more substantiall and true prayers then the outward expressions alone though both severally be called prayers 2. These images in a lively way teach us how to form our prayers but the holy Ghost inableth us effectually to pray whether we use the means of hearing or seeing these images so the most substantiall prayers can not bee born in a pocket or gotten from men though the expressions may be gotten from men it is only the expressions which men receive from ministers as they concur but the holy Ghost addeth true prayer to the expressions heard or seene Quest Christ after his ascension gave gifts unto men to bee faithfully used should we then by reading neglect our conceptions Ans You need not neglect them seeing you may conceive as much as ever you did before or after reading 2. True grace is more known in using the basest means as Christ and his servants used then to use the most glorious means that our loftie nature affecteth most Q. The Scripture biddeth us pray it biddeth not read the words Ans Neither biddeth it conceive the words 2. We are bidden drink wine in a cup at the Lords supper we are not bidden drink in a cup of mettall or timber shall we therefore use only cups of gold rejecting silver cups saying they are not Gods ordinance because they are not expresly commanded to be used at the Sacrament and shall we say that cups of gold are Gods ordinance because we esteeme most of them when as God warrandeth not the one more than the other So we are commanded to pray without naming any form yet we should rather use both the forms then both these cups for examples of both the forms but not of the mater of sacramentall cups is mentioned in Scripture Then when generals are commanded in Scripture we should obey in such particulars as wherein true obedience may bee seene So we may pray truely in any form read or not read if we do otherwise the cause is not in the form but in our corrupt naturs that can not use the formes which the dearest Saints used Quest Is it not idolatrie in Gods worship to direct our faces towards a book we should look up to heaven where God sitteth in glory Answ If thou canst read turning thy back to the book thy speach would seeme to have some reason But thou canst not read without looking on the words the book is not a religious object of adoration but an object of necessitie 2. The words are images of the things signified if it be idolatrie to direct thy face towards them at prayer so should it be at the singing of Psalmes and at the reading of scriptures for it is Divine Service to read GODS word for edification 3. Elias upon mount Carmel and our Saviour in the garden without idolatrie prayed with their faces towards the earth Quest How many wayes doth Gods word warrand us to exercise spirituall dueties in particular circumstances Answ Three wayes 1. When Gods word expreslie commandeth the duety with the circumstances as when the Lord forbad his disciples to fast like the hypocrits he bade them wash their faces and anoint their heads 2. When scriptures bring exampls of the godly practising these duties in their circumstances as when Steven prayed kneeling Act 7. 3. It warrandeth by way of consequent that is it commandeth the general duety not showing the particular circumstances But none can obey except in circumstances which inable them to obey Then Gods word which commandeth the duety expresly consequently commandeth to use the same circumstances because without them they can not do the duety Wee have a threefold warrand of setformes of prayer in scripture 1. It is commanded as in Math. 6. Luk. 11. He sets down the manner and forme of prayer 2. We have examples of set formes in scripture as the blessing of the Priests it was also commanded Numb 6. And Christ prayed thrise in the same words in the garden So did the Psalmest in the Psal 80.3 By of consequent the scripture proveth that such as can not understand nor imitat new conceptions must use often repeated conceptions or else they can not pray at all And learned men though they can conceive by the same consequent they must use set formes or else they can not teach the weak ones to pray neither can they be free of the contempt of the practise of Christ and of his servants and of the simplicitie of GODS word except they use also set formes They should not seeme wiser but esteeme it great wisdome to imitat them in things lawfull which are neither cerimoniall rites that are abrogat nor miracles that can not be imitat Then as Christ commanded to give almes to the poor consequently he commanded Peter to cure a creple because he had no other riches He commanded to baptise with water consequently biddeth that in cold regions infants should be sprinkled least dipping in water kill or hurt them So in commanding us to pray he willeth us to use formes fittest for our habilitie Quest Commandeth he such as can not make use of conceived formes consequently to read or hear them read Answ He willeth 1. that they pray in set formes and concur with them 2. And if they can not read they should get some set formes perquier by hearing them often repeated by reading without reading 3. And for that purpose ministers should read them for the best memories through cold and other deseases will forget words unawares and they say other