no doubt if you had been Prelatick in those dayes you would have made it a far more plausible medium for the same conclusion And now our constancy to the truth once received and most solemnly ingaged unto and our abhorrence of the falshood and perjury of such who casting off all fear of God and regard to their own reputation either as Christians or men have subverted the righteous and pure constitution of this Church usurped its name and authority and are turned to be persecutors of such who cannot comply with all this wickedness is made by you not only a charge of separation but exaggerat as a preparative to the Quakers their folly O with how much more reason and undeniable evidence might the perjurious lightness and versatile falshood of your Prelats and their adherents who have been carried about by every wind of tentation be accused as the cause not only of the Quakers their giddiness by you objected But of all that contempt and regardless indifferency whereinto at present we see Religion thereby precipitat Your next quarrell is that we cherish in our followers a dejection of mind too much as if Religion which gives a man a right to the purest joyes should become a life of doubting and this you say introduceth a spirit of melancholy making way to pretended enthusiasme Whether or not this your challenge doth not in effect coincide with the cavils of the profane world and directly encourage that spirit which continually decrieth Religion as a â—our melancholy and inconversable conceit let every serious soul judge It is enough for our vindication that we do not teach any other dejection then that of humble repentance mortification and self-denial this is indeed a hard work compared in Scripture to the most bitter and grievous mournings nay unto death it self and seeing the superstructure of grace and glory thereupon founded is exceeding weighty and high it is certainly very necessary that these foundations be firmly laid and ever the deeper the better But as it is by the power of the spirit of Jesus and in the sense of his wonderful both depressing and exalting love that these things are best performed so an excess of humbling if not despairing abasement in this matter is no just fear and more unjustly made our reproach As for Religion no question it gives a man a right to the purest joyes and is also even in this life attended with a most ravishing foretaste and a most glorious and satisfying hope but if in this our bodily estate the same pure excellency of the thing and searching discoveries which it makes do by reason of the enmity of Satan and detestable and yet inevitable importunities and warrings of the World and the Flesh render us necessarily obnoxious to many doubtings fears and oppositions against which we are oblidged and by the word commanded to pray watch wrestle and fight continually do you therefore because we thus warn justly accuse us as if we made Religion a life of doubting let be to countenance these melancholy affectations and pretended enthusiasmes Sir if you were as serious in the practice as you appear affected in the speculations of Religion your experience of the many devices of Satan the deceitfulness of your own heart the uncessant oppositions of the Flesh and Spirit together with the oppressing and grievous sense of a body of death and sin which doth so easily beset would certainly convince you not only that security and not doubting is the common bane of professors but that our brightest shinings of joy in time are after the saddest shours of mourning that the most relishing wine of our consolation is made of the water of Repentance that it is from the seed of teares that the harvest of our joy groweth nay that our blessedness here is in a manner wrapped up in mourning and that it is hereafter only that we are to look for the times of refreshing when we shall be fully comforted But the Lord grant your more reall and solid dejections and deliver you from the vanity of an airy imagination which both in it self doth bend to and is frequently in righteousness plagued by these enthusiasmes wherewith you do reproach us And thus all men may see how unjustly we are by you blamed for the progress that Quakerism maketh amongst us and how directly not only that but most of the irreligion and profanity of these dayes is chargeable upon your way To this vindication I could further subjoin a very significant testimony viz. How that King Iames in his first and more innocent years did make his boast of the constitution of Presbyterian government as the most effectual bulwark against error and heresie but the certainty of this truth needeth no such support For your insinuation of piety and love here subjoined we have so often found the most keen arrowes of your calumny dipped in this oyntment that I think you oblidged to my civility when I pass it as one of your poor sweetening transitions In the next place you license your N. C. To characterize you freely to the effect that seeing you are resolved to let him prove nothing even what is truth in his charge may be