A Modest and Clear Answer to Mr Balls Set Forms of Prayer, Tract · Chapter 11
CHAP. XI. Touching the other Queſtion of the peoples joyning in prayer with the reading of a deviſed preſcript Liturgie.
FInally, your Diſcourſe cometh along to make good a third aſſertion, which you had at firſt made a part of the ſtate of the Queſtion, to wit,
Diſc. That though it were unlawfull for the Miniſters to uſe a preſcript form of prayer; yet no reaſon can be ſhewed, why it ſhould be unwarrantable for the people to be preſent at ſuch prayers and aſſemblies.
Anſw. We conceive that good reaſon may be ſhewed. Why, if it be unlawfull for the Miniſter to pray upon a book, a deviſed and preſcript form of prayer: it is unlawfull likewiſe for the people ſo to be preſent at it, as to joyn with it, or ſeem to joyn with it.
Our firſt reaſon is taken from the unity of the Church, if the Officers or Miniſters, and all the members of the Church be one body, (as they are ſaid to be, 1 Cor. 10.17.) the ſinne of the Miniſter of the Church openly committed in the publique worſhip of God, is the ſin of them all that do joyne with him, and do not bear witneſſe againſt his ſinne according to God.
A ſecond Reaſon may be taken from the compactneſſe of Gods worſhip, and communion which all the members in the Church have in it; all the worſhip of God in the Churches of Chriſt, is put up to God, as well by the people as by the Miniſters foreign with one accord, Acts 1.14. The Prayer of the Miniſter is the Prayer of them; the matter of his prayer is the matter of all their prayers; the form of his prayer (I ſpeak of the externall form, which is that wherein they can joyn) is the form of them; if then it be unlawfull for the Miniſter to pray upon a book, a deviſed preſcript form of prayer: it is alike unlawfull for the people to joyn with him.
Diſc. The people are commanded to examine themſelves before they draw nigh unto the preſence of God, but not to examine whether the Miniſters pray in one form or other.
Anſw. The members of the Church are not indeed to examine the ſecret ſins of any but themſelves, but the open ſins of any of their brethren, they ought to admoniſh one another thereof, and to prevent with holy watchfullneſſe the ſinnes of one another, elſe the ſin of one Achan becometh the ſin and plague of all Iſrael, Joſhua 7.11, 12.
Diſc. If the Miniſter pray coldly, (as they ſay all reading of ſtinted forms maketh but cold prayer: a drawing nigh to God with the lips; when the heart is far from him) yet this is the fault of the Miniſter only, not of all that are preſent, for ſuch may be the Miniſters fault to pray coldly, even in a conceived forme.
Anſw. Firſt, We do not ſay (for our parts) that all praying upon a book or inſtituted forms, is but cold prayer, becauſe God may pardon the ignorance of his people, and accept the ſincerity of their hearts, help them with ſome ſpirituall affections, even in ſuch prayers, howbeit, a form of prayer not allowed of God will not (of it ſelf) affect the heart with heavenly warmth, neither do we ſay that the coldneſſe of the Miniſters heart in prayer, if it ſpring from the inward corruption of his own ſpirit, doth wrap the people into the fellowſhip of the ſame ſinne, de ſecretis non Judicat Eccleſia, nor is it defiled by the tolleration of ſecret ſins in others.
But if the people be convinced, that the reading of prayer upon a book preſcribed to them by man, is a ſin againſt the ſecond Commandement, and ſo no true help or means of Gods worſhip, is therefore ſome hinderance and impediment to it, then the people ſhall be guilty, not only of the fellowſhip of thoſe forms of Prayer, but alſo of the coldneſs of the Miniſters heart therein, if they willingly joyn in that which corrupteth and cooleth his ſpirit.
Diſc. Coldneſſe and lip-labour in prayer is not helped with Separation, but by joyning the inward affections of the heart with the outward Service.
Anſw. True, if the coldneſſe ſpring onelyonly from the corruption of the Miniſters heart, and not from the unſanctified means and helpleſſe help of Prayer which he uſeth, to wit, a preſcript form of book-prayer; but as no man can waſh his hands from ſin, that removeth not away all outward occaſions of ſuch ſin, as much as in him lyeth, from himſelf and others, ſo no man can be freed from the guilt of ſuch coldneſſe as the Miniſter and the people do contract by the cuſtomary uſe of ſuch deviſed preſcript forms of Prayer, if he do not ſo much as in him lyeth remove ſuch occaſions of evil from them.
