not find in the whole Law of Moses any precept for Prayer Of which what reason can we give but this that it was so sufficiently known to be a Duty by the common Light of Nature that there needed no Instruction about it Nor can I observe hitherto any Command in the Gospel of Christ barely for Prayer but only for the manner of Prayer As in the place first mentioned When thou prayest enter into thy Closet and pray to thy Father which is in secret And in other places Watch and Pray Pray continually Pray with all Prayer and Supplication in the Spirit Pray in the Holy Ghost Pray alwayâ— and not faint Pray in the Name of thâ— Lord Jesus All which suppose thâ— Duty of Prayer and only direct how it is to be performed For the further clearing of which general observation let these following particulars be considered I. That it is Natural to everâ— living sensible Creature to look back to its beginning and to own its dependance upon that from whence it derives its being Thus we see the young ones of all sorts of Animals open their Mouths and wait as it were for provision from the old ones while they remain weak and tender 〈◊〉 running also to them for shelter anâ— protection while they are unable tâ— defend themselves Upon which score Prayer is as necessary for us and as natural to us as it is natural to an Infant to cry for its Mothers Breast or something else equivalent thereunto that may satisfie its craving desires Because it is an acknowledgement and owning of God as the Original from whom we come and as the Author of all good in whom we live and move and have our being and a confession of our own weakness and helpless condition without his care of us The very Heathens had this notion in them that Mankind being 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Off-spring of God brought forth by him into the World out of the Womb of his Almighty Goodness they ought to resort unto him even as the Chicken runs under the Wing of the Hen by whom it was hatcht or the Lamb runs to the Teats of her that yeaned it Proclus l. 2. in Timaeum And this say they we do by Prayer which â—s nothing else but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the â—eturn of the Soul back to God from whence it sprung 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—ur looking back to him from whom we come a reflection upon the Founâ—ain of our being and of all good 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 our turning about to â—he cause of our being a circling as â—t were to that point from whence we â—ook our beginning that we may be fast knit and united unto God and never be divided from him 1. And therefore to explain thiâ— more particularly Prayer is First An high Acknowledgment that Goâ— is the first cause of all things Wâ— magnifie him hereby as the Root thâ— Spring the Fountain of whatsoever wâ— or any other Creatures are or havâ— And without Prayer we do as bad aâ— say We owe nothing to any highâ— Being than our selves 2. Secondly We acknowledge all the Sovereignty which he therefore hatâ— over us and over all things in thâ—â— we ascribe unto him a power to command them all and to help and relieve and supply both us and them according to our various necessities 3. The Independency also of 〈◊〉 Being is herein acknowledged 〈◊〉 that we ask of him alone as having fâ—â— and absolute power within himself 〈◊〉 giving us help and comfort withoâ—â— craving it of any else 4. His Liberty and Freedom aâ— so in that it wholly resides wâ— confess in his Will and Choice whaâ— we shall have and how much anâ— when all as he pleaseth 5. His All-sufficiency likewise to inrich us without impoverishing himself 6. Together with his infinite Greatness and Immensity which is present to all places and ready to supply the needs of all Supplicants 7. And it is no less an acknowledgment of his Omniscience which can not only give audience to all Petitioners every where but exactly know both their necessities and their sense of them and the sincerity of their desires and also what is convenient for him to bestow upon them and will do them most good 8. His inexhausted Goodness and bounty likewise which is still ready and willing to pour out it self to us without any emptiness in the same Blessings that he hath bestowed for so many past ages And Lastly His Eternity and immutability in that after so many successions of Men in the World He is still the same unchangeable fulness unto whom we resort with the same confidence that good Men have ever done In short It arises out of a sense of all Gods Glorious Attributes and Perfections which are every one acknowledged in some part of Prayer or other though we should not expresly name them For in confession of sin we acknowledge his unspotted holiness and that he is of purer eyes than to behold that is approve iniquity In deprecation of his anger we confess his Justice in petitioning for pardon we proclaim his clemency in our request for Grace and Help we give him the Glory of his Power and when we recount his gracious Providences over us we acknowledge his incomparable Goodness and Bounty And therefore unless we will disclaim God and have nothing to do with Him we must perform this Duty of Prayer to Him This is the first Consideration II. To which add further That it is natural for every thing that is in want to desire supply from him that hath ability to fill it Now such is the state of every Man in the World We are at the best weak and feeble beggarly and indigent beings pressed with many and great necessities which we have no power to make up but only by going unto God Whatsoever is from the first Being wants something that it hath Every Creature therefore is imperfect and if any of them could be supposed to want nothing yet it would necessarily want the continuance of its being which it hath received from its Creator And therefore it is a true observation of one of the ancient Philosophers * Theodorus apud Proclum Ib. that all Beings pray 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 except only the first Being which is God who hath none to pray unto but hath all of himself Prayer is a confession of the true state of our own Souls and Bodies as well as of Gods most excellent Perfections A declaration that we are poor and needy that we are crazy and insufficient of our selves that we are dependent and holden up by another So that we quite forget our selves if we do not pray to God We renounce all care about our own greatest concernments if we take no notice of Him on whom our present and future welfare both here and for ever intirely depends III. As it is natural unto every one in want to ask so it is natural unto every one that asks to put
