gifts and to use our Authors Argument against the restraint of them 14. The high advantages of the influences and aids of the Holy Spirit in the Church of God are with great thankfulness to God and our Saviour to be acknowledged but the operations of this spirit tend to produce purity holiness and goodness Christians are commanded in the Holy Scriptures to pray in the spirit which besides what was extraordinary and peculiar to those times consists in inward piety of heart and not in variety of words And copiousness of expression is so far from being an evidence of his conduct that in S. Chrysostoms judgment where there is an over-flowing abundance and multitude of words in Prayer this cannot consist with that praying in the spirit which is commanded by the Apostle Eph. 6.18 It is saith he y Chrys in Eph. 6. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to pray in the spirit when any one useth multitudes of words and repetitions And indeed to pray in the spirit as the Apostle directs is to perform the duty of Prayer with a pious temper of mind according to the Christian rules whereas the designed use of variety of words and expressions and the affecting this is contrary to the Precepts of our Saviour The Commentaries under S. Ambrose his name declare z In Eph. 6. Hoc est in spiritu semper or are munda conscientia fide integra precem ad Deum dirigere This is to pray always in the spirit to direct prayer to God with a pure conscience and an upright faith and Calvin explains praying in the spirit by declaring the inward devoutness of affection which is a fruit of that spirit a In Ep. Jud. v. 20. hinc ardor vehementia hinc denique gemitus illi inenarrabiles Hence proceed warmth and earnestness of spirit and groans that cannot be uttered 15. I acknowledge a sober and due freedom of expression to be a gift of God in the same manner that the capacities of mens understanding and all other abilities of mind and body are Gods gifts But it is plain that this liberty of expression is the product of the natural capacities men receive from God which are improved in well disposed persons by ordinary means under Gods blessing And I cannot discern and I think no man else can that a Ministers ability of speech either for Prayer or Preaching or Conference is of any other nature than that freedom of expression which a Lawyer hath to plead or which other persons of good capacities and liberal education and who have accustomed themselves to discourse do make use of concerning such things as they have well considered only it may be advanced by a pious affection towards the things he may discourse of 16. I shall now consider whether it be the duty of Christians or particularly of Ministers to make use of such abilities at all times in the exercises of Religion And besides what I have said before How far Ministers are obliged to exercise all their abilities it may justly be accounted a considerable if not an unanswerable objection against the necessity contended for of a Ministers using a particular gift or ability wherewith he is endued meerly because it is a gift in that this would equally make it his duty to use his present or extempore ability of conception and expression in Prayer or Preaching if he have any such ability and the use of his memory in declaring what he hath himself conceived or thought on before-hand and also his reading what hath been before composed either by himself or by others But the use of these several abilities at the same time is impossible because of their being inconsistent with one another But God obligeth no man to impossibilities 17. And besides this if it be necessary to the obtaining the favour of God for Ministers to use their own gifts in uttering variety of expressions in their Prayers to God because they may not neglect the use of any of their gifts or abilities then it must be necessary also where the person who Ministers hath an ability to perform it and the Auditory among learned men and Scholars hath a capacity to understand it to perform the Offices of Prayer in the use of divers languages some part in one language and some part in another exercising therein all his several abilities For our Authors Argument will as much prove the necessity of this as the necessity of his using his own parts in different ways of expression in his own language since the former is a more eminent and extraordinary ability than the latter and if no gift or accomplishment may be totally neglected in the service of God then not this which is of so considerable a degree But yet if we consider God b Cl. Alex. Strom. l. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he desires not and is not pleased with the variety of sounds of words and languages and the urging such a practice as a necessary duty of Religion would represent Religion as if it was a business of affectation fancy and humour and not of piety and seriousness Now this I mention to manifest hereby of how low and little concernment in Religion the meer exercise of a mans own abilities are further than they have an influence upon the profit and edification of others 18. No duty to use any ability further than is orderly and for edification And there are also many other abilities gifts or perfections of another nature which God bestows upon some Ministers the exercise of which they may lawfully and usefully wholly omit in their Ministerial employments For instance he who is eminently able by critical learning to explicate divers difficult Texts of Scripture or who is one of a piercing judgment to fathom the depth of the greatest controversies will not only be free from sin but may be commended if he silence these his abilities in his popular Sermons and acquaint common Auditories with such doctrines and duties as are both useful for their practice and sutable to their capacities Thus S. Paul dealt with his Corinthians feeding them with milk 1 Cor. 3.2 19. I shall now go further and shew 'T is best for the Church that the ablest men in some cases ordinarily make use of what was formed by others abilities that Ministers who have themselves gifts and abilities of the greatest degree both lawfully may and for the greater good of the Church ought to make use of what is drawn up to their hands by others in some great and weighty cases rather than of their own gifts in the neglect of what is so composed drawn up and established And of this I shall give two instances 20. My first instance shall be concerning the translation of the Holy Scripture Now I presume this Author will acknowledge As the Translation of Scripture that Ministers ought to instruct their people in the doctrine and Religion of Christianity out of the holy Scriptures But
