very strange that had the Institution been temporary the Church of Christ for Fifteen hundred Years shou'd never be wise enough to discover it and it seems to me a very high presumption for us to determin against the constant belief and practice of the Church in all Ages without the least warrant so to do either from our Saviour or his Apostles But it is Objected yet farther that tho' Forms of God's appointing may and ought to be us'd yet Forms of Man's composure ought not and that we may as well appoint New Scripture for Public instruction because the inspir'd persons did so as we may appoint new Forms for Public worship because they did so But this objection also will be of no force if we consider Four things 1. That this Objection allows the prescribing of Forms to be lawful in its own nature for otherwise God must have done that which is unlawful in its own nature Nay our Saviour's prescribing his Form was a tacit approbation of other Forms that were prescrib'd before and that not only by God but by Men too For the Jews us'd several Forms of human composure in their Temple and Synagogues in our Saviour's time yet he was so far from disapproving them that he prescrib'd a Form to his own Disciples which Form as Mr. Gregory has prov'd he collected out of the Jewish Forms in whose Books the several Parts and Clauses of it are Extant almost verbatim to this day And certainly had he disapprov'd their Forms as evil and sinful he wou'd never have Collected his own Prayer out of them Since therefore our Saviour's giving a Form in such circumstances signifies his approbation of other Forms 't is plain either that he approv'd what is evil or that Forms are lawful 2. That this Objection must allow the prescribing of Public Forms to be not only lawful but also useful For otherwise God who alwaies Acts for wise Ends and Uses the most proper means wou'd never have prescrib'd any Forms And certainly what was once useful is useful still For 1. we are now dull and carnal enough to need Forms and 2. our Saviour has prescrib'd one to be us'd in all Ages which he wou'd not have done had it not been useful for the Gospel-state 3. That this Objection must also allow that God's prescribing Forms by Inspir'd Persons may be lawfully imitated by us provided we have the same reason for it And therefore Governours may prescribe Forms as long as Forms are useful 4. That tho' Governours may prescribe Forms after God's Example yet they may not prescribe them as Scripture or Divine Inspiration For as Spiritual Governours must take care to instruct the People after God's Example but are not obliged to do it by Inspir'd Persons so they may prescribe Forms of Prayer after God's Example but cannot pretend to do it by Inspiration They have God's Example for doing the Action but they cannot pretend to Inspiration in the doing of it without manifest falshood and presumtion And therefore tho' God's Example will warrant for the one yet it will not warrant them falsly to pretend to the other Thus then it appears that some Forms of Prayer are commanded in Holy Scripture and that our Governours are Authoriz'd by God's Example to prescribe others when they judge them useful II. Therefore I am to prove that tho' no Forms were prescrib'd yet Forms are as lawful as conceiv'd or Extempore Prayers Certainly there is no command of God to pray Extempore and therefore Forms have a better claim to Divine Authority than they 'T is said indeed that wheresoever we are commanded to Pray Vocally we are commanded to Pray in our own Conceptions and words but this is a great mistake For certainly when God commanded Men to Pray by his own Forms they did pray Vocally tho' not in their own words And here let me take notice that Dissenters appropriate the Name of Prayer to Praying in their own words and call the using a Form not Prayer but Reading a Prayer But surely the Levites did really Pray when they us'd the Words of David and Asaph and so did the Primitive Christians when they said the Lord's Prayer and if so then a Form may be truly call'd a Vocal Prayer For Vocal Prayer consists in the speaking of our devout affections to God whether with or without a Form But they pretend that whatsoever instances there may be of Forms in Old Times God has declar'd in the New Testament that it is his Will we shou'd Pray by our own gift of utterance for the future Now methinks had it been the Will of God that we shou'd not Pray by Forms 't is very strange that in all the New Testament there shou'd be no express prohibition of it Especially since I have prov'd that the Jews had Forms and Philo de Victim p. 483. and the Modern Rabbins own the same they were also a People most tenacious of their customs and therefore needed to be forbidden the use of Forms had our Lord design'd to exclude them out of his Worship Nay the Essenes who of all the Sects of the Jews did most readily embrace Christianity had certain Forms of Prayer as Josephus observes De Bell. Jud. l. 2. c. 7. p. 783. Now when those that were most likely to receive the Christian Faith were so addicted to Forms can we imagine that had Christ intended they shou'd use them no longer he wou'd not have given them express warning of them But when instead of so doing he bids them say Our Father c. how cou'd they think but that he design'd they shou'd still use a Form as they did before Were not that his design 't is strange that he took no care to undeceive them But that I may fully prove that the Scripture does not command us to Pray without a Form I shall examine the reasons for which the Dissenters think it do's God say they has promis'd us an ability to utter our minds in Vocal Prayer and therefore to Pray by Forms of other Men's composure is contrary to his intention But I shall afterwards prove that this ability which they pretend is promis'd for the purpose of Vocal Prayer is a common gift which God has no more appropriated to Prayer than to any other end of utterance and elocution and that therefore to omit the using it in Prayer is no more contrary to the intention of God than to omit the using it upon any other just and lawful occasion However because they urge some places of Scripture to prove that 't is design'd merely for Vocal Prayer I shall therefore consider them 1. They urge Zach. 12.10 I will pour out upon the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplications The Hebrew word translated supplications do's alwaies say they denote Vocal Prayer and therefore pouring out the Spirit of supplications must imply communicating an ability to Pray Vocally To this I answer that the word is no
more restrain'd to Vocal Prayer than any other word that signifies Prayer in Scripture 'T is true we read Psal 28.2 Hear the voice of my supplication when I cry unto thee but the voice of my supplication do's not necessarily denote Vocal Prayer For 't is a Hebraiâ—â— and may signify no more than my Supplication or Prayer For so Gen. 4.10 't is said The voice of thy Brother's blood cries c. Now the blood had no real voice to cry with but cry'd just as mental Prayer do's In other places the word signifies both mental and vocal Prayer indifferently Psal 86.6 6.9 or Prayer in general Jer. 31.9 But suppose the word were alwaies us'd for Vocal Prayer yet surely the Promise of pouring out the Spirit of supplications intends a much greater good than the gift of extempore utterance in Prayer of which bad Men may have a greater share than the most devout And what is that greater good but the gift of Heavenly affections in Prayer If it be urg'd that God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son crying Abba Father Gal. 4.6 and that we have receiv'd the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Rom. 8.15 and that these Texts prove us to be enabled to Pray Vocally by the Spirit and that therefore we ought not to Pray by Forms I answer 1. That if these words oblige us to cry Vocally to God by our own gifts then we are equally obliged in all our Vocal Prayers to cry to him in these words Abba Father because that is the cry which the Spirit enables us to make and the Text is every whit as express for one as for the other 2. I deny that crying here do's necessarily denote Vocal Prayer For how often do we find the word apply'd to things that have no Voice at all Thus the stones wou'd immediately cry out Luke 19.40 and the Labourers hire is said to cry to God James 5.4 And indeed crying to God has the same latitude with Prayer which includes both Vocal and Mental 3. Suppose that crying Abba Father by the Spirit signifies Vocal Prayer yet all that can be gather'd from it is only this that when we Pray Vocally we are enabled by the Holy Spirit to address our selves to God with assurance as to a merciful Father and this we may as well do in a Form as otherwise For if we never cry Abba Father by the spirit but when we word our own Prayers we can no more be said to do it when we join with a public Extempore Prayer than when we join with a public Form because we word our own Prayers in neither 'T is true the Scripture speaks of a gift of utterance which say they was given for Praying as well as Preaching but I answer that the gift of utterance was miraculous and particular to the Primitive Ages This gift saies Saint Chrysostom Hom. 24. ad Eph. c. 6. is that which Christ promis'd Mark 13.11 by which the Disciples spake without premeditation and what they spake was the inspir'd Word of God and this Gift no sober Dissenter will pretend to The Apostles began to speak with tongues as the spirit gave them utterance Act. 2.4 and the Dissenters may as well pretend to the gift of Tongues as that of Utterance they being both extraordinary But say they tho' all Men have not the Gift of Praying Extempore yet some have and therefore God requires such to Pray by their gift and not by a Form For he requires them not to neglect the gift 1 Tim. 4.14 but to stir up the gift 2 Tim. 1.6 and to Minister the gift 1 Pet. 4.10 and that having gifts c. Rom. 12.6 and if Men are obliged to exercise their gifts in general then they must exercise their gift of Praying Extempore in particular Now to these things I answer First That the gift bestow'd upon Timothy was the gift of Episcopal power which he is exhorted to exercise diligently For at the first plantation of the Gospel the Holy Ghost Pointed out the Men that were to be Bishops as the (f) Clem. 1 Epist ad Corinth Chrysost in Act. 13.2 Fathers testifie For this reason the gift is said to be given him by Prophesy 'T was given also with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery and these two circumstances prove that the gift was not the gift of Prophesying but the gift of Episcopal Authority bestow'd upon him by imposition of hands at God's particular Appointment And now I pray how do's this Text prove that we must use a gift of Vocal Prayer in our own words As for 1 Pet. 4.10 Rom. 12.6 I Answer 1. That there can be nothing in them against Praying by a Form for then they wou'd make as much against using the Lord's Prayer as any other Form 2. That the design of those Texts is to stir Men up to diligence in the exercise of those several Offices viz. The Office of a Bishop a Priest a Deacon and a Rich Man For 't is plain that the word Gift do's oftentimes signifie an Office and tho' it may be said that the relief of the Poor is rather the exercise of an Ability than an Office yet I answer that 't is properly the exercise of an Office because the very having Ability do's as much put a Man into the Office of shewing mercy to the Poor as if God had appointed him to it by a solemn Ordination 3. Supposing that by these gifts were not meant Offices but only abilities yet we are obliged so to exercise them That all things may be done to Edification for so the Apostle declares that those extraordinary Gifts that were pour'd out in the Primitive Times were to be us'd 1 Cor. 14.2 6 19 40. as 't is particularly plain by the instance of the Gift of Tongues vers 23 26 28. Now if we are not to exercise our gifts but as they tend to Edification then we must not exercise the gift of Praying Extempore any farther than it tends to Edification And since Praying by a Form in Public Worship do's as I shall afterwards prove tend more to Edification than Praying Extempore therefore 't is plain that we ought to suspend the use of the gift of conceiv'd Prayer Thus I hope I have made it appear that some Forms of Prayer are commanded in Scripture and that those Texts which are urg'd against the use of forms of Prayer do prove nothing against them and therefore I think I may safely affirm that the Scripture do's warrant Forms of Prayer I proceed now to shew that Antiquity do's the same This I shall do 1. by answering those Authorities which are objected by the Dissenters against the use of Forms in the Primitive Ages 2. By proving that they were us'd in those Ages by a short Historical Account of the matter of Fact 1. Then 't is objected First that Justin Martyr saies Apol. 2. p. 98. That the Minister at the Communion Pray'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
