A Treatise of Prayer, Treatise · Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. Q. 4.
Q. IV. WHether it be comely for a Godly Man, and true Miniſter of Chriſt to pray the Lords Prayer before his people, that is, to adde it unto the cloſe of his owne?
It hath been ſaid by two onelyonly in our heareing; The one old enough to make a Miniſter if yeares would doe it. But—Tempora certè
Virtutem nec prima negant, nec ultima donant. The other young enough, to ſay no more: Theſe two, and onelyonly theſe ſpake this, more than ever we heard ſpoken by any in the Cloſe of their prayers. Thou mayest Lord juſtly neglect our imperfect prayers if we ſhould neglect to ſay Thy moſt perfect prayer, Thou haſt preſcribed to us & Commanded us to ſay. If this now can be proved, that our Bleſſed Saviour hath commanded His Miniſters to cloſe their prayers with His prayer, then The Queſtion is reſolved in the Affirmative, and put out of all Queſtion, That every Godly Miniſter muſt cloſe his prayer with the Lord's prayer. Why? His Lord commands him: and he is not a godly Miniſter that doth not doe what his Lord Commands. But now we are perſwaded, theſe are but men's words, who are reſolved to ſay ſomething to carry forth their matters before the people, though they can prove nothing Nay we are Confident, That theſe two, the old Man, and the Novice, affirming, That their Lord commands them to joine His prayer to the end of their owne, have ſpoken Contrary to the mind and will of their Lord, and their preſumptuous words will be required at their hands. And herein we doe appeale to the Godly in all the world, Minſters and people; And if any amongſt them all, ſhould affirme it, That the joyning of this prayer to the end of his owne is commanded him of his Lord, we would appeale from him, to our onelyonly Lord God Himſelfe, the Lord of Glory. He hath commanded His Diſciples to pray; for they ſhall have nothing, as He Himſelfe the Mediatour and Advocate of His Church hath not of His Father, but by askeing, which was ſaid before. But if He hath commanded them to pray this very prayer, then we would humbly aske why ſhould they pray any other prayer? or why doe not they not give this the praecedency before any other prayer? this being given them under a ſpeciall command to pray; When ye pray ſay; as to our underſtanding they wreſt their Lords words, and thwart His ſcope and intendment wholy: more of this hereafter.
But we come to our undertakeing, which is to Maintaine the Negative: That it is not comely for a Miniſter of Chriſt to joyne the Lords prayer to the end of his owne. But firſt we would heare how they doe maintaine the Affirmative: That it is comely for a Miniſter ſo to doe; And what we have heard alledged for the Maintenance thereof, we will take leave to ſet downe in this place.
Firſt, Godly Miniſters ſay that prayer at the end of their owne. We onelyonly reply to that. So doe the ungodly and Brutiſh Miniſters too, all over your Nationall Church; It is their very Sibboleth. *You may know a Brutiſh Paſtor, as by his walke, ſo alſo byJudg. 12. pronounceing of that prayer, we meane as to the words and ſyllables there, theſe he can frame to pronounce aright, like a Clarke, as we ſay. But ſurely what theſe Brutiſh ones doe is not comely for the Godly to doe: Nor indeed can we poſſibly diſcerne their Godlineſſe, godly though they may be, and we hope are, by their ſo doing.
Secondly, It hath been antiently ſo done, and cuſtomarily ſo now and of courſe. To this we Reply as followeth.
All this makes nothing in the matters of God. Antiquitie (though Truth indeed be moſt Auncient) and Cuſtome, or mos populi; the Mode of the people, will plead as hard every whit for the greateſt plague of the world, for the head (that Man of Sin, merum ſcelus, as Learned Beza) of that Curſed Kingdome; For the Shoulders and pillars of the ſame, for all their Curſed doctrines and practiſes; Antiquitie and Cuſtome will plead as hard for all theſe; And for a Service-Booke, will-worſhip too, which is as unpleaſing to God our Lord, as it would be to a Prince if we ſhould pay him money of our owne Coincing; for which he would be ſo farre from thanking us, That he would arraigne-us for Traitours. As a Miniſter muſt not ſpeake from God, but the preaching of God, even as it is written: So nor ought he to ſpeake to God, but by the Direction of the ſame Word.
Queſt. But doth not this Caſt ſome blot upon the Ʋniverſities manner and old Cuſtomes? for Generally the Learned and godly there did conclude their prayers with the Lords prayer; And it was ſo ſtrictly obſerved, That the Country-Miniſter who never uſed ſo to doe in his owne pulpit, yet going thither to take his Degree of Bach: or Dr: It was expected of him, he ſhould cloſe his prayer after the uſuall manner, and that he might not give offence to others, ſo he did, though with ſome offence to himſelfe.