according to his Principles he who is able to give an account of the Original ought not to cite the Scripture according to our English Translation but must use his own gift and ability in making a new Translation of his own and possibly if he be guided by our Authors way of reasoning he must be still making new Translations of the same Text of Scripture when he cites it a second third and fourth time if he be able to vary so oft And yet it is easy to see that a fixed and well considered Translation must be of more value and esteem and of greater use for the instructing people in the doctrine of Christianity than this changeable method And in this case we have the acknowledgment of this Writer himself who saith c Reas Acc. p. 20. both Christ and his Apostles made frequent use of the Septuagint Version 21. Our Author himself proposeth it as an objection against his opinion that according to it d P. 19. Ministers who are able must be bound in reading the Scriptures to make a Translation of their own And here at first he makes a doubt whether reading the Scriptures be a Ministerial act and saith Christ never said to them Go and read and he supposeth the Scriptures may be read by inferiour officers as is done in other Reformed Churches But thus far his Answer is very insufficient if it be considered 1. That the reading the holy Scriptures in the Church hath been a part of the publick Offices in the Christian Assemblies from the time of the e Tertul. Apol. c. 39. Just Mart. Apol. 2. first Centuries and even in the Apostles times and by their Precept Act. 15.31 Col. 4.16 1 Thes 5.27 and that this is included in that charge to Timothy 1 Tim. 4.13 Give attendance to reading is acknowledged by many f V. Dr Hammond in Baldw. in loc Expositors And therefore if all publick offices ought to be performed by the use of mens own gifts why not this 2. Even the publick Prayers were also in the ancient Greek Church usually performed or read not by the chief Officers but by the Deacon as g Chrys in Rom. passim S. Chrysostom oft expresseth 3. That yet when persons of great abilities do undertake to read the Scriptures publickly they must either sin according to his Position in neglecting the use of their gifts or else must make New Translations 4. That what ever such men as our Author will determine concerning the publick reading the Scriptures which was also constantly h Buxt Syn. Jud. c. 9. practised in the Jewish Church Act. 13.15 27. ch 15.21 and where our Saviour himself after he had begun to preach stood up for to read Luk. 4.15 16. Yet so long as instructing the people out of the Scriptures is acknowledged a Ministerial Act they must according to his Argument be hence obliged to make new Translations 22. But for a further Answer he tells us i p. 20. That no single Minister is fit to be trusted with this nor to enter a dissent to the ordinary Version but with great modesty and upon weighty grounds Now I commend the modesty of these expressions though I think in the former clause they run too far into the other extream I do not see what reason our Author hath to condemn S. Hieroms translating the Old Testament out of the Original Hebrew or his Translating the Scriptures for the use of his k Hiâ—ron Sophronio Country-men into the Dalmatian or Slavonian Tongue and the like undertakings of divers other persons because this was performed by a single Presbyter and for this work he hath been deservedly honoured in the Christian Church And I did not think he would have been so severe against the Version of Junius and Tremellius or if they may escape the better because they were two against Beza's Version of the New Testament Yet I suppose all understanding men will grant that the undertaking new Translations of the Bible when the old one is sufficiently perfect is a very needless enterprize to make them more numerous than learned men are 23. But why may not what he speaks of a Version be as well and as truly affirmed concerning the publick Prayers of the Church when there are as great abilities required not indeed of skill in the learned languages and ancient Customs but of true wisdom care consideration and prudence and as much authority also fitly to comprise the common addresses of the Church and to recommend them to be presented to God in its publick service as to make a translation of the Scripture And why private Ministers should have a greater liberty to enter their dissents here than concerning a Translation I do not understand especially since we are more certain that our Liturgy is free from any mistake or errour in the matter of it than we can be in some difficult Texts concerning any Translation yet extant every Age affording further helps for the clearer understanding of some of them And it is as easy a thing to make declamations against them who shall suppose that many Ministers are not able to examine and give the sense of the original Texts especially of the New Testament as our Author can make against them who think all private Ministers not sufficiently able with due fitness exactness and comprehensiveness daily to compose new solemn addresses to God to present therein the common service of the Church And yet if their private abilities could constantly enable them to make Prayers every way as perfect as a well-ordered Form is I shall in the next Chapter shew the advantages that a fixed Form in the publick service would still have above them 24. But besides this I know not how our Author will be able here to Answer his own instance For whatsoever may be said of other Ministers were not l Reas Account ibidem Christ and his Apostles who were divinely inspired of abilities sufficient to be intrusted with usual interpreting the Scriptures from the Original yea and of making an infallible translation also And yet they thought it neither necessary nor fit when ever they cited the Scripture to exercise their gifts in making a new Version but as he himself observeth they frequently and for the most part followed the Septuagint Indeed if our Author should embrace that Notion from Aristaeus which is mentioned by * Phil. de Vit. Mos l. 2. p. 659. Philo and espoused by many of the m Just Mart. Cohort ad Gr. Cl. Alex Strom. 1. Epiphan de Mens Pond Augustin c. ancient Writers of the Church and favoured by the n Novel Tit. 29. Const 146. c. 1. Imperial Law and by some o Salian An. Mund. 3775. n. 71. c. Mr Greg. in Opusâ— and others cited by B. Walton Proleg 9. in Bibl. Polygl learned men of later days that the Version of the Septuagint was framed by a kind of divine inspiration
