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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
authority_n	general_n	year_n	young_a	14	3	5.4571	4	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A27392	An answer to the dissenters pleas for separation, or, An abridgment of the London cases wherein the substance of those books is digested into one short and plain discourse.	Bennet, Thomas, 1673-1728.	1700 (1700)	Wing B1888; ESTC R16887	202,270	335

〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is say they according to his ability from whence they infer that in his daies the Ministers Pray'd by their own gifts and abilities To this I answer that the words do signify with all his might i. e. with his utmost fervency For the same words are spoken of the People in the same Book p. 60. who did not compose their own Prayer at the Eucharist and the same Phrase is us'd in the same sence by Nazianzen Orat. 3. 2 dly Because Tertullian in his Apology affirms that Christians did Pray without a Monitor or Prompter because they did Pray from their hearts they think he alludes to a custom of the Heathen who in their public worship had a Monitor to direct them in what words and to what God they were to Pray Now since the Christians Pray'd without a Monitor therefore say they they Pray'd without any one to direct them what Form of words they were to pray in To which I answer 1. That without a Monitor cannot signify without any one to dictate a Form of words For in their public Prayers the Minister was the Mouth of the People and therefore whether he Pray'd by Form or extempore his words were a Form to the People Whatever therefore this obscure Phrase means 't is certain it cannot mean without a Form unless it means without a Minister too 2. It seems to me most probable that by without a Monitor is meant without any one to correct them when either the People repeated or the Minister recited the public Prayers falsly For (g) A. Gell. Noct. Att. l. 13. c. 21. Rosin Antiq. l. 3. c. 33. the Heathen Priests began their Sacrifices with a Form of Prayer which began with an Invocation of Janus and Vesta and proceeded with the invocations of all the greater Deities by name Now that none of the greater God's might be pretermitted and (h) Plin. l. 28. c. 2. none of the Prayers falsly or disorderly recited or repeated (i) Liv l. 4. one Priest read out of a Ritual and another was appointed for a Public Monitor to oversee and correct such mistakes as might be made When therefore Tertullian saies We Pray without a Monitor his meaning is not that we Pray without a Priest to dictate our Prayers to us whether out of a Book or Extempore but that we Pray without one to oversee to admonish the Priests or People when they dictate or repeat falsly Because saies he we Pray from our hearts that is either by joining our affections and desires with the Priest without repeating the words or by saying our Prayers by heart so that we need none to correct us For Tertullian affects to express the Greek and therefore 't is probable his de pectore or from the heart may be a translation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifies to say by heart So that Tertullian's words do rather argue for the use of Forms than against them The Third and last testimony against the Antiquity of Forms of Prayer is that of Socrates Scholasticus whose words Hist lib. 5. c. 22. they thus translate Every where and in all worships of Prayer there are not two to be found that speak the same words And therefore say they 't is very unlikely they shou'd Pray by Forms But we must observe that he had been speaking of the different ceremonies and customs of the chief Churches and then concludes Every where and among all worships of Prayer there are not two to be sound not that speak the same words but that agree 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the same thing Where by worships of Prayer he means rites of Prayer which the Churches differ'd in And how do's it follow that because they did not use the same rites and ceremonies of Prayer therefore they did not use Forms of Prayer For even now we see there are different rites and ceremonies of Prayer among those Churches which do yet agree in using Forms of Prayer 2. Therefore I am to prove that Forms were us'd in the Primitive times by a short Historical account of the matter of fact 'T is probable that in the first Age there was a gift of Praying Extempore by immediate inspiration and while this gift continu'd