it But since they that are against us on both sides are so earnest in defending their own ways and reproaching us the Ministers should not be remiss in counter-working such ill Designs by the most Rational and Convincing Demonstration joined with Fervency and Importunity of Perswasion in their Preaching on this Subject And here I must first observe That general Exhortations to Piety and Holiness how Excellently and Passionately soever delivered by our Ministers tho they may make them admired and followed and that by Men of several Perswasions yet they will not have the effect such should intend if Mens minds be corrupted with false Notions about the exercising and expressing of Piety and Holiness But as the best Food may do Men hurt by reason of ill Humors in the Stomach so may such good Doctrine through ill Principles in the Understanding Such as think the best way to be holy is to Consecrate themselves in the Blood of Heretiques as the Papists or of such as will not let Christ rule over them as some Enthusiasts believing that as the Levites were by Moses commanded to Consecrate themselves every Man on his Son and on his Brother that had committed Idolatry in worshipping the Calf so they may Consecrate themselves by this and such as think the way of Holiness lies in distinction of Words and Phrase and in their Garb and Garments or in strictness in some Indifferent and Apocriphal Observances not injoined by God nor the Church Nay if they think it lies in being above Ordinances and rejecting both the Sacraments in railing against God's Ministers and censuring all their Neighbours that are not of their Sect and calling us all Ignoramus's and Persecutors or which is most my Subject in condemning all Forms of Prayer and all Superiority among Ministers as Popish and Anti-christian and applauding Independency as the only Scriptural Church-Government and the Ex tempore Way as the onely Acceptable Mode of Worship and that in publick as well as private I say all these and whatever other of like kinds of which there are abundance in the World when they hear the most Powerful and Passionate Exhortations to Piety in general terms they make the Application to Zeal in their own Way Wherefore I think those Ministers who believe that in a Sincere and Diligent Improvement of the Order of our Church we may Exercise the most Fervent Devotion towards God and the most pleasant Communion of Saints in Holy Worship and also prosecute the Sanctification of our Hearts and Lives in a way to be preferr'd before all other Ways wherein Men pride themselves I say those Ministers that believe this as all of the Church of England and especially those concern'd in its Government I hope verily do should not think it enough to preach up Piety in general but should think themselves obliged to make such particular Application to a Devout and Constant Attendance on the Common Prayer as a principal Act of it as may prevent such abuse of their Sermons by Men of ill Principles and make them most serviceable to the Honour of God and Peace and Welfare of this Church If we Observe the Sermons and Books of the Nonconformists on this Subject it will appear that all their Discourses of Piety have always a secret and very frequently an open Relation to the Exercise thereof in their own way and very bad Reflections on ours as being but a kind of pageantry and ostentation of Devotion and meer formality and outside without that life and power which makes it acceptable to God and that such Devotion is no evidence that we are truly Regenerate and his Elect People And this is that which confirms their Disciples in their own way and hinders them from so much as trying ours And shall the Ministers of our Church be out-done by those they account Schismaticks Doth not the Ancient Orderly and Solemn Way of our Church deserve as much Zeal as the novel Ways cried up with them Is not the Honour of God and Salvation of Mens Souls as much concerned in being devout in our way as in theirs Is not a great love to the Common Prayer a delight to attend constantly on the Offices thereof and a fervent Devotion therein as good a sign of true Grace as the love of Extempore Prayer and a delight in going frequently to private Meetings Is not the neglect of God's Worship in our way especially by those that profess to approve the Order we have for it a sign of the deadly state of carnal-mindedness and unregenerateness from which Men must be converted except they will be damned and so to be esteemed by us as well as the neglect thereof in their way All Men know that no Way or Mode of Religion is so good that Men should be thought good Christians meerly for being Educated therein and Professing to approve the same but such Education and Profession will aggravate their sin if they be not serious in that Way of Religion they approve and so will the Excellency and Goodness thereof if they slight it And should not the Ministers of God who must bear the blame for ever if God be dishonoured or Souls damned through their default Consider this and perswade Men to a greater love to God and to his Worship in the Way of this Church And so to order their Concerns with Relation thereunto that they may approve themselves truly Converted and such as shall be Saved 'T is Seriousness in Religion that speaks Men true Christians and this joined with Constant Attendancy on Religious Duties which is the fruit thereof is their security against Apostacy of all kinds and I must say this that however there may be and I am confident there are some of all the different