words of the same sense for them yet it confoundeth weak memories who are forced to forget the words in whose place they hear new words repeated A book is an artificiall memory ordained to help the weaknes of naturall memories for this end God did writ his law on two tables caused his prophets write the scriptures Gods Spirit worketh holy motions in mens hearts at the hearing of his word read and also of read prayers which the enemies of read prayers confesse were dyted by Gods Spirit at the first conception and what hindereth him to be still effectuall with his own work Quest Is it not a shinting of prayers if the weak ones use set formes only Answ It is rather a stinting when the strong ones use conceived formes only they stint the forme though not the words men stint their prayers when they use only a part and not the full liberty which God hath granted in his word when they are able to use the rest also which the weak ones cannot do God hath given them liberty only to use a set form for he hath not made them capable of any further so that without miracle they can not conceive 2. They who urge them to conceive because others can conceive they tempt God as if they urged them to speak all languages because the apostles spake them If God enlarge their gifts none hindereth them also to conceive 3. Neither are they so stinred but they have liberty to concur with
Gods favour and mercie it is a spirituall song and melodie in the heart to the Lord though it want outward musick Quest But in Coloss 3.16 he biddeth admonish one another in psalmes and hymnes Answ When men know not what they sing they neither admonish nor are admonished by such melody 2. Paul admonisheth Christians not to be like Pagans who at their feasts and other occasions were delighted with badry filthy and protain longs but they should use songs of heavenly consolation and of spirituall admonitions and instructions tending to edification See the end of Chapter 6. CHAP. VI. Some never sing the words Glory to the Father to the Son and to the holy Ghost As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end Some sing them at every passage of the psalmes Quest ARE these words or their meaning in the Scriptures Answ In Math 28. the Disciples are bidden baptise in the name of the three persons of the Godhead In 2 Cor. 13.14 Paul prayeth to them In Esay 6.3 the three persons are pointed at in the words Holy holy holy c. In Revel 4.8 is the meaning of the whole sentence viz. Holy holy holy Lord God almightie which was and is and is to come In Psal 45.7 God hath anointed thee with the oyl of gladnesse above thy fellows That is The Father hath declared the Son to be anoynted with the holy Ghost fully dwelling in Him by whom His manhead is replenished with gifts above all measure And thus John 1 John 2.27 calleth the Holy Ghost the anointing that teacheth The psalm 136. biddeth Give glorie to God pointing at the unity of his essence in the words Iehovah and Adonai and in the relative His and at the plurality of persons in the words Elohim Haadenim And at His Unchangablenes and Eternity in the words His mercie endureth for ever His mercy indureth not without Himselfe for it floweth from Him In Psalm 110.1 The Lord said to my Lord that is The Father hath said to the Son And in vers 2. the Holy Ghost is called The rod of thy strength Hee is a golden Scepter holden out to comfort the godlie but an Tron Rod to bruise the Wicked Item the three persons are mentioned in the second psalme Quest Should these vvords be sung concluding every passage of the psalmes or should they never be sung at all Ans It is a necessary duety of thankfulnes to make expresse mention of our benefactors so far as we know them such are the persons of the Trinity The papists superstitiously said these words at the masse and at the end of every psalm read in proofe albeit they had read ten psalms in an hour as if the psalms had no religious use without these words others reject them altogether The papist by the frequent use of the words make great shew of holines that men may take lesse notise of their errors and heresies They who neglect the words make a great show of precisenes that their erroneous novations may seem to be nothing else but precisenesse 2. Therefore these words or words of the like sense should be used because the duty of thankfulnes should distinctly expresse our benefactors and sometimes they should be omitted to eschew superstition and the appearance thereof and to show that God may be praised expressing only the Unity of Essence as well as the distinction of Persons Quest May vve not glorifie God sometimes expressing onlie one or tvvo of the persons Ans We may do it both in prayer divine praise for as the wife is inriched by the riches given to her Husband so is the Husband by the riches of his wife Matrimoniall union maketh their riches not to be divided The soul the body and all the members thereof are honoured if a crown be put on a mans Head a ring on his finger a chain on his neck because of the naturall union of the members of the body and because of the personall union which is a more strict naturall union of the soul body so if thou honour any of the three peisons it redoundeth to them all not only because they all work together in every work that God doth to the creatures and therefore all the three merit the same glory honour but also because of their essentiall union in one Godhead 2. This is practised in Philip. 