as Balaam did My God and as he and he was many My Father Num. 22. 18. Jer 3. 4. But who bad them say so you know the saying It is presumption in the highest degree to speake of God or from God or to God without His leave or command so to doe You say saith the Lord Christ of my Father He is your Father your God but ye John 8 54 55 say presumptuously in so saying He is not the Father of those that know Him not but as He is the Father of the raine But ye have not knowne Him saith the Lord. And not knowing Him how care they how they Rebell against Him Can we thinke that the Son of God while He tabernacled here on Earth would bid notorious Rebells rebelling against the light of their owne Consciences within and of the Word without to call God Father and Him Lord while they were speaking and doâ—ing evill things as they could We humbly conceive It cannot enter into the heart of a Reasonable man to thinke that so our Blessed Saviour would doe He hath resolved the Case Thou shalt call Me my Father and Jer. 3. 1â— shalt not turne away from Me. I will give thee the disposition of a Child or give thee to looke after it before thou shalt with my leave call Me Father I will put filliall-affections awfull thoughts constant Resolutions into thy heart to love feare and serve Me. And then thou shalt call Me Father Thirdly Yet againe Can it enter into our thoughts that our Blessed Saviour should bid a wicked man call Jesus accursed No you will say for who can thinke so we doe If we hold to this That a sensuall man not having the Spirit can call God Father 1 Cor. 12. 3. or Christ Lord No man speaking by the Spirt of God calleth Jesus accursed What they say that speake by another Spirit judge you saith That Learned man The Apostle would say Dr. Kendall Chap. 16. pag. 145. Psal 110. 19 20. They call Jesus accursed And no man can say heartily Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost Because as our Learned Reinolds saith other Lords are present with sensuall and wicked men who doe with their owne eyes oversee and by their owne visible power order and direct them in their service It is not possible that they should feare honour and serve Christ which is to say heartily Jesus is the Lord unlesse Christ be in them by His Spirit and they in the faith Sensuall men not having the Spirit may out of externall conformitie to the Discipline and profession under which they live with their mouthes acknowledge Him to be Lord yet their hearts will never tremble and willingly submit themselves to His obedience Their Consciences will never set to its seale to the Spirituall power of Christ over the thoughts desires and secrets yet this is to call Him Lord but by the over-ruling direction of the Holy Ghost Therefore he blasphemes in Calling God Father and Christ accursed he hath no allowance from Christ so to doe it were blasphemy to thinke so and that is our third Reason Fourthly Nor would the Lord Christ put a lie into a man's mouth in bidding him this sensuall man we meane this Legion call God Father when as He is not their Father but they are of Joh. 8. 34. 44. their Father the Devill and doe that which they have seene with their Father even the Lusts of their Father they will doe If it be asked how wicked men see the Devill doe that which they did and doe Worthy Mr Burgesse answers it Because they expresse in their lives such wickednesse as was and is in the Devill even the same things which the Devill would doe and wee should see him doe if he were visible before our eyes Naturae sequitur semina quisque sua As man's Nature is and his principle within such are his actings and doeings without As he is in being such he is in acting If he be in the evill one that is under the power and dominion of an uncleane Spirit most uncleane will his actings Math. 1. 23. 5. 2. Joh. 1. 5. be for he will doe that which he hath seen his Father doe Certainly the Lord will not bid such an uncleane wretch call God Father for that were for the Lord of truth to put a lie into a mans mouth which were Blasphemie to thinke Fifthly Yet againe though as Excellent Turkney hath it out of Morney first Chapter first words A man hath never lesse De veritate Religionis Cap. 1. â— to say than when that which he is to prove or cleare is more certaine and manifest than his proofe Omni luce clarius omni interpretatione notius Notwithstanding we will proceed The Lord Christ would not bid a man we should tremble to speake this or to heare it but sith it is commonly done and in a zeale for our God we would not have it so done being assured from a sure word That a wicked man Blasphemes the Name of his God and hastneth his owne Curse by letting this prayer goe out of his mouth as he doth by taking into his mouth the Bread and Wine at the Lords Table wee were saying The Lord Christ would not bid a man blaspheme This Glorious fearefull Name The Lord his God and so hasten his Curse bringing upon himselfe Deut. 8. swift destruction but so he must that Bids a wicked man say 1 Pet. 2. 1. Isai 52. 5. the Lords Prayer call God Father My Name Continually every day is blasphemed how so or what had they done why they would lie and steale and sweare and yet would come unto Jer. 7. Gods Temple and call upon Him They that did wickedly as they could lyars Cursers opposers of what is Good These are worthy Mr Burgesse's words Yet they will come here and say our Father Nay you cannot meete with any beastly Jer. 3. sinner but his heart is filled with this bold impudency he will say as they did we are Jewes i. e. true beleivers for as that Revel 2 9. Mr Caryll Job 11. 4. 21. Learned man saith under the old Testament-Termes Gospell professours are exprest in the Revelations I am such a one a true Christian for the time was when I was Borne and quickly after Baptized and a visible Saint I was ever since being a member of a Nationall Church and yet this Beast-like man doth not so much as pretend to pietie which yet were double iniquitie for the shew of his countenance doth witnesse against him he declares his sin Isai 3. as Sodom he hideth it not yet so impudent he is he calls God Father And so goes on to the end of his prayer Tell us your opinion here Sir doth not this tread upon the brinks of Blasphemie at least And if it doe so It were blasphemie to thinke That our Saviour Christ would bid a wicked man say that prayer for that were to
said of the wicked themselves these are sensuall not having the Jude 19. Spirit though we may suppose them very exactly composed and by the most accomplished Men we meane by Holy men having the Spirit For though they might pray in prayer wrought by the Spirit for that very thing Yet being written before their eyes and prayed by the booke visible or invisible we meane the memory there is no more spirit and life therein than there is in a dead letter Indeed we may call these prayers flesh being written with inke which profiteth nothing it is the Spirit that quickneth And thereby that is by the Spirit of God His people call Him Father and Jesus their Lord. But praying without the Spirit and wholy carelesse to aske after the Spirit calling for it in prayer we are never more likely than at such a time and when we are upon that solemne worke never more likely than then to call Christ accursed Could we say Abraham's Isaac's Jacob's â— Cor. 12. 3. prayers with Paul's prayers c. And have not that Spirit by which they prayed our prayers would become as we beleeve in the eares of our God but as sounding brasse or a tinkling Cymball Thirdly We may Consider this All that God giveth to us or workes for us He doth all by the Hand of His Spirit So also All that His people give backe againe to Him or worke for Him They doe it by the speciall helpe of the Spirit too Therefore it is they see so much need of the Spirit and call so earnestly for a supplie from the same Quest 1. But it may be said how shall sensuall men not having the Spirit call for the Spirit unlesse as they are taught to doe it in other's words Answ This is a lesson can never be taught by man not by all or any prayers suggested to us by Man That every one of us by Nature is the Devill 's house emptied and swept of all Goodnesse brim-full of all filthinesse adorned and garnished with noisome lusts the ornament and garnish of that house the Devill calls his owne this we thinke no man questioneth Now if all this were debated upon and set downe prayer-wise according to the exactest forme It could not accomplish the thing what is it to say in another's words I am a sinner or I have sinned though saying Job 5. 20. so much he had said all if his heart had said it and not another for him freely feelingly sincerely and beleivingly So then one word spoken in desire and endeavour from the heart as aforesaid hath more virtue and efficacy in it than a thousand words suggested to us by the eyes or memory onely Certainly we must confesse sinne in our owne words our Confession will not be accepted else as we must forsake sin in our workes they that confesse and forsake sin are the same Quest 2. But is there not a double use of these set formes of prayer first for directing of our desires secondly for execiteing our affections Answ We humbly conceive there is not a single use of them not first for the directing our desires These are all inward and are moved by a principle within never stirred to move after God Christ Grace Glory till there be some inward sense or feeling of the want and necessitie of haveing God in Christ and all the needs of the soule supplyed by Him Sense of want is the Giving of Desire Now we cannot see how this inward sense can be wrought in the Soule by a forme of words lying before us any more than painted bread can stirre-up desire or satisfie desire being stirred-up As no outward thing can inwardly defile for all reall and truely called defilement is within and from within else the Devill himselfe could not defile us so no outward thing can inwardly purifie and then not purifying it can give but poore directions to our desires Secondly Nor are they of use as we conceive for the exciteing our affections These are warme and hott and doe heate and warme but still by some workings from within first Affection is like fire it is hot it selfe first before it heate others We must be affected before we can affect Now we cannot see how a dead powerlesse forme which as one hath it nourisheth the hid-man of the heart no more than stock-fish nourisheth the bodie and that gives no more nourishment saith Erasmus than a stone does can excite affections unlesse to it selfe because so exceeding pleasing to flesh and blood never crossing in the least the Desires of the same Quest 3. But is not this to take the generalitie of men quite off from praying Answ No to our seeming it putts them on upon prayer to pray that they may be enabled to pray in a deepe sense of sinne and the need they have of the blood of Christ to purifie their hearts and pacifie their Consciences all which they are to pray for Quest 4. But pray they cannot unlesse they pray by the booke visible or invisible Answ To this we say That to our seeming if they doe pray by the booke they doe not pray at all in Gods account And truely those men are bâ—lder with God than they durst be with men had they offended a great Lord they must acknowledge the offence with their owne mouthes and not another for them and have righted their offended Lord if he would have it so with their owne hands and glad with all their hearts that the offended Lord would be so accorded But we are bold with God though who made us so but our owne shamelesse impudent Spirits We can offend God sinning against Him and confesse it by a proxi in his words who did not give the offence We sin with our owne mouthes and will confesse with anothers mouth may not the Lord say offer this to your Governour see whether he will Mal 1. 