Ways of Religious Worship that are truly Converted and shall be Saved yet none that I have known are better Christians then they who are Serious and truly Devout in the Way of the Church of England I know there are many Hypocrites that seem so and are not amongst us as well as others but I speak of the Sincere And if it be so sure Ministers should think it their Glory and Joy when they can bring Men from a Carnal and Unregenerate State to that which is truly Spiritual and Gracious It hath been some grief to me to see that Ministers on both extreams should out-do ours in this matter those of the Papists seem to exult not only when they can bring one of our Religion over to their Church but when any of their own turn from a Worldly Secular Life to that which they call Religious and Spiritual And the Separatists not onely pretend to leave us upon the account of forsaking the World and devoting themselves to God but to set up their Meetings on purpose to call others to a more Spiritual Life in communion with them and rejoice greatly in their success therein and in nothing do they more glory over us than in out-doing us in Seriousness
time before they begin which will be very helpful in this case and this would prevent an Abuse which I have observed in most Churches that have Prayers twice a day viz. that the Sextons are so careless and negligent that the Church-doors are not so much as opened when the Clock strikes the hour appointed for Prayers so that many that out of Devotion or by reason of the difference of Clocks come a little to soon are fain to wait a great while at the Church-door for entrance Secondly The natural Preparations are An ability to read distinctly that which we are to read and also to say perfectly by heart the daily Psalms and Hymns that so we may perform our part with the better grace 'T is certainly a thing most evident to any that will consider it that what is to be done in the sight and presence of Almighty God and especially when it is to be done most immediately for his Glory and Honour I say that it should be done in the most excellent manner that is possible and therefore it will need no proof to those that believe what I have already written on that Subjects that this which I advise is a great and most concerning Duty And I the rather insist on it because I have observed that many who profess to be great Approvers of the Common Prayer and of all the Orders of our Church do yet seldom or never read their part of the Psalms or joyn in the Repetition of the daily Hymns and Responses as they are ordered which I impute to their great carelesness in those preparations and that many who do what is required to be done yet do it so ill that it is apparent they want some excitation to their Duty hereabout I shall therefore intreat all that are defective herein to employ their leisure hours to practise a more perfect and punctual way of Reading which will be a thing of credit and use to them otherwise as well as here I have sometimes been present when Men of good Quality and Estates have taken upon them to read some Pamphlet in a Coffee-house but read at such a pitiful rate that a Man could scarce make sence of it or be ever the wiser for hearing it which is a reproach to them among wise Men for whatever the defects of their Education have been it might easily have been supplied by their own diligence if an inordinate love of Company and other Divertisements did not make them too much to decline profitable Retirements And I would intreat all Parents and Masters to consider the obligation that is upon them in this respect and to look that their Children and Servants do the same We owe not onely our selves but all ours to the honour and service of Almighty God And if Children were taught as they should be their duty to worship and praise God in the publick Assemblies and encouraged therein by the example of their Elders it would be a mighty Argument to perswade them to learn the most distinct and graceful way of Reading I have been much pleased to see the good success of this care in some Parents that are well affected to the Common Prayer whose Children read their part of the Psalms with a better grace than many when grown to be Men can do And when these do attain to a perfection herein it will beget in them a great delight in that heavenly Exercise and make them love to attend the Prayers and this doubtless will be a mighty Antidote against Prophaneness and Schism and both plant and root in our minds that Doctrine whence a holy Life cannot but spring II. That being prepared as before we should endeavour our selves to perform our part of this Service in the best manner we are able There are some things which I have observed in the performance of the People that seem to be very indecent As first That they speak when they should hearâ— repeating together with the Minister and often before him the Prefatory Admonition wherewith the Minister is to begin thiâ— Service and the Absolution which he giveâ— them after the General Confession the Commandments also and many other thingâ— appointed for the Minister alone which iâ— by all wise men held very improper and indecent The Church indeed hath ordered some things to be said after the Minister with great advice As 1. The General Confession wherein we solemnize that Repentance that gives us admittance into the reconciled state that which makes all our Services acceptable to God And there is this great advantage in the conjunction of all therein and that with the Voice as well as the Heart That the