these are by consequence sequence pretended to be forbidden being not prescribed The same may be said of our Saviour's Precept concerning the celebrating his Supper in Bread and Wine but he hath not prescribed or determined the sort of Bread or the kind of Wine And though God hath commanded us to sing Praises to him whatever this Writer saith he can never prove the singing continually the Psalms of David and others recorded in Scripture to be particularly enjoyned by a Divine Institution under the Gospel though the Church of God hath very generally and advantageously used them Wherefore the result of this assertion is for men to contradict themselves in the performances of Religion and which is far more intolerable to look upon God as having contradicted himself in giving such Laws which so clash with one another that they cannot be obeyed and that by the one he hath set us free from observing the other 7. But if these things may be determined by men as they indeed must be the common rules of Prudence will not allow that it should be lawful and fit for every Minister by his more sudden and vario thoughts to determine these things for the Congregation where he ministers Things necessary to be determined in Religion may be best determined by publick Constitutions and that it should be unlawful and unreasonable that any such things should be considered and resolved on by the deliberate Consultations of the most prudent Men And if we consider the Authority of our Superiours to reject pious Forms of Prayer by them appointed and which I have shewed to be of excellent use speaks a wnat of just Reverence and Submission to them and a not yielding to them that due Superiority in matters Ecclesiastical for the right ordering the exercises of Religion which belongeth to them of which I have in another Book discoursed some-what 8. But whilst this Author in this Chapter observes that some urge the Duty (m) P. 74 85 86. of obeying Superiours in things lawful and not forbidden of God as an obligation upon Inferiours in our Case to joyn in
the People Now what I premised to the foregoing Argument may be again useful to be considered here But since I have manifested the ordinary and constant usefulness of set Forms of Prayer in Publick Worship for the advantage of Religion if he be able to prove the same concerning the ordinary using the Discourses of others in Preaching as I conceive he never can he hath then and not till then made the Cases parallel 2. The different practice of the Christian Church Forms of Prayer being most expedient do not prove it best to have constant Forms of Preaching which for many Ages before the Romish Corruptions overspread it constantly used set Forms of Prayer when their Sermons were composed by the Preachers themselves and the like usage in our own Church may incline modest men to think that these Cases are not alike The Apostolical Doctrine required of the Clergy that they should be apt to teach and so doth our own Book of Ordination and the (b) Can. Ap. 58. Syn. in Trul. c. 19. Ancient Canons required their diligent practice herein And the use of such Instructions or Exhortations in the Christian Assemblies is of as early Original as from the first Ages as appears from the Testimonies of (c) Just Mar. Ap. 2. Justin Martyr and (d) Tert. Apol. c. 39. Tertullian and the continuance thereof is evident from very many Homilies Tractates and Orations of following Ages which are yet extant And our Author may if he please consider such differences as these 3. First Preaching is directed to Men but publick Prayer to God in the name of Men. And therefore as both (e) Disc 1. on Mat. 6.9 Mr. Mede and (f) Of Prayer extem n. 57. Bishop Taylor observe It is convenient the People should know beforehand what the Minister puts up to God in their names but there is not the like reason for Preaching And variety of Words and Expressions have a considerable efficacy upon the minds of Men Whereas it is a thing unworthy of God as (g) Instit l. 3. c. 20. n. 29. Calvin observes to think that he is humano more persuadendus to be wrought upon by words as Men are For while he searcheth the Heart his attention is not to be procured by arts of Speech or himself moved affected or pleased by a new composure of words Several things which make the case of Prayer and Preaching herein different And besides this a pious reverence not only in our Hearts but in well-deliberated words and in gestures also is considerable in the sight of God and this is more due to God to whom we pray than to Men to whom we preach 4. Secondly As the matter for Sermons or popular Discourses is of so large extent as to include all the great and necessary Doctrines and Rules of Religion so that are too oft corrupt Notions and Opinions which subvert Piety and ill practices which may be apt to prevail at some special times and places Now here a watchful Minister will endeavour to beat down all such Notions and Practices which cannot well be done but by his own Abilities in