disadvantage to our devotions I leave it to all wise men to determine So that in effect since after the pretended assistance of the Spirit in our prayers we may write them downe consider them try the spirits and ponder the matter the reason and the religion of the addresse let the world judge whether this sudden utterance and ex tempore formes be any thing else but a direct resolution not to consider before hand what we speake Sic itaque habe ut istam vim dicendi rapidam aptiorem esse circulanti judices quam agenti rem magnam seriam docentique They are the words of Seneca and expresse what naturally flowes from the premises The pretence of the Spirit and the gift of prayer is not sufficient to justifie the dishonour they doe to Religion in serving it in the lowest and most indeliberate manner nor quit such men from unreasonablenesse and folly who will dare to speake to God in the presence of the people and in their behalf without deliberation or learning or study Nothing is a greater disreputation to the prudence of a Discourse then to say it was a thing made up in haste that is without due considering But here I consider and I wish they whom it concerns sect. 36 most would doe so too that to pretend the Spirit in so unreasonable a manner to so ill purposes and without reason or promise or probability for doing it is a very great crime and of dangerous consequence It was the greatest aggravation of the sin of Ananias and Saphira {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that they did falsely pretend and belye the Holy Spirit which crime bestdes that it dishonours the holy Ghost to make him the president of imperfect and illiterate rites the author of confusion and indeliberate Discourses and the parent of such productions which a wise person would blush to owne it also intitles him to all those Doctrines which either Chance or Designe shall expose to the people in such prayers to which they entitle the holy Spirit as the Author and immediate Dictator So that if they please he must not onely own their follies but their impieties too and how great dis-reputation this is to the Spirit of Wisdome of Counsel and of Holinesse I wish they may rather understand by Discourse then by Experiment But let us look a little farther into the mysterie and sect. 37 see what is meant in Scripture by praying with the Spirit In what sense the holy Ghost is called the Spirit of Prayer I have already shewn viz. by the same reason as he is the Spirit of Faith of prudence of knowledge of understanding and the like because he gives us assistances for the acquiring of these graces and furnishes us with revelations by way of object and instruction But praying with the Spirit hath besides this other senses also in Scripture I find in one place that we then pray with the Spirit when the holy Ghost does actually excite us to desires and earnest tendencies to the obtaining our holy purposes when he prepares our hearts to pray when he enkindles our desires gives us zeal devotion charity and fervour spirituall violence and holy importunity This sense is also in the latter part of the objected words of S. Paul Rom. 8. The Spirit it selfe maketh Intercession for us with groanings And indeed this is truly a praying with the Spirit but this will doe our Reverend Brethren of the Assembly little advantage as to the present Question For this Spirit is not a Spirit of utterance not at all clamorous in the eares of the people but cryes loud in the eares of God with groans unutterable so it followes and onely He that searcheth the heart he understandeth the meaning of the Spirit This is the Spirit of the Sonne which God hath sent into our hearts not into our tongues whereby we cry Abba Father Gal. 4. 6. And this is the great {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} for mentall prayer which is properly and truly praying by the Spirit Another praying with the Spirit I find in that place of sect. 38 Saint Paul from whence this expression is taken and commonly used I will pray with the spirit and I will pray with the understanding also It is generally supposed that Saint Paul relates here to a speciall and extraordinary gift of Prayer which was indulg'd to the Primitive Bishops and Priests the Apostles and Rulers of Churches and to some other persons extraordinarily of being able to compose prayers pious in the matter prudent in the composure devout in the formes expressive in the language and in short usefull to the Church and very apt for devotion and serving to her religion and necessities I beleeve that such a gift there was and this indulged as other issues of the Spirit to some persons upon speciall necessities by singular dispensation as the Spirit knew to be most expedient for the present need and the future instruction This I beleeve not because I finde sufficient testimony that it was so or any evidence from the words now alledged but because it was reasonable it should be so and agreeable to the other proceedings of the holy Ghost For although we account it an easie matter to make prayers and we have great reason to give thanks to the holy Ghost for it who hath descended so plentifully upon the Church hath made plentifull revelation of all the publike and private necessities of the world hath taught us how to pray given rules for the manner of addresse taught us how to distinguish