evidence from the Laws of God and the Constitution of the Christian Church that Schism and unnecessary separation is a sin in the breach of Christian Vnity as that Adultery is a sin in breaking the bond of Wedlock And I account my self to be as certain that if ever there was any unwarrantable separation from any known Church since the Apostles time the separation from the Church of England is really such since our Church is truly as free from any just exception in its Constitution doctrine and worship as any other since that time either was or is And it seemeth highly probable if I do not mistake plain words that some of our dissenters themselves are at some times satisfied either of so much or of that which comes very near it concerning the excellent Constitution of our Church Dr Owen saith i Of Evang. Love p. 54 55. We look upon the Church of England or the generality of the nation professing Christian Religion measuring them by the doctrine received since the Reformation to be as sound and healthful a part of the Catholick Church as any in the World and again k ibid. p. 87. We believe that the generality of the inhabitants of this nation are by their profession constituted an eminent part of the Kingdom of Christ in this World But if pitieth me to consider upon what weak and unwarrantable pretences such persons venture upon the practices of real separation and by what insufficient excuses they plead for themselves in the defence thereof 14. This Authors opinion is a heavy charge against the most eminent Churches and men Obs 3. There are considerable prejudices against the truth of our Authors assertion as it is by him stated even such which beside the more direct evidences of which hereafter will perswade a sober man to be wary of entertaining it if he duly observe them For this opinion is not only against the Church of England but the most famous Churches in the Primitive times who used such set Forms in their publick worship as besides what hath been said already will sufficiently appear in the following Discourse This is also against the Constitution of many eminent Protestant Churches abroad which I have elsewhere l Libert Eccl. B. 1. Ch. 4. Sect. 1. n. 11 12. observed briefly and shall not need here to add further proof since this Author doth not deny the same but tells us m Reason Acc. Ch. 2. p. 9. the continuance of Liturgies upon the Reformation owes it self in a great measure to their not having men able to pray without a Form And yet I cannot but think that this Author is a person of so much modesty and hath such a respect to many of those Reformers and their Successors as not to think them inferiour to himself and then they must come under the censure of his assertion And to me it seemeth a very hard thing to embrace such a position as must cast reproach on almost all the Churches of Christ in all Ages and must also conclude all the most famous Ministers therein to have lived and died in the constant practice of the same sin unrepented of Now I can easily apprehend that such a consideration as this will have a different influence upon such men as this Author according to the different temper in which it may meet with them For at one time he tells us n Ch. 9. p. 163. authority or practice is a lamentable Argument but at another time he declares concerning the sense and apprehensions of good men that o Ch. 2. p. 44. the sensus piorum neither is nor ever was judged by persons of sobriety and worth an inconsiderable Argument for the truth of a proposition especially a practical proposition not plainly determined in holy Writ 15. Nor is it consistent with it self his very stating his Question overthrows the main foundations and chief Arguments of his Discourse and then he who will embrace our Authors assertion according as he hath stated it upon such Arguments as he chiefly urgeth must learn to affirm and deny the same thing or to reconcile things contradictory which to me and to all rational men must be when observed another great prejudice against his opinion Now in stating his Case he grants as I above observed that such Forms of Prayer as God hath commanded in Scripture if any such be must be used and other Scripture Forms though not commanded may be used as part of our Prayer and yet he declares it sinful for such Ministers who can pray otherwise to use Forms 1. From the duty of using their own p Ch. 2. p. 6 7 c. and Ch. 3. gifts and 2. From the hindrance of pious dispositions or attention and fervency from the use of a Form of words in Prayer and yet if these Arguments are of any weight they must conclude against the lawful use of Scripture Forms as well as of others which yet he asserteth to be lawful And indeed some Scripture Forms being in the New Testament commanded to be used that sufficiently manifesteth that a set Form of words in Prayer can be no hindrance to a religious temper of mind unless we will grant that our Saviours commands are hurtful to his Religion and that such Positions of men which are contrary to his Precepts ought to be preferred before them 16. He acknowledgeth also p. 3. that it is lawful yea necessary for them who join with others in Prayer to make use of his words who speaketh which c an be but a Form to them And p. 19. he saith such persons have nothing to do but to exercise their grace And this consideration was made use of to prove the lawfulness of Forms by q Pract. Catechism B. 3. Sect. 2. Bishop Tayl. Of Prayer Extempore n. 46 47. Disp of Liturg. Prop. 1. Arg. 6. Dr Hammond Dr Taylor and Mr Baxter Now from hence it not only follows that such Prayers are acceptable to God which are put up by pious men with devout hearts but without the exercise of their own gifts but it must also be hence concluded that Vnity in publick Prayer is more acceptable to God than the use of mens own abilities in conception or expression For otherwise it would be the duty of all persons in the publick Assemblies who have any such abilities not to take notice of the Ministers words or to join in them but distinctly to exercise their own gifts or make use of their private conceptions there or else to withdraw themselves from the publick Assemblies that they may have the more free opportunity for the exercise of them 17. Nor generally owned by the Non-Conformists I shall only add in the last place that this assertion of our Author is such that a great part and I think the greater part of the Nonconformists themselves will not own Indeed in Qu. Eliz. her time the r In Bishop Whitgifts Defence Tr. 9. Ch. 2. Div. 2.