answering all their Pleas Pretences and Objections 5. Thirdly By this means he can acquaint his People with such things as he thinks in the Matter of them most proper and sutable to them and can propose these things in such a manner as is most agreeing to their Capacities which thing was noted by (h) Tr. 13. Ch. 1. Div. 7 Bishop Whitgift to be of great advantage in order to profiting And to this purpose also it is reasonable that the Method and manner of Composure of popular Discourses be such as suit the Place Time and Age wherein we live 6. Fourthly It is not only requisite that our Publick Service of God be at all times so comprehensive as to take in all the usual parts of Religious Worship Adoration Thanksgiving and Supplication for all ordinary Blessings but this also seemeth enjoyned by Apostolical Precept 1 Tim. 2.1 2. and therefore it is expedient to secure this Comprehensiveness by a publick Form But it is no way needful that every Sermon should contain all the necessary points of Doctrine and Practice but such a particular Branch thereof as the Speaker thinks most proper But was he to declare or express all the Articles or Doctrines of the Christian Faith certainly a known Creed is more fit for this purpose than a new Composure And besides this as the temper of the Age accounteth it a Disparagement to preach a Sermon composed by another Man this temper having nothing of hurt in it as the condemning Forms of Prayer hath is fit to be complied with for the benefit of the Hearers And these things will shew that able Ministers ought ordinarily to preach Sermons of their own preparing See also Chap. 7. n. 4. 6. But notwithstanding this Instructions and Exhortations in some cases best performed by a Form it is far from being a Sin for Ministers in their instructing others to make use of what is Composed by others in such cases where this may tend to the greater profit or advantage of the Persons to be instructed In acquainting others with the principles of Religion or Catechising them it is certainly best that this be done in the use of a known set Form of Catechism The short exhortation in administring the holy Communion and the like may be said of other Offices where the Graces to be exercised and the Duties to be performed are constantly the same may be better performed in a well composed pithy Form than by a continued varying 7. And for Sermons as it may be very allowable to cite one or more sentences from an approved Author when this may be of good use So I know no reason why in some cases the using a larger portion of anothers Discourse openly and freely owning the Author may not be done without any blame where the authority of the Person or the Discourse it self might have a greater efficacy on the promoting Goodness and Religion than what the Speaker might express in his own words It was (i) Aug de Doc. Chr. l. 4. c. 29. St. Austin's judgment that such of the Clergy who could not compose Discourses so well as they could speak them might do good service to the Church by publickly pronouncing what was made by others And I doubt not it had been much better for many Teachers and for the Church of God too if they had sown good Seed received from other faithful Hands rather than to have dispersed their own Tares Errors and unsound Doctrines In the Primitive Times it was ordinary to read publickly on the Lord's Days in the Christian Assemblies the Epistles of some eminent Men and some Historical Relations which concerned the Church And there would be the same reason for a Sermon or Homily where that might have a remarkable influence on the Churches good And it is most probable that the Apostle
not but know to be far from Truth They who have much conversed with very many men of this way cannot be unacquainted with their temper of rash censuring and uncharitable speaking and may see reason to conclude that these are not the great examples of Christian meekness These things I should not have mentioned but that as a charge against the establishment of our Liturgy and the care of our Governours therein our Author pretends many unblest effects to proceed from it Ch. IX whilest there is nothing but goodness and mildness in them who oppose it though he afterward acknowledgeth passions in them CHAP. IX The Arguments for set Forms of Prayer are solid and substantial IN his ninth Chapter he mentioneth divers Arguments produced for Forms of Prayer to which he returns his answers Now since I have above not only answered his Arguments but in several parts of my Discourse have proved the profitable use of Forms of Prayer and have in my third (a) Sect. 2. Chapter vindicated several Arguments which I urged in my Libertas Ecclesiastica it is not necessary for me to undertake the defence of others which are insisted on by other men But the five last Arguments expressed in this Chapter which were urged by my self I shall particularly consider reflecting also upon some other Arguments and expressions 2. And indeed my foregoing Discourse hath given a sufficient reply to many of his answers Ch. VIII to the Arguments he recites in this Chapter For instance To the first Argument for the lawfulness of Ministers using Forms (b) p. 134. Forms of Prayer are not forbidden that what God hath not forbidden is lawful he answers that Forms in the case by him stated are forbidden by the second commandment which I spake to Chap. 4. that they are forbidden by the precepts to stir up gifts which I considered Chap. 2. and are forbidden by those commands which require us to worship God with all our hearts and with the greatest attention and fervency and of this I discoursed Chap. 3. 