cannot do like some of the rest I my self feel more Inclination as I see more Reason sometimes to give to a Beggar that is a sorry Faultering Orator than to another that speaks Exactly in Mood and Figure 'T is not so much his Fine Words and Cadence as his Want and Misery join'd with Simplicity and Humility that makes him an Object of Charity And I know it is not so much for our Speech and the Words of Prayer as for our Hearts and the Spirit of Prayer that He regards us who will be worshipped with our Souls and Spirits We should indeed Chuse words to Reason with him But when we compose somwhat of our Own it speaks our greater Care to be Acceptable And Bishop Hall in his Devout Soul tells us That a Stammering Suppliant may reach to a more eminent Devotion Pag. 11. than he that can deliver himself in the most fluent and Pathetical forms of Elocution 'T is not to rake together a parcel of good Petitions and seek to give them some Life in the Utterance unless we Draw Nigh with a True heart in full Assurance of Faith For it it is Faith in God's Promises that is the Foundation of all our Prayers And Prayer is but Faith putting forth itself in a Flame of Desires God hears no impenitent Sinners that Regard Iniquity in their hearts Let their words be never so fine and Apposite And he rejects no Humble Faithful Supplicant be his Speech never so weak and Imperfect Tho such be not Eloquent they have words sufficient to do their Business Even Broken words will serve the turn when they come from a Broken heart When going to Prayer then I will remember I am going to my Father And tho I know a Son honours his Father and so I will know my Distance and pay a profound Veneration and Exert the best of my Abilities in his Service Yet while I keep off from the Vncreaturely Boldness I will not run upon the Vnchildlike Strangeness To be curb'd with such a Spirit of Bondage that I dare not Speak for my self Nor dejected with a Servile Dread of his lying at catch to Trepan me in my words if I do not place every one Aright As if he were so Inconsiderate of my Frailty or could carry like so Rigid an Enemy to Cast off me and all my Suit if there be but the least word knockt out of Joint At this rate did I listen to the Teachers of such a Ghastly Frightful Religion I should make it a more Dangerous thing to Pray to God than to Keep away and never come before Him But I will never be persuaded that the Father of Mercies has the Spirit of some Rough and Sowre Doctors Who yet can make as bold with God in their Manners as they think others do in their Prayers And are not so Strict in Tutoring their Neighbours Tongues but they can be as Lax in ordering their Own I cannot question in the least But there have been many and gross Abuses of this Way of Praying which if rak'd together may furnish out matter enough for Satyr and make abundance of work for any Doctor or other that has such a Talent And tho Stories seldom lose in the reporting by such as are known to have a strong Byas Yet let Commin's Hypocrisy and Weyer's Villany both pass without Contradiction That the one could so Masquerade it for the Pope and the other Command good words while himself was Commanded by the Evil Spirit And to these Two let Twenty more be added of the same Stuffing 'T will but prove what none denies That there have been Ill men of all Pretentions Satan himself can be Transformed into an Angel of Light And one that was a Devil had yet a Name among the Disciples of Christ But let False Coin and Counterfeit Wares be Detected and Cryâ—d down This is no Prejudice at all to that which is Current right and good Nor does my Undertaking oblige me to answer for all the Cant and Gibberish Jargon and Impertinence flowing from any shatter'd Heads or wild Tongues under pretence of Exercising their Gifts Men may Hurt themselves even with God's Gifts and turn their very Remedy to their Ruin They may be proud of their New Words as of New Cloaths And there may be much more Pride than Devotion in the case When we are ashamed to Appear before the Lord unless it be still in a New Dress But if the Abuses must lay an Embargo on the Use I know not what Prayers then of any sort will be left us Or what will become of the Common Prayer it self but it must cease to be Common or to be at all because many have made as Wretched work with that as ever was made of Free Prayer But I know some would heavily resent it for a most Tyrannical Imposition To be tied up for ever medling with a Bottle of Wine because it has Happened with so many That when the Wine was in the Wit was out This Doctor is not therefore for Renouncing the Doctrine of the Trinity because he takes that for an Adulteration which another Doctor calls a Vindication of it Holy things and Pearls will sometimes light among Dogs and Swine But yet they do not for that lose their Nature The Things themselves are not a jot the Worse tho the Profaners of them are a great deal Let those that are Guilty answer for that But why should the Children of the Kingdom be turn'd out of their Privilege for the sake of some illegitimate Interlopers that have made Invasions upon it Whither should a Child go but to his Father And if he must not speak a Word to him but what he Reads out of a Form Where 's the Ingenuity and Freedom of a Child and the Boldness at the Throne of Grace And what advantage then of the Spirit of Adoption above the Spirit of Bondage Sure we may have Boldness and Assurance without being Sawcy and Malapert And tho it is not for a pitiful Worm to think of being Hail-Fellow with his Glorious Maker Yet I think it is an untowardly way of Honouring my Father to take him for such a one that I Dare not Speak with him or if but a word Amiss to think he would not Hear nor Forgive me Desires are the Wings of the Soul on which it mounts up to Heaven Prayer sets them a working But where are many Appendages they 'll be like but to Cumber and Clog the Motion which the more Natural the more Free and Easy Tho a dexterous Art may help Nature Yet Grace added to both is the best accomplishment and the Crown of all Prayer is God's Breath in man Herb. Nothing to be done in this matter without the Spirit Helping our Infirmities And that I take to be what they call Praying by the Spirit whether with Book or without when the good Spirit of God gives his gracious Guidance and Assistance for the true and zealous performance tho not an
all Blessings from Above to make all that dwell on this Mighty Ball Gainers by his Commerce with that Kingdom where all the Treasure lyes Yea thus the poorest Subject may make his King and Countrey Beholden to him for Deprecating Judgments and Praying down Mercies upon the Publick Thus the Supplicants that Wait upon Gods Throne not only Deliver their own Souls but help to Save Nations 2 Chron. 7.14 If my People that are called by my Name shall Humble themselves and Pray and seek my Face and turn from their wicked ways then will I Hear from Heaven and Forgive their Sins and will Heal the Land Such a man the Lord sought for Ezek. 22.30 That should make up the Hedge and Stand in the Gap before him for the Land that he should not Destroy it And because he found none And then the Case is Sad indeed when we are left to complain as Isai 64.11 There is none that Calleth upon thy Name that stirreth up himself to take hold of Thee Therefore he Pour'd out his Indignation and Consumed them v. 31. By which it appears both how Acceptable such Intercession is to God He Seeks for the Intercessor and does not Blame a Poor Creature for taking so much upon him And also how Availahle is the Righteous mans Prayer not only for himself but for all his Neighbours far and wide Elias the Chariot and Horsemen of Israel with the Opening of his Mouth could Shut and Open Heaven Jam. 5.17 18. And upon the earnest Intreaty of Moses in behalf of a provoking People 'T is said Exod. 32.14 The Lord Repented of the Evil which he thought to do to his People This is the best of all Friendship to our Friends To be thus Concerned and Imployed for them Yea thus we may do Good for Evil to them that will not Thank us for it Praying for them that Despightfully use and Persecute us And so lay up for ourselves better Rewards than their good Words And thus we shall be the most Welcome Physicians and dearest Comforters to the Sick and Miserable and get them that Help from Above which all the World cannot Give In the failing of all other Means thus we may Engage Him to come in to their Succour that Knows how to Deliver and is never at a Loss to do whatever he pleases in Heaven and in Earth Such a Latitude and Liberty is allowed to our Prayers even as Wide as the World So easie may we take in All with ourselves and in so doing Benefit them without Impoverishing ourselves For he whom we Pray to hath Infinitely more than to Supply us all And if there were Thousands of Millions more to be Saved Heaven would be as much to them every One as if each had All to Himself This is the true Christian Spirit Not only to Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem but to Seek the Enlargement of Christ's Kingdom and to Pray that it may Come in the Best and Fullest sense But such as glory most in the big Catholick Name yet shew the Least and Narrowest Souls in Confining Salvation only to their own Sect. And instead of Praying for their Neighbours Cursing and Damning all the World beside themselves Wherein the Papists are even with the Profane Hectoring Ruffians who have no Prayer so common as God Damn ye But for ought I know the Curses are as good as the Prayers of such an Vnchristian Church and Spurious Mother that is all