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
Disciples a Form also as the Baptist had taught his Wherefore this manifestly declares an approbation of Forms of Prayer taught and directed by others who have the chief authority in the Church 34. The last thing he urgeth is y p. 57 58. that supposing that Christ intended this as a Form at that time whether it was to last beyond his Resurrection and the descent of the Holy Ghost is a farther Question And though he doth not positively assert this yet he would have his Reader to be of this opinion and offers in proof of it what he saith was well observed which I shall by and by consider The Precepts of Christ which all ancient Churches reverenced may not now be laid aside But first Is it not a strange boldness and irreverence towards any Precept or Institution of our Saviour for him to suggest to men that it is expired and antiquated when our Lord himself gave no intimation of its being temporary and the Vniversal Church hath understood it otherwise Is not this a new piece of Pharisaism in teaching men how to make void the Commandments of God by looking upon them as out of date This Author may by these means do some service for them who contend that the Sacrament of Baptism was only intended for the first admission of Nations into the Christian Church so far as the reputation of his bare authority will go Yea and for those also who look upon the Lords Supper the Ordination of Ministers and many other Christian duties not to be needful for the succeeding Ages after the Apostles 35. The Apostles had extraordinary assistances and abilities before the Resurrection of Christ Secondly His supposing Forms might be requisite for the Apostles before Christ Resurrection and the coming of the Holy Ghost but that no such low things are since that time fit to be continued doth too plainly manifest that some persons are strangely big with swelling conceits of themselves Dare our Author speak out the plain sense of this suggestion which is this That himself and other dissenters are men of far greater abilities than the Apostles of our Saviour were before his Resurrection though they were then called to be his Apostles were sent forth to preach his Gospel and were enabled to work miracles and cast out Devils and consequently that these men now may reasonably look upon such directions and precepts to be of too low and inferiour a nature for them to observe which yet were enjoined upon and were fit for the state of the Apostles before the Resurrection 36. Thirdly his pretence of proof for this opinion is very shallow which is z p. 58. that Christ left out his own name in the Lords Prayer Of praying in the name of Christ but in that name his Disciples were afterwards enjoined to ask Joh. 14.13 14. Joh. 16.23 But to ask in his name is to ask through his mediation upon the encouragement of his merits and his being our intercessor and advocate at Gods right hand in our nature which is a priviledge peculiar to the time since the ascension of our Lord and also to ask sutably to the rules and doctrine of Christianity This is the sense which is generally given of this expression of asking in the name of Christ and even the Assemblies Annotations declare asking in the name of Christ to be a Assembl Annot. on Joh. 14.14 Ch. 16.24 26. through his mediation and they also add from S. Gregory si id quod non expedit petitur non in nomine Jesu petitur pater if that be desired which should not be God is not asked in the name of Jesus And this sense of this phrase In his name that it signifies upon his account and though him is evident from Joh. 1.12 Joh. 20.31 and many other places But the Apostles under the guidance of Gods Spirit did not always verbally express the name Jesus in all their Prayers as Rom. 15.13 2 Thes 3.16 and elsewhere 37. Now in the Lords Prayer we know that what we ask is according to the will of our Lord being directed by him We call not God Our Father but upon the account of Christ and upon his account we desire all our Petitions in the Lords Prayer to be granted And our desiring that Gods name may be hallowed that his Kingdom should come and that our trespasses may be forgiven c. have particular respect to our Mediator And in this whole Prayer we according to the direction of our Church-Catechism trust that God of his mercy and goodness 〈◊〉 do what we ask through our Lord Jesu◠Christ and therefore we say Amen And this is also the general sense of all b Formula à Resormatis usurpata ante illius Orationis recitationem Haec alia quae nosti Domine nobis esse necessaria à te postulamus in nomine Christi ea Orationis formula quam ipse nos docuit Pater noster c. Thes Salm. Par. 3. loc Com. 47. n. 13. sober Protestants 38. My second Argument to prove Forms of Prayer to be no disadvantage to devotion was c Libert Eccles p. 122 123. because it is generally acknowledged that the singing Psalms of Prayer and praise may be advantageously performed in a set Form of words and the Scriptures are not the less edifying because they are contained in a set form of words But concerning singing Psalms this Writer saith d p. 59. this is a mistake of the Question and e p. 60. that these are such Forms as God hath Canonized And he tells us he is against singing by any Forms not made of God which he calls f p. 18 19. p. 60.78 Apocryphal Anthems as much as he is against Liturgical Forms of Prayer And yet he allows g p. 78. p. 60. singing the Psalms in Meter though the words be not dictated of God My second Argument was that the Psalms in a set Form of words are useful to devotion and so are the Scriptures because the sense and matter in the Psalms in Meter is so directed 39. But when he saith this Argument mistakes the Question the Reader will easily see it was proper enough for the Question or Case of which I was discoursing which was in general whether Forms of Prayer are disadvantageous to Piety But our Author that he might avoid the force of this and some other Arguments hath put the Question into another method but hath not done it solidly nor hath he avoided the force of this Argument thereby For first when he grants concerning the Psalms of Prayer and praise that God hath Canonized those Forms he here asserteth what in Answer to the former Argument he would not own viz. that God ever appointed or prescribed any Forms of Prayer And as the matter of many of the Psalms is Prayer So S. Hierome observes there are h Hieron Epist 139. Comment in Ps 189. four Psalms which bear