Anſw. This we thinke cannot be denied, no more than can this, That from the Prophets in thoſe places, Corruption in Doctrine, as well as prophaneneſſe in life went forth into all the Land. But we beleive, That it is not now, as then it was; matters are done, we hope, at leaſt in deſire and endeavour in right order, and meaſured forth, according to the Standard of Gods Word: for it is true, we doubt not, which one ſaith of the preſent ſtate of the Univerſities; There have been more Muſes heretofore, but never ſo many Graces as now. But if not, which God forbid, yet non ad Conſuetudinem, ſed ad Norman vivimus. And as many as walke according to this Rule, peace be on them and mercy, and upon the Iſrael of God. This Rule, fixing the eye thereupon, and enquiring not what was the Cuſtome of men to doe, but what was the mind of God that they ſhould doe.
And this laſt ſaid may ſuffice in way of Anſwer to that ſo commonly urged, and is thought ſo Cogent upon Miniſters, next to the pretended Command of Chriſt, to adde the Lords prayer to th' end of their own; That the Aſſembly of Divines in their Directory for Worſhip, have thought fitting, Miniſters ſhould cloſe their prayer with the Lords Prayer.
To that which hath been ſaid, we would adde but theſe two words (1) That we are inclined to thinke, That the fiery indignation of the Lord flaming forth againſt thoſe His enemies, who ſtood-up in their might for that old Directory for Worſhip, commonly called the Service-Booke, or Booke of Common-Prayers, and preſſed it upon Gods people with Arguments, Cogent enough, and too much with fleſh and blood. Whereupon it might, nay it was ſaid of that ſaid Booke, A bloody booke was that Service-booke unto them; and accordingly was it dealt with by the powers above us, though not full-up to the rate of that bloody perſecution was raiſed againſt the Godly Miniſters by the ſame. We were ſaying, we are inclined to thinke, That the Deſtruction from the Almighty is a terror to Godly Miniſters to apply themſelves to any other Directory for worſhip, than to the Spirit of God and of Glory; Who, being the great purchaſe of Chriſts blood, promiſe of the Father▪ and prayer of the Son, is given to His Church for their A…ſuffi…ient guide, onelyonly Help, and to make an A…undant ſupply unto them when they are ſetting themſelves in prayer to make their ſupplications unto their Father in Heaven. (2) The other word we would adde, is, That when the Miniſters of the Goſpel and Glory of Chriſt, who have their Miſſion, Commiſſion, Inſtitution, and Induction, chiefly and principally from Him, and can ſhew their Letters Patents for it, when theſe, are ſo hardly Driven, (as thoſe are, who are quite forfaken of the Spirit of God) that they may uſe thoſe platformes of prayer there preſcribed, or elſe not pray at all, as we heard before, then they will, (for neceſſitie, they ſay, hath no law) be ſo bold or impudent rather, to uſe that prayer alſo, being the moſt exact forme of all formes. But theſe never were, and never ſhall be ſo forſaken of their God; And in aſſured Confidence thereof we proceed.
Thirdly, This we have heard, ſome one of us at leaſt, alledged for the ſaying of this prayer. There is a ſickneſſe upon all the faculties of the ſoule. And the memory amidſt the Reſt is a very ſickly, weake, and infirme thing; So as we many-times forget to put up thoſe Requeſts unto God, which were in the purpoſe of our hearts to doe. Now to helpe and ſuccour us in this matter, we adjoine the Lords prayer to the end of ours, that being compleat as we all know, in the whole and in every part, and Containes in it, as the Creed, all things to be beleived, ſo this, all things to be deſired. To this we reply.
Granting this firſt, That this ſickneſſe is Epidemicall, univerſally ſpread over all men, and over all in man. And the Memory, the Soule's ſtore-houſe is fearefully tainted with it, moſt unhappily, and tenaciouſly retentive of all that is evill; So as what was but once heard, ſeene or done, giving pleaſure to the fleſh, will be kept in the Memory and repeated there, who knowes how long and how often? (yet take-it-in by the way, as often as any evill, ſeene heard or done is remembred with delight, ſo often is it acted over againe) But now when any thing truely Good is Commended to it, and received-in, of how ſhort continuance it is there? If a Hand Allmighty lodgeth it not there, and keepeth it there! The memory of it ſelfe, and in it's owne nature is a very Step-dame to Good or like a very leaking veſſell. This is her Sickneſſe, and if it be not Cured, it will be our woe. And now to draw nearer to the point in hand, we cannot poſſibly ſee▪ though, we hope, we Crie for His eye-ſalve, which onelyonly maketh to ſee; how the ſickneſſe of the memory, cauſing the praying man to forget what he would have remembred, and made his requeſt to God for, Can be helped (for to this particular we ſpeake) by adjoining His Lords prayer.