18. accept of your Person Quest 5. But this will be said still if they may not pray by the booke they cannot pray at all so the Lord God shall have no service from them at all Answ Indeed the Lord God to Whome all we are and have and can is due hath no service none at all from a wicked man his lusts are deepe sharers here for they have all as once so they say still It is in vaine to serve the Lord. But all the Disservice Mal. 3. 14. they can doe they doe unto the Lord even all they can against Him because they know Him not for this is a Ruled Case or a knowne Conclusion The more we know of God the more we honour Him and our selves the lesse And the lesse we know of God the lesse we honour Him and our selves the more As God riseth in our thoughts so we fall and as we rise in our owne thoughts so God falls We would adde this That the hardnesse of our hearts appeares in nothing more than in these stout words We cannot pray our Spirits are so
barren These are stout words indeed and argue the stoutest heart and much pride of Spirit as usually spoken by proud Men It is as if so be a man should say I sinne and I will sinne But I will not say unto God I have sinned what shall I doe If He will take my Confession from another's-mouth let Him take it I will not confesse my selfe a sinner with my owne Mouth nor will I aske Him pardon These are as stout words to our seeming as can be spoken upon the Readers thoughts we leave them When we have added this more As we are Creatures and have our dependance upon God every moment we are obliged to pray unto Him As sinfull Creatures such as sin and Satan can make us we are obliged to confesse unto Him with our own Mouths We would answer a Question one or two more before we give Resolution to the other Case Quest 6. But would not praemeditated formes prevent many rude Crude or indigested expressions Answ Yes sure with those that know not in the world how to pray without them If sensuall men not having the Spirit wholy carried by sense and minding nothing above the place their foote treades on if these should pray without the booke possibly as their parts might be low and meane they would use strange and uncouth expressions But they who set themselves before their God and expect the supplies of His Spirit from Him looking upon their owne strength as rottennesse to be rested on knowing they cannot thinke a good thought as of themselves and would not for a world utter rash words in His presence surely they shall finde the assistance they looke for and such a supplie as shall be best for them And if they rise not from their knees more comforted They shall be more humbled which is as good for a groane from the heart is as good as a teare from the The Spirit of adoption may be in a groane as well as in a prayer Mr. Ford. sp Ador. 480. eye And they shall be kept from speaking that in prayer which is unbecomeing their God to heare or the Asking of that which is unbeseeming their God to grant But we would add this which we thinke more properly relates to the Resolution of this Question A wicked mans prayer we meane him who is resolved to goe-on in his wickednesse comes from his necessities feare and dread being before him trouble and anguish upon him perhaps and terrour within him looking upon death now not at a distance but as the King of terrours requiring his soule of him and killing him with death his prayer now as we were saying comes from his necessities not from his heart therefore shall not come neare Gods heart to speake after the manner of men And then it is all one whether he pray by the book or by his owne Spirit the one as the other hath the same acceptance with God Deare children followers of God alwayes are alwayes heard though they doe but chatter like a Crane And children of Belial who never heard God speaking unto them in His Word are not heard of God for He heareth not such sinners who wallow in their sinne as doth a swine in the myre and returne unto it as doth a dog to his vomit Whether then their expressions are exact and as well composed as words in print can be or rude indigested or incomposed it is much the same and comes to as much as nothing Such a wicked-mans praying is but tatling and babling or to speake as the holy Scripture doth It is as the roaring of Beares or howling of Doggs Isa 59. 11. Hos 7. 14. Quest 7. Moreover It is said doe not they who dare not bring praemeditated formes before their God rush upon dutie without useing the Common meanes of fitting themselves and so tempt God Answ To this we say that to expect any thing from God without useing the meanes allowed by God as helpes that way were to tempt God and provoke Him to His face Therefore doubtlesse it is the wicked man that rushes upon Dutie not bethinking himselfe before-hand unto what a glorious presence he is come and what is the worke he is to engage upon and what the danger is of miscarrying He that thinkes of none of all this he Rusheth upon Dutie And indeed what needs the meditation of what I am to speake unto God when it is suggested unto me I can reade it with mine eyes and see my selfe speake But that man that prayeth in the Spirit though he doth make a totall resignation of himselfe unto the hands of the Spirit expecting His immediate suggestions Yet so as he hath omitted no meanes before to fit and prepare for that high service as thoughts of himselfe and his nothingness of the glorious Name of God and all his expectations therein and from the same These things together with the word of God he gives himselfe to meditates upon and is wholy in it and is so as the season fitts he addresseth himselfe before his God He knowes That that glorious promise Math 10. 19. Take no thought how or what ye shall speake for it shall be given you in the same houre relateth to extraordinary services when God calls forth unto them that then they may expect extraordinarie assistance But when he may use Common and ordinarie means of Gods appointment to prepare him for this praying worke and should be negligent in the use thereof which through grace he cannot br then it were a great presumption to depend upon extraordinary helpe So now before we come to give some resolution to the Second Querie we would in the close of this give-in some Counsell which we hope shall be well agreeing with the word of God to them who being sensuall not having the Spirit must needs be wholy unacquainted with the Lord and Christ who is the way the Truth and the life and yet haply they pray to God and praise Him as ordinarily as they rise-up from their Beds and Tables lye downe upon the one and sit at the other This is the Counsell we would give That they would cease from their formes of praying or from praying by a forme which differs as much from praying in the Holy Ghost as doth the Sunne in the firmament from the Sunne painted on a signe-post And apply themselves to hearing the Word whereby faith cometh-in to the soule so may they by the blessing of God attaine to the knowledge of Him to whom they are praying and of Him in whose Name they must pray and find accesse unto the Father of Him also through whose intercession within us the prayer is formed Rom. 8. 26. and so finds acceptance by the Mediation of that Advocate with-out us at the right hand of the Father being as sweet Odours now all that from the flesh adhering to them being seperated from them Hereby also we meane by diligent hearing the Word preached they may attaine to a knowledge of themselves
what lost-ones they are in themselves and that they must be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power if they know not God and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ and be found in Him which may put them upon praying that they may profit by hearing Indeed we would take off these sensuall persons not having the Spirit from praying by the booke and Reading the Holy Scriptures as they read them and apply themselves to the hearing Gods Word in season and out of season and attend upon the moovings of the Holy Spirit upon the Word preached which is the Chariot of the Spirit therewith for so it is appointed of God the good Spirit comes into the heart as the Sunne into the house workes Faith there and makes us light in the Lord so as now we can see clearely how to pray and how to read and set our seale to it whereas before we did not pray nor did read the booke neither did we looke thereon * Revel 5. 