but I affirm that several Forms of Prayer are injoin'd in God's Word Thus Numb 6.23 c. the Priest is commanded to Pray for the People in this very Form of words The Lord bless thee c. And Deut. 21.7 8. the People are injoin'd to say Be merciful O Lord c. and 26.13 c. I have brought c. Look down from thy Holy c. David also by Divine inspiration appointed the Book of Psalms for the public service as appears by the Titles of many of them And tho' some of them have no Titles at all yet we find they were deliver'd by David into the hands of Asaph and his Brethren for Forms of Praise and Thanksgiving 1 Chron. 16.7 and accordingly Hezekiah commanded the Levites to make use of them 2 Chron. 29.30 This Liturgy also was renew'd by Ezra Ezr. 3.10 11. Besides our Saviour saies When ye Pray say Our Father c. in which he do's as plainly prescribe that very Form as 't is possible Nay had he said use this Form it cou'd not have been more expressive of his intention to impose it as a Form If it be said that the Lord's Prayer is not a Form but only a Pattern or Directory of Prayer because our Saviour Matt. 6.9 commanded his Disciples to Pray after this manner Our Father c. I answer 1. When the same matter is mention'd ambiguously in one Text and plainly in another then the doubtful or ambiguous Text must be determin'd by the plain one Now 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Matt. 6.9 may be as well translated Pray in these words as Pray after this manner but I confess we cannot certainly know from that Text whether Christ commands us to use that very Form or one like it But then the words Luke 11.2 When ye Pray say Our Father c. are so express a command to use that very Form that nothing can be plainer and therefore the other Text must be determin'd by them 2. Our Saviour gave this Prayer not after the manner of a Directory but of a Form Had he design'd it for a Directory he wou'd have bidden them to call upon God for such and such things whereas he gives them a Form'd Prayer and bids them say it and we may reasonably suppose that he intended we shou'd use it as a Form since he gave it as such 3. Tho' the words in St. Matthew were only a Directory yet those in St. Luke are a Form of Prayer For the former were deliver'd in the Sermon upon the Mount in the second year after his Baptism but the latter upon another quite different occasion in the third year after it Therefore 't is probable that the Disciples understood those in St. Matthew only as a Directory and requested our Saviour afterwards to give them a Form For 4. the occasion of Christ's giving them this Prayer in St. Luke was their requesting him to Teach them to pray as John taught his Disciples For 't was the custom of the Jewish Doctors to Teach their Disciples a particular Form of Prayer and St. John had done the same and the Disciples desire that Christ wou'd do so too For neither St. John's nor our Saviour's Disciples cou'd be ignorant how to Pray but their request was that Christ wou'd give them his particular Form according to the Jewish custom and this Form he gave them which we call the Lord's Prayer But 't is objected that supposing our Saviour did prescribe it as a Form yet it was only for a time till they shou'd be more fully instructed and enabled to Pray by the coming of the Holy Spirit For say they before Christ's Ascension the Disciples had ask'd nothing in his Name Joh. 16.24 but all Prayers after Christ's Ascension were to be offer'd in his Name Joh. 14.13 14. 16.23 Now this Prayer has nothing of his Name in it and therefore was not design'd to be us'd after his Ascension and accordingly say they in all the New Testament we have not the least intimation of the Disciples using this Form But this objection is of no force if we consider the following particulars 1. That our Saviour has not given us the least intimation that he prescrib'd this Form only for a time and not for continual use And if we may pronounce Christ's Institution to be null without his Authority then Baptism and the Lord's Supper may be temporary prescriptions as well as the Lord's Prayer Whatever Christ has instituted without limitation of time do's alwaies oblige 2. That his not inserting his own Name into it is no Argument at all that he never intended it shou'd be us'd after his Ascension For to Pray in Christ's Name is to Pray in his Mediation depending upon his Merits and Intercession for the acceptance of our Prayers and therefore Prayers may be offer'd up in Christ's Name tho' we do not name him Thus without doubt the Disciples Pray'd in his Name Acts 4.24 tho' his Mediation is not mention'd 'T is true his Name is not expressed in the Lord's Prayer because when he gave it he was not yet Ascended and his Disciples were not to ask in his Name till after his Ascension but now that he is Ascended we can as well offer it in his Name as if it had been express'd in it Nay 't is so fram'd that now after his Ascension when the Doctrine of his Mediation was to be more fully explain'd we cannot offer it at all but in and thro' his Mediation For God is peculiarly our Father in and thro' Jesus Christ And therefore Christ's not inserting his own Name do's by no means prove that he did not design it for a standing Form 3. That tho' the Scriptures do not mention the Apostles and Disciples using the Lord's Prayer yet this is no argument either that they did not use it or that they did not believe themselves obliged to use it For we may as well conclude from the silence of Scripture that they did not Baptize in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost tho' Christ had commanded them so to do as we may conclude that they did not use the Lord's Prayer tho' Christ commanded them to say Our Father c. Especially if we consider that those who liv'd nearest the Apostolical Ages and so were the most competent Judges of what was done in them where the Scripture is silent did alwaies use this Form in their Public Prayers and believe themselves obliged to do so Now that this Prayer was look't upon as a standing Form to be perpetually us'd appears from Tertull. de Orat. St. Cyprian de Orat. Dom. St. Cyril Cat. Myst 5. St. Jerom. in Pelag. l. 3. St. Austin Hom. 42.50 Epist 59. St. Chrysost de Simult St. Gregory Ep. lib. 7. cap. 6. And to be sure they who believ'd the Institution of it to be perpetually obliging cou'd not doubt but that it was constantly us'd in the Apostolic Age. And methinks 't is
whom they know may sometimes mistake their Passion for their Zeal and reake their Anger or their Faction in their Prayers or let drop an Errour before they are aware or express themselves so as an honest mind may not be able to join So that in joining with an Extempore Prayer a Man must judge what is said before he can consent to it and if he meet with a rub the Minister goes on in the mean time and the Man is left behind at a loss and perhaps confounded before he can join again and no sooner perhaps is he well fixt but he is troubled again with the same inconveniency all which is easily prevented by the use of Forms 4. Forms do not divert the affections of the People from the Matter of Prayer as Extempore Prayers do which disturb Devotion whenever the Minister hesitates or blunders or expresses himself improperly for then some will be pitying others contemning others carping c. And if he perform well some will admire his Phrase Judgment Readiness c. all which things do call off their minds from the Matter 5. The Decency and solemnity of public Worship which things are highly advantageous to the Devotion of the people are better secur'd by Forms than by Extempore Prayers where they depend wholly upon the Minister For if he happens to be a Man of a bad memory or apt to blunder or be dull c. then the Devotion of the Congregation may be turn'd into scorn and laughter and of this I have seen too many sad experiments But suppose him to be an able and Pious person yet he may be liable to indispositions of body dulness inadvertency c. with outward cares and accidents and if he be he must many times Pray confusedly or with broken indecent expressions and omit a great deal of the matter Sometimes he will be at a loss and be forced to use fulsome repetitions and how is it possible almost but that a great deal of flat and empty nonsence undigested conceptions and unadvis'd expressions shou'd escape from his lips before he is aware And this if he has a grain of modesty must put him into greater confusion and so amaze him that he will be hardly able to recover himself Now is it not a hard case that the Devotions of Five hundred or a thousand Persons must be disturb'd by one Man's disorders For they must either Pray after him or not Pray at all But all these evils are prevented by set public Forms 6. Those that join in a Form may be better secur'd of the reality and sincerity of their own Devotion For they knowing before-hand the expressions of the Form are not so much surpriz'd with the Phrases and therefore if they find themselves affected may more safely conclude 't is the Matter and not the words that moves them Whereas a Man that is tickled with the words of an Extempore Prayer may fancy himself to be very devout when he has nothing of true Devotion in him I might add more but I think these things are enough to convince an unprejudiced person that Forms of Prayer are so far from hindring that they very much help Devotion But if any Man shall still object that he finds by experience that Forms do actually deaden his Devotions because his affections are flat and heavy when he uses them but he is almost transported when he hears a Man Pray Extempore I beseech him to consider whether his experience be not founded in prejudice and whether his prejudice ought to prescribe to the whole Church 'T is certain other Men find by experience that joining with a Form do's help their Devotion so that here is experience against experience Now since two contrary experiences cannot proceed from the nature of the thing therefore one must proceed from the temper of the Man Now I have prov'd and many Men find by experience that Forms do help Devotion and therefore if he do's not find the same the fault must be in himself and I doubt not but if he will consider the matter impartially he will soon be of the same opinion For we have Scripture and Reason on our side but he is led by his passions which may be charm'd and flatter'd and will betray him into strong delusions 'T is plain 't is not the matter of the Extempore Prayer that affects him for that is the same as in a Form and if he be taken with the chiming of words 't is but a sensitive delight and he must not make a Division in the Church only to gratifie his fancy Besides I desire him strictly to examine his Conscience whether he has not often been as dull at a conceiv'd Prayer as at the public Forms If so then the person is to be blam'd and not the Form and he is guilty of a double iniquity who divides the Church without sufficient cause and charges his own formality upon a good and wholesome constitution 2. They pretend that Praying in a Form of Words do's stint and limit the Spirit of Prayer But before I answer this Objection it will be necessary to explain 1. What it is that the Scripture attributes to the Spirit in Prayer 2. What is meant by stinting or limiting the Spirit in Prayer First Then what is it that the Scripture attributes to the Spirit in Prayer I answer There are some things attributed to him which were Extraordinary and Temporary and others that were Ordinary fixt and standing The Extraordinary and Temporary were the immediate Inspiration of the matter of Prayer and an ability to express it in known or unknown Languages We read in the Old Testament of Prayers and Praises which for the matter of them were immediately inspir'd Thus Pray'd Hannah who as the Targum paraphrases it Pray'd by the Spirit of Prophesy that is by immediate Inspiration For Praying and Praising by immediate Inspiration are frequently call'd Prophesying 1 Sam. 10.5 Numb 11.25 1 Chron. 25.1 Luc. 1.67 for the matter of all those Prayers and Praises together with those in the Book of Psalms and sundry others recorded in Scripture was immediately dictated by the Holy Ghost But after the descent of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost wherein the gift of Tongues was communicated 't is certain that not only the matter but the very Language of their Prayers was immediately Inspir'd This gift was peculiar to the Primitive Ages of Christianity because the design of it was not only to enable the first planters of the Gospel to perform their office in the Languages of the several Nations they were sent to but also to be a sign from God as other Miracles were for the confirmation of the Gospel Tongues were for a sign to them that believe not 1 Cor. 14.22 and therefore since all Miracles were Extraordinary and after a time to cease certainly this Miraculous gift of Prayer was so too However because many Dissenters think it not an extraordinary but a Standing Gift which the Spirit will communicate to
all successive Ages of the World I desire them to consider 1. That there is no promise of such a gift by vertue of the New Covenant and therefore no reason to expect the continuance of it and 't is presumtion to promise our selves what God has not promis'd us For as for the Spirit of Supplications Zac. 12.10 't is plain that 't is the same with the Spirit of Grace or of inward Piety and devotion But that there is no such Promise in the New Covenant is evident from what is acknowledg'd on all hands viz. That there are many good Christians who cou'd never pretend to any such Inspiration For all good Christians have a Right to the blessings of the New Covenant and I am very confident 't wou'd be look'd upon by all sober Dissenters as a very rash and unjust censure to affirm that a Man cannot be a good Christian who do's not Pray by immediate Inspiration but is alwaies fain to depend either on his own invention or a Form 2. That as there is no Promise so there is no need of any such immediate Inspiration 'T is true the Spirit will assist us in all necessary things wherein our duty and Spiritual Life are concern'd but 't is an unwarrantable presumtion to expect an immediate Inspiration in Prayer because there is no necessity of it For 1. As for the Matter of our Prayers the Holy Spirit has already sufficiently reveal'd it to us in the Gospel and as plainly instructed us what we are to pray for as he can be suppos'd to do by any immediate Inspiration And therefore to suppose after all a necessity of immediate Inspiration is in effect to suppose that We have neither reason enough to understand the sense of plain Words nor memory enough to retain it But say the Dissenters 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 Rom. 8.26 and therefore we cannot in all cases know the Matter of our Prayers without immediate Inspiration But I answer that the words relate not to the matter but to the Manner of our Prayers What to Pray for as we ought we know not that is we know not how to Pray with that fervency and resignation which we ought unless the Spirit assist us 2. As for the words of Prayer there is no necessity they shou'd be immediately dictated to us since we may use Forms and those Forms with small additions may be adapted to all particular Cases and Circumstances 3. If Prayers are Inspir'd they are equal to Scripture and are infallible and the Word of God because whatever God inspires must needs be so But this I am sure no sober Dissenter will presume to say 4. There is no sign of this immediate Inspiration remaining among us Heretofore all Inspiration was attested by Miracles but the pretended Inspiration of Prayer has no Miracles to warrant it Whereas if the Inspiration be continu'd 't is requisite that proper signs shou'd be continu'd that so we may be able to distinguish that which is Divine from that which is Natural or Diabolical If it be said that the Scripture is sufficient to distinguish them I answer that tho' the Scripture may be sufficient to distinguish whether the Matter of the Inspiration be true or false yet it 's not sufficient to distinguish the Inspiration it self whether it be Divine or Natural or Diabolical For 1. 