3. To the second Argument from the Lords Prayer being a Form and from the use of the Psalms of David and the Priestly blessing under the Law (c) p. 135.136 he only repeats what he had before spoken and the mistakes of which I have manifested Chap. 3. Sect. 2. 4. The third Argument which hath respect to 1 Cor. 14 40. is that Forms of Prayer (d) p. 136. Of matters of order decency circumstance are matters of meer decency order and circumstance and therefore may be lawfully commanded and practised Now though I account them to be more than so and not to be only things of external order but to be more internally of profitable use and conducive to the edification and good of the Church and its members yet I shall observe what weak answers he gives to this Argument As to order he saith (e) ibid. order only respects prius and posterius first and last This was I conceive rashly written for surely he could not be ignorant that the Apostles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 had respect to order of regular constitution and appointment and not to order of number and mere succession of one thing after another Concerning Decency he saith (f) ibid. nothing can be decent but the contrary must be indecent Now though a Form and no Form are not properly contrary but rather contradiction and though many indecencies have been committed where Forms of Prayer have been rejected and the condemning Forms is worse than indecency being an hurtful errour yet his assertion is also false a white Garment may be decent and so may a black one and yet white and black are contrary Concerning Circumstances he saith (g) p. 137. Forms are no Circumstances relating to the action as humane because it may be performed without them By this reason standing or any other particular gesture in reading is no circumstance which yet hath been usually thought so Ch. IX and some gesture is at all times and in all actions necessary And as for the words of publick Prayer there can be no such Prayer without any words nor unless these words be fixed on and determined by some person but the sense and matter taken care of in Forms of Prayer is of an higher nature than a Circumstance And he adds (h) ibid. that he conceives no Circumstances appropriated to an action as Religious are left to mens liberty to determine According to which rule it must be sinful for a Father to command his Child or for any man to determine himself to kneel in Prayer out of any reverence to God because this is a circumstance to the action as Religious If all this be not trifling I know not what is 5. The fourth Argument is that (i) ibid. all the essentials to Prayer may be found I would add may in publick Prayer be best secured in a prescribed Form This Prayer may be in the matter agreeable to the will of God it may be put up in the name of Christ and it may be attended with exercise of Graces and sanctified Affections But he here answers (k) p. 138. All things necessary and essential to Prayer may be in the use of a Form that the use of his own gifts is also necessary but this pretence I have refuted Chap. 2. and I presume no pious man can easily think that the will and pleasure of God should require a mans own abilities to be exercised merely to shew his parts when the whole business of Religion may be every way as well or better performed without them as may appear in every Minister undertaking to make new translations of Scripture whensoever he cites them that his gift may be exercised But he saith also that (l) ibid. he hath given his reasons why Praying by Forms cannot be with the same attention and intention and fervency But these reasons I have answered in my third Chapter and have manifested the contrary 6. In his sixth Argument he produceth 1 Tim. 2.1 2. where the Apostle commands that Prayers c. be made for all men and here (m) p. 140. he takes notice of what I said in my Libert as Ecclesiastica p. 109. that many have thought the Apostle had a special eye to the composure of Forms of Prayer agreeably to what the Baptist and our Saviour prescribed to their Disciples in this his command to Timothy the Governour of the Church And he observes that I added though the phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may either signifie that Prayers be put up to God or that they be composed in this place it may well intend both And I now add That the evidence I have given of the use of Forms in the earliest Ages of Christianity and also in the Jewish Church makes it the more probable that the Apostle might have some eye unto them 7. But he tells me but upon what reason I know not
