Saviour in Luke 11. vers 11 12 13. to make men importunate and diligent seekers of God in Prayer If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father will be give him a stone or if he ask a fish will be give him a serpent or if he ask him an egg will be give him a scorpion No the summ is this an earthly Father will give a Child upon request the things he hath need of Ay but what follows how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Ghost to them that ask him But if there be never so much willingness to help yet if there be not ability to relieve there will be but a slack and faint address made though there be never so much want But now ye may see our Church here after the Practice of our Saviour hath made provision for the latter as well as for the former for it ascribes to him power to forgive all sins and to amend all sinfulness of life in man in attributing to him almightiness as well as it preached before his willingness in those words placed before the Confession and Supplication Almighty and most merciful Father See Exod. 32. Vers 31. And in the close of this Confession and Prayer the Church follows Christ there and the Saints of God close There our Church helps a devout soul to plead strongly with God for forgiveness and assisting grace by way of an humble remembrancing of God of his PRomise made to Mankind thereupon in Christ Jesus And citer that pleads with God for his help to amend their lives that they might be instruments for his glory thereby And indeed it ye look upon the Absolution upon the second Collect at Morning Prayer which is for Peace upon the third which is for Grace upon the second at Evening-Prayer which is for peace of Conscience peace with God upon the Prayers for his Majesty the King for the Queen the Duke of York and the Royal Family for the Ministers of the Word and all Congregations committed to their charge and upon most of the Pravers to be used with the forementioned Prayers in our daily Devotions they are fitted to awaken and help our Faith and â—â—…erchy to strengthen our wrastling souls with God by Prayer that we might overcome him as Jacob did at Peniel and the Lord not able to deny us blessings meet for us and his own glory And now look upon some of the Prayers and Thanksgivings of them that have so dispised the former and are so much more inabled by the Spirit to those Duties by their own Pretensions and see which have come nearest the help of our Saviour and the powerful and argumentative way of the canonized Saints in the Calendar of the Spirit of God At a Market-Town in Norfolk there being a Meeting in order to setting up the Presbyterian Government the Minister in his Sermon instructing the Lay-Elders as to the due execution of their places told them they must be as exquisite Chirurgeons who have Hauks eyes Ladies hands and Lions hearts But one of that Faction taking on him to pray a Blessing upon the work of the day among other things he desired God he would give the Lay-Elders Hauks eyes Ladies hands and Lions paws That I shall not omit of one in his Prayer before his Sermon in his Thanksgivings blessed God for the twelve Bishops being sent to the Tower in the long and mad Parliament because that thereupon God had set Christ Jesus twelve steps higher in his Throne than ever he was before Another Minister being to Preach a Funeral Sermon at another Minister's Parish he that officiated before the Sermon read the 8th of Ecclesiastes where in the 4th Verse 't is said Where the word of a King is there is power and who can say to him what doest thou The Minister that was to Preach being for the present Rebellion fearing the people in all probability might have been brought to or continued in Loyalty upon the remembrance of Solomen's Doctrine used this poisonous Antidote in his Prayer before the Sermon O Lord though Solomon hath said that Kings cannot be controuled yet we thy people know by the Spirit that Kings may be questioned and call'd to account I will insert but one more Expression in Prayer which was lately told me by one that heard it being present himself at a Church in Suffolk in the Prayer of a Minister in great esteem in those days After some Groanings and small coughing Respits these words came forth Lord go on with thy Reformation while it is time and after some more coughing Respits he went on thus For if thou dost not thou wilt not know what to do And that these and such like ridiculous and profane Expressions and dead argumentative helps were too frequently used in the Prayers of those so boldly assuming to themselves a superlative or extraordinary help of the Spirit to call upon God are in common charity and probability to be received as truth even by those that have not heard them or the like to them considering the report as to such like particulars left to be published by King Charles the First of most blessed memory being then in his own thoughts but a few steps from the grave For in his Observations upon the Ordinance against the Book of Common-Prayer in the twelfth Paragraph there having stigmatized many of their Prayers with statness rudeness confusion ridiculous repetitions yea with sensless and oft-times blasphemous Expressions c. In the thirteenth Paragraph he concludes to my present purpose in these following words Wherein they must be straâ—â—â—…ly impudent and flatterers of themselves not to have an infinite shame of what they so do and say in things of so sacred a nature before God and the Church after so ridiculous and indeed prophane a manner But notwithstanding what hath been last sâ—â—d I cannot but grant that some of them infatuated with the same spiritual pride and self conceitedness have been more prudent and careful than others in composing and wording their Publick Prayers but yet if they be weighed in the Sâ—des and with the Weights of the Sanctuary with the Collects and Prayers of our Liturgy so despised by them their best Prayers will be found lighter than the other in the judgment of meek humble and devout souls knowing how to pray as they ought through the help of the Spirit of God Look upon the sixth Consideration which begins thus How little good if any at all hath been done by the long use of the Service-Book though men have prayed long by it that the rest of their lives might be holy and righteous yet they still continue profane and unrighteous The Author's opinion there is thus Those men that have made never so long use of the Service-Book and have prayed never so long by it to God for a sanctified and righteous life have never attained to any part thereof It appears plainly to be his opinion for
