The Account Audited and Discounted, Exercitation 2 · Section 33-34
Sect. 33, 34. As for his inſtance of Prayer, for the manner, or frequency, &c. we anſwer very briefly, &c.
HE grants my anſwer to this, to be very brief, and needed not to be longer, p. 197. n. 2.[yeilding him in few words, the whole cauſe: for if Geſtures and Times be free, then Ceremonies and Feſtivals are ſo too, &c.] Truly then may I ſay, he hath yeilded me in few words, the whole cauſe: For the queſtion is not of circumſtances of Worſhip, time, place, &c. But of Worſhip it ſelf. If he will grant me, (as he hath and muſt) that uncommanded Worſhip is unlawful, I ſhall yield to him, that uncommanded circumſtances are free and lawfull; due cautions being obſerved. I never quarrel'd his Feſtivals, as meer Circumſtances of Worſhip, but as they are made by ſome, (and he knows, whom) parts of Worſhip; this I have often profeſſed, and he ſometimes confeſſed, to be my true ſtating of the queſtion; but oftner again denied it.
But he ſayes, I make it intricate [by involving, n. 3.and confounding theſe two things together; placing the Worſhip of God in them, and pleaſing God by them, which are two diſtant things.] The things may be diſtant in themſelves, but as I meant them, they meet too oft in the ſame perſon: For thus my words ſtand; [The Doctor defends Worſhip deviſed by the will of man, and not commanded by God; which if he will maintain to be lawfull, and place the Worſhip of God in them, or pleaſing of God by them, I know not how he will avoid compliance with Papiſts, &c.] Having ſaid as much before, [If a man ſhould make any one way (of geſtures, time, place, &c.) neceſſary, any one more holy, more efficacious, more acceptable to God: no doubt it would be in him Will-worſhip.] To all which, his compliance with Papiſts, in making ſome of them neceſſary more holy, &c. he wiſely ſayes juſt nothing; which concern'd him not a little: Beſides the diſtance that is in the inſtance of Prayer, which is a part of Worſhip, under command; and his Will-worſhip, which he calls uncommanded Worſhip. But [he that defends (he ſays) the uſe of the humbleſt geſtures in Worſhip, & affirms them to be more acceptable to God then either the leſs humble geſture, or thoſe which have no humility at all in them, doth not yet place Worſhip in them.] Geſtures that have no humilty at all in them, ought not to be brought into compariſon with geſtures of Prayer, which are preſuppoſed to be humble: yet none in particular is ſaid to be more humble; or any uſed by any Saint of God, in Scripture, ſaid to be leſs humble; yet are there many expreſſions of them; ſtanding, fitting, kneeling, lying, proſtration, and putting the head between his knees, as Elias did, &c. Let the Doctor now determine, if he can, which of theſe or others, is the moſt humble, or more humble, or leſs humble, or not humble at all; and he muſt needs ſometimes charge holy men, yea, Chriſt himſelf to be leſs humble; which ſome would account a defect, if not a fault. e. gr. To ſay, that kneeling at Prayer, or at the Sacrament, is the moſt humble geſture, & more acceptable to God, (the plea of ignorant people) more humble then fitting, is to condemn our Saviour as leſs humble then himſelf; which is ſufficient to ſhew himſelf proud; and is beſides, a degree of Superſtition, and Will-worſhip: this very conceit, makes it a part of Worſhip, if it was none before.
The like may be return'd to the next: n. 4.He that ſhall defend Feſtivals, as Days and Times to be more acceptable to God, then other Days, makes them thereby parts of Worſhip; and does not pleaſe but diſpleaſe God: As for the Prayers and Thankſgivings, they are as acceptable on other Days, as on thoſe Feſtivals; or if any ſhall think them more acceptable to God, for the Dayes ſake, he makes the Dayes parts of Worſhip, and himſelf ſuperſtitious. So to obſerve Canonical hours of prayer, publique or private, in ſuch a number, and to place more acceptation in that number, then in a leſs frequencie, is, ipſo facto, to make it a part of Worſhip, and himſelf as ſuperſtitious, as the Phariſee that boaſted of his Fasting twice a week. And this the Doctor does; making the Frequency of Prayer, a Free-will-offering, and tells me, diſpleaſedly, that I make, pray continually, a debt and a duty. I do ſo, upon ſuppoſition of occaſions or opportunities, which can hardly be wanting, in Ejaculatory prayer. I ſaid, the particular number of 7. was not a debt; but I meant, juſt that number was no duty, from that example of David; but frequency indefinitely is a duty; and that proportionable to the occaſions. Now no man can tell aforehand, how oft that precept, pray continually, and that other, praying always, for all things, Epheſ. 5.20. will oblige him to pray, and that other, [In all things, or always give thanks,] obliges often: But both of them imply, that a man is bound to watch opportunities, and to take them; and there is not an hour, or minute in a day, but a man hath ſome occaſion offered, either to pray or give thanks. But to tie a mans ſelf to ſuch a number, or frequency, and to think to pleaſe God by it, or finde acceptance for it the more; is that which our Divines diſlike as ſuperſtitions. To conclude this, he ſuppoſes again, what is not to be ſuppoſed, that a man may know, how oft that precept, pray continually, obliges a man every day; and then he may adde ſome further frequency, which is not under precept, which falls, by what hath been ſaid afore: And then his Free-will-offering falls with it.