4. See Bright We say it againe this is the Counsell which hath been given to us and through mercy we have received it and therefore we would give it to others who may be as we were when time was as much versed in reading the Holy Scriptures as they are in praying and all this while as we did slighting the place appointed for Hearing and despising the Word preached there Thus then as we were saying we would advise them to frequent Sermons and give all Diligence to profit thereby we meane to get faith by hearing that therewith they may mixe that they heare and make it profitable unto them For if we enquire at the Holy Oracle we beleeve it will resolve us as to Reading the Holy Scriptures before we have profited by Hearing That the word of God preached which is called we thinke The sword of the Spirit is as different from the Word read in our house as is a sword in the hand of a Mighty man different in point of working or making execution upon our lusts from the sword lifted-up in Georges hand upon a signe-post Give we then all Diligence in Hearing that we may read and pray at home with understanding This is our Counsell and this our Conclusion That whosoever rejecteth it multiplies Transgressions as he multiplies prayers and praises Nor can he think and shew himselfe a man That he shall be taught of the Father who heareth not His Word or that Christ appeares in the presence of God for him in heaven when he visibly and apparently appeares against Him on earth turning His Word behind his back and setting his heart against it We proceed to the second Querie SECT II. Q II. WHether Babes in Christ newly converted ones renewed in the spirit of their mindes have need of formes those commonly called crutches and helpes of Devotion when they appeare before their God Answ We humbly conceive no If they that were Lame before cannot now leape like an Hart yet they can goe to God without a Crutch And this we thinke the Scripture holds forth before us that the Adopted of God in Christ His Sonnes and Daughters have out-growne their Crutches and helpes of Devotion though some of them but Babes in Christ For whensoever The Spirit tells a person he is the sonne or daughter of God having wrought faith in his heart The second thing the Spirit doth it teacheth him to pray that is to Call God Father which is the voice of Gods Spirit in a sanctified soule It enableth him Gâ—la 4. 6 to Cry Abba Father to pray earnestly to be fervent in prayer They were cold prayers before but a lip-labour onely But the Spirit comeing-in to witnesse with his Spirit and bringing faith with Him makes the Childe to goe to God and looke upon Him as a Father whose favour he doubts not off or if he doe he would have his doubts resolved and his evidences cleared and for this he cries and is not helped at all as we conceive by any set forme which heateth the Spirit no more than the Censer is without fire for the Holy Ghost having sanctified the heart and put it into a whole-frame of Grace The heart speakes to God as it is quickned acted and moved by the Spirit of God And herein we would appeale to the experience and practise of all that are but Babes in Christ whether ever they were gainers by any formes of Devotion prayers sett before them And if they say no then they will not be easily perswaded to pray by those formes from which they gaine nothing but more dullnesse drossinesse and indisposednesse in their Spirits It is our perswasion That a child of God who is afflicted with the sense of sinne and affected with the sense of a pardon had rather speake five words to God with his understanding and sutable affections than ten thousand words prompted or suggested to him by a visible Books are a memory without us and memory is a book within us booke before his eye or an invisible his memory And more acceptance should he find with his God He hath told his errand in his owne words perhaps he wants words and can but chatter like a Crane It is as was said a prayer notwithstanding and may crie aloud in the eares of his God It is delivered with understanding with suitable affections with Humility an excellent ingredient in prayer with an inward sense of his Condition It is a good prayer sure and finds acceptance with his God We are generally deceived about prayer It is thinke we a worke of memorie of a good witt a readie invention a voluble tongue This makes an excellent prayer in the esteeme of a mans selfe and in the account of others But this is not prayer Prayer is the worke Mr. Ford. p. 629. 525 526 545 546. of Gods Spirit in a sanctified heart and feeles no need of Crutches to support and beare it up Heaven-ward these help us not we find when we are lame it is granted these hinder us when we are sound The Lord Christ is the Churches Advocate by Office The Spirit her Advocate by Energie and operation All the prayers Rom. 8. 26. which prevaile with God are formed wrought and fashioned in our hearts by the Spirit of God Now we suppose here is a Bâ—be in Christ as weake as Babes are notwithstanding he hath Bez no need of a forme he is in Christ and therefore hath the Spirit of Christ and therefore in the Spirit he can pray The Spirit helpeth his infirmities Rom 8. 26. helpeth The Greek word is very emphaticall a De-compound helpeth as a Father helpeth the little Child at a burden The Child onely puts to his hand the Father his strength Indeed the Father doth all so doth the Spirit in this Babe and if any thing else come to helpe with Him He will not helpe at all If the Crutch doe any
5. 18. Jere 3. 13. he can doe very readily I have sinned spoken from him freely feelingly humbly sincerely as David Job the Prodigall now come to himselfe and as the Babe in Christ can speake it is of more account with his God and more prevailing to encline His eare than all the Rhetoricke in the world suggested to this Babe by anothers tongue or pen. Prayer we have heard say is the key that openeth all Gods Treasuries But now another's key be it never so exactly made to argue it by way of a similitude cannot fit the wards of my locke Our plaine meaning is and without a figure A forme of prayer the exactest that ever was made cannot surely fitt my needes cannot speake out the things that I want to the eares of my God or speake out His prayses for what I have received from Him It cannot reach the troubles of my Soule nor can it tell the Consolation there or suppose it could It would not supplie me with the Spirit By whome I must through Christ present all this before my God for what man 1 Cor. 2. 11 12 knoweth the things of a man save the Spirit of man within him and so forth for it requires our observation through-out We will put a close to this when we have spoken two or three things more very briefly First We conceive that those set formes cannot take any whit with a Babe in Christ one Reason is Because set formes are so taking with us while we are out of Christ we cleave to them as fast as the skin to the flesh or the flesh to the Bone And what we cleave to we plead for Surely it is otherwayes with him or her that is in Christ as the nature is changed so are the actions the desires the affections They remember well they never prevailed any thing by set formes unlesse to the hardening and brawning of their owne hearts The stupifying or deadning of their owne spirits they never prevailed with God to give them a sight of their sinne and forgivenesse of the same for they were never in earnest with Him about this matter if they had they had pleaded with their God in their owne words and not in anothers for them It is the wicked man that sticks to his formes as fast as he cleaves to his sinnes The Babe in Christ not so hee or shee is renewed in the spirit of their minde and therefore stand as much against set formes as the wicked stand for them Secondly Suppose wee for information sake That the person praying hath a sense of the want of that he prayes for That granted we affirme he hath no more need of a set forme teaching him to pray than an hungry man hath to pray for his bread If he hath no sense or feeling of what he prays for which cannot be supposed in a Babe then the set forme of prayer will doe him no good for the forme of prayer is as dead a peice as the heart is and two dead things like two withered stickes cannot enliven and quicken each other Thirdly Wee would appeale to the Conscience of every wicked man seared though it may be as well as to the observation and experience of all the godly that know them and that are acquainted with them whether by their set formes or prayer bookes they have gained more strength against sin or more strength to sin To our seeming the answer must be for so speakes their conversation to the godly that doe observe it by their set formes they have gained more strength to sin thereby their hearts have risen with more opposition against God and indignation against the Godly for it is a ruled case They that sticke fastest to formes of godlinesse are the greatest enemies to the power thereof And this is a knowne Maxime also That a mans lusts are no more shaken by such prayers though he should turne them over as fast as that Antichristian doth his beades than a Giant is shaken by the shaking of a straw in a Pigmies hand Fourthly A forme of prayer is an artificiall prayer made by the art and skill of another and it is but like artificiall breath of bellowes or the like cold whereas naturall breath is hot surely cold praying hath cold working and moves not at all with God as good ask doubtingly as coldly for as the saying is it teacheth God to deny Fifthly Set formes of prayer are too pleasing and sutable to flesh and bloud to be pleasing to God or Good men or to doe the soule any Good That which hath any virtue in it to doe the soule good must hurt the flesh even to a torment that must offend the flesh that doth indeed defend the spirit But this prayer by a prayer-booke doth no more execution upon our lusts than a potgun can against an heard of Harts or a Gun charged with pouder among Armed men It is a lazie sensuall prayer else fleshly mindes would never so plead for it for as was said Give them that which is sweet though it choakes them Per fallacia bona itur ad vera mala through seeming good and pleasant things wee hasten to reall evills As per fallacia mala itur ad vera bona through seeming evill things wee come to true and reall good things It is but a seeming good to please the flesh and but a seeming evill to crosse it as the Babe in Christ doth and wrestleth with God in His strength about it knowing he oweth his flesh nothing but mortification save onely to make it serviceable to his God and his owne soule Sixthly Wee will close with this possibly a Babe in Christ may want convenient utterance by reason of some defect in the tongue or bashfullnesse in the presence of others And upon that account our famous and excellent Perkins but it was forty yeares agoe when formes of prayer were of more account then now they are and the hurt they did not so looked into as now it is and with that allowance you must weigh them if they should not hold waight mooves in this Babes behalfe for a prayer-booke in these very words The Grace and gift of prayer may be shewed in Mr. Ford. 480. reading of a prayer other wayes it would goe very hard with them that want convenient utterance Wee humbly crave leave to say That notwithstanding that want which a Babe in Christ may have there is no want of a prayer-booke though This Babe serveth his God in his spirit who can supply that want yea a greater want than that supposing he could not speake one articulate or distinct word before his God he can pray in his spirit through the mediation of His Son and finde acceptance sure enough his Lord takes not his prayers by number but by waight nay the Lord doth not so much weigh the words of prayer no nor the grace of prayer by the scale as he tryes both by the touchstone Hee not so much regards the number
