Himself both God and Man I am never more Easy and free from a troublesome Concern about the Words of Prayer than when I am making use of the Lord's-Prayer And they that find fault with it as it is a Form may for the same reason quarrel all the Scriptures for being a Form of Sound words Nay they may as well reject every Conceived Prayer which is indeed as much a Form to the Hearers as if it had been penn'd or printed and then Repeated Yea I may know That to be a real Form composed by my self which some others take for an Extempore Effusion And so it may be only Ignorance in them which makes it Acceptable with them Because they take it not to be Prepared by me but to flow immediately from the Spirit in me But to think that all Set Forms are opposed to Prayer by the Spirit is such an opinion of Praying by the Spirit as I cannot comprehend No Praying indeed is true and right that is not Supplication in the Spirit i. e. Through the Help of the Spirit of God But I see not why it may not be such as well with as without a Form Nor is the Spirit Limited by such Forms Whenas indeed the Enlargement of the Heart stands not so much in the Copiousness and variety of Expressions as in the extent and Elevation of the Affections A Carnal man may have a Fluency of good Words But only the Child of God abounds with holy and heavenly Desires And those desires I may express in Others words or in my own Premeditated or Immediately formed without Stinting of the Spirit either way The one may do as well as the other No matter which I take So that I do it pertinently and affectionately For Words are but the Carkass of Prayer The Soul and Spirit lies within And the Searcher of hearts regards not so much how it is Drest as from what Heart it proceeds and how Earnest and Devout it is My words are not to Move Him but my self Not to pull the Bank to me but to bring my Vessel to the Shore And so I may use such words as I find fittest to Enflame my affections that I may stand rightly disposed to receive his Mercies Whether I pray in a Book or without is the smallest matter to Him So that I Pray at all indeed And when I use the Book am not Lazy and Formal And when I use none am not Rude and Proud but still Humble and Hearty To Pray is a great deal more than Saying of Prayers There may be all the Words without any thing of the Spirit of Prayer Whether I speak out of the Book or out of my Memory I may draw nigh to God only with my Lips Or I may so manage my Prayer as to have it Sincere and Effectual either way But when so little is done by the most at Prayer and such multitudes do live Prayerless not Calling upon the Lord at all Little need to perplex the thing or Affright any from the Throne of Grace Because they deliver not their minds just in our Rote of words To disgrace Book Prayers may be the way to discourage the most from all Prayer If they must have no Forms they could it may be make nothing of it but Ramble and Babble Trusting only to their own Abilities I think we ought rather to Hearten men on if they Own God in any way of serious Worship with Book or without For 't is according to what a man hath that God Accepteth him And he stands not so much upon a poor Christian 's Wording of his Prayers When he sees his Spirit Engaged and that he offers the Best he has doing all Heartily as in the Sight of God We make a mighty matter as to the way of some mens Wording things so much Better than others But alas what a small thing is this in the Esteem of God who Valueth and Judgeth men by somewhat else The most Elaborate and exact Expressions What wretched Barbarisms and hideous Jargon would they be found if severely Criticiz'd upon by Infinite Perfection And wo be to the best Speaker in the World if he should not be Heard and Accepted on any other account but only for the sake of his Words For how can a mouth-full of frail Breath tho Modulated with never such Art and Advantage be the Motive of all God's Mercy and Man's Salvation As much Stress as ever some are pleas'd to lay upon it 'T will not be so much enquirâ—d after in the great Day of Accounts How we used to Express ourselves in our Prayers As how our Hearts stood Affected to the Service And then the Holy Livers shall be found aforehand with the Finest Speakers And such weakness and Indecence as many a man would not Pardon The Father of Mercies will never Mention to them that Follow him and Delight in him as dear Children He equally offends God and Prophanes Prayer who either reads it Carelesly in a Book or tumbles it Rudely out of his Breast But when I find that I can be Devout in the use of a Prayer Book and that I can Exercise as much Devotion when I have no Book that I can join Profitably and Comfortably with the Church Prayers and with other Prayers I am in utramque paratus without Scruple for all Prayer that is offered with Humility and Zeal to God thrô Jesus Christ for such things as in his comprehensive Platform he has directed and encouraged us to pray for I will never believe That an Earthly Father can be Kinder than my Heavenly And if my natural Parent will take it in good part from me when I deliver my self to him as well as I can Thô I do not make a Starched Speech or read all out of a Book can he that knows our Frame and hath Compassion on our Infirmities Pitying them that fear Him as a Father pities his children fall out with me because I have not the Knack of Expressing my self as well as another When he knows I have a Careful Heart to Please him and am for serving him with the Best and do not use my own words for the high Opinion that I have of them above others But because another cannot express my wants and desires so Agreeably as I can my self Who best knowâ— where it pinches most and what I would be most glad to have And because I am afraid of being a Slothful Servant to Bury any Talent in a Napkin that my Lord hath lent me I would serve him with my Understanding and Memory and Utterance and all my faculties as well as with my Affections And if my Understanding cannot vye with some others or their Words be Better than mine Yet I think I am bound also to use my Own and to do according to the Ability that God hath given me Who I am sure will not be Harsh and Stern with the Weakest of his Children that shew their Willingness and Endeavours to please him thô they
cannot do like some of the rest I my self feel more Inclination as I see more Reason sometimes to give to a Beggar that is a sorry Faultering Orator than to another that speaks Exactly in Mood and Figure 'T is not so much his Fine Words and Cadence as his Want and Misery join'd with Simplicity and Humility that makes him an Object of Charity And I know it is not so much for our Speech and the Words of Prayer as for our Hearts and the Spirit of Prayer that He regards us who will be worshipped with our Souls and Spirits We should indeed Chuse words to Reason with him But when we compose somwhat of our Own it speaks our greater Care to be Acceptable And Bishop Hall in his Devout Soul tells us That a Stammering Suppliant may reach to a more eminent Devotion Pag. 11. than he that can deliver himself in the most fluent and Pathetical forms of Elocution 'T is not to rake together a parcel of good Petitions and seek to give them some Life in the Utterance unless we Draw Nigh with a True heart in full Assurance of Faith For it it is Faith in God's Promises that is the Foundation of all our Prayers And Prayer is but Faith putting forth itself in a Flame of Desires God hears no impenitent Sinners that Regard Iniquity in their hearts Let their words be never so fine and Apposite And he rejects no Humble Faithful Supplicant be his Speech never so weak and Imperfect Tho such be not Eloquent they have words sufficient to do their Business Even Broken words will serve the turn when they come from a Broken heart When going to Prayer then I will remember I am going to my Father And tho I know a Son honours his Father and so I will know my Distance and pay a profound Veneration and Exert the best of my Abilities in his Service Yet while I keep off from the Vncreaturely Boldness I will not run upon the Vnchildlike Strangeness To be curb'd with such a Spirit of Bondage that I dare not Speak for my self Nor dejected with a Servile Dread of his lying at catch to Trepan me in my words if I do not place every one Aright As if he were so Inconsiderate of my Frailty or could carry like so Rigid an Enemy to Cast off me and all my Suit if there be but the least word knockt out of Joint At this rate did I listen to the Teachers of such a Ghastly Frightful Religion I should make it a more Dangerous thing to Pray to God than to Keep away and never come before Him But I will never be persuaded that the Father of Mercies has the Spirit of some Rough and Sowre Doctors Who yet can make as bold with God in their Manners as they think others do in their Prayers And are not so Strict in Tutoring their Neighbours Tongues but they can be as Lax in ordering their Own I cannot question in the least But there have been many and gross Abuses of this Way of Praying which if rak'd together may furnish out matter enough for Satyr and make abundance of work for any Doctor or other that has such a Talent And tho Stories seldom lose in the reporting by such as are known to have a strong Byas Yet let Commin's Hypocrisy and Weyer's Villany both pass without Contradiction That the one could so Masquerade it for the Pope and the other Command good words while himself was Commanded by the Evil Spirit And to these Two let Twenty more be added of the same Stuffing 'T will but prove what none denies That there have been Ill men of all Pretentions Satan himself can be Transformed into an Angel of Light And one that was a Devil had yet a Name among the Disciples of Christ But let False Coin and Counterfeit Wares be Detected and Cryâ—d down This is no Prejudice at all to that which is Current right and good Nor does my Undertaking oblige me to answer for all the Cant and Gibberish Jargon and Impertinence flowing from any shatter'd Heads or wild Tongues under pretence of Exercising their Gifts Men may Hurt themselves even with God's Gifts and turn their very Remedy to their Ruin They may be proud of their New Words as of New Cloaths And