for Dividing the Child and Destroying the Lives and Souls which Christ came to Save Yet however they Curse Let us Pray First for our selves That we may be Saved from them and not be Like them And then for Them That they may once get from under the Yoke of their wilful Bondage so contrary to the Liberty of the Gospel wherein Christ hath set us Free And not be so Stingy and Penurious in their Charity but let the Damning alone for their own Sakes as well as ours Lest as they Judge they find the Judgment turned against themselves by Him to whom Vengeance and the Pronouncing of Final Sentences belongs SECT II. The Liberty of Praying for Wicked Men. THE Lord of Love who Breath'd out his Soul in Praying for the cruel Enemies that shed his Blood Yet held back his Prayers for many that seem'd as much to Need them Joh. 17.9 I Pray not for the World saith He. That is The World as opposed to them whom the Father Gave him out of the World And so far we are to be Followers of Christ herein as not to Pray for Pardon and Heaven to the Impenitent and Vnbelieving so Continuing Nor to ask for them those same things which belong only to the Elect and dear Children of God But yet we must not Exclude all out of our Offices whom God hath Excluded the Book of Life Tho Christ might Because he Knew who they were but we do not And all the Psalmists Imprecations against his and Gods Enemies If we read them in the Imperative Mood which the Learned observe may be read in the Indicative and then they are Predictions of what should Befall them and not Prayers for such Curses to light upon them They are no Rules to us because we have not the Spirit of Prophesy as that Eminent Servant of God had to Foresee the End of such men The like may be said of St. Paul's Imprecation on Alexander 2 Tim. 4.14 The Lord Reward him according to his Works Dr. Hammond says the best Manuscripts read 'A 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Lord Will Reward him And so the Syriack and St. Aug. according to Estius And if otherwise Then it was a Denouncing of God's righteous Judgments upon an Incorrigible Offendor in a Notorious case of which the Apostle had Assurance And till we can attain to the like Knowledge of any We must be Cautious how we make so Bold If any man see his Brother Sin a Sin which is not unto Death He shall ask and he shall give him Life for them that Sin not unto death There is a Sin unto Death I do not say that he shall Pray for it 1 Joh. 5.16 This looks like a Prohibition of our Prayers for some Sinners And sure we are not to ask God's Pardon for any Impenitent Sinner so Persisting But upon Condition of that Repentance which we are to Pray that God would give them Nor should we be unkind to Ungodly men did we Pray That they might find such Shame and Affliction as God knows Conducing to their Conversion The seeming Bad Wish is the Happiest thing that could befall them And that Evil day would be the Best Day that ever came over them But tho we are not to ask God's Pardon for such as finally Persist to Sin in Despight of the Spirit of Grace and without Repentance if so be that we Know it For that were to ask what his Word assures us shall never be Yet where we cannot Know this without Revelation We had need be Wary. And
the most prevailing Master of Requests to Sollicite for us and make our unworthy Prayers as Current and Authentick even as the most just and powerful Commands SECT II. The Liberty of Vsing the Voice or not PRayer is the proper work of the Heart Lifting up itself and presenting its Desires to the Lord. It is only the Heart that Prays The Mouth can but Say Prayers And as many Words of Prayer may be spoken by one that doth not Pray at all So another may Tacendo clamare Pray heartily and effectually who yet says never a Word Words let them be never so Apposite and pithy are not Prayer but only the Vehicle of Prayer and the outward Signification of our minds 'T is all one to Him who searcheth Hearts and knoweth the Meaning of the Spirit Whether we send up to him our Naked Desires or Cloathed with Expressions He that Hears us without Ears Understands us without our Words and needs not our Voices to tell him what we would have It is at our own Choice then Whether we will use our Tongues or no every time we make our Prayers If we have the Spirit of Supplications we may offer up the Mental Prayer and hold our peace i. e. Humbly bethinking our selves of our Wants and earnestly craving and waiting for Supply from Above As Hannah spake in her Heart only her Lips moved but her Voice was not heard 1 Sam. 1.13 The Desires of the Heart are sometimes too Big to come out of the Mouth And then we pray more by Sighs and Groans than by Speech and Phrases And so as Bishop Hall speaks Our Silence may be more Devout than our Noise And to this sort of Prayer no Book or Learning no Invention or Utterance are requisite They that cannot Indite nor so much as Read or well Express themselves Yet can Think what most Troubles them and Ruminate on their Wants and Grievances And they can also Think what they would be most glad to have And raise up their Hearts in Wishes and Longings and desires of help and Relief at the hands of God And they can also Bethink themselves of any others that are more Wretched and worse than themselves And let their Souls then Bless the Lord for all happy Respects in which he hath made them to Differ And all this seriously and devoutly managed with the Soul and all Within us is good Praying thô not a word said And in such Offices we are only concerned to inspect our Hearts and look to the Frame they are in And need not the usual Vigilance to take care that there be a good Agreement between them and our Tongues And that these run not on before or without the other to draw nigh to God with our Lips when our Hearts are far from him But if I shall speak my own thoughts and experience I take this way of Prayer among most men to be more fine in Speculation than useful in Practice I only mention the Liberty which they have to Use it who can make any thing of it and find it available to answer the Ends of Prayer But as Words are of great and continual Use to express our Thoughts So I cannot but think them as useful to Fix our minds and Affect our hearts To Enflame our desires to regulate our devotion and to Engage all our Faculties to a due Attendance on the Work we are about That it may not be a thin Notional Business Too Spiritual for us to perceive it Or too Nice and difficult for us to discern when it is at a Stand or how it Proceeds And as long as we have the Use of Tongues Why should not he that Made them have them Imployed in his Service We are not only to Think Prayers but to Open our Lips that our Mouths may shew forth his Praise Psal 141.1 I cried to the Lord with my Voice with my Voice to the Lord did I make my Supplication He that is to Hear teacheth us what to Say When ye Pray Say Our Father c. Hos 14.2 Take with you Words and turn to the Lord And say to him Take away all Iniquity and receive us graciously so will we render the Calves of our Lips The only Fatlings which we are now to offer If Words be needful to Digest our Thoughts and shape the Ideas that arise out of our Minds If they make us more Sensible of the things which we Conceive And a Happy Expression that exactly fits our Meaning gives such a Pleasure as the Joy of a New-born Child Then in our Addresses to God where we have need of all Helps where we ought to have the Liveliest sense and our Dulness wants to be Excited by Pathetick words and all Quickening means We may find it very advantageous to the Service to form our Notions into agreeable Expressions Yea thô we are by our selves Yet to speak in our Own Hearing such Words of Prayer as we find conducing to Compose our thoughts and set our Affections afloat and make us in Earnest upon it Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Here then where we are under no Limitation but left to ourselves Whether we will at all times Think or Speak our Prayers Our care must be to take that way which helps us to perform our offices Best and makes us most Sincere and Lively Zealous and Devout That we may do all Heartily as to the Lord and Approve ourselves unto God In being curious to Examine and Discern what is Best and Conscientious to Hold in words or Pour them out thereafter as we find them to Help or else Hinder us in the Service SECT III. The Liberty to Vse Long Prayers or Short LEngth or Brevity are such Indifferencies as do not enter the Essence of Prayer For either of them may be Good or Bad thereafter as they are Designed and Vsed A Short Prayer made so through dislike and Weariness of God's Service And a Long one stretch'd out in Pride and Ostentation of Parts or Affectation to be Tedious that we may be thought more Pious are both of them equally Abomination to the Lord. But when we Contract our Prayers that we may strengthen our Devotion and cut them Shorter to make them the Livelier Such Short Prayers shall prove long enough to reach to Heaven And so we Pray much thô we say but Little And again when we Enlarge our Prayers as we find our Hearts Enlarged Our Attention and Affection keeping pace with our Matter and Expressions we need not fear the guilt of that Much-Speaking condemned Matth. 6.7 Nor of the Long Prayers Chap. 23.14 made a Pretence to Eat up the Widows When the Spirit of God Moves on the face of the Waters to raise up a full Tide of Affections in our Souls We have a Call and Invitation then to be more Free and Full in pouring out our Hearts before the Lord. And at Lower Ebbs we must take up with ordinary Offices No matter how Short is the Cold and Dull Prayer But