The Counsell that Daniell gives to Nebuchadnezzar Chap. 4. 27. and the direction Peter gives to Symon Magus Acts 8. 22. cleares this unto us that a wicked mans duty is to repent and pray and doe the workes of righteousnesse though he is no more able of himselfe to doe it than a mountaine can moove and teare it selfe up by the roots and mount up into the Moone or a bramble yeeld grapes or a Thistle figgs or a Serpent spit pearles naturall impotency can give no excuse to willfull neglect A wicked mans necessitie of sinning must not nullifie the Law of God which requireth the doing of these things though not with such an uncleane heart as he doth them The impotency of man must not eyther prejudice Gods authoritie or Diminish his own dutie These are the words of our Learned Rainolds in his Treat pag 246 247. where the Reader may meet with much more giving resolution to the same case with this that a wicked man ought to pray it is his dutie And oh that he could pray for a sight of his sinne and sence of that wrath which he is treasuring-up every day against the day of wrath being busily imployed every houre of the day in damning himselfe that so he might looke after Him whome the Father sanctified and sent into the world to be a propitiation Joh. 6. 36. 1 Joh. 2. 2. for the sinnes thereof and oh that he would pray against the Grand delusion of his desperately wicked heart which will perswade him to beleeve that he lookes after Christ Jesus the Lord for life and immortalitie from Him while yet he lookes not after the meanes but turnes his backe upon the Glorious Gospell whereby He is declared to the world to be a Prince and a Saviour all salvation in Him and none other Name given among Men Acts â— under Heaven whereby we might be saved The desperate heart of man will perswade to turne the Back upon all this The Gospell of the Lord Jesus Christ and yet he shall have Salvation by Him though not receiving His Word To our seeming now this is fully proved That a wicked Man ought to pray though he doth not pray neither can he nor will he unlesse as Pharoah did take away the plague remove this evill of punishment And then perhaps he will crie Lord Lord for possibly he sees death sinne and judgement not as formerly at a distance but neare at hand and upon him and then with Balaam he may say My God And oh that I may dye the death of the Righteous Therefore he that liveth like a Devill would die like a Saint and so he may pray at the houre of his death when his time is gon and the time of Gods patience is spent and the houre of judgement is come but then it will be too late no remedie now but a Torment He must live to God that prayes to God walke with Him and before Him who lookes for speciall mercy from Him For if we expect God should come to us in wayes of mercy we must attend upon Him in wayes of Dutie dealing with us as Creatures endued with Reason understanding wills affections But because all these are miserably depraved he deales with us as such and so depraved wholy dis-inabled in our selves for the useing or improving any the forementioned without speciall Grace from Him which He bestowes upon us in the use of meanes He vouchsafeth to us But though wicked men doe none of this nor is it possible as his estate now is that he can doe it nay it is the abhorring of his soule to doe it for he abhorr's the Lord yet he ought to doe it That is the point and we thinke cleared he ought to pray it is his dutie CHAP. IV. Q. 1. Q. I. BUt whether he may pray the Lords Prayer that is the Question which now we shall endeavour to put out of Question A wicked man ought not to say the Lords prayer he is a proud bold and dareing person he will adventure herein It is probable he know's no other prayer and this he received by Tradition from his Parents who possible knew no other prayer neither But he ought not to say this prayer say we and these are our Reasons for so saying First It is the Churches prayer we meane not a Nationall Church we have not a thought of it when our thoughts are upon This Church the Church of the living God A Nationall Church a huge vast body a Monster rather and as cold as frost which we know congregates fastneth together very heterogenious things which heate seperates we meane not that commonly called a Church which takes-in very heterogenious persons wicked and righteous the Beleiver and the Infidell if not worse the Disciple and the Drunkard the True Saint and the Reall Devill together for these were borne in a Church and quickly after Baptized there and growing up though in their Debauchednesse getting strength therein as yeares come on yet by virtue of their water Baptizement are become visible Saints we meane not these nor that called a Church aâ—d â—ath but a Name onely till the Spirit within gives the thing we meane a company of New Creatures differing as much from the common or Nationall Church as Men doe from Beasts That we may be cleare at this point we meane the Generall Assembly and Church of the first-Borne The Sonnes and Daughters of God begot and borne unto Him in Christ of water and of the Spirit It is their prayer It is the Disciples prayer their's who are disciplined by the Gospell received beleived and obeyed by their Lords appointment it is theirs Both the Scriptures Math 6. 9. Luke 11. 2. we conceive holds it forth clearely pray ye And when ye pray say Our blessed Lord spake to His Disciples here is the mould wherein to cast your prayers this shall be to you a Rule and Sampler according to the which all your prayers shall be framed but of this hereafter It is the Churches prayer the â—eleivers the Disciples and Saints prayer really such and indeed which they can hold forth and have to shew for not onely because they were borne in England and Baptized there a meere vanitie and lesse if lesse can be but they were borne of God through Christ by the Spirit with the Word and so baptized with fire and the Holy Ghost it is their Prayer It is true the wicked man claimes it for his because he was borne and Baptized in this Nation so doth he Childrens Bread too it belongs to him upon the same score But he hath right to neither as we have heard and may yet more fully heare Wee proceed Secondly And humbly offer this to the thoughts of reasonable men can we thinke that our Blessed Lord would put these words into a wicked mans mouth Bid him call God Father Whome he knowes not endeavours not to know nay abhorr's to know He indeed will say for who so willfull as he
bid him blaspheme the Name of his God fearefull and glorious Sixthly And in the last place to bid him say this prayer were to bid him hasten his owne Curse and to bring upon himselfe swift destruction which he must needs doe continually and dayly blaspheming that holy and sacred Name which yet he takes into his mouth and sayes before the Lord and His people Hallowed be Thy Name As if a Malefactor should set himselfe before his Judge and remember the Judge of the Murther which he had committed and call-down vengeance upon himselfe So doth every wicked man that calls God Father and continues to rebell against Him he minds God as we may say to inflict the Curse upon him which he hath deserved which certainly shall be done so soone as he hath filled-up the Measure of his Blasphemies Wee leave it to your judgement Sir so you will rule it by the Scriptures whether a wicked man doth not hasten his Curse by letting this prayer goe out of his mouth Whence have and still doe issue forth so many vaine lying and deceitfull words and Cursed Oaths as he doth by takeing into his mouth the Bread and Wine at the Lords Table We shall speake more to this in the next Treatise where we shall hold-forth this undoubted signe of a faithfull Minister whom Satans tongue in his instruments and servants is still disquieting and as they possibly can vexing and tormenting because the tongue of this good Minister is still and still will be vexing and tormenting him and them But if a Rev. 11. 10. Ministers tongue will not torment Satan Satans tongue will not torment him There we shall also commend unto your reading and if you please to your translating Isidor Pelusiot's Epistle to his friend about this prayer that so your Saint that hath no more to plead for his Saint-ship but that he was borne in sinne so he will acknowledge onely he is cleansed from it and he hopes thorowly purged by Baptisme quickly after he was borne and can say this prayer before your face in the Congregation Wee were saying That so your Saint may by Gods blessing upon your instruction of him at that point your selfe being better informed about it first may consider at what an high degree of blasphemy he hath arrived that dares say that prayer before his God while his heart riseth-up in Rebellion against Him Here wee would add this that the more excellent your prayer is and this is excellency in the abstract the more unbecoming a loathsome person it is as a pearle in a swines snout But this is Prov. 13. 