there may be much more Pride than Devotion in the case When we are ashamed to Appear before the Lord unless it be still in a New Dress But if the Abuses must lay an Embargo on the Use I know not what Prayers then of any sort will be left us Or what will become of the Common Prayer it self but it must cease to be Common or to be at all because many have made as Wretched work with that as ever was made of Free Prayer But I know some would heavily resent it for a most Tyrannical Imposition To be tied up for ever medling with a Bottle of Wine because it has Happened with so many That when the Wine was in the Wit was out This Doctor is not therefore for Renouncing the Doctrine of the Trinity because he takes that for an Adulteration which another Doctor calls a Vindication of it Holy things and Pearls will sometimes light among Dogs and Swine But yet they do not for that lose their Nature The Things themselves are not a jot the Worse tho the Profaners of them are a great deal Let those that are Guilty answer for that But why should the Children of the Kingdom be turn'd out of their Privilege for the sake of some illegitimate Interlopers that have made Invasions upon it Whither should a Child go but to his Father And if he must not speak a Word to him but what he Reads out of a Form Where 's the Ingenuity and Freedom of a Child and the Boldness at the Throne of Grace And what advantage then of the Spirit of Adoption above the Spirit of Bondage Sure we may have Boldness and Assurance without being Sawcy and Malapert And tho it is not for a pitiful Worm to think of being Hail-Fellow with his Glorious Maker Yet I think it is an untowardly way of Honouring my Father to take him for such a one that I Dare not Speak with him or if but a word Amiss to think he would not Hear nor Forgive me Desires are the Wings of the Soul on which it mounts up to Heaven Prayer sets them a working But where are many Appendages they 'll be like but to Cumber and Clog the Motion which the more Natural the more Free and Easy Tho a dexterous Art may help Nature Yet Grace added to both is the best accomplishment and the Crown of all Prayer is God's Breath in man Herb. Nothing to be done in this matter without the Spirit Helping our Infirmities And that I take to be what they call Praying by the Spirit whether with Book or without when the good Spirit of God gives his gracious Guidance and Assistance for the true and zealous performance tho not an
immediate Inspiration to Dictate our Prayers Therefore with all our Prayers we must still Pray for the Spirit of Prayer that our Prayer may be Supplication in the Spirit And when it is but such it will have a Recommendation that will help it to find Acceptance tho it be not set out in Perfection of Stile In Private I am not so curious of my Words but often let my Expressions Follow my Affections And I may make a Continued Oration or Break off and Pause and begin again as I see occasion They that in Private by themselves alone Do Pray may take What Liberty they please In chusing of the ways Wherein to make Their Souls most intimate Affections known To Him that sees in Secret when Th' are most conceal'd from other men Harv Po. p. 14. In such Retirements we are out of the reach of any Momus to carp at our Words And free from all Concern but to have our Hearts Right with God who will not take offence at a Misplaced or Improper Word When he hath the Heart Engaged and Buisy at work in his Service He calls That to draw nigh to him in the first place let the Tongue follow after as it can And as it 's most Natural when our Mouths speak Out of the Abundance of our Hearts So a few words that come Warm from the Heart are more Valuable than Ten thousand said after another or in a customary Round Sine Monitore Apol. c. 30. quia de Pectore Oramus Tertul. We are not Told all that we must Say in our Prayers because we fetch them out of the Bottom of our Hearts And he needs no other Prompter be he never so Weak that has the Spirit of God himself for his Tutor But when I am called to be the Mouth of the Company I must be more Cautelous especially if they be Captious and such as are apt to be scandalized should any thing drop that sounds Unadvis'd 'T is good then to Forecast What to say and How in words pertinent and Becoming And when the Heart Indites a good matter the Tongue will be the Pen of a Ready Writer Suitable Expressions are apt to fall in with Well digested Meditations I confess that which the Dr. alledges may be an Inconvenience of the Extempore way When he that Ministers hath his Mind taken up to find out Words it looks more like Studying than Praying Beating the Brain when he should be Drawing out the Affections And I heartily Subscribe to his Rule Pag. 152. That whatever gives the Soul Scope and Liberty to exercise and imploy the hearts Affection and Devotion That doth most effectually help and enlarge the Spirit of Prayer But together with this Let it be considered That some are in more Concern and Pain to be tied up to Others Words than to be at Liberty to express themselves in their Own Especially when it is supposed They are such as are Acquainted with the Holy Scripture and all the Heads of Prayer and have a Good Treasure within them both of Matter and fit Phrases to dress it out And when as the Dr. expresses it They are not to study Finess but Decency Pag. 141. Not to Declaim as Orators but to speak as men Therefore methinks they may tell their own Tale as well as they can and not only Read a Paper Think of the Substance and Words too but not just say a Lesson A Judicious man sure may speak the Sense of his Soul and not fraught with Nonsence and Incoherence Confusion and Impertinence Nay tho' A Child of God may be of so weak Parts as to shew himself Broken and incoherent when put upon common Discourse saith Bishop Hopkins Alm. Christ p. 72. Yet engage him in Prayer How doth he expatiate and enlarge and what a Torrent of Divine Rhetorick will he pour into the Bosom of God Yea the Dr. tells us That where God hath given Ability Pag. 143. he will be served by acts proportionable to it and that our Parts ought to be employed in the worship of God that gave them Or else not wearing Gods Livery in his own Service we add Sacriledge to Profaness and Strip and Starve our Devotions Now what would he have We Must use our Parts and we must Not. Where God hath furnished a Readiness and pertinence of Expression Yet must we not dare to Speak for our selves or others No not a Word but what is just set down for us on the Paper Tho' I am not accustomed to the Sudden Effusions not finding in my self a Sufficiency for that Service Yet I dare not from hence conclude That God hath given such Abilities to none And where he hath given them Must they be Restrained from the Use of them because I cannot do as they And must my Scantling be made a Rule to all and the Measure which none must offer to Exceed The Dr. it should seem hath had the opportunities which I have not had to hear the Pretenders without Ability with their endless Repetitions insufferable Nonsense and Prayers full of Ramble and Inconsequence which he counts of an Opiate nature to cast one Asleep P. 217. The Temptation I confess was never set before me But if it were I think it would more try the strength of my Patience than my Ability in Watching For I should be too full of Indignation to Sleep But whatever Extravagancies have attended the thing and tho it be the thing which I dare not pretend to be Master of my self Yet for the sake of many of my Betters that have Appeared for it and been Happy in it I dare not Decry and run it down as a Scandalous and Insufferable practice Nor so Limit the Holy One as to conclude He hath given to none any more Sufficiency for it than to my self But shall even leave it as I find it in the Holy Scripture Undecided and at Liberty And as our Saviour said in another case Let them Receive it to whom it is given But when I see no Jus Divinum for Forms or no Forms I cannot but wonder at the Assuming Humor of those men that will take so much upon them to Brand and Damn the one or the other where the Word of God hath not past the Sentence on either SECT VII The Liberty of using One Form or Another SEeing God hath not put all the very Words into my Mouth Wherewithal I must Appear before him I am left to Chuse for my self and may take words of my own Contriving and collecting Or such Prepared and Fitted to my hand as I find most conducing to Minister to my Devotion Yet here I design not to offer any thing tending to Loosen what Authority has bound Nor to Vnhinge the things that are Settled as to the Liturgy and Publick Offices of the Church Which I know not how any can Calumniate without an ill Reflection on the Compilers who dyed Martyrs of our Professed Religion and approved themselves the greatest