construed prejudice but seeing it hath been my endeavour so to draw and design in vive collours that naming would appeare superfluous I need not prosecute such a representation As for the answere you return of your brave temper against reproach Apostolick firmness against all reports your pure anger without sin and more then humane goodness even to die for your hating traducers it were folly in me to question the truth where sincerity alone would be an incredible happiness but seeing these elogies are the smoak you capâ—at I grudge you not You go on and truly I beleeve with no less candor to class us in some sober and modest and others sour heady uncharitable and unsociable and for the first yow honour them great civility honour them the more for their first founder Calvin great wit and then lest this be taken for a jeer you tell us that the first being ever Presoytery had was in Calvin's brain and this you assure a great evidence indeed and verily whether your civility wit or evidence be the greater it were hard to determine only as it must be an extraordinary complement to which a scoffing jest doth make an accession and an extraordinary jest to which falshood gives the point and an extraordinary falshood which both the Scriptures the practice of the first and purest times of the Church and the more judicious and ingenuous of your own partie do redargue so questionless in all the three you are eminently singular Now for the second Class of us which you make to consist of narrow headed hot brain'd crosse grain'd Fanaticks you must be licensed to use them severely and with all my heart use such as you please only use the whole party and their cause truly and then I am confident this member of your
History Victories and the like with all the composures made thereupon yea even these imprecatorie Psalmes which though in the direct act they appear to be hard and to need a special warrant may nevertheless furnish unto all sweet reflections of praise are most proper for the matter of song whereunto they were both at first framed and have since been used are all the works of God wonderful and such as may excite to praise and do you think it strange that the various exercises of his Servants and People should be accounted proper matter for this exercise Sir though I be no pretender to Poesie farre less presumptuous PINDARUM AEMULARI yet I conceive the smallest intelligence of the Nature and manner of Encomiasticks and Elogies finding matter in every subject might have guarded you from this escape but here I must digress unto a very pertinent discovery I have already told you that though by command we use the Psalmes in our praises yet seing these Forms are prescribed by the Spirit it can import no restraint and therefore can furnish no argument for your humane impositions but now there appears a more significant disparity viz. That the Psalmes being commanded by the Lord only for the matter of our praises though many of them may suggest both inward elicite conceptions and outward proper expressions of praise yet it is evident that by the injunction the reflex acts wherein the nature and exercise of praise doth formally consist are not in the least narrowed or confined let be stinted or restrained whereas by your imposed Forms framed on purpose not simply to furnish matter but to direct nay to suggest lead and express our Petitions the very formal desires of the heart and spirit in their substance at least though not in their degree are so led and bound up that it is hard to determine whether this restraint be more visible or injurious Having thus farre diverted I return to our purpose You say there are many things in the Psalmes that we understand not To sing without understanding is certainly sinful but unless you affirme the Psalmes to be in themselves unintelligible you may not because of our ignorance or weakness reject the institution of God Lastly you tell us that there were not above twentie of the Psalmes used by the Jews in Worship 'T is answered 1. You observe not that all this clatter is no more against us then against you at least your Episcopal Church for as for your self I am almost in the opinion that you are yet so little fixed that the clearest redargution will prove no conviction 2. The very inscriptions of more then thrice the number of Psalmes by you named do demonstrat the groundless confidence of this your alledgeance beside that we finde 1 Chron. 16. 