a renewed and Holy life is necessary hereto is manifest from that wrath and threatning denounced against workers of Iniquity and from the impossibility for them to find favour in the sight of God who do not do the Will of our Father which is in Heaven 14. Yet the Gospel justification upon these terms of Grace in the new Covenant is still through the redemption of our Saviour and faith in him and from the benefit of his Sacrifice we receive the pardon of our sins in the Holy Sacraments of the Gospel especially in the administration of which Sacraments is a principal part of the benefit of the Ministry of Reconciliation But it cannot be that the Righteousness of Christ should be so imputed to us that we should be looked on as having done or suffered what he did or suffered for then must every Christian be reputed and looked on as having performed the office of Mediator and having paid to God the price of Redemption for the sins of the World and as having made Reconciliation and obtained thereby Remission and then besides many other gross absurdities they might be invocated on this account for the dispensing the same And they who are reputed to have performed compleat actual sinless Obedience need no such Grace whereby they must receive pardon and Remission But the Holy Jesus by his Sacrifice hath made a way of Reconciliation and as our Mediator hath by his Blood established that new Covenant of Grace whereby through his Redemption we may be justified upon performing the Conditions of his Gospel And I see no other blame can be charged on this Doctrine unless it be that it is consistent with it self and with what was delivered by the Apostles of our Lord. CHAP. VII Praying by a Form is very rashly and injuriously charged with mocking of God IN his seventh Chapter he produceth his sixth Argument which is That for (a) Reas Acc. p. 115. Ministers who have the Gift of Prayer to perform publick Vocal Prayer by the prescribed Forms of others is to pretend to do an act of Worship and at the same time not to do it and is (b) P. 115 to mock God and deceive their own Souls 2. Now this is a very heavy Charge if it be true and can be proved but if all this shall appear to be a false Accusation and to be untrue Ch. VII it is then no little Slander and Calumny upon the Religious Worship of God Praying by a Form no mocking God and upon all those Churches of God and Pious Christians who make use of Forms in their Prayers And to make good his Charge our Author must here recal and deny what he hath so often granted That the use of Forms of Prayer are in themselves lawful and that they may be lawfully used by Ministers in some cases For if they be a mocking of God and the duty of Prayer is not really performed in the use of them but is only pretended so to be to the deceiving mens own Souls then they are certainly unlawful 3. Now his chief and yet trifling Argument to make good this very weighty and heavy Charge is this (c) P. 116 117. That the command to go and Preach requireth the Ministers exercise of his own Inventing and Composing and therefore so must the Command to make publick Prayers Now in answer to this it may be sufficient to say The nature and exercise of Prayer is sutably performed by a Form That every Duty is to be performed sutably to the nature of the Duty it self or in such a manner as may best tend to the pleasing of God and the exercising true Piety therein But in publick Prayer Religious Devotion and gracious dispositions and desires towards God are the great things to be practised and to that end the use of a Form of words in publick Service is well accommodated as I have shewed and therefore may be not only fitly but profitably used 4. And with respect to Preaching though our Author will find it a difficult task to prove that in every Instruction a Minister is bound to have new matter of Invention and Composition yet his greatest mistake is in supposing the cases of Instruction Exhortation or Preaching and of Praying to be parallel For where in instructing others in the knowledg of Religion Of the comparing Preaching and Praying it is the Ministers duty to teach them what they before understood not and to that end to use new Words that they may learn Knowledg it can never be imagined that he ought also to acquaint God in Prayer with what he before understood not And when in Exhortations to Men to make them better and to change their Tempers it may be of good use to suggest to them and urge upon them such Arguments and Considerations as before they either never thought of or at least did not duly consider the weight and force of them there is not the like reason of using frequently new words and expressions to God as if men were to put him in mind of the force of such things as he had not considered Surely nothing can be more weak than to insist on such unlike Comparisons instead of Arguments 5. But besides this he tells us that those words in Scripture which are used in commanding publick Prayer are not used concerning the reciting or reading the words of others Thus he saith when Prayer is commanded Hos 14.2 and Joel 2.17 the word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 say and he saith (d) P. 118. He is not awar of any Text in the Old Testament where that word signifies the Recitation or repetition of Words formed by others Of the words of Scripture which enjoyn Prayer Now if this was true it would be very little or not at all to purpose unless he could prove that the using of the words of a Form is not Speaking or Saying But yet in truth notwithstanding his pretence to Critical Observations in which he is also very unhappy this very word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Speak or Say is very frequently in the Old Testament used for reciting the words prescribed by others as in Gen. 32.4 Deut. 26.5 Deut. 27.14 and in many other places 6. And he tells us (e) P. 119. That in the New Testament the Precepts for Prayer are expressed by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Pray and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to Say to wit in Praying But what meaneth he Are these words never made use of for the reciting a Form of Prayer when they are the very words by which the Lords Prayer is prescribed The former (f) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 6.9 and both of them (g) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luke 11.2 And the former of them together with the Noun derived from the latter is used (h) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 26.44 to express our Saviour his Praying the third time saying the same words I might also mind our