(n) P. 141. that I am a little critical with the Verb 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Poet comes from it but he is but a miserable Poet who should only read or recite Copies of Verses composed by others Now though I speak of composing Prayers which might be recited or publickly used yet to gratify our Author I shall acquaint him that though the Imperial Law of Justinian established the use of Forms of Prayer as I (o) Ch. 3. Sect. 3. above shewed yet the praying by these Forms is (p) Justin Novel 137. c. 6. there expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But besides this he is but a little Critical in imagining so unreasonable a thing as that the signification of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must be every where accommodated to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Poet. Our Authors fancy about Poetry And he is so unhappy in this his Fancy as well as in his Arguments that as weak as it is it is not so much as fitted to serve his own Design I am persuaded that upon further thoughts he will not open his mouth Ch. VIII for practising according to his own little Criticism or for making Prayers after the manner that Poets make Verses who are for exercising their own Fancies and gratifying the Humours of other men more than for keeping close to truth or minding what is serious And I wish that no such miscarriages may prevail with any according to our Author's way and method which he contends for And with respect to the Speaker if this Criticism was of any weight as they are not the best Poets who trust themselves to their present sudden abilities of expression but rather they who with great care consider both matter and words and write them down and have left their Writings for lasting Monuments those also must be the best Prayers which are composed in like manner But for the People they are utterly cut out from having any part in making publick confessions or supplications to Almighty God according to this conceit though the Scriptures and the Language of the Church admit them to have a share therein 8. His seventh Argument being only intended as a general proof for the lawfulness of Forms enjoyned is this (q) Reas Acc. p. 146. that a man may lawfully determine himself to the use of Forms and therefore may be lawfully determined to them by his Superiours Here he first tells us this doth not reach his Question concerning Ministers who have the gift of Prayer But he saith further A Christian hath a liberty to determine himself where he may not lawfully be determined by his Superiour as in case of Marriage to a particular Woman in the choice of his Trade and course of Life and a Minister may determine himself to write his Sermon constantly at length Now these words as many others in this Discourse being written with reflection upon the authority of Superiours I shall consider the weight of them with respect to the Case in hand 9. Wherefore it may be observed that there are two Cases concerning the matter of a Law which may render it unlawful Of the lawfulness of being determined by our Superiours where we may determine our selves to be enacted by Superiours The one when it takes away the just civil Rights and freedoms of the Subject and imposeth unreasonable needless burdens the other when it is against the rules of Conscience In the former case it is true that a man 's own civil rights are so far at his own disposal and in his own power that he may here determine himself to what his Superiour may not determine him Thus a free Subject of a considerable estate may if he please settle his Estate upon another Person or remove his Habitation into another Country or resolve upon a single Life or put himself into the condition of a Servant Another Person of like competent Estate may determine himself to a retired Life a sparing Diet and a mean Garb and if he be free from dependent Relations may resolve to give the surplusage of his Estate to pious publick and charitable Vses But it is not fit nor lawful for his Superiour so to deprive him of his civil Rights as to put upon him so much burden and trouble But in things which are lawful or unlawful according to the rules of Conscience where he may lawfully as to Conscience determine himself to any thing he may lawfully be determined by his Superiour and if from the unlawfulness in Conscience he may not be determined to any particular thing by his Superiour neither may he determine himself to it And the reason of this is because if this thing be a Sin a man may not lawfully determine himself to it but if it be no Sin no principle of Conscience will oblige him not to be determined by his Superiour Now the appointing prescribed Forms of Prayer taking this in general as our (q) P. 163 164. In the present