'T is certain a Man may Pray agreeably to Scripture by Natural Inspiration that is by a Natural or accidental fervency of temper as might be prov'd by many instances And in this case how shall he know by Scripture whether his present Inspiration be Natural or Divine 'T will be said perhaps that God Inspires good Men with fervency in Prayer and yet this fervency sometimes proceeds from temper of body and why do's not the want of a sign to distinguish conclude against the Inspiration of fervency as well as against the Inspiration of the Matter and Words of Prayer I answer that we have a Promise of the Spirit 's assistance for the fervency of our Prayers but not for the Matter or Words of them Besides we may easily distinguish whether the Inspiration of fervency be Natural or Divine by our own sense If it be accompany'd with a fixt and constant Devotion of Soul 't is Divine but if it be only a sudden fit and leaves us habitually indevout we have just reason to think it Natural But we cannot distinguish by Scripture between one and the other for both may be agreeable to Scripture And can it be imagin'd that had God meant to continue the gift of Inspiration to us he wou'd have left us thus in the dark concerning it without any certain sign to distinguish whether it be from his Spirit or from an ill-affected spleen or a fever 2. As for Diabolical Inspirations we have sundry instances such as Wier Hacket D. George and John Basilides Duke of Russia who had such gifts of Prayer as ravish'd the Auditors and in the opinion of the most impartial seem'd to exceed the power of Nature and made many think them immediately Inspir'd by God Now since by such Inspirations the Devil may sometimes serve his own ends by recommending false Teachers c. we may reasonably suppose he do's use that method And since he may Inspire Men with such Matter of Prayer as is agreeable to Scripture we cannot by Scripture certainly distinguish between his Inspiration and that of the Spirit But surely 't is blasphemy to think that if God had continu'd this gift of Inspiration he wou'd leave us without a sign to distinguish it from that which is Diabolical And since there is no sign we have all the reason in the world to think the gift is ceas'd But farther we have not only no certain sign of the Divine Inspiration of conceiv'd Prayers but many very certain ones of the contrary I will instance in four 1. The great impertinence nonsence and rudeness to say no worse that are sometimes mingled with these Extempore Prayers and which we cannot attribute to the Holy Ghost without blasphemy 2. That they are so generally tinctur'd with the particular Opinions of those that offer them Whether this be not so I appeal to all the world and if it be so then surely they are not Inspir'd For either we must suppose this gift of Inspiration to be consin'd to one party which wou'd be to stint the Spirit with a witness or else we must blasphemously say the Spirit Inspires contradictions and indites contrary Prayers to Men of opposite Parties 3. Another plain sign that conceiv'd Prayers are not Inspir'd is that that which gives them the reputation of being so is not so much the Matter as the manner of expressing them As for the Matter I suppose the Dissenters will not deny but our Forms may equal at least if not excell their conceiv'd Prayers and therefore all the
Edification Nor do's our Church impose them like the Church of Rome as necessary and as parts of Religion but as merely indifferent and changeable things As for our Penances 't is needless to shew that they are not cruel like those of Rome 3. The Church of Rome subjects her Members by several of her Doctrines to enslaving passions For instance Purgatory subjects them to fear and auricular confession to shame and the dependence of the efficacy of the Sacraments upon the Priest's intention exposes them to great anxiety But our Church rejects the Doctrines of Purgatory and the dependence of the efficacy of the Sacraments upon the Priest's intention and do's not oblige her Members to Confess their sins to Men but when for the relief of their Consciences or making satisfaction c. it is their duty so to do 4. The Church of Rome maintains Licentious Principles and Practices which our Adversaries cannot charge upon the Church of England Secondly In all those Doctrines and Practices in which the Church of Rome is justly charg'd with plainly contradicting the Scripture For instance our Church rejects and utterly abhors the Popish Doctrines and Practices of Image-worship invocation of Saints Transubstantiation Pardons Indulgences Sacrifice of the Mass denying the Bible to the Vulgar Prayers and Sacraments in an unknown Tongue robbing the Laity of the Cup in the Lord's Supper prohibiting Marriage to Priests Merit Superogation making simple Fornication a mere venial sin damning all that are not of her Communion c. Nor is there any Church that more severely condemns all instances of unrighteousness and immorality than the Church of England do's Thirdly In their public Prayers and Offices To shew this in all particulars wou'd be a tedious task therefore I shall instance only in the office of Infant-Baptism by which the Reader may judge of the rest Before they go into the Church after many preparatory prescriptions the Priest being drest in a Surplice and purple Robe calls the Infant saying what askest thou c. the Godfather answers Faith P. What shalt thou get by Faith G. Eternal Life P. If thou therefore c. Then the Priest blows three gentle puffs upon the Infant 's face and saies Go out of him O unclean Spirit c. Then Crossing the Infant 's Forehead and Breast he saith Receive the sign of the Cross c. Then he praies that God wou'd alwaies c. And after a long Prayer the Priest laying his Hand on the Infant 's Head comes the idle and profane Form of the Benediction of Salt viz. I conjure thee O creature of Salt in the Name c. with many Crossings Then he puts a little Salt into the Infant 's mouth saying Take thou the Salt of Wisdom and adds most impiously be it thy Propitiation unto Eternal Life After the Pax tecum he praies that this Infant c. Then the Devil is conjur'd again and most wofully be-call'd Then the Priest Crosses the Infant 's Forehead saying And this sign c. Then he puts his Hand on the Infant 's Head and puts up a very good Prayer Then he puts part of his Robe upon the Infant and brings him within the Church saying Enter thou c. Then follow the Apostles Creed and the Paternoster Then the Devil is conjur'd again and the Priest takes spittle out of his mouth and therewith touches the Infant 's Ears and Nostrils saying c. Then he conjures the Devil again saying Be packing O Devil c. Then he asks the Infant whether he renounces the Devil c. Then dipping his Thumb in Holy Oyl and anointing the Infant with it in his Breast and betwixt his shoulders he saies I anoint thee c. Then he puts off his Purple Robe and puts on another of White colour and having ask'd four more questions and receiv'd the answers he pours water thrice upon the Child's Head as he recites over it our Saviour's Form of Baptism Then dipping his Thumb in the Chrism or Holy Ointment he anoints the Infant upon the Crown of his Head in the figure of a Cross and praies O God Omnipotent c. Afterwards he takes a white linnen cloth and putting it on the Child's Head saies Take the white garment c. Lastly he puts into the Child's or his God-Father's Hand a lighted Candle saying Receive the burning Lamp c. Besides those things which are in the Common Ritual there are divers others added in the Pastorale which I shall not mention And now if any Man will read our Office of Baptism he will acknowledge that no two things can be more unlike than these two Offices are Our Litany indeed has been Condemn'd by Dissenters as savouring of Popish Superstition but nothing is more false if a Man compares it with the Popish one the greater part of which consists in invocations of Saints and Angels But the Brevity I am confin'd to in this Discourse will not permit me to abide any longer upon this Argument Fourthly In the Books they receive for Canonical For the Church of Rome takes all the Apocryphal Books into the Canon but the Church of England takes only those which the Primitive Church and all Protestants acknowledge 'T is true she reads some part of the Apocryphal Books for instruction of manners but she do's not establish any Doctrine by them Fifthly and Lastly in the Authority on which they found their whole Religion The Church of Rome founds the Authority of the Scriptures upon her own infallibility and the Authority of many of her own Doctrines on unwritten traditions and the Decrees of her Councils which she will have to be no less inspir'd than the Prophets and Apostles but the Church of England builds her whole Religion upon Scripture which is her rule of Faith and Practice She Reverences ancient general Councils but do's not think them infallible And as for that Authority which our Church claims in Controversies of Faith by requiring subscription to 39 Articles 't is plain that she means no more Authority than to oblige her Members to outward submission when her decisions do not contradict any essentials of Faith or Manners but not an authority to oblige Men to believe them infallibly true and this is necessary for the Peace of any Church 'T is true she thinks it convenient that none should receive Orders be admitted to Benefices c. but such as do believe them not all as Articles of our Faith but many as inferiour truths and she requires Subscription as a Test of this belief but the Church of Rome requires all Persons under pain of damnation to believe all her false and wicked Doctrines as much as the most undoubted Articles of Faith as may be seen in the Creed of Pius the fourth As to the Motives which our Church proposes for our belief of the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures they are such as are found in the Scriptures themselves viz. the excellency of them and the Miracles which confirm them
circumstances and may be different according to those circumstances That thing may tend to Order Decency and Edification in one Country or Age which in another may tend to the contrary Thus being cover'd in the Church and the Custom of Love-Feasts c. were once thought decent but afterwards the opinions of Men alter'd So that Order Decency and Edification being changeable things as circumstances vary only general rules can be prescrib'd but the particulars must be left to Authority to determine 2. Our Saviour and his Apostles did use indifferent things which were not prescrib'd in Divine Worship Thus he join'd in the Synagogal Worship John 18.20 c. tho' if the place it self were at all prescrib'd the manner of that Service was not so much as hinted at Thus he us'd the Cup of Charity in the Passover tho' it was not instituted Luke 22.16 The Feast of Dedication was an human institution yet he vouchsaf'd to be present at it Nay he comply'd with the Jews in the very posture of the Passover which they chang'd to Sitting tho' God had prescrib'd Standing The Apostles also observ'd the hours of Prayer which were of human institution Acts 3.1 Now if Christ and his Apostles did thus under the Jewish Law which was so exact in prescribing outward Ceremonies certainly we may do the same under the Gospel I may add that the Primitive Christians not only comply'd with the Jews in such Rites as were not forbidden but also had some ritual observations taken up by themselves Thus they (a) 1 Tim. 5.10 Ambros De Sacram. lib. 3. cap. 1. wash'd the Disciples feet in imitation of Christ and (b) Tertull De Orat. cap. 14. us'd Love-Feasts till they thought it convenient to lay them aside From whence it appears that prescription is not necessary to make a Rite lawful 't is enough if it be not forbidden If it be said that these usages of the Christian Church were civil observances and us'd as well out of God's worship as in it and therefore what there needed no institution for might be lawfully us'd without it I answer 1. That this justifies most of our usages for a white Garment was us'd in civil cases as a sign of Royalty and Dignity c. 2. A civil observance when us'd in Religious worship either remains civil when so apply'd or is religious when so apply'd If it be civil then kneeling in God's worship is not religious because 't is a posture us'd in civil matters If it be religious then a rite that is not prescrib'd may be us'd in worship to a religious end 3. 'T is evident that (c) Buxtorf Exere Hist Sâ—c Caen. neither the washing of feet nor the holy Kiss were us'd as civil rites and that the latter is call'd by the Fathers the Seal of Prayer and the Seal of Reconciliation 4. If a rite's being civil makes it lawful in Divine worship then any civil rite may be us'd in worship and consequently all the ridiculous practices of the Church of Rome wou'd be warrantable 5. If a rite's being civil makes it lawful in worship then how can our Adversaries say that nothing is to be us'd in worship but what is prescrib'd by GOD except the Natural circumstances of action For there are many civil Rites which are not natural circumstances of action Feasting and Salutation are civil usages but Divine worship can be perform'd without them And if these and the like were antiently us'd in worship then we have the same liberty to introduce such customs 3. If things indifferent tho' not prescrib'd may not be lawfully us'd in God's worship then we cannot lawfully join with any Church in the World For all Churches do in some instances or other take the liberty of using what the Scripture has no where requir'd Thus the (d) Vid. August Epist 118 119. Basil De Sp. S. cap. 27. Ambros De Sacram. lib. 2. cap. 7. lib. 3. cap. 1. antients observ'd the Feasts of the Passion Resurrection c. Stood in their devotions on the Lord's Day c. These things they all agree'd in and thought it unlawful to act against an universal practice Besides some Churches had peculiar customs within the bounds of their own Communion The Church of Rome fasted on Saturdays others indifferently on any Day That of Milan wash'd the feet of persons to be Baptiz'd but that of Rome did not Thus in our daies some receive the Lord's Supper kneeling others standing c. So that if we must have an Institution for every thing done in the worship of God and if we must join in nothing which has it not then we cannot be members of any Church in the World Nor indeed can I learn how a Christian can with a good conscience perform any part of God's worship if this principle be admitted for true For habits and gestures are not determin'd in Scripture and God's worship cannot be perform'd without them and if they are unlawful for not being commanded then a man must sin every time he Praies or receives the Sacrament Nay those that condemn the use of such things as are not commanded do in their practice confute their opinion For where I pray are they commanded to sprinkle the Children that are Baptiz'd or to receive the Lord's Supper sitting or to use conceiv'd Prayers or to touch and kiss the Book in Swearing Or to enter into a particular Church-covenant Nay where do they find that the Scripture saith that there is nothing lawful in divine worship but what is prescrib'd or that what is not commanded is forbidden Where are we told that God will be angry with us for doing that which he has not forbidden Our brethren themselves will allow that the time and place of God's worship may be prescrib'd by Authority and why then may not necessary circumstances such as gestures and habits be thus determin'd tho' they be not commanded Certainly the command of a lawful power does not make that unlawful which was not forbidden and by consequence was lawful before They say indeed that Nadab and Abihu sinn'd because they offer'd strange fire before the Lord which he commanded them not c. Lev. 10.1 c. and therefore there must be a command to make any thing lawful in divine worship But to this I answer that the phrase not commanded is constantly apply'd to such things as are absolutely forbidden The fire also is call'd strange which phrase when apply'd to matters of worship signifies as much as forbidden Thus strange incense Exod. 30.9 24. is such as was forbidden because it was not rightly made strange vanities is but another word for strange Gods Jer. 8.19 and thus the fire of these Men was strange that is forbidden fire For there was scarce any thing belonging to the Altar of which more is said than of the fire burning upon it Lev. 9.24 6.12 16.12 'T was lighted from Heaven and was to be always burning When atonement was to be