That a mean given of God Means or abilities not necessary for the performing duties may be omitted if it be only capable of being used and not a necessary mean to the performance of the duty may lawfully be omitted Especially when there are several means which may all of them singly be used he who chuseth one of them and the most profitable is not to be faulted because he doth not use the other which is less profitable Thus in the publick Prayers of the Church whereas a Ministers present fluency of expression or his remembrance of what himself hath before conceived with respect to that particular time or his using a set Form are different ways or means of performing this service he who chuseth the last which hath many advantages of the other two is not to be blamed because he doth not chuse either of those two And by this it may appear that this Writers own Argument if it were of any strength might easily be inverted and retorted against himself if we put in the phrase of a Form of Prayer instead of a Ministers own gift c. 33. Secondly That ability of expression was not peculiarly and particularly given by God to Ministers that they might thereby perform the publick Offices of Prayer This is manifest because this is also given to them whom God never calls to perform the publick Offices of Ministration And also because if our Lord had intended it to be the duty of all Ministers of the Gospel that they must use their own abilities of expression in the Prayers of the Church and might not make use of any Forms he would not himself have given them an Example of composing a Form of Prayer and delivering this to be used by his own Apostles and this too to be made use of not as their private addresses for themselves alone but with respect to the whole Christian Society and therefore beginning as was anciently observed f Cyp. de Orat. Dom. Non dicimus patermeus publica nobis est communis oratio Our Father as being a publick and Common Prayer And this was the more considerable because it was agreeable to and in approbation of what John the Baptist had directed his Disciples and the like method had been before used throughout all the state of the Jewish Church as I have in g Libert Eccles p. 103 104. another place evinced and shall further prove Ch. 3. Sect. 3. n. 27 28 c. 34. The Authority of our Governours is to be honoured The authority of our Governours is also in this Case of considerable weight For though the command of man is not to be performed if it be against the will of God yet since it is fit that a due order of publick worship in Christian Assemblies should be provided for by them who have the chief Authority and inspection therein the constant use of the Liturgy being of it self agreeable to the will of God becomes more obligatory upon us because this way of worship is wisely established by our superiours And the Apostle S. Paul declared that the use ever of extraordinary spiritual gifts must give place to decency and order 1 Cor. 14.26 33 40. 35. But he further saith that a man own gift or ability of expression in Prayer is h Reas Account p. 6 7 18. a divine mean but a Form oâ— Prayer is i p. 7. 18. Liturgies are no meer humane means for Gods worship a meer humane mean Now this must be upon supposition that an ability to compose a Prayer to speak it is a divine ability which how far it is true I have shewed above but the same ability to compose the same Prayer if it be to be written is a meer humane ability But no man can see any truth in such a supposition nor any reason for it 36. But however our Author think fit to talk so far as he hath proved any thing he hath proved the composing of Liturgies to be by a divine ability or gift of Prayer For he thus argues against those who deny any such gift as the gift of Prayer k p. 8. This is saith he either 〈◊〉 deny what is evident to sense That there are some persons able fitly to express then minds to God in Prayer or to deny the Scriptures which say Jam. 1.17 thâ—â— every good gift and every perfect gift cometh from above from the Father of lights Besides that it stubbeth up all Liturgies by the roots none it seems having any ability to make them Now the result of this Discourse is that the ability to make Liturgies is the gift of Prayer and a gift of God and consequently they must be a divine mean for the performance of Prayer or such an one as is afforded to us by the assistance of God Besides this God hath so far declared his approbation of Forms of Prayer that he himself delivered such and enjoined them under the Old Testament as our Saviour did under the New and if that may be further called divine which serves the ends of God in the World and conduceth to holiness and piety upon this account also good and well-ordered Forms must be so esteemed 37. But it now remains that I examine his proofs produced to shew that it is a duty in the publick Prayers of the Church for a Minister to use his own gifts of expression if he have such abilities His first l p. 6. proof is 1 Tim. 4.14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee which was given thee by Prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the Presbytery But Ans 1. In this place the Apostle requires Timothy to take care of executing his Episcopal Office The Precepts of the Scripture concerning the use of gifts considered and exercising his authority which things were given by the laying on of hands and also to discharge the duty of his place and function with care and diligence according to the grace which God had giver him 2. Here is not a word spoken it this Text concerning Prayer or the performance thereof by any such gift as our Author pleads for nor doth the Context which mentioneth reading exhortation and doctrine speak any thing thereof And I suppose this Author doth not account the gift of Prayer to be given by the laying on of hands when himself saith the Church m p. 13. should judge of her Ministers gift of Prayer before she trust them with the publick Ministry 38. And 3. if this Text had particularly expressed the use of the gift of Prayer and intended this concerning utterance and expression as it doth not the Argument from Timothy at that time when publick Offices of the Church were often performed by miraculous gifts and who himself was in all probability furnished therewith would not be of force for them who have no such extraordinary gifts Yet such Precepts do not enjoin the use of any gifts further than may consist with