7. the very first Psalm delivered by David to the publick Singers insert in the Book of Psalmes without any direction by way of title what may we then conceive of the rest 3. Reforming Hezekiah commanded the Levites to sing praises unto the Lord with the words of David and of Asaph the Seer and this the opinion and custome of the Church in all ages have understood of all the Psalmes whence then is it that you do assert so boldly The 2 difficulty which I am to remove is that you say we are not bound or rather have no warrant to use the Psalmes in meeter or with Tunes To this I answere That we are bound to sing is evident both from Scripture-precept and example and that we are thereby warranted to have the Psalmes in meeter with Tunes is as clear as both are necessary at least convenient in the propriety of our language for the use of singing I deny not but prose may be sung but seing it is certain that our language hath no such exact Prosodie as either to render it easiely measurable or the measures distinguishable by points and accents nay that the import of the musici or tonici accentus in the Hebrew qui olim moderabantur harmoniam musicam is so farre now lost and unknown that if we were now to sing the Hebrew Psalmes we could not make use of them Pray Sir leave us but the way of meeter in place of points and accents untill you teach us better Grammar whereas you hint that we may have all David's Instruments as well as Tunes if you could learn us to sing without Tunes as we may well do without Organs I shal not contend but seing that David did no doubt invent and introduce these his Instruments as well by the special direction of the Spirit as he did all other things anent the service of the Temple and that the Primitive Christians worshipping more in the simplicity of the Spirit then in outward showes canebant assâ voce non 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I think you may now put up your pipes and spare the cost Next you say Why may not the Christian Church compose new Hymnes as they of Corinth did And this you judge to be the more necessarie because that David's Psalmes have not such full and clear Hymnes upon the great Mysteries of the Christian beliefe And you think the liberty which we plead for in Prayer should much perswade it 'T is answered if you consider that Scripture 1 Cor. 14. and particularly the 26. v. you may understand that as the Apostle's business in the place is to set an order to the use of extraordinary Gifts wherein that Church abounded so the Psalms Doctrine Tongue Revelation and Interpretation there spoken of appear to be inspired and afflatitious motions which will not found you any argument And you your self do so plainly observe that these Psalmes of the Corinthians were framed by private persons that I marvell that your remembring of the thing to be extraordinary did not stop your translation of it by way of Privilege to the Churches in our dayes 2. Seing the Lord hath provided us with a plentiful variety of Psalmes and Hymnes and beside hath allowed us as full a liberty of praising in prose as of prayer I think it doth fully remove all that is here by you objected and abundantly warrant us both to abide content with Gods institutions and refuse a superfluous mixture of humane Odes with these Divine Psalmes which he hath appointed for the matter of our more solemne Praises But your scope is Why do not ye use the Glorie to the Father and your N. C. answering Because it is not in the Scripture and is but the device of men you reply who would not be sick with such pitiful folly Thus your nice ceremonious stomach nauseats sure and solid truths You add shew me a reason why you make prayers and not praises I answere 1. Whatever we make we impose none 2. We do not say that we make either prayers or praises our plain profession is that as the Lord whose it is hath commanded so we worship him using that allowed liberty of Spirit and utterance both in
the word of God and Doctrine of this reformed Kirk Now I would inquire if these general clauses clearly referring to the word of God as the only binding rule of Truth may not be laâ—fully sworn to without a distinct knowledge of all the Particulars that possibly may therein be included And if the condescending upon Particulars doth import any thing more then our sincere profession that we judge the same to be comprised under the generall Rule and therefore as such do renounce them seing then that this enumeration when omitted doth not invalidate and when expressed doth require rather a sincere acknowledgement then a dilucide and through knowledge your arguing against it from the possibility nay even from the probability of an incident mistake while in the mean time the perswasion of the truth of the blessed Gospel as the regulating Rule is held firme and sure is nothing solid nor concludent but because the two Latine words Opus operatum are the great ground of your quibling I suppose that the Oath after the positive part and generall abjuration of Papistrie had only begun to enumerate particulars thus and in special the usurped authority of that Roman Antichrist all his tyrannous Laws and in place of the rest had given us a faire et caetera certainly as the premised and subjoyned qualification of this caetera would have fully salved its generality so no doubt the known signification of the words had prevented the offence of their being Latine If in this you be doubtful let me only reminde you by way of Argument ad hominem of the Prelatick Oath ex officio with its blind caetera which though for its illimited laxeness joined with its evil tendencie did give to all sober men just ground of seruple yet upon