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is say they according to his ability from whence they infer that in his daies the Ministers Pray'd by their own gifts and abilities To this I answer that the words do signify with all his might i. e. with his utmost fervency For the same words are spoken of the People in the same Book p. 60. who did not compose their own Prayer at the Eucharist and the same Phrase is us'd in the same sence by Nazianzen Orat. 3. 2 dly Because Tertullian in his Apology affirms that Christians did Pray without a Monitor or Prompter because they did Pray from their hearts they think he alludes to a custom of the Heathen who in their public worship had a Monitor to direct them in what words and to what God they were to Pray Now since the Christians Pray'd without a Monitor therefore say they they Pray'd without any one to direct them what Form of words they were to pray in To which I answer 1. That without a Monitor cannot signify without any one to dictate a Form of words For in their public Prayers the Minister was the Mouth of the People and therefore whether he Pray'd by Form or extempore his words were a Form to the People Whatever therefore this obscure Phrase means 't is certain it cannot mean without a Form unless it means without a Minister too 2. It seems to me most probable that by without a Monitor is meant without any one to correct them when either the People repeated or the Minister recited the public Prayers falsly For (g) A. Gell. Noct. Att. l. 13. c. 21. Rosin Antiq. l. 3. c. 33. the Heathen Priests began their Sacrifices with a Form of Prayer which began with an Invocation of Janus and Vesta and proceeded with the invocations of all the greater Deities by name Now that none of the greater God's might be pretermitted and (h) Plin. l. 28. c. 2. none of the Prayers falsly or disorderly recited or repeated (i) Liv l. 4. one Priest read out of a Ritual and another was appointed for a Public Monitor to oversee and correct such mistakes as might be made When therefore Tertullian saies We Pray without a Monitor his meaning is not that we Pray without a Priest to dictate our Prayers to us whether out of a Book or Extempore but that we Pray without one to oversee to admonish the Priests or People when they dictate or repeat falsly Because saies he we Pray from our hearts that is either by joining our affections and desires with the Priest without repeating the words or by saying our Prayers by heart so that we need none to correct us For Tertullian affects to express the Greek and therefore 't is probable his de pectore or from the heart may be a translation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to say by heart So that Tertullian's words do rather argue for the use of Forms than against them The Third and last testimony against the Antiquity of Forms of Prayer is that of Socrates Scholasticus whose words Hist lib. 5. c. 22. they thus translate Every where and in all worships of Prayer there are not two to be found that speak the same words And therefore say they 't is very unlikely they shou'd Pray by Forms But we must observe that he had been speaking of the different ceremonies and customs of the chief Churches and then concludes Every where and among all worships of Prayer there are not two to be sound not that speak the same words but that agree 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the same thing Where by worships of Prayer he means rites of Prayer which the Churches differ'd in And how do's it follow that because they did not use the same rites and ceremonies of Prayer therefore they did not use Forms of Prayer For even now we see there are different rites and ceremonies of Prayer among those Churches which do yet agree in using Forms of Prayer 2. Therefore I am to prove that Forms were us'd in the Primitive times by a short Historical account of the matter of fact 'T is probable that in the first Age there was a gift of Praying Extempore by immediate inspiration and while this gift continu'd perhaps there might be no other Form in public Worship but only that of the Lord's Prayer But 't is probable that upon the ceasing or abatement of it Forms were compos'd after the method of those inspir'd Prayers For 't is most likely that even from the Apostolical Age some part at least of the public Worship was perform'd in Forms of Prayer because so far as we can find there never was any dispute among Christians concerning the lawfulness of Praying by a Form For 't is strange that if Forms were an innovation such a remarkable and public innovation shou'd be introduc'd without the least contest or opposition For tho' some innovations did creep in yet every one of that public nature alwaies found powerful adversaries to withstand it But not to insist upon probabilities wee 'l enquire into matter of fact The Liturgies of Saint Peter St. Mark and St. James tho' corrupted by latter Ages yet are doubtless of great antiquity and probably even from the Apostles times For besides many things which have a strong relish of that Age that of St. James was of great authority in the Church of Jerusalem in St. Cyril's time who wrote a Comment upon it even in his younger years and 't is declar'd by (k) Allat de Lit. Sti. Jac. Proclus and the (l) Concil Trull c. 32. Sixth general Council to be of St. James's own Composure and 't was probably receiv'd in the Church of Jerusalem within 170 years after the Apostolical Age. And that there are Forms of Worship in it as ancient as the Apostles seems highly probable For First all the Form Sursum corda is there and in St. Cyril's Comment and the same is in the Liturgies of Rome and Alexandria and the Constitutions of Clemens which all agree are of great antiquity and St. Cyprian who was living within an 100 years after the Apostles (m) De Orat. Dom. mentions it as a Form then us'd and receiv'd and St. Austin tells us that Form is words deriv'd from the very age of the Apostles The same is asserted by Nicephorus of the Trisagium in particular Hist lib. 18. c. 53. 'T is evident that from that Primitive Age there was a Form of questions and answers prescrib'd in Baptism from the questions and answers which Tertull. De Resur Carn St. Cypr. 76.80 Origen in Numer Hom. 5. speak of And if the Minister may be limited to a Form of question why not to a Form of Prayer there being as great a necessity to prescribe for the latter as for the former But that de facto there were Forms of Prayer as well as Questions and Answers us'd in Baptism Clemens's Constitutions affirm and some of the Prayers are there inserted l. 7.
And that Christians did very early use Forms of Prayer in their public Worship is evident from the Names given to public Prayers for they are call'd the (n) Justin Apol. 2. Ignat. Epist ad Magn. Common-Prayer (o) Orig. cont Celf. l. 6. Constituted Prayers and (p) Cypr. de Laps serm 14. Solemn Prayers which last was the Title by which the Heathens distinguisht their (q) Vid. Ovid. de fast lib. 6. Stat. lib. 4. Senec. in Oedip. act 2. scen 2. public Forms of Prayer and consequently in the Language of that Age must signifie a public Form (r) De Spir. S. c. 27. 29. St. Basil fetches the Glory be to the Father c. from the tradition of the Apostles and cites it from St. Clemens the Apostles Scholar and from Dionysius of Alexandria who was living in the year 200 and Clemens of Alexandria who was living in the year 160 sets down these words as the Christian Form of Praising God (ſ) Paedag. Praising the Father and the Son with the Holy Ghost So that this Form is older than the time of the Arians for they are sharply (t) Theod. Hist l. 2. c. 24. reprov'd by the Orthodox Fathers for the alteration of it And indeed a great part of the Primitive Worship consisted of Hymns which must necessarily be compos'd into set Forms Tertull. Apol. cap. 2. and before him Lucian in Philop. and Justin Martyr also Epist ad Zen. Heren speak of their singing such Hymns They spend whole nights in watching and singing of Psalms saies Lucian and Pliny saies that early in the Morning 't was their manner to sing by turns a Hymn to Christ as God which Hymn was doubtless of human composure there being no Hymn to Christ in Scripture of that length as to take up a considerable part of their public Service Eusebius tells us that very early there were various Psalms and Odes compos'd by Christians concerning the Divinity of Christ (u) Euseb Hist lib. 5. and that Paulus Samosatenus was condemn'd for suppressing those Hymns that were made in the Honour of Christ as being the composition of Men of late daies (w) ibid. Hist lib. 7. tho' in all probability those Hymns were compos'd within much less than an hundred years after the Apostolical Age. But as for this Hymn which Pliny speaks of it was earlier for it cou'd not be much above ten years after the death of St. John that Pliny gave this account of the Christians to Trajan and therefore to be sure the Hymn he there speaks of was us'd in the Age of the Apostles About the same time Lucian makes mention of a Prayer which they us'd in their public Worship 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 beginning from the Father which doubtless was the Lord's Prayer and of a famous Hymn added to the end of their Service (x) Lucian Philop. which in all probability was the Hymn that Pliny speaks of Since therefore the Primitive Worship did in a great measure consist of Hymns which were Forms of Praise intermixt with Prayer and some of these of human composure this is an evident Testimony of the Primitive use of Forms And doubtless they who made no scruple of praying by Form in verse cou'd not but think it lawful to pray by Form in prose Now that Praying in Meeter or compos'd Hymns was a very early practice in the Christian Church is evident from the Apostolical Constitutions where it is injoin'd Let the People sing the verses which answer adversly to one another (y) Constitut Apost l. 2. cap. 5. which way of singing was so very ancient that Eusebius (z) Euseb Hist Eccles l. 2. c. 171. urges it as an Argument to prove the Essenes Christians because they sung by turns answering one another and how cou'd they thus answer to one another in their Hymns and Prayers unless they had constant Forms of Prayer But that they had such Responsals in Prayer is evident because when Julian for the credit of Gentilism wou'd needs dress it up (a) Soz. Hist l. 5. c. 15. after the Order of the Christian Worship one thing wherein he sought to imitate it was in their constituted Prayers that is not in having constituted Forms of Prayer for that the Heathen had before but in having such constituted Forms as the Christians had that is as Nazianzen (b) Nazian Orat. 1. p. 102. explains it a Form of Prayer to be said in parts for this way of Praying in parts Nicephorus (c) Niceph l. 13. c. 8. derives from Ignatius who was a Scholar of the Apostles All which to me is a plain demonstration of the great Antiquity of Forms And that in Constantine's time the Church us'd public Forms of Prayer is evident from that often-cited place of Eusebius (d) Euseb de Laud. Constant where he tells us of Constantine's composing Godly Prayers for the use of his Soldiers and elsewhere tells us in particular what the Prayer was We acknowledge thee O God alone c. (e) Id. de vit Constant c. 20. which is a plain evidence that it was a set Form of words But it 's objected that this Form was compos'd only for the use of his Soldiers who were a great part of them Heathens and that Constantine's composing it is a plain evidence that at that time there were no public Forms in the Church for if there had what need Constantine have compos'd one To which I answer That this Form indeed was compos'd only for his Heathen Soldiers for as for his Christian Soldiers the story tells us that he gave them liberty to go to Church (f) Ibid. c. 19. And therefore all that can be gather'd hence is that the Christian Church had no Form of Prayers for Heathen Soldiers which is no great wonder for if they had it 's very unlikely that the Heathen Soldiers wou'd have us'd it But that they had Forms is evident because he calls the Prayers which Constantine us'd in his Court according to the manner of the Church of God (g) Ibid. c. 17. Authoriz'd Prayers which is the same Title which he (h) Ibid. c. 18. gave to that Form which he made for his Heathen Soldiers And therefore if by the Authoriz'd Prayers which he prescrib'd to his Soldiers he meant a Form of Prayers as 't is evident he did then by the Authoriz'd Prayers which he us'd in his Court after the manner of the Church he must mean a Form of Prayer also And since he had a Form of Prayer in his Court after the manner of the Church the Church must have a Form of Prayers too 'T is plain then that the three first Centuries had public Forms of Prayer after which not to insist upon the Liturgies of St. Basil St. Chrysostom and St. Ambrose we have undeniable testimonies of the same See St. Chrysost 2. ad Corinth Homil. 18. St. Austin de Bapt. cont Donat. lib. 6. and Concil