spirituall from carnall things hath represented the vanity of worldly desires the unsatisfyingnesse of earthly possessions the blessing of being denyed our impertinent secular and indiscreet requests and hath done all this at the beginning of Christianity and hath actually stirred up the Apostles and Apostolicall men to make so many excellent Formes of Prayer which their successors did in part retaine and in part imitate till the conjunct wisdome of the Church saw her offices compleat regular and sufficient So that now every man is able to make something of Formes of Prayer for which ability they should do well to pay their Eucharist to the holy Ghost and not abuse the gift to vanity or schisme yet at the first beginning of Christianity till the holy Spirit did fill all things they found no such plenty of forms of Prayer and it was accounted a matter of so great consideration to make a Form of Prayer that it was thought a fit work for a Prophet or the Founder of an Institution And therefore the Disciples of John asked of him to teach them how to pray and the Disciples of Christ did so too For the Law of Moses had no rules to instruct the Synagogue how to pray and but that Moses and David and Asaph and some few of the Prophets more left formes of Prayer which the Spirit of God inspired them withall upon great necessities and
AN APOLOGY FOR AUTHORIZED and SET FORMS OF LITVRGIE AGAINST THE PRETENCE OF THE SPIRIT 1. For ex tempore Prayer AND 2. Formes of Private composition Hierocl in Pythag. {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} LONDON Printed for R. Royston in Ivie-lane 1649 To His most Sacred Majesty IT is now two yeares since part of these ensuing Papers like the publike issue of the people imperfect and undressed were exposed without a Parent to protest them or any hand to nourish them But since your Most Sacred Majesty was pleased graciously to looke upon them they are growne into a Tract and have an ambition like the Gourd of Jonas to dwell in the eye of the Sunne from whence they received life and increment And although because some violence hath been done to the profession of the doctrine of this Treatise it may seem to be verbum in tempore non suo and like the offering Cypresse to a Conquerour or Palmes to a broken Army yet I hope I shall the lesse need an Apology because it is certaine he does really disserve no just and Noble interest that serves that of the Spirit and Religion And because the sufferings of a KING and a Confessour are the great demonstration to all the world that Truth is as Deare to your MAJESTY as the Iewells of your Diademe and that your Conscience is tender as a pricked eye I shall pretend this onely to alleviate the inconvenience of an unseasonable addresse that I present your MAJESTY with a humble persecuted truth of the same constitution with that condition whereby you are become most Deare to God as having upon you the characterisme of the Sonnes of God bearing in your Sacred Person the markes of the Lord Jesus who is your Elder Brother the King of Sufferings and the Prince of the Catholique Church But I consider that Kings and their Great Councels and Rulers Ecclesiasticall have a speciall obligation for the defence of Liturgies because they having the greatest Offices have the greatest needs of auxiliaries from Heaven which are best procured by the publike Spirit the Spirit of Government and Supplication And since the first the best and most Solemne Liturgies and Set formes of Prayer were made by the best and greatest Princes by Moses by David and the Sonne of David Your MAJESTY may be pleased to observe such a proportion of circumstances in my laying this Apology for Liturgy at Your feet that possibly I may the easier obtaine a pardon for my great boldnesse which if I shall hope for in all other contingencies I shall represent my selfe a person indifferent whether I live or die so I may by either serve God and Gods Church and Gods Vicegerent in the capacity of Great Sir Your Majesties most humble and most obedient Subject and Servant TAYLOR An APOLOGY for LITURGY I Have read over this Booke which the Assembly sect. of Divines is pleased to call The Directory for Prayer I confesse I came to it with much expectation and was in some measure confident I should have found it an exact and unblameable modell of Devotion free from all those Objections which men of their owne perswasion had obtruded against the Publike Liturgy of the Church of England or at least it should have been composed with so much artifice and finenesse that it might have been to all the world an argument of their learning and excellency of spirit if not of the goodnesse and integrity of their Religion and purposes I shall give no other character of the whole but that the publike disrelish which I find amongst Persons of great piety of all qualities not onely of great but even of ordinary understandings is to me some argument that it lies so open to the objections even of common spirits that the Compilers of it did intend more to prevaile by the successe of their Armies then the strength of reason and the proper grounds of perswasion which yet most wise and good Men beleeve to be the more Christian way of the two But because the judgment I made of it from an argument so extrinsecall to the nature of the thing could not reasonably enable me to satisfie