so Separate or Holy as the Temple was and will be alwayes to the end of the World unless we suppose that men will lose all Reverence to God and let him have nothing among us which may be peculiarly called his own Now this thing alone is an Argument for Publick Worship that there hath alwaies been a place appointed for Divine Service which would have been needless if Men were not bound to assemble together to Worship God for then it might have been left to every ones liberty where they would please to do it themselves And this also shows the advantage which Publick Worship hath of all other For being performed in a place set a part for it where nothing else is done at our very entrance into it we are naturally put in mind of God and of our business there which is only with him and so shall be more apt to be composed there than in any other place which we are wont to imploy about other things besides the Worship of God Especially since all Wise Men have ever endeavoured that the Service of God should be there performed with the most Solemnity and Majesty that could be contrived nay that the place it self should not be mean but rather stately and gravely adorned For it is not with Publick Prayer as it is with Private In Private as Mr. Hooker judiciously observes secrecy is commended rather than outward show whereas Publick Prayer being the act of the whole Society requires accordingly more care to be had of external Appearance And therefore the very assembling of Men unto this Service hath ever been very solemn and the very outward Form of the place of Publick Prayer hath been ever thought a Circumstance of great moment to help Devotion VI To this may be further added from one of the Texts now mentioned that the Apostle directs how they should exercise their Spiritual Gifts in the Holy place where they met together and particularly the Gift of Prayer 1 Corinth xiv 23. There were a great many extraordinary Gifts then bestowed upon the Corinthian Church every one of which the Apostle informs them was bestowed by one and the same Spirit and bestowed by him to profit withal xii 7. that is for the publick benefit of the Church And among the rest there was a Giâ—â— of Prayer which was upon some occasions afforded by a particular inspiration of the Holy Ghost and designed as every one beside were for the common good of all the faithful For if any Man wanted the faculty of expressing those pious thoughts which the Spirit suggested to him iâ— the common Language which every Body understood the Apostle showâ— his Gift was of small value and directs such a Man to pray that he mighâ— be able to interpret xiv 13. into a Language that is which was commonly understood The reason oâ— which was because then his Gift oâ— Prayer would be of general use iâ— the Publick Assemblies The advantage of which was to be preferred before any Man's private benefit Sâ— he tells them in the verse foregoing ver 12. that they who were zealous of Spiritual Gifts should seek thaâ— they might excel to the edifying of the Church And in the verses following ver 14 15. he saith that if he himself should pray in an unknown Tongue â—his Spirit indeed prayed that is the Spiritual Gift which he had was thereâ—n exercised but his understanding was â—nfruitful that is others received no â—enefit by it because they understood â—ot what he said And therefore he â—uts this question What is it then That is what is it that we should deâ—â—re in this business of Prayer Which â—e resolves thus I will pray with the â—pirit and I will pray with the Vnderâ—â—anding also That is this is most 〈◊〉 be desired when I or any other â—ath a Prayer suggested to him by the â—pirit that we may be able not only 〈◊〉 utter what it inspires but to underâ—â—and it also our selves so far as to â—ake others understand it by putting 〈◊〉 into known and intelligible words â—his is certainly best not merely to â—â—ve conceptions formed in us by the â—irit but to utter those conceptiâ—s in such familiar and common exâ—essions that others may be profited 〈◊〉 them Else saith he When thou shalt â—â—ss with the Spirit how shall he that is unlearned say Amen ver 18. That is how shall he that understands not what thou sayest because it is uttered in a strange Language give his consent and joyn with thee in those Petitions and Thanksgivings though iâ— themselves never so Holy and Good Which the people did at the end 〈◊〉 the Prayers by saying Amen So be it Which words are a demonstration he speaks of Prayer in Publick oâ— Common Prayer Which from henâ—â— it is evident was then in greateâ— esteem because in comparison witâ— this the Apostle undervalues even aâ— extraordinary Gift of Prayer which private Person had whereby he aloâ—â— was profited He prayed well bâ— others not being edified thereby because they understood not what 〈◊〉 said it was a great diminution of iâ— worth and made it of less price in thâ— Apostles account And we all agreâ— he had the Spirit of God and coâ—â— as well judge what was best as whâ— was good Now this was best in 〈◊〉 judgment to have the Prayer maâ—â— publick that all might joyn in it