Answer to Giffords Defense of Read Prayers, Argument 2
The second Argument.
We must do nothing in the worship of God without warrant of his worde. …ut read praiers hauehave no warrant in his worde. Therfore read prayers are not to be vsed in the worship of God.
G. Gifford.
To this I answere at the first, that it is a greate audacitie to affirme that there is no vvarrant in the vvorde for read prayers. vvhen ther be sundry testimonies to vvarrant the same, vnless you vvill make difference betvveene that which a man readeth vponupon a booke, and that which he hath learned out of the booke. Furder I said, I do not remember that euer I hauehave read that God commaunded in the Scriptures the prayer shalbe read vponupon a Booke, &c.
I. Greenvvood.
SEing you hauehave indeed not answered one reason or proof I alleadged in my last writing▪ but with much euill conscience (as the handling sheweth) perverred them / I will leaue them to be iudged of them that shall see my writing. And here / seing you would not prynt yt / I will answere your cheif obie…o…. First then you graunt / that if I put difference betweene reading vpō the booke / and that which he hath learned out of the booke / mine Argument to sounde: For by your owne confession / God hath not giuen anie Commandement to read prayer, and so yt hath no warrāt. Whervpō I gayne thus much: First / tha… they which impose read prayer vponupon the Church / do that wherof they hauehave no warrant in the worde / and that in the high seruice of God. Then that they which reade vponupon a booke for praying / do that wherof they hauehave no warrant in Gods woorde: whervpon all your Ministers must leaue reading their s…nted prayers vponupon the booke / or els stand vnderunder Gods wrath▪ and all that so pray with them / which wilbe a fearefull reckoning if they repent not their sinne shewed them. And although our question he cheiflie concerning the reading of mens writings instead of praying / yet I am content the other abuse of the Scriptures be included also though I make not both in the same height of sinne / as shall appeare in my seuerall reasons. As an vnconstant man then / you in the latter ende of the answere to this Argument would cal backe agayne that / which you here hauehave granted: Namely / that there is no Commandement to reade prayer vponupon a booke for praiyng.
Of the contrary thus you reason: The people of God did reade the Psalmes vponupon a booke whe… they did singe, therfore men may reade vponupon a booke vvhen they pray. I deny your Argument: besides that all men may see your vnstablenes in denying and affirming with one breath / you now go about to make reading of prayer a Commandement: thus you prove yt. Singing (say you) is a part of prayer. Singing may be read vponupon a Booke▪ therfore praier may be read vponupon a booke. Admit that Singing were a part of prayer / yet doth it not followe that all prayer may be read vponupon a booke. But you speake like an ignorant man to say that Singing is praier / seing they are twoo diuers actiōs and exercises of our faith… the one neuer read for the other / nor said to be a part of the other through the Scriptures / but are playnely distinguished 1. Cor. 14.15. what is it then. I will pray with the spirit / bu… y will pray with vnderstanding / I wil sing with the spirit etc. agayne / if you be sad / pray / and if you be merye sing Psalmes / pro…xon ai and psalo. I will pray / and I wil sing are diuers exercises of the faith / if a man should say reading a chapter of the scripture and prophecying were all one / were he not wide?Ian. 5.13. Euē so eueryevery part of Gods service is not prayer. I graunt we are eueryevery where commaunded to singe Psalmes vntounto God. And alleadged that place of the Apostle to the Ephes. 5.19. Speaking to your selves in Psalmes and Himnes and Spirituall songes / etc. ād that of the Colo. onlie to this end / that in Psalmes singing we do not alwaies speake vntounto God / as in those Psalmes which are only instructions and prophesies / in the 1. and 2. Psalmes you have not one worde spoken vntounto God. Againe / as all reading of the prayers in the Scriptures is not praying or speaking vntounto God / so the reading or singing of Psalmes I tooke to hauehave beene a speaking to our selves a stirring vp of Gods graces in vsus etc. But I do not now / nor did not then hold yt so / in al Psalmes singing. And where you say I purposely left out the latter part in both places / which was this sing vntounto God with a grace in your heartes / the Lorde knowes I had no purpose to injurie the