Liturgy's Vindicated BY THE DISSENTERS Or the Lawfulness of Forms of Prayer and Liturgies PROVED From the very Texts of Scripture urged against them by John Bunyan and the Dissenters By the Author of the Religious Conference between a Minister and his Parishioner about Infant Baptism 2 Pet. 3.16 In which are somethings hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures to their own Destruction LONDON Printed for C. Brome at the Gun at the West end of St. Pauls 1700. THE CONTENTS A PREFACE giving an Account of the Undertaking and secret Juggle of some in pretending to Pray by the Spirit how they are meer Deceivers and Men-pleasers in it Chap. I. Shewing Jo. Bunyan's Imitation of Satan not only in urging Scripture and suppressing so much thereof as makes against him as particularly 1 Cor. 14.15 which is Explain'd and Vindicated from the false Glosses he puts upon it and turned full upon him but also in his intolerable Pride impudent Calumnies and railing Accusations against us and a Question is asked How poor Creatures shall Pray in their Families who have not this pretended Gift of Prayer Which his Party are desired to Answer some better way than by bidding them to Groan Chap. II. Returning an Answer to his Objections against the Common Prayer Book and clearing it from the Imputation of Popery there being nothing thereof in it but Composed by Protestant Martyrs together with sundry Scripture Authorities for the Lawfulness of Forms of Prayer and our Observation of Christmas Easter and other Holy Days in Memory of the Saints Chap. III. Concerning his evasive Answers to our Saviour's Command for the use of the Lord's Prayer Luk. 11.2 which is briefly Explain'd and Confirm'd with some Reflections on his Rules for Prayer as also on the Presbyterian Directory wherein they as much limit the Spirit as we do by a Form as also concerning the falseness of his Assertion That none but Saints ought to say the Lord's Prayer from the known Examples of the Prodigal Son and Rich Man the one calling God and the other Abraham Father and from that Relation which God bears to us by Creation and Redemption he being on both accounts the Father of all Men. Chap. IV. Of the Anabaptists Persecuting Spirit and Cruelty towards other Protestants and particularly towards King Charles the Martyr and his Loyal Subjects and their Canonizing such Persecutors for Saints and Martyrs contrary to the Practice of those that deserved and had that Name among the Primitive Christians whose only Weapons were Prayers and Tears and of that Persecuting Passage in the solemn League and Covenant where they are Sworn to Extirpate us Chap. V. Of some Texts of Scripture Jo. Bunyan brings for the Prohibition of the Common Prayer Book which are all shewn to prove no such thing but rather the Lawfulness of using it Chap. VI. Of two other Places of Scripture which he produceth to the same purpose as Zach. 12.10 and 2 Tim. 3.5 which rightly Explain'd do both conclude against him and for the Lawfulness of Praying by a Form Chap. VII Of his two Scripture Arguments for Praying by the Spirit as 1 Cor. 14.15 and Rom. 8.26 shewing them to be impertinently Alleged and clearing them from the silly Exposition and Paraphrase he makes upon them and proving that one at least if not both of them establish Forms of Prayer and overthrow his Pretences of Praying by the Spirit Chap. VIII Of two plain Proofs that Jo. Bunyan and his Party have not the Spirit which they pretend to viz. 1st The Schism which they have made and continue in the Church with the Rebellions they have rais'd and carryed on against the State 2dly The scurrilous and unchristian Language they utter against us which is exemplified in some farther Instances than were given in the first Chapter Chap. IX Of another Proof to the same purpose from his evil Counsel about the Education of Children whom he would rather have to live without Praying at all than to be taught it by any Form whatsoever which does not savour of the Spirit of God no more does his Beastly Expression in calling this a Nuzzling them up in a Form Chap. X. An Apology for the Author least his Book be Condemned as undervaluing the Holy Spirit and the Assistance which he affords is farther Explained and Stated and Proved not to consist in the Groans or extempore Effusions of Men but in Godly Motions within us and the fervent Desires of the Heart the Life and Soul of Prayer being Faith Hope and Charity and such an Assistance of the Holy Spirit our Church admits and teacheth us to Pray for The Conclusion An Address to all the Members of our Orthodox Church of England not only to Pray but also to Live according to the Common Prayer Book even a Godly Righteous and Sober Life to the Glory of God's holy Name Amen THE PREFACE TO THE READER BEing sensible that some Men will censure me for entring the Lists with such a Combatant where it will be no Credit to Conquer but a mighty Disgrace to be overcome