the account of the Latine was never quarrelled by either Man or Woman But you say it was a contradiction to make them sweare against Worship in an unknown Tongue and yet in that very Oath so to use it A wittie knack indeed if you were arguing with the Apostle against worship in a strange language because the unlearned cannot thereto say Amen would you not account this reply viz. that it is a contradiction to bring an argument from the unlearned not being in case to assent to a strange Language when that very assent is as to us so expressed absurd and ridiculous Why then doth this vain subtilty so pitifully delude you And why do you not advert that a Tongue in general may be unknown and yet many of its words and phrases not only transferred to our Vulgar with a suteable accommodation as is manifest in all our speech but also simply borrowed and by custome rendered to all significant Seing therefore it is the Tongue as unknown and not as Latine Greek or the like that is the ground of the abjuration against Worship in an unknown Tongue and yet in that same Oath to use a word from it of a known signification is no contradiction Next you add That we made the people preface this Oath with a great lye of full and mature consideration of all particulars whereof we nevertheless knew they were not capable but why do you in fixing lyes upon others impinge so manifestly your self The Covenant doth only preface Long and due examination of our own Consciences in matters of true and false Religion as to your mature and full consideration of all particulars it beares nothing 2. As every Oath is to be made in Truth Righteousnes and Iudgement so certainly the examination mentioned is both every ones capacity and dutie and no doubt in all times when this Oath was taken was not only recommended but sufficiently warned of instructed and promoved by these faithful men by whom it was administrate but 3. Think you it so hard a matter for any person serious in matters of Religion according to the truth revealed in Scripture to be able from mature consideration to reject all these vain Popish Inventions and Superstitions enumerate in this Covenant whereof as there are a great many that without any curious scrutiny into their nature meerely for want of warrants and through Scripture-silence come to be renounced so in special the conceit of opus operatum being contrary to the very life and spirituality of Religion must to every one who knows that God requires the heart and is to be served and worshiped in Spirit and in Truth certainly appear to be most detestable Sir your scrupulous doubting and mincing in these matters do sadly intimate a greater measure of unsoundness then I am willing to express But you tell us that many of the things sworne against are disputable Pray Sir tell us which that you may be known There are now nintie years since they were all abjured as Popish Errors and Superstitions without the least doubt in the contrary by any Protestant among us If you judge otherwayes it were better you were known by a condescendence then by your generall and subdolous hints left to render mens mindes unstable But you plead only charityâ— and think it hard that no man may be of our communion except he be of our opinion in all things Sir this is a groundless accusation seing it is sufficiently plain that whatever tenderness we are to exercise toward such as in points less materiall do modestly differ from us yet this Covenant being entered into in obedience to that command Come out of her that is Babylon my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing the totall abjuration of Poperie as opposite to the blessed Evangell the summe and end of this Oath doth not in the least interfere with that Christian forbearance which persons of the same communion are mutually to shew in matters doubtfull and of less moment And where you compare this Covenant for rigor to the bloudy and cruell conjuration of Trent thereby interminis renounced it is too plain that your turning of the adequate extent of a just and necessary opposition designed by this Covenant to that wicked impious Bond to be a ground of an invidious likeness is only a demonstration of your calumnie and malice Having thus vindicate the Nationall Covenant as it was first taken I shall only put you in minde that the renewing thereof in the 1638. and making the people to stand to it is so consonant to Reason and Scripture-practice that it needeth not my Patrociny But you say it was a great trepane to make the Nation sweare it in the 38. and then by an after-game to declare that Episcopacie was abjured in it I might tell you that your so frequent use of the termes of Art do not a little insinuate how expert a Jugler you are in the matter of Oaths But it is answered the Nation swore it in the 1638. in the same termes wherein it was first taken in the year 1591 but because that some doubts whether the