well Reprobation as Election by giving too much credit to divers Authors of those Opinions and by not well comparing Scriptures with Scripture touching those Points And could I think that my Grant of what they cast upon me wrongfully would any thing further their return to us herein I speak it God bearing me witness I would take it all upon me per modum altissimi silentii But Sir I have found upon Inquisition that both those Reports have been rais'd and spread abroad by one not of their Judgment The falseness of that Report that I was against Infant Baptism will be apparent in that I have Testimony under his hand that raised it and malitiously spread it abroad that at least a year and a half before November the 19th 1660. I did in my Sermon from several places of Scripture maintain the Lawfulness of Infant Baptism Oportet mendacem esse memorem And I have to the same Testimonial the Subscriptions of the three chiefest men in Hardwick and Pulsham St. Mary the Virgin besides my Accuser Which Notes then deliver'd in Hardwick Pulpit were drawn up by me in 1656. after my Living of Wighton in Norfolk was taken from me and conferred upon Mr. Robert Hocknell And those Notes were drawn up by me at the request of divers going for Anabaptism to know my Judgment about that Point which Notes sent them altered their thoughts and strayed their further progress therein And whereas many say from the afore-said Mouth that I was against the Common-Prayer Book I now write for I confess that for some short time after his Majesty's Restauration I omitted Officiating by the Common-Prayer Book but did begin with the Confession Absolution and Lord's Prayer therein and after the Lessons repeated the Apostles Creed and after the Prayer for his Majesty and other Prayers and Collects I could repeat memoriter until I might as I expected hear from Authority the re-injoyning the Observation thereof punctually With which Service so performed the Loyal Party for a while rested contented but soon after the death of Thomas Glean Esq a man of known Loyalty to the Crown and Conformity to the Church of England the Major now Sir Peter Glean his Son was offended left the Parish Church in his own person went to Shelton and told me so he would do till I observed the Book of Common-Prayer as I ought to do Whereupon considering with my self that I was for set Forms and had no Exceptions against our Liturgy and that the major part of the Parish was for that way I told Sir Peter I was resolved if the Parish procured the Book punctually to use it I remember Sir Peter's Expression presently was this Cosin I am as glad of your Resolution as of an Hundred Pounds given me And the next Sunday after according to mutual agreement he deliver'd to me in presence of the Congregation before any thing said by me the Book of Common-Prayer and desired my Observation of it which was performed by me accordingly But Sir were all truth that is suggested against me I know not why the remembrancing me thereof should allay my Proceedings herein according to my Promise though so â—st alledged by them as I judge for that end considering the Charge given to St. Peter Luke 22. v. 32. When thou art converted strengthen thy brethren And truly had I been against set Forms of Prayer and our Liturgy as this Author was at the drawing up of these Considerations and afterward should have been convinced of the Greatness of the Error and the Damage to the Church of Christ through perseverance therein as my Conscience tells me they all are guilty of who stand off from joyning with us herein the first thing I should have undertaken should have been to imitate St. Paul converted to the Faith by the heavenly Vision who forthwith Preached that Faith he once destroyed Gal. 1. v. 23. I should soon have endeavoured thereupon by this way I now am in to have brought men to unite in this way of Devotion with our holy Mother the Church of England Thus praying God to bless you with Health all happiness and length of days I rest very much devoted to serve and honour you whil'st Richard Lewthwat Norf. VVE whose Names are here under-written do Certifie whom it may concern That Richard Lewthwat Rector of Hardwick in our said County hath to our Personal Knowledge for the space of two Years last past been of a Peaceable Sober and good Conversation hath by his Doctrine been Instrumental under God for the increase of our Knowledge and Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and profitable to the Instruction of our Youth And that in our hearing at least as we compute a year and half since did in his Sermon from several places of Scripture maintain the Lawfulness of Infant Baptism Witness our Hands c. And he doth Affirm to us That it is yet his Judgment and Opinion This I Affirm from the bottom of my Heart Witness my Hand Rich. Lewthwat Tho. Gleane Peter Gleane Tho. Sayer Joh. Ebbettes Subscribed this 19th day