all Being for Support And in the want of every thing whither but to the Fountain of all Goodness for Supply We hang upon Him still for our Being and all the Comforts of it who continues to Create us every moment And Prayer is the Souls Flying back again to Him from whom it came Who exacts our Devotions as the Sun draws Vapours from the earth Not to retain them for his own Benefit but to rain them down in Showers of Mercy upon us The Debt is owing to him but the paying of it only Advantageous to ourselves And in serving him we serve our own best Interest He commands indeed many things above the power of Nature to bring us upon our Knees for his Grace that where our strength ends there our Prayers may begin And that we may Seek for that in Him which we have not in ourselves And tho the infinitely Wise and Good needs neither our Confessions to Inform him of our Wants Nor our Petitions to make him Inclinable to Relieve them Yet he will be Enquired of by us to do for us And notwithstanding He Blots out our Transgressions for his Own Sake Yet he Calls on us to Call upon Him And bids Put me in Remembrance Let us plead together Declare thou that thou maist be justified Isa 43.25 and 6. And by this means we come to Bethink ourselves From whence it is that we have all That we may not impute to our Good Luck what we owe to the Divine Bounty Nor Undervalue the Favours of Heaven coming so Lightly by them without any Seeking He will have us exercise our Repentance towards him our Dependance upon him and our Affiance in him So to Dispose us for the the Reception and Fruition of what we would have from him And therefore Invites us to his Gates that he may load us with his Blessings And commands us to Ask and Seek and Knock That we may receive and Find and Enjoy This Key the Gracious God is pleas'd to put into our Hands That we may go to all the inexhaustible Treasures of his Bounty even as we go to our Table for Meat That we who are so Indigent and Beggarly may be throwly furnished with Him who is Able to do exceeding abundantly even above all that we ask or think And O how well is it for us And what riches of Grace from the Lord of Love That the Gates of Heaven shall be open'd at our Knocking That a Supply shall be Granted for our Asking And that our diligent Seeking shall be rewarded with Finding Eternal Glory O how would the Courts of Kings be thronged if their Gates and Hearts and Hands were so Open to all Comers If it were no more but Come and Ask and Have It is not more needful for a Creature to live in Dependance on his Maker and Preserver But it is as full of sweet Satisfaction for poor frail Insufficient wretches who Want every thing and lye open here still to all Changes and Troubles and Dangers To have an All-sufficient Helper and the safest Sanctuary to Repair to and Solace our selves in O what should we do and whither Betake our selves if we had not this Happy Retreat to turn in at If left Desolate to shift for our selves and make us a Happiness or want it O Kind word then from a Good God Come unto me and Call upon me As if he should say Unload your heavy Hearts with me And Cast your Care upon me Make known your Requests to me and put the matter into my Hands And I will take Care of you and Provide for you O the easy Access that a poor soul has to the Throne of Grace Where as the good Bishop Hall speaks it is not Death to draw nigh before the Golden Scepter be extended No Time out of season No Person so inconsiderable No Words so ordinary no Boon so big No Grant so hard as to give the hearty Supplication a Repulse But rising like a thin Mist from the earth it returns in a plentiful Rain of manifold Blessings Our kind Redeemer chides us that we make no more use of this sweet and blessed Advantage Joh. 16.24 Hitherto ye have asked nothing in my Name Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full And how well do we deserve to go without that which we count not worth so much as the Asking for O that we should be so Listless to do our selves Good when the God of all Grace is so Willing to be Kind As it was said of the Emperor Severus Molestius erat illi nihil peti quà m dare It troubled him more to be Asked nothing than to give much And to the Courtier that made not bold with him he would say Quid est quod nihil petis What 's the matter thou askest no Boon of me Let me know what thou wouldst have that thou maist not complain Thou art never the better for me So does the Lord of Love delight to see the Face of his Spouse and to Hear her Voice Cant. 2.14 He sollicites for Suiters Joh. 4.23 Waits to be Gracious Loves the Opportunities of dispensing his Favours And bids Look unto me and be saved all the ends of the earth Isa 45.22 So far is he who knows what Need we all have of Him from Discouraging any to Approach him That he gives free leave and License to every one All may come that Will. Nay it is not As they Will But he has made it their Duty to Come and all must be Supplicants or Rebels It is not then the Liberty to Pray or Not to Pray that is to be Discoursed of But the Permission that every one has to frequent the Throne of Grace The Boldness to Ask Seek and Knock at Heaven's Gates Yea and chiefly The Freedom of Address any Where at any Time or in any becoming Manner Thô it be not at the Church nor within Canonical Hours nor just in this or that Mode and Form We are indeed Bound to it But yet we must make a Free will offering of it and be Volunteers at our Prayers For if it be a Forced-put it is not Religion Beasts might but Men must not be Dragg'd to God's Altar nor be Threatned with Happiness nor Clubb'd into Heaven No compulsion here but by dint of Argument and the charms of Perswasion When we are so Convinc'd and wrought upon that we know not how to Stand out against that which appears every way so Rational Needful and Beneficial This Liberty of Praying i. e. All the Liberty which Nature and Scripture give So as not to run into that Licentiousness which I shall take care to Gard it from in the Second Part of this Discourse It may be considered Not only as to the Leave and Encouragement Given from Heaven to our Prayers And the fair Invitation made with Assurance of good Welcome and Happy Success to All Flesh that come to Him by the God that Heareth Prayers And who is pleased therefore to put
the most prevailing Master of Requests to Sollicite for us and make our unworthy Prayers as Current and Authentick even as the most just and powerful Commands SECT II. The Liberty of Vsing the Voice or not PRayer is the proper work of the Heart Lifting up itself and presenting its Desires to the Lord. It is only the Heart that Prays The Mouth can but Say Prayers And as many Words of Prayer may be spoken by one that doth not Pray at all So another may Tacendo clamare Pray heartily and effectually who yet says never a Word Words let them be never so Apposite and pithy are not Prayer but only the Vehicle of Prayer and the outward Signification of our minds 'T is all one to Him who searcheth Hearts and knoweth the Meaning of the Spirit Whether we send up to him our Naked Desires or Cloathed with Expressions He that Hears us without Ears Understands us without our Words and needs not our Voices to tell him what we would have It is at our own Choice then Whether we will use our Tongues or no every time we make our Prayers If we have the Spirit of Supplications we may offer up the Mental Prayer and hold our peace i. e. Humbly bethinking our selves of our Wants and earnestly craving and waiting for Supply from Above As Hannah spake in her Heart only her Lips moved but her Voice was not heard 1 Sam. 1.13 The Desires of the Heart are sometimes too Big to come out of the Mouth And then we pray more by Sighs and Groans than by Speech and Phrases And so as Bishop Hall speaks Our Silence may be more Devout than our Noise And to this sort of Prayer no Book or Learning no Invention or Utterance are requisite They that cannot Indite nor so much as Read or well Express themselves Yet can Think what most Troubles them and Ruminate on their Wants and Grievances And they can also Think what they would be most glad to have And raise up their Hearts in Wishes and Longings and desires of help and Relief at the hands of God And they can also Bethink themselves of any others that are more Wretched and worse than themselves And let their Souls then Bless the Lord for all happy Respects in which he hath made them to Differ And all this seriously and devoutly managed with the Soul and all Within us is good Praying thô not a word said And in such Offices we are only concerned to inspect our Hearts and look to the Frame they are in And need not the usual Vigilance to take care that there be a good Agreement between them and our Tongues And that these run not on before or without the other to draw nigh to God with our Lips when our Hearts are far from him But if I shall speak my own thoughts and experience I take this way of Prayer among most men to be more fine in Speculation than useful in Practice I only mention the Liberty which they have to Use it who can make any thing of it and find it available to answer the Ends of Prayer But as Words are of great and continual Use to express our Thoughts So I cannot but think them as useful to Fix our minds and Affect our hearts To Enflame our desires to regulate our devotion and to Engage all our Faculties to a due Attendance on the Work we are about That it may not be a thin Notional Business Too Spiritual for us to perceive it Or too Nice and difficult for us to discern when it is at a Stand or how it Proceeds And as long as we have the Use of Tongues Why should not he that Made them have them Imployed in his Service We are not only to Think Prayers but to Open our Lips that our Mouths may shew forth his Praise Psal 141.1 I cried to the Lord with my Voice with my Voice to the Lord did I make my Supplication He that is to Hear teacheth us what to Say When ye Pray Say Our Father c. Hos 14.2 Take with you Words and turn to the Lord And say to him Take away all Iniquity and receive us graciously so will we render the Calves of our Lips The only Fatlings which we are now to offer If Words be needful to Digest our Thoughts and shape the Ideas that arise out of our Minds If they make us more Sensible of the things which we Conceive And a Happy Expression that exactly fits our Meaning gives such a Pleasure as the Joy of a New-born Child Then in our Addresses to God where we have need of all Helps where we ought to have the Liveliest sense and our Dulness wants to be Excited by Pathetick words and all Quickening means We may find it very advantageous to the Service to form our Notions into agreeable Expressions Yea thô we are by our selves Yet to speak in our Own Hearing such Words of Prayer as we find conducing to Compose our thoughts and set our Affections afloat and make us in Earnest upon it Fervent in spirit serving the Lord. Here then where we are under no Limitation but left to ourselves Whether we will at all times Think or Speak our Prayers Our care must be to take that way which helps us to perform our offices Best and makes us most Sincere and Lively Zealous and Devout That we may do all Heartily as to the Lord and Approve ourselves unto God In being curious to Examine and Discern what is Best and Conscientious to Hold in words or Pour them out thereafter as we find them to Help or else Hinder us in the Service SECT III. The Liberty to Vse Long Prayers or Short LEngth or Brevity are such Indifferencies as do not enter the Essence of Prayer For either of them may be Good or Bad thereafter as they are Designed and Vsed A Short Prayer made so through dislike and Weariness of God's Service And a Long one stretch'd out in Pride and Ostentation of Parts or Affectation to be Tedious that we may be thought more Pious are both of them equally Abomination to the Lord. But when we Contract our Prayers that we may strengthen our Devotion and cut them Shorter to make them the Livelier Such Short Prayers shall prove long enough to reach to Heaven And so we Pray much thô we say but Little And again when we Enlarge our Prayers as we find our Hearts Enlarged Our Attention and Affection keeping pace with our Matter and Expressions we need not fear the guilt of that Much-Speaking condemned Matth. 6.7 Nor of the Long Prayers Chap. 23.14 made a Pretence to Eat up the Widows When the Spirit of God Moves on the face of the Waters to raise up a full Tide of Affections in our Souls We have a Call and Invitation then to be more Free and Full in pouring out our Hearts before the Lord. And at Lower Ebbs we must take up with ordinary Offices No matter how Short is the Cold and Dull Prayer But