prevented 4. And besides this how much this Uniformity which is una eadem publici Divini cultûs externi forma in the expression of l Thes Sal. de Liturg. Par. 3. n. 32. Cappellus doth contribute towards the promoting Unity Peace and Charity I shall represent in his words It is that saith he qua arctius colligantur in eadem sincerae Religionis Fidei Charitatis communione inter se fidelium animi c. in which the minds of the faithful are more closely knit together in the same communion of sincere Religion Faith and Charity amongst themselves and thereby in the Church in every Nation c. there is less of disturbances factions contentions schisms and divisions from that infinite diversity and multiplied variety of external worship which must necessarily arise if there be no certain and prescribed forms of that worship to which all are kept And now is it a pitiful thing that our Governours should in the best manner take care for the preventing so much evil and the promoting so much good or is it not rather an unworthy thing to reproach and calumniate the good deeds of others and especially of our Superiours 5. But whereas our Author declares for an Vniformity in matter of Prayer pursuant to an unity in doctrine and calls that a e Reas Acc. p. 149. beauteous Vniformity when we all speak the same thing as to the matter of Prayer do the same thing in the same specifical acts of worship and on the same day the Lords-day I desire two things may be here observed First that our Author doth not pretend that men ordinarily ought to pray for other things than what may be contained in a well-disposed Form so that the Question only is whether where the matter is the same we are to prefer fixed known and well deliberated words or sudden uncertain and changeable expressions Now all the great advantages mentioned in the foregoing Paragraphs and in the first Section of this Chapter are on our side when on the other side men may have the greater opportunity of shewing what a volubility of speech they have attained unto and what store of good expressions they are furnished with which may gratify the inclinations and fancies of some â—â—en but are not of chief advantage to piety 6. Secondly Let it be considered Ill effects of the want of such an Vniformity whether it can be reasonably expected that Vniformity in the matter of Prayer and the worship of God and Vnity in doctrine should be continued where publick Forms are rejected Now no better tryal can be made of such a case as this than by experience unless it can be proved that the minds of men are now otherwise disposed than they were in those days when this Kingdom had a plain experimental proof hereof But concerning Uniformity in the matter of Prayer it is a thing notorious that in our late times when the Liturgy was taken away the Presbyterians Independents and other Parties prayed one against the other and against the establishing that way of Government which others of them prayed for divers persons made their own passions singular opinions and errors a considerable part of their Prayers others rejected all confession of sins as not owning it to be any part of their devotion In many places of this Kingdom that great part of Christian worship in the Administration and participation of the Lords Supper was for ten twelve fourteen and sixteen years together totally laid aside the administring Infant Baptism was by some Ministers disused and by others appropriated to a select Company I might instance in other things wherein the matter of Prayer then varied too generally from what our Liturgy and the rules of our Religion direct us to particularly concerning our Prayer for the King it being not amiss observed by our f 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. 16. late gracious Soveraign that one thing which made many be the more against our Liturgy then was on this account 7. And they were then so far from Vnity of doctrine that one who professed himself a Non-Conformist acknowledged about 1646 g Gangraena Part. 1. p. 175. We in these four last years have overpast the Deeds of the Prelates in whose time never so many nor so great errors were heard of much less such blasphemies and confusions We have worse things among us more corrupt doctrines and unheard of practices than in eighty years before denying the Scriptures to be the word of God denying the Trinity and the Divinity of Christ the Immortality of the soul the resurrection of the Body Hell and Heaven c. And I know no sober Christian will call this unity in doctrine 8. But though our Author thinks fit unreasonably to vilify uniformity I suppose some Readers will be apt to think that of the two his words may be the more truly returned upon himself That the affecting that pitiful thing called vaâ—â—ing of words and phrases never entred â—â—o the heart of God to command to â—â—e a part of his Religion and it should not enter into the heart of any good man 〈◊〉 think that such things will please him 9. In another place this Author expresseth much evil to be produced by Liturgies As that they are h Reas Acc. p. 63. an engine of perpetual discord and are made use of to deprive the Church of God of hundreds of â—â—dly and painful Ministers and to the like purpose he speaks i p. 130. Of the causes of ourdiscords and divisions elsewhere Now â—e who shall consider that there have been Liturgies in all ages of the Church of God from the beginning and that no discord was occasioned by them and that they are of themselves of excellent use and that when our Liturgy was laid aside almost forty years since this was far from procuring concord he will be apt to think that our Author hath mistaken the true cause of our discords and divisions But there are other plain and manifest causes thereof viz. from an ill temper of mind whereby men neglect the due reverence they owe to their superiours and the care they ought to maintain of peace and Vnity in the Church when some men set themselves with eagerness to oppose regular establishments upon slight grounds and others yield themselves to be led by the passions and errors of those whom they esteem and when many causlesly affect new things and indulge themselves to set up for new models of ordering the Communion of the Church and the way of divine worship These things will indeed perpetually cause divisions unless they be removed And if any Ministers shall rather forsake their Ministry than admit of any Forms of Liturgy the true cause of this will be from some of the things now mentioned or else from their own great mistakes in being perswaded by such weak Arguments as his discourse may furnish them with or else from their going too far to comply with and