Scripture / nor maintayne an vntruth / But thought we might do those thinges with a grace to God in our heartes / which were not properly ād directly a conversing by thought ād worde with him alone / but one thing might hauehave kept you frō crying out / heresie / in that I added this / that I would not stād vpō that reason / but desired to knowe yt furder. But how vniustly could you nūber this for an heresie maynteyned of vsus al in your Epistle / that we should denie that Psalmes should be songe vntounto God. The Lorde keepe me frō such errour. And a wofull Phisition you are / if I had bene in such errour, For the 102. Psalme I never denied: but that yt was a most excellent Psalme penned by Daniell or some other PROPHET / ād gyuē to the whole Church to be sōge or read as other Psalmes / in the forme of praier: But you must prove that the Church did vse yt as you say / to reade yt ouer for praying / or were cōmaūded so to do. This is proof inoug they did not / because yt is a Psalme. Now thoug the Church speake manie tymes in the singular number / yet it is expressed in some other verse that yt is so. But now admit that you could proue that the psalmes were read insteade of or for invocatiō / which you shall neuer be able to do / it doth not followe that mēs writinges shoud be brought into the assemblies and read for praier. The 6. of Nōbers I hauehave answerd before: Frō the 92. Psalme you reason thus. If the psalmes & other formes of prayer in the Scrìpturés were read or said by rote the verie forme of wordes for praying; The reading instead of or for praying. Here you durst not set your assumption, it was so false / which should be thus. But the Psalmes & other formes of prayer were read for praying &c. This I shewed you was verie vntrue / they were neuer cōmaunded so to be vsed / nor never so vsed. My proof was this / they are giuē by the holy Ghost for other vses / as singing / reading / etc. ād not comaunded anie where so to be vsed / so that you do but cauill / not hauing one proof for all your shameles assertiōs. Now where I demaunded what this made for your liturgies, ād reading mēs writinges for praying / except you would make your owne writinges of equall authoritie with the Scriptures: You āswere / That if I denie the cōsequence / it was lawfull to use the Psalmes / therfore mens writings / thē I wil shut out all praiers / euē the prayer of the Pastor. See your carnall handling / shuffling / and cōfounding Gods ordinances: Doth yt followe that because mēs writinges may not be brought into the publique assēblies / or there read for praying / therfore the prayers vttered by the liuely voice of the pastor should herebie be excluded? this your shift was answered in the first Argumēt / your cavils are stale / you are againe convinced. Touching the other matter of cōning phrases ād formes of praier by roate / to say ouer certeine number of wordes / yt is popish and a meere euasiō / and bewrayeth your ignorāce in praier. In this you hauehave granted me that he which prayeth not with a feeling of his presēt wāts of his soule / but saith ouer certeine number of wordes of custome or affectatiō / he is an hipocrite / which is true / proved. Mat 6.7. Now by this examine your daylie / monethlie / annuall etc. saying ouer / nay reading ouer certeine wordes / eueryevery tyme the same / as you are stinted. It is plaine the sacrifice of fooles / Ecclesiastes. 4.17. The two pointes wherin you protest so willinglie to agree with me / were these. First whether only such prayers as were made without the booke / were accepted of Gods childrē. Secondly whether the same spirit teacheth vsus to pray / that taught the holie men of God before tyme. You grant both these / but that you would seeme to alter the first question: wel then / Gods owne spirit that taught thē to pray without a booke / or stinting of wordes / teacheth vsus so to pray nowe / and in the action of praying giueth the mouth to vtter what the heart desireth / moved with the same spirit. Still then after your long shifting to and fro / I trust you will stand to your first wordes / that you never read in the Scriptures anie cōmaundement for reading of prayers. Secondlie / to say ouer certeine numbers of words or phrases of the Scripture of custome or affectatiō / without feeling of / or asking for our present wantes / is hipocresie. Therfore I will conclude as I beganne / myne Argument standing good / that / To do any thing in the worship of God werof we have no warrāt of Gods worde / is synne. But read prayers hauehave no warrant in Gods Word / Ergo. etc.