Diſc. The Jewes uſed a ſtinted form of prayer (or Liturgie) in the Synagogues, at the celebration of the Paſſeover, before the dayes of our Saviour Chriſt; yet Chriſt never perſwaded the people to abſent themſelves, nor did he withdraw himſelf, but reſorted to their Synagogues, and the Temple; as did alſo his Apoſtles after his aſcenſion.
Anſw. Of the Jewiſh forms of Prayer, we have ſpoken before, And have juſtly denied that they took up any book prayers, deviſed by others preſcribed to them; and therefore no marvell if neither Chriſt nor his Apoſtles withdrew themſelves from them; ſeeing the outward face of adminiſtrations, was only of Gods Ordinances, not of the inventions of men, at the leaſt ſo farre as not to draw them into fellowſhip or communion with them therein; the corruptions ſound amongſt them, both in doctrine and worſhip Chriſt and his Apoſtles did freely bear witneſſe againſt, both to themſelves, and the people.
Diſc. It is not lawfull to ſeparate from the Churches or aſſemblies of the Saints, in whoſe fellowſhip we may ſerve God with an holy worſhip, and believe in him with an holy faith; for if a prayer conceived in the heart and uttered with the voice be a pure ſervice of God, the ſame read upon a book, becometh not impure to them that hear it with holy affections.
Anſw. We do not ſeparate from the Church and aſſembly of the Saints, but willingly joyn with you in every part of your holy worſhip; and in every doctrine of your holy faith only we withdraw our ſelves from ſuch parts of your adminiſtrations, wherein we cannot joyn with you, but wrap our ſelves into the fellowſhip of ſuch ſin which (in our conſciences) we ſee committed by you: How the ſame Prayer conceived by the ſpirit of a Miniſter, and pronounced in his own, and in the peoples name to God, may be a pure ſervice to God, yet the ſame written in a book, and preſcribed to others to be read by them as their Prayers, may be an unlawfull form of worſhip hath been ſhewed above; it is weariſome to repeat the ſame things ſo often.
Diſc. Laſtly, The Scribes and the Phariſees ſinned grievouſly in corrupting the Law with their falſe gloſſes, and defiling the worſhip of God with their own inventions; nevertheleſſe, the faithfull held fellowſhip and communion with them in the worſhip of God; and that by the approbation of the Prophets, and of Chriſt himſelf; but ſurely the health of the Church is more crazed by ſuch great infirmities, than by the onelyonly toleration and uſe of a preſcript form of prayer.
Anſw. The ſubſtance of this objection hath been anſwered even now; the faithfull did, and might lawfully joyn in worſhiping God in his own Ordinances, notwithſtanding the accidentall pollution which the Scribes and Phariſees brought in, both in doctrine and worſhip; for corruptions in doctrine do not draw the hearers into fellowſhip of the ſame faith: if they beware of the leaven of ſuch doctrine, and bear witneſſe againſt it; in time and place according to God; & as for the pollutions in worſhip, they chiefly lay in their private ſuperſtitious devotions, of waſhing their hands, and pots, and cups, and brazen veſſels, and not in their outward adminiſtrations of publique Ordinances; eſpecially in ſuch wherein their act and the peoples was offered up together with one accord; but there is not the like reaſon of publique Prayer, wherein both Miniſter and people do all joyn together, as one man, with one accord; where any known ſin in the outward adminiſtration of the Miniſter is the ſin of all the people that joyn with him. The Lord give us hearts to deny our ſelves, and to ſit cloſe to him; that he may delight to lead us on by his ſpirit of truth, in all truth and goodneſſe; and ſtill delight to be mercifull to us, in pardoning and healing all our forms and preſent pollutions, for his holy Names ſake in Jeſus Chriſt, Amen, Amen.
FINIS.
End of the text · John Cotton, A Modest and Clear Answer to Mr Balls Set Forms of Prayer (1642)