Carth. 3. c. 12. Concil Milev c. 12. Justin Novel 137. Pref. 1 2 6. Nazian Orat. in Basil 20. saies St. Basil compos'd Orders and Forms of Prayer and St. Basil himself Epist 63. reciting the Manner of the public Service that was us'd in the Monastical Oratories of his Institution saies that nothing was done therein but what was consonant and agreeable to all the Churches of God Nay the Council of Laodicea holden about the Year 364 expresly provides That the same Liturgy or Form of Prayers shou'd be alwaies us'd both Morning and Evening Can. 18. and this Canon is taken into the Collection of the Canons of the Catholic Church which Collection was establish'd in the General Council of Chalcedon in the Year 451 by which establishment the whole Christian Church was obliged to the use of Liturgies so far as the Authority of the General Council extends And then in the Year 541 these Canons were made Imperial Laws by Justinian Novel 131. c. 1. See Zonar and Balsam on can 18. See also Smectym Answ to the Remonst p. 7. Grand deb p. 11. and Concil Laod. c. 15 19. Thus for near 600 Years after Christ we have sufficient testimony of the public use of Forms of Prayer And from henceforth or a little after down to Mr. Calvin's time all are agreed that no Prayers but establish'd Liturgies were us'd Nay Calvin who Pray'd Extempore after his Lecture alwaies us'd a Form before Pref. ad Calv. Prael in Min. Proph. and he compos'd a Form for the Sunday-Service which was afterwards establish'd at Geneva Nay he saies for as much as concerns the Forms of Prayer and Ecclesiastical Rites I highly approve that it be determin'd so as that it may not be lawful for the Ministers in their administration to vary from it Ep. 87. Nor is there any one Reform'd Church but what has some public Form of Prayer nor was the lawfulness of Forms ever call'd in question before Nay Mr. Ball Dr. Owen Mr. Baxter Mr. Norton and Mr. Tombes do (i) See Ball 's Trial Pref. c. 1 2 3 8. Baxter's Cure of Ch. Divis p. 175. Owen's Work of the Spirit in Prayer p. 220.222 235. Norton's Answer to Apollon c. 13. expresly own them to be lawful and this is said (k) Clark's Lives of 10 Divines p. 255. to be the tenent of all our Dissenting best and most judicious Divines It is very well known saies (l) Bradshaw's Life in Clark's Coll. in fol. p. 67. one that the flower of our own Divines went on in this way when they might have done otherwise if they had pleas'd in their Prayers before Sermons and we find Mr. Hildersham's Prayer before Sermon (m) See His Doctrine of Fasting and Prayer Anno 1633· Printed This was so universally and constantly practis'd that Mr. Clark (n) Collect. of 10 Lives 4 to p. 38. tells us that the first Man who brought conceiv'd Prayer into use in those parts where he liv'd was Mr. Sam. Cook who died but in the Year 1649. Nay the chief Dissenting writers do not only assert but they also undertake to prove the lawfulness of Forms (o) See Ball 's Tri l. c. 2. Rogers's Tr. 223. Bryan's Dwelling with God p. 307. Egerton's Practice of Christianity c. 11. p. 691. Edit 5. from the nature use and ends of Prayer and charge the contrary opinion with Enthusiasm (p) Grave Confut Epist to the Reader Contin Morn Exerc. p. 1006. and Novelty (q) Priest Serm. on Joh. 1.16 They grant also 1. That Forms are not only lawful but that there are Footsteps of this way of Worship both in the Old and New Testament as Mr. Tombes and others have shew'd (r) Theodulia p. 221. Baxt. Cure p. 176. Ball 's Tryal p. 128 129. Grave confut p. 12 13. and Mr. Ainsworth that did otherwise argue against them do's confess (ſ) Annot. on Ex. 12.8 2. That they are very ancient in the Christian Church The Christian Churches of ancient Times for the space of this 1400 Years at least if not from the Apostles Time had their stinted Liturgies saith Mr. Ball (t) Tryal p. 96 106 111 138. p. 80. and (u) Tombes's Theodulia p. 222. they answer Objections to the contrary 3. That in the best reform'd nay in all reform'd Churches they are not only us'd and tolerated but also (w) Ball 's Tryal p. 108 c. Rogers's Treatises p. 224. Tombes's Theod. p. 234. useful and expedient 4. That those amongst us to whom the use of the Common-Prayer has been most burthensome have from time to time profest their liking and approbation of a stinted Liturgy as Mr. Ball assures us (x) Tryal p. 96 106 12. That they thought it altogether unlawful to separate from Churches for the sake of stinted Forms and Liturgies is not only frequently affirm'd by Mr. Ball (y) Resp ad Apol. c. 13. but little less even by Mr. Norton (z) Sacril desert p. 102. who saies It is lawful to embrace Communion with Churches where such Forms in public Worship are in use neither do's it lie as a Duty on a Believer that he disjoin and separate himself from such a Church And they give this reason for it that then they must separate from all Churches So Mr. Baxter (a) Defence part 2. p. 65. See Ball 's Tryal p. 131 Rogers's Tr. p. 224. Is it not a high degree of Pride to conclude that almost all Christ 's Churches in the World for these 13 hundred Years at least to this day have offer'd such worship unto God as that you are obliged to avoid it And that almost all the Catholic Church on Earth this day is below your Communion for using Forms And that even Calvin and the Presbyterians Cartwright Hildersham and the Old Non-Conformists were unworthy your Communion As for Praying Extempore 't was set up in England in opposition to our Liturgy For in the Ninth Year of Q. Eliz. to seduce the People from the Church and to serve the ends of Popery one Friar Comin began to Pray Extempore with such fervor that he deluded many and was amply rewarded for it by the Pope See Foxes and Firebrands p. 7 c. After him Tho. Heath did the same p. 17. See also Vnreason of sep pref p. 11 c. And I hope when the Dissenters have well consider'd whom they join with and whose cause they advance by decrying our Liturgy and extolling Extempore Prayers they will see cause to think better of Forms of Prayer Secondly I am now to answer the Dissenters Objections against Forms of Prayer 1. They pretend that the Use of public Forms do's deaden the Devotion of Prayer whereas I doubt not to make it appear that they do quicken Devotion much more then Extempore Prayers 'T is plain that Forms of Prayer do fix the Minister's attention more than Extempore Prayers For his matter and words being ready before him he has
nothing else to do but to attend his inward Devotion which is the life of Prayer whereas Praying Extempore forces him to attend to the Recollection of Matter and invention of expressions which must more or less divert him it being impossible to attend to several things as closely as he may to one 'T is true he that uses a Form may permit his thoughts to wander but then the sault is in the Man and not in the Form for he converts that which in it self helps Devotion into an occasion of indevotion He that Praies Extempore is more bound to attend to words but he that Praies by Form has better opportunities of attending to the proper business of Prayer viz. Contrition Sense of our Wants and dependence upon God c. And by being an example of these in his Prayer the Minister do's very much excite the Devotion of the People But 't is Objected that while his thoughts are imploy'd in inventing the matter and words of his Prayer they are well imploy'd because they are attending to the duty of Prayer tho' they be not so fixt upon the inward Devotion of it as they might be in the use of a Form To this I answer that to invent the matter and words of Prayer is not to Pray but to study a Prayer which cannot be prov'd to be a part of our duty But we believe that when we Pray Devoutly by a Form we discharge the whole duty of Prayer tho' we do not invent the matter and words our selves and till we see the contrary prov'd we shall always think so If it be said that Praying Extempore will not suffer the Minister's thoughts to wander I answer that if the Minister have Devout affections they will keep his thoughts from wandring when he Praies by Form as much as when he Praies Extempore but if he has not he cannot utter his words from his affections either way But 't is pretended that Praying Extempore do's heighten the Minister's affections more than a Form Because say they in reading a Form his affections follow his words and are rais'd and excited by them whereas in Praying Extempore his words follow his affections But why may not a Man who knows before hand what he is to Pray for be Devoutly affected with it before he expresses it in a Form as well as before he expresses it Extempore And why may not he that Praies Extempore be as little affected with what he Praies for before he has exprest it as he that uses a Form May not a Man's tongue run before his heart either way But suppose it true that in Extempore Prayer the words follow the affections and that in a Form the affections follow the words do's it follow that Praying Extempore heightens the affections more than a Form Why may not the affections viz. desire c. which follow the words be as great as those that go before Especially since our Dissenters say that expressive words do naturally quicken affections If it be said that the Minister cannot so well express his Devout affections in other Mens words as in his own I answer that he is the Mouth of the Congregation and that his business is not to express his own particular and extraordinary fervours as the common case of the Congregation but so to speak as every honest and ordinary Christian may join with him For 't is as bad for him to express such heights of Devotion as few or none of them are arriv'd to as to confess in their names such sins as few or none of them are guilty of Now the common sense of the Congregation may be as well express'd in another Man's words as in his own unless we suppose that Extempore words can more fitly express it than those that are premeditated which no sober Dissenter will affirm But say they the Minister's Soul is so busied in reading a Form that it cannot be so much affected as when he Praies Extempore Now I leave the Reader to judge whether being busied about the Matter Method and Expressions of Prayer do's not much more imploy the Ministers Soul than bare reading that is whether he that can read a Prayer without the least trouble cannot read a Prayer more easily than invent one However they tell us that Praying always in the same words do's cloy the Attention of the People whereas the newness and variety of conceiv'd Prayers do's naturally awaken their Minds and keep them more sixt and intent But I answer that the matter of public Prayer is and for the main will be the same and therefore if the matter fixt their minds 't wou'd as well do it in the same as in new expressions But if it be the Phrase that their minds are fixt on there is nothing in it but an amusement of their fancies which do's rather unfix them from the inward acts of Prayer and distract their Devotion Forms may be compos'd and pronounced as affectionately as Extempore Prayers and may as well excite the People's Devotion but novelty of method and expression do's as much deaden the Devotion of those that are fixt upon it as worldly business That seeming Devotion that is rais'd by the jingling of words is not Devotion but Mechanism for a Man may be strangely affected with the words of Prayer who has not the least spark of true Devotion to the matter of it but if the Mind do's affect the matter of Prayer for it self and not for the sake of the words I cannot imagin how new words shou'd any way advantage its Devotion unless they were to express new matter Thus it appears that even what is urg'd in behalf of Extempore Prayers do's plead much more for Forms but then there are sundry advantages peculiar to Forms which Extempore Prayers cannot pretend to For 1. People may consider the matter of a Form and endeavour to affect their minds with it before hand and so they may Pray with greater preparation 2. People may join in a Form with more understanding than in an Extempore Prayer wherein the Minister is forced to use such expressions as come first to hand and sometimes he is forced to use a hard word which half of the Congregation do not know because an easier do's not come to his mind besides many other inconveniencies which 't is impossible alwaies to avoid Now in composing public Forms more care will be taken that the words may be intelligible than there can be in Extempore Prayer And truly if the words be not intelligible the People's Prayer must be as much interrupted as if the Minister spake in an unknown tongue 3. Men may join in a Form with much more Faith and Hope of being heard than they can in Extempore Prayer For they may be satisfied before hand that the matter of a Form is good but they cannot be so satisfied of an Extempore Prayer considering that the Minister is many times a stranger and may be perhaps Erroneous Rash Ignorant c. And even those Ministers