Pag 188. whenever we speak to God in Prayer is thereby to pay him Honour and Obedience It seems then that they Honour and Dishonour him But he hath not told us just how Many words will Honour and how Many will Dishonour Him He speaks of Praying near an Hour together Pag. 214. And yet doth not complain of that for Dishonouring God but rather commends it for Rational Devotion So that now It is not the Heap and Number but the Kind and Manner of the Words that is Offensive Which Indeed I think comes nearest the truth And if there be yet another Use of words besides Informing Persuading and Wearying of God which he acquaints us with pag. 189. viz. To acknowledge and own those Wants before him that we Supplicate for a Releif of He might have done well to tell us Why that Acknowledgment must needs still be made in Few words For I take not that for any Reason which he alledges Pag. 188. That God has no where commanded us to Call upon him with Multiplicity and Prolixity of words Because I neither find that he has commanded us to call upon him only with Brevity and Paucity of words For that all Long Prayers are not forbidden even in Eccles 5.2 The Dr. himself seems agreed with other Expositors when he praises the Churches Praying for Near an hour together Which he knows cannot be performed without Abundance of Words Nor are the Words of our Common-Prayer ever the Fewer notwithstanding all the Fractions and Amen's how Numerous soever And tho' we must avoid the Needless Multiplication of words Yet we are bid Continue in Prayer Col. 4.2 And instead of Opening the Scriptures we should only set Texts together by the Ears If all were of the same Fierce Pugnacious Spirit as some of the Polemical Champions But it is too obvious to see How men of most Persuasions can make Sins and Duties of such things as God did never make so Tho' the Scripture Charge is To stand fast in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us Free Gal. 5.1 And for any reasons that ever I saw to the contrary All men have the Freedom to Shorten or Lengthen their Prayers as themselves do find most conducing to promote the purposes of Piety and Devotion And I cannot think that any Good man doth Wickedly in taking his Liberty to use a Short or a Long Prayer When his Design is Pious in both And he is for serving God after the Best manner that he Understands If some like not his Way Others may as much mislike Theirs And it is not so much matter what Judgment we pass upon one another as how we are all concerned to Approve our selves unto Him that Searcheth our hearts For my share I am only for defending the Christian Liberty in this as in the other Points And I need not much plead for that which I do seldom or never Use of my own Production For I do not find that I am able for such Long Prayers And I dare not be Tedious for fear of making the Worse work of it Nor do I think that I am bound to Task my self above my strength and go Halting in Chains of my own making Nor will I be so enslaved to any ones Expectations as to engage in more duty than I can well deal with But for all this at such times when ever I find my self disposed and Sufficient for Longer attendance upon the Lord I am resolved No Doctors opinion shall Hinder me from it Pag. 196. Tho' he says That No man begins and ends a Journey with the same Pace Yet I know not what Some men can do And when I find That in the Progress of my Prayer I can do as well as in the Beginning And that I am not Tired but rather Refresht with this Journey Perceiving new strength and more Encouragements as I proceed I do not think I am bound to leave off assoon as another may Judge fit Tho' if my Spirits were spent and my Activity flagg'd I should count it best to have done and not force things with further Attempts upon that which I did but spoil in the doing However if the thing at all has been or ever may be of good Service I cannot reckon the Abuse any Argument against the Vse For at that rate Long Gowns as well as Long Prayers must be turn'd out of the Church Because both of them have been shamefully Abused But let no Tender Christian be terrified with any ones Dogmatical Sayings To think it a Sin sometimes to cut his Prayers Shorter and sometimes as occasion serves to draw them out Longer When there is no Divine Prescription to determine just how Long or how short they shall be But that is left to our selves As Discretion grounded on our own Experience shall direct Provided we Impose not upon others to give any just offence and make the Service Contemptible or Nauseous We have a Latitude to Abbreviate or Extend our Prayers as we think Convenient And according to the Frame that we are in and the Assistance that God is pleased to Afford We may Pray a Little while and yet do very well Or we may Pray a Great While and yet do as well or Better Assuming men may Prescribe or Limit after their own Humour But I know not where God hath said as to our Prayers Hitherto shall ye go and no further SECT IV. The Liberty of using Plain words or Elegant I take the Stile of Scripture to be the best Stile for Prayer For who can speak better than the Spirit that Helpeth our Infirmities And what more Acceptable Words wherewithal to go unto God than those of his own Spirit 's Inditing And if the Sacred Writers spake as they were Moved by the Holy Ghost It seems then that He who is called The Spirit of Supplications hath also put Words into our Mouths and we are to take them as in the Bible we find them Seeing our Praying to God is but Pleading with him the Promises of his own Word And begging Strength to perform the Duties there taught and enjoin'd Tho' a certain Dr. Girds at this way of Praying Because some have been used to Gird at the Government Pag. 159. in Scripture Phrase I could tell him of some that can Gird as much at the Government now in other Phrase But seeing it is not certain That the Holy Ghost did Dictate all the very Words as well as Reveal the Matter of the Holy Scripture I cannot think that we are tied just to the Words there found But may speak in those Phrases or take Liberty sometimes to Vary as Prudence shall suggest And when we Express our own sense in our own Words The more Easy and Natural they are they seem the more proper for Prayer Because it is the Childrens speaking to their Father Who is not so much moved with their Wit and starch'd Oratory as with their Wants and earnest Cries for Help 'T is not Artificial
Cant but Pathetick Speaking which comes warm from the Heart that is likely to be most Prevailing Especially with our Heavenly Father Who is not to be wrought upon with Rhetorick or any arts of Persuasion But calls for the Heart which is an Instrument that makes the best Musick in his Ears when it is Broken And Fineries of Language look not so Agreeable for Mourners and the Beggars which we personate in our Prayers The plainest Garb that is Decent best fits the Former And to the Latter we are inclinable to give rather when they appear in Rags than in Ribbons Jingles and Quibbles are fitter to be us'd in Playing than in Praying And it gives suspition that we rather Play with our Prayers than pour them out from a heart Sensible of our Wants and Distresses When we can be so Gay and Flourishing and vary phrases to set off our Abilities The use of our Words in Prayer being rather to Affect our selves than to Move the Lord No matter therefore how Plain they be so they be Pertinent and not Loose and indecent For we are not so much Affected with words that are Trim or Hard as with those that are Significative and Hearty He that knows the Poverty of our case will not reject us for appearing before him in a Plain homely Dress Nor Despise the Prayers of the Humble because they are of a course Thread and not set off with Laces and Fringes We may speak our Minds Down-right to God even as we would to our dearest Friend And not fear a Repulse because our words want a Flourish He speaks Elegantly enough that speaks but Intelligibly and Affectionately And when I Feel what I say and Say that which makes others Vnderstand and Sympathize with me That is the Happiness of Expression which best answers the Ends of Speech But if we think any thing Better than this we May use it Nay we should Because God is Worthy to be Served with the Best He that chiefly requires Truth in the Inward parts will also be Honoured with the Mouth And did not give man Eloquence for any thing so much as to shew forth his Praise 'T is too Morose to exclude all Flowers of Language from the Pulpit and Prayer because of St. Paul's Demonstration of the Spirit opposed to the Enticing words of man's Wisdom The Deceiver is cursed that hath in his Flock a Male and Vows and Sacrifices to the Lord a Corrupt thing Mal. 1.23 Heart and Head too must be at his Service And the Best member we have must do it's Best for him that gave it That which is called our Glory must be imployed to his Glory And when we speak not in a Bombastick Affectation or Tawdry Phraseology but in a becoming Politeness and Awful Grandiloquence such as speaks us Mindful of the Infinite Majesty we are before When the Tongue and Mind are turnâ—d to an Vnison and there is Melody in the Heart as well as Quainteness in the Mouth Pleasing to God is that Eloquence Such as have even a Natural Facility and Felicity of ingeniously Expressing themselves need not fear it will create any Prejudice against their Prayers to speak as Handsomly to God as they do to Men. Nor think that Homeliness must be Peculiar to his Service But rather Dread to pour out Crude indigested stuff to provoke a Nauseous