5. not the worst the more excellent and soveraigne a thing is being received or used after the due manner and according as God hath appointed it to be received or used the more deadly it workes the more distractive it is the more it hasteneth the curse upon the spirit and bringeth-on destruction swiftly being prophaned and blasphemed by uncleane lips and hands Wee might make instance in the Word of God despised and rejected cast behind the backe it is a savour of death unto death at once it kills twice like the strongest poyson mixt with the strongest wine the very sent kills or as the wine received at the Lords Table by a visible sensuall person not having the Spirit See by their out-workes what dreadfull workings the wine hath upon their spirits But looke to the thing in hand and here is a loathsome person and delights in his loathsomenesse which should be loathsome to him yet he sayes the Lords prayer Now observe him in his walke his cursed actâ—â—gs therein and tell your selfe whether the curse of God which 〈◊〉 hath been plucking downe upon himselfe with both hands 〈◊〉 as with cart-ropes doth not cleave as fast to him as his heart cleaveth to his sinne Wee thinke wee have made sufficient proofe That a wicked man ought not to say this prayer certainly he hath no warrant from our Lord and Saviour so to doe But since hee will doe it on his owne head as we say and so is carried head-long towards his curse meeting it as it were halfe way wee have read how hee curseth himselfe by calling Christ accursed and how he hath drawne upon himselfe swift destruction And wee have been the longer at this point That all that see this man with his curse upon him cloathed with it as with a Garment eating his meat as was sayd as a swine doth his rolled up in dirt may see and fly away as hee will doe that heares and feares and will no more presumptuously call God Father as the wicked man doth while with a high hand and an uncovered head hee acteth villany against the Lord. Wee will close this with worthy Mantons words I have read of a Jewell sayth he that being put into a Upon James 5. 16. dead mans mouth looseth all its efficacie Prayer is such a Jewell in a dead mans mouth it is of no power nor efficacie but to hasten his ruine and utter destruction CHAP. V. Q. 2. Q. II. WEE come now to make enquiry into the second Question Whether our Blessed Saviour gave his Disciples this prayer That they should pray to His Father in those very words The Affirmative is much pleaded for but generally and usually by those who are enemies to the Crosse of Christ adversaries to all goodnesse and not acquainted at all what prayer in the Holy Ghost meaneth Wee say it againe because wee would not be mistaken The Affirmative is generally and universally pleaded for by such kinde of men who cleave as fast to their formes as sin cleaveth to them or they to their sin And they beare themselves out at this point from these words of our Blessed Saviour when ye pray say But indeed it is not much to be minded what such manner of persons say who will catch at any thing that may make for their present ease and put the flesh to no câ—st Yet it is to be regarded what any good man sayth learned and godly And thus as wee have heard worthy Hild sayes Our Blessed Saviour praescribed to His Disciples a forme of prayer for them to say by tying themselves to the very words of it Had he attempted the proofe of this assertion perhaps he would have found it a more difficult undertaking than barely to affirme it so that excellent man speakes upon a different account whose words are so much in our hearts that they must needs be much in our mouthes we will tell our perswasion here That a man shall not readily meet with such like an expression in any godly mans writings and wee thought it our dutie to set it downe that wee may wrest it what wee can out of their hands who are unlearned and unstable and doe wrest words such words as these as they doe all other Scriptures to their own destruction so wee will now endeavour to evince the Negative That our blessed Saviour did not give this prayer
while He tabernacled among men He put up many prayers to His Father and indeed though Lord of all yet as Mediator of His Church and so a servant to His Father in the Churches behalfe He could have nothing nor Psal 2. 8. Maâ—â— â—6 5â— Heb. 7. 25. hath He to this day but He must aske for it And among all these prayers we read not and quod non ligitur non creditur That this sacred prayer came-out of His sacred lips any more than once Nor have we observed it from the mouths of any of His Apostles or other of His Deare Children Yet we read of their prayers and though short yet were they moulded after this manner That the throne of His Glory may be advanced in their Hearts And that the world and all that which mightily opposeth the lifting-up of the same may be throwne-downe Crushed to the earth and ruined but never heard we this Prayer from their lips nor from any of the Blessed Martyrs Now certainly these being of the Number of That Virgin Company follow their Leader and Commander though haud passibus aequis yet they follow Him and did eye marke and behold His Blessed scope and intendment in all He did or spake SECT III. THe Disciple doth not as we thinke bring this Prayer before His Lord for this were to limit and stint himselfe and so to Restraine prayer which sure was far from the Intent of our Lord to prescribe so Contrary to the workings of His own Spirit in the hearts of His Chosen These find a restraint upon themselves as often as they find not the Blessed Spirit enlargeing of them to pray and then humbled they are when Comforted they cannot be But it is far from them as it was from the Mind of Christ prescribing this prayer to stint themselves so many words and no more as acceptable with their God as so many Ave-Maries and Pater-nosters given out by Number you know by whome A naturall prayer put-up by the strength of Nature is a stinted and a limited prayer But a Spirituall prayer as a Disciples prayer is hath alwayes an Infinitenesse in it his spirit being right set is enlarged to a kind of Infinitenesse in Gods Service There is a Naturall Bias in his soule which inclines him to a limited prayer But we know the strength of the Arme takes away that Bias So the strength of the Inward man takes away this Bias. Though this Disciple is not able to doe what is actually infinite yet his desire is infinite in this That being to deale with an Infinite God were he able to doe ten thousand times more than he doth yet his heart would doe more Oh that I could doe more As he growes in grace so his desire after grace is enlarged as much as a wicked man is after the world and sin he enlargeth his desire as hell and a godly man enlargeth his as Heaven He limits not himselfe Those desires are boundlesse which the Holy Spirit enlargeth to a kinde of Infinitenesse Causing those to Center in the infinite Love of God unto them through Jesus Christ and this is our third Reason SECT IV. THese Disciples have their stated and set times for prayer every day It is true they pray Continually or without Ceasing Acts 10. 2. 1 Thes 5. 17. Prayer never Ceaseth to goe-forth till the grace desired comes-in Though the words of prayer cease in the mouth yet the grace of prayer ceaseth not in the heart But they have their stated times for prayer and the very flower and creame of time it shall be which is appointed for that high Service from hence we prove That the Disciple brings not this prayer before his God He hath more to say and must take more time for it than is taken-up in repeating these words They have many more words to utter before their God we say not than are contained in that prayer for all the Angells in Heaven cannot readily tell us and explaine to us the Contents thereof or what is contained therein but many more â—ords than numerically word for word are Contained therein Therefore he must take time for it and if we may so say the firstling thereof As he prayes to God continually so he praises God continually prayers and praises goe together very few breathings goe betwixt but be they few or many the Disciple takes time for it No sooner is he awake in the morning but he ascribeth to God the Glory Who alone gâ—ve him sleepe which all created strength could not doe and awakned him out of sleepe else he had slept on till the Great Day of the Lord God had come he praiseth his God for this in the Name of Jesus Christ And no sooner is he set upon his leggs but he is upon his knees praising Him with heart and voice That set him on his leggs whereas He might have laid him restlesse upon his pillow where many an head lyeth akeing But how if he be awakned with paine and sorrow upon the flesh to take it-in by the way Notwithstanding he finds matter of praise and his heart enlarged that way He can sing the high prayses of his God for those glorious excellencies that are in Himselfe and for the Emanations or flowings forth of the same by Jesus Christ in the exceeding aboundant riches of His goodnesse to His beloved ones in and through Him and to himselfe in speciall For though his flesh feeles paines upon it yet saith the Spirit I am not sicke mine iniquitie is forgiven my sin is pardoned Hitherto he never found That his Heavenly Father did him any hurt by afflicting him but good a great deale Which may mind you of him Chrysostome tells us off who was acquainted with greifes in his measure as his Lord and Master was in His Churches stead and for her sake that they may never have any hurt therefrom and never came before his God but the first words he spake were praises to his God for his paines and sorrows upon the flesh to use his own words for his hell here as well as for his Heaven hereafter And you may remember another A very good Man who enjoyed health and wealth all was prosperous with him for fiftie yeares together and after the Date of those yeares he had scarce a Comfortable day to the houre of his death But this is for our Learning how praise-full was he That his God spared him so many good dayes and instructed instructed him to that Discretion as to make an improvement of them therein to lay-up as we say for a rainy day or spending time and to beare his Crosses now they are come willingly and more rejoyceingly for he found no losse by them Indeed this is the Glorious Priviledge of Disciples really and indeed such Amidst all their Crosses they find not one Losse But this is it we were prooving There must be time for this praiseing the Lord and these must be uttered with a Man 's own mouth