be prohibited they must be asserted to be unlawful And being thus prohibited no pretence of necessity on Mans part can make them lawful For according to that ancient rule Nulla est necessitas delinquendi quibus una est necessitas non delinquendi (e) Tertul. It can be never necessary for them to sin for whom it is only necessary that they do no sin And it is more necessary to forbear any present external expression of Homage to God than to make use of that which is unlawful and forbidden as is manifest in the instance of Saul's sacrificing 4. Obs 2. By this way of arguing the particular conceptions and expressions of him who prayeth without a Form are as much forbidden And will conclude Prayers without Forms to be fitful as the use of a Form is pretended to be since God hath not prescribed these Expressions But here our Author tells us that the light of Nature shews our own invention to be a mean and a sufficient mean in this act of Worship Thus Men who talk at this loose rate can tell when it serves their own turn how to allow what God hath not prescribed and to justifie it upon this very account because it is the Invention of Man though they can declaim against Ecclesiastical Constitutions under the very name of Inventions of Men. But if we may use words and expressions and a method and composition of Prayer not particularly prescribed of God what an unreasonable vanity is it to argue from this Topick against a Form of Prayer because these particular things in this Form are not appointed of God 5. But possibly he may tell us as some have done that by keeping to the constant use of a Form of Prayer we make that a proper part of Divine Worship Now though this was answered (f) Thes Salmur Part 3. de Liturg. n. 35. by Cappellus and in part by (g) Lib. Eccles B 2. p. 305 306. me elsewhere I shall here say That we are far from thinking that any particular Form of Prayer appointed in any part of the Church is necessary to be used in all Christian Churches in the World who all of them are obliged to perform all the proper parts of Divine Worship Nor is Religion and the Worship of God placed in the bare reciting the words of a Form but chiefly in the pious devotion of the Heart of which these words are an expression and guide And thus much must be allowed to the use of words in those Prayers which for distinction sake I call Conceived Prayers I hope he will not say that it is the constant and prescribed use of the same thing not commanded of God which only is forbidden in the Second Commandment as if the worshipping an Image was only forbidden where there is a constant Adoration given to the same Image but that it is allowable where there is so great a number of them that men sometimes make choice of one and sometimes of another with various changes We allow the Second Commandment and the Rules of Scripture concerning God's Worship to require that no act of Divine Adoration be given to any thing else besides God himself What God hath forbidden or commanded concerning his Worship and that that Homage and Service which is sutable to his Nature and according to his Will be religiously performed and that no such pretended Worship which is unsutable to his Nature or disagreeing to his Will ought to be presented to him But this suggestion that Forms of Prayer are forbidden by the Second Commandment as included under Idolatry is so unreasonable that (h) View of Direct Chap. 1. Sect. 22. Dr. Hammond might justly wonder at the strangeness and prodigiousness thereof and Cappellus might well declare concerning them who urge this as an Argument (i) Ubi sup n. Crasse admodum hîc homines isti hallucinantur These Men are herein exceeding grosly deceived 6. Obs 3. This Position That nothing may be used or appointed in God's Worship but what is particularly enjoyned by God himself besides (k) Reas Acc. p. 75 76 77. p. 86 87. necessary circumstances to humane actions as Humane is that concerning the falseness and dangerous consequence of which I discoursed largely in my Libertas Ecclesiastica (l) B 2. c. 1. throughout c. 2. to which I refer nor is any answer given thereto by this Writer And I shall here note that as it is improved That Position that nothing not prescribed may be used in Gods Worship is destructive of all Rellgion it is destructive to publick Worship and Religion For since God hath commanded us to pray but hath not in all acts of Worship enjoyned our Words or the performance of this Duty with or without a Form it must according to this Position be done in neither since each of these are by consequence sequence pretended to be forbidden being not prescribed The same may be said of our Saviour's Precept concerning the celebrating his Supper in Bread and Wine but he hath not prescribed or determined the sort of Bread or the kind of Wine And though God hath commanded us to sing Praises to him whatever this Writer saith he can never prove the singing continually the Psalms of David and others recorded in Scripture to be particularly enjoyned by a Divine Institution under the Gospel though the Church of God hath very generally and advantageously used them Wherefore the result of this assertion is for men to contradict themselves in the performances of Religion and which is far more intolerable to look upon God as having contradicted himself in giving such Laws which so clash with one another that they cannot be obeyed and that by the one he hath set us free from observing the other 7. But if these things may be determined by men as they indeed must be the common rules of Prudence will not allow that it should be lawful and fit for every Minister by his more sudden and vario thoughts to determine these things for the Congregation where he ministers Things necessary to be determined in Religion may be best determined by publick Constitutions and that it should be unlawful and unreasonable that any such things should be considered and resolved on by the deliberate Consultations of the most prudent Men And if we consider the Authority of our Superiours to reject pious Forms of Prayer by them appointed and which I have shewed to be of excellent use speaks a wnat of just Reverence and Submission to them and a not yielding to them that due Superiority in matters Ecclesiastical for the right ordering the exercises of Religion which belongeth to them of which I have in another Book discoursed some-what 8. But whilst this Author in this Chapter observes that some urge the Duty (m) P. 74 85 86. of obeying Superiours in things lawful and not forbidden of God as an obligation upon Inferiours in our Case to joyn in