professing of our Repentance in that manner hath all the circumstances that may make it satisfactory and obliging at least as far as the Church can provide in the case Therein every one doth as it were accuse judge and condemn himself before God and the whole Congregation for sins contained under the general heads therein mentioned the particular instances whereof are onely fit to be repeated in secret Confession to God himself and if he do it seriously with a Devotion suitable to the Words it is to me a more satisfactory sign of penitence than the enlarged Confessions used in the other Way wherein some to seem fervent or to make themselves so run into the enumeration of sins beyond due measures being as I think beyond what the Congregation in general can be supposed though Christians of a sort inferiour to themselves at least in their own judgment to be ordinarily conscious that they have been guilty in And 't is also obliging for this should be a mighty argument against returning to sin when we have solemnly confessed our folly and guilt therein before God and the Congregation For having as it were called God and Man to witness the truth and sincerity of our Repentance it will be a high aggravation of our carelesness if we suffer our selves easily to be drawn to sin again and that either in omitting our Duty or committing Iniquity in any kind and it will engage every good man to watch and pray lest he should enter into temptation and be hurried into the sins for which he hath so condemned himself The 2d is the Lord's Prayer which because it teacheth the forming of the affections and desires of our Souls unto the most excellent order and raising them by degrees to the highest perfection and because it comprehends the heads of whatever is to be sought by us at the hands of God and that with greatest brevity and plainness it is necessary to be learned of all even from their first attainment of the use of Reason and Speech And this the Church cannot better provide for than by engaging them always to say it after the Minister and besides it implies a declaration of our Christian Unity and a renunciation of all Heresies and Schisms as far as we know them And we do the greater honour to God and our blessed-Saviour
seem'd to me very unsuitable to 〈◊〉 nature of that Exercise wherein we 〈◊〉 to declare our Joy and Exultancy in Goâ— and therefore in speaking as well as sinâ—ing should lift up our Voices and praâ—â— him lustily and with a good courage as it 〈◊〉 Psal 81.1 And in many places tâ—â— Scripture exhorts to a great chearfulness 〈◊〉 this Exercise and to do it with loud aâ—â— exalted Voices And if we did so 〈◊〉 would make it shew like another thinâ— than it doth in the way I reprove anâ— would render it more laudatory and hâ—â— nourable to Almighty God and more pleasant and comfortable to our selves anâ— it would also remove the offence thaâ— some take against it as Unedifying foâ— that it is only on account of this I mention because they can understand buâ— half the Psalm through the imperfect murmur of the people in repeating their parâ— For if every one spake as loud and plaiâ— in repeating his Verse as the Minister dotâ—â— in repeating his as they ought to do 〈◊〉 they would have it appear like Psalmodâ— or an Office of Praise there would be no cause for this Complaint And also those that cannot read who might be helped by the next by-stander to perform their part without it or at least may understand as much as if the Minister read all and so be more edified in that holy Joy which this manner of reading is apt to beget And I wish also that people had the art to speak in some kind of Concord with the Minister either that their Voites might be Unisons with his or a Fifth or an Eighth from it For there is a Speaking as well as Singing together that is very harsh by reason of a discordancy in the Voices of those that perform it And if men that have understanding in this matter and good strong Voices would set themselves to do their part it would soon bring the Congregation to a better performance And why should they not think themselves concerned so to do Is there any Exercise in the world of a higher nature or more immediately design'd to the Glory and Honour of Almighty God Besides it is done as in his sight and presence and therefore to be done with a manly courage and the best skill we are able And nothing can be more exhilerating to pious minds in that therein we have communion together 〈◊〉 celebrating the Divine Praises and in repeating the Histories of God's wonderfâ—â— Works with one mouth as well as wiâ—â— one mind nor more edifying in that 〈◊〉 is a provoking one another to worship fear and obey him speaking to our selveâ— and teaching and admonishing one another 〈◊〉 the Apostle exhorts in Psalms and Hymnâ— and Spiritual Songs singing with grace aâ—â— making melody to the Lord in our hearts 〈◊〉 Eph. 5.19 Colos 3.16 For the gracious Harmony which we find in our Souâ—â— between our Reason and the truth of thâ— Divine Revelations between our Affection and the goodness and suitableness of thâ— objects therein proposed especially as theâ— powers are renewed by the Holy Ghosâ— must needs yield an unspeakable delight 〈◊〉 our selves and also we make melody in oâ—â— hearts to the Lord when we exercise thâ— Graces of Faith and Love and Joy and Hopâ— therein which is our singing with grace so as to express them to the sense of otherâ— By this solemn serious and joyful mannâ— of speaking we also teach and admonish oâ— another for such pleasant conversation iâ— repeating