and religious have the same violent passion for prescribed Forms 3. We must beg his Lordships pardon if we cannot easily believe 't is only Conscience that makes the Conforming Clergy so generally decline Extemporary Prayers For if by Extempore Prayers he means such as are free and unconfin'd to any prescribed Forms he seems himself to own p. 54. That there are some occasions that require it even in publick p. 54. and I see no ground to doubt but that they are ordinarily more convenient then set Forms if those Prayers be most convenient that tend most to raise true Devotion in the minds of the People But we must much more beg his Lp's pardon for not believing what he adds for Confirmation of this account of their disusing free Prayer For it seems a very surprizing Discovery that he has made to us when he tells us p. 186. 'T is manifest that Extemporary Prayers wou'd be much more easy to most of us and less burthensom then the service we use You may think otherwise but assure your selves that you are mistaken And I dare appeal to those that have tried both whether is most easie There are such both amongst you and us that have made the experiment And I dare refer it to 'em to declare on their Consciences which of the two Services they look on to be the greater burthen to him that performs ' em Whatever you may think if we wou'd indulg our selves It were no hard matter for the meanest of us to pass an Extemporary Prayer on our Auditory or turn the heads of our Sermon into one Ans We pay a great deference to his Lp's Judgment but we cannot without offering great violence to our own understandings bring 'em to assent to so incredible a Paradox meerly because 't is deliver'd with so extraordinary an Air of assurance much less can we entertain that as a manifest Truth which to us seems so contrary to common sense For we cannot imagine what unsupportable burthen it shou'd be for a man to read the Service of the Church when he has the Book before him unless when he is pain'd with sore eyes or terribly hoarse with a great Cold For then it may possibly be some considerable Trouble to him But for a Minister to deliver a free Prayer in a Publick Assembly And the Bp. knows the Dissenters are seldom accused for theirs being too short requires both serious Meditation before hand to suit it to the occasion and to the state of his People and the Laborious Exercise of his Judgment his Invention and Memory which is a real burthen and difficulty to those that are not by deep Study and frequent Exercise habituated to it Nay tho the Dissenters shou'd Pray in that new way his Lp. has contriv'd for 'em by patching together several pieces of old Forms to make a new dress of it yet this wou'd require some Exercise of their Judgment and Memory to tack 'em right together and to repeat 'em without hesitation And this sure is not so easie a matter as what he cannot deny every School-boy to be capable of viz. to turn over the leaves and Read what is usually in a fair and large Print His Lp. may if he please appeal from common sense to Experience but by all that I have yet convers'd with on this Subject his assertion seems as strange to them as it does to us Nor can I meet with any of these Vertuoso's in Devotion that pretend upon any Experiments they have made to give their suffrage to his new Observation We do not indeed doubt of his Lp's Abilities but he must allow us to doubt of those of the body of the inferior Clergy who I fear wou'd think it a severe imposition upon 'em if their Diocesans shou'd oblige 'em to the frequent Exercise of their Talents this way For I have heard several Clergy-men of no mean parts complain of the unhappy inability for free Prayer that general disuse had brought upon 'em and I believe I might herein with much better reason appeal to Experience But since his Lp's hand is in for Paradoxes I think he shou'd have added one more viz. That 't is manifest that 't is a far greater burden for the Clergy to Read the Homilies of the Church or other Mens Sermons than to Preach Sermons of their own and I doubt not he may with as much reason appeal to the Experience of those that have tried both to attest the Truth of it And if he can make good the Truth of these two Paradoxes the N.C. Ministers will hence forward pass for lazy Drones while the poor Readers of the Church are accounted the truest Labourers But to give the latter their due the most of 'em take too much pains for that sorry hire that 's allow'd 'em by such of their Brethren as are laborious enough to engross Church-Livings but too far consult their ease to make the Duties of their Function any burthen to ' em Lastly For his Request to the Dissenting Laiety That they wou'd believe he heartily desires and studies the good of their Souls I hope they are willing to gratify him herein as far as rational Charity can allow Only it wou'd greatly facilitate their Belief of it if they found him more tender of their good Name and just Reputation And they are sory to find that notwithstanding all his professions of good-will he shou'd shew so little regard to that not only in a continued Series of unjust Accusations through his whole Book but especially in the following words in which he has drawn up a comprehensive Summary charge sufficient to render 'em odious if it be believ'd but they are confident too apparently groundless to gain credit with any that will pass a Righteous and Impartial Judgement on these matters His Lp's words are For how is it possible that any Man that has a Zeal for the Purity of God's worship shou'd not have his Spirit mov'd within him to see a well meaning People so strangely mis-led as to content themselves to meet together perhaps for some years with a design to worship God and yet hardly ever see any thing of God's Immediate Appointment in their Meetings Now to my thoughts this is manifestly the case of many of you since a Man may frequent some Meetings among you for some years and never hear a Prayer a Psalm or Chapter which has been imediately dictated by God and never be call'd on to bow his knee to God or see either Minister or People Address themselves to him in that humble posture Lastly never see any body offer to Administer or desire to Receive the Food of Life in the Lord's Supper These are melancholy Reflections to me who believe that God has requir'd these in his Worship And therefore I hope you will take it in good part that I Endeavour to Restore them to you Ans If the Case of the Dissenters be truly such as the Bp. Represents it His Zeal to recover the