that which is Faithful and Fervent can hardly be too Long. He that says nothing as he ought is long thô he pronounce but Two syllables But he that speaks to the purpose is not Long thô he speak Much and for a Great while together Philemon quoted by Grotius The Shortest Prayer is too Long that is Vox praeterea nihil Nothing but an Empty Sound But the Longest is Short enough where the Mind and Heart hold out to the End and the Devotion is as Long as the Supplication As when we are Cold we may get us Heat by Exercise So by Continuance in Prayer we may Warm our selves into more Devotion And from Fluttering along the ground find ourselves carried up at last as high as Heaven Some are too Nimble in their Frisking Prayers and in too much Hast to Speed They come to God's Door But they will not Stay and Wait and so go away without their Errand The Striving with our selves in Prayer to bring our Hearts into better Frame is our Wrestling to Prevail with God So we Preach to our selves in His Hearing Not to Inform Him but to Edify our selves And when Repetitions flow from Heat of affections we have Scripture instances that not only Allow but Approve them Tho' when dull and Heartless resulting from a Fictitious Sanctity or opinion to be heard the sooner for Much speaking They are but the Sacrifice of Fools which we are forbid to offer And must not Roll in such Multiplication of Expressions to Wire-draw Devotion and think to make out in Length what is wanting in Heat and Weight 'T is a good Rule of the Dr. Let a man Contract his Expressions Pag. 198. where he cannot enlarge his â—ffection That he may not hold on speaking when he has done Praying But then where his Affections do Grow upon him in the Use of Words sure he is not obliged to leave off because Solomon says Let thy words be Few Eccles 5.2 Some may think he mistook his Text who from hence took occasion to make an Encomium of the Large Service of the Church and those Prayers which he owns to be near an Hour Long. And that is I think Pag. 214. more than half an Hour Longer than ever I heard any other The Discourse to some may look like a Libel upon our Liturgy And if all Tautology were Battology Common-Prayer it self then must fall under the Common Condemnation Some are weary in the very Beginning of their Prayers And others can hold out well even to the Last and find the Fire still more Enflamed by more Blowing Else what should they do e're the First and Second Service were at an end Tho' the Liturgy hath Variety and is as he calls it A String of Pearls Pag. 209. Yet if the String should be too Long it would spoil much of his Reasoning And if the frequent Breaks and Pauses be the main Commendation Then who can sufficiently admire the Popish Service and all their multiplied Collects Responds Jesu's Ave's and Pater Noster's Pag. 211. But he says The people so share in the Service it is almost impossible they should be idle Hearers or meer Lookers on Indeed it 's possible they may be Neither i. e. if they chance to fall asleep at the Service Nor is it quite impossible they may be both and yet Parrot over the words As wanton children and some Merry Griggs like they were bearing their Part in another kind of Action and shew a very Comical sort of Devotion Tho' it 's true Their indecent Carriage doth not reflect any real Disparagement on the Offices themselves to make them ever the worse Which under the management of true Zealous Worshippers do shew quite another Face And there such Interlocution and Alternate catching the Words of Prayer helps and Refreshes each others Devotion and is like a pious Contest and struggle between them which of 'em shall be most Earnest in the Service of their Lord. But I think he might have left out the Always when he said that Much speaking is the effect of Confidence Pag. 176. 7. And Confidence springs from the persuasion that a man hath of his own Worth For a man may Speak Much and yet Distrust himself Or he may speak in Confidence of a Better Worth than his Own Yea there may be more Impudence in a Few words than in Many according as they are Our Grand Exemplar Continued All Night in Prayer And tho' he were so much more Able to manage it than we Yet from the drift of the Doctor 's reasonings It must be Impertinent to use so many words with God in a Long-winded Harangue I confess the Long Grace looks not Seasonable when a man is ready to Starve And at a sudden Pinch or danger Lord Save me is a good Prayer But when he has more Time sure it is not his Fault to Pray Longer The Lord's Prayer it 's true is short But are we Confined just to those very words Then why doth the Church so much enlarge in other And the thing that is done and may Lawfully be done why should any Son of the Church argue so much against it What Inconveniences soever may attend Long Prayers I cannot think it Convenient to go and prove or insinuate That it is Silly or Wicked ever to use them To say Pag. 194. That the whole heart and soul may be wrapt up in three or four words And to tell the Success of an Ejaculation that Cleans'd the Leper Enlightned the Blind Justified the Publican And then add Pag. 206. I never yet heard or read of any Long Prayer that did so much is a Reflection that I would forbear if but for the Credit of that Church whereof I am a Member which prescribes Longer Prayers than ever I us'd of my own or ever heard any one else use So that there are some besides Heathens and Phanaticks in this Horrid Guilt of Long Praying And to make the Long Robes and Long Prayers A Cover for all Pag. 208. and affirm That they who are like the Pharisees for Long Prayers are like them for somewhat else does but give the Brethren in Querpo an occasion for Retort and Drollery upon some very Canonical men According to his fine Argumentation Pag. 179. If a Short Petition be a Panegyrick on the Great man's parts to whom 't is offered Then the Shortest Prayer that can be made does the greatest Honor to God and if it should be any longer it would but Dishonor him Nay if A Word to the Wise then Half a Word to the Only Wise God might be enough Yea for matter of Informing him None at all But indeed our Words are neither to Inform Pag. 180. nor to Persuade nor to Weary and Overcome him Tho' the Dr. says They must of Necessity be to one of these three purposes Yet himself soon after finds another Use for them when he surprizingly tells us That the proper use of Words
not Clear the Guilty should yet be no Terror to any pious Souls in Christ Jesus Who are Accepted in the Beloved even as if they had not Sinned And Who shall lay any thing to the Charge of Gods Elect When there is nothing in God Against them but all For them He that is of Purer Eyes than to Behold Iniquity Sees none in them but what he has received an Attonement for And so for all the Faults in them Fury is not in Him He is a Friend even to Sinners in Him that hath Satisfi'd for their Sins When they Look unto Jesus That is their Worshipping towards the Temple where God is Propitious And when we are apt to be Astonished at the infinite Greatness and Majesty the Justice and Purity of God Let us Bethink ourselves That yet we have to do with a God Satisfied for our Sins and in the Son of his Love Reconciled to our Souls And thô we have no other Door of Admission into the Divine Presence Yet we have Boldness and access with Confidence thrô the Faith of Him who is The Propitiation for our sins Out of this Angel's Hand the Smoak of the Incense that comes with the Prayers of the Saints ascends up before God with a grateful Perfume Rev. 8.4 And nothing fails that is put into his Hands who Heartens all his members and followers John 15.7 If ye abide in me and my words abide in you You shall ask what you will and it shall be done unto you Having therefore Boldness to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus And such a high Priest as is Holy Harmless Vndefiled Separate from â—â—â—ners and made Higher than the Heavens where he Ever lives to make Intercession for us And is Able also to save to the uttermost all that come unto God thrô Him We are to Draw nigh with a true heart in full Assurance of Faith Heb. 7.25 and 6. Ch. 10.19 22. Upon this Satisfaction and Mediation of the Beloved of God's Soul In whom he is Well pleased is grounded all the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Freedom of Speaking used by the Children of God which makes them so Bold with their Heavenly Father And yet no more Bold than Welcome This makes them so Importunate and pressing Yea so Daring as even to Argue and reason the case with their Maker and Judge and as it were to Quarrel with his Mercy as Bishop Hacket expresses it Christian Consol p. 129. To enter the Lists with Omnipotence and Wrestle for the Blessing To Capitulate and Plead with God by Arguments drawn from his Promise his Mercy his Glory his Son's Merits and their own Necessities Experiences Hopes and Dependancies Not thinking so to Change Him But to Excite that Faith in him which their Prayers are to Lean upon As Prayer reciprocally stirs up and Enflames our Faith When we eye the Promises of God and take the Boldness to ask all that he has the Goodness to Promise Remember thy Word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to Hope Psal 119.45 And to put the God of Truth in mind of his Promise To spread before him the Chirographum his own Hand-writing How Powerful must it be to Prevail with him As Melancton said of Luther He over-heard him at his private Prayers as if he had had some body to discourse withal in the Room with him And as S. Chrysostom observes of the woman Mat. 15.27 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The poor woman turn'd Philosopher to Dispute the mercy out of Christ's hands Truth Lord yet the dogs eat the Crumbs that fall from their Masters Table Thus the Violent take the Kingdom of Heaven by Force By such Striving in Prayer and improving all the advantageous seasons of Address Putting on so far till some may count them Rude and Sawcy That they may not fail to Speed for sparing to Speak Tell not the troubled heart of Modesty Christian Consol p. 128. 