Several Short but Seasonable DISCOURSES TOUCHING Common and Private PRAYER Relating to the Publick Offices OF THE CHURCH By R. SHERLOCK D. D. Rector of Winwick and Author of The Practical Christian I will Pray with the Spirit and Pray with the vnderstanding also 2 Cor. 14.15 LONDON Printed for R. S. and Sold by Christopher Skegnes at the Golden Ball in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1687. A CATALOGUE Of all the following DISCOVRSES I. Of the Irregularity of Private Prayer c. II. Dr. Stewards Judgment c. III. Of the Difference betwixt long Prayers prohibited and continuance of Prayers commanded IV. Meditations upon our going to the Church with some short Directions for our Demeanour in the House of God touching some too-much mistaken and neglected Acts of Divine Worship V. A Sermon preached upon the Archbishop of YORK's Provincial Visitation at Warrington The IRREGULARITY Of a Private Prayer in a Publick Congregation SIR I Have sent you herein my repeated and enlarged Thoughts upon what was once the subject of our serious discourse wherein I would not at all disparage or in the least under value the private prayers and devotions of any person whether of the Laity or Clergy whether those prayers be by himself composed or by others whether they be premeditated or sometimes ejaculatory whether fixed or occasional oral or mental for thus and all these ways every truly Religious Christian prays and undoubtedly finds the benefit and feels the comfort of such holy breathings forth of his Soul unto Heaven in his private recesses But that any Person especially such who have entred into holy Orders in this Church of England should presume to use any Prayers in Publick of his own private conception whether premeditate or extemporary before or after his Sermon other than those Prayers which are by publick Authority allowed and published to that end I humbly conceive with submission to my Superiors to be unlawful in several respects First T is a disorder and confusion in the service of God For thus the Publick and Private Worship of God are confounded whilst those private Prayers which our Lord hath confined to the private Closer do yet contrary to his express command appear in publick and usurp the place of his publick Service in the Congregation The holy duties of publick and private Prayers as they are distinct in their own nature and constant use so they are distinguished by our Lord and distinct rules prescribed for the distinct and discreet performance of either Duty First for private Prayer Mat. 6.6 When thou prayest enter into thy Closet speaking in the singular number to every particular person Secondly for publick Prayer v. 7. But when ye pray use not vain repetitions speaking in the plural number to many assembled together where to avoid the Heathenish practice of much speaking or multitudinous words in Prayer v. 8. a short and most excellent Form is given us v. 9. Thus then publick prayer being distinguished by our Lord from private we are thereby forbidden to confound them in their use and practice 1 Cor. 14.40 Let all things be done decently and in order not preposterously and disorderly one part of divine worship undermining another and the lesser and more particularuty Dusurping upon the greater and more general religious Office. Secondly 'T is not only a disorderly but also an unreasonable Service and so not likely to be acceptable to him who is both the God of Order and of Wisdom And the unreasonableness of this private prayer in publick will appear by considering That all prayers offer'd up unto God in publick must be publickly known consented unto and agreed upon which the private prayer generally is not by all them that joyn therein Upon which agreement and not ortherwise Christ hath promised his presence viz. to hear our Prayers and grant our requests Mat. 18.19 20. Again I say unto you If two of you shall agree upon Earth touching any thing they shall ask it shall be done unto them of my Father which is in Heaven for where two or three are gathered together there am I in the midst of them whereupon saith the Gloss out of Origen This is the cause we are not heard when we pray in that we agree not in all things For as in Musick there must be harmony and agreement of voices or else it delights not the hearer so in the Church an assent and agreement is necessary or else God is not pleased neither will he hear the voice of our prayers 'T is this agreement in prayer that denominates our publick worship of God Common Prayer because agreed upon by common consent which doth presuppose that t is known to all that all may joyn therein So it was ever in the Church of Christ the faithful knew what they prayed for and this not at the second hand from the mouth of the Minister but before they joyned with him So Saint Chrysostome Hom. 6. in Tim. You that are faithful know what things are to be desired in Prayer because all Prayer viz. that is in publick ought to be common T is the exhortation of Ignatius Ep. ad Magn. who lived in the times of the Apostles and saw our Lord in the flesh That we assemble together in one place and use one prayer common to all For if the prayers of a Congregation be not known common and agreedupon then First the people cannot joyn therein it being little less than the sacrifice of fools for men to ask