aâ—â— not remain merely a private good And indeed that Spirit it may be noted under this head which inlivens the whole Body of the Church moves every Member of it unto this to joyn in its common Offices for the Service of the whole Which it is the very scope of the Apostle to demonstrate in those three Chapters xii xiii xiv of the First Epistle to the Corinthians that they ought in every thing to act as Members of a Body seeking the improvement one of another by the exercise of all their Gifts not separately but conjunctly so that all might partake of the benefit And whosoever he is that hath any sense of such a thing as the Body of Christ whereof he is one Member he will never think that what he doth alone is as good as what he performs in Fellowship with the rest of the Members No if he say the same Prayers and offer the same Praises in private which the Church offers in publick he cannot reasonably think there is no difference nor imagine that both alike are God's Service because what he doth in conjunction with the rest of the Body is most agreeable to God's Holy Spirit by which this Body is linkt together and every part of it moved to act for the good of the whole I conclude this with the words of Mr. Thorndike to imagine that Prayers at home will be as acceptable to God Relig. Assembl p. 173. as those made in the Church with our Brethren is as if one should have fancied that the incense of the Temple spoken of Psal cxli. 1. which was a compound of
your sins Such Petitions the Ancient Christians thought so powerful that they supposed they could obtain any thing of God by combining as it were together to seek his favour in the Common Prayers of the whole Assembly Apolog. cap. 39. Coimus ad Deâ—um ut quasi manu facta precationibus ambiamus c. saith Tertullian We come by Troops to make our Prayers to God that being banded as it were together we may with a strong hand sue to him for his favour Haec vis Deo grata est This violence is grateful unto God It is a force which he loves and such pressing Supplicants are welcome to His Majesty To the same purpose St. Ambrose speaks in his Book of Repentance as Mr. Hooker hath observed Many of the meanest being gathered together unanimously become great And it is impossible the Prayers of many should be contemned Which was a Notion so much rooted in the Jewish Nation that they have an opinion the Prayers of the Congregation were alwayes heard Rel. Assembl p. 173. but not so the Prayers of particular persons in private as Mr. Thorndike observes out of Maimonides But we have no neeed of their opinion or any ones else to justifie this that there is the greatest force in the Publick Prayers of many joyning their desire in the same Petitions For St. Paul who might presume to have as much power with God upon his own single interest in him as any man whatsoever yet thought the Prayers of a great number of Christians would do him more service And therefore frequently begs of the Churches that they would assist him with their earnest Prayers to God for him Thus he writes to the Romans xv 30 31. Now I beseech you Brethren for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake and for the Love of the Spirit observe how passionately he desires this That ye strive together with me it is such a kind of phrase as that I mentioned of Tertullians in your Prayers to God for me that I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the Saints And to the Corinthians 2 Cor. i. 11. You also helping together by Prayer for us that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf Where he plainly acknowledges it would be much to his advantage if many did contribute their help both in Prayers and in Thanksgivings on his behalf Nay he should be able he thought to preacâ— the Gospel better and with more Authority as well as freedom if the common Prayers of Christian people were not wanting on his behalf iv Coloâ—â— 2 3 4. Continue in Prayer and watch in the same with thanksgiving Withâ—â— praying also for us that God would opeâ— unto us a door of utterance to speak thâ— mystery of Christ for which I am iâ— bonds that I may make it manifest as ought to speak Behold how solicitouâ— St. Paul was to have the benefit of the Churches Common Prayer And hoâ— great a man was he Inferiour to none but rather as St. Chrysostoâ— describes him * Hom. xxxiii Tom. 1. de petitione filiorum Zebed the 〈◊〉 best of men the teacher 〈◊〉 the World who speedily passed as if he had had Winâ—â— over Sea and Land that chosen Vessel the Spokes-man of Christ to espouse Sâ—â— to him the Planter of Churches thâ— wise Master-builder the Preacher 〈◊〉 Racer c. who left monuments of 〈◊〉 vertue all the World over who 〈◊〉 snatcht into the third Heaven before 〈◊〉 Resurrection who was taken up into Paradise whom God made partaker of iâ— effable mysteries who received a more abundant Grace and laboured more abundantly than they all This man begs for the Publick Prayers and could not be satisfied unless he was commended by them to the Grace of God A sign that he lookt upon them as most efficacious for though God as Grotius excellently observes upon xviii Matth. 