I think my self obliged to give this Account of the Undertaking to reconcile the Reader to what I have hereafter Written least otherwise looking only on the Title-Page he should grow Angry and Impatient and throw away the Book The Discourse I here Answer was sent me from an Anabaptist of my Parish and as I have reason to believe by the Order and Direction of one of their Teachers as a choice Piece which might take me off from the use of the Common Prayer Book whose Morning and Evening Service I wish were constantly offer'd up entire in all other Families as well as mine when it cannot be perform'd in Publick and I am confident they will receive no little Comfort and Satisfaction in so doing but having read it over I found so much Railing Wresting and Mis-applying of Scripture almost in every Page and so little Reason and Truth in any thing he said I once thought his reviling impertinent Discourse unworthy of any other Answer but what the Archangel returned to Satan Jud. 9. The Lord rebuke thee Bunyan But when I considered the high Value the whole Party set upon such slight scurrilous Pamphlets how this was Bequeathed as a Legacy by the last Will and Testament of one of them to a surviving Friend to convince the World That whether Living or Dying they have no Charity for us and how they are contented that themselves and subtle Books should be let alone to Creep into Houses and lead silly Women I may add Men too Captive who are sooner caught and seduc'd with crafty and incoherent Reasoning than with close and sound Arguments and when they have gain'd them for Proselytes and drawn them into the wild Mazes of their numerous Errors 't is very hard to reduce and bring them back into the way of Truth On all these Accounts I judged it needful
Christians to offer in my Defence and justification 1st That when I reflect on Jo. Bunyan's Groanings I do it only to shew his false and absurd Interpretation of Rom. 8.26 where he misapplies the Groanings the Apostle there speaks of to himself and other Men which plainly belong to the Spirit of God being such as cannot be heard or uttered as the Groanings of Men are and I do not hereby condemn the Sighs and Graans which good People out of a deep Sense of their Sins and Sorrow for them may and often do utter in their Closet Devotions and private Ejaculations which tho' none but God sees and hears yet he approves and accepts them the better and meerly for their being Sincere and Secret he will one Day Reward them openly Mat. 6.4.6.18 but as for such Sighs and Groans which are vented in the Congregation a thing constantly practised among the Quakers as well as J. Bunyan and his Party and other Dissenters we have no Precept or Example for them either in the Old or New Testament We read or hear of no such thing in all their Religious Assemblies and particularly those three great ones wherein the Spirit of God assisted in a more extraordinary manner than he has ever done since that time I mean when the Apostles and Disciples to the number of an Hundred and twenty met together and Prayed to God to direct them in the choice of a Successor to Judas Acts 1.15.24 and when they were assembled on the Day of Pentecost Acts 2.1 when Three thousand were Converted by St. Peter's Sermon ver 14.41 when the first great Council was assembled at Jerusalem Act. 15.7.12 and when St. Paul Preached his farewel Sermon at Troas continuing his Speech till Midnight Acts 20.7 in all which places we read that the People either kept Silence or were sorrowful and pricked to the Heart or else spake in diverse Tongues the wonderful Works of God but we do not find there was one Soul that Groan'd among them which I the rather mention because all these were wonderful Conversions and extraordinary Effusions of the Holy Ghost so little Authority from the Scripture have any Dissenters for the frequent Groanings which are heard among them in their respective Meetings or for their making these Groanings an infallible Mark of their having the Spirit of God they are rather sometimes a Mark of Hypocrisie and that those that Delight and Pride themselves in them do this as the Scribes and Pharisees did of old only to be heard and seen of Men Mat. 23.2 And therefore whatsoever good Men may do in private between God and their own Souls when none sees or hears but God alone yet in publick they are careful to avoid such loud and frequent Groans at least to be very sparing in them least instead of passing for Saints they should be taken for vain-glorious Hypocrites 2dly As for my slighting J. Bunyans and the Dissenters Pretences to Pray by the Spirit I must confess I do so in that Sense they intend it who imagine and say That the Holy Spirit Invents and Dictates all the Words of their Prayer unto them which is to make Almighty God to multiply Miracles without necessity and to make also the Words of their Prayer as True Infallible and Divine as the very Words of Scripture