Qualm and make the Offering of the Lord to be Abhorred And such as are fain to Study for it before they can attain to the Better way of Expression yet need not fear that the Artificial will profane the Spiritual part of their Devotion But may rather take satisfaction in this That they do not Serve the Lord their God with that which Costs them Nothing The Dr. says well That where God hath given Learning and Vtterance Pag. 143.4 He will not endure Men should be Accurate in their Discourse and Loose in their Devotions To put off the Author of every good and perfect Gift with Ramble and confused Talk Babble and Tautology Nothing under the best a man can offer being fit to present to God Yet I doubt not but the man shall be Accepted according to what he hath who strives to be as Accurate here as he is any where else Thô he cannot express himself at the Rhetorical rate of some Wits True indeed It is not the Simplicity of the Head Pag. 142. but of the Heart Yet God knows the most learned Doctor 's best weighed words to be but Weak and course before Heaven And the plainest Speech of any ordinary man that is Sincere and Devout sounds as well with him as the most Florid Harangue of the greatest Master of Language SECT V. The Liberty of using this Posture or that THO' Bodily Exercise profitteth little yet as much as the Body is capable of doing it can no where Better perform than in his Service who Framed it We are commanded to Glorify him with our Souls and Bodies both And some Bodily Distance helps to bring our Souls Nearer to God The Body is the Servant of a Servant And it is fit my Servant should serve me in the Serving of my Lord. He that hath given us Knees and Bodies to Bow down and Hands and Eyes to Lift up instructs us by our very Frame as well as by his Word how we should carry in his Worship The call to Worship is also to Fall down and Kneel before the Lord our Maker Psal 95.6 And 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is to Crouch even as a Spaniel before his Master We cannot shew the Inner-man but by the Outer which is to tell how things stand Within and by proper Words and Tone and Gesture and Actions to profess the Profound Admiration we have in our minds of the glorious Excellencies and infinite Perfections of God Men that cannot see our Hearts yet take notice of our Carriage And we must dread to Scandalize those whom we ought to Edify A little matter here may give great Offence And we must not only Look to our own Hearts but take heed we do not stumble others Thô we must be so intent upon the Presence of God as little to regard who else is present with us at our Prayers and not let any Company Awe or Divert or Interrupt us in the Homage we are paying to Him who is infinitely Higher and Greater and Better than all who compar'd with Him are no more than mere Vanity and Nothing In Company we are to Pray as if there were none but God there and in Solitude as if the Eyes of all the World as well as His were upon us For he indeed is All and to Him all Persons and things else are as if they were not at all Yet it is not under pretence of Spirituality to Slight those external Signs of Reverence which are so mighty Influential to raise our own Affections and to Enflame the Zeal of others Thô we have that Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Yet even
the Child of a King may go Rudely into his Father's presence And Stately to set us down in the Presence of God as if the glorious Majesty so infinitely Above us were to be Bearded in a sawcy manner shews us to be children of such Manners as need to be better Taught as if we thought it a Lessening of our selves to use the humblest Prostrations before Him at whose Feet all the Worthies of Heaven Cast their Crowns Rev. 4.10 and whom indeed we can never Honour so much as his service Honours us Let us Consider then With whom it is that we make so Bold and not forget the Infinite Disproportion between us and Him that Made us Nor carry as if we were too Goodly to be seen Cringing low at his Footstool or as if we meant it only for a Complement when we call our selves his Humble servants It is Mockery indeed to Bow the Body at his Name when the Heart never Bends to his Gospel Like those that Bowed the Knee and cried Hail Jesus to the Lord of Glory whom they Crucified Nor is it a Puppet-Religion without Life that I contend for To make our selves such Anticks as the Popish Worshippers who had need be Masters of the Ceremonies to hit of that Worship more like a Ball or Interlude than the grave Worship in Spirit And their Religion as Ritual as Judaism clogg'd with Rites as numerous and more Obscure and useless yea even all Outside and Pageantry and as unlike the Gospel-Simplicity as dumb Shews and idle Formalities can make it such a Rote of words and Histrionick gestures and Superstitious Fopperies which any silly Children or the vilest of the people can be as nimble at as the best and contend more for the Modish forms than for the Faith Once delivered to the Saints These doings may soon give any Spiritual Worshipper Enough of Popery and utterly turn his Heart against that which is so opposite to the design and Genius of the Gospel Tho so many can wonder at the outward Pomp without the inward Life and cry The Temple of the Lord when they mind no Fellowship with the Lord of the Temple I cannot think it such a mighty Accomplishment for men to enter those Geers and observe all their postures in the Ritual Religion and shew all their Metal for the things least Required at their hands But yet outward Significations of Reverence in Worship are not such matters of Indifference as we need not take any Care of For who that has the Fear of God in his Heart can make so Bold with the Majesty of Heaven as if the great God were Altogether such a one as himself To present that to the Biggest and Best of Beings Perfect above thought and Blessed beyond addition which he would be ashamed to offer even to his poor Fellow-creature an earthly Governor To be stiff and Haughty or Whifling and wanton before the Throne of God To Loll or Yawn over the Divine Worship To sit in State as those that were Above it Or to Prate and Laugh to Gaze about or be doing some Silly actions as those that came only to Slight and Affront it How fulsome soever it be to see the Loose Liver a compleat Formalist Yet who can think well of such a rude Slovenly Religion as does not compose men into a more awful Devout Behaviour in their solemn Addresses to the Most High God whom we should never approach but with all Humility and a becoming Reverence and godly Fear and even Annihilate our selves before him But then for the Manner of expressing this Reverence In our Secret Prayers we are left at Liberty to use that Gesture which we find most to Quicken us and promote the Duty And in Publick our Behaviour must Conform to the usage of the Church with which we have Communion And with Company elsewhere our care must be so to carry our selves as to Express our own Devotion and not to Damp but Excite the same in others Holy Scripture doth not Limit us to one certain Posture of Prayer Thô the most usual and best approved among all be Kneeling Our great Redeemer himself Kneeled down and Prayed Luk. 22.41 And that for certain is the best Pattern we can follow If our Blessed Lord so Humbled himself the Greatest man must not think much to come down so Low Kneeling ne're spoil'd Silk Stocking Herb. If it hurt the Finery it will make him finer another way But yet it is not Sinful sometimes upon occasion to use another Gesture Not only Prostration or Lying along as Numb 11.25 Or Standing as Mar. 11.25 and Luk. 18.11 Even the humble Publican who would not so much as Lift up his eyes to Heaven we find in this Posture But even Sitting as 2 Sam. 7.18 King David sate before the Lord and Prayed as there to the chapters end So it is according to our Translation Thô some think it denotes rather his Abode than his Posture in Prayer with whom I list not to contend But again it is said 1 Kings 19.4 Elijah Sate down under a Juniper tree and Prayed The Impotent man then that is confined to his Bed or Chair must not think it will Spoil or hinder his Prayers Because he doth not use his Knees And when we are Walking in our Chamber or on the Way When Riding or Sitting where we cannot Retire and at the same Instant find an Occasion and Motion to Lift up our Hearts to God We must not withhold Prayer because we want a Conveniency for Kneeling But let the Office rather than Fail be done for that time in the Posture as we are And God will hear the Desire of the Humble heart thô the Body be not Incurvate in the usual Figure When I am By my self I will not scruple to Pray Standing or Walking or Lying if I find the work go forward in such ways as well as by Kneeling Prayers are not so confined to the Knees but that as I may Kneel and not Pray So I may Pray and not Kneel Genuflection I account indeed the Best but not the Only Posture of Prayer SECT VI. The Liberty of using a Form or none THE Contending Parties in both Extreams I think to be Mistaken Such as will allow of no Forms of Prayer at all And such as plead for Forms Alone and will not Endure any other way of Praying They that are against Forms as such must reject the Prayer of the Lord himself That Breviary of the Gospel as Tertullian calls it A Prayer so Comprehensive and Copious as well as Compendious that thô we may Enlarge upon it we cannot ask More than is included in it A Prayer which few Sects of Christians have been so wild as to leave out of their Offices Tho we are not bound Always to use it yet still to Pray after the Manner as it prescribes Mat. 6.9 And who can we think so fit to instruct us How God should be Prayed to and Man prayed for as he who was