prejudices hurry men into the most unreasonable absurdities and unaccountable censures of others And that we may further see how much this Writer fights in the dark and doth not weigh the force and tendency of what he urgeth to prove Forms to be an obstruction to fervency in Prayer he tells us they b p. 28 29. think it not possible that the words of another should so well fit our hearts and be so expressive of raised affections as our own Some things urged against forms of Prayer will equally conclude-against all publick worship Now these words are of no weight against Forms since they may best express what things we ought to desire But I suppose he did not consider that what he thus speaks tends to declare that the people cannot with fervent affections join with the Minister in any Prayer whatsoever because they are not their own words and then all publick Prayer fitted to the people must be condemned and so they must either take up with the Quakers silence or the Romish service where the Assembly are not capable of understanding and consequently of joining with the Priests in their Service 13. But he hath another thing to urge which particularly concerneth the Ministers reading of a Form and that is that then c p. 29. the soul looks through the eye and is diverted from its contemplation upon God His sense is that the looking upon the words in the Book must hinder his heart from being directed unto God because as he after saith d p. 31. and the same sence p. 52. it is impossible that any created being should in the same action duly intend two objects Now our Author is so unhappy in his Arguments that they not only recoil with equal violence upon himself but what he urgeth is against all vocal Prayer whether of Ministers or others in publick or in private and also against others joining with them For the considering of words phrases method and sense is a different thing in conceived Prayer from the directing the heart and spirit unto God and this must take up more of his mind and thoughts than the looking upon a Book doth And the peoples hearing and observing the words of Prayer spoken is as different a thing from the motions of the mind toward God as the seeing the same words is Reading or hearing words hinders not the minding the sence of them But in truth since the main use of words is that they are to express things the use of the same act about the word and the thing signified by it as to understand each of them or the use of such different acts about the word and the thing signified by it as to read or hear the one and to understand or be affected with the other are no impediments at all to the vigorous actings of our souls and minds He must be no ordinary man that is able to make out that the seeing or hearing the words of any Proposition or Discourse hindreth from clearly understanding the sense thereof when these words are wholly subservient to the thing to express the sense and meaning thereof Nor can I be perswaded that I affect any thing of God or goodness the less for hearing or reading such words as represent and express them or direct and excite my affections towards them And withal he who is well acquainted with a Form of Prayer needeth no industrious exercise of his eye in the use thereof 14. But on the other hand Manifold advantages to piety from the use of Forms of Prayer since in such conceived Prayers as our Author pleads for the Ministers mind must be imployed in considering and conceiving and digesting his words and his method and sense and is apt to be sometimes solicitous lest he do amiss in any of these and may sometimes have pleasing reflexions upon his own fluency or the contrary these things may more justly be esteemed hindrances to his devotion And besides what I have abovesaid concerning the devotions of the people the using conceived Prayers as the publick service of the Church may be an impediment thereof upon these several accounts 1. They are not certain that they can join in the matter of a new conceived Prayer till they have well considered it and therefore are the more apt to hesitate concerning it 2. In the time of Prayer they may be too apt to give their minds liberty of observing the expressions and the manner of the composure of the Prayer either to judge of it or imitate it which tend to distract the mind and divert it from the worship of God 3. And they further want this benefit which attendeth our publick Form that the joining in that Prayer which is with one accord put up to God in the several Assemblies of our Church may reasonably be and to many is a quickning of their devotion from the benefit of Christian Vnity and the e Bishop Sparrow's Rationale of Com. Prayer p. 9. promise annexed thereunto Mat. 18.19 20. Concerning which Text S. Cyprian observed that though some not considering the whole discourse made use of the last clause to encourage division yet it appears from the Connexion of that with the former Verse If two of you shall agree c. that f Cypr. de Unit. Eccl. si collecti unanimiter oraverint duo aut tres licet sint impetrare possunt de Dei Majestate quod postulant if they be gathered together with one accord though they be but two or three they may obtain what they seek for of the divine Majesty And therefore there may be a greater hope of obtaining those very things which we particularly know to be the joint desire of so great a number of Christians 4. Besides this there are very many persons who have not that quickness of capacity which is necessary for their hearts and affections to go along with new Prayers who yet can piously and devoutly join in those they have been well acquainted with 5. And withal whensoever there are as is too frequent any impertinencies or unadvised and unbecoming expressions in conceived Prayer or whatsoever is the result of passion imprudence negligence weakness or bad principles and erroneous opinions this must be expected to be a disturbance and hindrance to the fervency and devotion of the Auditors 15. But because I am apprehensive Whether in the Apostles times all publick worship was performed by extraordinary gifts that some may be apt to think that much of what I have said in the preferring the use of publick Forms to other conceived Prayers may seem applicable at first view to the Apostolical times also as if the use of their miraculous gifts when they used no Forms were to be undervalued I shall therefore desire these things may be considered First that as it is manifest that under the Old Testament they who had the gift of prophecy were not at all times under the special impulses of the divine spirit