4.20 Vnto God our Father be glorie Paul prayed to the Father and to the Son 1 Thess 3.11 and to Christ only 2 Thess 3.18 2 Tim. 2.22 Peter glorisieth Christ 2 Pet. 3.18 Christ said Pray Our Father vvhich art in heaven Luk. 11.3 If then the Honour expresly given to one of the three persons redound unto all of them it can not be prejudiciall to any of the three if the Honour be expresly given to all the three 4. Albeit neither the whole sentence nor the parts thereof were so expresly mentioned in Scriptures as they are yet either this or the like sentence with good reason should be sung in divine praise because not only the whoole book of the psalms but all the Scriptures all Gods works mercies also tend to the setting foorth of the praise glory of all the 3. persons 5. Christ might have commanded the Apostles to baptise in the name of Father only or of God ony but He commanded to expresse all the three persons to show that as we increase in the knowledge of God so we should expresse more punctually that which we know of God 6. As for the last verse of the 28. psalme containing a short prayer for Gods people it is very pertinent to sing it or the like sentence with the words of praise foresaid because prayer and praise agree well together so Christ conjoined them together in the Lords prayer adding to the prayer the words For thine is the kingdome the power and glory c. and also it is fit oftimes to use such short verses of prayer and praise as we conclude the singing of psalmes that such as can not read may get these lines in their memories to sing them with the people if they can do no further this may be done without abusing of Gods name and it is used by many in a laudable custome Many of the psalmes do conjoin praise and prayer we then may do the same both at the singing of psalmes and in our prayers CHAP. VII Some after Divine Service blesse the People in a legall manner Quest SHould not the Preacher after Divine Service say The Lord blesse you c. Answ He should say The LORD blesse us and save us c. not excluding himself in a legall manner for these reasons 1. To acknowledge thereby his owne miserie and that he hath need of blessing as much as any of the people and so he casteth away pharisaicall holinesse 2. To eschew Judaisme the priests did pray and offer sacrifice for themselves and for the people acknowledging thus their own sinfull condition and miserie
with as good reason be discharged for these evils may accompanie them also Quest Can private prayer edifie in a publâ—ct assemblie Ans Practise and example edifieth as well as preaching 2. Example maketh people seek a blessing for their hearing as the pastor doth for his preaching Quest In a publict assemblie should not preachers and people concur in doing the same publict actions Ans They should concur in the same mater but not alwayes in the same manner and actions at publict prayer all should pray the Preacher with a loud voice the people in their hearts with a still voice At preaching all should be exercised in the word one in preaching the rest in hearing it but at divine praise all should sing with a loud voice In a publict house men may pray for particular blessings to themselves with as good reason as in a private house they may pray for the church militant 2. A publict house may admit private exercises as duely as a publict person may have private affaires So Christ in the temple bad one whom He healed Sin no more John 5.14 So said He to the woman taken in adulterie John 8.11 So in a church men may meditat read privatly and do the private actions of faith and repentance So the Preacher first considereth every word in his minde least he preach in publict unadvisedly and out of purpose 3. At any time of the preaching men may send up ejaculations without concurrance of the rest and why may not the preacher do so before his publict exercises whether the people be singing psalmes or hearing the word read But when he entreth in publict their exercises should give place to his more publict exercises for they may read and sing at home when they can not have preaching 4. At reading the word only at singing of psalmes a paraphrase of the word only but at preaching both the word and paraphrases with the interpretation doctrin and application are said therefore other exercises should give place unto it as unto a greater shining of the spirituall light of the same word Quest Did not the Lord forbid his Disciples in Matth. 