being both equally Inspired by the Holy Ghost a thing that has not been known since the Apostolick Age and then it was always accompanyed with the Gift of Tongues and the different and contradictory Prayers of the Quakers Anabaptists Independents and Presbyterians who all confidently pretend to Pray thus by the Spirit and yet Pray one against another is a sufficient Confutation of it for the Holy Spirit is one and not contrary to himself and all his Intercessions for the Saints are to the same end in the same manner and according to the same good Will and Pleasure of Almighty God but all this is Perform'd in a Secret Invisible and Vnutterable way and so is the Assistance which he affords to good Men even by godly Motions and holy Desires which are kindled within them and which they can only feel in their Hearts but not hear with their Ears or express with their Tongues and such an Assistance of the Holy Spirit our Common Prayer Book allows of and teaches us to Pray for it in the beginning of Morning and Evening Service after Confession of our Sins the next Prayer which is in Form of an Absolution runs thus Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true Repentance and his Holy Spirit that those things may please him which we do at this present and that the rest of our Life hereafter may be Pure and Holy c. Before the repetition of the Ten Commandments the Collect has these words in it Cleanse the Thoughts of our Hearts by the Inspiration of thy Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy Holy Name c. In the Litany one of the Petitions is That it may please thee to give to all thy People increase of Grace to hear meekly thy Word and to receive it with pure Affection and to bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit And 't is worth our Observation that what some are pleas'd to call the Gift of Prayer is not mentioned among the Fruits of the Spirit which are all particularly set down Gal. 5.22.23 as Love Joy Peace long Suffering Gentleness Goodness Faith Meekness Temperance neither is it reckoned among the Gifts of the Spirit which are recounted Isa 11.2 as Wisdom Vnderstanding Counsel Might Knowledge Godliness and the Fear of the Lord nor yet in 1 Cor. 12.8 9 10. where they are plac'd in this Order The Word of Wisdom the Word of Knowledge Faith the Gifts of Healing the working of Miracles Prophecy discerning of Spirits divers kinds and Interpretation of Tongues in both which places there is no mention of the Gift of Prayer tho' in one of them there is of the Gift of Prophecy and therefore these Mens Pretences to Pray by the Spirit as a peculiar Gift of his has no Foundation in Holy Scripture indeed for any to express themselves well on a sudden and to Pray with variety and fluency of Words is and may be called a Gift of God and so is Speech Memory and Invention which nevertheless are all common to good and bad Men and capable of being improved by industry and use and more apt to Puff up than Edify and to make such as have them despise and decry all that use Forms as Formal Superstitious and Graceless Men that want the Life Spirit and Power of Prayer and yet I doubt not but many good People can testify this by their own Experience that some notorious Hypocrites have this Gift of Prayer and some devout and sincere Christians continue in the use of Forms and reap the Comfort and Benefit of it And 't is farther observable that all the Gifts of the Spirit enumerated by St. Paul were
eaten do not they forbid to handle i. e. Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs which St. Paul has commanded to be Sung And what is all this but to subject others to their own Ordinances which are but the Commandments and Traditions of Men Thus those very Texts of Scripture which these Men foolishly brandish against us sometimes urging them against Infant Baptism sometimes against Sprinkling sometimes against the Cross and other Ceremonies and sometimes against our Common Prayer as our Author here do all turn upon themselves and give them a deadly and incurable Wound CHAP. VI. BUT if none of the aforementioned Texts will serve the turn but rather prove mischeivous to him Jo. Bunyan has Two in reserve that shall effectually confute us the first is Zachar. 