of November 1660. THE PREFACE TO the Readers but especially to them of the same Judgment and Practice with him that occasioned the ensuing Discourse is composed chiefly to remembrance them with the great concern and necessity of the being of Uniformity in Doctrine and Discipline among them that in the Apostle's sence name the Name of Christ or that do take upon them the profession of Christianity And for the evidence of the necessity hereof among us I shall mind them first with that of our Saviour in his Prayer a little before his Passion John 17. vers 11. Holy Father said he keep through thy Name those whom thou hast given me that they may be one as we are Judas having received the sop as in the 13 Chapter of this Gospel vers 39. and was gone from Christ and the other Disciples to betray him then Christ in his Prayer desires the Father to keep his Disciples in his absence through his Almighty Power in an holy Unity of Faith Spirit and Worship which is the sum of these words namely that they may be one as we are For in these words Christ did not respect the substance of the Father and himself in which respect indeed they both were one but the consent and agreement betwixt them as doing or having of things done which was ever one and the same as is evident from that of the Apostle to the Hebrews quoted out of the Psalms Hebr. 10. vers 7. When the Father's will is for the Son to come the Son is as ready to come be it from whatsoever happiness to whatsoever misery it shall be When the Father will be pleased with no typical Sacrifices longer but will have the substance the Son to take a body of our nature fitted for a Peace-offering to be sacrificed for the expiation of our sins then the Son's will is one with his Then said he lo I come to
hast standred thine own mother's son In the third place God's Spirit denys ye to be Churches of Christ or else at least he charges ye with such evil Customs as none of them have or at least as they ought not to have for those words of the Apostle 1 Corin. 11. v. 16. belong to you and to such as you are If any man seem to be contentious we have no such custome neither the Churches of God The Factions do not only seem contentious they have too deeply engaged themselves therein for either their own or others spiritual good In the last place Ye are by the Apostle deliver'd with the incestuous person up to Satan As I may say he hath excommunicated you Romans 16. v. 17. Mark them that cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine ye have learned and avoid them If ye will be holding forth the Word as ye call it the Apostle would have ye have no other Auditors than the Walls and Stools are with ye he orders all to avoid ye none to hear ye or associate with ye unless for your conversion And now from my Heart for your conversion to us in the Apostle's words to the Corinthians the 1st Epistle chap. 1. vers 10. I do exhort ye and beseech ye in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ That ye all speak the same thing that there be no divisions among you but that ye be perfectly joyned together with us in the same mind and in the same judgment And to prevail with ye all to joyn with us speedily in Worshipping the God of Peace and Unity I convince ye in the words of the Apostle Philippians 2. vers 1 2 3. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the spirit if any bowels and mercies fulfil ye my joy that ye be like minded have the same love being of one accord of one mind with us Let nothing henceforth be done through strife or vain-glory but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves So biddeth farewel to ye all Richard Lewthwat February 26. 1677. Mr. Lewthwat I Have heard read and consider'd of your Treatise Intituled A Justification of set Forms of Prayer and in especial of the Liturgy of the Church of England in Answer to and Confutation of Vavasor Powel's Fourteen Considerations against Composed and Imposed Forms c. And upon the whole matter I conceive it may be very Useful and Profitable especially to the vulgar sort of seduced Dissenters to with-draw them from their former Errors and procure their Return to the Way of Divine Worship prescribed in the Church of England if you will be perswaded to permit it to be made Publick by the Press Hen. Nerford B. D. Rector of Attleburgh Norf. I Edward Atkinson Rector of Bunwell Norf. desire the same thing To the Composers Imposers Readers and Hearers of COMMON-PRAYER to the Disputers and Writers for COMMON-PRAYER I Would desire ye all in the Name and Fear of the All-seeing Almighty and All judging God to set these following and the like Considerations to your Hearts and your Hearts to them First How jealous the Lord of Heaven and Earth is of his own Worship and of all the Parts and Circumstances thereto belonging Deut. 5.9 Hos 5.11 Matth. 15.3 Col. 2.21 Rev. 22.14.20 2. How abominable and unacceptable to this holy just God have been and is all Idolatrous Superstitious and False Services and all that do serve him in any way or thing which he hath not himself commanded and appointed Deut. 7.25 26. Isa 30.22 and the 66.3 4. Jerem. 