The Harmony Between the Old and Present Non-Conformists, Treatise · Argument 4
Argument IV.
There is in this Service Book a ſtrange diſorder and confuſion unworthy the grandure and Majeſty of that God, unto whom we make our approach in Prayer. God is a great King, his Name is dreadfull even among the Heathen, he is great and greatly to be feared and reverenced even in the Aſſembly of his Saints. God is in Heaven, we on the Earth, and therefore as our words muſt be few, even ſo muſt they be utter'd in the graveſt, and moſt ſerious manner. God is a jealous God, and 'tis dangerous to trifle with him, when we come to worſhip him; Yea God is a God of Order, and not of Confuſion, and therefore our Addreſſes ſhould be in the moſt Solemn Order.
This all will grant, but the queſtion is, whether there be any ſuch diſorder in the Common Prayer Book; For this has been formerly objected againſt the extempore and free Prayer of Diſſenters, who are ſaid to enter raſhly into God's preſence, and pray after the moſt diſorderly manner conceivable, how then comes this to be urg'd (may ſome ſay) againſt that ſet form of Prayer, which has been with the greateſt deliberation of the Fathers of the Church Compos'd. I reply,
That the Reader may the more diſtinctly Comprehend what I have to offer on this Fourth head of Argument, I muſt beſeech him to conſider. 1. That I am not defending ſuch as will inconſiderately Ruſh into the preſence of Almighty God, and prophane inſtead of honouring the name of God in Prayer. I durſt not plead for ſuch an Irreverent or uncomely practice. Neither 2. Do I deſign to offer any thing againſt thoſe, who will ſeriouſly meditate on what they have to do, when they make their approaches unto the Throne of Grace. Premeditation on the matter to be prayed for, on the Method of the Addreſs, yea, and on the choice of Expreſſions, is ſo far from a Sin in my Judgment, that I verily believe it to be a duty. Neither, 3. Do I Object againſt the prudent and neceſſary Uſe of ſome ſet form of Prayer in publick, for many may be endow'd with the Grace of Gods Spirit, who abound not with its Gifts, and 'tis not enough that a man has the Grace of Gods Spirit to enable him to be the Mouth of Others to God in Prayer, 'tis the Gift, that in this Caſe is requiſite, the which ſome may not have who yet muſt pray in publick, or publick Worſhip muſt be totally omitted, in which Caſe the uſing a Form of Prayer is not only lawful, but highly expedient.
Theſe things premiſed, the Reader may eaſily perceive who it is, for whom I do not Apologize, as well as that I am not arguing againſt the Divine Service Book, as it Contains a Form of Prayers, nor as it a form impoſed, which yet I approve not of, but as 'tis ſuch a form ſo diſorderly, and Confuſed a Form.
This is inſiſted on in the Altar of Damaſcus, and in the Lincoln Abridgment. In the Altar it is thus expreſſed.
Then again their Prayers are ſhred into ſo many ſmall pieces, They pray in Two or Three Lines, and then after having read, ſome other things come, and pray as much more, and ſo to the Twentieth or Thirtieth time, with pauſes between. Prayers ſhould be continued together, not cut off, and interrupted, or cut in ſmall pieces. They do with their Prayers, as they do with their Goſpels and Epiſtles which they rent from their Contexts, which would ſerve for memory and greater Edification. So ſar he. To whom I add, That if a Diſſenting Miniſter in Pulpit before his Sermon, when he addreſſes himſelf to God in Prayer, ſhould utter Three or Four Sentences in Prayer, and then go off to another thing, to the reading Two or Three Verſes in the Bible, and then to his Prayer, and then to Reading, would not the generality of the Church ſay, this Diſſenting Miniſter, by Confounding Reading and Prayer, offers up his Requeſts after a moſt diſorderly manner. But to the Abridgment.
In the Abridgment 'tis urg'd, That by this Book ſundry things, that bring great Diſorder and Confuſion unto the Worſhip of God are appointed As that the People ſhould ſay after the Miniſter whole Sentences of Prayer and Scripture, yea the Miniſter one part of the Prayer, and the people another, and in ſundry parts of the Letany, the people make the Prayer, and the Miniſter only directs them what to pray for.