Author that giving thanks to God is in Scripture expressed to be done in reciting the words of others 1 Chron. 16.7 But though I was not willing to pass by any thing which he urged though but under the appearance of an Argument I must intreat the Readers pardon in giving him the trouble of perusing a thing so very inconsiderable as this Argument is 7. Indeed he tells us (i) p. 120. he layes a greater stress upon his former Arguments than upon this but what little reason he hath to lay any such stress upon them may I hope by this time appear But he saith he cannot think this altogether vain and impertinent but of that let others judge But withal this Argument had need to be of great force when upon the account of this he tells us again in the (k) Ibid. close of this Chapter he makes it a great question whether if we think to fulfil the command of God for vocal Ministerial prayer by reading Forms we should not come short of what God requires and both mock God and deceive our own Souls Thus some men with extravagancy enough can speak great and swelling words supported or rather unsupported by weak feeble and impotent Arguments And his last words of this Chapter are That there is neither Precept nor President for praying by Forms which assertion he hath peremptorily avowed again and again though it be plainly against both the Scriptures and the sense of the Vniversal Church and the contrary thereunto I have above (l) Chap. 3. Sect. 2 3. plainly proved CHAP. VIII C. VIII Forms of Prayer are falsly accused of debasing the Ministry and of several unblest Effects HIs seventh Argument is (a) Reas Acc. p. 120 121. That Ministers performing their Ministerial acts in Prayer by prescribed Forms tends to level the sacred Office of the Ministry to the capacity of the meanest of the People but saith he (b) p. 121. God would never have erected an Office to do what the meanest person in the Church hath a natural ability to do And he there adds there is nothing plainer in the whole Book of God than that God hath established a peculiar order of persons to be his Ministers to declare his will unto his People and on their behalf to intercede with God in Prayer And he saith if this (c) p. 122. might be performed by Forms there would be no great reason for any peculiar maintenance for the Ministry nor for Honour and Reverence to them Now in answer to this I shall observe four things 2. Obs 1. That he gives a very defective description of the work and business of the Ministry as if it only consisted in being Orators and in the well using words and expressions Of the work and Office of the Ministry And this is no more than a master of a Family may do to instruct and pray for those of his Family but it must be the exercise of a special power of Office which must be the chief Ministerial performances of those who are in the Sacred function of the Ministry Wherefore by special Authority and Commission to receive persons into the Church in the name of Christ and to govern them in it to exercise the power of the Keys to consecrate the holy Sacraments and therein to exhibit in Christs name the tender and seal of remission of Sins and by his Authority Ministerially to dispense Absolution and Remission to them who are qualified to receive it by performing the conditions of the Gospel these and other such acts of Authority are the great and chief parts of the Ministerial office which he wholly omits And even instructions and prayers performed by those who are in this Sacred function are of greater moment because of their Office But what God worketh by their Ministry is especially to be regarded and if this was nothing as (*) Chrys in 2 Tim. c. 1. Hom. 2. St. Chrysostome argues 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Thou thy self neither hast any Baptism nor dost thou receive the Sacraments nor dost thou enjoy Benedictions nor indeed art thou a Christian 3. Obs 2. The use of Forms of Prayer is far from rendring learning knowledg and such like abilities useless or needless for the Ministry nor can any man that knows the work and duty of a Minister judge so Besides his preaching so as to approve himself a workman that need not be ashamed he is by his Office to be a spiritual Guide to the consciences of others Learning and knowledg greatly requisite to the Ministry when they apply themselves to him for Counsel and Advice not only for their comfort but chiefly for their practice He is to direct and oblige Offenders who are under his care to observe the due rules and exercises of Repentance and this with respect to conscience men ought to take more notice of than most persons do And in a time when the Church and Truth hath many enemies and this Author might have been better employed than to have appeared as one the Ministers of the Church are to be able to convince or at least to confound their Adversaries and detect their errors and the danger of them They are also to watch over their charge and as much as may be to preserve them from being led aside by the slight and cunning craftiness of them who would deceive them And these are things which require far greater abilities study care and diligence than is needful to enable any man to use fluent expressions in Prayer 4. The weanest persons Aâ—â—ristred in the Church when forms of Prayer were disâ—â—ed most Obs 3. The time when Liturgies were laid aside in England was that time when many of the meanest of the People both men of weak abilities who yet could speak confidently and also men of bad and erroneous Principles were thought fit to be taken into the Ministry in the place of many sound and able men who were cast out And the performing Prayer and popular Sermons after that method our Author contends for in expression of their own may be effected to the satisfaction of great numbers of ordinary hearers whatever may be pretended to the contrary by a man who hath a forward tongue and but indifferent parts without any considerable learning or study and without much knowledg of the Doctrines of Religion and Christianity There are so many evidences of this among the several parties of our divided Separations that the chief persons among our Dissenters do very well know the Truth thereof 5. Obs 4. Our Author's assertion That God would never erect an Office or Order of Persons to do what the meanest of the People have a natural capacity to do is also certainly false The Priests Office under the Law For under the Law the office of the Priests was particularly appointed to minister before the Lord by offering Incense and Sacrifices though Corah and his Company and any other of the