9.13 14. Ezr. 20.4 3. How sorely and severely hath he punished those Kings Priests Prophets and people that have been false Worshippers and swerved from his holy Commandments 1 Kings 11.6 Numb 11.34 4. Consider whether God doth call upon any of you all to offer him any such Service as this is and whether he may not say to you as he did once to Judah Who hath required this at your hand Isai 1.12 5. How inconsistant with the day and light of the Gospel is this Service God having sent his Word more fully and plainly to direct his Ministers and People and given his Spirit in a more abundant measure to help and enable them to call upon him 6. How little good if any at all hath been done by the long use of the Service-Book though men have prayed long by it that the rest of their lives might be holy and righteous and yet they still continue profane and unrighteous 7. How much hurt it hath done in sholdering and thrusting out many godly painful soul-saving Preachers and in bringing in and maintaining so many ignorant scandalous lazy and formal Priests and Curats to the deceiving and utter undoing of precious souls 8. Whether the imposing of the Scotish Liturgy which in some things was better though in some others was worse than the English was not the beginning and the first cause of the late grievous Wars and if so whether men should not be more cautious to do the like for the future 9. Whether if the truth were throughly and truly weighed and examined the first end of Composing the Common-Prayer-Book which do's so much symbolize with the Mass was not to bring Papists to Church but it effected so little therein not because they so much disliked it as because it was not in Latin and commanded by the Pope that it rather confirm'd them in their Mass-service 10. Whether some may not intend by the re-establishing this Book to oppose and put down that excellent and gracions Spirit of Prayer and Preaching which God hath poured out upon his Ministers and to make this a snare and net against all Preachers and people that out of Conscience cannot conform thereto 11. Whether any persons can produce any such Liturgy or Form of Prayer from the beginning of the World either among the Jews or Geztiles till above three hundred years after Christ when Anti-Christ began to exercise Papal Power 12. Whether if there were no other reason but that this Book hath been so much Idoliz'd by the generality of men and offensive to so many Christians it should not be done with as the Brasen Serpent was by Hezekiah 1 Kings 13. Whether one end of Christ's coming into and one part of his work in the World was not to redeem men from the Rudiments and Traditions of men of which this is one And whether it be not a sin against the Blood and Spirit and Gospel of Christ to impose maintain and continue still the use of the same 1 Pet. 1.18 19. Heb. 9.10 11. 14. Whether at the great and terrible day of Judgment any Magistrates and Ministers or People can justifie before Christ the making imposing reading or hearing of this or the like Service And whether good men as far as they build with this Material will not suffer loss And whether those can stand then in the Judgment
summ of this alledged out of St. Paul's practice to justifie set-Forms of Prayer whose Desire and Prayer to God for Israel was That they might be saved as Romans the 10th Vers 1. amounts to this That St. Paul Sosthenes Silvanus Timotheus and the brethren with Paul at Rome did put up their Prayers to God for his bestowing spiritual blessings upon the several Churches of Christ through the word of â—â—ace did put them up I say in a Common-Prayer in a set-composed or as the Separatists call it stinted Form of Prayer And considering that the afore-mentioned Christians and Saints continued so long in a Common set-Form of Prayer for those Churches I cannot think but the pride ignorance heady and high-minded Spirits of these men had they lived in days together would have charged St. Paul and the rest that joined with him in Devotion for the Churches with what they cast upon the painful orthodoxal conformable Clergy of our Church in the seventh Consideration where they call them Ignorant Scandalous Lazy and Formal Priests and Ministers to the deceiving and utter undoing of precious souls and should they have had but such Revenues Salaries Tithes and Gleabs gone along with their Labours as our reverend Bishops Deans and Chapters and some of our Clergy had with theirs their Conformity and Uniformity in Prayer especially it being so short how holy soever their lives had been was crime enough for their Houses to have been Plunder'd their Estates Sequestred and their Persons Imprisoned And now to leave off the further confirmation of this unjustly condemned Practice of Devotion by the use of set-Forms of Prayer in the times of the Old and New Testaments and in the times of the Antient Churches before Popery and in the days of the Reformed Churches fallen from the Pope I shall only commend to your consideration the Prayer of St. Chrysostom wherewith we even close our dayly Devotions as in all probability he and the people he was over did conclude their Worship of God in their set-Forms of Prayer Almighty God who hast given us Grace at this time with one accord c. I confess 't is not the Forms of Prayer be they never so Admirable as to Expressions without the fervent desires of the Heart be the man never so righteous that utters them that do avail ought with God but when a man from the ground of the heart ascends up to God in Forms be they never so antient short or Common provided they be lawful as to the Matter and laudable as to the manner of the Expression supplicating praying interceding and giving of thanks then they become at the Throne of Grace such as St. John in the 5th of the Revelations Vers 8. saw in Heaven when the 24 Elders fell down before the Lamb namely barps and golden vials full of odours even the prayer of Saints And hereupon was the exellency of David's Prayer of which he speaks Psalm 11â— Vers 58. I made my petition with my whole heart There are recorded in the Scripture divers Forms of Prayers and Thanksgivings Composed by David and other devout Worshippers of God questionless for the use of themselves and others in the frequent Commemorations of God's Mercies to them and for their Supplications to be made unto God their wants being again the same or alike