19. Oft-times grants to one mans Prayers that which he asks yet to many who unanimously joyn in the same Petitions He gives both more willingly and more largely and more speedily Which by the way is an unanswerable Reason why the Publick Prayers ought to be in a known Tongue that all may joyn in desiring the same thing and by their united desires prevail for the greater Blessing Hear St. Chrysostome whose words upon the 2 Cor. viii 24. Hom. xviii in 2 Cor. marvellously illustrate this and all that I have said Where the Apostle exhorting them to shew to those whom he had sent a proof of their love before the Churches he interprets it in the publick Assemblies And then adds and this is no small matter for great is the power of an Assembly or of the Churches Behold What their Prayer can do it loosed the bonds of Peter and it opened the mouth of Paul They that are about to be ordained therefore beg the Prayers of the Congregation in like manner for those who are possessed and for those that are in penance Prayers are made by the whole Church and not by the Priest only They all say one and the same Prayer a Prayer full of compassion For in this the people are concerned as well as the Priest they praying for him as he for them He saith the Lord be with you and they answer and with thy Spirit And what wonder is it if they pray with the Priest when they send up the Holy Hymns of the Church in common with the Cherubims and the Powers above This that good Father repeats very often and I wish it were imprinted in all our minds and did sink down into all our hearts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hom. iii. ad pop Antioch c. The Common Prayer of the Church can do much when we offer up those Prayers with an afflicted Soul and with a broken and contrite heart L. viii p. 424. Edit Cant. The same Origen tells Celsus in words worthy to be remembred If when two of us on Earth agree together to ask any thing Matth. xviii 19. it is granted by the Father of the just who is in Heaven for God delights in the symphony and agreement of rational Creatures and is displeased with their discord and disagreement what might we not expect if not only as now a very few but the whole Roman Empire agreed together to sue for the Divine favour They might pray to him that said heretofore to the Hebrews when the Egyptians pursued them THE LORD SHALL FIGHT FOR YOV AND YE SHALL HOLD YOVR PEACE Exod. xiv 14. And praying most unanimously obtain greater Victories than Moses then did by his Prayer to God for help III. But further we are to consider how much our Zeal and Devotion is naturally inflamed by Publick Assemblies which is a thing of great power in Prayer For it is that which the Apostle calls praying in the Spirit and
praying in the Holy Ghost with fervent that is and inflamed desires such as the Holy Ghost excites when it is pleased to breath upon our souls Now this as I said is even naturally stirred up by the fervour of those Devout Worshippers with whom we joyn our Petitions For who can see a great many good people fall down together and kneel before the Lord their Maker with hands and eyes lifted up to Heaven imploring his Grace and Mercy which are things supposed in Christian Assemblies and not be thereby put in mind that it is a matter of great concernment about which they are so earnest Nay be mightily moved to prostrate himself in like manner to Worship the great Lord of all and to make him the same acknowedgments which are as much due from him as from any body else in the World Were a man never so dull or backward to Religious Worship it is impossible but he should be in some measure affected when he comes among a multitude whose reverend and ferious behaviour in the Divine service testifies the inward respect they have in their minds unto that Almighty Being whom they so devoutly Worship It would certainly not only put him in mind of his Duty but incline him with the like signs of humble and hearty Devotion to cast down himself in his Blessed Presence And the greater signs of ardency of desire and warmth of affection there appears in those with whom we are assembled the more feeling we shall naturally have of it our selves it being impossible to be quite cold by the fire side and to have no touch of Zeal when we are in the company of those who manifest a vigorous flame of Divine Love in their hearts Besides It is a comfortable sight barely to behold a great company gathered together to own one and the same Father who therefore cannot but look upon one another as Brethren This is St. Hierome's observation in iv Galat. Major laetitiaex mutuo conspectu oritur the greater joy arises in every heart by the very mutual sight of each other For so it is when Friends meet together they rejoyce to see the Faces one of another they bless the occasion that brought them into one and the same place and the more there are of them the greater rejoycing is there among them Now joy inlarges the heart and dilates our Spirits it makes them spread so much that sometime we can scarce contain them but are transported beyond our selves As on the contrary sorrow and sadness contracts and shrinks up the Spirits flats and deadens them so much that we have scarce any life left in us Upon which account the Spiritual joy and gladness I spoke of arising from the sight of so many Christian Neighbours and Friends is a very great help to us in our Devotion making us to pour out our Souls as the Psalmist speaks with the more inlarged desire It is but a dull and melancholy thing to be alone in comparison with the chearfulness which a great company of the same mind and Spirit naturally excite in each others Breasts By which we may understand also the advantage of full Assemblies in our Churches which look more lovely and therefore quicken more than a thin scattered Congregation Which is a damp to Christian Spirits because it is a very sad sight to behold the Divine Service neglected as it is where there are but few that come together to do God honour The summ of this Argument is That as no man is so warm alone as in a crowd So our Spiritual fervour is more quickned in an Assembly of pious Worshippers than it is apt to be when we are retired by our selves Where we ought indeed to awaken our Thoughts and stir up our affections but it must be acknowledged that we want then a great help and spurr thereunto which is the Holy Zeal of those who joyn with us in the same Petitions in the Publick Assemblies especially the seriousness the gravity and earnestness of him who ministers the service of God there Which together with the Authority of his Office the Sacredness and Majestickness sometime