'T is a Complement it will not be tyed to said the Bishop of ours that was called a second Chrysostom for his Golden sayings The Passions of an Afflicted Spirit are not in good compass till carried beyond ordinary Rule and fashion Vehemence of Zeal will Break out and Transport the devout Soul so far as a cold Heart will think Vnseemly As Gehazi would have thrust away the Mournful Shunamite for her Rudeness 2 Kings 4. When she ran and catch'd the Prophet by the Feet But he excus'd for her verse 27. Let her alone for her Soul is vexed in her When we are upon the Stretch in Prayer As Elias strain'd himself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jam. 5.17 This is the Vis Deograta Tertul. Such a Forcible Attempt upon our Lord As he will not Chide us for And so does the Almighty God delight to be Overcome and yield to a Man To the man that is such a Passionate Seeker Intreating his gracious Favour with the whole Heart And this is the Resistance that makes the Devil Fly But he never stirs at the Recital of a few Liveless words of course Nor is at all concerned to Hinder the Prayer that is no Praying in the Holy Ghost Indeed it ill beseems them to make so Bold in Prayer who take all profane Boldness elsewhere But it well becomes the Children of the Kingdom who know whom they have Believed to be Bold in their God and Delight themselves in the Lord. Not to be Dragg'd to Prayer as their Drudgery which they do only because they Must Nor to hang back as afraid to speak to their Father But count it Good for them to Draw nigh to God And go to him as the Center of their Rest and their Exceeding Joy Taking his Service for Perfect Freedom A Labour of Love A sweet Heavenly Imployment and a matter of the chiefest Delight Now that we are not clogg'd with costly Sacrifices and an intolerable Yoke of Ceremonies as of old But somewhat that costs us a great deal Less will be much Better taken And nothing now indeed is asked but what is Cheap to be given Nothing imposed but what we may make Pleasant to be performed Under this Gospel-Dispensation we should have a Gospel Spirit Rejoycing in the Service of our Lord who hath Pleasure in the Prosperity of his Servants While others lye without Estranged from Him And are only Troubled whenever they Remember Him His Children Thirst after him Run to him and find sweet Welcome with him At this Retreat they turn in and under the Shadow of his Wings are Safe and Quiet Easy and Comfortable whatever happens And whoever shuns or objects against the Service All the world shall not put them out of Conceit with that in which they have found such Heavenly Satisfaction They will rather be driven out of the World than out of their Prayers As Daniel would Venture being cast into the Lyons Den rather than forbear to Pray and make Supplication before his God Counting it a more Material point to Secure his
nigh to our Gracious God and Pouring out our Hearts before him But especially when his Hand is upon us our Eyes and Hearts should be lifted up to Him Who has Torn and Smitten and alone can Heal and Bind up our Breaches Whatever be the Distress God is a Refuge sufficient for us Our Refuge and Strength our present Help in Time of Trouble 'T is to some purpose to make our application to Him who at the Lowest can Raise and at the Worst is able to Relieve us Refuge failed me no man cared for my Soul yet I cried unto thee ô Lord and said Thou art my Refuge and my Portion in the Land of the Living Psal 142.4 5. Yea thô men Provoke him and are Brought Low for their Iniquity Nevertheless he Regards their Affliction when he hears their Cry Psal 106.43 44. Thô Foolish Sinners for their Transgressions and Iniquities are Afflicted Yet when they Cry to the Lord in their Troubles He saves them out of their Distress Psal 107 17-16 Whatever comes upon us it cannot Vndo us as long as we have the way open to the Almighty Friend in whom is our Help Whatever we Lose We may ask and have a Better thing at his Hands Whatever we Suffer if we make our moan and cry to him for Succor He will Remove it from us or Sanctify and Sweeten it to us that it shall do us no Hurt but Work for our Good With this Staff of Prayer we may walk over Rocks and Mountains and Surmount all our Troubles and Disasters Whoever are against us and run us down No matter if we can Appeal to Heaven and have God our Friend and Engage the Almighty Lord of all into our Interests For my Love they are my Adversaries but I give my self unto Prayer Ps 109.4 Instead of Wrangling with them I turn to Him that can order them and Save me from them Or make me more than amends for all the Damage that I can sustain by them When I am in Heaviness and my Spirit is overwhelmed within me To unload my Breast before the Lord Eases my Oppressed mind and helps me to that Relief from Above which the World cannot give As Hannah after she had Prayed to the Lord in Bitterness of Soul and pour'd it out and wept sore She went her way and did eat and her countenance was no more sad 1 Sam. 1.10 15 18. Let me be shut up in Prison none can Imprison my Prayers but my Soul may Expatiate and sally out to my Father which sees in Secret No Walls or Irons can stop me from Him who is every where Present and Nigh unto all that Call upon him I am but a Prisoner in the Body and in this World which is but a greater Jail But Prayer sets me at Large and carries me even to Heaven aforehand And however I am Tempted Troubled and sore put to it Still I have Leave and Liberty to Remonstrate and make my moan Above and seek Redress at the hands of Omnipotent Love And let me continue so to Seek and Pray Heartily And I shall be Happy in spight of all Disasters and misery CHAP. IV. The Liberty for the Place of Prayer THE Infinite Majesty that is every where Present is no more tied to Places than Times I will that men Pray Every where saith the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.8 The whole World is God's House and no Place of it unfit wherein to Invocate him that Made it Not a Hole or Corner where He that fills Heaven and Earth is not Aware of me We may Hallow any Ground we tread upon and Consecrate every Place we come in for a Proseucha the Chappel and Altar of our Devotion by offering up our Prayers to Jehovah Shammah The Lord that Sees us And when we have no better even a Dunghill or a Dungeon will be Oratories as recommending as the Temple Thô when it is at our choice The Church which is peculiarly stiled The House of Prayer must be Preferred And while we have the Liberty and opportunity of Going with the Multitude to the House of God and those Doors lie Open to us We must take heed of Slighting the Blessed Priviledge So much prized by the Servants of the Lord that Enjoy it and so much Bewailed by them that Want it We must dread to Excommunicate our selves from the Assemblies where the Lord Feeds and makes his Flock to rest and not be as those that Turn aside by the Flocks of his Companions Instead of making that heavy Judgment our wilful Choice To turn our selves out of the Courts of the House of our God we must greatly rejoice in the Favour and with all our hearts be glad of the Freedom To go into the House of the Lord. Yea we must Long for his Courts and Love the Habitation of his House and count it so Amiable that we had rather be Janitors in his Temple where his Reteiners are Still praising him and Every one speaks of his Honour than to have all the Pomp and Splendor of the World among the Strangers and Enemies to God that do nothing but despise and Affront him O! enter into his Gates with Thanksgiving and into his Courts with Praise Be Thankful to him and Bless his Name Psal 100.4 Not only accept the Benefit while offered but Prize it most highly and Embrace it most eagerly Rejoicing with all your Souls that you may be so Happy there to make your Prayers But yet you must not take Prayer for a Sacrifice tied only to that Holy Place nor use to Pen up all your Religion within the Church-walls and there let it lie till the next time Your own Houses also are to be Bethel's and Houses of Prayer Such Families where the Name of God is daily and duly Callâ—d upon Every Master in his House may Officiate as the Priest without Usurping the Honour of Aaron to himself And by such Leading the way in God's humble Worship at thy House thou ownest him to be more Master there than thy self Which will be so far from Losing that it will Greaten thee more than any thing else can do and make thee far more considerable and Worthy than all the Proud Scorning of his Service as a thing Below thee For them that Honour him God has promised to Honour But of all the House our Lord hath given a peculiar Consecration to the Closet where when the Door is Shut and Barr'd up to make it yet more a Closet under that Confinement lies the greatest Liberty And such a Prisoner is the most Free to Expatiate in Prayer When Sequestred from the World thou maist much better Descend into thy own Heart And more out of the danger of Ostentation maist Pour out all thy Soul and demonstrate thy Faith in the Omnipresence and continual Inspection of that God to whom Closets and Hearts are as Open as High-ways and the Face of the Congregation The Lord calls to see the Countenance and to Hear the Voice of his Dove in the