Himself both God and Man I am never more Easy and free from a troublesome Concern about the Words of Prayer than when I am making use of the Lord's-Prayer And they that find fault with it as it is a Form may for the same reason quarrel all the Scriptures for being a Form of Sound words Nay they may as well reject every Conceived Prayer which is indeed as much a Form to the Hearers as if it had been penn'd or printed and then Repeated Yea I may know That to be a real Form composed by my self which some others take for an Extempore Effusion And so it may be only Ignorance in them which makes it Acceptable with them Because they take it not to be Prepared by me but to flow immediately from the Spirit in me But to think that all Set Forms are opposed to Prayer by the Spirit is such an opinion of Praying by the Spirit as I cannot comprehend No Praying indeed is true and right that is not Supplication in the Spirit i. e. Through the Help of the Spirit of God But I see not why it may not be such as well with as without a Form Nor is the Spirit Limited by such Forms Whenas indeed the Enlargement of the Heart stands not so much in the Copiousness and variety of Expressions as in the extent and Elevation of the Affections A Carnal man may have a Fluency of good Words But only the Child of God abounds with holy and heavenly Desires And those desires I may express in Others words or in my own Premeditated or Immediately formed without Stinting of the Spirit either way The one may do as well as the other No matter which I take So that I do it pertinently and affectionately For Words are but the Carkass of Prayer The Soul and Spirit lies within And the Searcher of hearts regards not so much how it is Drest as from what Heart it proceeds and how Earnest and Devout it is My words are not to Move Him but my self Not to pull the Bank to me but to bring my Vessel to the Shore And so I may use such words as I find fittest to Enflame my affections that I may stand rightly disposed to receive his Mercies Whether I pray in a Book or without is the smallest matter to Him So that I Pray at all indeed And when I use the Book am not Lazy and Formal And when I use none am not Rude and Proud but still Humble and Hearty To Pray is a great deal more than Saying of Prayers There may be all the Words without any thing of the Spirit of Prayer Whether I speak out of the Book or out of my Memory I may draw nigh to God only with my Lips Or I may so manage my Prayer as to have it Sincere and Effectual either way But when so little is done by the most at Prayer and such multitudes do live Prayerless not Calling upon the Lord at all Little need to perplex the thing or Affright any from the Throne of Grace Because they deliver not their minds just in our Rote of words To disgrace Book Prayers may be the way to discourage the most from all Prayer If they must have no Forms they could it may be make nothing of it but Ramble and Babble Trusting only to their own Abilities I think we ought rather to Hearten men on if they Own God in any way of serious Worship with Book or without For 't is according to what a man hath that God Accepteth him And he stands not so much upon a poor Christian 's Wording of his Prayers When he sees his Spirit Engaged and that he offers the Best he has doing all Heartily as in the Sight of God We make a mighty matter as to the way of some mens Wording things so much Better than others But alas what a small thing is this in the Esteem of God who Valueth and Judgeth men by somewhat else The most Elaborate and exact Expressions What wretched Barbarisms and hideous Jargon would they be found if severely Criticiz'd upon by Infinite Perfection And wo be to the best Speaker in the World if he should not be Heard and Accepted on any other account but only for the sake of his Words For how can a mouth-full of frail Breath tho Modulated with never such Art and Advantage be the Motive of all God's Mercy and Man's Salvation As much Stress as ever some are pleas'd to lay upon it 'T will not be so much enquirâ—d after in the great Day of Accounts How we used to Express ourselves in our Prayers As how our Hearts stood Affected to the Service And then the Holy Livers shall be found aforehand with the Finest Speakers And such weakness and Indecence as many a man would not Pardon The Father of Mercies will never Mention to them that Follow him and Delight in him as dear Children He equally offends God and Prophanes Prayer who either reads it Carelesly in a Book or tumbles it Rudely out of his Breast But when I find that I can be Devout in the use of a Prayer Book and that I can Exercise as much Devotion when I have no Book that I can join Profitably and Comfortably with the Church Prayers and with other Prayers I am in utramque paratus without Scruple for all Prayer that is offered with Humility and Zeal to God thrô Jesus Christ for such things as in his comprehensive Platform he has directed and encouraged us to pray for I will never believe That an Earthly Father can be Kinder than my Heavenly And if my natural Parent will take it in good part from me when I deliver my self to him as well as I can Thô I do not make a Starched Speech or read all out of a Book can he that knows our Frame and hath Compassion on our Infirmities Pitying them that fear Him as a Father pities his children fall out with me because I have not the Knack of Expressing my self as well as another When he knows I have a Careful Heart to Please him and am for serving him with the Best and do not use my own words for the high Opinion that I have of them above others But because another cannot express my wants and desires so Agreeably as I can my self Who best knowâ— where it pinches most and what I would be most glad to have And because I am afraid of being a Slothful Servant to Bury any Talent in a Napkin that my Lord hath lent me I would serve him with my Understanding and Memory and Utterance and all my faculties as well as with my Affections And if my Understanding cannot vye with some others or their Words be Better than mine Yet I think I am bound also to use my Own and to do according to the Ability that God hath given me Who I am sure will not be Harsh and Stern with the Weakest of his Children that shew their Willingness and Endeavours to please him thô they
immediate Inspiration to Dictate our Prayers Therefore with all our Prayers we must still Pray for the Spirit of Prayer that our Prayer may be Supplication in the Spirit And when it is but such it will have a Recommendation that will help it to find Acceptance tho it be not set out in Perfection of Stile In Private I am not so curious of my Words but often let my Expressions Follow my Affections And I may make a Continued Oration or Break off and Pause and begin again as I see occasion They that in Private by themselves alone Do Pray may take What Liberty they please In chusing of the ways Wherein to make Their Souls most intimate Affections known To Him that sees in Secret when Th' are most conceal'd from other men Harv Po. p. 14. In such Retirements we are out of the reach of any Momus to carp at our Words And free from all Concern but to have our Hearts Right with God who will not take offence at a Misplaced or Improper Word When he hath the Heart Engaged and Buisy at work in his Service He calls That to draw nigh to him in the first place let the Tongue follow after as it can And as it 's most Natural when our Mouths speak Out of the Abundance of our Hearts So a few words that come Warm from the Heart are more Valuable than Ten thousand said after another or in a customary Round Sine Monitore Apol. c. 30. quia de Pectore Oramus Tertul. We are not Told all that we must Say in our Prayers because we fetch them out of the Bottom of our Hearts And he needs no other Prompter be he never so Weak that has the Spirit of God himself for his Tutor But when I am called to be the Mouth of the Company I must be more Cautelous especially if they be Captious and such as are apt to be scandalized should any thing drop that sounds Unadvis'd 'T is good then to Forecast What to say and How in words pertinent and Becoming And when the Heart Indites a good matter the Tongue will be the Pen of a Ready Writer Suitable Expressions are apt to fall in with Well digested Meditations I confess that which the Dr. alledges may be an Inconvenience of the Extempore way When he that Ministers hath his Mind taken up to find out Words it looks more like Studying than Praying Beating the Brain when he should be Drawing out the Affections And I heartily Subscribe to his Rule Pag. 152. That whatever gives the Soul Scope and Liberty to exercise and imploy the hearts Affection and Devotion That doth most effectually help and enlarge the Spirit of Prayer But together with this Let it be considered That some are in more Concern and Pain to be tied up to Others Words than to be at Liberty to express themselves in their Own Especially when it is supposed They are such as are Acquainted with the Holy Scripture and all the Heads of Prayer and have a Good Treasure within them both of Matter and fit Phrases to dress it out And when as the Dr. expresses it They are not to study Finess but Decency Pag. 141. Not to Declaim as Orators but to speak as men Therefore methinks they may tell their own Tale as well as they can and not only Read a Paper Think of the Substance and Words too but not just say a Lesson A Judicious man sure may speak the Sense of