12.10 I will pour upon the House of David and Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplication c. which being Prophesied of the Gospel Days he thence infers that the Spirit is the Author of all our Prayers and therefore must needs invent and dictate them to us in Answer to which I say 1st That what we Translate the Spirit of Supplication may as properly be rendred the Spirit of Mercy and so the Seventy render it the Word in the Original signifying as well to shew Mercy as to Pray and then the Argument deduced from this Place is of no force at all that because God wou'd have Mercy upon the Jews who are here meant by the House of David and Inhabitants of Jerusalem in bringing them out of Captivity that therefore we Christians have a Promise here to Pray by the Spirit in that Sense our Author wou'd have it 2dly If we allow the Vulgar Translation in rendring it the Spirit of Supplication and that this Prophecy has respect to the Gospel Days it was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost when so many Thousands were Converted by St Peter's Sermon of whom it is said they were first pricked to the Heart Acts 2.37 i. e. for all their Sins and particularly for that great one of Crucifying of Jesus Christ and so they looked on him whom they had pierced as the Prophet foretold they should in the same place by the Eye of Faith and Repentance and received from him the Spirit of Grace and Supplication i. e. such miraculous Gifts and Graces as were bestowed upon the Apostles and first Disciples of our Lord and were confined to that Age when was fulfilled also that Prophecy of Joel Chap. 2.28 29. as St. Peter assures us Acts 2.16 This is it i. e. those miraculous Gifts which you see us have which was spoken by the Prophet Joel 3dly The Holy Ghost is called the Spirit of Supplication because all those Prayers in the Old and New Testament which were made by the Prophets and Apostles and particularly that of our Lord were immediately Inspired and Dictated by the Holy Ghost and they are left upon Record as so many Patterns for us to Compose our Prayers by them on the like occasions and so the Spirit helps our Infirmities in teaching us to Pray according to these Scripture Forms 4thly Because the Holy Spirit stirs us up to this Duty and assists us with fervent Desires in the actual Performance of it on this account also he may be Styled The Spirit of Supplication altho' he does not Dictate to us the very words of our Prayer as he did to the Prophets and Apostles and for any to pretend he does unless they can produce the like Miracles as the Prophets and Apostles wrought is the greatest vanity and Presumption in the World 5thly We may on as good or better Grounds affirm that he is called the Spirit of Supplication because He assists us in the Composure and Devout use of godly Forms of Prayer since 't is said Zach. 12.11 In that Day shall there be a great Mourning in Jerusalem as the Mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo and how that was we are given to understand 2 Chron. 35.25 And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah and all the Singing-Men and Singing-Women spake of Josiah in their Lamentations to this Day and made them an Ordinance in Israel i. e. the Jews had a Form of Prayer and Lamentations to be Sung with doleful Notes every Year to Condole the great Loss of that good King Josiah And if the Spirit of Supplication will cause us to Mourn in our Prayers before the Lord as the Jews did we must compose and use the like Form as they did and such a Form have we in our Common Prayer Book wherein on January the Thirtieth we Mourn for our English Josiah I mean King Charles the Martyr and therefore it ought to be continued as an Ordinance among us like that of Jeremiah 's among the Israelites and 't is to the Shame and Scandal of some of our Clergy that this Day is antiquated and the Anniversary-Service disused in several Places and I mention it for no other Reason but in hopes they may be speedily Reform'd or exemplarily Punished John Bunyan's second reserved Proof is p. 112. How will the Favourers of such a Practice i. e. Forms of Prayer answer that Scripture which commandeth the Church should turn away from such as have a Form of Godliness but deny the Power thereof 2 Tim. 3.5 and this he had urged before p. 57. The great Cheat that the Devil and Antichrist deludes the World withal is to make them continue in the Form of any Duty the Form of Preaching of Hearing of Praying c. These are they that have a Form of Godliness but deny the Power from such turn away But this Text also tho' he repeats it and puts false glosses upon it makes nothing to his purpose but rather against him for 1st St. Paul does not here Condemn a Form of Godliness having Commanded it a little before in the very same Epistle 2 Tim. 1.13 Hold fast the Form of sound Words which thou hast heard of me And surely the same Apostle who Commands us to hold fast cannot be supposed so changeable as to Command us to turn away from a Form of Godliness that can never be the meaning of the Place to make the same inspired Penman to Write Contradictions in the same Epistle When therefore he upbraids them with having a Form of Godliness it was only because it was separated from the Power thereof i. e. they had put asunder those things which God would have united as Almighty God upbraids the Jews with the Multitude of their Sacrifices their vain Oblations Incense new Moons and Sabbaths as if he did not require but abominate them and yet these things God himself had strictly enjoyn'd under great Penalties Isa 1.11 12 13. But the Reason why he is there said to loath them is because their Hands were full of Blood they did not bring these Sacrifices and Oblations with such pure Hearts and clean Hands with which he commanded them to be Offer'd at his Altar ver 15 16 17. Now this Author might