from the first Ages of Christianity and in the Jewish Church both in their Temple worship and Synagogues p. 136 Sect. IV. Some expressions vilifying Uniformity and charging Forms of Prayer to be an Engine of perpetual discord with some others examined p. 164 Chap. IV. Forms of Prayer are not forbidden in Scripture Some things are necessary to be determined in Gods worship which he hath not particularly enjoined Of the Authority of Superiours and the judgment of discretion and some other things p. 177 Chap. V. Of other Prayers besides those in the Liturgy and publick service p. 193 Chap. VI. Of Preaching Whether it be as useful and fit to preach as to pray in a set Form of words Of what account preaching is Exceptions against the Sermons of our Ministers as being satyrical advancing the power of nature and justification by works answered p. 206 Chap. VII Praying by a Form is rashly charged with mocking God p. 219 Chap. VIII Forms of Prayer do not debase the Ministry Of the Ministerial Office and the need of learning and knowledge Of the Priestly Office under the Law and the large Revenue God appointed for the Priests and Levites The pretence of ill effects from Liturgies refuted p. 225 Chap. IX Several Arguments for Forms of Prayer proved solid and substantial and among them some things concerning submission to superiours p. 241 Chap. X. A Perswasive Conclusion directed to our Dissenters to consider how unaccountable to God and how dangerous to themselves their separation is p. 266 A Vindication OF LITURGIES The Introduction giving the Reader an account of the occasion of this discourse HAving several years since published my Libertas Ecclesiastica wherein I endeavoured a Vindication of our Liturgy there came lately to my hands a Discourse in which is a pretended answer to two Sections of my Book concerning the lawfulness expediency and antiquity of set forms of prayer When I first looked into it I thought it a strange undertaking to attempt to prove that it is sinful for Ministers who are able to compose Prayers themselves to make use of any form of Prayer in their Ministration which was composed by other men and that any man might justly suspect his own reasoning when it engaged him in such an enterprize But when I had read it I found many things said therein which might possibly misguide the weak and unwary Reader but nothing which was of any great weight And indeed no false position is capable of being firmly proved by solid Arguments though to undiscerning men it may be rendred plausible by mistaken fallacies Yet because I am very sensible that the Assertion maintained by this Author is both in it self false and erroneous and also tendeth to undermine the true exercise of Religion and the Peace and Well-fare of the Church of God I resolved to examine all his Arguments and to return a fair Answer to so much of his Book as was needful for the discussing of the Question proposed and for the defending my self against his Oppositions And this I thought my self the more concerned to undertake because so far as this strange assertion should be received as true it would make void the design of my former Book which was to manifest that it was both lawful and a duty for Ministers and People to embrace attend upon and join in the publick service worship and Ministrations of the Church of England And I knew not how far any appearances of reasoning might be magnified by such persons who are engaged against our Church many of whom in a sinking cause so far as concerneth the evidence of truth and reason may be willing to catch hold on any twig The Author of this Book hath not published his own name therewith and therefore I shall not be curious to enquire after it but shall treat him as an unknown person And I confess I cannot easily conceive that he under whose name it goes should be so defective both in learning and consideration as to be guilty of such mistakes and palpable over-sights as may be found in some places of this Book For besides many other unaccountable positions and misunderstandings divers of which I shall mention in my following Discourse it is observable that what he writes concerning the ancient practices of the Church after the Apostles time or concerning any thing written in those days is generally done so loosely and sometimes with such wonderful extravagancy as may surprize an intelligent Reader with some kind of admiration of which I shall give the Reader here one instance 4. When he speaks of the original of Liturgies he saith a Ch. 2. p. 68 69. We do believe that Gregory the Great under the protection of Charles the Great was the Father of all those that dwell in these Tents and this eight hundred or a thousand years after Christ But first to speak of Gregory the Great eight hundred or a thousand years after Christ is far enough from truth when he died about the year 604. And secondly that Gregory the Great should be under the protection of Charles the Great is impossible when he was dead about two hundred years before Charles the Great began his Reign And thirdly it is altogether as unaccountable that the original of Liturgies was in the time either of Gregory the Gerat or Charles the Great when they were in use many hundred years before them both as I shall shew b Ch. 3. Sect. 3. in the following Treatise This mistake concerning these persons whose names were so famous in History that a man of ordinary reading could not be unacquainted with them is as if any person should presume to give an account of the Church of the Israelites and should assert that the offering of Sacrifices under the Mosaical Law had its beginning in the days of Eli the Priest in the Reign of King Jehosaphat six hundred or eight hundred years after the Israelites came out of Egypt Surely it is a strange confidence for any person to vent such things and to write positively what he no better understandeth 5. But whoever the Author of this Discourse is I shall apply my self to the clearing of the truth concerning the matter of it which I shall do with as much succinctness as is expedient And therefore though I shall not willingly omit any thing considerable which he urgeth against the lawful use of constant publick Liturgies or against what I have said in their defence yet where he mentions objections made by others against the force of his Arguments and gives his Answers to them I shall pass by such things where the insisting upon them is not needful for the defence of our Church or the decision of the Case proposed And in answering his Arguments I shall wave the repetition of his long Syllogisms which is a tedious way of proceeding and in rational Discourses of this nature is acceptable to few others than those who may admire the art of making a Syllogism But I