of God they know not what but wholly depend upon the Ministers unknown expressions Secondly A Prayer that is unknown before it be offered up is to an English man though spoken in English as a Latin prayer to him who understands no Latin for they are both lame and maimed and cannot stand with common sense except they make use of that Crutch which we so much blame in the Papists viz. an implicite faith to support them and both the one and the other do equally transgress that rule of prayer prescribed by the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.15 I will pray with the spirit and will pray with the understanding also Thirdly It is against both the Judgment and practice of the Vniversal Church of Christ no footsteps thereof are to be found in Antiquity but many Canons of the Church against it whereof some are noted in the Margin a Concil Lcodic cel Anno 320. Can. 15.17 ult Concil Milevit 2d. An. 416. Can. 12. Concil Epaunens celeb An. 509. Concil Gerund celeb An. 516. C. 1. Concil Toles quart Can. 2. Concil Venet. celeb An. 452. Can. 15. Concil Bracor 1. celeb An. 562.19 20. 22. Concil Vasen celeb 442. Can. 5 6 7. Fourthly T is a transgression of the Laws and Orders of this particular Church of England and this accompanied with the breach of that solemn promise which every Minister lawfully ordained hath made no man being admitted into holy Orders untill he hath attested the lawfulness of the Book
of Common Prayer and promised that he himself will use the same and no other in publick subscribing with his own hand this attestation and promise so that the contrary practice in the use of any private prayer by any Minister of this Church is a breach of Fidelity to the Church and to the Reverend Bishop that Ordained him Fiftly T is also a transgression of the Common Law of the Land which in the Acts of Parliament for Uniformity in Common-prayer both old and new enjoyns peremptotily under severe penalties That no man shall use any prayers openly or in publick but such as are set forth in the said book so that both in this and in the former respects t is an act of Disobedience to the higher Powers and breach of the fifth Commandment I might adde in the last place the Non conformity of this practice with all other Protestant Communicants beyond the Seas their Ministers being neither fond of it themselves nor permitted such a liberty by their Governors Object But to solve all these particulars t is said A private prayer before Sermon is allowed nay enjoyned by the 55th Canon of the Church which is called indeed a Form of Prayer but therein the Minister is not bound up to the use of the same words but may pray to that effect Answ First But surely there is no man that understandeth sense and is not blinded with prejudice will say That the form prescribed in the Canons is a Form of prayer but an Exhortation only to move the people to joyn in prayer for Christ's Holy Catholick Church for the King's Majesty for and t is most properly called a bidding of Prayer And 't was Mr. Cartwright that Ring-leader of the Puritan Faction in the time of Q. Elizabeth who first turned this Bidding prayer into a long prayer of his own head and 't was the very Engine whereby he and his followers undermined the Common Prayers of the Church Secondly Because the observance of this Canon was obnoxious to the censure and exceptions of many who desired an absolute Prayer in stead of that bidding Form it was proposed at the Convocation held An. 1640. that it might be so ordered and accordingly there was a short Prayer drawn up comprising all the heads of the Canon the which notwithstanding the confidence some had of its universal reception was rejected by the most Reverend Archbishop who judged it neither safe nor fittng to alter that Canon which was founded on the Injunctions of Queen Elizabeth and King Edward the Sixth at the first Reformation which sufficiently evinceth the said Canon to be no Prayer nor yet lawfully to be altered audused Prayer-wise Thirdly T is a presumptuous usurpation and affront upon the Church of Christ for any man to thrust himself upon such a Ministerial Office as he is not by the Authority of the Church intrusted withall and whosoever acts the Presbyterian in this particular becomes Independants the one having no more just Authority derived from the Church that ordained him to use such a private Prayer of his own in publick than the other hath either to preach or pray in publick being not admitted into holy Orders nor lawfully called thereunto Fourthly T is an Innovation in Religion a new up start practice brought into the Church not above 70 years ago and may therefore be reckoned inter profanas vocum novitates which the Apostle admonished to avoid even all profane and vain bablings 1 Tim. 6.20 canting language new words and new ways such as are contrary to those old paths and those good ways which the Lord commands us to enquire after and to walk therein Jer. 16.16 And such New ways are fitly called profane quasi procul à fano saith the Commentator Lyra in loc because far from the Temple or different from the words and ways of Christ's Church and contrary to the Apostles Depositum tene in the following words hold fast that which is committed to thee 1 Tim. 6. i. e. saith the Father quod tibi creditum non quod à te inventum what the Church