Question we suppose Forms as good â—nd perfect as the Wâ—t and Piety of men can make Author discourseth of it can be no invading the civil rights of Subjects or imposing things burdensome to their outward condition considered apart from Conscience and therefore if there be any dispute about the lawfulness hereof it must proceed from the rules of Conscience And therefore if a man may lawfully determine himself in this case or any other of like nature he may also be lawfully determined by his Superiour 10. He also tells us (r) P. 147. It is no Popery for People to think their Spiritual Guides and Governours wiser than themselves That the Author of this Argument would persuade us to be Papists in that he would have men think that the judgment of Superiours is better than our own But he might consider that since God hath appointed Spiritual Guides it is both the most prudent course and the duty of private Persons in cases of practice which themselves do not throughly understand to consult them receive their counsel and be directed by them And his establishing other Governours manifesteth that they are appointed to consider what within the sphere of their Power is useful for the publick good and others are to be directed by them and to rest satisfied in their determination Nor is this any thing of Popery but due Christian sobriety Only this limitation must be admitted that as I have (s) Ch. 4. n. 11.12 above shewed if any thing be proposed by them which upon plain and certain evidence appears to be unlawful those who are under them ought then to reject their Direction and Authority as being contradicted by a greater and higher 11. The tenth Argument mentioned by him is That (t) Reas Acc. p. 149. Forms are necessary for Vniformity And here he again declares against that pitiful thing called Vniformity in words and syllables and phrases as he upbraidingly stiles it But having answered
this in a (u) Ch. 3. Sect. 4. former Chapter and therewith justified Uniformity and shewed the great benefit of it and of Forms of Prayer upon this account I shall not need to repeat it again here 12. But that he may vent himself the more against Liturgy and Vniformity he tells us that in the case of Daniel the Princes resolved (w) p. 150. it necessary to establish an Vniformity in Prayers and all must be commanded to pray only to Darius Yet here was nothing of Vniformity in words and phrases of which he was discoursing but that matters not An act for Uniformity is no such wicked thing as the prohibitive Act of worship by Darius so long as an occasion can be taken to reproach Vniformity He might as well if he had pleased have called that precept of our Saviour Mat. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve an act of Uniformity only that would not serve his purpose to insinuate that Liturgy and Uniformity are like that act in the time of Darius designed wholly for mischief and to hinder the worship of God and to establish Idolatry against the second commandment though not so grosly as in worshiping the Persian Kings who were wont to receive Divine worship as is evident in the many testimonies produced by (x) Drus in Esther c. 3 Drusius But these things are so manifestly uncharitable that every sober considering man may easily discern them And since the Holy God appointed certain Forms of Prayer to be used under the old Testament and our Blessed Saviour prescribed the Lords Prayer under the new and since the ancient Jewish Church and the Christian Church in the purest times used Forms of Prayer no considering person who hath any sense of God or Religion can think that all these must be condemned of designing nothing but mischievous things and the ruining the true way of Religion how far soever some mens angry temper may be unjustly displeased with Forms and Vniformity 13. This Writer in some following pages discoursing about the ability or gift of Prayer at length saith (y) p. 154. as we judg the Apostle Heb. 5.1 hath given us the perfect notion of a Minister in the description of the high Priest he is but a person taken from men and ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he might offer Prayers and praises Preach and administer the holy Sacraments So he But I hope he was not knowingly so bold with the Holy Scripture as to alter and change both the words and sense of it as he pleaseth when the Apostle speaks nothing in that place of Prayer Praise Preaching or Sacraments but of offering gifts and sacrifices for Sins And therefore I shall pass by this as a gross oversight in him or possibly something may be left out by the Printer 14. I now come to justifie five Reasons mentioned in my (z) Ch. 4. p. 97.98 99. Expediency of set Forms proved Libertas Ecclesiastica besides others which I vindicated in the third Chapter of this discourse for the requisiteness of set Forms of Prayer which I there produced to shew not only the lawfulness but the usefulness and expediency of Forms 15. My first Reason was because hereby a fit true right and well ordered way of worship in addresses to God may be best secured to the Church in the publick service of God To this he saith 1. That alone is (a) p. 156. 