the affecting variety of words in the worship of God where fit words may be best secured by a good Form is both apt to hinder due devotion and it also speaks such persons much concerned about that which is too low and mean to procure Gods acceptance And it implies a misconception of the divine nature and Being in them who look upon such things as of great concernment to please him And the making that a necessary part of Religion which is not such by laying a doctrinal necessity upon it where men are able to perform it cannot be excused from being a piece of superstition or a teaching for doctrines the precepts or fancies of men Chap. I. 9. Obs 2. Opposition against our Church and Liturgy is upon uncertain grounds It may be noted that this Author though he sometimes talk high doth not account himself certain of the truth of this position which he layeth down in his stating the case and in the following part of his Book undertakes to prove His position expresseth the sinfulness of using Forms of Prayer in the Case he proposeth and he saith t p. 2. their judgment of Conscience is that they are unlawful and this they u Ch. 8. p. 132. from their hearts believe and so must practise But when he speaks of his Arguments he saith they have Arguments which x p. 2. appear very probable and y p. 5. seem highly probable with other like expressions And how far this evidence doth prevail with himself we may discern by these words z p. 164 p. 70. We judge not our selves infallible in our sentiments in this case we condemn not our brethren which judge otherwise and accordingly practise a p. 132. in p. 22. We dare not judge those who we think have the gift of Prayer but think not fit to use it in their ordinary service Whether it be sin in them we leave to Gods determination we pray God that if we be in the mistake God would reveal it to us These words do plainly speak doubtfulness and uncertainty as do those in the Margent for no understanding man can use such expressions concerning what he certainly knows to be sin In speaking of the sinfulness of theft or lying he would not say we condemn not them who practise otherwise c. to wit thieves and lyars since he certainly knows these things to be sin and therefore that the practisers of them ought to be condemned Yet at sometimes he speaks as if he proceeded on b P. 25. p. 123. demonstrations 10. Now I hope to make it manifest that his Arguments do not so much as prove any probability of truth in his assertion yet I could in the mean time heartily wish that both he and others with him would seriously consider how unsafe it is for themselves The hurt and danger of such practices considered and dangerous to Religion for men to oppose the state and order of a well setled Church upon probable Arguments Where we have certain evidence of any thing being our duty we are bound to embrace it whomsoever we contradict but certain evidence no man can have of an errour being truth And to proceed upon probable Arguments only yea or on such as men may by their mistake esteem and confidently assert to be certain is in an errour no safe foundation for practice 11. The Donatists by their restless Pleas and various disputations manifested that they proceeded on such Arguments which to them seemed highly probable the same may be said of the Arians and Eunomians whose Arguments are frequently produced by c Athan. contr Arian Or. 4. passim Athanasius d Naz. Orat 35 36. Gr. Nys Basil adv Eunom Gr. Nazianzene and other ancient Writers to a greater number than this Writer hath against Forms of Prayer And almost all who were of old guilty of any Heresy or Schism as also at this day the Romanists Anabaptists Quakers and other such Sects have their Arguments which they account probable And for the Brownists who declared in their e Praestant Viror Epist p. 925. Preface to their Confession that the Church of England its Ministry and its worship were all adulterous Fr. Johnson published his f John â— Reasonâ— for sâ—â—â—â—tion seven Arguments of one sort and seven of another sort such as to them seemed probable and all of them in Syllogisms as our Author produceth his seven Arguments in Syllogisms against Forms of Prayer And Erbury and others with him had their Arguments which to them seemed probable which they undertook g Mr. Long in Exam. of Mr Hales of Schism p. 133. at Oxford to produce and urge against all ordination and ministry Yet if I should ask this Author whether he thinks all these persons did perform their duty to God aright and were to be discharged from sin in thus venting their errors and heresies and that the Church of God received no disadvantage from them I presume he would not assert this however we are sure of the contrary And then the consequence will be that if it be a duty to hold Communion with our publick Assemblies and to perform the worship of God according to our established Constitutions they cannot be acquitted from sin nor excused from doing hurt to the Church of God who reject these duties upon their probable Arguments 12. But in requital for his so favourable expressions towards us in not condemning our using the Liturgy of the Church this Author expects that we ought not to change him and others of his perswasion with any blame in their dissent and separation h Reasonable Account p. 64. Dissenters are to be blamed We condemn not our brethren Let not them saith he judge and condemn us We are in our dissents in the case anothers servants Now it becomes no man to pass that judgment on others which is peculiar to God as concerning the hidden things of the heart of man or his final state but we are allowed to account and judge those actions of men to be evil which are manifestly so And it is very unreasonable that if they who violate any Laws of God or Man do not blame others for keeping them that therefore they must not be charged with the breaking them If S. Peter did not fault S. Paul who according to his duty kept Communion with the Church at Antioch S. Paul did not therefore think himself obliged not to rebuke S. Peter for his unwarrantable withdrawing from it but he declares in this case Gal. 2.11 I withstood him to the face because he was to be blamed and v. 14. I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel 13. Wherefore because I think it my duty to deal faithfully and plainly in these things I do freely profess that besides what concerns the Laws of the Church and of the Realm I account my self to have as plain
