Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A31348
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Catholicism without popery an essay to render the Church of England a means and a pattern of union to the Christian world.
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Hooke, John, 1655-1712.
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1699
(1699)
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Wing C1497; ESTC R8878
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84,579
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258
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Sorbon condemned it because they believed it to be written by a Jansenist but some Years after a Spanish Bishop having Translated it into the Spanish Tongue and Publish'd it with the Approbation of the Doctor 's of the Holy Inquisition Pesonius â— Hayer turned it into French Dedicated it to the Queen Publish'd it with the Royal Priviledge and the Approbation of the Doctors of the Sorbon And thus have I known a fierce Scotch Presbyterian sit with Reverence and Attention for a long time while one of my Acquaintance rend diverse parts of the Common Prayer but as soon as it was discovered how the Person was entertained my Friend who was a tall Man was glad to make the best use of his long Legs And here I will mention an Observation which I have frequently made That if you hear a Man declaring that no Man can be serious in the use of the Common Prayer nor worship God thereby with Fervency and Affection 't is forty to one that the Man never tried On the other hand if you hear a Person exclaiming against Extempore Prayer calling it Cant and Nonsense 't is as many to one that he never heard an Extempore Prayer in his Life but now there is one Occasional Conformist to my knowledge and I believe some thousands that have joined in worshipping God by the Common-Prayer a thousand times and have also joined in Worshipping Him as often with those that use no invariable Form who can testifie with great Assurance that both those sorts of People are wretchedly mistaken who can tell you that they know no reason why Christians should not agree in a Form as to the Matter of Prayer as well as of Belief or why those who make no scruple to sing the Psalms in Metre by Sternhold and Hopkins which is for the most part but a wretched Form of the Matter of Praise should scruple the Common Prayer which is much nearer Scripture Language than the aforesaid Version of the Psalms That it is a very agreeable Consideration that many Thousands of Pious Souls are at the same time joining in Adoring God in the same words as well as Desires without Idolatry and without any of the Additions made by the Papacy to the Christian Religion and in the best Liturgy in the World Especially when they consider that the 4 living Creatures improperly call'd Beasts in our Translation and the 24 Presbyters or Elders which represent the Christian Church are represented as constantly using the same Form of Thanksgiving and the like Forms are found 5 Rev. 9 12 13. 7 Rev. 10 12. 11 Rev. 17 18. 15 Rev. 3. 19 Rev. 1 2 6 7. And the same Persons can at the same time assure you that they never heard Cant or Nonsence among those who pray without a Form but for the most part the Expressions taken out of the Scripture the Prayers generally Premeditated Methodical Reverend and fervent accommodated to the various Circumstances of the Interests of Religion in the World both at home and abroad and the various Dangers or Judgments under which the Nation may be and to the Blessings of Heaven received They that so pray are never hindred from giving Thanks for Victories because 't is Lent nor from Humiliation under Judgments because 't is Christmass They usually have respect to the Subject Matter of the following Discourse which is a very good Preparation for Attention and a Means of obâ—aining a Blessing on the Sermon They can ingeniously and suitably accomodate their Devotion to the Circumstances of Families or Persons in Matter of Prayer or Thanksgiving for which it is impossible that any or all the Liturgies in the World can suffice Again these Occasional Conformists sinding that the blessed Spirit as a Spirit of Grace and Supplication is to convert the Jews Zach. 12.10 that in the 8 Rom. 26. The Assistance of the Spirit in Prayer is exprest by a word alluding to a Person who being to lift at a Beam has one that helps him to lift both at the end of which he has hold and at the other end too or signifying such a help as when one that is strong taketh up a Burden over-against another who is too weak and also sets his Shoulders against the other to lift up the Burden 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from these and other places of Sacred Scripture they are apt to gather that the Assistance of the Spirit in Prayer ought not to be confined I say confined to an invariable set Form of Humane Composure or only to enable the Minister to read a Prayer Audibly and Reverently nor are they willing to understand the Act of Uniformity in such a Sense as this That from and after the 24th Day of August 1662 neither the Parts nor Learning of any Minister of the Gospel nor the Gift of Prayer nor the Assistance of the Spirit in the Matter of Prayer should be of any further use in the Publick Worship of God They think it possible that Men may make an Idol of Words as well as of Wood or Stone and they are afraid that where the Spirit is rejected as a Spirit of Supplication he oft refuses to act as a Spirit of Grace And herein on Consideration I do verily believe that the good Church-man and the Occasional Conformist are of the same Mind But further as to all the Matters in Controversie between the Church-man and the Presbyterian and Independent as well as between Him and the Occasional Conformist which concern Matters of Ceremonies and Humane Additions such as the Sign of the Cross at Baptism the Posture of Kneeling at the Sacrament and the Surplice your Oracle above-mention'd has agreed That it is lawful for the Church to dispense with their Rites and Ceremonies and if lawful then necessary to heal the Schism of the Dissenters Page 247 That if they would all agree which of the indifferent things would purchase their Reconciliation the Church would readily grant it for so good an End Page 254. Indeed in another Form viz. As a Wolf strip'd of his Shepherds Cloathing he has been howling about the Streets for some time against the Dissenters and Occasional Conformists Protestants Jesuits Hellish Doctrines Diabolical Seed Fruit of Blood Massacre and all Wickedness Wild Enthusiasm Laodicean Latitude which God abhors Evil Beasts always Lyars Hideous Blasphemy Furious Phanaticks Impudence and Blasphemy Grin of a Lion Asses-ears Cloven-foot Thus in the compass of a few railing Pages beginning with the Jesuit and ending with the Devil and after all Page 59 complains of it as a heavy Charge against his Party That they do not treat the Dissenters in the Spirit of Meekness yet he tells us in that very Treatise Page 3. That the High Church should have little Quarrel with the Dissenters about all the Objections they make as to Habits Ceremonies Liturgy and even the Grand Point of Ordination by Presbyters in case of Necessity and where a Bishop could not be had if it were not for that