the Land Truth and Purity and then shall we certainly enjoy Peace and Unity As for the liberty you taxe in our discourses and writings I hope no right discerner will finde it to be an invective but the native genuine and well-becoming freedom of Truth and Uprightness whether the license that you usurp in your pretended justifications of the King the Laws and your Consciences be indeed uncharitable bitter and malicious I neither say nor judge he whose glory is concerned he also judgeth But for the allowance of your defence by Tongue and Pen which you would appear to plead from our asserting of defensive armes you cannot be so serious in the demand as I am free to accord it seing I am perswaded that if the defensive armes which we maintain were no better warranted and as little to be feared as the self-defence which you pretend neither you nor any other would have accounted them to be worthy of the opposing The fifth DIALOGUE Answered SIR Neither envying you that poor applause which you vainly captate from your Mock-Non C. confessing himself to be by you much shaken in the matter of Bishops nor regarding the pitiful scorne you would cast on us by making him or your self rather ridiculous in avowing a blind aversation notwithstanding of his professed conviction I come to consider his quarrel against the Bishops on the account of your Common-prayer-book and what you answere Your N. C. alledges That this Common-prayer-book is a dead and formal Lyturgie set up instead of the pure and Spiritual worship of God In answere whereunto pretending as vainly that these are but big words as I have already clearly proved that the Government which we contend for is the interest and doth appertain to the Kingdom of Christ and thereby manifestly shewed this your confidence to be meer calumny you undertake to discover the fallacy by telling us what it is to pray by the Spirit And you say To Pray by the Spirit is when out of a deep sense of our misery and need and firm confidence in God we draw near to him to offer up our prayers and praises to him through Iesus Christ And you add That our hearts being moulded in this frame we pray by the Spirit use we words or not the same or different Nay it will appear we are carnal when we need to have our devotion tickled and provoked with new words Which description and the deduction from it being laid for a ground exciting your self by the faigned interjections of your N. C. surprises at the wit and novelty of your invention in representing the Liturgie-worship as Spiritual and the conceived one as carnal You go one to discourse of the differences betwixt spiritual devotion and prayer by words the termes wherein you are pleased very groundlessly and impertinently to state the distinction And the former you say lying in the will and not in the fancy and being affected with the thing and not with words can with the newness of affection make the same prayer in words though an hundred times repeated at every return New And is a still humbling and melting thing and so equable that it is above the frisking fits of the fancy neither doth it require a variety of words but in its sublimest exercises can persist long with great sweetness in the simplest Acts whereas multiplicity doth perhaps lead out the minde from pure and still devotion interior prayer and spiritual converse with God On the other hand you tell us that prayer by words lying in the fancy and its gratifications by the varying of things into several shapes the devotion raised by such Chimes is only sensible needing new phrases to renew its fervour and words and all the heat begot by words are but a false fire in the natural powers of the Soul which may heat the brain draw forth teares seem to wring the heart bâ—t amounts to nothing save a sensible fervour and present tickling wherein he that abounds most in Memâ—râ— Fancy Elâ—quence and Confidence is likely most to excell from all which you conclude that it expresseth a more spiritual temper to be able to worship God in simple and constant Forms and that extemporary prayer cannot be called praying by the Spirit except by Spirit be understood the Animal or Natural spirits This I suppose is a true account of your first floorish upon this subject to what purpose remaines yet to be inquired And first I might take notice of the inaccuracy of your expression of praying by the Spirit whereas the Scripture-phrase is to worship in Spirit Iohn 4. 23. Praying in the Spirit Eph. 6. 18. to worship in the Spirit Phil 3. 3. to pray with the Spirit 1. Cor. 14. 