as formerly But now that which made these Forms of Prayer effectual David mentions in the same place where he saith he did it with his whole heart All the powers and faculties of his Soul were now acting in their several places so as he might prevail with God to supply his wants And a devout soul setting dilligently to this as St. Peter and the rest of the Twelve resolved to do Acts the 6th Vers 4. namely give themselves much to prayer as David did namely petition the Lord with his whole heart let it be in a set-Form that that praying soul goes to God that soul cannot want success long For if the Spirit it self as St. Paul speaks Romans the 8th Vers 26. be not yet helping his Infirmities it will not be long before he be with him making Intercessions for him i. e. working in him gronings that cannot be uttered nor long unanswered by his God if the things petitioned may be consistant with God's glory and the petitioners true good and what hinders that this soul praying to or praising God in a Form as before limited may not be accepted of God seeing God hath his whole demand of him in a way not inhibited by him as is evident Prov. 23. Vers 26. My son give me thy heart So that what St. James said of faith without works and of faith with works may be said of Common or set-Forms of Prayer without the heart going up to God with them and with the heart going up to God in or by them In the 17 Verse of the second Chapter he saith that faith if it hath not works is dead being alone and in Verse the 26th as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also faith with out works is like the body without the spirit it acts nothing to the good thereof Even so the best Forms of Common-Prayer if there be wanting in the man that utters or uses them a spirit or heart of supplication they prevail nothing with God for him they may be Vials but they are without Odours or Incense and so no sweet savour to God But then in the 22 Vers the Apostle that faith by works was made perfect and in the 23 Vers that by virtue thereof faith was imputed to Abraham for righteousness and he was called the friend of God Even so Common Forms for Prayer by fervent earnest supplicating hearts going to God in them the Common Prayers but as dead in themselves are thereby made perfect yea lively and the praying man thereby is owned of God and dealt by as his friend I shall now end my reasoning for the lawful and justifiable use of Common Forms of Prayer that suit our wants our hearts being in a praying condition with the practice of our Saviour in his bitter Agonies Matth. 26. Vers 39 and 42. there is mention of Christ's praying to the father for the Cup to pass from him and having no grant and resolving to seek God further for it in the 44 Vers 't is said he went away again and prayed the third time saving the same words And lastly To prevail with ye to come off from the dangerous Frrour ye are in as concerning the present I shall mind ye with the Reasons King Charles the First of most blessed memory hath laid down for the present purpose in his Observations upon the Ordinance against the Book of Common-Prayer I will write down some Paragraphs in that Tractate that they that have not his Book may read the Judgment of that blessed Martyr concerning the matter now in hand In the sixth Paragraph his Words are these For the manner of using set
and circumstances thereto belonging Deut. 5. vers 9. c. and withall look upon the latter part of the second Consideration at these words All that do serve him in any way or thing which he hath not himself commanded or appointed Deut. 7. vers 25 26 c. And ye shall see thus much to be imply'd and inserred The Proposition The Lord in the Scriptures hath set forth his own Worship and Service for us to perform and observe as to all the parts circumstances way and things thereto belonging Parts Circumstances any way and things are his own words as ye may read in the first and second Considerations and are secretly affirmed there by the Author of the Worship and Service of God to the same purpose I have predicated them in the Proposition To which I thus Answer As to the essential and absolutely necessary parts of our Worshipping and Serving God or as to what is to be believed and morally done by us to be saved I do grant they are contained and set forth first fully in the Old Testament and that by Moses from the Mouth of God though not so cleerly as since because of the Vail that was over so that then they could not steadfastly see to the end of them as St. Paul speaks 2 Cor. 3. vers 13. And they are again fully set forth in the New Testament and that by Jesu◠Christ from the Father John 12. vers 50. Whatsoever I speak therefore even as the father said unto me so I speak Whereupon Christ is called the Word John 1. vers 1. that is the Word of the Father because as the Father taught him so he spake John 8. vers 28. Therefore in respect to the setting forth fully the Worship and Service of God and way to Salvation as to the essential parts thereof both Christ and Moses have approbation by the Author to the Hebrews cap. 3. vers 1 2. Consider the Apostle and high Priest of our profession Christ Jesus 〈◊〉 faithful to him that appointed him as also Moses was faithful in all his house But to grant that the Worship and Service of God set forth so sufficiently by Moses or Christ as before granted was directed and order'd as to all the circumstances words ways and things by them or any under them is to grant more than can be proved by the Scriptures For to instance in one particular essential part or duty of Worship or Service we see that when God by Moses or his Son or by any under them have commanded men to call upon God by Prayer in time of need or to praise him for his goodness