difference must be in the Manner But are conceiv'd Prayers the more Inspir'd because the words are Extempore Did God continue the gift for no other end but that Men might ask those things Extempore which they might as well have asked in a Form Or are they more Inspired because they do generally more enlarge and express the same Matter over again in different words Was the Spirit continu'd only to vary phrases Our Saviour forbids us to use vain repetitions or as Munster's Hebrew reads it to multiply words above what is fit and seasonable thinking we shall be heard for our much speaking and therefore these enlargements are so far from being signs of their immediate Inspiration that supposing the Spirit to be of the same mind with Christ they are generally signs of the contrary 4. That extraordinary manner and way of expressing them for which they are thought to be Inspir'd ordinarily proceeds from natural causes viz. Natural Enthusiasm or present fervour of temper For 1. The Dissenters confess it comes upon them much oftner in their public than in their private Devotions And the reason is plain because the passions of the Congregation do so excite their affections and the reverence of an Auditory obliges them so much to wreck their inventions that their Spirits are many times transported into raptures 2. They are not so fluent in the beginning as when they have Pray'd a while the reason of which is this because the Spirits do not move so briskly till they are chafed and heated with Labour Then do they naturally raise the fancy and render the invention more copious and easy And certainly 't is unwarrantable to attribute that to Inspiration which do's so apparently proceed from natural causes Thus have I shewn what the extraordinary operations of the Spirit are and that they are not to be pretended to in these Times I proceed in the next place to shew very briefly what those ordinary operations are which he has Promis'd to continue to the end of the World They are therefore the proper graces and affections of Prayer such as shame sorrow hope c. But as for the expressions of Prayer they are of no account with God but as they signify to him the graces and affections of it Now can any Man imagin that those affections will be the less acceptable to God because they are presented in a Form and not Extempore Will a Father deny Bread to his Child because he askt it to day in the same words that he did yesterday Is God more taken with words than with affections Certainly his withdrawing the Inspiration of words and continuing the Inspiration of affections prove the contrary Now that God do's continue the Inspiration of Devout affections in Prayer is manifest from Gal. 4.6 Jude 20. and Rom. 8.26 where the Spirit is said to make intercession for us with groans which cannot be utter'd that is with most flagrant affections For these words do not as some persons wou'd persuade us prove the Inspiration of the Words of Prayer because the Inspiration of those things that are too big for words and cannot be uttered cannot mean the Inspiration of words but this Intercession of the Spirit signifies his exciting such affections as make our Prayers acceptable For as Christ who is our Advocate in Heaven enforces our Prayers with his own Intercessions so the Spirit who is our Advocate upon Earth begets those affections which render our Prayers prevalent And these are the standing and ordinary operations which the Scripture attributes to the Spirit in Prayer Secondly Stinting or limiting the Spirit is a phrase that is never mention'd in Scripture or Antiquity and therefore 't is a very new objection against Forms of Prayer which I have shewn to be warranted both by Scripture and Antiquity However what the Dissenters mean by it is this viz. that by confining our selves to a Form of words we stint or limit that is restrain the Spirit from giving us that assistance which he ordinarily vouchsafes in conceiv'd Prayer And now having explain'd the Two forgoing particulars the answer to this Objection will be very easy For if the Spirit be stinted or restrain'd by Forms of Prayer it must be either from Inspiring the words or from exciting the affections of Prayer But I have prov'd that Forms are so far from restraining the Devotion of Prayer that they do very much promote and improve it and as for the Words I have prov'd that since the first propagation of the Gospel the Spirit has withdrawn the immediate and Miraculous Inspiration of them And since that cannot be stinted which is not therefore the Inspiration of the Words of Prayer is not stinted by Forms 3. 'T is Objected that public Forms are a sinful neglect of the Ministerial gift of Prayer For the Dissenters say the gift of Prayer is an ability to express our minds in Prayer which God has given to Ministers as a means of public Devotion and therefore they may not omit the exercise of it by using Forms of other Mens Composure Now to this I answer 1. That supposing that 't is a fault in Ministers to omit the exercise of their ability yet the People are not to be charged with it God will not reject the People's Devotions because the Minister is to blame He only is accountable for that for the People do not join with him in his omission but in that which is acceptable to God 2. This gift of Prayer is either natural or acquir'd For certainly 't is not Inspir'd at Ordination because the Scripture do's not promise any such thing nor is there any experience of it Nay the Dissenting Ministers must own that just before their Ordination they were as able to express the Devotions of a Congregation as they were just after which shews that they had no new ability to Pray Inspir'd in their Ordination Now since this gift or ability is nothing more than a quickness of invention and speech which is either natural or acquir'd by art and practice therefore 't is no otherwise the gift of God than our natural strength or skill in History or the like All that God has Promis'd his Ministers is to concur with their honest endeavours as far as is necessary to the discharge of their Office and to suppose that this cannot be done without Praying Extempore is to take the Matter in question for granted 3. This freedom of utterance is never call'd the gift of Prayer in Scripture Praying in unknown Languages is once call'd a gift but Praying in our own Language is never call'd so Therefore 't is plain that the gift of readiness of speech is not appropriated by God to Prayer but left in common to all other honest uses that it can be apply'd to and it may as well be call'd the Gift of Pleading at the Bar or of Disputing or Conversation as the gift of Prayer Accordingly we find that those who have this gift in Prayer have it
also upon other occasions which proves that 't is not appropriated to Prayer 4. Since this gift of expressing our minds is not appropriated to Prayer it may be as lawfully omitted in Prayer as in any other purpose which 't is design'd for For if it be unlawful to omit the use of the gift of Elocution then he who has the gift may not lawfully use a Form in Petitioning his Prince or in a Court of Justice but if it be lawful to omit it in these cases as a Man sees occasion then it is equally lawful to omit it in Prayer In short if a Man has two gifts he may use which he pleases and since we have other means of Prayer none is obliged to use his ability to pray Extempore 5. Using a Form is as much a means of public Devotion as praying Extempore because the end of public Prayer is at least as effectually serv'd by a Form as by a conceiv'd Prayer Now since there are two means of Prayer and both cannot be us'd at the same time therefore one may be lawfully omitted and consequently the use of a Form which is one means is not a sinful neglect of the other 4. The last Objection is that the Common Cases and wants of Christians cannot be so well express'd in one constant Form as in conceiv'd Prayers because the circumstances of Men are infinitely variable and require sutable Petitions and Thanksgivings which the Minister cannot otherwise provide than by praying Extempore To this I answer 1. That the Common Cases and necessities of Christians are for the Main alwaies the same and therefore may be more fully comprehended in a Form than in an Extempore Prayer For public Prayers which are offer'd up in the Name of the whole Congregation ought not to descend to particular Cases but only to the Common Cases of all and what every one may truly and sincerely join with Now a Form will express them much better than an Extempore Prayer which is subject to many omissions 2. Forms can make as good provision for Extraordinary cases as Extempore Prayer For as for those that can be foreseen such as the want of rain fair weather c. there may be Forms compos'd for them afore-hand and as for others that cannot be fore-seen Forms may be provided when they happen and this has ever been done in our Church 3. If Forms must not be us'd because they do not alwaies reach Extraordinary Cases certainly Extempore Prayers ought not to be us'd because by reason of omissions they will not alwaies reach even Ordinary Cases In a word it appears that all Extraordinary Cases may be very well provided for by Forms but supposing it otherwise yet since it has been prov'd at large that the use of Forms is upon sundry accounts of great advantage to the public Devotion 't is unreasonable to spoil the Church of them and leave her to the mercy of Extempore effusions only for the sake of a few contingencies which may happen but very rarely if at all in a whole Age. III. I am now to prove in the last place that the imposition of Forms may be lawfully comply'd with and for this a very few words will suffice For since the use of public Forms is lawful in it self therefore it may be lawfully comply'd with because I have shewn in the Second Chapter that a Man may lawfully do a lawful thing when 't is injoin'd by Authority And now I hope it is evident to all impartial Readers that Forms of Prayer are not only lawful but expedient also CHAP. IV. Objections against our Morning and Evening Service and Litany Answer'd HAving justified Forms of Prayer in general my duty and method oblige me to justify that of the Church of England in particular I must confess I have alwaies thought the Liturgy of the Church of England to be such as wou'd rather have invited Protestants to our Communion than have kept them from it And I believe if the Dissenters wou'd seriously read over Dr. Beverege's Sermon concerning the Excellency and usefulness of the Common-Prayer they wou'd go near to be of the same mind But alas this very Liturgy is that which many persons are incens'd against It has been cry'd down as Idolatrous Popish Superstitious c. 'T is true we do not now so often hear those bitter exclamations of Rome and Babylon Baal and Dagon for the Common-Prayer is not now esteem'd such an abominable thing as some ignorant and heady Zealots were wont to count it but yet some Objections are still insisted upon to which I hope to return a fair answer 1. Then 't is Objected that the Confessions of sin in our Liturgy are too general and that there are many particular sins which ought to have been distinctly confess'd of which there is no mention But I desire the Objectors to consider that there is hardly any thing in public worship which requires more caution and prudence in the ordering of it than that confession of sin which is to be made by the whole Congregation 'T is hard to prevent its being either too general or too particular The reason is because such different persons must join in it and the sins of some are more numerous and grievous than the sins of others so that all persons cannot possibly make the same particular confession But I think our confessions viz. the daily one and that in the Communion-Office are so judiciously fram'd as to avoid both extreams and I am persuaded all persons may profitably use them However the confession of sin after the Minister has recited each of the Ten Commandments is as particular as can reasonably be desir'd and by this a Man may confess all his known offences in thought word or deed If a Man must not use a confession that is possible to be mended he must never confess at all and if a Form of confession were compos'd by the wisest Dissenters I suppose no more wou'd be pretended but that it might be profitably us'd Now this may be said of our Form and ought to end the dispute Indeed there are examples of Jeremiah Nehemiah c. confessing such sins as they were not guilty of but this was done upon solemn humiliation for those known and public Idolatries of the Nation which had brought God's heavy judgments upon them or for common and scandalous transgressions afterward They consider'd themselves as a part of the Community which had provok'd God and they bare a part in the Calamity and in the confession as if they had offended as greatly as their Country-men But I conceive there is a great deal of difference between those confessions upon such public humiliations and those that are fit for the Ordinary Service of the Church I may add that particular confessions are more properly the matter of private Devotion and if we did seriously practise strict examination and secret contrition in our Closets we shou'd then find our affections prepar'd to comply with those
more general confessions of sin which we make with the whole Congregation And we shou'd then have less reason to complain that those confessions are too general and not apt to move us because this wou'd cure the deadness of our hearts which are commonly most to blame when we find fault with the Means that God has provided for us 2. The next Objection is the shortness of our Collects by reason of which 't is pretended that the Prayer is often suddenly broken off and then begun again and this is thought not so agreeable to the gravity wherewith this duty ought to be perform'd nor so likely a means of exciting Reverence and Devotion in the People as one continu'd Form of Prayer that might be as long as all those put together To this I answer 1. That the mere shortness of a Prayer is not to be blam'd since that wou'd disparage the Form which Christ taught his Disciples 2. That 't will be hard to prove that many of these short Prayers being offer'd up to God one immediately after another is either not so grave or not so edifying as one continu'd Form For the work of Praying is as much continu'd all the while as if there were but one continu'd Form because we pass from one Petition to another or from one matter of invocation to another as immediately as if the distinct Forms were all brought into the compass of one Nay the attention of the People is rather help'd by the frequency of saying Amen and their Godly disposition of mind which is the best thing in Prayer may be kept alive and more effectually secur'd by calling upon the Name of God and pleading the Merits of Christ so often as we do Besides the invocation of God somewhat often by his attributes maintains in our minds a reverent sense of his Majestic Presence which we all know is needful to make us pray as we ought and the frequency of mentioning Christ's Merits and Mediation strengthens our faith and assurance that we shall be heard 'T is also the peculiar Character of Christian Devotion and distinguishes us from the Papists in declaring our detestation of calling upon God in the Name of Saints or any other but that of Christ If it be said that we say Amen and break off our Prayers too often I reply that all wise and humble Men will submit themselves in that case to the judgment of their superiours 3. Some except against the repetition of the Lord's Prayer and of Glory be to the Father c. and of Lord have mercy upon us and the like because they think our Saviour forbids it by saying when ye pray use not vain repetitions But it appears by our Saviour's caution against vain repetitions that some repetitions are not vain and consequently not forbidden This must be suppos'd because he himself when in his Agony pray'd thrice in the same words Now Christ forbids the fault of the Heathens whose vain repetitions proceeded from an affectation of speaking much or from a belief that God wou'd not help them unless they repeated the same thing over in a tedious manner but the repetition of good Prayers is nothing like their practice Repetitions are not vain if two things be regarded 1. That the matter be very weighty and apt to move those pious affections which God is most pleas'd with in our Addresses to him and in this respect I dare say our repetitions are secur'd from vanity 2. That they be fram'd with judgment that they come in fitly and in due place and not too often And these rules are observ'd in our Liturgy for as none did ever blame the disposal of our repetitions so none can justly blame the sequency of them For our repetitions are very few but if our number be too great what shall we think of the 136 Psalm where His mercy endureth forever is repeated 26 times To conclude this matter I desire those who do not yet approve our repetition of the Lord's Prayer c. to consider whether it be so easy to spend the time it takes up more profitably than by joining in good earnest with the Congregation in these Prayers .. 