Expressions by no means agree to St. Paul who was Converted before this being quite contrary to the Nature of a Regenerate Man who is said in other places of this Epistle to be free from Sin and the Servant of Righteousness Rom. 6.18 That the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death Rom. 8.2 That he has crucified the Flesh with the Affections and Lusts Gal. 5.24 That Sin does not Reign in his mortal Body that he should obey it in the Lusts thereof Rom. 6.12 So that unless we can twist Contradictions we cannot suppose St. Paul to speak of himself in that seventh Chapter but only of a Judaising Christian or a Convinced but not Converted Person and nothing is more usual than for Prophets and Apostles to speak in the Person of others when they say I or We did so or so for we cannot suppose St. Paul and the rest of the Apostles or indeed any sensible Christian so very Ignorant as not to know to whom and thro' whom and for what to Pray and therefore the we know not c. must have respect to other Men and such as were Heathens and Unconverted who had not before heard of Christ or seen the Gospel where there are Rules laid down and those Dictated and written by the Holy Spirit how they and all Men ought to Pray even to our Father which is in Heaven thro' his beloved Son Jesus Christ for such Lawful things as are according to his Will And when Men Pray thus according to that excellent Form which Christ has prescribed his Holy Spirit will also assist them with good Desires so that they shall Heartily wish and long for those things for which they Pray with submission to the Will of God and thus the Spirit helpeth our Infirmities in revealing to us the Holy Scriptures where those that were Ignorant before are taught how to Pray as they ought But our Author goes on with his Paraphrase p. 30.31 The Apostles when they were at best yea when they were assisted with the Holy Ghost yet then they were fain to come off with Sighs and Groans c. Mark here says he they could not so well and fully come off in the manner of performing this Duty as these in our Days think they can But is not this another good Argument for Forms of Prayer when the Apostles themselves stood in need of them and therefore desired Christ to teach them such a Form as John had taught his Disciples Luke 11.1 Lord teach us to Pray as John also taught his Disciples And certainly they had need to be taught such a Form to help them out if they were such Bunglers at Prayer as J. Bunyan represents them viz. That they were not able to make an end of the Prayer they had begun in the Congregation but were forc'd to break off abruptly perhaps in the midst thereof which must needs cause Shame to themselves and Disappointment and Confusion to the whole Assembly which all their Sighs and Groans would never be able to compensate but no Man of Sense can believe the Apostles ever Prayed at this rate in the Church of God where they command all things to be done Decently and in order and to the Edification of the People 1 Cor. 14.26.40 For what Order Decency or Edifying is there in Sighs and Groans which Hypocrites may utter as well as Sincere Christians And when either does it who can tell the meaning of them And may not a Man edifie as much by the Quakers Silent-meetings as by such Sighs and Groans which have no certain and determinate Signification as Words and Speeches have And yet if we may believe Jo. Bunyan these were a good part of the Apostles Prayers even in their publik Assemblies but the Proof which he brings for it is Simple and Ridiculous viz. For the Spirit it self maketh Intercession for us with Groanings which cannot be uttered Whereas these are not the Groanings of the Apostles or of any Man else upon the Face of the Earth but the Groanings of the Holy-Ghost himself in Heaven where together with the Lord Jesus he maketh Intercession for us at the Right-hand of God and that in a very fervent and powerful manner which St. Paul calls his Groanings which cannot be uttered and therefore can never be applyed to the Groanings of Men which are always heard and make a sound in their very utterance So foolish and presumptuous is this Man in Expounding and Applying this Text especially in endeavouring to prove from it that the Holy Spirit does invent and dictate to us the very words of Prayer for here are no Words at all proceeding from the Spirit but only Groanings How then can this place prove that the Spirit suggests to us the Words of our Prayer when he interceeds for us without Words even with Groanings but pray mistake not not with such Groanings as Jo. Bunyan and his Party makes and may be heard in every corner of the House and in the very Streets but