to them all the Circumstances of this Duty as to words or forms or places or number of times of Praying to God or Praising of him are not fully set forth by them neither by Precept nor Example for we see the Examples herein dissering Psal 119. vers 164. the Psalmist is at his Devotion seven times a day and Daniel is but three times Daniel 6. vers 10. And so as to the Posture or Gesture in performance of the Duty have not been the same Daniel's posture was kneeling in the place aforesaid Luke 18. vers 13. the Publican's was standing Deut. 9. vers 18. Moses's posture was sometimes falling down upon his Face at his Prayers And as much may be shewed as to other Duties So that from this hath been said 't is evident the circumstances wayes and things as the Author calls them as to the Worship and Service of God were not all commanded and appointed by God in the Author's sence Wherefore I cannot see but that our Church Liturgies are more justifiable than either the set Forms of the factious Persons which some of them desire should not seem to be set Forms by reason of their disuse of them for some considerable time yea and more justifiable than their Extemporary Prayers which they falsely and blasphemously call Praying by the Spirit Considering that both in their Composed Forms and Extemporary Prayers for the most part if not always they consent not to wholsome Words even the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ nor to the Doctrin which is according to Godliness to use the Apostle's Phrase in the first to Timothy cap. 6. vers 3. with neither of which can they charge our former or present Common-Prayer Book Look upon the former part of the second Consideration which begins thus How abominable and unacceptable to this holy just God have been all Idolatrous superstitious and false Services The Proposition is this as the Author's opinion All Idolatrous Superstitious and false Services are abominable and unacceptable to God Answer This Proposition I grant to be a Truth for God wills us to own him to be God yea and him alone 2 Kings cap. 19. vers 15. and Exod. 20. vers 2 3. I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the Land c. Thou shalt have no other gods but me As to godship lordship and absolute Supremacy God will indure no Corival in the heart of Man And whosoever ascribes to any Creature what the Scriptures have peculiarly attributed to God is guilty of Idolatry and Superstition also All therefore that is to be faulted in this consideration is the Author's misapplication of the Proposition for he applies it to them that worship God devoutly and call upon him fervently in a justifiable Form of Prayer And I see not but the Author in so applying the forementioned Proposition issuing out of that consideration how he can be guilty of less than Blasphemy in terming that Service of ours Idolatrous seeing we worship the true God rightly Where is our Idolatry or false Service in that Worship and Invocation Is it in our going to God by Prayer in time of need through the only Mediator betwixt God and Man Christ Jesus our Saviour As we do confessing with our Mouths because believing with our hearts that God is both able and willing to supply our wants as is necessary to be in devout souls in order to obtain at God's hands Hebrews 11. vers 6. In all this I hope we are neither Idolatrous nor false in our Service The Author might rightly have applied to himself and his Proselytes the Doctrin or Proposition considering his words in the seventh Consideration where he terms their own Speakers Soul-saving Teachers for in so saying he is both Idolatrous and Superstitious in ascribing that to themselves which is the peculiar of the infinite Wise God Isaiah 43. ver 11. I even I am the Lord and beside me there is no Saviour Is he not therein Idolatrous and Superstitious in ascribing to their own Teachers to be both the Fountain and Cunduit-pipe of Salvation or saving Grace as there he doth If not so I am sure he falls thereupon under St. Paul's reprehension of the carnal and ignorant Factions in the 1 Corimh cap. 3. ver 6. For indeed it will be evident when I come to speak of the aforesaid consideration that
that have been and are but such as our Saviour said the Scribeâ— Pharisees and Hypocrites were Mat. 23 ver 13. where he said they did Shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men did neither go in themselves nor suffer them that were entering to go in But before I pass from the Consideration and Proposition I must touch a little upon the latter part thereof which is also by the Author misapply'd to our Liturgy and them that use it He looks upon our Worshipping of God in that form to be a false Service and the chief places he brings to discover what a false Service is are Isaiah 66. ver 3 4. and Jerem. cap. 9. ver 13 14. where the Prophets give the reasons why God had no respect to Israels offerings and why he gave up the Land to perish and to be burnt and it was they say because the People had forsaken God's Laws and followed their own ways and their own abominations Now all this makes nothing against our Liturgy or the Worshippers of God by it for our Service-Book hath nothing in it against the Will of God or his Worship set forth in the Scriptures I conclude therefore that had the Author applied the false Service he there spake of and the recited places out of Isaiah and Jeremiah to himself and the rest of the Factious as to their Worship and Service he had done rightly for I am sure that their Service both as to Prayer and Instruction in most things was truly what they falsely charge upon us namely a false Service As to their Prayers King Charles the First of most Blessed memory hath evidenced the falseness of their Service seeing God by St. Paul