whereby thou art admitted to the Ministerial Function hath committed to thy trust and commanded thee to observe hold fast that keep close to that not following thine own fancy and invention to bring in what is New which ever undermines the Old and true way of Divine worship Fifthly If a Call or command from God be herein pretended though not allowed by the Church yet in this particular they are at a loss except they pretend immediate Revelation with the Enthusiasts for there is neither command nor example in holy Writ to justifie this Private prayer in Publick We have many Sermons of the Apostles upon record but no Prayer before any of them so that this is an act of usurpation upon the Publick Divine Worship a presumption to do that which God hath no where commanded nor the Church of Christ allowed Sixthly Liberty being permitted for any person of what perswasion soever to vent his private conceptions by way of Prayer in publick opens a gap to Heresy and Schism in the Church to Sedition and Rebellion in the Kingdom For their private errors and designs being inserted in their prayers do insinuate into the Affections and more mightily inflame the People than by any other way of perswasion whatsoever Old Truths being undermined by New ways of Worship and vain bablings the constant Parents of errors in the Faith. 1 Tim. 6.20 21. Seventhly Thus Separations and Divisions both amongst Ministers and People are bred and nourished for whilst one Minister or gifted man as such are called prays thus and thus and and another in a way and with words divers from him one sort and sect of men likes this mans way method and language tone and gesture another sort is taken more with anothers way Hence One saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo and another I of Cephas 1 Cor. 1.12 which is the life and being of Schism the remedy whereof is to obey that most pathetical exhortation Now I beseech you Brethren by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye all speak the same thing That there be no divisions among you 1 Cor. 1.10 To speak the same thing and to use the same words in the publick worship of God or as the same Apostle to glorifie God with one mind and with one mouth is the way to avoid divisions and to take off the people from their partiality and fondness in preferring one Minister before another merely for their less or more eminencies in this unwarrantable way of praying Eighthly By this Private prayer the Publick prayers of the Church are implied to be imperfect and deficient are slighted nay contemned and undermined For they with whom this way is in repute generally slight and slubber over the Common prayer carelesly irreverently and indevoutly but to their own conceived prayers give all the advantages of seeming zeal both in their tone and language
the BIDDING PRAYER OXFORD Printed by L. Lichfield Printed to the University for Richard Sherlock Bookseller In the Year 1684. These are the words of his Inscription near the place where he was interr'd in France MEMORIAE RICHARDI STEWARD DECANI WESTMONASTER ET SACELLI REGII IN ANGLIA Qui hoc tantum Monumento suo inscribi voluit Epitaphium Hic jacet R. STEVVARD QVI Assiduè oravit pro pace ECCLESLAE Obiit 14o. Novemb. 1652. AETAT LVIIIo. THat it is not lawful for any Person that hath received holy Orders in the Church of England to use any extemporary or premeditated Prayers of his own private composure either before or after Sermon or in the Church in the publick Worship and Service of God but only the Liturgy set forth and allowed First Because it is directly against his own solemn promise made to the Church when he came to be ordained and that Promise is set down under his hand when he subscribed the three Articles contained in Canon 36. the second whereof runs thus That he will use the Service-Book prescribed in Publick prayer and no other Secondly Because the use of such Prayers is directly against an Act of Parliament viz. that for the Vniformity of Common Prayers which enjoyns peremptorily under sharp punishments that no man shall use any other open Prayers than are mentioned and set forth in the said Book Thirdly No man is to presume to exercise any Office in the Church except he be called to it as it was in Aaron Seeing therefore both the Church and State have expresly enjoyn'd us to use no Publick prayers but the Liturgy except his Majesty give leave upon extraordinary Occasion for the drawing up of Forms which leave hath ground de Jure communi both Ecclesiastical and Civil it followeth that neither Church nor State have given power to any to vent themselves in such open Prayers in the Church because they expresly forbid it To presume then to use such Prayers contains in it a complication of several Sins 1. The Sin of Falshood or the breach of solemn Promise confirm'd by subscription of the Church 2. T is an act of Disobedience to the Higher Powers and so it is an express sin against the Fifth Commandement 3. T is an act of Injury and Usurpation offered to the Church in presuming to thrust themselves into a sacred Office which such men are not to be in trusted with nor thought fit at all to execute for many many be able to discourse unto men since if they chance there to fail in point of truth or congruity the matter is of less consequence but the Church will but trust