his Soul and not fraught with Nonsence and Incoherence Confusion and Impertinence Nay tho' A Child of God may be of so weak Parts as to shew himself Broken and incoherent when put upon common Discourse saith Bishop Hopkins Alm. Christ p. 72. Yet engage him in Prayer How doth he expatiate and enlarge and what a Torrent of Divine Rhetorick will he pour into the Bosom of God Yea the Dr. tells us That where God hath given Ability Pag. 143. he will be served by acts proportionable to it and that our Parts ought to be employed in the worship of God that gave them Or else not wearing Gods Livery in his own Service we add Sacriledge to Profaness and Strip and Starve our Devotions Now what would he have We Must use our Parts and we must Not. Where God hath furnished a Readiness and pertinence of Expression Yet must we not dare to Speak for our selves or others No not a Word but what is just set down for us on the Paper Tho' I am not accustomed to the Sudden Effusions not finding in my self a Sufficiency for that Service Yet I dare not from hence conclude That God hath given such Abilities to none And where he hath given them Must they be Restrained from the Use of them because I cannot do as they And must my Scantling be made a Rule to all and the Measure which none must offer to Exceed The Dr. it should seem hath had the opportunities which I have not had to hear the Pretenders without Ability with their endless Repetitions insufferable Nonsense and Prayers full of Ramble and Inconsequence which he counts of an Opiate nature to cast one Asleep P. 217. The Temptation I confess was never set before me But if it were I think it would more try the strength of my Patience than my Ability in Watching For I should be too full of Indignation to Sleep But whatever Extravagancies have attended the thing and tho it be the thing which I dare not pretend to be Master of my self Yet for the sake of many of my Betters that have Appeared for it and been Happy in it I dare not Decry and run it down as a Scandalous and Insufferable practice Nor so Limit the Holy One as to conclude He hath given to none any more Sufficiency for it than to my self But shall even leave it as I find it in the Holy Scripture Undecided and at Liberty And as our Saviour said in another case Let them Receive it to whom it is given But when I see no Jus Divinum for Forms or no Forms I cannot but wonder at the Assuming Humor of those men that will take so much upon them to Brand and Damn the one or the other where the Word of God hath not past the Sentence on either SECT VII The Liberty of using One Form or Another SEeing God hath not put all the very Words into my Mouth Wherewithal I must Appear before him I am left to Chuse for my self and may take words of my own Contriving and collecting Or such Prepared and Fitted to my hand as I find most conducing to Minister to my Devotion Yet here I design not to offer any thing tending to Loosen what Authority has bound Nor to Vnhinge the things that are Settled as to the Liturgy and Publick Offices of the Church Which I know not how any can Calumniate without an ill Reflection on the Compilers who dyed Martyrs of our Professed Religion and approved themselves the greatest
unexpected occasion happen Diatrib on Mat. 6.9 for which the Church cannot provide The Spirit of her Ministers is Free Who will forbid them in such a case to supply that by a Voluntary and Arbitrary Form which the Church could not provide for in a Set Form With whom Dr. Falkner sets in Lib. Eccles p. 120. Nor doth the Establishing a Form for the Publick Office of the Church deny the Liberty in due place of using other Prayers according to the practice of ours and the Ancient Church A Christian that cannot Pray says the good Bishop how much more a Minister is like an Orator that cannot Speak or a Traveller that cannot go This Gift is a part of our Spiritual Armour And for a Soldier to be without any skill in the Vse of his Arms is both an Vnsuitable and a Dangerous condition And what he there speaks of the Advantages of this Gift and the Inconveniencies of its Want to Private Christians is still more applicable to him that is the Mouth of the People viz. To be able upon all occasions to relate their Condition according to especial circumstances and several Emergencies Or else when surpriz'd by any sudden Exigence or lying under any great Strait wherein no Help is to be expected but from the Hand of God To be at a Loss what to say without having recourse to some prescribed Form which perhaps has no proper reference to the particular occasion How Inconvenient and prejudicial will this be to lye under such a Disability of Expression The Readiness of Expression and Enlarging our Desires in fit manner That he calls the Gift of Prayer Tho some I know would have it to consist in those Pious Dispositions within us which I take to be rather The Spirit of Supplications For sure we ought to Distinguish the one from the other However it is Possible for them to stand together and most Lovely they are in Conjunction Yet one may have a Praying Heart that hath not a Voluble Tongue And again another may Roll in apt Expressions that is a Stranger to the Spirit of Supplications Now tho it is not for the Weak to put themselves upon Services above their Strength Yet it looks ill when men are Fluent on other Occasions and only Tongue-ty'd at their Prayers When they pass for good Speakers every where else but are Down in the mouth at the Throne of Grace This speaks a Defect that is suspicious to be not only their Calamity but their Impiety Indeed the very Sense of Want and Pain where prevalent will open the Mouths not otherwise Eloquent and sometimes suggest and dictate things above their common Capacity As a Malefactor tho no Orator yet when Begging for his Life will find Words Significative and Moving However many may often need the assistance of Books and Forms And whoever find their case better Exprest by others than they know how to do it themselves have their Liberty so to help themselves And instead of Scrupling to use Others words may Thank God for that Advantage to warm their Hearts and raise their Affections and Enflame their Devotions It makes my Prayer neither better nor worse whether my Eyes take words off the Paper before me Or whether by recollection I fetch them out of my Memory which is as the Bishop calls it but a kind of Invisible Book To Read or speak by Rote Is all alike to him that Prays With 's Heart what with his Mouth he says Harvey But that I will conclude to be the Best way for me to take whichsoever it be that helps me to Pray most pertinently humbly faithfully and fervently Some can Pray better with this Form some with that and some with none Therefore Let every Devout Christian that makes Conscience of Worship and gives himself to Prayer consult his own Experience and Enjoy his Liberty to take that way which he finds Best for himself There is an Abridging ourselves that gives Check to our Improvement And I am not tied always to use this very Staff or any at all If I find that I can do as well or Better without it There is a Growth in Knowledge and Grace as well as in Bodily Stature and Strength And some Sutes of Prayer as well as Suits of Cloaths we may be Out-grown As Piety brings me upon my Knees then So Prudence must Adapt my Words Tho Old words it 's true may be used with New Affections and serve as well where the case is the same Yet there are some New Occasions of my Life that call for a New Song And where the Expressions as well as Affections are New and the best that we can fetch out of our Treasure It speaks the Value which we put upon our Benefactors favours That we prize them more than to mention them still in the ordinary Rote We count it not only Flat and Dilute but Contemptuous and Slighting to speak after that Manner to our great Friends on earth How much more concern'd should we be to Appear before the Greatest and Best of all which is in Heaven with somewhat to express our highest Regard of Him and his Blessings and also our most Careful Hearts to approve our selves Sensible and duly Affected Of which our Speech is the Indication And so that we Express our selves to the purpose it matters not whether the words be our own or Borrowed from one or another We may Press them into this Service wherever we find them But thou poor weak Christian whose Parts and Abilities are not equal to thy Zeal and Piety When thou art Moved to Pray and hast but a Praying Heart O take heed that thou never Forbear thy Prayers for want of Words at Command to Set them off For if thou couldst not so much as Read or Speak at all Yet thou might'st Pray And tho thou hast not a Fluency of Speech and Choice of Expressions in a Readiness which indeed are Gifts more for the Service and Edification of others than for any Saving Benefit to the Owners Yet throw and Prostrate thy self before the Lord and Try to make somewhat of it in opening the fense and the Desires of thy Soul at the Throne of Grace 〈◊〉 Doing as thou Canst where thou canst not as thou Would'st And thou may'st do e'en as well without the Flowing Utterance and Elocution Yea peradventure Better Because thereby thou art kept Humbler and so fitter for his Acceptance who to this man will Look even to him that is Poor and of a Contrite Spirit and trembles at his Word SECT VIII The Liberty of Varying our Prayers as to the Parts and Words THE usual Method of Prayer is Confession Petition and Thanksgiving Yet we are not in every Prayer tied up just to this Order We may sometimes omit one of the Parts or put the Last First or only Beg without Explicite Confessing our Sins or Blessing the Lord. Tho we are bound to all these things yet not at all Times that we make our