one or the other way more convenient nay the general Rule of doing all to Edification may perhaps in some cases oblige men to the one and in some to the other I might say the same concerning singing in Prose or Meetre Reading a larger entire portion of Scripture without Exposition or a lesser with it c. So that in these cases wise men are very cautious on what grounds they go when they censure the Worship of others as unlawful or charge it with sinful human Inventions and confident Accusers do but usually betray their own Ignorance 2. We that are Christians shou'd chiefly attend to the Rules and Examples of the New Testament for our direction in the Worship of God For those of the Old Testament no farther concern us than as any Rules deliver'd there belong to the Moral Law and the Reason of such Examples equally extends to us as it did to them And indeed to urge the Precepts or Patterns of the Worship us'd under the Old Testament any farther were to bring us again under the Mosaical Pedagogy And as I hope None will deny me these 2 reasonable Postulata so the usefulness of 'em in these Enquiries will appear in many of the Remarks on the following Chapters which I shall now address my self to the consideration of Remarks on the 1 Chapter concerning Praises ANd here I shall so far observe the same method his Lp. has laid down as First to consider the directions of Scripture concerning this part of Divine Worship and then the Application his Lp. makes of 'em to the manner of performing it in the Establisht Church and in the Dissenters Congregations First As to the Directions of the H. Scriptures concerning this part of Divine VVorship I shall offer what follows as the Result of the most diligent Enquiry I cou'd make and hope 't is a juster as well as clearer Account than that his Lp. has given There are but these 2 ways of offering our publick Praises to God enjoyn'd in the New Testament viz. either by Singing Psalms Hymns and Spiritual Songs or by Thanksgiving without vocal Melody I. As to Thanksgiving without vocal Melody I wou'd observe 1. VVe have most express command for it as one principal stated part of our publick VVorship 1 Tim. 2.1 I exhort therefore that first of all Supplications Prayers Intercession and giving of thanks be made for all men c. And this part of VVorship was usually joyn'd with that of Prayer Thus 4 Phil. 6. In every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God So 4 Col. 2. 1 Thes 5.17 18. And accordingly Blessing or Giving of Thanks is mention'd as one stated part of the Devotions of Christian Assemblies 1 Cor. 14. v. 16. And that those Thanksgivings were different from Psalms or Songs is hence evident both because they were to be varied according to their different occasions for 'em from the mercies they daily receiv'd which such Psalms or Songs cou'd not be For those are always suppos'd to be a sett invariable form of words and because they were ordinarily intermixt with publick Prayer 2. For the matter of these Publick Thanksgivings the New Testament chiefly directs us to insist on those peculiar mercies of God to us thro a Mediator which the Gospel most clearly reveals to us and of which there is either none or but very obscure mention made in any Forms of Thanksgiving recorded in the Old For if we go thro all the solemn Thanksgivings that occur in the New Testament we shall find 'em to run in a strain as much sublimer than that of those in the Old as that clearer transcends that obscurer Revelation How sutable to the Evangelical dispensation is that Thanksgiving of the Ap. Paul 1 Eph. 3.4 5 c. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blest us with all spiritual Blessings in heavenly things in Christ According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world that we shou'd be holy and blameless before him in love Having predestinated us to the Adoption of children by Christ to himself c. Or that of the same Inspired Writer 1 Col. 12 13. c. Of the same strain is that of the Ap. Peter 1 Ep. 1 Ch. 3 4 c. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again to a lively hope by the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an Inheritance incorruptible undefil'd and that never fades away reserv'd in Heaven for us c. See 1 Rev. 5.6 unto him that lov'd us and wash't us from our Sins in his own Blood and hath made us Kings and Priests to God c. 5 Rev. 13 14 c. These are certainly the best Patterns after which our publick Thanksgivings in Christian Assemblies shou'd be drawn And no Thanksgivings recorded in the Old Testament do so expresly and clearly mention these inestimable blessings of the New-Covenant or the matchless love of our God and Saviour in the manner of conferring 'em as these recorded in the New and consequently our praises shou'd ordinarily as to the very matter of 'em greatly differ from and go beyond those us'd in the Jewish Church 3. We read of no other part the people had in these publick thanksgivings in the New Testament more than their adding their Amen to ' em So much these words of the Ap. Paul imply 1 Cor. 14.16 Else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit how shall he that occupies the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks All Expositors on the place refer it to the custom of the peoples saying Amen at the end of publick prayers and praises I might produce the testimony of Justin Martyr and other ancient Christian Writers of the 3 first Centuries to this purpose but since the Bishop seems to allow this Exposition p. 42. I need insist no farther on it here And 't is the more requisite to take notice of this way of praysing God by Thanksgivings without vocal melody because the Bp. seems to confound it with that other way of praysing God with Psalms and from which 't is plainly distinguish'd And this leads me to consider II. The Prayses the New Testament requires us to offer unto God by Singing And what was to be thus sung we may learn from those 2 passages of the Ap. Paul cited by the Bishop 5. Eph. 19. and 3 Col. 16. viz. Psalms Hymns and spiritual Songs or Odes On which passages I wou'd make the following Remarks I do fully agree with the Bishop that this Passage of the Apostle's do's warrant our use of the Psalms of David in our publick praises because 't is highly probable the word Psalms refers to ' em But then I must add 't is no less probable that the Apostle do's by Hymns and spiritual songs intend others besides those of H. David