but few that shall lead Men when they speak to God because there a Falshood may prove an abomination in Speech an Incongruity may soon amount to a Blasphemy I would glanly demand of any prudent person whether he conceive that when the Church of England was in her greatest glory she had ever in it 9500 Persons answerable to the 9500 Parishes that were able to lead the people in prayer Sad experience tells us the contrary and informs us loudly enough of the Soloecisms and Blasphemies and the same experience tells us that their Directory helps them not at this dead lift nay it may often prove the greatest impediment since were some weak men allowed as well their Matter as Words they might perhaps come off with some tolerable approbation but being forced to confine themselves to matter which either they well understand not or are not so well us'd to speak of their Prayers are oftentimes vain and ridiculous or which is worse erroneous and blasphemous The licentiousness of Devotion that each private Priest durst adventure to lead others in Publick prayer breeding great disturbance in the Primitive Church brought the Fathers to decree thus in the second Council of Milevis where St. Austin sate as appears by the Subscription That no Publick Prayers should be offered up to God that had not been approv'd of in a Council or least agreed upon by the more discreet sort of men Ne fortè aliquid contra fidem vel per ignorantiam vel per minus studium sit compositum Lest either through ignorance or want of good pains the publick Faith might receive hurt by such Prayers Now besides other hurts which the Church of England hath received by this unlawful course all know that she hath received one remarkable mischief in the neglect and scorn of her Liturgy For when Cartwright the Puritan Incendiary saw he wanted Power either to extirpate or to alter our established Book of Common Prayer he was the first durst boldly use this forbidden Knell of Devotion and those that followed him improved it to so great an height by posting over our Liturgy with so much carelesness and scorn and by giving all the Advantages to those Forms of their own both of the Voice and of the Eyes and of the Hand that the People began e're long to think that the reading of the Liturgy was but an useless task impos'd by the Church on the Priests but that they compleatly served God if they came when the Psalms were singing because besides that they served God and had the benefit of a Sermon they heard a long Prayer also set out with all the Devotion and all the advantage that it could possibly receive from the Art or from the natural good parts of the person who compos'd it So that he who will needs continue the use of these forbidden prayers in the Pulpit takes the readiest course as much as in him lies for the rooting out the publick Liturgy I suppose that these men do not at all like the course which the Independants now use in Prayer who permit this extemporary or voluntary way not only to the Priests but to the Soldiers and to the Mechanicks and I imagine a main cause of their mistakes to be because such an Office is intruded on by those men who have not just authority to perform it But then if they would consider things well they would easily find that this use of forbidden Prayer hath metamorphos'd them into independants since they have no more authority to compose such Forms from that Apostolical Church that ordained them than either that person hath who is now imployed to make Shoes or that other Ecclesiastick whose Formalities are a Belt and a Buff Jerkin It may be said perhaps that many Churchmen both of great knowledge and great place have themselves us'd these forms of Prayer and upon that ground why may not they Truly if to argue thus were concluding it might soon free us not only from the ties of many English laws but from the obligation of the Decalogue it self which without all doubt is broken often enough not only by those of the common sort but by men of great Place and Knowledge But we must distinguish between Consuetudo and Corruptela and so learn that Usages taken up against press-written Laws are Corruptions
but not justifiable Customs One thing I shall adde more and it is a short Discourse How the Pulpit-Forms of Prayer were brought into the Church of England We must know then that in the time of Popery the manner commonly was to use the Lords Prayer or else an Ave Maria before Sermon so that when Edward the Sixth came to compose his Injunctions he made choice as he had good reason of the Lords Prayer for that purpose But because it was thought fit that the King 's just Supremacy in Ecclesiastical things should be at the least weekly published to the People it was thought expedient to premise to the Pater noster a Form as his Injunction stiles it of Bidding Prayer wherein the Priest was not to speak to God but only to the People exhorting them to pray instantly for such and such persons but he prayed not to God at all untill he closed with the Lords Prayer This was likewise confirm'd in the Injunctions of Queen Elizabeth and expresly call'd the Form of Bidding Prayer And when King James of blessed memory turn'd those Injunctions into Canons his Law runs Canon 55. That Ministers should move the People to joyn with him in Prayer viz. in this Form of Bidding Prayer Ye shall pray