4. Some persons dislike the Responsals of the Congregation and the People's saying the Confessions and the Lord's Prayer after the Minister and their alternate reciting the Psalms and Hymns and some petitions in the daily Service Now I beg these Men to consider what has been often said viz. that this way is apt to check a wandring Spirit to help attention and quicken a lively zeal in God's Service whilst we invite and provoke one another to pray and give thanks They say indeed that the Minister is appointed to be the mouth of the People in God's public Service but to this I answer 1. That granting the Minister to be appointed for the mouth of the People yet it must not be so interpreted as to make all Vocal Prayer and thanksgiving in Religious Assemblies unlawful to the People For then the People must not say Amen which is a short responsal to the Minister nor must they join in singing Psalms which oftentimes contain matter of Prayer 2. The Scripture do's not say that the Minister is the mouth of the People to God or that no Prayer must be offer'd up in Religious Assemblies otherwise than by the mouth of the Minister 'T is true the Minister is the mouth of the People in all those Prayers which he utters for them and because these are many more than what the People themselves utter he may be said to be their mouth to God comparatively but not absolutely 'T is true also that the Minister is appointed for the People in all public Services appertaining to God if this be understood for the most part or of all with little exception Some public Services are pronounced by him only and as for the rest 't is fit he shou'd ever utter most of them and that in those wherein the People have their part he shou'd ever go before and lead them and guide the whole performance which is all taken care for in our Liturgy Nay the Dissenters themselves do not utterly debar the People from all Vocal Prayer and Thanksgiving of their own in God's solemn Worship For they allow the People to sing Psalms and why then may they not bear a part in the Hymns and Psalms by alternate responses I cannot see why singing or not singing shou'd make such a difference 'T were better if they were every where sung because it is more sutable to the design of them than bare reciting is but if they be not sung the next use of them that is most agreeable to their nature and design is reciting them by answering in turns as the Custom is with us for this is much nearer to singing than the Minister's reciting all himself But say they the People's verse is in a manner lost to some of the Congregation since in the confus'd murmur of so many voices
3. Some are offended with our praying against Sudden Death But why shou'd we not by Sudden Death understand our being taken out of this World when we are not fit to die For sometimes a thing is said to be Sudden to us when we are not prepar'd for it And in this sence can any good Christian find fault with the Petition But suppose that by Sudden Death we mean what is commonly understood by it that is a Death of which a Man has not the least warning by Sickness are there not Reasons why even good Men may desire not to die suddenly May they not when they find themselves drawing towards their end by their good Instructions and Admonitions make Impressions upon their Friends Companions and Relations to the bettering of them May not their Counsels be then more effectual with them than ever they were before And is it not reasonable to believe they will be so As for themselves may not the warning they have of approaching Death be improv'd to make them more sit to die than they were in their perfect Health In a word he that thinks himself to have sufficiently perfected holiness in the fear of God and not to stand in need of those acts of Self-Examination Humiliation and Devotion by which Good Men improve the Warning of Death which Mortal Sickness or Extreme Age gives them let him suspend his Act and refuse to join with us when we pray God to deliver us from sudden death· 4. Some are offended that we pray to be deliver'd By the Mystery of Christ's Holy Incarnation c. By his Agony and bloody Sweat by his Cross and Passion c. And by the Coming of the Holy Ghost Some say this is Swearing others Conjuring and I know not what To these I answer that when we say By the Mystery of thy holy Incarnation and by thy Cross and Passion c. Good Lord deliver us we implore Christ who has already shew'd such inestimable goodness towards us by taking our Nature into his Divinity to Die upon the Cross to be Buried to Rise again to ascend into Heaven and there to intercede with the Father for us and by sending the Holy Ghost to qualifie the Apostles for their great Work of carrying the Word of Salvation into the World I say we implore him who hath already done such mighty things for our Salvation and we plead with him by that goodness which he has already given us such great demonstrations of by those Wonders of Mercy that he has wrought for us that he wou'd now go on to deliver us by his powerful Grace from those Evils which we pray against And this is so reasonable so devout and affectionate so humble and thankful a way of praying that I am sorry that any who call themselves Believers shou'd be so ignorant as not to understand it or so profane and unlike what they pretend to be as to deride it To conclude I must confess that of all the Prayers in our Liturgy that are of humane composition I shou'd be most unwilling to part with the Litany It seems to be what it was design'd to be A Form of Prayer apt to excite our most intense and fervent desires of God's Grace and Mercy The whole office is fram'd with respect both to matter and contrivance for the raising of the utmost Devotion of good Christians and for the warming of the coldest hearts by the heat of the Congregation And in such a disposition it is most fit to express our Charity by praying for others even all sorts of men as distinctly and particularly as public Prayers will bear CHAP. V. Of Infant-Baptism BEfore I proceed to the Vindication of our Office of Baptism I think it is proper to justify Infant-Baptism which is practis'd by us and dislik'd by some of the Dissenters And that my Discourse concerning Infant-Baptism may be the better understood I shall take the liberty of premising a few things 1. That the Original of the Jewish Church consider'd purely as a Church is to be dated from the Covenant which God made with Abraham but that of the Jewish Common-wealth from the delivery of the Law by Moses For that the Jewish Church and Common-wealth are distinct things is plain because the Apostle makes this distinction Rom. 4.13 Gal. 3.17 And therefore 2. The way to find out the Nature of the Jewish Church is to consider the Nature of the Covenant made with Abraham upon which the Jewish Church was founded Now 't is plain from Rom. 4. 9th to the 17th and 9.6 c. Gal. 3.5 c. that the Covenant made with Abraham was a Spiritual Covenant made with him as the Father of Believers and with his Posterity not as proceeding from him by Natural but by Spiritual Generation as heirs of his Faith Hence saies the Apostle in the name of the Christians We are the Circumcision which worship God in the Spirit and have no confidence in the Flesh Phil. 3.3 and it is one God which shall justify the Circumcision by Faith and the Vncircumcision thro' Faith Rom. 3.30 and if ye be Christ's then are ye Abraham's Seed and heirs according to the Promise Gal. 3.29 Nay 't will farther appear that this Covenant was made not with Abraham's Natural but his Spiritual Off-spring if we consider 3. That the initiatory Sacrament into it was Circumcision For the Covenant is call'd the Covenant of Circumcision Acts 7.8 and Circumcision on the other hand is call'd the Seal of the Righteousness of faith Rom. 4.11 faith or faithful obedience being the condition of that Covenant which God requir'd of the Children of Abraham and which they promis'd to perform It also signify'd the Circumcision of the heart Deut. 10.16 and 30.6 Rom. 2.28 29. 4. As to the Persons to be admitted into the Covenant we have a very plain account at the institution of it Gen. 17. from whence it appears First that the Children of Heathens were to be circumcis'd See Exod. 12.48 49. which also proves that the Promise was made not to his Natural but to his Spiritual Children Hence in all Ages great numbers of Gentiles were admitted into the Jewish Church by Circumcision Secondly that persons of all Ages were to be Circumcis'd and that God was so far from excluding Children from Circumcision that he order'd that the Circumcision of them shou'd not be deferr'd beyond the 8th day God was pleas'd to be so gracious as to chuse the Children with their Parents and look upon them as holy upon their account This was ground enough for their Admission into the Church and for God to look upon them as Believers tho' they cou'd not make open profession of their faith The Faith and consent of the Father or the God-father and of the Congregation under which he was Circumcis'd was believ'd of Old by the Jews to be imputed to the Child as his own Faith and consent See Seld. De Jure lib. 2. c. 2. De Synedr lib. 1.
descended to be Lookers on I suppose he means of their Courage and Behaviour at the Table of the Lord and by giving their attendance to grace that Solemnity With the Testimony of these Ancient Writers Theodoret agrees who in a Dialogue between an Orthodox Christian and an Heretic brings in Orthodoxus thus Discoursing of the Supper of the Lord. The mysterious Symbols or Signs in the Sacrament viz. Bread and Wine depart not from their proper Nature for they continue in their former Essence and keep their former Shape and Form and approve themselves both to our sight and touch to be as they were before (q) Dialog 2. To. 4. p. 85. Paris Edit but they are consider'd for such as they are made that is in respect to their Spiritual signification and that Divine use to which they were consecrated and are believ'd and ador'd aâ— those very things which they are believ'd to be Which words plainly import thus much that the consecrated Elements were receiv'd with a Gesture of Adoration and at the same time assure us that such a Behaviour at the Lords supper was not founded upon the Doctrine of Transubstantiation For there is not a more manifest instance in all the Ancients against that absurd Doctrine which the Roman Church so obstinately believes at this very day than what Theodoret gives us in the words abovemention'd Lastly to alledge no more out of the Greek Fathers that Story which Gregory Nazianzen (r) Oâ—at in laud. Gorgon p. 187. Paris Edit relates concerning Gorgonia will much confirm what has been said viz. That being sick and having used several Medicins in vain at last she resolv'd upon this course She went in the stilness of the Night to the public Church and having with her some of the consecrated Elements which she had reserv'd at home she fell down on her knees before the Altar and with a loud voice pray'd to him whom she Ador'd and in conclusion was healed I am not much concern'd whether the Reader will believe or censure this Miracle but it 's certain that this famous Father has Recorded it and commends his Sister for the way she took for her Recovery This is home to my purpose and clearly discovers that Gorgonia did Kneel or at least us'd a Posture of Adoration when she ate the Sacramental Bread And without doubt in Communicating she observ'd the same Posture that others generally did in public She did that in her sickness which all others us'd to do in their health when they came to the Sacrament that is She Kneeled down For it can't be suppos'd that at this time when she came to beg so great a Blessing of Almighty God in the public Church and at the Altar call'd by the Ancients The Place of Prayer she wou'd be guilty of any misbehaviour and make use of a singular Posture different from what was generally us'd by Christians when they came to the same place to communicate and pray over the great Propitiatory Sacrifice which they lookt upon as the most prevailing and effectual way of Praying the most likely to render God favourable to them and to prevail with him above all other Prayers which they offer'd at any other time or in any other place So much for the Authorities of the Greek Fathers who were Men eminent for Learning and Piety in their Daies and great Lights and Ornaments in the Primitive Church With these the Latin Fathers fully agree in their Judgments concerning our present Case And of these I will only mention two tho' more might be produc'd and those very eminent and illustrious Persons had in great veneration by the then present Age wherein they flourish'd and by succeeding Generations The first is (Å¿) Ambros de Sp. Sanct. l. 3. c. 12. St. Ambrose Bishop of Milan in a Book he wrote concerning the Holy Ghost where enquiring after the meaning of the Pslamist when he exhorts Men to exalt the Lord and to worship his Footstool he gives us the sense in these words That it seems to belong unto the mystery of our Lord's Incarnation and then goes on to shew for what Reason it may be accommodated to that Mystery and at last concludes thus By the Footstool therefore is the Earth to be understood and by the Earth the body of Christ which at this day too we adore in the Sacrament and which the Apostles worshipp'd in the Lord Jesus c. St. Austin Bishop of Hippo Comments on the very same words and to the same purpose For thus he resolves that Question How or in what sense the Earth his Footstool may be worshipp'd without impiety Because he took earth of the earth for flesh is of the earth and he took flesh of the flesh of Mary and because he convers'd here in the flesh and gave us his very flesh to eat unto Salvation Now there is none who eateth that flesh but first worshippeth We have found then how this Footstool may be ador'd so that we are so far from sinning by adoring that we really sin if we do not adore In the Judgment therefore of these Primitive Bishops we may lawfully adore at the Mysteries tho' not the Mysteries themselves at the Sacraments tho' not the Sacraments themselves the Creator in the Creature which is sanctify'd not the Creature it self as a late (t) Phil. Mornay du Plessis de Missa l. 4. c. 7. p. 732. Protestant Writer of great Learning and Quality among the French distinguishes upon the forecited words of Saint Ambrose I think it appears evident from these few Instances that the Primitive Christians us'd a posture of adoration at the Communion in the act of receiving It were easy to bring a cloud of other Witnesses if it were necessary so to do either to prove or clear the Cause in hand but since there is no need to clog the Discourse with numerous References and Appeals to Antiquity it wou'd but obscure the Argument and tend in all likelihood rather to confound and distaste than convince and gratify the Reader By what has been already alledg'd the practice of our Church in Kneeling at the Sacrament is sufficiently justify'd as agreeable to the Customs and Practice of pure and Primitive Christianity For if the Ancients did at the Sacrament use a Posture of Worship and Adoration which is very plain they did then Kneeling is not repugnant to the practice of the Church in the first and purest Ages no tho' we shou'd suppose that Kneeling was never practis'd among them which will be plain if we cast our Eyes a little upon that heavy Charge which some of the fiercest but less prudent Adversaries of Kneeling have exhibited against it They object against Kneeling as being an adoring Gesture for they affirm (u) Gillesp p. 166 172. Altar Damas p. 801. Rutherf Divine Right of Ch. Gov. c. 1. Qu. 5. Sect. 1.3 That to kneel in the act of Receiving before the consecrated Bread and Wine is formal Idolatry So