they might be sung 'T is certainly most agreeable to the example of Scripture to turn 'em into metre for the same end and use III. For Responses There is no doubt that in such places of Scripture as the Bp. has alledg'd 7 Rev. from the 9th to the 13th Tho in the paraphrasing this Text 7 Rev. 11 12. his Lp. commits an odd mistake in supposing the Angels and Elders to joyn in saying what we read v. 12. whereas 't is the Angels alone to whom that part belongs tho they stood about the Throne and about the Elders and the 4 Beasts 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 19 Rev. The instance of Miriam The 24th and 118th Ps and especially in the Song of Solomon which his Lp. seems to have forgot There is an Allusion to dramatick writings But 't is observable that there is some difference in the persons introduc'd as answering one another and in the matter spoken that requir'd this alternate way of singing But I see nothing the Bp. has produc'd to make it probable that this way of alternate singing was the ordinary practice of the Christian Church in the New Testament He do's indeed alledg those words of the Ap. Paul to that purpose 1 Cor. 14.31 For ye may all Prophesy one by one c. which he tells us amounts to praising God by way of Responses because prophesying he saith includes Psalms Doctrines Tongues Revelations and Interpretations p. 11. But 't is strange his Lp. shou'd examine his criticisms no better For if he compare the 26 v. of that Chapter with the 6th he 'll easily find that prophesying instead of including all those things mention'd v. 26. is distinguisht from 'em v. 6th And if he 'll compare this 31 v. with those that precede and those that follow it he cannot but see that it imports only a direction to the Prophets to speak in their due order without interrupting one another since that God in whose name they spake was not the Author of confusion but of peace v. 33. And accordingly some judicious Expositors understand these words v. 32. The spirits of the Prophets are subject to the Prophets of those that were inspir'd being capable of refraining to speak even what they had an impulse for till they cou'd do it in regular order IV. For Instruments of Musick there 's no Question of their being us'd in the Worship of the Jewish Church But then it must be consider'd that 't is highly probable these Instruments of Musick belong'd not to the Worship of their Synagogues but only to the service of their Temple And there was a particular Institution for 'em as appears from Numb 10. 32 Levit. 23 24. And those other Instruments of Musick which David appointed 1 Chron. 16.4 5. he is expresly said to have done it upon the Commandment of the Lord by his Prophets 2 Chron. 29.25 And they are on that account call'd God's Musical Instruments 1 Chron. 16.22 and 2 Chron. 7.6 as having the stamp of his Authority Nor dos the single instance of Miriam's Timbrels signify any more to prove that the use of 'em was no part of the Ceremonial Law than the use of Sacrifices before Moses's time can prove that they were not Besides Miriam being there call'd the Prophetess there is just reason to suppose that she us'd those Timbrels upon a particular impulse as David is said to have instituted his upon such a particular command from the inspired Prophets Since then Instrumental Musick belong'd to the Temple-service which was but ceremonial and typical it must be abolisht with that service And we can have no warrant to recall it into the Christian Church without as particular an Institution for it as it had under the Law any more than we have to use other abrogated rites of the Jewish Religion Nor needs there any particular command for laying it aside when the whole Temple-service of which 't is a part is so plainly cashier'd and it was not that we can find us'd in the Worship of the Synagogues from which alone we can pretend to draw any safe Pattern for Evangelical Worship And 't is certain that there 's no mention of it's being us'd in the Worship of the Christian Church And indeed it seems more sutable to divine Worship when there was more of external pomp allow'd in it I confess his Lp. would persuade us the Apostles recommend such musical Instruments because the Ap. James when he exhorts those that were merry to sing Psalms uses the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 5 James 13. which he tells us signifies in the Original singing with an Instrument p. 13. But sure his Lp. can lay no stress on this Argument when 't is so apparently weak and so often concludes wrong Of which I shall give him a parallel instance of his own He tells us p. 111. that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word generally us'd in the New Testament for Worship signifies in the Original to pay homage by kissing the hand And might he not as wisely infer from thence that we are still oblig'd to pay our external homage the same way But if he look again on that passage of the Ap. James he will find this slender criticism too weak a foundation for Organs to stand on because the Apostle cou'd not reasonably suppose all those to have Instruments of Musick by 'em or to be capable of using 'em whom he there exhorts to vent their spiritual joys by singing of Psalms Since then there is no warrant for Instrumental Musick from either precept or example in the New Testament the Bp. is oblig'd by his own principles on that account to turn it out of the Church And indeed for the Cathedral Musick 't is hard to reconcile it with 1 Cor. 14.11 15 26. For the Apostle requires that all things be done to Edification and consequently that no worship be offer'd up but what is clearly understood since if we know not the meaning of the voice of him that speaks he is but a Barbarian to us Now the generality of the people complain that the Chaunters and Choristers are just such Barbarians to 'em because their voice is not so articulate as to enable 'em to understand what they play or sing Secondly Having consider'd the Directions of the Scripture relating to this part of Religious Worship Let us consider the Application thereof to the Praises of God as celebrated in the Establisht Church and in the Dissenters Congregations And before I enter on the Representation that his Lp. gives I shall only briefly suggest That 't is evident from the foregoing scriptural Account That the way of praising God among the Dissenters is exactly suited to the precepts and examples of the New Testament relating to this religious duty For they praise God both 1. By solemn Thanksgivings and those suited to that glorious Revelation of the Gospel and the peculiar Subjects of Praise it furnishes us with not excluding what the Providence of God towards