those excellent parts of Scripture sweetly insinuates holy Doctrine teaching one another to follow God and hiâ— Saints whose vertues and blessedness we celebrate and admonishing one another to take heed lest we have any fellowship with the Wicked whose vices we condemn and remember their woful downfals as ensamples to warn us to repent lest we also perish as they have done Now this being so pleasant and profitable an Exercise why should not all good Men endeavour to revive the credit thereof by the most excellent manner of performance Certainly it had never been in the power of Satan or his Instruments to have brought into contempt a thing that is so heavenly and angelical if Men had not remitted their care of doing it as they ought For our lauding and praising our most great and gracious God and communicating the delights of heaven-born Souls in this Way of responsory speaking is so accommodate to the capacity of all descending to the very meanest without abating the delights of the greatest that it is strange that any should not like it I have known some Families that for many Generations have been so defective in the way of artificial Singing that no one Person of them could ever sing the Tune of a Psalm in any tolerable manner yet these can praise God with the Congregation in thiâ— way of repeating the Psalms by turns and Children may be much earlier taught 〈◊〉 do so in this than in any other waâ— And though this doth create delight to some that cannot sing yet it is no abatement of delight to others that are skilful in Musick For that way of Singing which is now most commended is but a melodious kind of Speaking and all Musicâ— Graces that hinder the understanding oâ— Words are quite out of fashion So thaâ— here is a delight that offers itself most early to be the Felicity of Humane Natureâ— anticipating the base and bruitish delight of Sense that press upon us for entertainment on the account of their being pleasant and necessary and that before we caâ— well discover the slightness of their pretences thereunto And 't is also such 〈◊〉 Pleasure as loseth not its relish in any Ageâ— but still continueth its force and power tâ— counter-work the insinuations of such Delights in all parts of life as may be prejudicial to our spiritual Felicity and tâ— sweeten and sanctifie all the rest And I perswade myself that if Personâ— of Age and Honour and those that havâ— some excellency of Art would but desigâ— and endeavour to make the best of thiâ— Way they would find great satisfaction to themselves thereby and would also beget an ambition in the younger sort to do worthily in performing their part in this heavenly Psalmody And Youth being so encouraged would soon conceive such a pleasure as I have before spoken of and this in conjunction with other appointed means would mightily facilitate the work of their Conversion from a carnal to a spiritual Life engaging them heartily in the Combat against the Enemies of their souls and in a serious prosecution of true Felicity as obliged by Baptism It is evident that Life without pleasure is an empty name and little more desirable than Death David lamenting in his own person the deplorable Miseries to which Man in his best state is now subject asks the question Wherefore God hath made all men for nought and yet the Apostle tells of some who li-lived in pleasure that they were dead while they lived hence we may conclude
that Man is a Creature capable of two sorts of Pleasure Mental and Carnal and that these do for the most part militate against each other and if carnal Pleasures prevail and get the possession of our Life we are said to be dead in respect of our minds and spiritual part but if the Delights of the Mind once take place and become our Employment then the Body is said to be dead dead by reason of sin as the spirit is life because of righteousness So that it is of mighty avail to cherish these spiritual Pleasures and depress those that are carnal especially in the beginning of our life as that upon which the Happiness of our whole Life depends And this I think may be done by a pious and prudent Instruction in the fore-mentioned Duty and by giving a good Example to encourage the performance I cannot give this matter the explication it requires but I hope a word to the Wise will be sufficient Having hinted these things to rectifie what seem'd to me amiss I shall now briefly sum up all by representing that Behaviour which I judge most decent in the performance of these Sacred Offices First then having a due sence of what you are going about viz. to approach the most glorious and dreadful Presence of the Almighty and having composed your minds to worship him with that Reverence and Devotion you ought and declared this by the solemn manner of your coming into his House and placing yourself in the station wherein you are to perform your part in this holy Exercise you are to fix your eyes on the Reader as the Minister of God the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts sent to call you to Repentance with offers of Peace and Reconciliation that you may escape his dreadful Wrath which none can endure or withstand which Wrath the Host of Heaven and Powers of Hell as well as the Creatures here on Earth are ready to minister against all impenitent and prophane Wretches You are to stand up and attend seriously to the reading of those Scripture-Sentences wherewith he begins this Service wherein are declared in the very words of God himself the necessity of Repentance and the certainty of Pardon and of his gracious