something is to be done The Apostles said that Learned Expositour Upon Job 7. 20 p. 691. gave Gospell Counsell yet when men asked them What shall we doe to be saved they said not ye must doe nothing God will save you by His free Grace No they called them to repent and beleive every one of them Sin must be knowne to be sin call it by the worst name you can thinke of then you call it Sin above Rom. 7. measure sinfull and must be acknowledged so to be Onely acknowledge thy iniquitie Know the Plaegue of thine owne heart and Jer. â— 13. 1 Kings â— 38. mourne for thy sinne because Committed against the Lord and doe this as David for his Son every day for every day thou sinnest 1 Sam. 13. 37. Zach 12. and as true Mourners doe mourne bitterly and mourne the more because thou canst not mourne enough This is that the Lord will have the Disciples doe And so now for we must Contract we will conclude That Confession of sin is the great ingredient in prayer for pardon of sin whereunto the Scriptures speake every where Onely Acknowledge Confessing their sinnes And forsaking of sin must goe before pardon of Sin yea and subduing of sin too All this in the strength of God but he must be enquired of touching these matters He will have sin acknowledged He will have sin forsaken put as far away by us as the East is from the West as to our Love to it likeing of it desire after it delight in it So far we must put it away before the Lord will tell us that He hath put our sins so far away from Himselfe and from Psal 103. us That it shall be as possible for the East and West to meet together as for a Man and his sin to hurt him So now wee conclude That this Confession of sin which every man will grant must be with a man 's owne mouth not by any set forme whatsoever is not expressed no not the least sound that way in the Lords prayer Therefore his Disciples indeed what ever your Disciples * doe bring not this Prayer before their God And SECT VI. OUr sixth reason why a Disciple bringeth not this Prayer before his God is because it is already wrought to his hand he need not take any paines about it The least Child in his house that can speake though he cannot read can say it This Disciple that knows in his measure what a Disproportion there is betwixt the Great and Dreadfull God and this worme the Creature yea baser than a worme considered in himselfe because a sinfull Creature or to expresse it in excellent Greenhills words betwixt Majestie and Nothingnesse And that sloath to use the same man's words is a Gulf betwixt this God who is all and this Creature who is nothing at all in himself considered but a thing of nought worse than Nothing This Disciple now knowing all this in his measure dareth not as we suppose and were saying Come before his God with a prayer wrought to his hand but having accesse to the Father through the Mediation of the Sonne by one Spirit he casteth himselfe into the Armes of the Spirit lookes for a supply from Him enableing this Disciple to put-up a prayer wrought James 5. 16. now in him and wrought out from him by the same Spirit This prayer wrought to our hands The Lords Prayer is the exactest peice of worke in sight that ever was But yet this Disciple that saies this prayer if any such there be as many such there be in the Nationall Church is not exact in this prayer for praying this Prayer wrought to his hand he prayes nothing to purpose Nothing wrought in him by the Spirit of God nor wrought-out from him by the same Spirit he doth exercise neither the gift of prayer nor the Grace of prayer Nay he doth not exercise any one facultie of his Soule in saying his prayer wrought to his hand nor any one member of his body unlesse it be his tongue and what is lip-labour before the Lord any more than eye-service before â— Sam. 24. a Man Certainly this Disciple is of David's mind I will not said he offer unto the Lord my God of that which shall câ—st me nothing There is a body-prayer of this we have been speaking hitherto to use that Excellent Expositours Distinction which Upon Job 11. 13 p. 108. is never alone with a Disciple for woe to Body-prayer when it is alone And there is a Soule-prayer which may be alone and 1 Sam. 1. 13. Neh 2. 4. as fervent effectuall both as Hannah's and Nehemiah's prayers were For the soule and spirit of a prayer is the soule and spirit in the strength of God lifted-up in prayer which doth infinitely more in prayer than the body doth yet in saying this prayer the body doth nothing the soule lesse But this is the thing A Disciples Body-prayer wherein he exerciseth himselfe every day and likely thrice a day exerciseth the whole outward-man The hands pray knees pray the eyes pray we have this in the place fore-mentioned gestures are speaking in prayer By these we pray when we hold our peace and lift-up a loud voice when we say never a word but in saying this prayer wrought to our hands the Soule and Body both every power of the one and every member of th' other may fit as still as a stocke onely let the tongue wagge and by helpe thereof say the prayer notwithstanding The tongue is all-sufficient for that worke All the Rest both the powers of the Soule and members of the Body may stand stock-still the while when one member is all-sufficient for the worke what needs more Frustrà sit per plura We had more reasons to give why a Disciple brings not this prayer before his God but we thinke this may suffice onely remember this Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Wee come now to the fourth Querie CHAP. VII Q. 4. Q. IV. WHether it be comely for a Godly Man and true Minister of Christ to pray the Lords Prayer before his people that is to adde it unto the close of his owne It hath been said by two onely in our heareing The one old enough to make a Minister if yeares would doe it But Tempora certè Virtutem nec prima negant nec ultima donant The other young enough to say no more These two and onely these spake this more than ever we heard spoken by any in the Close of their prayers Thou mayest Lord justly neglect our imperfect prayers if we should neglect to say Thy most perfect prayer Thou hast prescribed to us Commanded us to say If this now can be proved that our Blessed Saviour hath commanded His Ministers to close their prayers with His prayer then The Question is resolved in the Affirmative and put out of all Question That every Godly Minister must close his prayer with the Lord's
they will for necessitie they say hath no law be so bold or impudent rather to use that prayer also being the most exact forme of all formes But these never were and never shall be so forsaken of their God And in assured Confidence thereof we proceed Thirdly This we have heard some one of us at least alledged for the saying of this prayer There is a sicknesse upon all the faculties of the soule And the memory amidst the Rest is a very sickly weake and infirme thing So as we many-times forget to put up those Requests unto God which were in the purpose of our hearts to doe Now to helpe and succour us in this matter we adjoine the Lords prayer to the end of ours that being compleat as we all know in the whole and in every part and Containes in it as the Creed all things to be beleived so this all things to be desired To this we reply Granting this first That this sicknesse is Epidemicall universally spread over all men and over all in man And the Memory the Soule 's store-house is fearefully tainted with it most unhappily and tenaciously retentive of all that is evill So as what was but once heard seene or done giving pleasure to the flesh will be kept in the Memory and repeated there who knowes how long and how often yet take-it-in by the way as often as any evill seene heard or done is remembred with delight so often is it acted over againe But now when any thing truely Good is Commended to it and received-in of how short continuance it is there If a Hand Allmighty lodgeth it not there and keepeth it there The memory of it selfe and in it's owne nature is a very Step-dame to Good or like a very leaking vessell This is her Sicknesse and if it be not Cured it will be our woe And now to draw nearer to the point in hand we cannot possibly see though we hope we Crie for His eye-salve which onely maketh to see how the sicknesse of the memory causing the praying man to forget what he would have remembred and made his request to God for Can be helped for to this particular we speake by adjoining His Lords prayer We crave leave to aske this Godly Minister what he hath forgot to petition his God in behalfe of the people to whome he is made an Over-seer He hath not Confessed their sinnes so fully nor so feelingly as he should and thought to have done This may be He knew full well some speciall mercies his people had received from God and he quite forgot to render God the praise He knew as well some speciall mercies his people had not and yet felt not any want of them as a seeing eye and heareing eare but he quite forgot here also He was well acquainted with some particular misery that was felt by some one or more of his people being sicknesse and sorrow upon the flesh and another misery he might know of also which is the misery of all miseries because not felt nor feared yet clapt fast upon them perversnesse of Spirit and hardnesse of heart Here the Godly man's memory may falâ—e him also In all these he might not petition God as he ought and haply thought to have done and in some of these perticulars his memory wholy failed him Now he will releâ—ve himselfe and his people whose good he specially intends by saying the Lords prayer But is that the way to releive himselfe or them We humbly offer it to the thoughts of every intelligent Man Will his repeating the Lords prayer before the people help them when they are returned home to Confesse their sin there more fully or feelingly doth that prayer supply them with words that way or to praise God for the mercies they have or to pray unto Him for what they would have for the takeing away the Stone in the heart if it be not all over Stone as desirerously as we would have the Stone taken-out of the Bladder but is there one expresse * word in the Lords prayer that helpes to the putting-up that great petition wee meddle not with what is Comprehended there which exceeds the Comprehension of an Angell but with what is expressed there And to our seeming there is not in that prayer one expresse word there that can helpe the praying man in all or any of those perticulars before-mentioned To close this we conceive it to be thus every godly person going to prayer goes to God in the Name of Jesus Christ Through Him by the Spirit he hath an accesse unto the Father Eph. 2. And oh what a deale of Eloquence and Rhetorick is in this one word Father how it works upon the bowells of the Father upon the bowells of the Child too so as the Child cannot chuse but crave the Father cannot chuse but grant what ever is good for the Child There is a reciprocall worke still a reflexing Act of the soule The Father's bowells yerne towards the Child The Child's bowells yerne towards the Father But we recall our selves being to deliver our