we must do it on the uncertain credit of Rabbinical Writers whose testimony is of little value and not on the testimony of the H. Scripture yet I see not how the Bp. can make any more of this than that our Saviour thought it not unlawful to joyn in such publick forms of prose-prayer but it will by no means follow that he preferr'd such publick forms before free-prayers and design'd by his practice to recommend the former to the Christian Church to the exclusion of the latter For as I shall shew him anon there are strong presumptions to the contrary And yet unless his Lp. cou'd draw this Inference from our Saviour's and the Apostles practice I see little service it can do him Nay I fear if the Argument from our Saviour's and his Apostles practice herein be urg'd so far it will prove much more than those intend who use it For it will prove that we ought in imitation of their example to retain and adhere to that Liturgy which these Gentlemen pretend the Jews had and which they tell us they can yet produce the particular parts of to whose forms of Prayer Dr. Comber tells us that our Saviour added his and was herein so afraid of Innovation as to take every sentence out of the jewish Forms then in use * Orig. of Lis. p. 6. If so why is not this jewish Liturgy still us'd by us If we must have a stinted Liturgy such a one were most unexceptionable as we are sure our Saviour approv'd by joyning in Why then shou'd ordinary Pastors presume to frame Liturgys of their own and use that liberty in composing 'em which our Saviour was too mâ—dest to allow himself And why shou'd they impose so many forms on others when our great Master impos'd but one and such a one as he borrow'd the very sentences of from the Forms then publickly us'd So that these Gentlemen shou'd if they will be consistent with themselves plead for laying aside our Liturgy and using that old one which Dr. Lightfoot has so happily retriev'd for us out of the Jewish Rabbins I wou'd therefore advise 'em to use this Argument from the practice of the Jewish Church in our Saviour's time about which we are at the best but very uncertain with great tenderness and caution least they overdo with it and least the jewish Liturgy instead of under propping the Common-Prayer-Book undermine and throw it down 2. He tells us p. 31. That our Saviour has put this matter out of all dispute with impartial men by prescribing a Form to his Disciples when they desired him to teach them to pray as John did his Disciples For we find his way of teaching 'em was not by directing 'em to wait for the impulses of the Spirit and immediate Inspiration from God of what they were to offer up to him We do not find him saying When ye pray speak what shall then come into your minds or what shall be given you in that hour without taking thought about what they shou'd say c. But here is an express command of Christ to his Disciples to use these words when they pray Answ His Lp. has a very happy faculty of arguing matters of Dispute before he state 'em For indeed the stating 'em might chance to spoyl all the force of his Arguments and therefore he generally thinks it more adviseable to let that alone He tells us Our Saviour has put this matter out of all Dispute with impartial Men by prescribing a Form to his Disciples What matter of Dispute dos his Lp. mean Is it whether a form of Prayer be lawfull Or is it whether our Saviour has prescrib'd a stinted Liturgy to the Christian Church in their publick Administrations or whether he has commission'd Ordinary Pastors to prescribe and impose such a Liturgy and confine others to the use of it Or whether he in general enjoyns us to pray only by a Form or not ordinarily without one If he mean the first whether a Form of Prayer be lawfull That 's no matter of Dispute at all between the Dissenters and the Establisht Church for as I shall shew him anon there is never a Meeting in which they do not use one and there are many in which this particular form of prayer is constantly us'd So that if this be all he wou'd prove he may spare his labour tho perhaps his Arguments for this are not altogether so convincing and solid as he imagines If the Question be whether our Saviour has prescrib'd a stinted Liturgy to the Christian Church as one wou'd think it shou'd What signifies his prescribing this single form to the proof of it unless the Bp thinks our Liturgy shou'd consist only of that one prayer or cou'd produce more forms prescrib'd by our Saviour to make up a Liturgy And if he cou'd do that what will become of the Service-Book What have we to do with that human Invention when we have a Liturgy appointed and compos'd by our Saviour himself If the Quest be Whether our Saviour has commission'd the ordinary Pastors of the Church to prescribe and impose publick Forms what dos all he here alledges about this single form prescrib'd by Christ signifie to prove any such thing when he can produce no such commission nor the least shadow of it in all the New Testament nay when the Rules of it about Prayer seem rather inconsistent with any such Commission as I shall shew him anon If the Quest be Whether our Saviour in general enjoyns us to pray only by a form or not ordinarily without one what dos any thing his Lp. has alledg'd signifie to the right determination of this Question If he design to prove that Christ by prescribing this form has enjoynd in general our Praying only by a sett form and never otherwise as one wou'd think his following words wou'd import when he tells us That our Saviour's teaching 'em was not by directing 'em to wait for the impulses of the Spirit and immediate Inspiration from God of what they were to offer up to him We do not find him saying when ye pray speak what shall come into your minds or what shall be given you in that hour without taking thought about what they were to say he knows well enough his Argument is no way conclusive For he himself owns that God has not forbidden all extempore prayers nay owns that some occasions require the use of 'em in publick and that in such cases a man may depend on the assistance of God's Spirit when he has not-time to reduce his desires into form before he offers 'em p. 54 55. He cannot therefore without contradicting himself pretend that our Saviour by prescribing this form intended to exclude all extempore or free prayer Nor is there any force in the Argument to prove that our Saviour intended to oblige us ordinarily to pray by a form because he once prescrib'd one as a comprehensive summary of our desires For his general Rules