Clefts of the Rocks in the Secret place of the Stairs Cant. 2.14 In such Retirements he uses most freely to Impart Himself And there should we cast and covet to Meet Him whom our Souls Love And not think it any hard Put upon us but the most sweet and blessed Advantage to leave even the best and Dearest Company to go to God our Exceeding Joy What care I for Chatting with Friends on earth said Bishop Hall shut up in the Tower when I may talk familiarly with the God of Heaven As our Saviour gave a discharge even to his own Disciples Mat. 26.36 Tarry ye here while I go and Pray yonder So get sometimes out of the Crowd and Hurry of worldly Avocations and distractions that thou maist find a full Vacation and happy Freedom to wait upon thy God And when so taken up with Him in Secret bethink thy self what main Grievance it is thou hast to make thy moan of What especial Favour thou hast to Beg What Sin that lieth hardest upon thy Conscience to be Pardoned What noisom Corruption to be Healed What most Wanted Grace or Good thing to be Desired And there tell all as having the fairest Opportunity to be Bold And put on hard as one that will not be Denied Abraham Retired into his Grove Isaac to the Field Jacob Wrestled with God upon the Way Elijah Prayed under the Juniper-Tree Jeremiah in the Dungeon Daniel in the Lions Den Jonah in the Whales Belly Our Saviour in the Garden and often in the Mount St. Peter on the House-Top No matter what is the Place so it minister to our Devotion and help us indeed to Draw nigh to God Which is not to be done with the Body and shifting of Places but in the Elevation of the Heart and Fervor of Affections Non Passibus sed Precibus itur ad Deum Aug. Prayer is the Messenger that doth our Errand there where Flesh cannot come And wherever a man is or however taken up even in the midst of his Worldly occasions His Soul may fly out and steal away to God Or send up Secret Ejaculations that shall pierce the Heavens and find as sure a Conveyance as if they had bounded from the Temple However then we should be Glad to to go into the House of the Lord when Opportunity serves Yet when we have a Motion to Prayer any where we must not withhold it for want of a Better Place from whence to send it up CHAP. V. The Liberty of Prayer as to the Persons Praying SECT I. The Liberty that All Sorts have to Pray EVery one that is Godly shall Pray unto thee ô Lord. Psal 32.6 No Godly man but will do it And all manner of Persons as they have Need So they are Allowed to do it Only the Priest of old entred the Holy Place Now he that hath Loved and Redeemed us and wash'd us from our Sins in his own Blood hath made us all Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 1.6 God is no Respecter of Persons The Poorest shall have as fair and full a Hearing with Him as the Biggest man in the World Tho he be the most High yet the Lowest are not beneath his Notice If they are Low in their own eyes and Poor in Spirit as well as of Low Estate and Poor in the World They are indeed the Nearer to his Acceptance Who hath Respect unto the Lowly And to this man will Look that is Poor and of a Contrite Spirit and Trembles at his Word Isa 66.2 This Poor man cried and the Lord Heard him and saved him out of all his Troubles Psal 34.6 From the Height of his Sanctuary he looks down even upon the most Abject wretches on Earth Even such as are Rejected of men and just ready to be Thrust out as not fit to Live in the World To hear the groaning of the Prisoner To loose those that are Appointed to death Psal 102.20 He will Regard the Prayer of the Destitute and not despise their Prayer v. 17. The Lord sees not as man sees To Regard men according to their Garb and Dresses but according to their Faith and Graces Yea according to their Cries and Necessities And even that Abjection and Beggary for which others Overlook and Scorn them is the very Motive of God's Inclining to them and taking Notice of them Do thou for me O God the Lord for thy Names sake because thy mercy is good Deliver thou me For I am Poor and Needy Psal 109.21 For the Oppression of the Poor for the Sighing of the Needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him at Liberty Psal 12.5 Tho God that hath Chosen the Poor of this World is not Fond of a man only for this reason because he is Poor For there may not be more Wicked men than many Poor men Yea such as are fain to Beg their Bread of Men may yet be none of Gods Beggars and so none of his Favourites This not for their Bodily wretchedness but for their Souls Ungodliness because matters are not so Ill with their Bodies but they are Worse with their Souls Yet caeteris paribus No Poor man shall be ever the less Welcome with God for his Poverty but be as soon Heard and as much Respected by Him as His Excellency or His Highness the most Eminent and Mighty who look to be Observed of all and that every one else must be Silent when they Speak Such are often too High to be God's Humble Servants Like the Wicked Psal 10.4 Who thrô the Pride of his Countenance will not Seek after God Tho there is none so Rich and well-provided but they stand in continual need of God's Alms And they that abound in the World 's Good must yet beg of him their Daily Bread and have need of all men to Pray hard That they may not be put off with their Portion in this Life and be Tormented when Lazarus shall be Comforted Let not the Rich man rejoice so much in his Riches as that he may go to God to save him from the Danger of them And let him not Pray the Less but the More That thrô so many Temptations he may get Safe into the Kingdom of God Let not any Nobles Gentlemen or Ladies ever fear it will Debase their Dignity to Cringe to Him that has far greater than any Kings or Queens on Earth for his daily Attendants If they are too Goodly to be Godly they will be too High to be Saved Prayer is Man well Drest Herb. The finest Creature is best Adorned when most Humbled And when the Knees are Bowed the Mouth Confessing the Hands Smiting the Eyes Blubbered the Cheeks bedewed Nothing in the sight of Heaven is more Becoming and Recommending Ephraim was heard so Bemoaning himself And presently it follows Is Ephraim my dear Son is be a pleasant Child For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord. Jer. 31.18 19 20.
Hearts No good thing will he withhold from them that walk Vprightly Psal 84.11 Still there will be room enough left for his Pardon even when we have done our Best Yet will he not for that stop his Ears but Hear in Heaven and when he Hears Forgive Elias I know was an Extraordinary Person Tho the Apostle tells us he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James 5.17 Passible as we are and that with Frailty of Mind as well as Body For so the Venerable Bede glosses upon it Et mentis Fragilitate Carnis Yet he Prayed and was Heard in what he Asked Some Inherent Holiness indeed we must have to give us Confidence towards God and to speak our Interest in the Holy prevailing Advocate Whatsoever we ask we receive of Him Because we keep his Commands and do those things that are Pleasing in his Sight 1 Joh. 3.22 Yet we cannot ground our Hopes all upon our own Holiness But must have a better Name and Righteousness than any in ourselves wherewithal to Appear before the Lord and Bow our selves to the most High God And He upon whose Interest and Mediation we go is pleas'd to call to Him the Labouring and Heavy-Laden They that feel themselves Burthened with their Sins are the fitter to make their Prayers The Sense of Sin is both the Weight to Humble them and also the Goad to Quicken them That they may think Ill of themselves and be in good Earnest with God Prayer is the Pillar of Smoak in which the Soul ascends out of this Wilderness to God Above Which tho it be Black as Smoak for manifold Infirmities still adhering Yet having a Principle of Energy and Spirit to carry it upward The Devout Soul ascends therein and by a humble Familiarity Converses and Parlies with God even as Abraham and Moses did Yea when our Sins are felt and Bewailed we may draw even from them a Plea why God should Hear us for his Glory For that he should Hear in Heaven and do and Grant the desires of Sinful Dust and Ashes who can claim nothing as due at his hands That he should Forgive us who have so Provoked him we deserve rather to be Abhorred than Pardoned Reward Vnprofitable Servants Yea Regard Ill-deserving Sinners O how much does this redound to the Honour of his Name and illustrate his Glory And what Encouragement have we even when Discouraged by our own Sinful Vileness to go and Strive and Plead with God in our Prayers by the things which he most Prizes and Loves That is to Move him with his own Glory to take the Motive from Himself and to be Merciful to us Sinners for his Names sake And Arise and Help and Deliver us for his Honour What Mean then the Faint Hands and Feeble Knees when the God so Greatly Offended will be so Easily intreated And expects not that we should come to him without our Sins But only with a Sorrowful Concernment for them and a pious Resolution against them And so even Fools corrected with their own Wickedness are Heard Psal 107.9 And the Wicked whose very Prayer is called Abomination are yet put upon Praying However they want Ability they are not Disengaged from paying the Debt because that Inability is only thro their own Fault And if they are Sinful even in their Prayers To leave them off will not Amend the matter but they would be yet more Sinful without them