6.5 to stand in the Synagogues and corners of the streets at private prayers Ergo privat prayers should not be in a publict place Answ It was never forbidden in the Scriptures 2. Because hee forbiddeth to doe after the meaning of all these words together forbiddeth he therefore to do after the meaning of any part of these words separat from the rest He forbiddeth not to pray nor to pray standing in the synagogues and corners of the streets nor to pray desiring to be seen of men but that they should not pray standing in the synagogues and corners of the streets desiring to be seen of men as the hypocrites do for they do all things for ostentation and humaine praise as the Lord faith of the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 23.15 so they abused fasting and praying and giving of almes 3. For eschewing of hypocrisie and vain glory he bad the disciples do these things secretly as well as openly which hypocrites do not 4. They should do these things before men not for humaine praise but to provock others to do the like and to show that they are not ashamed to glorifie God before men they should also do them privatly to be exercised in the sinceritie of well doing and to be frequented with the neglect of humane praise and thereby to acknowledge that they are in the presence of the Al seeing God before whom they dare not be idle from well doing they should esteem it a greater honour if God alone behold them doing good then if all men and angels were looking upon them 5. The affecting to be seen of men at private prayer is oftimes a notable glorifying of God So Daniel prayed 3th the day opning his windows of set purpose to be seen of men Anna the mother of Samuel prayed privately in the Temple in the sight of men 1 Sam. Christ prayed for himself before men Ioh. 17.1 and he willingly heard many praying to himself before men as Jairus for his daughter the thief on the crosse the Cananitish woman Mat. 15. Peter prayed the Lord to wash his hands head and feet John 13. the Lord corrected the matter but not the manner of his prayer 6. The Lord in Mat. 5.16 saith Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your heavenly Father No good works have mo heavenly vertues seene in them then prayer faith is seen in it for we believe that God heareth us and hope for we expect a good answer and charitie for in the Lords prayer we pray for others as we do for our selves and holinesse praying not to be led into tentation temperance in desiring only dayly bread patience in suffring and meeknesse in pardoning wrongs in the words As we forgive them that sin against us the zeal of Gods glory in the first three petitions a thankfull praising of God in this confession For thine is the kingdome the power and the glory c. Quest May any pray privatlie in a publict place where there is no assemblie Answ They may because of the reasons foresaid whether they be forced thereto because they want secret chambers or because the church is the most secret house they can finde or because occasionally they are in it when they would pray or men are hindered by other businesse to goe to their chambers being far distant from them or because men appoint churches for private as they doe for publict prayers the one is as comely as the other but men make decencie a reason for every thing for the which they can not finde a reason CHAP. XVI The principall opinion of the Antinomians or Libertines The first proposition conteining their chief tenet EVery faithfull Christian being united to CHRIST by faith is one with Christ Christ with him therfore as it is impossible for Christ to sin so for the Christian Answ If the union of two diverse natures make the united parts alwayes equall in properties then the body is immortall invisible and an understanding substance like the soul for they are united in one person and all the members may hear and see c. because they are one body with the ears and eyes and every faithfull man is almightie infinit and eternall God and man in one person for they are united to Christ God and man 2. If any be united to Christ the Iust are united to him but Salomon saith they fall seven times a day Prover 24.16 3. Before that David was made King GOD testified of him as Paul saith Act. 13.21 I have found a man according to myne owne heart This was not the decree whereby GOD ordeined him to be holy it was a divine testimonie yet after this though he had union with Christ hee fell in murther and adulterie and hee numbered the people 4. Job 3.1 2. cursed the day of his death
effectuall with his members reading old conceptions in any Divine Service 2. The censuring of read prayers is an indirect disallowing of reading the Scriptures except the Lords Prayer which expresseth all our wants and that for the same reasons which they use against read prayers viz. They are read They expresse not all our wants Men know them before they read them They are often repeated They are not their conceptions who read them 3. Thus thou disallowest that aged men sing psalms which is more barnelie then reading of prayers for children delight more in musick But except we be humble like bairnes in submitting our selves to the simplicitie of Gods word we shall not enter into the kingdome of Heaven 4. Reading and conceiving prayers without feeling is both bairnly and manly for it is naturall to young and old to pagans and Pharisaicall professours but if there be a sense and feeling Gods Spirit worketh it above nature 5. If few conceptions maâ—â— prayers bairnly then our set forms are more manly then almost all the prayers in Scripture of any form for we expresse mo conceptions in them Thus our Novators will seem to have more of the working and presence of Gods Spirit then all Gods Saints in Scripture and out of Scripture who follow not their errours because they have longer prayers God grant that they devour not widows houses under pretence of long prayers and that they think not to be heard by much speaking as Christ speaketh of the Heathen Matth. 