with Groanings that cannot be uttered And that these are the inexpressible Desires of Christ and the Spirit of God in Heaven is plain from Rom. 8.27 He that searcheth the Hearts i. e. Almighty God whose Prerogative it is knoweth what is the Mind of the Spirit because he maketh Intercession for the Saints according to the Will of God So that this Text also as all the rest turns upon the Objector and proves that the Spirit does not put Words into their Mouths nor cause those Groanings which are so loud and frequent in their Meetings the Spirits Groanings here being said to be without noise or sound without utterance or expression they are such as cannot be uttered Whence I may well conclude that Jo. Bunyan 's extemporary Prayers his dismal Groans and those Fits and Agonies of the Spirit which he says he was sometimes in when he was strongly perswaded to leave off and to seek the Lord no longer p. 71. I may conclude I say that this is a great Cheat of the Devil and Antichrist by which he does delude and deceive the World by which Men would perswade themselves and others that they Pray with the Spirit that they Preach with the Spirit and Hear with the Spirit even with the same extraordinary Spirit which St. Paul had when there is no such thing but they are rather possessed by an evil Spirit which makes them think and speak so highly and vain-gloriously of themselves and so contemptibly and uncharitably of others their Mouth speaketh great swelling Words having Mens Persons in admiration because of advantage These be they that separate themselves Sensual having not the Spirit Jud. ver 16.19 CHAP. VIII HAving said in the Conclusion of the former Chapter that J. Bunyan and his Party have not the Spirit to which they so much pretend I come now to prove this Charge against them from two substantial Arguments 1st Their Disobedience to their Lawful
Superiours in Church and State The Spirits of the Prophets are Subject to the Prophets 1 Cor. 14.32 And the Spirit of God perswades and commands Men to Obey every Ordinance of Man for the Lord's sake and to be subject to our Civil and Ecclesiastical Governours not only for Wrath but also for Conscience sake Rom. 13.5 1 Pet. 2.13 But these Men by their causeless and sinful Separation from our Church make a Schisme in it as by their frequent resistance of our rightful Kings they have made Rebellions in the State a thing which the Apostles and primitive Christians were never guilty of under the most bloody Persecutions but always abhor'd it as contrary to the good Spirit of God 2dly The base Railing and filthy Language which this Author and his Party do aften bestow upon us a brief account of which I have before given and shall now give an instance or two more of it to fill up the Measure of his Iniquity p. 44. speaking of Men that use Forms of Prayers by which without doubt he marks out us he says They in Person appear as Hypocrites and their Prayers are an abomination when they say they have been pouring out their Souls unto God he saith they have been Howling like Dogs and for this he quotes Hos 7.14 tho 't is plain he here adds to the Word of God there being no mention of Dogs in that place but only of the Children of Ephraims Howling upon their Beds and this bold Man adds thereunto like Dogs to render us more odious in the application But if we should take the same liberty and say that these Men in their Conventicles Groan and Grunt like Hogs and Snarl and Bark like Dogs tho' they cannot Bite and Devour us I believe they would Proclaim us for the most Wicked and Uncharitable People in the World For this very Man on the Score of our slighting his Praying by the Spirit as I think I have sufficiently prov'd we have Reason to do breaks out into this strange and horrid Exclamation Is it not the Mark of implacable Reprobates O fearful Can you not be content to be Damn'd for your Sins against the Law but you must Sin against the Holy Ghost Good God! That we should be accused of the Sin against the Holy Ghost only for Vindicating his Honour and exposing such Men as would father their Nonsense and Blasphemies upon him But in Truth 't is these are the Blasphemers of the Holy Spirit 't is these are the Corahs and Balaams of the Age that Rebel against our Moses and Aaron and Curse God's People to their Face even with bitter Words and venemous Expressions which shews them to be acted by the Instigation of another Spirit even that of Satan and Antichrist who are all for Railing and Reviling but the good Spirit of God is all for mild gentle and charitable Speeches Jud. 9. Michael the Arch-angel when contending with the Devil he Disputed about the Body of Moses durst not bring against him a railing Accusation but said The Lord rebuke thee The good Spirit of God where'er he rests produces kind Thoughts and charitable Expressions both which Jo. Bunyan is a Stranger to as is evident from p. 89. When Men Pray for a shew to be heard and