Clefts of the Rocks in the Secret place of the Stairs Cant. 2.14 In such Retirements he uses most freely to Impart Himself And there should we cast and covet to Meet Him whom our Souls Love And not think it any hard Put upon us but the most sweet and blessed Advantage to leave even the best and Dearest Company to go to God our Exceeding Joy What care I for Chatting with Friends on earth said Bishop Hall shut up in the Tower when I may talk familiarly with the God of Heaven As our Saviour gave a discharge even to his own Disciples Mat. 26.36 Tarry ye here while I go and Pray yonder So get sometimes out of the Crowd and Hurry of worldly Avocations and distractions that thou maist find a full Vacation and happy Freedom to wait upon thy God And when so taken up with Him in Secret bethink thy self what main Grievance it is thou hast to make thy moan of What especial Favour thou hast to Beg What Sin that lieth hardest upon thy Conscience to be Pardoned What noisom Corruption to be Healed What most Wanted Grace or Good thing to be Desired And there tell all as having the fairest Opportunity to be Bold And put on hard as one that will not be Denied Abraham Retired into his Grove Isaac to the Field Jacob Wrestled with God upon the Way Elijah Prayed under the Juniper-Tree Jeremiah in the Dungeon Daniel in the Lions Den Jonah in the Whales Belly Our Saviour in the Garden and often in the Mount St. Peter on the House-Top No matter what is the Place so it minister to our Devotion and help us indeed to Draw nigh to God Which is not to be done with the Body and shifting of Places but in the Elevation of the Heart and Fervor of Affections Non Passibus sed Precibus itur ad Deum Aug. Prayer is the Messenger that doth our Errand there where Flesh cannot come And wherever a man is or however taken up even in the midst of his Worldly occasions His Soul may fly out and steal away to God Or send up Secret Ejaculations that shall pierce the Heavens and find as sure a Conveyance as if they had bounded from the Temple However then we should be Glad to to go into the House of the Lord when Opportunity serves Yet when we have a Motion to Prayer any where we must not withhold it for want of a Better Place from whence to send it up CHAP. V. The Liberty of Prayer as to the Persons Praying SECT I. The Liberty that All Sorts have to Pray EVery one that is Godly shall Pray unto thee ô Lord. Psal 32.6 No Godly man but will do it And all manner of Persons as they have Need So they are Allowed to do it Only the Priest of old entred the Holy Place Now he that hath Loved and Redeemed us and wash'd us from our Sins in his own Blood hath made us all Kings and Priests unto God Rev. 1.6 God is no Respecter of Persons The Poorest shall have as fair and full a Hearing with Him as the Biggest man in the World Tho he be the most High yet the Lowest are not beneath his Notice If they are Low in their own eyes and Poor in Spirit as well as of Low Estate and Poor in the World They are indeed the Nearer to his Acceptance Who hath Respect unto the Lowly And to this man will Look that is Poor and of a Contrite Spirit and Trembles at his Word Isa 66.2 This Poor man cried and the Lord Heard him and saved him out of all his Troubles Psal 34.6 From the Height of his Sanctuary he looks down even upon the most Abject wretches on Earth Even such as are Rejected of men and just ready to be Thrust out as not fit to Live in the World To hear the groaning of the Prisoner To loose those that are Appointed to death Psal 102.20 He will Regard the Prayer of the Destitute and not despise their Prayer v. 17. The Lord sees not as man sees To Regard men according to their Garb and Dresses but according to their Faith and Graces Yea according to their Cries and Necessities And even that Abjection and Beggary for which others Overlook and Scorn them is the very Motive of God's Inclining to them and taking Notice of them Do thou for me O God the Lord for thy Names sake because thy mercy is good Deliver thou me For I am Poor and Needy Psal 109.21 For the Oppression of the Poor for the Sighing of the Needy now will I arise saith the Lord I will set him at Liberty Psal 12.5 Tho God that hath Chosen the Poor of this World is not Fond of a man only for this reason because he is Poor For there may not be more Wicked men than many Poor men Yea such as are fain to Beg their Bread of Men may yet be none of Gods Beggars and so none of his Favourites This not for their Bodily wretchedness but for their Souls Ungodliness because matters are not so Ill with their Bodies but they are Worse with their Souls Yet caeteris paribus No Poor man shall be ever the less Welcome with God for his Poverty but be as soon Heard and as much Respected by Him as His Excellency or His Highness the most Eminent and Mighty who look to be Observed of all and that every one else must be Silent when they Speak Such are often too High to be God's Humble Servants Like the Wicked Psal 10.4 Who thrô the Pride of his Countenance will not Seek after God Tho there is none so Rich and well-provided but they stand in continual need of God's Alms And they that abound in the World 's Good must yet beg of him their Daily Bread and have need of all men to Pray hard That they may not be put off with their Portion in this Life and be Tormented when Lazarus shall be Comforted Let not the Rich man rejoice so much in his Riches as that he may go to God to save him from the Danger of them And let him not Pray the Less but the More That thrô so many Temptations he may get Safe into the Kingdom of God Let not any Nobles Gentlemen or Ladies ever fear it will Debase their Dignity to Cringe to Him that has far greater than any Kings or Queens on Earth for his daily Attendants If they are too Goodly to be Godly they will be too High to be Saved Prayer is Man well Drest Herb. The finest Creature is best Adorned when most Humbled And when the Knees are Bowed the Mouth Confessing the Hands Smiting the Eyes Blubbered the Cheeks bedewed Nothing in the sight of Heaven is more Becoming and Recommending Ephraim was heard so Bemoaning himself And presently it follows Is Ephraim my dear Son is be a pleasant Child For since I spake against him I do earnestly remember him still I will surely have mercy on him saith the Lord. Jer. 31.18 19 20.
Hearts No good thing will he withhold from them that walk Vprightly Psal 84.11 Still there will be room enough left for his Pardon even when we have done our Best Yet will he not for that stop his Ears but Hear in Heaven and when he Hears Forgive Elias I know was an Extraordinary Person Tho the Apostle tells us he was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James 5.17 Passible as we are and that with Frailty of Mind as well as Body For so the Venerable Bede glosses upon it Et mentis Fragilitate Carnis Yet he Prayed and was Heard in what he Asked Some Inherent Holiness indeed we must have to give us Confidence towards God and to speak our Interest in the Holy prevailing Advocate Whatsoever we ask we receive of Him Because we keep his Commands and do those things that are Pleasing in his Sight 1 Joh. 3.22 Yet we cannot ground our Hopes all upon our own Holiness But must have a better Name and Righteousness than any in ourselves wherewithal to Appear before the Lord and Bow our selves to the most High God And He upon whose Interest and Mediation we go is pleas'd to call to Him the Labouring and Heavy-Laden They that feel themselves Burthened with their Sins are the fitter to make their Prayers The Sense of Sin is both the Weight to Humble them and also the Goad to Quicken them That they may think Ill of themselves and be in good Earnest with God Prayer is the Pillar of Smoak in which the Soul ascends out of this Wilderness to God Above Which tho it be Black as Smoak for manifold Infirmities still adhering Yet having a Principle of Energy and Spirit to carry it upward The Devout Soul ascends therein and by a humble Familiarity Converses and Parlies with God even as Abraham and Moses did Yea when our Sins are felt and Bewailed we may draw even from them a Plea why God should Hear us for his Glory For that he should Hear in Heaven and do and Grant the desires of Sinful Dust and Ashes who can claim nothing as due at his hands That he should Forgive us who have so Provoked him we deserve rather to be Abhorred than Pardoned Reward Vnprofitable Servants Yea Regard Ill-deserving Sinners O how much does this redound to the Honour of his Name and illustrate his Glory And what Encouragement have we even when Discouraged by our own Sinful Vileness to go and Strive and Plead with God in our Prayers by the things which he most Prizes and Loves That is to Move him with his own Glory to take the Motive from Himself and to be Merciful to us Sinners for his Names sake And Arise and Help and Deliver us for his Honour What Mean then the Faint Hands and Feeble Knees when the God so Greatly Offended will be so Easily intreated And expects not that we should come to him without our Sins But only with a Sorrowful Concernment for them and a pious Resolution against them And so even Fools corrected with their own Wickedness are Heard Psal 107.9 And the Wicked whose very Prayer is called Abomination are yet put upon Praying However they want Ability they are not Disengaged from paying the Debt because that Inability is only thro their own Fault And if they are Sinful even in their Prayers To leave them off will not Amend the matter but they would be yet more Sinful without them They may Pray and Escape But if they Pray not they are sure to Perish And therefore St. Peter bid Simon Magus who was in the Gall of bitterness and the Bonds of iniquity Repent and Pray God if perhaps the thoughts of his heart might be Forgiven him Acts 8.22 23. If there be but any Peradventure it is good to be Adventurers here Jehoahaz did Evil in the Sight of the Lord and yet he Sought the Lord and the Lord Hearkened to him 2 King 13.4 And what hath been may be As the Hand of God is not Shortened So neither is his Mercy Abated but still they are the Same as ever they were And Praying being the using of Gods Means In that very Vse both our Persons and our Prayers may be Sanctified But they that are not sensible enough of their Adoption to cry Abba Father must yet repair to God as the Common Father of all for a better Title and beg the Regenerating