6. Shall Christ and his Saints in Scripture be esteemed lesse zealous lesse religious and of lesse perfection because their prayers were shorter and because many of their prayers did not expresse all their wants Quest Why hath Gods Spirit mixed prayers with the praising of God in the Psalmes Answ That in our mirth and singing we should not be exalted out of measure but in the midst of our mirth we should remember our miserie in seeking iuccour and relief 2. Because the prayers include in themselfs a confession of his praise for when we seek good things it is an acknowledging that God is able and willing to give them this is a great praise 3. Christ in the Lords prayer did joine praise with prayer to stir up our courage in the assurance that God will hear us when we say For thine is the kingdome power and glory c. And in the psalms prayer is joyned with praise for the same end also thus we pray in a cheerfull manner and praise God in a modest gravitie Adde these following to the Chap. 5. Of formall and materiall praise in the psalms Quest WHat is divine praise formally Answ It is a serious and loving commemoration of any good thing that is in God or from God which is done to the setting foorth of his excellencie and worthinesse Thus if the words expresse directly his properties and noble acts to be in him or from him whether in a proper or figurative speach it is a formall divine praise It is acted two wayes first without melodie and in prose as when Job said The Lord hath given and the Lord hath taken blessed be the Name of the Lord Job 1. and David said Let us fall into the hands of the LORD for his mercies are great 2 Sam. 24. Secondly or with melodie vocall or instrumentall If it was vocall only the Hebrews called it Shir a song if instruments were added to it then it was called Mizmor a psalme Quest What is divine praise materially when this formalitie is not expressed Answ When the good things which procure praise unto God or prove Him to be praise-worthie are mentioned not expressing any confession that they belong unto God as the first five verses of the first psalm prove by way of consequent that God is good and bountifull in that they are blessed who sit not with scorners but meditate continually on Gods lavv c. If God were not good and bountifull they could not be blessed nor prosper for as wicked tyrants afflict the godly rather than others so would God do if he were unmercifull and cruell 2. When the wicked deeds of Doeg and Achitophell and others are mentioned it commendeth the long suffering patience of God in that they lived on the earth a moment his justice is more manifested in punishing them 3. In the psalmes 6.51 and 143. in their prayers by way of consequent God is acknowledged to bee Almighty and mercifull otherwise men would not seek such things from him 4. All formall praise consisteth in an expressed confession and acknowledgement that the good things are in God or from God The materiall praise hath not this confession and acknowledgement expressed but understood and included in the words and may be proven to be procured and merited by the things mentioned in the words 5. The materiall praise is as true and reall as the formall as true praise is included in this prayer Leave not my soul in hell as when we say Thou hast not left or dost not or shall not leave my soul in hell by way of confession but the praise included in the prayer is not so conspicuous Quest Why is the book of divine praise called the book of the psalmes seeing many prayers are also in it Answ Because these prayers are also divine praises materiallie though not formallie for divine praise is included in them 2. Many works are named from the things in them which are of greatest moment or manyest in number a book of Jeremy is called the Lamentations for it is full of mourning speeches yet divine praises and prayers are also in it the books of the Kings have also histories of some priests and prophets the Lords prayer hath also some formall praise in it viz. For thine is kingdome power and glory c. but mo formald petitions and prayers are in it praise is included in them in the first three for things that concern Gods glory in the last three for things that concerns mans necessitie Quest Can we in one sentence and in the same words both praise God and pray unto him at once Answ Many sentences have formall praise which include no prayer in them as when we say God is Almighty and Eternall God dwelleth in heaven Christ is the only begotten Son of God he is God and Man in one person but no sincere prayer wanteth divine praise included in it the formall prayers of the psalmes have materiall praises included in them and so he that singeth the prayer doth also praise 2. Two contraries in extreme degrees can not be in one subject as they may be in their remitted degrees prayer and praise are diverse things but not contrary then as the Sun in one beame of light may send down both heat and illumination at once so we may send up unto God prayer and praise in one sentence whether the prayer be formall and the praise materiall as O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger for it redoundeth to Gods praise