in a persons being able to express his mind whereas it is chiefly to be provided that the conceptions of his mind be sober and well ordered comprehensive and every way sutable to the nature of the duty 2. In that he only mentions the expressing his mind Whereas in publick Prayers it is not a mans own private desires or wants so far as they are peculiar to himself which he is to present to God but he is to express what is fit to represent the minds of the whole Assembly and the common desires and wants and joint Devotions of all the Congregation 46. Another place I shall examine is where he tells us they x p. 9 10. His defavâ—ing the ministry of our Church is unjust and unreasonable think it will be hard to find nine or ten thousand Scholars in England furnished with the gift either of praying or preaching in any tolerable manner and one great reason is because they have been so tied to a Liturgy that they have never applied themselves to the study of the Scriptures and their own hearts as they should Thus in this place and in many others he takes any occasion to reproach and cast dirt upon the Ministry of the Church of England even to such excess as sometimes to call them though he excepts very many particular persons from that charge y p. 124. an ignorant lazy and sottish Ministry And he is the more liberal in these exorbitant Censures when he doth withal bespatter our Liturgy as in both these places or what he terms z p. 149. that pitiful thing called Vniformity in words and syllables and phrases 47. Now I conceive my self abundantly warranted to say that the abilities of the present Ministry of the Church of England are such as were never in this Church outdone if equalled in any foregoing Age nor as I verily believe in any other part of the Christian World since the Apostolical times in any Church of so large extent And it is an easy thing but mightily unworthy of a Professor of Christianity to speak bad and evil words of the mosT worthy men and things But doth the use of a Liturgy hinder men from studying the Scriptures or their own hearts which is a loud calumny upon our Ministry and many other excellent persons of eminent piety and goodness who have a very high value for our Liturgy and were the ancient Fathers and our first Reformers and their Successors who closely adhered to a Liturgy men of no understanding in the Scriptures and men of no piety of heart or holiness of life Or is the dayly reading the Scriptures as is done in the Liturgy and by the Ministry of England at other times also that which must hinder mens study and understanding in them and is the constant use of morning and evening devotions which the Liturgy directeth the great obstacle to piety and to mens taking serious care of their own hearts to have them possessed with fear and reverence of God and disposed to the exercises of Religion and universal obedience And what a wild accusation is this to revile and asperse a National Ministry at random and at a venture concerning such things wherein every Reader may discern that it is impossible for him to know what he speaks to be true and others blessed be God know them to be false 48. And I wish our Author be not himself defective in some part at least of what he chargeth upon others For in studying the Scriptures he could not but meet with Precepts against evil speaking false accusing rash judging and uncharitableness and in studying his own heart he would discern whether he had not offended in any of these And I presume him though I am not very certain who he is to be so much a Scholar as to know that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the usual Greek word for the Evil one doth properly and primarily signify a Calumniator and it is thence unlikely that any of the spirit of Christianity should be contained in reproaching others which Nazianzen accounted to be a Naz. Orat 53. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one of the greatest evils 49. In Answer to such words I could also without much pains find out defaming and reflective expressions if I were enclined that way but I am content herein to be inferiour to him but truly sorry to see what liberty he sometimes gives himself in such things I have long since learned from the example of our Lord and Saviour from the rules of the Christian Religion and particularly from our Church-Catechism to keep my tongue from evil-speaking lying and slandering And if he will not take it ill from me which I assure him I intend no otherwise than with a truly charitable mind I dare confidently affirm that if he shall please to be a strict observer of so much though it be out of our Liturgy he will not thereby be the worse man 50. And I hope he may be the less offended with me for this Counsel because I do not write it out of any private provocation or any apprehension of disrespectful expressions towards my self I acknowledge his expressions towards me in particular to have been very civil and courteous and I thank him for them And I shall not return to him any thing unmeet But I should not be faithful to the truth nor to himself if I should not shew the weakness and mistakes of his Arguments so far as I discern them And the duty I owe to the Church of which I am a member cannot well be discharged without taxing his reproachful words against it where I meet with them 51. What he speaketh concerning b p. 18 19. Hymns and Anthems I shall have occasion to take notice of in the next c Ch. 3. Sect. 2. n. 38 c. Chapter CHAP. III. Of Devotion and attentive fervency of mind in publick Prayer and whether the use of Liturgies be hindrances or helps therein SECT I. His pretences for Forms of publick Prayer being an impediment to attention and fervency examined and the contrary manifested HIS second Argument against the lawfulness of the ordinary publick use of Forms by him who hath abilities of expressing himself without them is that they hinder the attention intention and fervency both of Minister and people and therefore a Reas Acc. p. 23. may not be used But this charge against well-ordered Forms can never be made out and his proofs will appear very weak and slender 2. Now I freely acknowledge and assert Pious devotion greatly needful in Prayer that in our Prayer we ought to have a holy and Religious sense of God and of Jesus our Mediator We ought also to be serious in minding and attending to the duty in hand Ch. III. and as free as may be from distractions and to have a lively exercise of faith hope reverence and such other Christian Graces as I mentioned in the b n. 2. former Chapter And the