by their curiosity about some external Observances They therefore who are so Scrupulous about little indifferent matters ought to approve their Honesty and Sincerity by the most accurate diligence in the practice of all other Duties of Religion which are plainly and undoubtedly such They who pretend to such a tender Conscience above other Men must know that the World will watch them as to the fairness and justice of their Dealings the calmness of their Tempers their Behaviour in their several Relations their Modesty Humility Charity Peaceableness and the like If in all these things they keep the same Tenor use the same caution and circumspection and be uniformly conscientious then it must be acknowledg'd that it is only Weakness or Ignorance that raiseth their Scruples and not any vicious Principle and the condition of those who are under the power of such Scruples is much to be commiserated But when I see a Man scrupling praying by a Book or Form and yet living without any sense of God or fear of him afraid of a Ceremony in God's Worship and not afraid of a plain damnable Sin of Coveteousness rash censuring his Brethren of Hatred and Strife Faction and Schism and disobedience to Superiours when I see one that out of Conscience refuseth to kneel at the Sacrament and yet dares totally neglect the Communion who takes great care not to give offence to his weak Brother but can freely speak evil of Dignities and despise his lawful Governours it is not then uncharitable to say That it is not a dread of displeasing God but some other End or Interest that acts and moves him and that in pleading the Tenderness of his Conscience he is no other than a downright Hypocrite 3. 'T is excessively troublesome and vexatious It robs a Man of that Peace and Satisfaction which he might otherwise find in Religion and makes his Condition continually uneasy and restless 4. It 's scruples are infinite and endless for there is hardly any thing to be done but some small exceptions may be started against it Scrupulous Men go on from one Thing to another till at Length they Scruple every thing This is notorious amongst us for those who have taken Offence at some things in our Church and have thereupon separated from us and associated themselves with a purer Congregation have soon dislik'd something amongst them also and then they wou'd reform themselves farther and after that refine themselves more still till at last they have sunk down either into Quakerism Popery or Atheism 5. This Needless scrupling has done unspeakable mischiefs to the Church of Christ especially to the Reform'd Church of England In the great and necessary Truths of Religion we all profess to be agreed We all worship the same God believe in the same Lord and Saviour have the same Baptism the same Faith the same Hope the same common Interest our Sacraments as to the main are rightly administred according to our Saviour's Institution our Churches are acknowledg'd to be true Churches of Jesus Christ but there are some Constitutions which chiefly respect outward Order and the decent Performance of Divine Worship against which Men have receiv'd strange Prejudices on the account of them have rais'd a mighty noise and clamour against the Church and have openly separated from her Communion as if by renouncing of Popery we had only exchanged one idolatrous Service for another About these Skirts and Borders the dress and circumstances of Religion has been all our quarrelling and contention and these Differences have proceeded to such an height as to beget immortal Feuds and Animosities to break and crumble us into little Parties and Factions whereby mutual Edification is hinder'd our common Religion suffers Reproach the Enemies of it are strengthen'd and encouraged public Peace endanger'd and brotherly Love the Badge of Christ's Disciples quite lost amongst us and the continuance of these miserable Distractions amongst us upon such frivolous Accounts is a matter of sad consideration and forebodes great Evils in Church and State I doubt not to say that the Devil has fought more successfully against Religion under the Mask of a zealous Reformer than under any other disguise whatever Thirdly I shall offer some plain Rules and Means by which we may best get rid of a Scrupulous Conscience 1. We shou'd Endeavour to have the most Honourable thoughts of God for accordingly as we Conceive of His Nature so shall we judge what Things are most Pleasing or most Offensive to Him Now consider I pray Do's not God principally Regard the Frame of our Minds in Prayer or will He refuse to hear us because He dislikes the Garment of the Minister Do's God regard any particular Gestures or Habits which are neither Dishonourable to Him nor Unsutable to the Nature of the Religious performance so far as that the acceptance of our Worship shou'd depend upon such Circumstances To surmise any such Thing is surely to Dishonour God as if he were a low poor humoursom Being like a Father that shou'd disinherit his Dutiful Child only because he did not like his Complexion or the Colour of his Hair The Wiser and Greater any Person is to whom we address our selves the less he will stand upon little Punctilioes Mean Thoughts of God are the true ground of all Superstition when we think to court and please him by making great Conscience about little things and so it has been truly observ'd that there is far more Superstition in conscientious abstaining from that which God has no where forbidden than there is in doing that which God has not commanded A Man may certainly do what God has not commanded and yet never think to flatter God by it nor place any Religion in it but he may do it only out of obedience to his Superiours for outward Order and Decency for which end our Ceremonies are appointed and so there is no Superstition in them But now a Man cannot out of Conscience refuse to do what God has not forbidden and is by lawful Authority requir'd of him but he must think to please God by such abstaining and in this conceit of pleasing or humouring God by indifferent things consists the true Spirit of Superstition 2. We shou'd lay out our Great Care and Zeal about the Necessary and Essential Duties of Religion and this will make us less Concern'd about Things of an Idifferent and Inferiour Nature St. Paul saies Rom. 14.17 The Kingdom of God is not Meat nor Drink but Righteousness Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost What needs all this stir and bustle this censuring disputing and dividing about Standing or Kneeling These are not the great matters of our Faith they are not worth so much Noise and Contention The great stress and weight in our Religion is laid upon the Duties of a Righteous and Holy Life and a Peaceable Spirit and Conversation For saies St. Paul ver 18. he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approv'd of
men He that minds those Things most on which the Efficacy of his Prayers for Christ's sake do's Depend will not Need new Phrases every time to raise his Affections and the more a Man is concern'd about the Necessary Preparation for the Sacrament the less afraid will he be of offending God by Kneeling at it For he will find that True Religion consists in the Constant Practice of Holiness Righteousness and Charity which make a Man really Better and more Like to God 3. If Men were but really Willing to receive satisfaction this alone wou'd half conquer their Scruples but when they are fond of them and nourish them and will neither hear nor read what is to be said on the other side there can be but Little Hopes of recovering them to a Right Apprehension of things Wou'd they come once to distrust their own Judgments to suppose that they may perhaps be all this while mistaken wou'd they calmly and patiently hear faithfully and impartially consider what is said or written against them as eagerly seek for satisfaction as Men do for the cure of any Disease they are subject unto wou'd they I say thus diligently use all fit means and helps for the removal of their Scruples before they troubled the Church with them it wou'd not prove so very difficult a Task to convince and settle such teachable Minds When they have any Fear or Suspicion about their worldly concerns they presently repair to those who are best skill'd and most able to resolve them and in their judgment and determination they commonly acquiesce and satisfy themselves Has any Man a Scruple about his Estate whether it be firmly setled or he has a true legal Title to it The way he takes for satisfaction is to advise with Lawyers the most eminent for Knowledge and Honesty in their Profession If they agree in the same Opinion this is the greatest assurance he can have that it is right and safe Thus is it with one that doubts whether such a custom or practice be for his Health the opinion of known and experienc'd Physicians is the only proper means to determine him in such a Case The reason is the same here When any private Christian is troubled and perplex'd with Fears and Scruples that concern his Duty or the Worship of God he ought in the first place to have recourse to the public Guides and Ministers of Religion who are appointed by God and are best fitted to direct and conduct him I say to come to them not only to dispute with them and pertly to oppose them but with modesty to propound their doubts and meekly to receive Instruction humbly begging of God to open their Understandings that they may see and embrace the truth taking great care that no evil affection love of a Party or carnal Interest influence or byass their Judgments I do not by this desire Men to pin their Faith upon the Priest's Sleeve but only diligently to Attend to their Reasons and Arguments and to give some due Regard to their Authority For 't is not so Absurd as some may Imagine for the Common People to take upon Trust from their Lawful Teachers what they are not Competent Judges of themselves But the difficulty is how a private Christian shall govern himself when the very Ministers of Religion disagree By what Rule shall he chuse his Guide I answer 1. If a Man be tolerably able to Judge for himself let him impartially hear both sides and think it no Shame to Change his Mind when he sees good Reason for it Cou'd we thus prevail with the People diligently to examine the Merits of the cause our Church wou'd every day gain more Ground amongst all wise Men. For we care not how much Knowledge and Understanding our People have so they be but humble and modest with it nor do we desire Men to become our Proselytes any further than we give them good Scripture and Reason for it 2. As for those who are not capable of Judging they had better Depend on those Ministers who are Regularly and by the Laws of the Land set over them than on any other Teachers that they can chuse for themselves I speak now of these present Controversies about Forms and Ceremonies which are above the sphere of Common People not of such things as Concern the Salvation of all Men which are plain and evident to the Meanest Capacities When therefore in such Cases about which we cannot easily satisfy our selves we follow the Advice of the Authoriz'd Guides if they chance to Mislead us we have something to say for our selves our error is more Excusable as being occasion'd by those whose Judgment God commands us to respect but when we chuse Instructors according to our own Fancies if we then prove to be in the wrong and are betray'd into sin we may Thank our own Wantonness for it and are more severely Accountable for such mistakes Thus if a Sick Person shou'd miscarry under a Licens'd Physician he has this contentment that he us'd the wisest means for Recovery but if he will hearken only to Quacks and then grow worse and worse he must charge his own Folly as the Cause of his Ruin 4. We shou'd throughly consider what is the true Notion of Lawful and how it differs from what is Necessary and from what is Sinful That is necessary or our Duty which God has expresly commanded that is sinful which God has forbidden that is lawful which God has not by any Law obliging us either commanded or forbidden For Where there is no Law saith the Apostle there is no Transgression Rom. 4.15 There can be no Transgression but either omitting what the Law commands or doing what the Law forbids For instance If any Man can shew where Kneeling at the Sacrament is forbidden in Scripture and Sitting is requir'd where Praying by a Form is forbidden and Extempore Prayers are injoin'd then indeed the Dispute wou'd soon be at an end but if neither the one nor other can be found as most certainly they cannot then Kneeling at the Sacrament and reading Prayers out of a Book must be reckon'd amongst things lawful And then there is no need of scrupling them because they may be done without Sin Nay where they are requir'd by our Superiours it is our Duty to submit to them because it is our Duty to obey them in all lawful things This way of arguing is very plain and convincing and cannot be evaded but by giving another notion of lawful And therefore it is commonly said that nothing is lawful especially in the Worship of God which God himself has not prescrib'd and appointed or that has been abus'd to evil Purposes but having fully confuted these two Mistakes in the Second and Eighth Chapters I shall pass them over here 5. I desire those who Scruple to comply with our Church to consider that there never was nor ever will be any public Constitution that will be every way unexceptionable The