More Work for Priests, Answer 12 – Answer 13
I. GREENWOOD.
STay your selves and wonder they are blind and make blind. Is ther anie doctrine more spirituall, anie more inculcated by the holy Ghost, thē this accesse vntounto God in the mediation of Christ, by his owne spirit to make our mindes knowne vntounto God, to offer vp the fruits of his owne spirit in vsus, and fetch encrease from him by this secreat worke of true inuocation with the heart and voice? This colloquie with the high maiestie of God, is it a matter of no weight to learne to discerne between diverse exercises of the spirit, and to exercise his graces aright according to his will? Right is it said, the wisedome of God is foolishnes to the naturall man. But Mr GIFFORD. wil say he graunteth the propositious true and weightie maters, it is the Assumptions that be so frivolous, & as he said a litle after, ridiculous: wel, let them he weyed. 1. That reading instead of praying is not a powring fourth of the heart by lively voyce. 2. That it is a quenching of the spirit, to reade an other mans wordes vponupon a booke, in the very action of powring fourth our heart as we pretend. 3. That it is not an vnburdening of a contrite heart by faith, but an ignorant action to reade for praying. 4. That we cannot strive in praier, continue in praier, be importunate etc. by reading vponupon a booke. These are matters he thinketh of so litle weight, the bare deniall and contradiction wherof he holdeth of such credit, that it must suffice for answere, seing he saith he hath before proved the vse of reading. See here he caleth it the vse of reading; He could not say that reading is praying, nether that these two exercises of our Faith can be vsed both in one instant, as one action. I have shewed that proseuche & anagnosis, praying and reading, are divers actions both of the minde and body: let the reader consider what weight then this matter is of, to talk with the living God.
But for the benefit of such as have grace to savour the things that are of God, I will a litle illustrate the Assumptions, at least some of them. 1. That it is a quenching of the spirit to reade an other mans wordes vponupon a booke, when I should powre fourth mine owne heart, the word itself must be considered, the Apostle commaundeth saying 1. Thessaloniaus. 5.19. extinguish ye not the spirit. Now to suppresse and leaue vnvttered the passions of our owne heart by the worke of the spirit, giving vsus cause of our owne heart by the worke of the spirit, giving vsus cause of prayer, and instead therof to reade another mans writing, I doubt not wilbe founde and judged of all that hauehave spirituall eyes to see, a quenching of that grace, yea in that action, the reading hindreth vsus from pleading our cause with God, according to the occasions we see in our owne hearts. And by not teaching men to drawe out the graces of God in them, to offer vp the sweete incense of his owne spirit in praier, but an other course devised by fleshly pollicy, the people growe into such Atheisme, that they learne not all the dayes of their life to lay open their owne soule before the Lord in praier. How much more then, by imposing stinted wordes to be read in the whole assemblies, insteade of the liuely graces, making it a sufficiēnt ministerie to reade ouer such beggarlie wares, do you abandon Gods spirituall giftes, and make an assemblie of Atheists in most places of this land, yea trulie in the best assemblies compell such wares to be read, when and where the liuely voyces of God present graces should onelyonly be drawē fourth as an holy odour vntounto the Lorde. Yea I appeale to the consciences of al that feare God, if this have not brought the land generally to Atheisme, that not one amongst an hundred can call vponupon God.
2 That it is an ignorance to presume to come into so neere a conversing with God, and to do one action for an other, so offring the sacrifice of fooles, let it be sufficient proof that reading is not praying. That it is presumptuous, to bring such lame sacrifices when yov know to do better, let, it be considered whether you would so vncircumspectly, and carelesly approche to the presence of the Prince or any noble personage. Then if he be our Lorde where is his honour, his feare etc. when we wil teach men and compel men to do they knowe not what in his sight, and to offer such lame sacrifice. The Priests themselves care not what offring they bring to him Malach. 1.
Thirdly the reading praier can be at no hand a striuing in praier, for the worde agoniso which is read Rom. 15, 30 signifieth to contend in fervency both in minde, and worde, to preuaile with God as Iaakob wrestled with the Angell, and said, I will not let thee goe except thou blesse me, Genes. 32, 24.25.26. Such …rist you shall see throughout the Psalmes in the praiers of David, and the Prophets, alas, how this should be performed either by feruency or contynuance, let the wise consider.