this in a (u) Ch. 3. Sect. 4. former Chapter and therewith justified Uniformity and shewed the great benefit of it and of Forms of Prayer upon this account I shall not need to repeat it again here 12. But that he may vent himself the more against Liturgy and Vniformity he tells us that in the case of Daniel the Princes resolved (w) p. 150. it necessary to establish an Vniformity in Prayers and all must be commanded to pray only to Darius Yet here was nothing of Vniformity in words and phrases of which he was discoursing but that matters not An act for Uniformity is no such wicked thing as the prohibitive Act of worship by Darius so long as an occasion can be taken to reproach Vniformity He might as well if he had pleased have called that precept of our Saviour Mat. 4.10 Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve an act of Uniformity only that would not serve his purpose to insinuate that Liturgy and Uniformity are like that act in the time of Darius designed wholly for mischief and to hinder the worship of God and to establish Idolatry against the second commandment though not so grosly as in worshiping the Persian Kings who were wont to receive Divine worship as is evident in the many testimonies produced by (x) Drus in Esther c. 3 Drusius But these things are so manifestly uncharitable that every sober considering man may easily discern them And since the Holy God appointed certain Forms of Prayer to be used under the old Testament and our Blessed Saviour prescribed the Lords Prayer under the new and since the ancient Jewish Church and the Christian Church in the purest times used Forms of Prayer no considering person who hath any sense of God or Religion can think that all these must be condemned of designing nothing but mischievous things and the ruining the true way of Religion how far soever some mens angry temper may be unjustly displeased with Forms and Vniformity 13. This Writer in some following pages discoursing about the ability or gift of Prayer at length saith (y) p. 154. as we judg the Apostle Heb. 5.1 hath given us the perfect notion of a Minister in the description of the high Priest he is but a person taken from men and ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he might offer Prayers and praises Preach and administer the holy Sacraments So he But I hope he was not knowingly so bold with the Holy Scripture as to alter and change both the words and sense of it as he pleaseth when the Apostle speaks nothing in that place of Prayer Praise Preaching or Sacraments but of offering gifts and sacrifices for Sins And therefore I shall pass by this as a gross oversight in him or possibly something may be left out by the Printer 14. I now come to justifie five Reasons mentioned in my (z) Ch. 4. p. 97.98 99. Expediency of set Forms proved Libertas Ecclesiastica besides others which I vindicated in the third Chapter of this discourse for the requisiteness of set Forms of Prayer which I there produced to shew not only the lawfulness but the usefulness and expediency of Forms 15. My first Reason was because hereby a fit true right and well ordered way of worship in addresses to God may be best secured to the Church in the publick service of God To this he saith 1. That alone is (a) p. 156. 1. as best securing a fit and right way of worship a right way of worship which God hath instituted And I reply that Prayer performed with a devout heart where the matter is holy pious and religious and expressed without affecting variety of words is according to his will and appointed by him But he hath not instituted the very words we are to use upon all occasions whether we pray by a Form or by any conceived Prayer of which I said more Chap. 4. 16. He saith (b) ibid. 2. That God should be so worshipped is reasonable but that this should aforehand be secured is not possible in men who may err nor will Forms secure it which may be read falsly and disorderly enough To which I answer That when he requires that none should be admitted to the Ministry (c) p. 153. and in other places who have not the gift of Prayer is not the intent of this to secure as much as may be the right performance of that duty but this may be best provided for by a Form as I shewed in the second and third Chapters And what he speaks of reading falsly as a disparagement to Forms is inconsiderable and is one of the weak Arguments of the meanest disputants for Oral Tradition against the Scriptures For there may be as many mistakes Of reading falsly see also n. 24. in reading the Scriptures as the Prayers of the Church and besides that they who would decry their Authority can talk of their being possibly printed false or it may be in some things translated amiss or that the copies whence they were translated might not be every where pure and right But such little objections are easily seen through by men of understanding 17. He saith 3. (d) p. 157. That for twenty years together the worship of God was performed in a well-ordered manner in hundreds of Congregations in England without Forms Now though I have shewed Chap. 2. 3. that it cannot be reasonably expected that it should be constantly performed so well in any one Congregation by any Person whomsoever in a way of constant varying as in the use of a good Form yet there ought to be respect had to all our Congregations And we do not think that a well ordered Worship where one or both the Sacraments were in many places disused and other considerable parts of Worship and Prayer as confession of Sin purposely and generally omitted by others as I observed above And the several Sects ordered the Worship of God according to their own Errors And I can as easily be persuaded that the Papists Arians and Donatists did rightly order the Worship of God as that all our several Sects and Parties did so 18. My second Reason was That needful and comprehensive Petitions for all spiritual and outward wants with fit thanksgivings may not in the publick supplications of the Church be omitted which can be no other way so well or at all secured To this he saith (e) P. 157. It is to the shame of our Church 2 As providing for a comprehensiveness of Prayers if there be not Persons enough sufficient for this and however there are some Now in this Answer he contradicts what in the foregoing Page he said in answer to my former Reason to wit That it is not possible to secure this right Worship before-hand And I have above shewed that no Persons in using constant alterations can perform publick Worship with that due fulness comprehensiveness and