of the place set apart intirely for such services is apt to raise in us more ardent Devotion than we can easily raise in our selves alone IV. But if we had the same advantages of this kind when we are alone which we have not yet there is one more which wholly arises from our frequenting the Publick Assemblies And that is the good example we give to others who may be hereby moved to become Religious What we do alone no body sees nor is it intended that they should but rather that it should be kept secret And therefore it can be no inducement unto others to do their Duty but is the bare discharge of our own For which cause it is the less valuable because it doth less good for that is the best thing which doth the most universal good By which measure if we judge of Prayer we must prefer the publick whereby others are put in mind of their Duty nay attracted to it by our example whereas we our selves alone are profited by what we do alone It may be said indeed that we do good to others by praying for them But this is a very small good in comparison because it is more than they know and while we neglect the publick service we do them more mischief than we can be supposed to do them good by our private Prayers For we bring Religion into contempt when it hath few or none that attend the publick Offices of it and we let them want as I said the force of Example to awaken them out of that careless neglect of God which is too common in the World This is an Argument that should prevail very much with all good minds both to frequent the Publick Service of God and to behave themselves with an awful reverence therein Which will have some effect upon the looser sort who now are hardned in their impiety by the emptiness of our Churches at the time of solemn Worship or by the negligence of their behaviour who vouchsafe to attend upon it A multitude swayes very much either way to incline men to be good as well as to be bad It is hard to resist numerous examples They are able to bring Devotion as well as other things in fashion But if our example have not this effect on others we have notwithstanding done the best we could to advance the service of God in the World which will be a great comfort to us at present and turn to our good account hereafter We have let our light shine before men we have testified openly to the truth of Religion we have expressed our affection to it and reproved the impiety of those who regard not God Yea we put a stop to the progress of this impiety we hinder its growth and increase by wresting a great Argument out of their hands against Religion which is that there
expose us to contempt and loathing to harden Mens hearts against a just Reformation to make those who are reformed grow sick and weary and ashamed of the distracted unsetledness and ungovernableness of such people Who like nothing but what is unlike to all the Churches of Christ that have been in the World till this last unhappy Age. This cannot proceed from the Blessed Spirit of Grace which cannot lead Men to destroy the Church which Christ hath purchased by his Blood Which it is evident cannot be preserved much less promoted but by a due regard to those who are over us in the Lord and by adhering closely to such an Authentick Constitution as that of this Church which is the genuine Off-spring of the Apostles declaring nothing to the people but the true sense of the Ancient Apostolick Church throughout the World Which alwayes had such Governours of a superiour Order and Degree to other Ministers as we have such Prayers such Hymns in a word such a Face of Religion as is here seen in this our Church of England And may be seen Blessed be God in other Reformed Churches particularly in those called Lutheran who as Chemnitius tells us have had solemn Prayers every day and much after the same Order that is observed in ours His words are these Populus singulis diebus bis certa hora c. The people assemble every Day twice at a certain hour Exam. Concil Trident. Pars iv cap. ult Morning and Evening and after the singing of some Psalms Lessons are read in order partly out of the Old Testament partly out of the New And the Assembly concludes alwaies with Common Prayers and some Hymn of Thanksgiving And besides the people come together every Week on some certain Day in greater Multitudes to make Publick and Solemn Supplications which are called Letanies And so he proceeds to relate how they Worship God with the greatest Solemnity on the Lord's Dayes and upon special Festivals in memory of the great Benefits we have received on the Nativity Circumcision c. in short on all the Dayes now observed by our Church O that there were such an heart in us as instead of Wrangling and Disputing seriously to set our selves to make the best use we can of such Blessed Opportunities as God still affords unto us of meeting together every Day for his Worship and Service Especially upon Letany Dayes when there ought to be a fuller Congregation and more than ordinary Devotion One of those Dayes at least I should think every Devout Christian may easily see there is great cause to set apart every Week for Fasting and Humiliation together with Supplication and Prayer to the Divine Majesty that he would turn away his Anger from us Men are naturally too backward I know to such Holy Imployments and satisfie themselves that they have an Excellent Religion which they highly value without considering that they have so much the greater Obligation upon them to joyn frequently in the Holy Offices thereof Let that therefore for a conclusion be added to all the motives I have used in this Book to stir you up to the constant performance of this Duty that it will be the greatest shame to us if when they whose Religion is a false Worship have their constant Dayly Service and attend upon it we who have the truest Notions of God and the most Excellent Religion have less regard unto