4. For importunacy and continvance in praier, whereof we have many precepts, let the worde be looked vponupon, which is proscartereo to insist by perseverance etc. as we see our Saviour Christ make plaine vntounto vsus by a parable, Luke 11.5▪6.7.8, and Luke. 18.1.2.3.5.7. now shall not God auenge his elect which crye night and day? Experience we see in Moses, who when he lifted up his handes to heaven the Israelites so long preuayled: Exod. 17. You can not make your read prayers serve in this vse with all your divises, For how would you effect this, except to make the Priest reade till he sweat againe, with vaine repetition, and the people that use such stinted praiers to say them often over, as the Papists their fifteene Aue marias & fiue Pater nosters as a cure of altheir grieves. By this litle I have spoken, it may appeare (though the Lorde knowes I am a man of vncricumcised lippes, neither able to vtter that God giveth me by faith to see in these high thinges, neither yet comprehending anie title of the excelency, of them) it I hope it shall appeare to Gods children, how odious your marchandize is in Gods eyes, and how you make the ordinances of God of true prayer, of none effect, by your traditions, he onelyonly approving the lively graces of his owne ministerie, and such as have giftes and are called thervnto, to be his mouth vntounto the people, and the peoples mouth vntounto him in the publique assemblies, you invent a newe worship and extinguish his, which maketh men fall into dissolutnes and bloudie tyrannie against his Sainctes.
And where I alleadged that Paul would pray with the spirit and vnderstanding, and therefore not vponupon a booke, you answere that Paul had no such neede of a book as other men have. But if you had looked vponupon the text better, you should see, that the Apostle in his owne person teacheth what ought to be donne in all Churches & of all men, And that he there taketh away the abuse of spirituall giftes. I Corin. 14.15 and in the same Chapter sheweth that this and all other his doctrines are commannments of God. vers. 37 nowe either God prescribeth two wayes to pray, or els your reading for praying is a devise of man. But your self have confessed there is no commaundement to reade prayer for praying. Yet here you cauill with your stale shift, that Paul taught others to singe Psalmes vponupon a booke, which is a meere evasion, seing singing is not praying. The same Apostle faith to all that are borne of God, because we are sonnes God hath sent fourth into our heartes the spirit of his sonne which cryeth Abba Father. So that although we have not like measure of grace, yet if we cannot pray we have uot the spirit of God, Gal. 4.6.
I alleadged as you say a reason here, why praier read cannot be true praier. Jn reading we fetch the matter from the booke which moueth the heart, In true praier we fetch the matter from the heart which causeth the mouth to speake. Your answere is, that this a most ridiculous vanitie, for tell me (say you) this, when we bring fourth in true praier matter frō the heart which causeth the mouth to speak, hath not the heart bene first moued with the worde of faith, etc. Let men here, witnesse with me, what cause I had to esteeme you as a skorner. Againe, how empty you are of any spiritual favour. And here you hauehave no answere to give, but aske me certaine questions: First whether whē we bring fourth in true prayer. etc. the heart hath not beene first instructed. To this I answere, that againe you confesse the reading praier vponupon a booke is not praying, but an instruction of the heart to praye. If you would stand to this, we should not neede have so much labour, and all the places of Scripture which you have alleadged for to proove reading praying, have beene meerly wrested by you to deceaue the simple. Well(say you) but if the heart be first instructed before it can vtter matter in praier, whie may not the heart againe be moued with hearing or reading the worde, and so vtter prayer. Yes I graunt and still you graunt me, that reading is not praying but moueth to praier: Thē all your assemblies that have no prayer at all, and all that vse read praier for praying do not praie but mocke with God. See if your Ordinarie will here be pleased with you, Yet you would denie all this with the same breath by a shift, saying: The heart in moved when one heareth the prayer of the minister and presently sendeth fourth prayers together with him. I trust you will not say that the heart of the hearer prayeth one thing, and the Minister an other, againe the praier of the minister is the prayer of the people, by Gods ordinance, whiles they think one thinge, and are mert to one end, for anoyding confusion one speaketh, ye all pray togeather one thing. But the minister may as well preach and pray, or reade any chapter and praye, as reade praiers, and praye both in one action of the minde, and voyce, which were strange. Your cavill then whether the heart may be moved, and pray, both at once, is taken awaye, seing you graunt reading and praying, two severall excercises of the heart and voyce, which cannot be performed at once with lively voyce. The conclusion is then, that either ye must fetch the matter out of your booke when you reade prayer, and so do not pray for the particular wants wher with the heart is moued and pressed before you come, or els you pray not with lively voyce at al, when you read: The Lorde then having taught vsus to breake vp our owne hearts, and powre fourth our petitions with heart and voyce, give grace to al his people so to worship him.
The Seventh Argument.
We must pray as necessitie requireth. But stinted prayers cannot be as necessity requireth. Therfore stinted prayer is unlawfull.
G. GIFFORD.
To this I answered, approving the Proposition. And in the Assumtion I did distinguish of matters to be prayed for, as that there be thinges necessarie to be praied for at all times. and of all men: of these a prescript forme may be vsed at all meetings of the Church, there be matters not at all tymes needfull to be praied for, for such there can be no prescript forme to be vsed contynually, &c.