We crave leave to aske this Godly Miniſter, what he hath forgot to petition his God in behalfe of the people, to whome he is made an Over-ſeer. He hath not Confeſſed their ſinnes ſo fully nor ſo feelingly as he ſhould, and thought to have done; This may be; He knew full well ſome ſpeciall mercies his people had received from God, and he quite forgot to render God the praiſe; He knew as well ſome ſpeciall mercies his people had not and yet felt not any want of them, as a ſeeing eye, and heareing eare, but he quite forgot here alſo. He was well acquainted with ſome particular miſery, that was felt by ſome one or more of his people, being ſickneſſe and ſorrow upon the fleſh: and another miſery he might know of alſo, which is the miſery of all miſeries, becauſe not felt nor feared, yet clapt faſt upon them, perverſneſſe of Spirit, and hardneſſe of heart. Here the Godly man's memory may fal…e him alſo. In all theſe, he might not petition God as he ought and haply thought to have done, and in ſome of theſe perticulars his memory wholy failed him. Now he will rele…ve himſelfe and his people, whoſe good he ſpecially intends, by ſaying the Lords prayer. But is that the way to releive himſelfe or them? We humbly offer it to the thoughts of every intelligent Man. Will his repeating the Lords prayer before the people help them, when they are returned home, to Confeſſe their ſin there more fully or feelingly? doth that prayer ſupply them with words that way? or to praiſe God for the mercies they have, or to pray unto Him for what they would have; for the takeing away the Stone in the heart, if it be not all over Stone, as deſirerouſly as we would have the Stone taken-out of the Bladder; but is there one expreſſe* word in the Lords prayer that helpes to the putting-up that great petition? wee meddle not with what is Comprehended there (which exceeds the Comprehenſion of an Angell) but with what is expreſſed there: And to our ſeeming there is not in that prayer, one expreſſe word there, that can helpe the praying man in all or any of thoſe perticulars before-mentioned.
To cloſe this we conceive it to be thus; every godly perſon going to prayer, goes to God in the Name of Jeſus Chriſt; Through Him by the Spirit, he hath an acceſſe unto the Father. Eph. 2.And oh what a deale of Eloquence and Rhetorick is in this one word, Father! how it works upon the bowells of the Father, upon the bowells of the Child too! ſo as the Child cannot chuſe but crave, the Father cannot chuſe but grant, what ever is good for the Child. There is a reciprocall worke ſtill, a reflexing Act of the ſoule. The Father's bowells yerne towards the Child, The Child's bowells yerne towards the Father. But we recall our ſelves, being to deliver our thoughts what a Godly Miniſter doth, when he hath entred the pulpit. Surely in deſire and endeavour he comes wholy off from himſelfe; he uſeth all that Ged hath given him, and layeth out the very Male of his flocke, for that very end given him: but he truſteth it not, he hath no Confidence in the fleſh: It is fully and wholy ſet upon his God; He loves to be truſted, and cannot be truſted too much; as the creature cannot be truſted too little. In a word, he rolles himſelfe upon God, putts himſelfe as he can, into the good Spirits hand; Leaves his matters there, humblie expects ſupplies from Him; He is in the place, where he ſhould be, unto which his God hath called him; upon his worke, which he doth with more Delight than to receive his wages. Now he would not doubt but that the good Spirit to Whome he hath committed himſelfe and his worke, will carry him through it both in praying and preaching. And now, for now we are cloſeing the point, notwithſtanding the ſickneſſe of his memory, and many other his infirmities, who knowes how many? yet he knowes Whome he hath truſted, and upon Whoſe ſcore, and that He is able to leade him unto his worke, and to carry him through his worke▪ nor dares he for his life take a dead letter* (ſuch a thing is the Lords prayer, as uttered by Man, as dead as other letters he reades in the ſame Chapter) he will not, we were ſaying take a dead letter to helpe the living Spirit. Theſe are our thoughts of this matter.
Fourthly, We have heard in the Laſt place, this alledged for the ſaying the Lord's prayer at the end of their owne prayer; our prayers are very imperfect, we all know, and God may neglect them; therefore wee adde the Lords prayer to the end of our's, that perfect and compleate prayer which the Father will not neglect.