those many Persons who in their behalf desired me to consider it I resolv'd to looke upon it nearer and to take its account from something that was ingredient to its Constitution that I might be able both to exhort and convince the Gainsayers who refuse to hold fast {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} that faithfull word which they had been taught by their Mother the Church of England I shall decline to speake of the efficient cause of this sect. 2 Directory and not quarrell at it that it was composed against the Lawes both of England and all Christendome If the thing were good and pious and did not directly or accidentally invade the rights of a just Superiour I would learne to submit to the imposition and never quarrell at the incompetency of his authority that ingaged me to doe pious and holy things And it may be when I am a little more used to it I shall not wonder at a Synod in which not one Bishop sits in the capacity of a Bishop though I am most certaine this is the first example in England since it was first Christned But for the present it seems something hard to digest it because I know so well that all Assemblies of the Church have admitted Priests to consultation and dispute but never to authority and decision till the Pope enlarging the phylacteries of the Archimandrites and Abbots did sometime by way of priviledge and dispensation give to some of them decisive voices in publick Councels but this was one of the things in which he did innovate and invade against the publike resolutions of Christendome though he durst not doe it often and yet when he did it it was in very small and inconsiderable numbers I said I would not meddle with the Efficient and sect. 3 I cannot meddle with the Finall cause nor guesse at any other ends and purposes of theirs then at what they publikely professe which is the abolition and destruction of the Booke of Common Prayer which great change because they are pleased to call Reformation I am content in charity to believe they thinke it so and that they have Zelum Dei but whether secundum scientiam according to knowledge or no must be judg'd by them who consider the matter and the forme But because the matter is of so great variety and sect. 4 minute Consideration every part whereof would require as much scrutiny as I purpose to bestow upon the whole I have for the present chosen to consider onely the forme of it concerning which I shall give my judgment without any sharpnesse or bitternesse of spirit for I am resolved not to be angry with any men of another perswasion as knowing that I differ just as much from them as they doe from me The Directory takes away that Forme of Prayer
brevia concisa singultantium modo ejecta But then these accidentall advantages and circumstances of profit which may be provided for in private as they cannot be taken care of in publike so neither is it necessary they should for those pleasures of sensible devotion are so farre from being necessary to the acceptation of prayer that they are but compliances with our infirmities and suppose a great weaknesse in him that needs them say the Masters of spirituall life and in the strongest prayers and most effectuall devotions are seldomest found such as was Moses prayer when he spake nothing and Hannah's and our blessed Saviour's when he called upon his Father {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} with strong cries in that great desertion of Spirit when he prayed in the Garden In these praiers the Spirit was bound up with the strictnesse and violence of intention but could not ease it self with a flood of language and various expression A great devotion is like a great grief not so expressive as a moderate passion teares spend the grief and variety of language breathes out the devotion and therefore Christ went thrice and said the same words he could just speak his sense in a plaine expression but the greatnesse of his agonie was too big for the pleasure of a sweet and sensible expression of devotion So that let the devotion be never so great set formes sect. 59 of prayer will be expressive enough of any desire though importunate as extremity it self but when the Spirit is weak and the devotion imperfect and the affections dry though in respect of the precise duty on our part and the acceptation on Gods part no advantage is got by a liberty of an indifferent unlimited and chosen form and therefore in all cases the whole duty of prayer is secured by publike formes yet other circumstantiall and accidentall advantages may be obtained by it and therefore let such persons feast themselves in private with sweet-meats and lesse nourishing delicacies weak stomackes must be cared for yet they must be confessed to have stronger stomackes and better health that can feed upon the wholesome food prepared in the common refectories So that publique formes it is true cannot be fitted sect. 60 to every mans fancie and affections especially in an Age wherein all publike constitutions are protested against but yet they may be fitted to all necessities and to every mans duty and for the pleasing the affections and fancies of men that may be sometimes convenient but it is never necessary and God that suffers drynesse of affections many times in his dearest servants and in their greatest troubles and most excellent Devotions hath by that