acceptance of all that truly perform it You are also well to consider the inforcement of those Sentences by his reading the Exhortation following in the mean time reflecting on yourself with a due remembrance of your particular sins that you may be the better prepared to accompany him with a pure Heart and humble Voice in the General Confession following And this Confession as it is ordered we should make in the most humble posture which according to the use and custom of this Country is kneeling on our Knees and this none are to omit except hindred by bodily infirmity or such inconveniences as are sometimes occasioned by Crowds of People and in such case they must take care to supply that defect by other expressions of humble Reverence And we ought so to speak in repeating the same after the Minister that we thereby express that we verily believe ourselves to be guilty in many particular instances of many sins contained under the several Heads there mentioned and that we are heartily sorry for the same and earnestly implore pardoning Mercy and Forbearance and to be restored to God's Grace and Favour trusting to his Promises made to us in Christ and with no less earnestness desire the assistance of God's Grace to inable us to live better for the future This faithful endeavour to appear as humble Penitents before God and the Congregation will suppress the workings of Pride and Self-conceit the Parent of all Vice and strengthen Humility the Nurse of all Vertues and beget that brotherly Love which is founded in true Piety and Humility In attending in the same posture while the Minister as God's Herald pronounceth Absolution and Pardon to the truly penitent that unfeignedly believe the Gospel we ought to express a great Reverence of the Almighty from whom he speaks and also the most humble Thankfulness and holy Joy for his rich Grace which Grace is communicated to us by the Stewards of his Mysteries and cannot be received in the contempt of their Administrations whom he hath impowred to dispence the same And withal earnestly begging according to his Exhortation that our Faith and Repentance may be assisted by Divine Cooperation that we never fail of the same Grace for want of meet dispositions to receive it nor neglect the improvement thereof when bestowed either at present or for the future When we have thus prepared ourselves we ought with heavenly Joy and great Fervency to joyn with the Minister and Congregation in repeating that Divine Prayer which our Saviour taught The beginning whereof being Eucharistical containing such Petitions as are for the immediate honour and glory of God it is fit that we lift up our hands and eyes to Heaven when with our voices we declare our joy in God and exultancy in his Praises In the rest we supplicate things necessary for ourselves therefore we should express greatest humility in bowing our Heads and Bodies towards the Earth as unworthy to ask so great things of so great a Majesty and speak we should also with more lowly and humble Voices in repeating the same Until returning in the Doxology to the acknowledgment of his Paternal Government which inclines him of his Power which enables him and of his Glory which engages him to be so good to his Creatures and especially to his Children we again lift up our hearts and hands to Heaven and repeat the same chearful Voices After this we pass to that high and heavenly work of praising God in the Psalms and Hymns following Now tho' it were the work for which chiefly we were made and the excellent power of Speech given us and that to which while we continued innocent and happy our mouth was still opened and we had freedom and power to perform the same yet now sin and sorrow guilt and fear cares and vexations have even made us dumb to God's Praises and disabled us for due celebration hereof Therefore in this respect we ought most devoutly to joyn with the Minister in the Response following the Lord's Prayer Lord open thou our Mouths And our Lips shall shew forth thy praise O God make speed to save us O Lord make hast to help us And while we seek his Grace we should use our own endeavours to open our own Mouths and lift up our voices while we sing his Praises and to awaken all our powers to a cheerful performance of this Service The Gloria Patri follows at the repetition whereof we are required to stand a posture most fit in all manner of Psalmody and when ever we speak or sing praise and glory to God but especially in the Publick Assemblies convened chiefly for that purpose And in pronouncing these words of Glory it would be very indecent to do it in
a time to turn themselves to seek the Pleasures that are always Savory and Lasting of which we can never surfeit But now these Lusts of the World that is Covetousness of Worldly Riches as they are more insatiable than those of the Flesh so they have scarce any recesses they follow us into our Closets and to Church accompany us when Sickness shuts us into our Chambers and even on our very Death beds and nothing but the utter destruction of our Faculties can eradicate this Love of Money These Lusts give us no time or composure for the Hearty and Zealous Service of God but tho' our Bodies be present our Minds being agitated with Thoughts about the World cannot intend what is done to the Honour of God and their Souls Health as they ought Therefore Men of this Temper can't be good Readers till they be converted and their Conversion is very difficult as our Saviour hath taught Matth. 