it by which means their Religion how corrupt soever it be is upheld and maintained and for want of this ours though never so pure must needs fall to decay For they that love the Religion they profess though it be not so sincere and perfect as it ought to be yet never fail to reap all the Benefits which it is able to afford and this among the rest that they keep their Religion by their unfeigned Love to it and Diligence in it Whereas the best and soundest Religion professed by those who bear not the like Affection to it yields those who thus retain it little or no benefit as Mr. Hooker hath observed and by degrees is lost for want of a due regard and earnest Affection to it We see this verified in Pagans Turks and Hereticks Who zealously attend upon the Publick Offices of their Religion and so continue their Sect. How comes their Religion to lead them to have frequent Assemblies and ours to make us neglect them But that they keep up their Love to their Religion such as it is and we have lost our first Love and so endanger the loss of our Religion For had we a sincere love to it we should be led by the Natural Dictates of it to attend upon its publick Offices that being the very first thing to which Religion inclines us and there to attend with all seriousness both to the Prayers and Hymns and to the Holy Scriptures which are then read unto us And therefore our Religion hath gone to decay because we have not minded publick Assemblies dayly but where they are kept up they are empty and thin or when they are full there are none of these Natural signs of Devotion in too many people which are among all Nations bended Knees Hands and Eyes lifted up to Heaven nay they do not attend to the Word of God there read but pass it by as a Tale that is told fancying I suppose it is never the Word of God but when it is preached that is spoken without Book These are not the Faults of all nor I hope of most among us But I have observed some of them especially the last of Whispering together all the time the Scriptures are read as if they were nothing but an empty sound in so many Persons from whose Understanding one would expect better things that I could not but take notice of such unbecoming Behaviour in the House of God Where I beseech God to awaken all his Ministers to perform their Duty with careful Diligence And all his People to Accompany them reverently in continual Prayers and Supplications to the Glory of His Great Name the Credit of our Holy Religion the Honour of this Church the Increase of all true Godliness and Vertue among us and the furtherance thereby of our Joyful Account and Happy Meeting in the Day of the Lord Jesus Amen THE END ERRATA PAge 30. l. 24. d. he p. 33. l. 20. for created r. erected p. 53. l. ult for enabled r. enobled p. 59. l. 7. r. 2dly This. p. 65. l. 11. for it r. he p. 106. l. 17. d. also p. 121. l. 3. after yet add p. 123. l. 9. after 19 add p. 168. l. 1. for times r. time p. 170. l. 22. for Rules r. Rule p. 184. l. 25. r. was as well performed any where as in the Church p. 185. l. 3. r. inlarge THE CONTENTS THE Introduction PART I. CHAP. I. OF the Nature of Prayer Page 1 CHAP. II. Of the Necessity of Prayer Page 10 CHAP. III. The sense of all Mankind about this matter especially of our Blessed Saviour Page 22 CHAP. IV. Other Arguments of the great Necessity of Prayer Page 32 CHAP. V. Some Reflections upon the foregoing Considerations Page 39 CHAP. VI. The Honour God doth us in admitting us into his Presence Page 49 CHAP. VII The Pleasure which springs from the serious performance of this Duty Page 61 CHAP. VIII The great Benefits we receive by serious Prayer to God 74 CHAP. IX The Three foregoing Chapters improved Page 85 PART II. CHAP. X. Publick Prayer the most necessary of all other Page 95 CHAP. XI God is most honoured by Publick Prayers Page 99 CHAP. XII Publick Prayers most advantagious unto us Page 115 CHAP. XIII Publick Prayers most sutable to the Nature of Man Page 135 CHAP. XIV The Nature of a Church requires there should be Publick Prayers Page 162 CHAP. XV. Our Blessed Saviour the Founder of the Church teaches us this Doctrine Page 168 CHAP. XVI Which is further confirmed by the Practice of the Apostles and the first Christians Page 177 CHAP. XVII Other Considerations to strengthen this Argument Page 192 CHAP. XVIII A Recapitulation of the four foreing Chapters with some Inferences from thence Page 206 CHAP. XIX Of Dayly Publick Assemblies and of Hours and Gestures of Prayer Page 222 CHAP. XX. Some Objections removed Page 244 THE END
the Psalmist nay with our Saviour Christ as I have before observed I will declare thy Name unto my Brethren in the midst of the Congregation will I praise thee Ye that fear the Lord praise him all ye Seed of Jacob glorifie him and fear him all ye Seed of Israel My praise shall be of thee in the great Congregation I will pay my Vows before them that fear him Psal xxii 22 23 25. I will praise thee O God among the People I will sing unto thee among the Nations For thy Merey is great unto the Heavens and thy Truth unto the Clouds Psal lvii 9 10. Blessed are they that dwell in thy House they will be still praising thee Psal lxxxiv 4. The Dead praise not the Lord neither any that go down into silence But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and for evermore Praise the Lord. Psal cxv 17 18. Which last words teach us that this is a piece of publick Service we do to God in this World which we are uncapable to perform when we are gone from hence Then the time is past of honouring God among Men by decâ—â—ring the sense we have of his Greatness and speaking good of his Name Foâ— though the dead are not quite silent yet what they say or do signifies nothiâ—â— to us in this World where we muâ—â— serve God while we live or else noâ— at all Which is a new consideration to quicken us to this Duty and to silence all those Objections which