1. as best securing a fit and right way of worship a right way of worship which God hath instituted And I reply that Prayer performed with a devout heart where the matter is holy pious and religious and expressed without affecting variety of words is according to his will and appointed by him But he hath not instituted the very words we are to use upon all occasions whether we pray by a Form or by any conceived Prayer of which I said more Chap. 4. 16. He saith (b) ibid. 2. That God should be so worshipped is reasonable but that this should aforehand be secured is not possible in men who may err nor will Forms secure it which may be read falsly and disorderly enough To which I answer That when he requires that none should be admitted to the Ministry (c) p. 153. and in other places who have not the gift of Prayer is not the intent of this to secure as much as may be the right performance of that duty but this may be best provided for by a Form as I shewed in the second and third Chapters And what he speaks of reading falsly as a disparagement to Forms is inconsiderable and is one of the weak Arguments of the meanest disputants for Oral Tradition against the Scriptures For there may be as many mistakes Of reading falsly see also n. 24. in reading the Scriptures as the Prayers of the Church and besides that they who would decry their Authority can talk of their being possibly printed false or it may be in some things translated amiss or that the copies whence they were translated might not be every where pure and right But such little objections are easily seen through by men of understanding 17. He saith 3. (d) p. 157. That for twenty years together the worship of God was performed in a well-ordered manner in hundreds of Congregations in England without Forms Now though I have shewed Chap. 2. 3. that it cannot be reasonably expected that it should be constantly performed so well in any one Congregation by any Person whomsoever in a way of constant varying as in the use of a good Form yet there ought to be respect had to all our Congregations And we do not think that a well ordered Worship where one or both the Sacraments were in many places disused and other considerable parts of Worship and Prayer as confession of Sin purposely and generally omitted by others as I observed above And the several Sects ordered the Worship of God according to their own Errors And I can as easily be persuaded that the Papists Arians and Donatists did rightly order the Worship of God as that all our several Sects and Parties did so 18. My second Reason was That needful and comprehensive Petitions for all spiritual and outward wants with fit thanksgivings may not in the publick supplications of the Church be omitted which can be no other way so well or at all secured To this he saith (e) P. 157. It is to the shame of our Church 2 As providing for a comprehensiveness of Prayers if there be not Persons enough sufficient for this and however there are some Now in this Answer he contradicts what in the foregoing Page he said in answer to my former Reason to wit That it is not possible to secure this right Worship before-hand And I have above shewed that no Persons in using constant alterations can perform publick Worship with that due fulness comprehensiveness and
pithiness which is in a well-ordered Form 19. But that able men may not be under restraint he is willing that (f) Ibid. Forms be composed extant and left at liberty This he again mentions in the last Paragraph of his Book And this method was declared by Didoclavius (g) Alâ—ar Damasc p. 613. whom our Author cites in his Title Page to have taken place in his days in Scotland Who also tells us that himself having been many years in the Ministry had never used them nor did he think them wise that did And the leaving Forms of Prayer at liberty Ill effects of having Forms left at liberty would besides the inconveniences above observed have this ill issue in the end That they who seek to be esteemed of a dividing Party or are solicitous to avoid the fierce censures of rash Men or who are highly conceited of themselves and affect singularity or who are Erroneous and not willing to walk in the sound path of Religion will be most sure to avoid Forms for the promoting these ill purposes which will be to the great damage of the Church 20. He adds that (h) P. 158. This Argument would hold stronger for Forms of Sermons It holds indeed to prove a comprehensive summary of the Articles of the Christian Faith to be better expressed in the fixed words of known and received Creeds then in the composing of new Creeds of every mans own making But for ordinary Preaching I have shewed the contrary Chap. 6. 