to Timothy 1 Epist cap. 2. ver 1 2. exhorts That Prayers and Supplications should be made for Kings and all in Authority For in the last Paragraph but one in his Observations upon the Ordinance against the Common-Prayer Book His words follow thus One of the greatest faults some men found with the Common-Prayer Book I believe was this that it taught them to pray so oft for me to which Petitions they had not Loyalty enough to say Amen Nor yet Charity enough to forbear reproaches and even Cursings of me in their own Forms instead of Praying for me Look upon the third Consideration beginning thus How sorely and severely hath he punished those Kings Priests Prophets and People that have been false Worshippers and swerved from his holy Commandments 1 Kings 11.6 Num. 11.34 The Author's Proposition in this Consideration is as followeth God hath sorely and severely punished those Kings Priests Prophets and People that have been false Worshippers and swerved from his holy Commandments His Proofs as before Answ The Proposition is true but nothing concerns them that worship God by the Common-Prayer Book nor are the places he quotes for Proof against them that serve God that way for that the Prayers of our Church are put up to the true God we are not gone to the Abominations of this Amorites nor to the Abominations of this Author nor of his Followers the Lord keep us in the Worship we are in and of his Mercy bring them back to us To the fourth Consideration I shall say no more nor otherwise than the Author hath there said to us mutatis mutandis Let them consider whether God doth call upon any of them to offer him any such Service as theirs is and hath been And whether he may not say to them for their so doing as they have done as he did once to Judah Who hath required this at your hands Isa 1.12 Look into the fifth Consideration being this How inconsistent with the Day and Light of the Gospel is this Service God having sent his Word more fully and plainly to direct his Ministers and People and given his Spirit in a more abundant measure to help and enable them to call upon him This Consideration in the beginning of it considering what in the beginning of the Treatise the Author writes to the Composers Imposers c. of Common-Prayer contains manifestly in the Author's opinion this following Proposition as a truth To make use of set Forms of Prayer in the time of the Day and Light of the Gospel to put up the desires of our Hearts to God by is no way justificable 'T is plainly his opinion for he saith that this kind of Service is inconsistent with the Day and Light of the Gospel And the following part of his Consideration is in manner of a reason to confirm it for he saith that in the Day and Light of the Gospel God hath sent his Word more fully and plainly to direct his Ministers and People and given his Spirit in a more abundant measure to help and enable them to call upon him than by that way of Common or Set Forms of Prayer In the beginning of my Confutation of this Author in my justifying set Forms of Prayer as there limited and that from the practice of our Saviour in his drawing up and commanding the use of his set Form As also from the practice of David of St. Paul Timothy and others I have sufficiently overthrown this Proposition and his Argument and Reason also brought for confirmation of it considering that it was the time and day of the fullest Light and Promulgation of the Gospel and of God's enabling Men by his Spirit to call upon him that ever was since in which was the justification of set Forms of Prayer after by the forementioned Examples and Precedents Well but yet for further Answer let enquiry be made what time the Author here means by the Day and Light of the Gospel in which he says the Spirit was given in a more abundant measure to help c. For satisfaction herein It was not meant of the time of Moses David Christ John Baptist or the Apostles for as hath been shewed set Forms were consistent with those Days of Light and help of the Spirit to call upon God 'T is certain therefore that by these words in his consideration namely the Day and Light of the Gospel the Author means the times of the late Wars and horrid Rebellion the times he wrote and inveighed against the best set Form for publick Worship and Service of God that ever was extant before it namely the Common-Prayer Book before this And now as for a fuller Answer I grant that with those their Days of Light which was as great a darkness as ever was since Christ as to Spiritual things the Glorious Liturgy of our Church was inconsistent being a Worship and Service according to God's and Christ's Rule and Doctrine for that the practice of the Opposers of the Common-Prayer Book was diametrically opposite to the Day and Light of the Gospel of Christ and his Apostles and therefore could have no more Concord together than St. Paul said 2 Cor. 6.17 Christ and Belial could have which was none at all therefore it was notable policy though nothing of true