15. And though the difference be more in words then matter yet as the Scripture-diction is certainly the founder so I am apt to apprehend that your not adverting to it may have in part occasioned your vain and impertinent digression upon praying by the Spirit and praying by Words as if these were by us wholly distinguished and the latter preferred 2. I might observe that the description which you give us of Praying by the Spirit is more suteable to the calme and serene progress of a Christians course then to these doubtings feares wrestlings depressions and overwhelmings so frequently found in the experience of all to be thereto incident which being no less removed from and destitute of a firm confidence then the staying and assisting of the Spirit with groanes that cannot be uttered is therein observable your description appeares to be narrow and inadequat But the plain answer which I returne is that as the stating of the Question is by you wholly neglected so the reasoning whereby you go about to maintain your lifeless and superstitious Liturgie is altogether inconcludent The controversie betwixt you and us anent your Service-book is twofold 1. Whether the Publick worship of God ought to be astricted to set and imposed Forms And 2. Whether that form of Worship which your Book contains be not in it self in many particulars unsound and impertinent and consequently not to be received by way of directory farre less acquiesced unto as a precise injunction That these are the two hinges of this debate will easiely be acknowledged but what your above mentioned discourse doth contribute to its determination I must again solicite your second thoughts to render us an account We have your definition of praying by the Spirit and we let it pass Next you subjoin and that with many empty reiterations that praying in words specially extemporary and various is sensible fancical affecting and heating the brain in lower minds and producing only a natural fervour and that thus it may be with such who pray in words without the Spirit was never by us denied but darre you or any man els not abandoned to utter irreligion propose this as your opinion of all prayer in conceived and not precontrived and prescribed words Do not the very truth of
in the wayes and paths of the Lord and more especially in the large and all-searching discoveries of the minde yea of the deep things of God and what strange exercises have been and may be in the experiences of the Saints the result of this liberty and of the variety of our unstable condition Iacob's wrestlings Davids heart commuâ—ings Spirit-searchings overwhelmings and again exultings Ierimiah's mournings and Daniel's supplications do exhibite a few examples Now that the imposing of Forms which are set certain and determined doth stint this liberty and cannot possibly quadrat to all the variety above mentioned needeth no other evidence then that of an ingenuous reflection I have already acknowledged that in the right using of several of your Forms a man may have his heart very deeply affected and now I further suppose for argument that such may be the aptitude of a full and sound composition as may possibly suppeditat petitions and expressions convenient to every exigence but yet that the Spirits free use-making and mens stinting thereof to these Forms do vastly differ cannot be denyed since that notwithstanding of all conceded the enjoining of these impositions is not only inconsistent with the free methods but also doth confine the illimited enlargements of the Spirit as cannot but be obvious to any exercised discerner But that which I suppose doth induce you and many others into an error in this particular is a preposterous observation of certain good motions and sincere and servent devotions which possibly some may feel in the use of your Common-prayer-book whence you inadvertently conclude that the same Forms not appearing obnoxious to the escapes incident to extemporarie expressions may more safely and sufficiently serve to the exciting and signifying the like spirituall motions and devotions in all whereas it is certain that as in the former case these motions were only the free breathings and stirrings of the Spirit and in a manner accidental to these Forms wherein they come to be uttered so to ty the same free influences to the manuduction of a set of words is more absurd then the same words are often found to be incompetent to the setting forth of the singularity that may be in the case of the Supplicant whether a whole Church or single Person Really Sir when I consider that the Lord craves the heart and that men Worship him in Spirit and that it is thence and out of its abundance that the mouth ought to speak and from a beleeving heart that the tongues confession is acceptable I cannot but wonder how this inversion of preceeding and leading Forms should be so much asserted and certainly if we may after the Lord's example Mal. 1. 8. reason in these things from self reflection may not the knowledge we have of our own way in such supplications to or from our Neighbours wherein the heart and not the justice and merit oâ— the sute comes to be regarded teach us to reprobate and nauseate such impositions If in hearty requests we ourselves can neither be confined in the making to a rat of words put in our mouth nor relish the like practice from others and do censure such methods as too cold and indifferent how much more should we stand in awe to obtrude them to the Father of Spirits the searcher and lover of the heart I might arise higher upon this subject and demonstrate to you from the order of nature which certainly the Lord hath principally ordained for his own Worship Service and Glory that the heart and minde