and Witnessing Spirit of Him as the faithful Creator with whom the Fatherless find Mercy And however Unworthy we are The Lord our Righteousness who is Infinitely Worthy maketh intercession for the Transgressors Isa 53. last v. And his Interceding is not by way of Petition but as an Advocate Pleading for his Client of Justice Because we have no Sins hanging upon us but what he to the full has Satisfied for And so they can be no Bar to our Prayers when we are Interested in his Merits And thus the way to the Throne of Grace is Open to All manner of Persons And Sinners even the Worst are not Excluded if they resolve not to Continue in their Sins but are on the Penitent Key and on the Parting Point He that Confesseth and Forsaketh his Sins shall have Mercy To which I may add He that Fears and Prays shall not Feel what he Fears and Prays against God will never condemn that earnest Supplicant who Deprecates the Evil which he dreads and from a sensible Heart thus pleads for the Life of his poor Soul From thy Wrath and from Everlasting Damnation Good Lord deliver me What profit is there in my Blood The Damned nothing but Blaspheme and Curse thee O let me live that I may Bless and Praise thy Name Let none then Debar himself of the Liberty which our Lord Allows us all But may every one lay hold of the blessed Priviledge and be a Petitioner waiting on the Lord our God till he answer him in the Wishes of his heart And O that we might have that once to say of every Vnconverted Sinner which was given as an Argument of St. Paul's Conversion Act. 9.11 Behold he Prayeth Lord I have Invited all And I shall Still Invite still Call to Thee For it seems but just and right In my sight Where is All there all should be Herb. CHAP. VI. The Liberty of Prayer as to the Persons Prayed for SECT I. The Liberty of Praying For All. OUR Blessed Lord in the first Word of his Prayer teacheth us to Pray in Love as well as in Faith and to take in Others together with ourselves And here we are to go as Wide as before None is Debarred from Praying And we must Leave out None in our Prayers If we do not still Name yet we must Intend them And Make Prayers and Intercessions for All men 1 Tim. 2.1 Not only men of all Orders and Sorts but All the men of every order and sort Our Charity should be as Extensive even as the whole Race of Mankind Like Fellow-Members of the same Body Every Member should have
Beggars unless it be in that Sense as is no Damage or Disparagement to any The laudable Usage of all Well-govern'd Families To go to their Prayers before they fall to and after they have Finished the Business of the day cannot be Confronted without a Proud Scornful Reflection upon the most Judicious and the most Pious Christians in the World When the Family comes together in the Morning and Evening This is the most decent way of bidding Good Morrow and Good Night And such Families as Give themselves to Prayer use to give also the best Examples in other matters and shew that they are the likest of all to be in the Right Indeed an ordinary Observer if any thing impartial may easily see the Difference that is Commonly between Praying and Prayerless Families I say commonly for it is Possible the Service may be kept up in a Perfunctory heedless and customary manner without any Improvement to the Worshippers But then the fault is not at all in the Offices but in the Way of performance And they are Abused like many other Good things that men often use without doing themselves any Good in the Vse We may reasonably expect in the Praying Families to find the Fear and Love of God and all Honesty and Mercy and Sobriety and Decency to prevail and flourish For the Course which they take Naturally tends to produce such Effects and thrô God's Blessing it usually proves Successful But how little cause shall we see to admire the Religion of such as turn Prayers out of their Houses And alas What to their Credit do they bring in the Room of such Offices Where shall you meet with such Nurseries of Oaths and Brawls Drunkenness and Lewdness Cruelty and Knavery And who indeed can expect any other kind of Fruits among such as Sow no Better How shall they keep up the Fire of Religion without any Fewel or Blowing His Grace the late Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Whose Memory ought ever to live in this Church with all Honour as indeed among the Best 't is precious and even such whose breath may be thought Malignant enough to Blast it yet do but so betray their Impotence together with their Vengeance Upon some that would Vnchrist'n him he has left such an Ethnick Badge as will stick much longer to them because they take the course every day by Proscribing Prayers to prove their Houses Heathenish and themselves no better than a Company of Infidels under the Banner of Christ As they pass in his great Judgment who tells us in his Sermon of Family-Religion That Where the Worship of God by daily Prayers every Morning and Evening is Neglected He sees not how any Family can in reason be esteemed a Family of Christians or indeed to have any Religion at all And what a Contemptible Head is that of a Family that hath neither Eyes to lead them in the ways of God nor a Tongue to Speak for them at the Throne of Grace If thou hast Sense and Readiness of Expression in other matters What is it but thy own Wickedness when thou want'st it for Prayers And if thou wantest Gifts and Abilities why dost thou not make it up another way By some Substitute in thy Room or by some wholsom Forms to help thee out When as the last named most Reverend Author observes There are excellent Helps to this purpose in the several Books of Devotion calculated for the private use of Families That the thing may not be Neglected then get it Discharged as well as thou canst and that will be Accepted by him who looks first on the Willing Mind and where he sees that Despises not the Day of Small things but takes poor matters in good part according to what a man hath or can procure wherewithal to Appear before the Lord and make his Oblations to the most High God Thus let every Housholder think himself concern'd to lead his Dependants the way to the Throne of Grace And let not the Members of Families here stand for Cyphers but carefully bear their Part in this Service Nor think it enough to be still Present at the Office without a hearty Concurrence and Joining to Assist in it That the Prayer of the Family may not be only a Formality and some as Licentious in their Doing it as others in leaving it Vndone SECT III. Of not Praying in Secret THere are who concern themselves in no Devotion any further than they have Company and are carried with the Croud As if they durst not Trust the All-seeing Eye of God without Witness Or like Dead things could not Move any further than Moved Or like Press'd Soldiers would do Nothing if they could tell how handsomly to Avoid it But to Sound a Trumpet in the Streets or to Pray Aloud in the Closet with a desire to be Heard and Observed of Men spoils all the expectation of Reward and Praise from God The Heart knows its own Bitterness and can best tell its own Tale And if Sincere and Serious it cannot be at Rest till got Alone to Pour out it self before the Lord. But this is none of the Hypocrites Care who little regards what he is towards God in Private So he can but Shew well before men Abroad Or if he Prays Alone it is but to be the Better thought of by those who he thinks take Notice Or only to get a little out of the Dinne of his Clamorous Conscience Not drawn by the Heavenly Sweets of that Satisfaction and Comfort which is to be found in Secret Devotion Somewhat indeed may thus be Offered at it by those that are not Right But such as are not at all Vs'd to it cannot chuse but be Naught When they Worship but for Company and Fashion Sake and if left to themselves e'ne let it Drop to the ground it speaks such a Shiness to God as betrays their Hearts not to be Right with Him For if he were the Beloved of their Souls that had their Hearts He would then have more of their Company But when they Shun his Face and at his Invitations to Come to Him they hang Back from him Sure all is to pieces between Him and their Souls And all the Service they are present at together with others is but meerly a Forced Putt Because they know not how for shame to avoid it And thus How many for want of Communing with their own Hearts and Retiring to Seek God apart are Strangers to themselves even all their days And keeping in a perpetual Round of Pleasures and Business and Company are so taken up and otherwise Engaged that they scarce ever come to know aright How the case stands with their Souls They that find no delight in Closets and Religious Retirements but all in Pastimes and Drinking-houses and Jocose Company and such men of the World as they can Get by O what a Dark Business and Melancholly Task in their esteem is the Withdrawing to enjoy Communion with God They will sooner Scoff