the title of Prayers to wit as he counts them according to the Septuagint Psal 16.85.89.101 but in our English Bibles Psal 17.86.90.102 And from hence we may infer the usefulness of Forms for the promoting piety according to the purport and design of my foregoing Argument 40. Liturgies justified by allowing Psalms in Meter to be sung Secondly Whilst he allows the using set Forms of Prayer and praising God in meter to be good and Religious because the matter is directed by God though the expressions are not he doth hereby so far as concerns reason and Argument yield that which will necessarily infer the usefulness of Liturgies to be in like manner generally used For the like allowance may certainly be made to the use of words in prose which may be made to them in meter which is according to his sense that they may by all Christians be profitably used where the matter of them is none other than what God himself hath directed us to pray for and the words such as are fit to express that matter which is according to his will And there is greater security of the matter of a fixed well-considered Liturgy being such as God approves of than there can be in the usual variations of the conceived Prayers of some thousands of persons 41. Thirdly Whilst our Author declares he i p. 78. Ecclesiastical Hymns of publick use in the Christian Church abhorreth any singing in publick worship or what is not composed by the Pen-men of holy Writ even this also is very unreasonable The Scriptures indeed direct us both to pray and to sing praises to God but it is the matter and pious performance of them and not the different tone or flexure of the voice which God regardeth And it is certainly as hard a task for him to prove that we may sing to God in no other Hymns but what are expressed in Scripture as it would be for him to prove that we may pray to God in no other Prayer than what is contained in Scripture which would be as much against other conceived Prayers as against Forms Especially when in some ancient Churches as well as modern their practice was what k Aug. Cons l. 10. c. 13. S. Augustine commends in Alexandria in the time of Athanasius that their reciting Psalms or Hymns was modico flexu vocis with a small alteration of the voice and the manner of uttering them was pronuncianti vicinior quam canenti more a deliberate speaking than a proper singing But there must be an extraordinary acuteness of nicety to discover why any person may express the praises of God according to his own conceptions in his ordinary way of speech but may not do it in somewhat a more deliberate way of pronunciation 42. Fourthly If it had been for our Authors purpose he would have thought it a sufficient proof from Scripture for the composing new Hymns that the Prophet Isay with respect to the Gospel times commands to sing to the Lord a new song Is 42.10 And that the Angelical Hymn Luk. 2. and those of the Virgin Mary of Zechary and of Simeon were all of them newly composed for the special occasions that the Apostle declared he would sing with the spirit 1 Cor. 14.15 and that S. John in his Vision of the Gospel worship representeth the Church as singing a new song Rev. 5.9 and ch 14.3 And however this Writer censureth this the general practice of the Christian Church hath ever admitted and used some hymns composed by men having a particular respect to Christianity as our Church ordereth the Son of S. Ambrose Very many such Ecclesiastical Hymns are collected by l Cassand Hymn Eccl. Cassander And this practice was as early in the Church as the end of the first Century when Pliny upon Examination of the practice of the Christians in their Assemblies found that they were wont upon a set day to meet together before it was light m Plin. Epist l. 10. Ep. 97. carménque Christo quasi Deo dicere secum invicem and to say an hymn to Christ as being God one towards another Now in that it was their usual practice to say such an Hymn and that this was expressed by the generality of the Assembly this speaks it a Form which they used and the phrase of secum invicem is a considerable intimation that they expressed it by parts or Responsals one towards another And its being said to Christ as God makes it highly probable that it was an Hymn particularly composed under Christianity in honour of Christ But this is fully confirmed in that it was part of the charge against Paulus Samosatenus by n Eus Hist Eccl. l. 7. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Council of Antioch that he suppressed the use of those Hymns which were upon our Lord Jesus Christ as being new things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the compositions of men of late days And that there were various Psalms and Odes composed before that time by Christians concerning the Divinity of Christ is also declared in o Eus Hist l. 5. c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eusebius 43. But the true cause why our Author doth not allow of any Hymns composed since the Apostles time is not from any Reason or Scripture but because this would not serve the interest of his opinion and withal secure the practice of our Dissenters For he acknowledgeth that the whole Congregation joining in singing p Reas Acc. p. 78. cannot possibly be done but by a set Form without notorious confusion and therefore the allowing new Hymns to be composed would include an allowing men to appoint Forms of Prayer and praise And besides this he is sensible that they cannot without running into many indecencies pretend to abilities of constant varied conceptions in the making Hymns since as he saith q p. 78. not one of many attain the gift of Hymn-making 44. Concerning the Holy Scriptures he saith r p. 60. there are Precepts for reading them and also promises in the same case But this doth the more strengthen my Argument because such Forms as are so far appointed and approved of God can be no hindrances to Piety He saith also f p. 61. that there are different workings of the Soul to God in Prayer and in reading But though there be different acts of the mind exercised in these duties yet that consideration reverence faith submission and other gracious dispositions which sute the special parts of divine truth doth require as much seriousness diligence and care in reading the Holy Scriptures as in Prayer And however having shewed that a Form of words in Prayer doth not hinder any exercises of piety therein I do not think this exception to deserve any further answer 45. But what he saith t Ibid. that there are different workings of the soul towards God in singing and in Prayer I suppose he will upon further consideration discern to be an oversight Since the