as I shall observe anon do far more directly favour and countenance free prayer than this one instance dos the use of forms especially of forms impos'd by others about which the main dispute lyes And what he has here offer'd to confirm it signifies nothing to the purpose or if it did wou'd prove too much For our Saviour may teach men the way of free prayer without directing 'em to wait for the Impulscs of the Spirit and immediate Inspiration from God since none pretend to such impulses and immediate inspiration as necessary in order to it He himself owns that in cases of necessity we may depend on the assistance of the Spirit to pray extempore and yet he dos not I hope mean we may expect such immediate inspiration Nay our Saviour may advise us to free prayer without telling us We must speak what comes into our minds or shall be given us in that hour without taking thought what we are to say For free prayer is so far from excluding serious premeditation that no man shou'd use it especially in publick without it unless in cases of absolute necessity Nay if this reason signify'd any thing it wou'd prove too much that we are never to pray extempore at all because we have no ground even in cases of necessity to expect such immediate Inspiration And here I wou'd once for all caution his Lp. against that common mistake he seems to run into as if we imagin'd the assistance of the H. Spirit in Prayer to lye in immediately dictating our words to us Whereas we no more expect that in Prayer than in Preaching For we suppose this Gift of Prayer to be a common gift And tho we have known many private Christians whose natural parts in all other things are but weak and low endued by the Spirit of God with a considerable measure of this Gift as the fruit and reward of their diligence in this duty Yet we doubt not that many natural Endowments as readiness of apprehension copiousness of fancy tenderness of affection fluency of expression may contribute much to dispose a man for greater eminency in it Nor do we think the assistance of the H. Spirit in this duty alters that style or way of expression that nature or custom has habituated men to So that the H. Spirit is no more accountable for the indecent expressions of good men in Prayer than in Preaching tho we may expect his help both in our endeavours to acquire abilities and gifts for these duties and in the exercise of ' em But before I dismiss what he hath said in reference to this Prayer of our Lord I shall subjoyn the following Remarks thereon 1. If it shouâ—â— bâ— granted that our Saviour gave this as a Form of Prayer to his Disciples and intended it for the perpetual use of his Church yet no more can be inferr'd from thence than our obligation to use that particular 〈◊〉 For if he had intended our ordinary use of other Forms 't is reasâ—nable to suppose he wou'd have prescrib'd 'em himself or commission'd his Apostles to do so or instructed them to leave some orders with other ordinary Pastors to have compos'd ' em 2. Many learned men that do allow the Lord's Prayer to have been a prescrib'd Form do not think it design'd for the perpetual use of the Church but only for a temporary Form To this purpose they observe that the three first Petitions Hallowed be thy Name Thy Kingdom come Thy Will be done c. seem to be chiefly calculated both to the doctrine which Christ as well as John deliver'd concerning the Kingdom of God being at hand and to the expectation the pious Jews then generally entertain'd of the Messiah's Kingdom being publickly set up in the world They observe farther that in the Petition for forgiveness of sins There is not the least mention made of the sacrifice the death or blood of Christ in vertue whereof we must now sue for pardon whereas our Saviour after his Resurrection and Ascention is every where propos'd as our High-Priest Mediator Intercessor and Advocate of which there is no notice taken in this Form And hence they suppose that 't is on this account that our Lord long after the delivery of this Form tells his Disciples 16 Joh. 24. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my Name and therefore he requires 'em now to ask the Father in his Name and assures 'em he will grant their Petitions And accordingly they observe that the Doxologys mention'd in Scripture after our Saviour's Ascension lead us directly and expresly to ascribe our Praises to God by Christ or in his Name of which there is not the least hint in that us'd in the Ld's-Prayer Whence they conclude it to be chiefly suited to the state of the Disciples of Christ while under his personal Ministry on Earth in which the principal mysteries of the Gospel that depended on his Death Resurrection and Ascension were not yet so â—learly reveal'd And the more some labour to prove these Peâ—itions taken out of some Jewish Forms the more do they strengâ—hen this Opinion That this Form was no farther intended for our â—â—se than as a Pattern in respect of the things pray'd for but was â—ot so much as to be a Pattern in respect of the manner of prayâ—ng In which respect 't is most reasonable to suppose our manner â—f praying shou'd greatly differ from that of the Jews particuâ—arly by being offer'd up in the name of Christ I do not give this opinion as my own but propose it to his Lp's â—onsideration to allay that confidence wherewith he asserts so poâ—itively our obligation to the constant use of the Lords Prayer for which I do not see any thing so Plausible and Probable produc'd â—y him as the Authors of this Opinion alledg in favour of it For â—e tells us without any limitation that we are particularly Commandâ—d whenever we pray to use this Prayer For which Assertion I can â—ee no shew of Proof Nor can I reconcile it to those many Instanâ—es of Prayer recorded in the New Testament in none of which do we Read of this being us'd Nay I do not think his Lp. or any Man else supposes himself oblig'd to use the Lords Prayer always â—e pray whenever we crave a Blessing on our food But dos his Lp. â—lways use the Lords Prayer on that occasion So that we must be cautious of stretching our Saviours words too far For if we shou'd take 'em in their most strict sense we shou'd never offer up any other Prayer but that at all 3. The compilers of the Directory seem to give the most fair and just Account of the Lords Prayer viz. That it was chiefly design'd as a perfect Pattern but may also be conveniently us'd as a Form of Prayer That 't is a perfect Pattern his Lp-will not deny and the admirable method and order as well as the comprehensiveness of it's Petitions shew it be so as to the matter