for Christs Catholick Church c. concluding always with the Lords Prayer Now let any indifferent man judge Are Exhortations proper Forms of Prayer Nay let a discerning man consider it well and it will appear that things there prudently spoken by way of Exhortation and Narration would prove very absurd in Prayer How fond would it appear to tell the great GOD of Heaven of the Kings most Excellent Majesty our Sovereign Lord Charles by the Grace of God King of England c. or as some do oft tell GOD of such a Lord Earl of such a Place and Baron of another and of his Majesties Honourable Privy Councel and his very good Lord c. And yet when we do but exhort them to joyn their Prayers such Clauses may not be unfit I can scarce think of any other way to defend them and yet t is true that this Form is there viz. Can. 55. call'd Prayer before Sermon and so it is because we then say together with the Preacher the Lords Prayer to those very purposes he exhorts And they well know who know Divinity that all kinds of Prayer are reducible to that holy Form but it follows not that the Preacher's Exhortation is a Prayer for that he then speaks not at all to God himself but to the People Indeed upon an occasion extraordinary it is a Prayer of no ordinary composition and therefore call'd the Form of Bidding Prayer both by a reform'd King and a very glorious Queen and yet de facto misus'd by an itching Puritanical party at first no doubt by Cunning and Design and afterwards as verily think for the most part by a mistake of that bad end to which it drove or by inadvertency of the Law. But it is most apparent that such forbidden Prayers are an especial means to eat out the whole English Liturgy A DISCOURSE Of the Difference betwixt Long Prayers prohibited and Continuance in Prayers commanded When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites c. Matth. 6.5 OXFORD Printed by L. Lichfield Printer to the University for Richard Sherlock Bookseller In the Year 1684. A Discourse of the Difference betwixt Long Prayers prohibited and coutinuance in Prayers commanded THey who are true members of Christ's Church below are conform to the glorious Saints in Heaven above a Exod. 25.40 Acts 7.44 Heb. 6.11 they do the will of God on Earth as t is in Heaven b Matth. 6.11 and that 's undoubtedly the way to Heaven We cannot post bly lose our way thither whirst we follow their steps who are thither gone before us Thole Triumphant Saints in Heaven rest not day nor night saving Holy Holy Holy Lord God c Is 6.3 Rev. 4.8 Almighty Whereunto conforms the man after God's own heart saying O Lord God of my salvation I have cryed day and night before thee d Ps 88.1 Our Lord commends it as a duty incumbent that men ought always to pray a Luk. 18.1 and by his Apostle commands it positively Pray without ceasing b 1 Thes 5.13 Giving thanks always c Ephes 5.20 Praying alway with all Prayer and Supplication d Ephes 6.18 But these Examples and Commands are not so to be understood as if we should do nothing else but pray which was an old Heresy of the Messalians and Euchites e S. Aug. l. de haer I heod Eccl. hist l. 4. c. 10. long since condemned by the Church of Christ as being a thing impossible to pray without ceasing in the bare literal sense because this corruptible body presseth down the soul and corporal necessities do call for supply Neither yet that we should make long Prayers which is the new error and great mistake of these times the which though generally the most used and best liked as being set off with the paint of a seeming zele and pretence of the Spirit yet the unlawfulness of such long Prayers will appear if we will without prejudice and partiality consider that 1. They are forbidden by our Lord saying When ye pray use not vain repetitions Matth. 6.7 in which words our Lord means not the same prayers repeated as is falsly objected against the Prayers of the Church for thus our Lord prayed himself Matth. 26.39.44 where his Prayer was short and three times repeated And therefore undoubtedly by vain repetitions in praying is understood multitude of Words and variety of expressions to the same purpose or rather to no purpose since our Desires both may and ought to be expressed in few words and pertinent according to the pattern our Lord hath given us And that t is the meaning of our Lord when he saith After this manner pray ye that our Prayers should be generally formed to the length of his Prayer prescribed will appear 1. From the Context if seriously weighed and rightly understood wherein is manifest that the manner of praying by such a short Form is commanded in opposition to the Heathenish use of much speaking in Prayer 2. From the Parallel-Text in the Margin Eccles 5.2 Be not rash with thy Mouth and let not thy Heart be hasty to utter any thing before God for God is in Heaven and thou upon Earth and therefore let thy words be few 3. From the Prayers of Christ's Church which are in all Liturgies of the Christian World for the most part of the same length and surely the general Practice of the Church is the best Interpreter of the Scripture 4. Such are generally also all the Prayers of the Holy Spirit of God which stand upon Record in Holy Writ viz. the Book of Psalms with many more We meet with none that are of such a continued length as are in use amongst us but they are all