The Miniſter at ſome time muſt pray, and the People give the reaſon of the Prayer; for Inſtance. The Miniſter Prayes ſaying, Give peace in our days O Lord, and the people make their Anſwer, Becauſe there is no other that fighteth for us, but only thou O God, as if Almighty God alone had not been able to defend them in the time of War, whence they Pray unto God for the ſending Peace. But cannot that God, who ſendeth Peace by putting an end unto Wars, preſerve and protect in the day of Trouble. If he can, to what purpoſe is this Argument urg'd. Again an alteration is made in the State of this Affair. The Miniſter gives inſtruction, or rather as a beginner of the Prayer, mentions the Matter or Thing to be prayed for, and the people muſt proceed to the making it a formal Prayer, whence 'tis, that whereas the Miniſter in the publick Aſſembly ſhould be the Mouth of the people unto God, The Miniſter being ſilent, the people altogether with a loud voice, a diſtracting Murmur are their own Mouth. Thus, From Fornication, and all other deadly Sin, (as if ſome ſins were not Mortal, but Venial) and from all the Deceits of the World, the Fleſh, and the Devil, ſo far the Miniſter proceeds, and then make a ſtop, from whom the people take it adding Good Lord deliver us. Again, O Lamb of God, that taketh away the ſins of the World, ſays the Miniſter with the greateſt ſeeming fervour and affection, but yet in the midſt of the ſentence, his warm affection is ended, and the people proceed to ſay, Grant us thy peace O Lord. Again they muſt be as they were in Statu Quo, and the Miniſter prayes, O Lord let thy Mercy be ſhewed on us, to which Petition the people either add, their ſence, or Limitation, or Reaſon of the Prayer, as we put our Truſt in thee.
Beſide at ſome one meeting of the Aſſembly, the Pater-Noſter, or Lords Prayer is to be repeated Six or Eight ſeveral times, and the Gloria Patri Twelve, beſide the many Kyrie Eleeſons and Christe Eleeſons, Lord have mercy on us, Chriſt have mercy upon us, the Reſponces, the Verſicles, &c. Alas how ridiculous would this be interpreted by the generality of thoſe who are now Sons of the Church, ſhould the Diſſenters have uſ'd ſuch a practice!
This Argument receives ſtrength from what I find inſiſted on by by ſome of His Majeſties Commiſſioners in the Account of all the proceedings of the Commiſſioners of both perſwaſions, where 'tis thus Argued, Vid. As we find that the Miniſter is the Mouth of the people to God in publick (which Scripture, and the neceſſity of Order do require,) So we are loath to Countenance the people's Invading of that Sacred Office, ſo far as they ſeem to us to do, By reading half the Pſalms and Hymnes. 2. By ſaying half the Prayers as the Miniſter doth the other half,—4. By being the only Petitioners in the far greateſt part of all the Letany by their [Good Lord deliver us] and [We beſeech thee to hear us good Lord.] While the Miniſter only reciteth the Matter of the Prayer, and maketh none of the requeſt at all; we fear leaſt by purity of reaſon, the people will claim the work of preaching and other parts of the Miniſterial Office. 3. And we mentioned, that which all our Ears are witneſſes of, that until half the Pſalms and Hymns, &c. are ſaid by ſuch of the people as can ſay them, the Murmur of their Voices in moſt Congregations is ſo unintellgible and Confuſed, as muſt hinder the Edification of all the reſt; for, who is edified by that which he cannot underſtand. This you'l find page 29, but in page 60, we have account of the Rule, and Order of Prayer, with a full Demonſtration, That the Common Prayer is not agreeable unto any juſt Rule, or Order.
There are (ſay they) Two Rules of Prayer; One is the Nature of the things Compared (in Matter and Order) with Nature and Neceſſity; The Other is the Revealed Will of God in his word, in General the Holy Scripture, more Eſpecially the Lords Prayer: The Liturgy (for the greateſt part of the Prayers for dayly Ʋſe) is Confuſed by whichſoever you meaſure it. You ſeem much to honour the Lords Prayer by your frequent Uſe of it (or part of it) we beſeech you diſhonour it not practically, by denying it by Matter and Order, to be the only Ordinary and Perfect Rule; We know about particular Adminiſtrations, where it is but certain ſelect Requeſts, that we are to put up, ſuited to the partcular Subject and Occaſion, we cannot follow the whole Method of the Lords Prayer, which containeth the heads of all the parts, where we are not to take in all the parts; we cannot take them in that Order. But that none of all your Prayers ſhould be form'd to that perfect Rule; that your Letany, which is your Comprehenſive Prayer, and that the Body of your dayly Prayers, (broken into ſeveral Collects) ſhould not (as ſet together) have any conſiderable reſpect unto that Order, nor yet to the Order, which reaſon and the Nature of the thing requireth (which is obſerved in all things elſe) and yet that you ſhould ſo Admire this, and be ſo tenacious of that which is conceived Prayer, you would call by worſe names than Confuſion, this ſheweth us the power of prejudice.