a Souldier to be without skill in the use of Arms from its special advantages and fruits as enabling a man on all occasions to relate his condition and suit his desires and expressions according to several emergencys and from the inconveniences a man is expos'd to by the want of it when being surpriz'd with any sudden exigency or strait he knows not how to relate his condition or bespeak God's assistance without having recourse to some prescribed Form which perhaps has no proper reference to the particular occasion p. 22 23 24. And I cannot better represent our judgment concerning these 2 different modes of Praying than in his excellent words What one saith of Counsel to be had from Books may be fitly applied to this Prayer by Book That 't is commonly of it self something flat and dead floating for the most part too much in generalitys and not particular enough for each several occasion There is not that life and vigour in it to engage the affections as when it proceeds immediately from the soul it self and is the natural expression of those particulars whereof we are most sensible And if it be a fault not to strive and labour after this gift much more is it to jeer and despise it by the name of extempore-prayer and praying by the Spirit which expressions as they are frequently us'd by some men by way of reproach are for the most part the sign of a profane heart and such as are altogether strangers from the power and comfort of this duty p. 12. Thus far that learned and pious Bp. whose sentiments in this matter are I perceive very different from his Lp's 4. They are far from excluding premeditation in the exercise of this Gift of Prayer On the contrary they think it ordinarily necessary as to the matter of our Prayers Nay they do not exclude all premeditation as to words any farther than the tying our selves to a Form of 'em may shut out such sutable petitions as the Spirit of God may suggest to our minds in the fervour of our Devotions which did not occur to 'em in our previous meditation And therefore they think the name of extempore and much more that of unpremeditated Prayers very unfit to express those which they offer up according to such an ability and gift For they suppose that such as pray with others especially in publick Assemblys shou'd prepare themselves for it by considering before-hand the particular cases and necessities of those that joyn with ' em And against such Prayers I can find nothing in that Text he alledges When thou goest to the house of God be not rash with thy mouth and let not thine heart be hasty to utter any thing before God For God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth therefore let thy words be few 5 Eccles 1 2. For sure his Lp. cannot think they enjoyn of Prayers by a prescrib'd Liturgy For if we pray so there 's no need of this caution that we shou'd not be rash with our mouth and that our wâ—rds be but â—ew because it will not lye in our power to enlarge or contract what we say when we confine our selves to the words that others dictate to us The Text dos indeed properly refer to private vows in the house of God but may by parity of reason be suppos'd to forbid our Praying without due premeditation and multiplying our expressions without any sutable affections Which caution we account very necessary in all free-prayers even in private and much more in publick ones So that this place affords a much stronger Argument for Free-prayers than against ' em 5. They do not condemn all Forms of Prayer either in private or publick as unlawful in themselves They recommend such Forms to those whose inability renders such helps needful Many of their practical writings propose such Forms to the ignorant and weak The Westminster-Assembly expresly recommend the use of the Ld's-Prayer as a Form Nay the Nâ— Ministers that treated with those commissionated by K. Charles the 2d at the Savoy propos'd a Reformed Liturgy with some allowance of liberty to Ministers for free occasional Prayer as a ground of accommodation Of which I shall have occasion to take more notice in what follows Having premis'd this just Account of the Dissenters Principles I come II. To examine those which his Lp. ascribes to 'em p. 43 44 c. which I shall do in his own words least I shou'd be thought to wrong him as notoriously as he has done his Brethren Speaking concerning their way of Prayer I shall endeavour saith he to represent it with all fairness and impartiality and leave you to judge as God shall direct you and as you 'll answer it at the last day 1. And here I find that some of your Writers are of opinion that the Spirit of Prayer is given to all the children of God in some measure for enabling their hearts to conceive and their tongues to express convenient desires to God and that therefore Forms of Prayer are of no necessary use either in publick or private on the contrary that they stint the Spirit and hinder men from stirring up or using that Gift that God has given ' em 2. Others of you go farther and affirm that all Forms of Prayer are unlawful to Christians and that therefore 't is a sin to joyn in a Worship where they are us'd or to be present at it 3. That the Minister is the mouth of the Congregation and and that he only is to speak publickly to God in behalf of the people and that they are not to joyn their voices but only their hearts with him Upon these Principles you forsake our Worship c. And First For that position of your Directory that the Spirit of Prayer is given to all the children of God in some measure for enabling their hearts to conceive and their tongues to express convenient desires to God I entreat you to consider what promise or foundation it has in Scripture c. and in the same p. 45. This Doctrine is a meer Invention of men and the Worship built on it a vanity in the sense of our Saviour 7 Mark 7. This Principle his Lp. largely endeavors to confute from p. 45. to p. 53. where he calls it the great Principle of the Dissenters Worship and tells the people Now my friends it lies upon your Teachers who are of this persuasion to produce plain Scripture for your Principles or else to confess c. Again p. 62. he falls severely on this poor Principle Answ I am afraid I shall much surprize his Lp. when I tell him that I can find no such Principle nor indeed any thing like it either in sense or sound in the whole Directory I wou'd therefore entreat him to read it over once more that he may oblige me with the account of the page where it lies And I may the more reasonably request this favour of him because he has put me to the