perhaps there might be no other Form in public Worship but only that of the Lord's Prayer But 't is probable that upon the ceasing or abatement of it Forms were compos'd after the method of those inspir'd Prayers For 't is most likely that even from the Apostolical Age some part at least of the public Worship was perform'd in Forms of Prayer because so far as we can find there never was any dispute among Christians concerning the lawfulness of Praying by a Form For 't is strange that if Forms were an innovation such a remarkable and public innovation shou'd be introduc'd without the least contest or opposition For tho' some innovations did creep in yet every one of that public nature alwaies found powerful adversaries to withstand it But not to insist upon probabilities wee 'l enquire into matter of fact The Liturgies of Saint Peter St. Mark and St. James tho' corrupted by latter Ages yet are doubtless of great antiquity and probably even from the Apostles times For besides many things which have a strong relish of that Age that of St. James was of great authority in the Church of Jerusalem in St. Cyril's time who wrote a Comment upon it even in his younger years and 't is declar'd by (k) Allat de Lit. Sti. Jac. Proclus and the (l) Concil Trull c. 32. Sixth general Council to be of St. James's own Composure and 't was probably receiv'd in the Church of Jerusalem within 170 years after the Apostolical Age. And that there are Forms of Worship in it as ancient as the Apostles seems highly probable For First all the Form Sursum corda is there and in St. Cyril's Comment and the same is in the Liturgies of Rome and Alexandria and the Constitutions of Clemens which all agree are of great antiquity and St. Cyprian who was living within an 100 years after the Apostles (m) De Orat. Dom. mentions it as a Form then us'd and receiv'd and St. Austin tells us that Form is words deriv'd from the very age of the Apostles The same is asserted by Nicephorus of the Trisagium in particular Hist lib. 18. c. 53. 'T is evident that from that Primitive Age there was a Form of questions and answers prescrib'd in Baptism from the questions and answers which Tertull. De Resur Carn St. Cypr. 76.80 Origen in Numer Hom. 5. speak of And if the Minister may be limited to a Form of question why not to a Form of Prayer there being as great a necessity to prescribe for the latter as for the former But that de facto there were Forms of Prayer as well as Questions and Answers us'd in Baptism Clemens's Constitutions affirm and some of the Prayers are there inserted l. 7.

Carth. 3. c. 12. Concil Milev c. 12. Justin Novel 137. Pref. 1 2 6. Nazian Orat. in Basil 20. saies St. Basil compos'd Orders and Forms of Prayer and St. Basil himself Epist 63. reciting the Manner of the public Service that was us'd in the Monastical Oratories of his Institution saies that nothing was done therein but what was consonant and agreeable to all the Churches of God Nay the Council of Laodicea holden about the Year 364 expresly provides That the same Liturgy or Form of Prayers shou'd be alwaies us'd both Morning and Evening Can. 18. and this Canon is taken into the Collection of the Canons of the Catholic Church which Collection was establish'd in the General Council of Chalcedon in the Year 451 by which establishment the whole Christian Church was obliged to the use of Liturgies so far as the Authority of the General Council extends And then in the Year 541 these Canons were made Imperial Laws by Justinian Novel 131. c. 1. See Zonar and Balsam on can 18. See also Smectym Answ to the Remonst p. 7. Grand deb p. 11. and Concil Laod. c. 15 19. Thus for near 600 Years after Christ we have sufficient testimony of the public use of Forms of Prayer And from henceforth or a little after down to Mr. Calvin's time all are agreed that no Prayers but establish'd Liturgies were us'd Nay Calvin who Pray'd Extempore after his Lecture alwaies us'd a Form before Pref. ad Calv. Prael in Min. Proph. and he compos'd a Form for the Sunday-Service which was afterwards establish'd at Geneva Nay he saies for as much as concerns the Forms of Prayer and Ecclesiastical Rites I highly approve that it be determin'd so as that it may not be lawful for the Ministers in their administration to vary from it Ep. 87. Nor is there any one Reform'd Church but what has some public Form of Prayer nor was the lawfulness of Forms ever call'd in question before Nay Mr. Ball Dr. Owen Mr. Baxter Mr. Norton and Mr. Tombes do (i) See