are apt to rise in our hearts against it Yes may some say We like the thing you press but are against the way of doing it in this Church In which some are distasted at all Forms of Prayer and others at that Form wherein we Worship God and him alone Unto the first of these I have this to say That when there were no Forms of Prayer left in this Church they that destroyed them did not dayly hold publick Assemblies Nor do they now make it their constant practice Which gives us too much cause to think they have not such a sense as is to be wished of their necessity But to let that pass supposing some have and that they only dislike a Form of Prayer it is something strange that the same Arguments which make them think dayly publick Assemblies to be needful should not also reconcile them to a Form of Prayer Which was constantly used by the Ancient Jews in their Assemblies as hath been undeniably proved by many of our Writers and was prescribed by our Blessed Lord and Master who made his Prayer I have shown for the publick Service in which he joyned with the Jews when he was at the Temple in Jerusalem and when he was in the Country went to the Synagogues which the Chaldee Paraphrast calls Houses of Praise in Isa vii 19. And so did his Apostles who themselves used a constant Form of Praise For they rested not Day and Night saying Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come Rev. iv 8. This as I showed before was their continual Hymn which they offered to God and it appears by St. Paul's usual way of recommending the Churches to whom he wrote unto the Grace of God that they had their Forms of Prayer also For he himself constantly used these words The Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all 2 Thess iii. 17 18. The same Power every Bishop had in his Church to compose Prayers for the necessities of it as we may gather from 1 Tim. ii 1 2. Which Exhortation is directed not to the people but to Timothy who was to take care to have all Men recommended unto God in the publick Offices by Prayers and Supplications with Intercessions and Thanksgivings for Kings especially and for all in Authority c. This could not be done orderly as all things were to be in the Christian Church without a set Form of Words which Timothy we may well think composed For those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Prayers be made signifie as literally the Apostle would have Prayers and Supplications composed as that he would have them put up to God And I doubt not they signifie both First That they should be composed and then put up to God by the Church For you may observe further that the Apostles speak of this as their work Act. vi 4. where having bidden the Church look out some Men to be appointed to attend the business of providing for the poor they add but we will give our selves continually to Prayer and to the Ministry of the Word They made the Prayers where they were present as much as they ministred the Word Which is further manifest from hence that the Prayers of the Church of Jerusalem are called the Apostles Prayers Act. ii 42. And they continued stedfastly in the Apostles Doctrine and Fellowship and in breaking of Bread and in Prayers Observe here how all the faithful stedfastly continued in Prayers as well as hearing the Word And that they are First called Prayers in the Plural number not one but many Prayers and then that they are called the Apostles Prayers Prayers made by them For the word Apostles in the beginning belongs to all the three things that follow as well as to the first To the Apostles Fellowship and their breaking of Bread and their Prayers as well as to their Doctrine To be brief as John Baptist being a publick Minister sent of God taught his Disciples how to pray and our Blessed Lord taught his Apostles So his Apostles in like manner taught those whom they Converted according to the pattern Christ had left them and no question delivered the same power to those that should have the Supreme Guidance Direction and Government of the Church to compose Prayers suteable to Mens necessities in the several Nations where they lived and over whom they presided It may be thought indeed that the Extraordinary Gift they had in those dayes supplyed all But it is manifest both that every one had not that Extraordinary Gift of Prayer and that they also who had were to be so ordered and regulated in the exercise of it by the Governours of the Church that it might serve its Edification And nothing tended more to the Edification of the Church than that it should have a standing known Form of Prayers and Praises without which it could not be known how they Worshipped God and not depend merely upon that extraordinary Gift which was not constant but vouchsafed only on some special occasion according as God pleased to impart it Which is not said arbitrarily by me but it appears by a convincing Argument that this extraordinary Gift was not intended to serve the constant necessities of the Church but only some particular purposes for they who had it could not make others understand it and are therefore directed by the Apostle to pray they might be able to interpret that others might reap some benefit