of one and the same Perswasion in Matters of Religion Thirdly Whether the Administration of Publick Astairs may not be in the Hands of Persons who are not of one and the same Perswasion in Matters of Religion nay of Men of opposite Principles without Confusion or tearing the Government in pieces between them and whether they may not notwithstanding draw together the same way for the Publick Good Fourthly Whether it is sit that the Corporation and Test Acts should be enfore'd or Repealed Fifthly Whether upon the whole Matter the Occasional Conformist may not be admitted into Publick Offices and Employments relating to the Government consistently with the Safety of the Established Government both in Church and State with the Wisdom of the English Nation and with the Practice of some wise Governments in the World And as to the first I answer that the Occasional Conformist is a sincere Member of the National Church who heartily approves of the Laws of the Land and chearfully pays Obedience to them and he and the Church-men are not of opposite Principles but of one and the same Perswasion in Matters of Religion If the Church-man whom you suppose the only Person fit for an Office be one that troubles not himself about Religion but believes as the Church believes and does as he sees others do I neither can judge of his Principles nor his Perswasion in Matters of Religion but if he have espoused the Religion of the Church of England with consideration and can give a Reason of the Faith or Hope that is in him he knows that the Religion of this National Church is all to be found in the Bible He is taught by the sixth Article of that Church that Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salvation so that whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any Man that it should be believ'd as an Article of Faith or be thought requisite or necessary to Salvation The Reason given by the 8th Article why the three Creeds ought throughly to be received and believed is for that they may be proved by most certain Warrants of Holy Scripture And as to Creeds so as to Councils we are taught by the 21st Article that things Ordained by them as necessary to Salvation have neither Strength nor Authority only as it may be declared that they be taken out of Holy Scripture Now the Occasional Conformists are herein intirely of the same mind they agree intirely in the Creeds the Lord's Prayer the Ten Commandments as contained in the Decalogue and as explained by our Saviour In the two Sacraments and every Part and Article that any Protestant can have any Colour to call a part of Christianity But I have not Inclination nor can it be expected that I should particularize every Head and Point of Religion wherein they agree but should be glad to be informed by you of any Article of Religion or Point of Doctrine wherein they differ for no Man ever called Rites and Ceremonies of humane Institution Principles or Matters of Religion I must own that they are not fully satisfied in the large Sense of that Passage in the 20th Article That the Church hath Power to decree Rites and Ceremonies nor that as the 34th Article expresses it it is sufficient as to the Ceremonies that nothing be Ordained against God's Word if the Opposition of God's Word be intended a particular express Opposition but they are of opinion that to make any Rites or Ceremonies of Humane Institution necessary to Communion especially as is aforesaid to make them Terms of Separation from the rest of the Catholick Church is against God's Word but they are extricated out of this Difficulty by the last Clause of the 34th Article it being plain by long and pungent Experience that the Ordaining of such Rites and Ceremonies is not among the Things that have been done so edifying or if this should fail yet your said Oracle is express that the 39 Articles are required from no Layman a Licence for which no Occasional Conformist will thank him The Romanists by such Ordinance have indeed edified their Babel and from things not contrary have proceeded to ordain things destructive to Christianity and so in some Measure are all such Ordinances which differ as much from Religion as Christianity does from Priestcraft But to bring this Matter a little closer I hope to make it plain that not only the Occasional Conformist but the Presbyterian and the Independent are of the same Perswasion in Matters of Religion with the Church-man and not of opposite Principles and that nothing but gross Ignorance or a wilful blind Prejudice has kept Men of either Party from being convinc'd of this Truth And to make this evident I take leave to acquaint you with plain Matter of Fact You well know that in the late times the Assembly of Divines at Westminster as also the Kirk of Scotland agreed in a Catechism called the Assemblies shorter Catechism And this Catechism was also agreed to by the Synod of the Independent Divines met at the Savoy Now after the Restauration of King Charles the 2d and particularly some time before the Popish Plot a mighty Zeal appeared against that Catechism in the Men of your Party and if I mistake not this Catechism was publickly burnt at Oxford But it happened that one Mr. Thomas Adams formerly fellow of Brazen-Nose-Colledge in Oxford being convinc'd of the Truth of what I am endeavouring to prove he in the Year 1675 wrote a Discourse Entituled The Main Principles of Christian Religion in 107 short Articles or Aphorisms generally received as being proved from Scripture now further cleared and confirmed by the Consonant Doctrine Recorded in the Articles and Homilies of the Church of England under 4 Heads Of things to be Explained 1. Believed comprehended in the Creed 2. Done in the Ten Commandments 3. Practiced in the Gospel particularly two Sacraments 4. Prayed for in the Lord's Prayer Which Discourse was Licensed Sold well and received a Second Edition in 1677 which I have but alass it was at last discovered that the 107 Articles were the Answers to the 107 Questions of the Assemblies Shorter Catechism and that hated Book was thus disper'd under the Patronage of the Articles and Homilies of the Church of England And if you will please to peruse this Book I suppose you will need no other Proof that the Occasional Conformist Presbyterian Independent and the Church-man are not of opposite Principles but of one and the same Perswasion in Matters of Religion and the Acceptation which that Discourse met with puts me in mind of a like Passage relating to the Sorbon to whom your Oracle above-mention'd desires that the Church of England may be united for when Abbas le Roy Publish'd a Discourse in France without naming the Author being a most Elegant and Pious Oration or Prayer to our Lord Jesus Christ for obtaining the Grace of a perfect Conversion the