at it than ever set themselves to Seek after any such thing And then alas What have they more than the Husk and Shell of Religion Seeing the Pith and Kernel of all lies in making Conscience of Secret Sins and Secret Duties I say making Conscience of them and neither suffering the Private Prayers to be Omitted nor yet going only pro formû to the Closet and there making such a Business of it as Domitian of his going alone to catch Flies But dwelling in the Secret Place of the Most High Minding his All-seeing Eye upon us and Sitting down under the Shadow of his Wings with a singular Complacence and Delight Secret Sins if they are in thy Delights and thy Purpose to Stick to them will spoil all thy Secret Prayers But when thou art for having the Searcher of Hearts to Search and Try Thee that thy Heart may be approved unto Him then shalt thou go Boldly to thy Father in Secret and See his Face with Joy and find such Soul-Satisfaction with Him as shall for ever Engage thee to be His. CHAP. III. Of Licentiousness as to the Time of Prayer THE pious Soul Eccho's to God's Call Psal 27.8 When thou saidst Seek ye my Face My Heart said unto thee Thy Face Lord will I seek No sooner is the Motion made but it is gladly Embraced Nothing in the world is so grateful to a holy Heart as such Heavenly Correspondence But if wicked men make any Overtures of approach to the Holy God they care not how Seldom they come anear Him and when they must be Concerned with Him they care not how Soon they have done His Day which he has set apart for the purpose it may be doth not fit their purpose And thô he bids them Keep holy the Sabbath they have somewhat else to do than to wait upon Him and cannot a'while to be at his Beck Let him be ready to receive them yet they are otherwise Engag'd for that Time and must put it off till a more Convenient Season Or if they pay any Attendance upon the Lord's-day that must Attone for the Neglect tho' he hear no more of them all the Week after Sunday is enough they think they have Served him well It shall be When they List after their Capricious Fancy and not according to his Divine Appointment He says Now is the Accepted Time and Hear his Voice To day But they think another time will Serve the turn and Hereafter do as well any Idle Minutes that they know not what else to do with Still they would put off for the Present what they have no mind to do at all 'T is but now and then a little as they please and as the Toy takes them that they do any thing like Serving the Lord and do it in such a manner as if he must be much Beholden to them for it They will not Engage in it nor Tie to it and be Constant at it Only fome little Snatches and wide Breaches between They cannot Live a day without their Meals but tho many days come between they find no Want of their Prayers Tho Scripture tells them not How oft they shall Eat or Sleep yet they have their Set Times for both Meals and Rest But O where 's any the like Care to Secure their Prayers 'T is only in a Fit or a Humor or a Fright that they are for Praying And if they have any Prayer-Times Yet how small a matter shall Break them and take them off to serve their Lusts or any one or any thing before the great Lord of all Only the Scraps and Leavings of the World and Flesh shall be thought good enough for his Portion They are not at Leisure to Seek the Lord while he maybe Found but forget what he sent them into the world to do and how soon they shall awhile to Dye and a'while to go to Judgement and a'while to Abide by it in the Future state Everlasting And amidst all their other Business if they mind not the One thing Needful above all they had e'en as good have Slept out their Time as so Bestir themselves in the World I know many of the Labouring and Busy people use to complain That their hands are so Full and Business lies so hard upon them they have not Leisure to do as they would every day in the Greatest and Best of all Works So giving Intimations what Mighty Matters we might expect from them had they but the Opportunities which some others enjoy Tho alas upon the Lord's-Day it self when the fair Opportunity is offer'd them and Worldly Business is out of the way Yet even then they are so Listless to any other Business and will find so many things to put off the earnest Attendance upon God that they but shamefully Confute Themselves and shew what little Reality is in their Pretensions But be thy particular Calling what it will man If thou dost not make it Subservient to the General and Abide in it with God to make him the Alpha and Omega of all thy Works so as to have them Begun Continued and Ended in Him Thou dost but Labour in the Fire To Rise Early and sit up Late and Eat the Bread of Carefulness and Grasp all the Time that ever thou canst to make thy utmost Benefit of the World Yea thou dost not only Weary thy self in Vain but takest a deal of pains in this World to Vndo thy self for ever in the Next As long as the Lean Kine so devour the Fat and Earthly affairs Eat up all the Heavenly and Worldly Imployments are thy Souls continual Impediments So that thou makest Light of all the Lord's Invitations for Eagerness to be gone to the Farm or the Merchandize Thou wilt at last find it the worst and saddest Bargain that ever thou madest so to Gain the World When thou must needs have it tho thou settest at nought God and thy Soul for the Sake of it Dost thou think it such a Needful work to make Provision for the Flesh Be it granted that thou maist in due Time and Measure Care for thy Body But then if that may be done Remember still that somewhat else of much more Importance must not be left Vndone And he whom thou callest thy Lord and Saviour shews thee a Work of far greater Necessity Luk. 10.42 and Joh. 9.4 A Work which thou must concern thy self to do in the First place and prefer it above every thing else in the World And if thou Contrivest no better and takest no more Care of that Work but to run it up in the Narrows yea even quite Thrust it out still with other Matters If thou count'st it enough to Serve Him who gives thee all thy Time here in this World for his Service Only with the World's Reliques when thou hast nothing else to do and scarce so neither O what Account of thy Time canst thou hope with any Comfort to render at his Tribunal when Time with thee shall be no
with Reverence and Godly Fear But withal Remember That in Prayer thou art going to thy Father Displeased indeed at thy Sins but Reconciled in his Son And having so great a Friend and so good an Interest in Heaven tho thou thinkest thy self Unworthy to Look up thither Yet with the Publican cry for Mercy to thee a Sinner And after all the Mischief done thee by thy Sins let them not quite Ruine thy Soul by taking thee off thy Prayers But the more Sensible thou art of Sin cry the more mightily unto God Yea from the very Magnitude of it that makes it look most against thee thou hast a Plea put into thy Mouth Psal 25.11 For thy Name Sake O Lord Pardon my Sin for it is Great He does not go about to Palliate and Excuse his Guilt and cry Lord it is but a Small matter therefore thou maist Easily pass it by He was Wiser and Better than so to Argue But my Case is Bad and Sad My Sin is Heinous and Grievous past all Help and Cure in the World but Thine who art never at a Loss to Effect what we would have Too Great for any but the God infinitely Great and Good to Forgive There is no Good in me to Invite thee to do it for me O do it therefore for thy Glory even to Glorify thy Power and Mercy That where Sin hath Abounded thy Grace may Triumph in Superabounding And then what can Spoil the Freedom of thy Prayers when thy very Sins may be turned into Arguments not only to Hasten thee to the Throne of Grace but also to Prevail for thee there Thus thou hast all the reason in the world to Beg hard for Mercy now in this only Time of Mercy and thou hast all Encouragements too on every side thee upon thy Seeking to find it Whatever thou hast Been and however thou hast Done Yet thy case would not be Desperate didst thou Return upon thy Submission with the Prodigal to thy Father And not only Confess thou hast Sinned but Beg and cry Mightily to be Reincorporate of his Family and numbred among his Servants Then matters would Clear up with thee and Heavenly Hopes would Dawn upon thee and Mercy on every side Embrace thee and our God would Abundantly Pardon For he delights to be so Won with a poor Sinner's Cries and Waits to be Gracious that we may Remember ourselves and let him have the Opportunity to Glorify his Mercy in our Recovery But O Sick and sadly Distemper'd are the Souls and Rueful and Ruinous is their Case to whom Prayers are a Burthen and affliction and who are out of Conceit with all that should do them Good and Prejudiced against the very Means of their Salvation Even ready to be Vndone and yet Listless to seek for Remedy having no Heart nor Tongue to cry to Him that alone is Able to help them To Conclude then Not only Believe and own but take and Vse the Liberty granted and make thy Benefit of it Down with thy Knees up with thy Voice Herb. And do not lie and Perish in thy Sins for want of thy Prayers But being Permitted to Speak for thy self O Prize the Happy Priviledge and with all Thankfulness and gladness catch hold of such an Advantage Let not Prayer as the Poet said of Probity be Prais'd and Starv'd After the manner of such as will cry God forbid we should Neglect our Prayers We must Pray Every where When God knows that in good truth they Pray no where But their Chambers and Families their own Houses and God's too can Testify against them that they are no Lovers of this Exercise nor were ever any Well willers to Prayer But do thou give it a real Commendation as thou dost to the Beloved Fare that pleases thee best by Feeding Heartily upon it And not only Talk of Praying but Do it Nor only in a Fit or on the By But make a Serious and Solemn Business of it And Ply and Follow it like one that is in Love with it and Fond and Greedy of it even as a Miser is of the greatest Lucre or an Epicure of the Choicest Dainties O whither should the Cold and Hungry go but to the Fire and to the Table And whither should the Obnoxious and Guilty repair but to the God that Pardons Iniquity Transgression and Sin with whom is Forgiveness that he may be Feared Whither should they Betake themselves that want Every thing but to Him that is the Possessor of All things And as we count our Meat does us Good when we come to it with a Good Stomach So to have such a good Appetite to our Prayers will make them Salutary and the Savour of Life to our Souls O never think much to Leave all to go unto Him whom thy Soul Loveth But say Welcome Sweet and Dear Prayer Come bring me to my God to Converse with Him to Draw from him and to Receive what he is not only infinitely Full of but as Inclinable to make his poor Creatures Happy with Let it be the most pleasant Entertainment of thy Life which thou need'st not be Spurred on to But set thy Mind upon it have thy Heart in it and make it the Solace of thy Soul to be taken up with thy God Let the God of all Grace hear thee every day at his Gates There Throw thy self and lie and Cry and never leave off thy Prayers till they be turn'd into his Everlasting Praises and thou hast no more to Beg but all thy work will be For ever to Bless His Name For Answering thee in all the Wishes of thy Heart FINIS Advertisement of Books A Philosophical Discourse of the Nature of Rational and Irrational Souls By M. 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