They may Pray and Escape But if they Pray not they are sure to Perish And therefore St. Peter bid Simon Magus who was in the Gall of bitterness and the Bonds of iniquity Repent and Pray God if perhaps the thoughts of his heart might be Forgiven him Acts 8.22 23. If there be but any Peradventure it is good to be Adventurers here Jehoahaz did Evil in the Sight of the Lord and yet he Sought the Lord and the Lord Hearkened to him 2 King 13.4 And what hath been may be As the Hand of God is not Shortened So neither is his Mercy Abated but still they are the Same as ever they were And Praying being the using of Gods Means In that very Vse both our Persons and our Prayers may be Sanctified But they that are not sensible enough of their Adoption to cry Abba Father must yet repair to God as the Common Father of all for a better Title and beg the Regenerating and Witnessing Spirit of Him as the faithful Creator with whom the Fatherless find Mercy And however Unworthy we are The Lord our Righteousness who is Infinitely Worthy maketh intercession for the Transgressors Isa 53. last v. And his Interceding is not by way of Petition but as an Advocate Pleading for his Client of Justice Because we have no Sins hanging upon us but what he to the full has Satisfied for And so they can be no Bar to our Prayers when we are Interested in his Merits And thus the way to the Throne of Grace is Open to All manner of Persons And Sinners even the Worst are not Excluded if they resolve not to Continue in their Sins but are on the Penitent Key and on the Parting Point He that Confesseth and Forsaketh his Sins shall have Mercy To which I may add He that Fears and Prays shall not Feel what he Fears and Prays against God will never condemn that earnest Supplicant who Deprecates the Evil which he dreads and from a sensible Heart thus pleads for the Life of his poor Soul From thy Wrath and from Everlasting Damnation Good Lord deliver me What profit is there in my Blood The Damned nothing but Blaspheme and Curse thee O let me live that I may Bless and Praise thy Name Let none then Debar himself of the Liberty which our Lord Allows us all But may every one lay hold of the blessed Priviledge and be a Petitioner waiting on the Lord our God till he answer him in the Wishes of his heart And O that we might have that once to say of every Vnconverted Sinner which was given as an Argument of St. Paul's Conversion Act. 9.11 Behold he Prayeth Lord I have Invited all And I shall Still Invite still Call to Thee For it seems but just and right In my sight Where is All there all should be Herb. CHAP. VI. The Liberty of Prayer as to the Persons Prayed for SECT I. The Liberty of Praying For All. OUR Blessed Lord in the first Word of his Prayer teacheth us to Pray in Love as well as in Faith and to take in Others together with ourselves And here we are to go as Wide as before None is Debarred from Praying And we must Leave out None in our Prayers If we do not still Name yet we must Intend them And Make Prayers and Intercessions for All men 1 Tim. 2.1 Not only men of all Orders and Sorts but All the men of every order and sort Our Charity should be as Extensive even as the whole Race of Mankind Like Fellow-Members of the same Body Every Member should have
the Oyl to keep in the shining Lamp of Heavenly Hope and Joy And when the Heart instead of stooping down under the humble Sense of Sin is Lifted up in a Proud conceit of themselves and so directly Contradicts the Self-abasing work they are upon Instead of Praying in Faith Believes nothing that God hath said and so puts a Bar to all their Hopes of receiving any thing at his Hands Instead of abounding with Love is full of Cores and Malice neither for the Giving or Forgiving Charity and so turns the Supplication even into an Execration because our Lord who has charg'd us when we Stand or set ourselves upon Praying to Forgive Teacheth us to ask and Expect the Mercy to Ourselves but only as we shew and Extend it to Others And when instead of Burning with fervent Zeal like the Fire in the Alembick to send up its earnest Desires the Heart is Playing behind the Curtain and the Oscitant pretenders to Worship do but Trifle and offer up a Heartless Service as those who seem very Indifferent whether they be Heard or not yea rather Afraid to be taken at their Words All this while there may be somewhat like Seeking but here is no Striving to Enter when the Heart is no more Engaged to the Lord. Nay 't is but a meer piece of Mock-Devotion that instead of Attoning for our Sins does but Add still more to the Number And then alas What Hope can men have from such kind of Prayers even for which they have a great deal more to Answer No Wit or Parts or the most curious Art to Pack words neatly together is enough to make a good Prayer without the Drawing Nigh of the Heart and the Spirit of Supplication The Springs of Action upon what Motives we proceed and to what Ends we do it are most of all to be regarded tho they be Latent like the Roots of things that lye under Ground Yet in the Scrutiny and Examination of ourselves this is the main Enquiry Whether our Principles and Designs be right and sound at the Bottom Whether God's holy Fear and Faith and Love set us a going and whether the Pleasing of his Will the Honouring of his Name and the attaining of his Favour to be made Liker and to be brought Nearer to Him be our grand Aim and Intention Better let the Heart lead the Words thô they be but few and mean than be full of fine Expressions and no Heart to follow But O how is the Deceiver Deceived that goes about to Mock the only Wise God As good Affront him in the Face of the Sun as to Dissemble with him in the Secret of the Heart And let such as are for playing the Hypocrite with him but forbear till they can do it so as he shall not be Aware of it And then be sure they will never Dare to offer it SECT II. Taking no Care of the Words THE main Province of man is to Keep his Heart but yet it is not All nor the Only thing that he hath to look after He must see that out of the Abundance of his Heart his Mouth speak to the Purpose and as Becomes him 'T is an intolerable Presumption for poor Mortals that are but Sinful wretched Worms to be Rash with their Mouths to utter any thing that comes Vppermost tho never so Crude and wild before the most High and Wise and Holy God As if the Words of Prayer needed no other recommendation than Boldness and men might speak what their List in the greatest Presence As if they thought the Lord either such a Sorry Master whom any thing were good enough for Or one so far off as to be out of Hearing and not to Know what were said But it is the Liberty of Praying not of Prating that I plead for If it be a License taken I am sure it is not Given to roll and Luxuriate in empty Expressions without either Spirit or so much as any Good Sense To prevent which we may do well to Digest aforehand the Words as well as the Matter of our Prayers At least to have in store and readiness such a Stock of Authentick Expressions as are fit and proper for our Devotions Out of which we may produce what is Pertinent and not be at a Loss to express the Sentiments and wishes of our Hearts Tho an easy Vnaffected Stile suited to the Understanding and Infirmity of the Worshippers is the fittest and best Because Words in Prayer are used more for our own Sakes than His that understands our Desires without our Words Yet too Loose a Dress argues a Contempt of the Presence we are in When if the Tongue be but kept Going any impertinent Clack or the most course and tatter'd stuff shall serve the turn Nay so Weak and Flat are some and so Homely and Fulsome are others in their Prayers that if we may here credit Reports The Silliness of the one and the Rudeness of the other makes their Company in Pain for them and where others beg to be Heard it might be better for them if God did not Hear them Their very Tone of Prayer betraying their Contempt of Heaven when they Gabble over what they have to say without any Submissive Voice or Lively Accents or Affectionate Strain to shew how Awful and in what good Earnest they are Our Voice is the Index of our Mind and by that we signify the Devotion which is in our Hearts And he that talks at Random before the Lord shews little care that his Heart is in to perform Service meet for God's Acceptance We had as good Pray in an Vnknown as in an Vnregarded Language The one is to say We Know not what and the other We Care not what But if we must Worship with the Spirit it is requisite we should Know what we say and Pray with the Vnderstanding or else how can our Mind and Spirit be concerned 'T is less Affront to be Silent before the Lord than to offer to Him Service that is to us Vnintelligible Gibberish or Empty Talk And I cannot but tax it for a very condemnable Intemperance and Looseness of Speech in Prayer when the Tongue is suffered to run out quite beyond the Sense and Devotion of the Speaker and also as far beyond the Attention and Patience of the Hearers When the Prayers are spun out to a Tedious Length to shew how far a man is able to hold out and Jade and tire all his Company till they Long for nothing more than to be out of that Pain and then rejoyce in the Deliverance and Dread such another Affliction May they Beware by whom such Offence comes that they Distaste not any too apt to Imbibe such Prejudices against the Worship of God to whom they should use all Ingenuous and harmless Artifices to Recommend and Endear it SECT III. Taking no Care of the Behaviour in Prayer GOD that is Terrible out of his Holy Places ought Greatly to be Feared of all