thoughts what a Godly Minister doth when he hath entred the pulpit Surely in desire and endeavour he comes wholy off from himselfe he useth all that Ged hath given him and layeth out the very Male of his flocke for that very end given him but he trusteth it not he hath no Confidence in the flesh It is fully and wholy set upon his God He loves to be trusted and cannot be trusted too much as the creature cannot be trusted too little In a word he rolles himselfe upon God putts himselfe as he can into the good Spirits hand Leaves his matters there humblie expects supplies from Him He is in the place where he should be unto which his God hath called him upon his worke which he doth with more Delight than to receive his wages Now he would not doubt but that the good Spirit to Whome he hath committed himselfe and his worke will carry him through it both in praying and preaching And now for now we are closeing the point notwithstanding the sicknesse of his memory and many other his infirmities who knowes how many yet he knowes Whome he hath trusted and upon Whose score and that He is able to leade him unto his worke and to carry him through his worke nor dares he for his life take a dead letter * such a thing is the Lords prayer as uttered by Man as dead as other letters he reades in the same Chapter he will not we were saying take a dead letter to helpe the living Spirit These are our thoughts of this matter Fourthly We have heard in the Last place this alledged for the saying the Lord's prayer at the end of their owne prayer our prayers are very imperfect we all know and God may neglect them therefore wee adde the Lords prayer to the end of our's that perfect and compleate prayer which the Father will not neglect We replie Granting as before
that the prayers of the best men are but imperfect as themselves are very imperfect things Prayer is a mixed or Compounded Dutie for though it be wrought within by the Spirit of God before it be put-out by the tongue yet flesh hath much to doe in it enough to defile it and so the best prayer formed as we heard passeth from us as Wine through a Dunghill therefore these can have no acceptance for the prayers sake nor for his sake that prayeth if that be all which makes for its acceptance it will be neglected sure enough but for His sake onely Whose buisinesse it is now in heaven to take away the Revel 5. iniquity of our holy things and to present our persons and our services pure and spotlesse in His sight And in speciall these prayers as the sweetest odours in the Nostrills of His Father provided still that we loath this uncleannesse that cleaves so fast to our persons and prayers and put it away as a loathed thing Now it shall doe us no hurt nor hinder our prayers neither for it is not what Corruption cleaves to us but whether we cleave to it not the having of it for as sure we have it as it is sure we have flesh but it is the Loveing of it No more sin is imputed by God than is seene and allowed by us So then it is granted That Prayers are very imperfect they receive a tincture of uncleannesse which cleaves to the spirit and mind of a man though renewed that are subservient and instrumentall in this praying worke they are simple duties that are so good that none but the good can doe them and they cannot doe them ill we meane not sinfully though imperfectly as to love God to feare Him to trust Him to rejoyce yea to glory in Him having chosen Him for their portion and set their hearts upon Him To put a close to this also Will the adding that perfect prayer to the end of yours make any thing at all towards the takeing away the uncleannesse of your prayers or helpe at all against the imperfection thereof We take it you must answer one way or other It helps or it doth not helpe if you say it helpeth how absurd were your saying you know Who liveth ever to helpe at this worke and all proud helpers together with Him shall stoop under Him If you say the adding the Lords prayer to the end of yours helpeth not no not at all then you say all the Truth as to this matter but withall we feare you charge your selves with some folly in adding that to your prayers which profiteth not at all being never intended for that end We will conclude with this It profiteth no more than doth dead flesh profit a quickned and quicking spirit So we come to make out the Negative That it is not comely for a Godly Minister to adde the Lords prayer to the end of his owne SECT II. OUr Reasons are these First Their Lord commands them not so to doe for if so an absurditie would follow If their Lord hath commanded them so to doe then sâ—li semper this is the onely prayer they must say and alwayes say for the Command 〈◊〉 of Christ must take place still It is this prayer and no other and not at this time onely but at all times When ye pray say Thus we conceive it must be and this were very absurd and incongruous to common sense and reason The Commands of God in the old Testament as to the Sacraments there and other legall observations of places and of Dayes they had their untill untill the fullnesse of time shall come untill God be manifested in the flesh for these pointed unto Him That was to come â—â—t the Commands of Christ now as we conceive bind us to their observation till His Comming in some glorious way whether to restore His Church Math 17. 11. Acts 3. 21. or make her compleate in Glory is too deepe for our shallownesse But His commands bind us till His Comeing Nothing shall be added to them or taken from them See Hild on Joh 4. pag 187. Secondly If their Lord commands them to say this prayer at the end of their owne then the Godly Ministers all over the Land truely and indeed such could have no more omitted the saying of it than they could forbeare to eate and drinke for the Commands of Christ all and every one doe come with as much force upon their Spirits to doe thereafter as Eating and drinking come upon them when their need is For they have the same mind that is in Christ they delight to doe His will His Command His Law is within their heart the doing of it is their meat and drinke so saith the Spirit now what an absurd thing were this for can it take with a Reasonable man That these words when ye pray say this prayer at the end of youâ—s â—or have not I commanded you have they not My Stamp upon them And yet scarce one Godly Minister among many doe or dare say it at the end of their owne Certainly they would doe the Command of their Lord boldly and constantly and fervently too though it should put them to as much cost the doeing of it as is imaginable yet they would doe it Their Lord hath commanded it This is the poinâ— The Godly Minâ—ster would doe it he could not but doe it were it commanded him of his Lord when ye pray say And it were absurd to say or thinke the Contrary And which we must not forget It were as absurd to thinke that any one Brutish Pastour amidst the Droves and Herds of them â—ould say this prayer suppose now what they pretend our Lord Commanded them so to say when ye pray say this prayer after your owne for it hath My stamp of Command upon it suppose it so to be as they say Then it were absurd to thinke they would say as now they doe willingly and more rejoyceingly it being commanded them of God for all the Commands of God as was said before are an abomination to them they abhorre Christmas day pag. 18 19. to doe them as they Abhorre God their heart stands in the greatest opposition to the Commands of Christ as doe the remotest extreames Heaven and Hell These doe wickedly as they can and cannot but doe it fullfilling all the wills of the flesh and so they will doe that 's the voice of their nature The Godly Man doth foolishly sometimes we meane sinfully against the commands of his Lord but not with full consent of his will he doth it overtaken now or surprized or betrayed but oh he would not doe it that is the voice of Grace The evill man in doeing God's commands is as the good man in doeing the commands of the flesh The evill man does doe God's Commands sometimes he reades and heares and prayes but as unwillingly all this as Haman brought Mordecai on horsebacke through the streets of the Citie that
who knowes how to rule his own house well is in a good posture of spirit to rule well the house of God But this was spoken before in the second Treatise relating to the Lords Supper pag. 19. This wee were saying your ruling well your own house will be a good Testimoriall that you rule well as a good Steward in the House of the living God Therefore we hope you can give good reason for all you doe in your owne house which you order we would hope in desire and endeavour as those whose praise is in the Gospell Probably your reasons are these or such like to these for wee will not mention here any of that which went before one wee would remind you of the same First Can there be a more excellent prayer and more comprehensive than the Lords prayer is Verily No And therefore is it so takeing in the world for if any forme may be used whereafter to pray useing the very same words then this forme above any No prayer being more excellent nor more comprehensive But therefore thinke wee the more unfit to be taught a Child the more unsuitable to his understanding The prayer is excellent considered in it selfe and as you may be able to consider of it but it hath no excellencie with a childe he speakes as a child he understands as a child he thinkes or reasoneth as a childe And with due regard to all this you must speake to him and reason with him in lower matters than are the contents of this prayer Secondly You may say I must reason with him about God and Christ and what manner of person He is and how He is to be served but these are no low matters but high and much above the reach of a childs understanding It is readily graunted Yet you may consider it is one thing to drop-in as into a verie narrow mouthed vessell drop by drop and to powre in all at once wee meane To deale with a childe word after word then to see how the first word taketh before you deale with him about the second And to give him six lines together whereas each line single and apart comprehends more of God and of Christ in it of grace and glory by Him then doe the visible Heavens O the vast comprehension of this Prayer And the shallownesse of a childs shall wee say of a mans comprehension about it You may teach your child to say it so you may your Parrot too and teaching him it altogether to say it as you in your pulpit he