sufferance of his given demonstration that it is not necessary such affections should be complyed withall for then he would never suffer those sterilities but himselfe by a cup of sensible Devotion would water and refresh those drinesses and if God himselfe does not it is not to be expected the Church should And this also is the case of Scripture for the many sect. 61 discourses of excellent Orators and Preachers have all those advantages of meeting with the various affections and dispositions of the hearers and may cause a teare when all S. Pauls Epistles would not and yet certainly there is no comparison between them but one Chapter of S. Paul is more excellent and of better use to the substantiall part of Religion then all the Sermons of Saint Chrysostome and yet there are some circumstances of advantage which humane eloquence may have which are not observed to be in those other more excellent emanations of the holy Spirit And therefore if the Objection should be true and that conceived formes of Prayer in their great variety might doe some accidentall advantages to weaker persons and stronger fancies and more imperfect judgements yet this instance of Scripture is a demonstration that set and composed devotions may be better and this reason does not prove the contrary because the Sermons in Scripture are infinitely to be preferred before those discourses and orations which doe more comply with the fancies of the people Nay we see by experience that the change of our prayers or our bookes or our company is so delightfull to most persons that though the change be for the worse it more complies with their affections then the peremptory and unaltered retaining of the better but yet this is no good argument to prove that change to be for the better But yet if such compliance with fancies and affections sect. 62 were necessary what are we the neerer if every Minister were permitted to pray his own formes How can his forme comply with the great varity of affections which are amongst his auditors any more then the publick forms described by authority It may hit casually and by accident be commensurate to the present fancy of some of his Congregation with which at that time possibly the publick forme would not This may be thus and it may be otherwise and at the same time in which some feele a gust and relish in his prayer others might feele a greater sweetnesse in recitation of the publike formes This thing is so by chance so irregular and uncertaine that no wise man nor no Providence lesse then Divine can make any provisions for it And after all it is nothing but the fantastique and sect. 63 imaginative part that is pleased which for ought appears may be disturbed with curiosity peevishnesse pride spirit of novelty lightnesse and impertinencie and that to satisfie such spirits and fantastique persons may be as dangerous and uselesse to them as it is trouble some in it selfe But then for the matter of edification that is considerable upon another stock for now adaies men are never edified unlesse they be pleased and if they mislike the Person or have taken up a quarrell against any forme or institution presently they cry out They are not edified that is they are displeased and the ground of their displeasure is nothing from the thing it selfe but from themselves onely they are wanton with their meat and long for variety and then they cry out that Manna will not nourish them but prefer the onions of Egypt before the food of Angels the way to cure this inconvenience is to alter the men not to change the institution for it is very certain that wholesome meat is of it self nutritive if the body be disposed to its reception and entertainment But it is not certain that what a sick man fancies out of the weaknesse of his spirit the distemper of his appetite wildnesse of his fancy that it will become to him either good or good physick Now in the entertainments of Religion and Spirituall repasts that is wholesome nutritive and apt to edifie which is pious in it selfe of advantage to the honour of God whatsoever is good Doctrine or good Prayers especially when it is prepared by a publick hand and designed for publick use by all the
formes according as she judges best for edification 2. When the Apostles upon occasion of the Forme sect. 76 which the Baptist taught his Disciples begg'd of their Master to teach them one he againe taught them this and added a precept to use these very words {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} when ye pray say our Father when they speak to God it was fit they should speake in his words in whose name also their prayers onely could be acceptable 3. For if we must speak this sense why also are not the sect. 77 very words to be retained Is there any errour or imperfection in the words was not Christ Master of his language and were not his words sufficiently expressive of his sense will not the Prayer do well also in our tongues which as a duty we are oblig'd to deposite in our hearts and preserve in our memories without which it is in all senses uselesse whether it be onely a pattern or a repository of matter 4. And it is observeable that our blessed Saviour doth sect. 78 not say Pray that the name of your heavenly Father may be sanctified or that your sinnes may be forgiven but say Hallowed be thy name c. so that he prescribes this Prayer