and not the eyes common sense or memory unless in so farre as is requisite to the joining of the hearers in Publick prayer ought to preceed in all and without question did preceed in the first acknowledgements rendered to him by his creatures but I neither love nor need to admixe such reasonings to these Scripture-grounds already adduced I shall therefore summe up this argument with answering two objections viz. That I seem 1. to forget that our Ministers in publick prayer do as much preceed and lead the peoples devotions and affections by their conceived words as if they were set and predevised 2. To suppose that all who can or ought to pray in heart are also qualified to a suteable utterance And to the first it is answered 1. That it is evident that the People may and ought to joine in publick prayers uttered by one as their mouth although the samine be by him conceived and to them unknown until expressedâ— this is clear from the practices of God's People in these publick prayers of David Solomon Iehosophat and others already mentioned and you your self lay it for the ground of an argument viz that the people can joyne and pray by the Spirit though the words be not of their framing 2 That although our Ministers do preceed in words yet seing the people are gathered in the Lords Name and he with the power of his Spirit in the midst of them and the Minister is called and appointed to oversee them know their condition and necessities and to be their mouth toward God and lastly seing there is a promise of the Spirits publick aswell as private assistance whereupon we may assuredly confide both for a due instruction sense and utterance in the Minister of the Peoples state and exigence and a sweet uniting of their hearts in an harmonious concurrence the agreeablenesse and advantages of conceived and not imposed prayer are thereby abundantly conserved and the difference betwixt the Ministers preceeding in free and Spirit-directed words from the manuduction of your restricting forms manifestly held forth Offend not that I say Spirit-directed words for if I should descrive Prayer in the utterance to be the expressing of these desires which through the Spirit we make unto God in the name of Jesus Christ for things agreeable to his will in words directed by the same Spirit and thence draw an argument for reprobating your vain devising and rigid commanding of Forms which practice the Lord hath neither ordered nor blessed I should but define the dutie according to the Precept and Promise which is no more impugned by the mixture of your infirmities then the account given by you either of internal praying by the Spirit or external by a Set-form which as from us do alwayes labour of imperfection are thereby made void As for the second objection that I seem to suppose that all that can or ought to pray in heart are also qualified to a â—uâ—eable utterance I answere 1. That my present discourse of conceived Prayer doth no more suppose all to be thereto qualified then your discourse of internal Prayer by the Spirit doth warrant the like construction how men do pray and how they ought to pray are easie to be distinguished 2. The Spirit of supplication is no doubt promised not only for inward motions but also for outward suteable expressions and the teaching of God is sufficient and may be forthcoming for the one as well as for
carnal restringent and unwarrantable imposings is therefore and most justly termed spiritual But it were only a wearinesse to trace all your Mistakes and inconsistencies in this question he who can conceive that the spiritual manner of prayer by us commended is neither on the one hand a praying alwayes in new words nor on the other such as can be lawfully tyed up to humane stinted forms but is to be performed whether by a man for himself or with and for others in words freely directed by the same Spirit from which the inward desires and motions ought to proceed will easily tell you that the case of a Ministers following this Rule and being astricted to words framed by another hold no parallel and with the same facility unravel all your other quiblings and pitie your impertinencies and therefore I go forward Your N. C. asks but doth not the Spirit help our infirmities and teach us to pray And you tell him that the words aright considered speak out a far different thing from what he would draw from them and that the Spirit doth indeed teach us the matter of our Prayers and also the manner to wit the temper of our hearts but that words are not meant appears from what follows and maketh intercâ—ssion for us with groans that cannot be uttered But Sir if the Apostle commend the Spirits assistance to us in prayer in intending our desires above the earnestness that words can express doth it therefore follow that in the directing of our utterance which is a lesser matter his help is not to be expected 2. Though in this place the Spirits help for the direction of our words were not meant can you deny that that gift is not fully elsewhere promised have you forgot the anointing that