21. My third Reason was That the hearts of pious men may be more devout and better united in the Service of God by considering beforehand what Prayers and Thanksgivings they are to offer up and come the more ready and prepared to joyn in them To this he saith (i) P. 158. Such a particular foreknowledg is not needful and (k) P. 159. it rather hinders devotion and affection as he hath proved But this pretended proof I have answered 3. As conduâ—ing to the better preparation of mens hearts and affections and evidenced the contrary in the third Chapter And sure the Ministers premeditation what he should ask in the way and method our Author proposeth which he alloweth and so must every one who thinks care and consideration to be useful in the most weighty things or who would not be rash to utter any thing before God which he would not do before a Prince must be an hindrance to his devotion if the Peoples knowledg beforehand what they shall pray for must hinder theirs 22. He further saith (l) P. 158 159. there needs no more than a general composure of spirit to seek God to ask whatsoever they or others stand in need of and to confess all Sin Now I acknowledg this to be very good and pious But possibly what they come thus prepared to do as to confession of Sin may be omitted and also the asking of many other things which are reliefs for our constant wants and other things may be prayed for which they cannot so readily joyn in And this general composure or preparation where these parts of service are omitted can be of no more use than such a general preparation is in the worship of the Romish Church where the vulgar know not particularly what is expressed by the Priest But in a well-composed Form according to the use of the Reformed Churches these things are much better provided for 23. He saith also (m) P. 158. If the Minister transgress his Rule Concerning the People correcting the erring Minister and ask what is not according to the Will of God the People may withhold their Amen But such a worship in others our Author would be apt to call offering the Blind and the Lame and when they have a Male in their flock to offer to God a corrupt thing when the Speaker in his part doth amiss and the People at best must forbear their act of publick worship in the time of it and when they come to perform it But besides this the people are not able thus to over-rule their Teachers and it is a great distraction and discomposure to them where they must be constantly put upon these doubtful disquisitions and it is too plain that many thousands are misled by the errors of them whom they receive as their guides into Antinomianism Popery Quakerism and the worst of Sects 24. But that he may catch at every thing he saith again here (n) ibid. that Forms may be read falsly But beside what I above answered this is very unlike in what is so well known and constantly used but if there should be some words pronounced amiss the People may more easily help themselves here they having oft heard and joyned in this Form which is no new thing to them and many of them having the advantage of their Books also 25. 4. As best fitted for the difficultest offices of Sacramental Administrations My fourth Reason is That such difficult parts of Church-offices as Baptism and the Lords Supper the matter of which requires great consideration may in composing a Form be so framed that men of greatest understandings may with readiest assent entertain them and that they may be sufficiently vindicated against the boldest opposers Now this Argument is of the greater weight because of the great concernment of Sacramental Administrations If an error be committed in any thing essential to Baptism the Baptism it self and the persons membership in the Church must thereupon be questioned If the like happen in the Lords Supper which without Forms may sometimes be occasioned by defect of memory and some present confusion there may not only be a loss in the high benefits and blessings of that ordinance but as in Baptism also a profanation of the ordinance it self 26. Here he saith (o) Reas Acc p. 159 160 161. In the Lords Supper the Consecration is by reading the words of Institution and Prayer the distribution hath nothing of difficulty and the application is by Exhortation and Prayer and surely he that can pray and preach can do that And for Baptism the Baptizing in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost with a foregoing Prayer and Prayer or Thanksgiving concluding is he judgeth sufficient without a Form Now it is well that the words of Christs Institution in the Lords Supper and the Form of Baptism are thought needful to be retained and observed But I know not why other persons may not think themselves to have a liberty of varying here with as much reason as our Author rejects the use of the Lords Prayer And therefore it is not certain if Forms were laid aside how far and how long he could give any security in this particular when some may as (p) Irenaeus adv Haeres l. 1. c. 18. Irenaeus tells us some who forsook the Catholick Church did vainly by obscure Paraphrases alter the Form of Baptism in the name of the Father c.