19.24 There remains therefore but this Way to make them Read well That it be for their Worldly Advantage so to do and that none will employ them except they can approve themselves to Read very well and this will make them Study it and it may be Do it as well to the Peoples Edification though not to their own Acceptance with God as the most Pious Men. And it is my humble Request to those who Imploy Readers That they will be sure they do so before they Admit them to the Place and will not suffer themselves by any Importunity Interest Relation or any other thing to be drawn to Accept an ill Reader to the dishonour of this Service whereby we Glorifie God and in which we enjoy the Highest and most Heavenly Delights in our own Minds and Spirits if a good one may be got But because there may be defect of such and that they may be forced to accept such as need the Instruction Incouragement and good Examples of the Ministers to whom they belong my Request is farther That neither their reserving themselves for long and earnest Preaching which I fear God will not bless when set up to the contempt of the Prayers nor Greatness nor Studies nor Business nor any thing else may hinder them from Reading sometimes themselves according to that good Order of our Church which they are many ways obliged to observe and the more obliged for that they receive a large share of the Dignities and Benefits thereof I beseech them therefore that once a Month at the least they will most Devoutly and Solemnly Read the Service of the Church in their own Persons that thereby the Readers may see they have a great love for the same and be excited to do their Part the better in imitation of their Masters For certainly nothing will be so prevalent as the Example of those on whom they depend to make Readers more studious and industrious to do their Duty And to this I also beseech them to add one thing more as that which will be of great avail to beget a reverence and good esteem for our Prayers in the Minds of the People and draw them to attend more Constantly and Devoutly upon them and that is That the Ministers of the Parishes will never omit but when constrained thereunto to be themselves present at the Prayers when ever they are read in their own Churches And also that here in this City where Churches are very near in some of which Prayers are read twice a day that all the Neighbour Ministers will come as often as they can possible to such Prayers It hath been a great Grief and Offence to some good Men as I have heard them complain that they see so few Ministers at the daily Prayers at St. Christophers a Church that stands most advantageously to give Example and Influence to the City and Kingdom where Prayers are read twice every day and the Example of a devout Attendance and good Performance of Eminent Ministers of our Church in that Place would for ought I know Influence the whole Nation unto a greater Reverence for the Publick Worship according to this Order Others I have heard complain of the Ministers retiring into the Vestry all the time of Divine Service as if they came to Church to Study and not to Worship and were not as much concerned in the Common Prayers of the Church as the People I know not what their Plea may be in this Case but I have not been able by my own wit to excuse them to those that have blamed them for it But the worst Complaint of all hath been That of many Ministers who at the time of some eminent Lectures will sit in a Coffee-House till Prayers be almost done and rather let their Company be wanting to the Solemnity of God's Holy Worship than leave a Pipe of Tobacco before it be smoak'd out or not take their usual Dose of Tea or Coffee I confess I have been much troubled to hear of it and am more so to mention it especially thus publickly if the thing were not notorious and in no way that I know of I can assist the Reformation of iâ— so well as in this which I hope will plead my excuse with all good Men. I know Ministers may be many ways hindred sometimes from attendance at daily Prayers and I am against those that are so censorious in imputing their omission to ill causes no man desires to preserve a greater Reverence and Respect for the Clergy of our Church than my self but yet I cannot excuse them wholly in this matter and therefore I humbly beg that it may not be reckoned any sign of dis-respect that in my Zeal for the Service of God I have proceeded thus far since I believe the good or ill State of this Church depends much on the Esteem or Contempt that is had of its Publick Service of God and the Good Order appointed for the same and upon the Love and Reverence or Neglect and Contempt of it by its Ministers which will very much influence the Minds of the People in this matter I have but one thing more to beg of them which I must crave leave to press with some earnestness which is this That in their Sermons they frequently inculcate the Duty of being constant and devout in attending the Common Prayer and that they prove to their People That it is not only possible but much more easie to be devout in the use of Forms of Prayer than in the Ex tempore Way Methinks when Papists out of a Malicious Design to divide us that they may destroy us and Separatists out of Mistakes of some Scripture Expressions and an Opinion of Experience cry up the way of Ex tempore Prayer in opposition to the Publick Liturgy to the distracting Mens minds and dividing the Church I say surely since it is so the Ministers of our Church should not think themselves unconcerned about the Esteem their People have of the Common Prayer and their Devotion in the use of