teacheth us of all things The Spirit that giveth utterance And the Father of lights from whom cometh every good Gift And who enricheth us by Iesus Christ in all utterance and in all knowledge Or need I to remember you of the promises that the heart of the rash shall understand knowledge and the tongue of the stammerer shall be ready to speak plainly or elegantly and again the tongue of the dumb shall sing Really Sir if a man diffident of the readinesse of his expression cannot from these open fountains draw supply I am confident that the brocken Cisterns of your imposed Forms will make him but small reliefe After this relapsing into your former prejudice and causing your N. C. to say That in this imbodied state we need to have our Souls stirred up by the commotion of our Fancies you accept of the acknowledgement and thence inferre That at least such a way of praying is not so sublime and therefore ought not to be called praying by the Spirit But Sir as I have already told you that he who being internally moved by the Spirit of Grace neither needeth a Set-form to obstetricat his expression nor therein confineth himself to it but out of the abundance of his heart and in words directed by the Holy Ghost doth flow forth in his Prayers and Praises is indeed of a higher size then he who having the same devotion toward God is therein either stinted by another or straitened in himself to a limiting and restricting Form so your talking in this place of the stirrings of the Soul by the commotion of Fancie and the gratifications of Nature and imagination is but the gratification of your own vanity in as much as it neither pertaineth to the present Question whereof the lawfulness or unlawfulnesse of mens imposing Set-forms of Worship and not the life or spirituality thereof wherein I hope we are agreed is the subject neither do we either teach or defend but plainly reject these carnal methods here by you supposed to excite devotion by fancie and kindle our affections by imaginations where the inspiration of the Spirit ought to warm the heart and blowe the flame as being the offering of strange fire unto the Lord in place of the heavenly fire that descends from himself upon his Altar It is true the heart and desires thereof being once set on work by this divine principle may and ought to enlarge it self by the summoning and exciting of its affections and whole minde and strength for the intending of its fervor and elevating of the Soul but this truth doth so little favoure your impositions in preference to our way that by a new argument it further and evidently confirmes the narrownesse and insufficiencie of your stinted Forms to that spiritual Soul-devotion wherein the Lord delights But you say That you will convince us of the evill of extemporarie Forms and 1. you say That I must long exercise my attention to consider what he who prayes intends and this strangely draweth out the minde from devotion which cannot vigorously act two powers at once and therefore you conclude that both in reason and experience Set-forms do conduct a mans devotion with less anxiety wavering or distraction To this it is answered 1. That seing the Churches of Christ are united not only in the same form of profession but in the same Spirit and have the promise of the presence of the Lord and his power in all their Assemblies gathered in his Name whereby both Minister and People may expect all due assistance in their performances your supposed unacquaintedness in the People with what the Minister intends with the long attention and strange out-drawing of the minde which you thence inferre are but your own groundless and faithless imaginations 2. That a certain measure of previous attention in joining either with conceived or imposed Forms is necessary to instruct our devotion is neither by you nor us to be denied but how you can thence conclude that attention as such which in this case both in your and our way is absolutely necessary directly preparatory and leading into should lead out from the devotion to ensue and by what Logick you make the attention or inclination of the minde and the devotion thence arising almost as connected as the inclining of the ear and hearkening are two powers and not two acts and these also incompatible surpasseth common understanding It is true if I could suppose with you that the People nay the Minister himself going about to pray were wholly ignorant how he will discharge it and that therefore they either join blindly or with anxiety nay further that our way labours under many abuses of tedious length scurrilous expressions involved periods petulant and wanton affectations and the like I might possibly finde some shadow of reason for your alledgeance but since you not only speak as a stranger to the Grace and Gift of Prayer and to the unity of the Church of Christ which is one Body baptised and united into one Spirit having one Hope one Faith one Lord one Baptisme one God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in us all whereby Christians before Forms were imposed are found