(k) Whitak Controv. r. 1. Qu. 3. c. 4. Daven in Loc. requires an Epistle written from the Church of Laodicea to be read in the Church at Coloss Col. 4.16 8. But though I have a due value and esteem for Preaching yet I can by no means come up to our Author's height who not only calls Preaching the (l) Reas Acc. p. 99. greatest Ordinance of the Gospel but he also declares (m) P. 108. from the Commissioners in the Savoy that Preaching is such a Speaking in God's Name to the People and a speaking his Word Truth or Message that we make God a Lyar if we speak a falshood in his Name Surely he who thinks Of the due esteem and value for Preaching that every expression he useth in Preaching must be a Divine Oracle and that if he be guilty of any Mistake he becomes thereby so horrid a Blasphemer as to make God a Lyar had need confine himself to the manifest Articles of the Christian Faith and the clear and plain rules of Practice or to some certain form of sound words and for other things had need shut and seal up his lips until he have surely attained what he must never expect the gift of Infallibility and our Author if he preach at that loose rate which he writeth hath reason then to tremble and stand amazed 9. In preaching the Minister by considering the general rules of Goodness and Truth and the particular Doctrines of the Scripture and divine Revelation is conscientiously towards God and man to declare what he discerneth to be useful and wholsom Truth And in the main and necessary things of the Christian Faith and Life there is such certain evidence thereof that I do willingly call it infallible and other Expositions Directions and Notions he is to express with pious care and sincerity but not with any pretence to Infallibility I do acknowledg that it is matter of Lamentation that very many persons are much wanting in that due Reverence they ought to have for their spiritual Guides whom God hath set over them and their Counsels Instructions Exhortations and Discourses are not received with such an humble temper of mind as is suitable to be expressed to Gods officers and Ministers unto whom he hath committed a very great Authority And there is also another great miscarriage on the other hand in them who lay too high a stress upon preaching and hearing and too little upon practising or upon the fearing God and keeping his Commandments upon honouring the peculiar Institutions of our Saviour in reverencing the Ministry he sent highly esteeming the Unity and Communion of the Church which he founded celebrating the Sacraments which he instituted and in being peaceable humble meek and charitable towards men and obedient to Superiours 10. I shall take no further notice of any thing in this Chapter save of one clause wherein he reflects on the Ministry of our Church and their preaching saith he (n) p. 107 How many Discourses of late years have we had in Pulpits pretending to prove men have a natural power to things spiritually good That we are not justified by the imputed righteousness of Christ but by our own works How many perfect Satyrs Railleries and evomitions of the lusts and choler in the Preachers hearts These are the kind words and meek expressions of one who judgeth and censures the sharpness of other men and in almost every Chapter he breaks out into the same temper and spirit of Reproaching Now whosoever they be Our Author no fit person to complain of contumelious expressions in Sermons who are over fierce and Satyrical in their words I shall neither justifie nor excuse them But thus much I shall add that within these Twenty years last past I have heard very many Sermons preached by Reverend and worthy persons of the Church of England besides what I have preached my self and in all these Discourses I do not remember that I ever heard so many Contumelious expressions towards our Dissenters as may be found against the Ministry of our Church in this one little Book of our complaining Author 11. And concerning Discourses to prove that men have a natural power to do things spiritually good Of the power of men to do things spiritually good it is easie to see through his mistake All the Ministers of our Church with thankfulness believe and profess Jesus Christ to be the Saviour of the World and that the new Covenant of grace is confirmed through him and that we are now under this day of grace and Salvation wherein God gives his aids and assistances besides the instructions of his word the mighty motives of his Gospel and the benefits of the Ministry of reconciliation and his holy Sacraments And surely all this is more than the power of Nature Now to say That men under these helps if they be not wanting to themselves may work out their own Salvation believe and submit themselves to the Doctrines of the Gospel and live Godly Righteously and Soberly this is not to exalt the power of Nature as our Author mistakes it but it is to own the advantages of the Gospel-Grace and of the mediation and undertaking of our Saviour But if under these gracious circumstances men are in no capacity of doing any spiritual good or of being persuaded to it I cannot understand to what end Preaching can tend when it must be in vain to exhort them to their Duty and unreasonable to reprove their neglect of it Nor can they act without natural powers and faculties 12. And concerning Justification there is as little reason for his complaint as in the former head We disclaim every where merit in our own works and actions and do here acknowledg That our Saviour hath as our mediator interposed by his Obedience Righteousness and Sacrifice to expiate our Sins give the sanction to the new Covenant of Grace and Righteousness and to assure the mercy of God and pardon and forgiveness upon the terms thereof Of the terms arnd condition of our justification an its dependence upon the Righteousness and Sacrifice of Christ But if we speak of the Gospel-condition of Justification that must be performed by us our selves and we do account that as Repentance which excludes forsaking evil and doing good is a necessary condition to the obtaining pardon of sin which I presume no sober Christian will deny so consequently it must be necessary to our being justified unless we can be justified and yet unpardoned 13. Or to speak plainly all sin whatsoever stands forbidden by the Holy rules and precepts of the Gospel as much as by any other Dispensation but the terms of the Gospel-Covenant are so gracious and extensive that they admit Repentance tender pardon and accept the sincere obedience of the Christian faith and life yet all that is necessary as the condition of the Gospel in order to our being accepted into Gods favour is necessary to our justification And that