591. Cafes about Prayer. ~.-j/. 4· 9· 4· Qld\. 4· Brll art rho[t formt lar>ful which "'' prtfcribed by othm, and not by God 1 Anfrv. Yea: Or elfe it would be unlawful for a Child or Scholar to ufe a form prefcribed by h" Partntl or lvlaftcr. And to rhink thar a thing lawful dorh prefently become unlawful , becaufc a p~~ renr, M ..ficr, Pallor or Prince dot!~ pre~cribe it or com~and ir, is a conceit, that I will not wrong myReader fo far, as to fuppofc h1m guilty of. Indeed 1f an Vfierpcr that hath no Authority over us m fuch matters do prcfcnbt: tr, we are 110t bound to formal Obedience, that is, to do it therefore be~ caufc he commandeth it: But yet I may be boHnd to it on fame othcr accounts J- And thouoh his command do not bind me, yet ic tnJkerh hot the thing it felf unlawful. 0 ffecft. 5· jl. 5· Q!efi. 5·. Brit i< it lawful to pray ex tempore ll'ithout apremeditated f"'m of "'ord 1 1 A1t[w. N? Chrdban of competent underHanding doubreth of ir. We muli premeditate on our wa~ ts, and hns, and the graces and me1cies we dttire, and the God we (peak to: and we mutt be able to exprcfs thcfe things without any lothfome and unfit exprdlions. · But whether the wordr arc fore-contrived or not; is a thing that God hath no more bound you to by any L1w 1 than whether the fpcakcr or hearers flull u{C Sermon Notes, or whether your Bibks !hill be rvrittwor in Prinr. ~eft. 6. 9· 6. Qoefi. 6. If both '"'Y" be IJJvjlel, .,.hicb i< better? Anfw. 1t you are to joyn with others in the Church, that is betterto you, which the Pallor<hen ufeth : t'or it is hi< Office ond not Y'"" to word the prayers which he puts up to God : And if he cbo.fr a form ( whether it be as rno£\: agreeable to his parts, or to his people, or for concord with ?thcr Churchts, or for obedience to Governours, or to avoid fame greater inconvenience) you mull Three or fcur J?Y" with him, or not joyn there atall. But if it be in private where you .are the fpeaksr Y'"r ofthethCa~s ftlf, you mull take that way that is moll to your own editicatibn ( and to others, it you have ;~J~(rs ~~ ~ Audilors joyning with you.. ) One man·is fo unufed to prayer (being ignorantly bre~, ~ or of_ fuch largelicr an- unready mttnory or expnRton, that he cannot rtmtmher the tenth part fa much ot h1s p.itCICular f'l'l'<:rcd_aCtcr· wants, without rhc hdp of a form as with it ; nor co~n he cxprcCS it fo affcd:ingly for himfi:lf or ;ard Jom. 3· others : nay, perhaps not in tolerable words: And a form to fuch a man may be aduty; as to a s::a:;s alius dim-lighted man to read by fpc:Ctacles, or to an unready Preacher to ufc: prepared words and Cou~ deorunt Notes. And anothtr man m~y have: need of no fiteh helps; N.1y, when he is h.~bitu:Jttd in the un~ prc-c:t·i~nes, dcrftanding and fctling of his fins and wauts, and hath a tongue that is u(ed to exprefS his wind tnvora_non~fqi even in theft! matters, with rcadinefs and facility, it will greatly hinder the: fervor at fuch a mans ~~~~;~_11f,/i~oaffcdions~ ro rye himfdf to premeditated words: To fay the contrary, is ro fpeak againli the mm. common ienfe anJ. experience of fuch fpeakers and their hearers. And let them that yet deride this as uncertain and incon[tdcr.lte pr,Jying, but mark themfc:lves, whether they canuot if they be hun– gry beg for bread, or ask help of rheir Phyficion, or Lawyer, or Landlord, or any orher, as well with– out a learned or fiudied form, as with it ? Who knoweth nE>t that its true which the New Philofo– phcr faith: Cartef. de Paffion. part. I· art. 4-4Et cum imer loquend11m folum cogitamM de jeNji' iHius rei, qutnJt dicere vJlrtmus, id {<lcit ut m9veamtu ling11am & l.lbra ctleriM & mrliM, qu.zm fi C~Jgitarem~U ea m011ere omnihJH modi-i requijitH ad proftrmda udem verba : ~i~ b.JbitM quem acqui– jivim~s cum difceremtu loqzei, &c. Turning the thoughts too folicitouily trom the matter· w the words_, doth not only mortifie the prayers of many, and turn them into a dead form, but alfo mak~th theJil more dry and barren even as to the words themfelves. The heJvy charge and bitter fcornful wor?s.which have been too common ih this <~ge, againfi praying witbout a {et form by fame, and ~gainfi pra)'ing with a Boolt or form by othm , is {o difi10nourable a fymptome or diagnofiick of the Churches ficknefs as mull needs be matter of flume and farrow m the tOunder under!land· 1ng part : For it cannot be denyed, but it proveth mens V;zderftandingl and Cbarily to be both ex· ceeding low. !J!.:!cft. 7· ~·7· Quefi.7. Muft "'' •lw"yetpray according 10 tht Mrthod cftheLurdt Prayer, and Hit ajin to d:~ otherwife l Anfw. r. The Lords Prayer isJirft a Rule for your Dcjim: And it ·is a fin, if your Dejim fol· low not that Method : If you do not begin in yoor De{lres withG,,d, as your Ultimate End, and tf you firfi Dcfirc not bu Glory, and then the llouri!hing of his Kingdam, and then the Obeying ot Ins Laws, and herein the publick welfare of the world, before and aboveyour pmiculu bentht: And it is a fin if you dc:fire not your D.zily 8rear.l ( or necdfuy fupporr of N.Jture ) as a lowc:r mc:rcy in order to your higher fpiritual mercies; and if Yjl ddire not pardon of ji•t, as a meam ro your future fanLlity, duty and felicity; and if you defire no! thtfe, as a means to the glory ofGod; and take not his Praif<S as the highefi part of your Prayers. But for the Exprcffing ot thcfe D•firu, particular occafions may warrant you oft.tirnes to begin in another order : As when you pray tor t~e fick._, or pray for direllionJ, or a hleffing before a Strm~n or forr1e particular work, you m;~y bcgm and end with the fubject that is before· you, as the prayers of holy men in all ages J,,., done. 2· You mufi diHingui!h alfo (as between Dtjim andExprcffio#t) fo between anVniverf.ll and aPar– timlar Prayer. The one conraineth all thep.Jrtl of prayer, and {he other is bur about fome one fubject or part, or but fame few: This la(\being but one or few particular Pe1idm1s cannot pu~~ly be uttered in the Method of anVnivtrfal Prayer which bath all the par11. There i• no one Pe~ltlon in 'the Lords Praytr, but may be mJde a prayer it felf; and then it cannot have the .ot_her P.dmo~s as ports. 3· And you mu!l diftinguifh between the even and ordinary care of a ChnlhJD, and hiS txtrtWrdinary cafe, when fome [pecial reafon , affelJion or accident 'allerh lum to look m?ll to fome oneparticular. In his tvenand ordinary cafe , every univerfat prayer fhould be txprcffe~ 10 the Method of the Lordt Prayer:" But in cafes of fp<cial rcafon and inducement it may be othcrwJf<. 9· s.
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