will understand it as much as the Parrot doth and by so saying it you shall teach the people to understand it if not all yet but little better also You may put this prayer as to the words of it into the mouth of your childe but he comprehends it no more than doth the darknesse the light Thirdly You may say as wee heare others doe It is a commendable thing and well becomeing a godly parent sure to teach his child to call God father though as Hieron saith he doth but lispe out father You know and you know it for your good To call God father or rather to cry Abba Father is as was said of the Spirits teaching I cannot lispe Abba Father but as He hath adopted mee that is in Jesus Christ in Whome alone He is become the Father of mercies unto mee saith that learned man Dr K Chap 4. â— 115. Yet it is graunted you are to teach your childe to call God father as you can And you have heard of the method or ready way you may take till you know a better in teaching your child that great and high lesson But everie thing is comely in its due time and order Wee conceive you are to teach your child first to call himselfe rebell against this heavenly Father that he was borne into the world with his backe against him being borne a child of wrath assoone as he was a child of a man an enemie to this Father even enmitie it selfe and an hater of Him And then wee take it the child is to be farther questioned and that is the best way of teaching by questioning whether this enmitie is in any measure or degree discovered to him by the Spirit with the Word and shine in him for enmitie cannot become friendship though enemies may be made friends enmitie must be slaine This wee conceive the child must be taught first before he can be taught to call God Father after a due manner and a right understanding SECT IV. NOw wee take leave to give-in our reasons as few and as breifely as wee have taken-in yours Wherefore it is not becomeing a godly parent to teach his child the Lords prayer Wee shall not recall here neither but reminde you onely of what went before that caried verie levell to this verie scope First It is cleane crosse to the right method of teaching to exercise the childes memory first for it is to teach your child as you would teach your Parrot between whom you know to put a wide difference Sith God hath made them so to differ Who teacheth Job 35. 11. us more then the beasts of the earth and makes us wiser then the fowles of heaven You teach a child as becometh a childe to be taught You teach a fowle bird or beast as is comely for them to be taught besides you put a greater difference betwixt earthly and heavenly matters sensuall and spirituall and accordingly you must vary in your teaching This may suffice for the first Secondly You would have your deare childe to be a gainer by your teaching Wee beseech you aske him now you have taught him the Lords prayer what he hath gained by your teaching Our perswasion is you will find his gaine to be but small onely whereas when time was he said it as a child Parrot-like now being growne-up he sayes it with more grace in the eare of the hearer saying it like a Clarke but perhaps with as little grace in the heart as he said in before when he was a child But yet we cannot graunt you That by all your teaching you have taught your child the Lords prayer for if you have taught him to read it he can teach himselfe to say it without your helpe Thirdly You should not doe as all the wicked of the world doe we meane of your Nationall Church who have onely this to shew for their Christianitie and whereby to make full proofe thereof That they were borne in your Church and washed there Wee thinke it is not comely for you to doe as they doe they hold to that Injunction appointed them by their Priest as he by the Bishop whereof hereafter All the wicked persons in your Church we are perswaded not one excepted no not the veriest varlet there but they all teach it their children they shall have it as they themselves had it by tradition from their parents These were taught their Pater noster they understand the
beleives much prayes much though he say not a word A good life is a good prayer it is a continued prayer as you have read Wee will close with this Traine up a child saith the wisdome of God in his way of Gods prescribing and when he is old he will not depart from it As if he had said He will be the better for it while he liveth Traine up a child in formes Prov. 22. 6. according to the wisdome of the flesh and when he is old he will not depart from them As if wee had said he will be the worse for them while he liveth if grace interpose not These are too sweet to the flesh for the flesh to leave these are all the comfort the flesh hath while the man is living but dying shall stand the man in no more stead than a paper wall can defend against a Cannon shott or the Cawle of the heart against the paw of a Lion Wee will shutt up with this and so call to remembrance That there was an huge great person who had learnt that in his Cradle which he could not unlearne on his throne and it was no small dishonour to him So may a child be taught a forme of prayer in his cradle which if through the favour of the times he be admitted to the pulpitt he will use there also and so exact he will be therein that all that heare him may conclude he was taught that forme from his cradle It is important sure and very momentous else Quintillian wee rather mention him had not been so full and large upon it what choice wee should make of Nurses because commonly these parle first with the child in the morning and last at night and much all the day long And if they be bad not knowing their dutie or carelesse of what they know wee are like to have as was once said wirtily but truely a child or a boy of him all his life long The summe is this Be well advised about that you teach your child in the morning of his yeares he will savour of it to the evening of the same Nurses or mothers who should make all commonly marre all if speciall grace interpose not No more for this containes much if not all Now we will Contract what hath been said of this subject prayer and the scope whereto it tends and give it in this breif We have shewen what a serious worke it is and what a slight and vaine thing formes are wee have declared against a wicked mans prayer for so the Lord himselfe doth it is an abomination yet it is his dutie to pray though a greater abomination it is to say the Lords prayer Wee have shutt it out of the Closet It is too short for Closet-worke And too long for an after prayer being who knowes how full of heavenly sense and spirituall meaning Therefore wee have cutt it off from the Ministers prayer in the pulpit If he will sett it too againe be it at his pleasure it may be to his perill Wee have questioned it very much and endeavoured to put it out of question that John did not teach his Disciples to pray by giving them formes of prayer to say Wee have cleared it to be a parents dutie to teach his child to pray and as wee could wee have directed his practise and concluded That a parent teacheth not his child to pray that gives him formes of prayer to say for that they learne without teaching too prompt and ready that way The Spirit of the Lord teacheth parent and child to pray and the first thing the Spirit teacheth wee thinke is to say that they cannot pray yet wee should tempt God if wee our selves should not pray and teach our children so to doe to pray that they may be enabled to pray To shutt up The God of all graces and father of mercies in and through His Sonne gives forth no temporall much lesse eternall salvation no common mercy much lesse any spirituall grace which is eternall to His marvelously Psal 4. 3. seperated ones His gratious Saints but He will stirre them up to inquire after Him first before He gives it They shall aske before they have and but aske and have yet not for their asking Now it is marvelous to consider Satans devises here that implacable enemy and adversary of all righteousnesse He perswades the wicked to sit downe fully content with their condition and satisfied with common mercies and not pray at all and if they will be praying it shall be but â—prating and babling A meere prophaneing of Gods Name if not blaspheming If they will pray as the most will they shall pray in anothers words and no matter in whose name by a booke or without it by the memorie never with the heart unlesse for the remooving of some plague felt or feared But never about the plague of the heart the plague indeed And for these gratious Saints This adversary shewes himselfe such an one in no one thing more than in this To keepe them from praying but if that cannot be then he imployes all his force policie and might to hinder and interrupt prayer and for the effecting of this what will he cast in and how readily doth flesh comply with him But these know whom they have trusted And that His grace shall be sufficient for them AMEN Postscript WEE have purposely forborne to discharge our Treatise of that charge of blasphemie once and againe charged upon it wee have given a marke in the margine all along where the yong-man in the name perhaps of his elders enters not his dissent onely but the charge of blasphemie against us It is humbly referred to God and His Scriptures to judge how just that charge is And if it shall please those whom God hath made able Ministers of the New Testament not of the Leter but of the Spirit for the letter killeth but the Spirit giveth life to give-in theiâ— judgement here also we are assured it shall be according to Truth Wee will adde two words more The one we borrow from him whose words we shall hereafter set downe It is far more facile to give the hardest Censures than to Answer the easiest Arguments The other is this which one of us has read some where A good Cause when plainely told is learnedly pleaded especially if a Meeke Moses or just Joshua be the Judge thereof So we come to set downe here as was specified upon the Title page the words of that holy and learned Man who speakes to all matters he undertakes in the Name of his God to speake unto after his manner which is to say all that can be said in any subject whatsoever This encomie or high Commendations was given to Grotius by one of our own in some matters of the highest concernment relating to our deare Lord and Christ of the same perswasion with him And so thought it not enough to Commend the said man without any exception but he must