Ball 's Trial Pref. c. 1 2 3 8. Baxter's Cure of Ch. Divis p. 175. Owen's Work of the Spirit in Prayer p. 220.222 235. Norton's Answer to Apollon c. 13. expresly own them to be lawful and this is said (k) Clark's Lives of 10 Divines p. 255. to be the tenent of all our Dissenting best and most judicious Divines It is very well known saies (l) Bradshaw's Life in Clark's Coll. in fol. p. 67. one that the flower of our own Divines went on in this way when they might have done otherwise if they had pleas'd in their Prayers before Sermons and we find Mr. Hildersham's Prayer before Sermon (m) See His Doctrine of Fasting and Prayer Anno 1633· Printed This was so universally and constantly practis'd that Mr. Clark (n) Collect. of 10 Lives 4 to p. 38. tells us that the first Man who brought conceiv'd Prayer into use in those parts where he liv'd was Mr. Sam. Cook who died but in the Year 1649. Nay the chief Dissenting writers do not only assert but they also undertake to prove the lawfulness of Forms (o) See Ball 's Tri l. c. 2. Rogers's Tr. 223. Bryan's Dwelling with God p. 307. Egerton's Practice of Christianity c. 11. p. 691. Edit 5. from the nature use and ends of Prayer and charge the contrary opinion with Enthusiasm (p) Grave Confut Epist to the Reader Contin Morn Exerc. p. 1006. and Novelty (q) Priest Serm. on Joh. 1.16 They grant also 1. That Forms are not only lawful but that there are Footsteps of this way of Worship both in the Old and New Testament as Mr. Tombes and others have shew'd (r) Theodulia p. 221. Baxt. Cure p. 176. Ball 's Tryal p. 128 129. Grave confut p. 12 13. and Mr. Ainsworth that did otherwise argue against them do's confess (ſ) Annot. on Ex. 12.8 2. That they are very ancient in the Christian Church The Christian Churches of ancient Times for the space of this 1400 Years at least if not from the Apostles Time had their stinted Liturgies saith Mr. Ball (t) Tryal p. 96 106 111 138. p. 80. and (u) Tombes's Theodulia p. 222. they answer Objections to the contrary 3. That in the best reform'd nay in all reform'd Churches they are not only us'd and tolerated but also (w) Ball 's Tryal p. 108 c. Rogers's Treatises p. 224. Tombes's Theod. p. 234. useful and expedient 4. That those amongst us to whom the use of the Common-Prayer has been most burthensome have from time to time profest their liking and approbation of a stinted Liturgy as Mr. Ball assures us (x) Tryal p. 96 106 12. That they thought it altogether unlawful to separate from Churches for the sake of stinted Forms and Liturgies is not only frequently affirm'd by Mr. Ball (y) Resp ad Apol. c. 13. but little less even by Mr. Norton (z) Sacril desert p. 102. who saies It is lawful to embrace Communion with Churches where such Forms in public Worship are in use neither do's it lie as a Duty on a Believer that he disjoin and separate himself from such a Church And they give this reason for it that then they must separate from all Churches So Mr. Baxter (a) Defence part 2. p. 65. See Ball 's Tryal p. 131 Rogers's Tr. p. 224. Is it not a high degree of Pride to conclude that almost all Christ 's Churches in the World for these 13 hundred Years at least to this day have offer'd such worship unto God as that you are obliged to avoid it And that almost all the Catholic Church on Earth this day is below your Communion for using Forms And that even Calvin and the Presbyterians Cartwright Hildersham and the Old Non-Conformists were unworthy your Communion As for Praying Extempore 't was set up in England in opposition to our Liturgy For in the Ninth Year of Q. Eliz. to seduce the People from the Church and to serve the ends of Popery one Friar Comin began to Pray Extempore with such fervor that he deluded many and was amply rewarded for it by the Pope See Foxes and Firebrands p. 7 c. After him Tho. Heath did the same p. 17. See also Vnreason of sep pref p. 11 c. And I hope when the Dissenters have well consider'd whom they join with and whose cause they advance by decrying our Liturgy and extolling Extempore Prayers they will see cause to think better of Forms of Prayer Secondly I am now to answer the Dissenters Objections against Forms of Prayer 1. They pretend that the Use of public Forms do's deaden the Devotion of Prayer whereas I doubt not to make it appear that they do quicken Devotion much more then Extempore Prayers 'T is plain that Forms of Prayer do fix the Minister's attention more than Extempore Prayers For his matter and words being ready before him he has