not in massa materiae but in formâ verborum not in a confused heap of matter but in an exact composure of words it makes it evident he intended it not onely pro regula petendorum for a direction of what things we are to aske but also pro forma orationis for a set form of Prayer Now it is considerable that no man ever had the fulnesse of the Spirit but onely the holy Jesus and therefore it is also certain that no man had the Spirit of prayer like to him and then if we pray this prayer devoutly and with pious and actuall intention doe we not pray in the Spirit of Christ as much as if we prayed any other forme of words pretended to be taught us by the Spirit We are sure that Christ and Christs spirit taught us this Prayer they onely gather by conjectures and opinions that in their ex tempore or conceived formes the Spirit of Christ teacheth them So much then as Certainties are better then Uncertainties and Gods words better than Mans so much is this Set forme besides the infinite advantages in the matter better then their ex tempore and conceived Formes in the forme it selfe And if ever any prayer was or could be a part of that doctrine of faith by which wee received the Spirit it must needs be this prayer which was the onely forme our blessed Master taught the Christian Church immediately was a part of his great and glorious Sermon in the Mount in which all the needs of the world are sealed up as in a treasure house and intimated by severall petitions as diseases are by their proper and proportioned remedies and which Christ published as the first emanation of his Spirit the first perfume of that heavenly anointing which descended on his sacred head when he went down into the waters of Baptisme This we are certain of that there is nothing wanting sect. 79 nothing superfluous and impertinent nothing carnall or imperfect in this prayer but as it supplies all needs so it serves all persons is fitted for all estates it meets with all accidents and no necessity can surprize any man but if God heares him praying that prayer he is provided for in that necessity and yet if a single person paraphrases it it is not certain but the whole sense of a petition may be altered by the intervention of one improper word and there can be no security given against this but qualified and limited and just in such a proportion as we can be assured of the wisdome and honesty of the person and the actuall assistance of the holy Spirit Now then I demand whether the Prayer of Manasses be sect. 80 so good a prayer as the Lords Prayer or is the Prayer of Judith or of Tobias or of Judas Maccabeus or of the Sonne of Sirach is any of these so good Certainly no man will say they are and the reason is because we are not sure they are inspired by the Holy Spirit of God prudent and pious and conformable to Religion they may be but not penn'd by so excellent a spirit as this Prayer And what assurance can be given that any Ministers prayer is better then the prayers of the Sonne of Sirach who was a very wise and a very good man as all the world acknowledges I know not any one of them that has so large a testimony or is of so great reputation But suppose they can make as good prayers yet surely they are Apocryphall at least and for the same reason that the Apocryphall prayers are not so excellent as the Lords prayer by the same reason must the best they can be imagin'd to compose fall short of this excellent pattern by how much they partake of a smaller portion of the Spirit as a drop of water is lesse then all the waters under or above the Firmament Secondly I would also willingly know whether if sect. 81 any man uses the forme which Christ taught supposing he did not tie us to the very prescript words can there be any hurt in it is it imaginable that any Commandement should be broken or any affront done to the honour of God or any act of imprudence or irreligion in it or any negligence of any insinuation of the Divine pleasure I cannot yet think of any thing to frame for answer so much as by way of an Antinomy or Objection But then supposing Christ did tye us to use this Prayer pro loco tempore according to the nature and obligation of all affirmative precepts as it is certaine he did in the preceptive words recorded by S. Luke When ye pray say Our Father then it is to be considered that a Divine Commandment is broken by its rejection and therefore if there were any doubt remaining whether it be a command or no yet since on one side there is danger of a negligence and a contempt and that on the other side the observation conformity cannot be criminall or imprudent it will follow that the retaining of this Prayer in practice and suffering it to doe all its intentions and particularly becomming the great {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} or authority for set formes of Prayer is the safest most prudent most Christian understanding of those words of Christ propounding the Lords Prayer to the Christian Church And because it is impossible that all particulars should be expressed in any forme of prayer because particulars are not onely casuall and accidentall but also infinite Christ according to that wisdome he had without measure fram'd a Prayer which by a general comprehension should include all particulars eminent and vertually so that there should be no defect in it yet so short that the