trouble of reading it twice or thrice over on this occasion to no purpose And I suppose the Reverend Compilers of the Directory gave him no commission to coyn principles for 'em meerly that he might have the satisfaction of confuting ' em But I 'll do him the Justice he has not done them by acquainting the Reader that upon a strict enquiry I suppose his Lp. has mistaken some directions of a General Assembly in Scotland concerning secret and Family Worship c. printed there A. D. 1647. for the Directory of publick Worship publisht by the Assembly of Divines at Westminster A. D. 1644. And if I be in the right in this conjecture I must add that I cou'd very easily forgive him this mistake if he had us'd any sincerity in representing the judgment of that grave and pious Synod But if it appear that he has obtruded upon 'em an Opinion which they no way assert nay which the passage from whence he draws it is rather inconsistent with then the best Apology he can make for himself is to own his mistake and to make 'em some reparation for so gross an abuse And whether this be not the true Account of the matter I leave the Reader to judge when he compares the words of the Assembly with the Opinion the Bp. ascribes to ' em In the fore-mentioned directions of that Assembly concerning secret and Family-Worship p. 9. Direct 9. are these words So many as can conceive Prayer ought to make use of that Gift of God Albeit these who are rude and weaker may begin at a sett Form of Prayer but so as they be not sluggish in stirring up in themselves according to their daily necessities the Spirit of Prayer which is given to all the children of God in some measure To which effect they ought to be more fervent and frequent in secret Prayer to God for enabling their hearts to conceive and their tongues to express convenient desires for their Family Now if these be the words his Lp. refers to I wou'd desire him to consider a little better how he can deduce this principle out of 'em viz. That the Spirit of Prayer is given to all the children of God in some measure for enabling their hearts to conceive and their tongues to express convenient desires to God and as his Lp. adds p. 53. without a Form For the Bp. hereby supposes that this Assembly thought that the Spirit of Prayer was the Gift of Prayer and that this Gift was in some measure given to all the children of God to enable 'em to pray without a Form And therefore what the Assembly calls stirring up in themselves the Spirit of Prayer he explains by stirring up the Gift p. 44. And accordingly his arguments against 'em all run on this supposition that they oppose praying by the Spirit to praying by a Form and imagin the Spirit and Gift of Prayer to be the same thing and accordingly he makes decency of expression a part of the Spirit of Prayer p. 46. Now what can be more opposite to the words and scope of that Assembly Do they not distinguish Christians into 2 sorts such as are more judicious and strong and such as are more rude and weak Is it not the formâ—r whom they suppose to have the gift of conceiving Prayer And do they not suppose the latter to be at present destitute of that gift and as Bp. Wilkins expresses it to need Forms as impotent people do crutches they do indeed say the spirit of prayer i. e. a devout and praying disposition is given in some measure to all the children of God But they do not suppose therefore that all who have the spirit of prayer have the gift also but the quite contrary All that their words can be reasonably extended to import is That whereas there are manifold daily necessities of Christian Families which prescribed Forms cannot suit 't is a great infelicity to be unable to express our desires to God in those cases And therefore such as labour under that impotency shou'd be earnest to beg of God such an ability and gift so far as 't is necessary for their due discharge of this duty to the edification and comfort of their Familys that they ought in order to the attainment of it to cherish the spirit of Prayer i. e. those devout desires and affections which the spirit of God communicates in some measure to all his children according to their various necessities and which cannot but be greatly hindred and dampt when our inability confines us wholly to the use of Forms which cannot suit the particular condition of our selves and Families And they suppose that such an ability to pray sutably to our particular necessities is one of the ordinary gifts of the H. Spirit which private Christians shou'd beg of God and have encouragement to hope for so far as 't is necessary to their complyance with his general commands of making known their requests to him in every thing in the diligent use of such helps as they are furnisht with and frequent exercising themselves in this excellent duty Their words also do imply that the more we grow in a devout and praying disposition the more easily may we attain some measure of that Gift since out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks and the more we feel our own spiritual necessities the more easily dos the pinching sense of 'em supply us with expressions and arguments in pleading with God for relief of ' em And as this is all that can be drawn from their words without offering violence to 'em so 't is no more than as I have shewn him Bp. Wilkins asserts and if his Lp. have any thing to object against any of these Assertions which are genuinely deduc'd from their words I shall be very glad to hear it But for the Position he ascribes to that Assembly as laid down and expounded by him 't is his own and not theirs And therefore 't is he is concern'd to prove it and seems not to deal so ingenuously as he shou'd in insulting so scornfully over his own man of straw For all his grave Reasonings concern no avowed Principle of the Dissenters and his discourse from p. 46. to p. 57. on this head is so far from being grateful and instructive to the Readers of all sorts as he imagins p. 49 that it rather nauseates all judicious Readers to find his Lp. when he pretends to explain these matters and set 'em in so clear a light so miserably confound those 2 things the Spirit and Gift of Prayer which all accurate Writers on both sides so carefully distinguish and must necessarily do so unless they have a mind to fight with shadows and contend in the dark without understanding one another And therefore because he may despise our Instructions I wou'd desire his Lp. before he writes any more on this subject to read the 3 first Chapters of Bp. Wilkins Gift of Prayer which he