By this the Reader may perceive how much the Non-Conformiſts are for a decent Order, and Comely Method in Prayers, but the Conformiſt againſt it, and how much the Non-Conformiſt are for the right uſe of the Lords Prayer, even when the Conformiſt are not at leaſt practically for it. Whence we may ſee how unreaſonable it is to make ſuch a Noiſe and Clamour, as if the Diſſenters rejected the Lords Prayer, or were againſt its uſe, whereas in truth the Diſſenters are much more for the Right uſe of the Lords Prayer, than the Conformiſts are.
Whoever will underſtand the true State of this Controverſie, muſt conſider what the great deſign of the Diſciples in Aſking, and of Chriſt in granting their Requeſt about Prayer was, the which he can no ſooner with juſt deliberation, and impartially do, but will be ſatisfied, that the thing the Diſciples deſired was to be Taught how to Fray, Lord Teach us as John taught his Diſciples How to Pray, and they deſire to be taught, not that they preſcribe unto Jeſus Chriſt a Method in which he ſhould teach 'em, for that became not Diſciples, even Scholars, who are to Learn, but not to teach. This being the deſire of the Diſciples to be taught to pray, not to have a form of VVords to be Verbally and Syllabically rehearſed, or repeated, but Rules or Preſidents for the directing 'em, how to pray. The anſwering of their Requeſt was the Deſign of Chriſt in giving 'em the Lords Prayer, which was principally intended for the Direction of the Diſciples, who were as Matthew expreſſeth it, Oblig'd by that Command when ye Pray, ſay, Our Father, ſo ſay after that manner, when you pray, or whenever you pray. The Command is perpetual, Obliging at all times of prayer ſo far, as the particular Occaſions of Prayer will admit, every Prayer we make muſt be according to this Command of Chriſt.
But will any ſay, That the meaning is, when ever you pray, repeat the very words, and Syllables of the Lords Prayer; Let not one Prayer be made without the Repetition of this Prayer. If ſo, then, whereas now the Lords Prayer is repeated in the Church ſix or eight times ſome Mornings, it ſhould be ſo Twenty or Thirty, even at the end of every Collect, or other ſhort Prayer. This none will aſſert, which is enough to ſhew, that none do underſtand the words of Luke, [when you pray ſay] to be in this ſenſe, namely, when ever you pray, repeat theſe words and Syllables, for none do it, none of the Church of England, nor among the Papiſts. The true ſenſe then of thoſe words in Luke is more fully given us in Mathew, when you pray ſay after this manner, that is, The Lords Prayer is given as a Form, a Rule, a Directory of our Prayers, A Rule to be prayed by, which Rule is tranſgreſſed by ſuch, who when they pray, will cut their Prayers into many ſhreds and pieces. The Lord Chriſts Prayer was but One continued Prayer, all its parts moſt admirably connected, he did not ſay, Our Father, and teach his Diſciples to add, Which art in Heaven.
This is enough to evince that the Common Prayer Book is not according to the Rule of Chriſt, and that although according to the Rubrick a part of the Lords Prayer is ſo frequently rehears'd in one Morning, as if the rehearſing ſeveral Pater noſters was ex opere Operato ſufficient to procure the pardon of Sin; yet the Diſſenters, who do pray unto him, unto whom they are directed by the Lords Prayer, for ſuch things, as are more generally contain'd in it, keeping as near as they can to the ſame Method, do not only keep more cloſe to the command of Chriſt in Luke, but moreover ſet an higher value on the Lords Prayer than theſe Conformiſts, who, by keeping to the Rubrick, at moſt do make it but the end of ſome of their Prayers.
But to return from this neceſſary Digreſſion, to what is farther inſiſted on by the aforeſaid. Commiſſioners, p. 62. 'Tis ſaid, But if we may (according to the Common Prayer Book) begin and end, and ſeem to withdraw again, and make a Prayer of every Petition or two, and begin every ſuch Petition with God's name, and Chriſt's merits, as making up half the Form, or near; Nothing is an affected empty toſſing of God's name in Prayer, if this be not, we are perſwaded, if you ſhould hear a man in a known ex tempore Prayer do thus, it would ſeem ſtrange and harſh even to your ſelves.
This being ſo, there are ſome among the Diſſenters, who conſidering how jealous God is in matters of his worſhip, how pure, and how holy, are afraid to draw near to God in this diſorderly and confuſed manner, when they have the opportunity of addreſſing themſelves to the Throne of Grace, in a way more agreeable to his Holy and moſt Bleſſed Will; When they have a Male in their Flock, they are afraid to offer a corrupt thing, leaſt they thereby expoſe themſelves to that curſe in Mal. 1. 14. If they ſhould make their approaches in this diſorderly manner unto God, will he not ſay, offer it now unto thy Governours, will he be pleaſed with thee, or accept thy perſon?