thereby and be able to say Amen thereunto 1 Corinth xiv 13 14 15 16. Upon which words St. Chrysostome supposes they ended then their Blessing in the Spirit with the very same Form of words wherewith we now conclude our Doxologies or giving Glory to God viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for ever and ever or throughout all Ages World without end as we translate the Apostles words Ephes iii. 21. And Peter Martyr thought he had reason to acknowledge as much For upon the forenamed place 1 Cor. xiv 16. he hath this observation From hence we learn that even in those first times the publick Prayers were wont to be concluded with these words secula seculorum World without end And this place of the Apostle puts me in mind of another undeniable Argument for prescribed Forms of Worship in the Christian Church which is that singing Psalms and Hymns made up a great part of that Worship and could not possibly be performed by the whole Congregation unless they had before them that which was to be sung Therefore singing by the Spirit that is by a Spiritual Gift the Apostle makes small account of unless what was sung were put into such words that all the people might understand it and sing God's Praises together with him that was inspired This is the Apostles meaning when he bids them speak among themselves in Psalms and Hymns and Spiritual Songs singing and making melody in their heart to the Lord. Ephes v. 19. Where by Psalms I think all agree are meant the Psalms of David which were a constant set Form of Praise Hymns and Spiritual Songs were the compositions its like of inspired persons then in the Church which could not be sung by all unless they were communicated to the whole Company And then they were a Form also and we may well think were sung more than once it being very reasonable to conceive that they had not every time they met a new Hymn no more than a new Psalm For St. Paul blames it as a confused unedifying thing that when they came together met that is in the publick Assemblies every one had his particular Psalm c. 1 Cor. xiv 26. and commands all things should be done to edifying by making the Psalm common that is so that all might be the better for it Such I perswade my self were the Prayers and Hymns which St. Paul and Silas sung in Prison not each of them their own Private Prayer and Hymn but some Common Prayer and Form of Praise which they were wont to use Act. xvi 25. Such Hymns it is certain there were in the Church which were sung every Morning in praise of our Blessed Saviour as Pliny himself testifies And Eusebius produces an Ancient Writer asserting the Divinity of our Saviour out of the Hymns that had been of old used in the Church acknowledging his Divinity L. v. Eccles Hist chap. 28. And that Writer calls them Psalms and Hymns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 written by the faithful from the beginning which celebrated Christ the Word of God as God indeed The most Ancient of all which was the Doxology we still use Glory be to the Father and to the Son together with the Holy Ghost as St. Basil * ad Amphilochium cap. 27 29. or whosoever was the Author of the Book concerning the Holy Spirit reports Where he saith that thus it run before the Arian times After which to show that the Church meant in those words to ascribe equal Glory unto the Holy Ghost with the Father and the Son it was altered into that Form wherein it now continues not with the Holy Ghost but to the Holy Ghost Which is the very same as to the sense there being no real difference whether we say Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost or Glory be to them with the Holy Ghost But to avoid all suspition of any distinction which the Church made between them the Form as it is now was thought better And so Ancient and Universal was this Form of Doxology that the Arians themselves used one very like to it giving Honour and Glory to the Father by his only begotten Son in the Holy Ghost as the same Writer informs us * Cap. 25. Which Originally had the same meaning with the other till they perverted it signifying as much as we say now in our Communion Service when we pray for the pardon of our Offences through Jesus Christ our Lord by whom and with whom in the Vnity of the Holy Ghost all Honour and Glory be unto thee O Father Almighty World without end I will not trouble the Reader with any more of the Ancient Hymns but only note that even in the Book of the Revelation we read not only of the Song of Moses but of the Song of the Lamb the latter of which was as much a set Form as the former and is there recorded Revel xv 3 4. Great and marvellous are thy Works Lord God Almighty just and true are thy wayes thou King of Saints Who would not fear thee O Lord and glorifie thy Name For thou only art Holy c. And what hath been said of Hymns may be as truly said of Prayers that the Church had from the beginning a Form of Divine Service which Justin Martyr calls 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Common Prayers and in Ignatius nearer to the Apostles time is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the common Supplication which we cannot well think was any other than such as he or some other Apostolical Man prescribed In Origen they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the prescribed or ordained Prayers regular Petitions which they who used were safe he saith from all the power of the Devil And as the Hymn they sung to Christ was so celebrated that the Pagans took notice of it as I observed before so these Forms of Prayer were now so well known to them that they got some scraps of them For we find these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Lord have mercy upon us in Epictetum in Arrianus a Pagan Philosopher who lived about the same time with Justin Martyr the next Age to the Apostles It is superfluous to add that the Emperour Constantine was wont to say with his whole Court 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Eusebius * L. iv de vita Constant c. 17. calls them the appointed Prayers And delivered a Form of Prayer to his Army to be constantly used by the Souldiers which Eusebius also hath set down in his Life * Ib. cap. 20. Let me only note by the way to quicken the Reader to this Holy Duty that as this Religious Prince had dayly Prayers in his Palace which he frequented with his Courtiers making it an House of God So he had likewise certain * Ib. cap. 22. hours wherein he constantly retired to pray by himself As for following Ages we find frequent mention of Liturgies formed by the Apostles themselves