this for a just temptation to suspect that he has some design upon his Readers For the 5th Excuse p. 96. viz. That the Word of God that dead Letter is a dull formal thing without spirit or life where it is not applied c. I wonder what Dissenter suggested it to his Lordship For 't is a very dull pretence and yet I do not see that the main thing he insists on in his Answer dos vary much from the nature of the Objection For not to insist on his still calling that a human Invention which is undoubtedly of Divine Appointment and by his own Confession has the warrant of Scriptural Example p. 75 If there be any thing to the purpose against the Dissenters practice in his 3d. and 4th Consideration it must be founded on this supposition That 't is a great character of a Spiritual Man to love to hear the Scriptures read without any Exposition or Application but of a Carnal Man to delight more in Scripture read and expounded too then in the Scripture barely read For so he applies that noted passage of the Apostle Paul 1 Cor. 2.13 And thence He reproaches the Dissenters as notwithstanding all their pretences to a more then ordinary spiritualness and reformation little advanc't above the natural man that neither receives nor relishes the things of God at least not as they ought Answ If any thing cou'd put us out of conceit with Expositions of the Scripture it wou'd be such scurvy and abusive ones as this which his Lp. here offers And I do not believe there is any Dissenter but wou'd delight in the perusal of those excellent words of the Apostle while he nauseates such an insipid gloss on ' em For must it not argue a strange Confusion in a man's Notions of things to suppose those things so opposite and inconsistent that so admirably accord together Dos the Bishop think the style of the Scriptures is as familiar to ordinary Readers now as it was to those to whom the several parts of it were first immediately directed or that there is no difficulty in the ordinary parts of it that renders a brief Interpretation highly useful to the Church And do those love or relish the Word of God less then others who are not contented with the bare reading of it without desiring all the help their Teachers can give 'em for their right understanding and applying it Was it an Argument of a carnal mind in the Queen of Candace's Treasurer that he was not satisfied with reading God's Word by the Prophet Isaiah without desiring Philip to expound it 8. Acts 27 Is it so carnal a practice in Ministers to read Commentators on the Bible or in the People to desire to enjoy this fruit of their studies and labours Is it a carnal temper to be most affected with the Scriptures when we most clearly discern the true sense of 'em but on the contrary a spiritual disposition to delight in 'em most when we understand 'em least Or rather dos not such discourse as this look too like a shrewd design to gratifie the carnal and lazy humour of the Clergy by excusing 'em from the pains they should take in studying the Scriptures in order to the edifying their People by a judicious interpretation of ' em As if our Author wou'd have e'm all transform'd into such as the 49th Canon of the Church of England refers to who tho Benefic't yet being unlicens't to Preach are not to take on them to Expound in their own Cure or elsewhere any Scripture or matter of Doctrine and have no higher priviledge allow'd 'em then that they study to read aptly and plainly without glozing or adding the Homilies already set forth c. And by the way I perceive the Compilers of those Canons were great Strangers to our Author's Notion of Preaching But after he has examin'd the pretences he feigns the Dissenters to make for 't is evident they never brought any for not Reading the Scriptures he ventures to give us what he himself takes to be the true Reason of their supposed Neglect of it which he draws from 2 Tim. 4.3 of which he gives us an admirable Interpretation The Apostles words are For the time will come when they will not endure sound Doctrine but after their own Lusts shall heap up to themselves Teachers having itching Ears Now an itching Ear saith the Bp. is one that loves novelty and variety Because therefore our Church gives the People little that is new in her prayers or reading the Scriptures but retains a Form of sound words in the one and the plain word of God in the other Hence it is that some People cannot endure our service but heap up to themselves Teachers that instead of Prayers and Praises of God's immediate Appointment will gratify 'em every meeting with a new Prayer without troubling 'em with such Prayers and Sermons as they think old which are incomparably better Only the itching Ears of the People as the Apostle foretold are pleased with the novelty and variety of the one and disgust the repetition of the other as the Israelites did that of Angels Food 78 Ps 25.21 Num. 5. Answ If we be so fond of Novelty and Variety as the Bp. supposes he has been very studious to gratify our humour in this new Paraphrase of which I dare say no Expositor before him ever dream'd For whereas the Apostle is plainly speaking of such as cou'd not endure sound Doctrine and therefore sought out Teachers that wou'd gratify 'em with some new Doctrines more grateful to their Lusts or Fancys and entertain their itching Ears as the Apostle explains himself in the next verse with Fables instead of Truth The Bp. dos with profound judgment apply it to those that desire to have the Scriptures clearly explain'd to their Understandings and impartially applied to their Consciences As if the Apostle had here quarrell'd with the People for desiring Sermons when he had in the very verse before urg'd Timothy to preach the word To be instant in season and out of season To reprove rebuke exhort with all long suffering and Doctrine And if we shou'd grant the Bp. for once tho as I have shew'd him before there is no reason for it that the Apostle by preaching the word understood Reading it yet according to himself Rebuking reproving and exhorting with all long suffering and doctrine must imply an Exposition and Application of what was read So that the Bp. has unhappily expounded and applied this passage of the Apostle in direct opposition to the very scope of it which was to urg Timothy to constant preaching in our and the common sence of the word as the most effectuall means to cure people of that itching desire after such new Doctrines and Fables as wou'd please their wanton fancys or vitious Inclinations Whereas the Bp. imagines that the Apostle here condems the People's fondness for such Sermons as the very fault they were to be cur'd of