long Prayers either as that God's people should never use them there is sometimes occasion for both and a time when neither is to be neglected for a sudden Prayer we have warrant for and encouragement to from the practice and prevalency of the Disciples Matt. 8.25 When upon a sudden storm the ship was ready to sink and they to perish they run to Christ with Lord save us we perish And there is occasion sometimes for long Prayers as there was in the time of God's provocation by the sins of Israel and Aaron when it was the Lord's resolution to have destroi'd them Deut. 9. vers 18 19. then Moses is at Prayer forty days and forty nights Which is also upon extraordinary occasions the practice of our Church for in the times of God's heavy Judgments upon the Land or upon some particular place theref the sure Evidences of God's displeasure because of our sins then our Church appoints days of Humiliation and the Prayers to God upon those days are lengthned then as well as fitted to the present occasions Which is also ordinarily the practice of our Church it being our duty from St. Paul's churge sometimes to remember in our Prayers all Men Kings and all in Authority Hereâ—â—on our Church lengthens our Prayers at times by the Litany and so that 't is hard to find where the concern of any one man is neglected yea and so well 't is composed also as to brevity fulness and 〈◊〉 to the dispatch of the Duty injoyned that I heard our late Bishop Reynolds where judgment was of high esteem with them of the Author's faction if they did not dissemble 〈◊〉 give it this Eâ—comium That it was the most excellent composed Prayer that ever was used in the Worship of God since the times of Christ and his Apostles and said He was of opinion that is â—ll the Divines then living shoulâ— join 〈◊〉 in making another they couldl not parallel it But let 's look now upon the third respect their lat City of refuge as to the present concern which is their more spiritual powerful and aâ—â— mentative way to be used in Prayer to prevail with God In which respect I preâ—â—â—e they challenge to themselves a more abundant help of the Spirit as to Prayer than others yea than those that composed this Form of Common Prayer for the Church and themselves to seek God by Well now as to the trval hereof we must to the Orale or Word of God and consider of the Precedents and Directions therein as to the way of powerfulness and prevalency with God by Prayer and see whose Pravers the Churches or theirs be best sitted to help the souls of people to a fiduciary servent and effectual way of praying to God or which be most sutable to Scripture Directions herein And as to lead to this we need go no further than to our blessed Saviour helping his Church in their Devotions and Pravers mait 6. vers 9. After this manner therefore pray ye Our Father which art in heaven c. Heb. 11. vers 6. The spirit of Christ tells us that without Faith it is impossible to please God in the performance of any Duty and there concludes that he that goes to God by Prayer effectually he must believe that God is both able and willing to relieve them that diligently seek him that is the summ of that place Now Christ as helping devont souls to obtain at God's hands the things they stood in need of by Prayer directs them in the beginning to the minding of that may raise and continue in the praying foul a faith or belief in God in order to a diligent seeking of God so as he may obtain Our Father which art in heaven for there he remembers them with the power of God to help in that he tells them God is in heaven to whom they pray and therefore above the reach of earthly things to hinder his will he also there minds them that he is as willing to relieve as able in remembrancing them he is their Father And in the close of his Direction he teacheth them to argue even undeniably with God to grant their requests For says he thine is the kingdom the power and the glory here are strong Arguments to incline a God of power of truth of justice of mercy and of greatness as God is to vouchsafe the things he directed his Church to ask and whereof they stand in need For there he teacheth his Church to remembrance God that he doth no wrong to any in granting their desired necessities they mind him he hath right to dispose of where he please the things they begged Secondly they mind him 't is in his power to grant their desires And lastly in the close of all they mind God of his own advantage upon the grant of their requests yea and enter into a Covenant also to be for ever thankful to God upon his granting their requests all these are couched together in that close commonly called by Divines the Doxology of that Prayer for thine is the kingdom the power and the glory for ever and over Amen And now having briefly considered of the direction of our Saviour as to the most powerful and effectual way of Prayer let 's peruse some of the Prayers of our Church Liturgy and some of the Prayers of them who have so undervalued and neglected the same and let the World and themselves judge who come nearest the Directory and Liturgy of our Saviour and the practice of God's Saints in the Scriptures herein And I 'le begin with the beginning of our Liturgy that pithy and effectual though short Form of Confession and Supplication in order to forgiveness of sins past and of amendment of life for the future As the due and fullest confession of sins is an infallible way so also 't is an only way to obtain forgiveness of sins upon supplication thereof through Christ Which we see in the Prodigal being come to himself and after that to his Father in the same way Luke 15. vers 17 21 22. Now that devout souls might come up to a due performance of both our Church follows our Saviour's fore-mentioned Directions It begins with Almighty and most merciful Father A Procemium fitted to help every sinful confitent and petitioner to faith to continuance and increase in faith so as they may return with the Prodigal's hope and desire to God their heavenly Father Almighty God and with as happy a success as he did to his For here is means fit to help sinners to go to God in 〈◊〉 faithful hope of forgiveness and consequently to seek it of him diligently For here they are briefly instructed they are going to him for forgiveness and for their wants who is the most merciful Father in the World nay to him whose compassion and inclination to forgiveness is as far beyond an earthly Father's as the Heavens are higher than the Earth Isa 55. vers 9. which thing is argued by our