thought some body in Religion there are two sorts of Men that Pray to this end 1st Your Trencher-Chaplains that thrust themselves into great Mens Families pretending the Worship of God when in truth the great Business is their own Bellies which were notably Painted out by Ahab's Prophets 1 K. 18. and also Nebuchadnezzar's Wise-men Dan. 2. who tho' they pretended great Devotion yet their Lusts and their Bellies were the great things aimed at by them in all their peices of Devotion Now can there be a greater Vncharitableness shewn than is couch'd in these few Words Wherein all the Chaplains of great Men without any exception are represented as a Company of gormandizing Epicures that make their Belly their God and to be as bad as Ahab's false Prophets which fed at Jezabel's Table and as bad as Nebuchadnezzar's Magicians who were initiated into the Black-Art and in a solemn League and Covenant with the Devil Good God! That a Man should publish to the World such Base and Scandalous Reflections on some Divines who for ought he knows to the contrary may be as good Christians and pious Persons as any in the Nation But if they call the Master of the House Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of his Houshold Mat. 10.25 May we not with more Truth call this Author a Corner-Chaplain That follows his poor Creatures that are deluded by him into every Corner of the House and there makes them Groan most bitterly or else he could not say as he does p. 73. I know 't is thus with them their Groans go up to Heaven from every Corner of the House I know they do Groan and that most bitterly Of this sort are they that creep into Houses and lead Captive silly Women laden with Sins and that is enough to make them Groan indeed 2 Tim. 3.6 But if this does not please him he must be contented to enjoy the Title of Tinker Chaplain as most agreeable to his old Trade tho' after all for want of Charity he proves to be but as sounding Brass or a tinkling Cymbal CHAP. IX FOR a farther Proof that Jo. Bunyan's Pretences to the Spirit are vain I shall produce his own Words in Evidence against him where he advises Parents not to teach their Children to Pray by any Form no not so much as the Lord's Prayer and then being not of themselves able to Pray extempore they must not Pray at all Evil Council indeed and which never came from the good Spirit of God it is p. 77.78 My Judgment is says he that Men go the wrong Way to learn their Children to Pray in going about so soon to teach them a set company of Words as is the common use of poor Creatures to do For to me it seems to be a better way for People betimes to tell their Children what cursed Creatures they are and how they are under the Wrath of God by reason of original and actual Sin as also to tell them the nature of Gods Wrath and the duration of the Misery which if they conscientiously do they would sooner learn their Children to Pray than they do But tho' this Author gives his Judgment in the Style of St. Paul yet does he shew by it that he has not the Spirit of God as St. Paul had for that Apostle advises Parents thus Ephes 6.4 Ye Fathers provoke not your Children to Wrath and to tell them they are all cursed Creatures in a damnable Condition and obnoxious to Hell torments which shall last for ever one would think were the ready way to provoke them to wrath indeed but St. Paul says provoke them not by any harsh Speeches at all as these certainly are which may sooner drive them
to Despair than perswade them to Pray but as he immediately subjoyns bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and what can that import but to teach them to say the Creed Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments which contain the Sum and Substance of the Christian Religion even what we ought to believe and do and how to Pray in order to Salvation But especially to teach our Children to Pray according to that perfect and compleat Form which our Lord Jesus has taught us and left upon Record in the Gospel this is to Breed them up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord and not the next way to make them cursed Hypocrites and puff them up with Pride as our uncharitable Author says it will p. 78. I am confident to tell little Children of Hell-fire and Damnation and their own Wretched and Miserable estate if they understand what we say is the next way to cast them down into the Gulph of Despair and therefore our blessed Saviour took a quite contrary Course with them Mark 10.14 Suffer little Children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven and v. 15. Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little Child he shall not enter therein and ver 16. He took them up in his Arms puts his Hands upon them and Blessed them which without doubt he did by some short Form of Prayer and so by that taught little Children to Pray also Our Lord Jesus to encourage little Children to be good betimes says of such is the Kingdom of Heaven but J. Bunyan to discourage them says of such is the Kingdom of Hell Christ proposes them as a Pattern of Meekness Innocence and Humility Mat. 18.2 3 4 5 6. But John Bunyan exposes them as the Objects of Gods Wrath and Vengeance and so many Brands of Hell-fire and this he says will make Tears run down your sweet Babes Eyes and hearty Groans to flow from your Hearts tho' any one else would imagine this would swallow them up with overmuch Grief and sink their tender Spirits into downright Despair and here I cannot chuse but take notice how much this Man is for Groaning since he would have Children to learn it instead of their Prayers Why according to his way of Expounding Scripture Rom. 8.26 the Childrens Groanings may be as acceptable to God as the best of our Prayers for as I observ'd before Chap. 7. he says The Apostles could not so well come off in the manner of performing this Duty c. When the Holy Ghost assisted them yet even then they were fain to come off with Sighs and Groans falling short of expressing their Minds but with Sighs and Groans which cannot be utter'd But how then could they express their Minds by them if they were unutterable and cannot Children as well express their Minds this way as the very Apostles themselves if they can but Groan lustily as he supposes the other to have done So that our Author has found out a new Way to teach Children to Pray as well as their ungifted Brethren 't is but for them to Groan well and often and loud and the Work is done and they may be said to Pray as well as the Apostles ever did and this Groaning will save them the labour of Reading the Bible or Learning any Catechism that has the Lord's Prayer in it O poor sweet Babes The Lord open your Eyes and make you see and shun the wicked and pernicious Counsel of such groaning Hypocrites And I must farther observe that J. Bunyan does not in all his Advice here put Parents upon Teaching their Children to Read the Holy Scriptures tho' Timothy had done it from a Child and St. Paul commends him for it 2 Tim. 3.15 And I doubt the true Reason why he does not mention the Reading their Bibles is for fear they should meet with the Lord's Prayer in it and so have a mind to learn by Heart that excellent Form which Christ himself has made and enjoyned all his Disciples to use yet p. 79. he Quotes a Passage out of Psalm 34.11 which is this Come ye Children hearken unto me and I will Teach you the fear of the Lord Which after his silly way he Paraphrases thus David does not say I will Nuzzle you up in a Form but I will Teach you the fear of the Lord. Where if the words refer to Children and not Men as they seem to do from the next Verse ver 12. What Man is he that desireth Life Yet 1st Jo. Bunyan uses a Beastly Comparison in calling our Teaching Children a Form of Prayer a Nuzzling them up in it which is an Expression belonging to Hogs whose young ones are said to be Nuzzled up by them and 't is a piece of Profane Wit to compare the Teaching our Children Godly Forms of Prayer to the rearing up young Pigs this is to offend and despise not only one but all these little ones tho' we are cautioned against it at the Peril of our Souls and least their Angels Revenge the Contempt we throw upon them Mat. 18.6.10 Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me it were better that a Milstone were hanged about his Neck and that he were Drowned in the depth of the Sea Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones for I say unto you that in Heaven their Angels do always behold the Face of my Father which is in heaven 2dly 'T is plain that David was for Educating Children in a Form or else he had not kept the Commandment of the Lord who required him to do it as is evident from Deut. 6.6 7. And these Words which I command thee this Day shall be in thine Heart which relates chiefly to the ten Commandments mentioned in the 5th Chapter And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy House and when thou walkest by the Way and when thou lyest down and when thou risest up And Deut. 31.12.13 Gather the People together Men Women and Children and the Stranger that is within thy Gates that they may hear and that they may learn and fear the Lord your God and observe to do all the Words of this Law And What was all this but the Teaching their Children Forms So that David himself according to this Fellows unseemly Comparison did Nuzzle up Children in Forms or else he had disobeyed God which required it and the Teaching them such Forms is here called the Teaching them the fear of the Lord so unhappy still is this Man in urging Texts of Scripture that they all conclude against him and for that very thing against which he produceth them CHAP. X. NOW after all least any should censure me for speaking too lightly of these Mens Groanings and Pretences to Pray by the Spirit I have this which I presume will be thought sufficient by all Honest and Impartial