We replie, Granting as before, that the prayers of the beſt men are but imperfect, as themſelves are, very imperfect things. Prayer is a mixed or Compounded Dutie, for though it be wrought within by the Spirit of God, before it be put-out by the tongue, yet fleſh hath much to doe in it, enough to defile it; and ſo the beſt prayer formed as we heard, paſſeth from us, as Wine through a Dunghill, therefore theſe can have no acceptance for the prayers ſake, nor for his ſake that prayeth: if that be all which makes for its acceptance, it will be neglected ſure enough; but for His ſake onelyonly, Whoſe buiſineſſe it is now in heaven to take away the Revel. 5.iniquity of our holy things, and to preſent our perſons and our ſervices pure and ſpotleſſe in His ſight; And, in ſpeciall, theſe prayers as the ſweeteſt odours in the Noſtrills of His Father; provided ſtill, that we loath this uncleanneſſe, that cleaves ſo faſt to our perſons and prayers, and put it away as a loathed thing; Now it ſhall doe us no hurt, nor hinder our prayers neither; for it is not what Corruption cleaves to us, but whether we cleave to it; not the having of it; for as ſure we have it, as it is ſure we have fleſh: but it is the Loveing of it. No more ſin is imputed by God, than is ſeene and allowed by us. So then it is granted, That Prayers are very imperfect, they receive a tincture of uncleanneſſe, which cleaves to the ſpirit and mind of a man, though renewed, that are ſubſervient and inſtrumentall in this praying worke; they are ſimple duties, that are ſo good, that none but the good can doe them, and they cannot doe them ill, we meane, not ſinfully, though imperfectly, as to love God, to feare Him, to truſt Him, to rejoyce, yea to glory in Him, having choſen Him for their portion, and ſet their hearts upon Him.
To put a cloſe to this alſo. Will the adding that perfect prayer to the end of yours, make any thing at all towards the takeing away the uncleanneſſe of your prayers? or helpe at all againſt the imperfection thereof? We take it, you muſt anſwer one way or other; It helps, or it doth not helpe: if you ſay it helpeth, how abſurd were your ſaying? you know, Who liveth ever to helpe at this worke, and all proud helpers together with Him ſhall ſtoop under Him; If you ſay the adding the Lords prayer to the end of yours, helpeth not, no, not at all, then you ſay all the Truth as to this matter; but withall we feare, you charge your ſelves with ſome folly, in adding that to your prayers, which profiteth not at all, being never intended for that end. We will conclude with this, It profiteth no more than doth dead fleſh profit a quickned and quicking ſpirit: So we come to make out the Negative, That it is not comely for a Godly Miniſter to adde the Lords prayer to the end of his owne.
SECT. II.
OUr Reaſons are theſe; Firſt, Their Lord commands them not ſo to doe; for if ſo, an abſurditie would follow; If their Lord hath commanded them ſo to doe, then ſ…li & ſemper, this is the onelyonly prayer they muſt ſay, and alwayes ſay; for the Command… of Chriſt muſt take place ſtill. It is this prayer and no other, and not at this time onelyonly, but at all times, When ye pray ſay. Thus we conceive it muſt be, and this were very abſurd and incongruous to common ſenſe and reaſon. The Commands of God in the old Teſtament, as to the Sacraments there, and other legall obſervations of places and of Dayes, they had their untill: untill the fullneſſe of time ſhall come, untill God be manifeſted in the fleſh, for theſe pointed unto Him, That was to come; …t the Commands of Chriſt now, as we conceive, bind us to their obſervation till His Comming in ſome glorious way, whether to reſtore His Church, Math: 17. 11. Acts 3. 21. or make her compleate in Glory, is too deepe for our ſhallowneſſe; But His commands bind us till His Comeing. Nothing ſhall be added to them or taken from them. See Hild: on Joh: 4. pag: 187.
Secondly, If their Lord commands them to ſay this prayer at the end of their owne, then the Godly Miniſters all over the Land, truely and indeed ſuch, could have no more omitted the ſaying of it, than they could forbeare to eate and drinke: for the Commands of Chriſt, all and every one doe come with as much force upon their Spirits, to doe thereafter, as Eating and drinking come upon them when their need is. For they have the ſame mind that is in Chriſt, they delight to doe His will, His Command, His Law is within their heart, the doing of it is their meat and drinke, (ſo ſaith the Spirit) now what an abſurd thing were this, for can it take with a Reaſonable man; That theſe words, when ye pray ſay (this prayer at the end of you…s) …or have not I commanded you? have they not My Stamp upon them? And yet ſcarce one Godly Miniſter among many doe or dare ſay it at the end of their owne. Certainly they would doe the Command of their Lord, boldly and conſtantly, and fervently too; though it ſhould put them to as much coſt the doeing of it, as is imaginable, yet they would doe it, Their Lord hath commanded it. This is the poin…, The Godly Min…ſter would doe it, he could not but doe it, were it commanded him of his Lord, when ye pray ſay. And it were abſurd to ſay or thinke the Contrary.
And which we muſt not forget, It were as abſurd to thinke, that any one Brutiſh Paſtour, amidſt the Droves and Herds of them, …ould ſay this prayer, ſuppoſe now, what they pretend▪ our Lord Commanded them ſo to ſay, when ye pray ſay; this prayer after your owne, for it hath My ſtamp of Command upon it, ſuppoſe it ſo to be, as they ſay, Then it were abſurd to thinke, they would ſay, as now they doe willingly and more, rejoyceingly, it being commanded them of God; for all the Commands of God, as was ſaid before, are an abomination to them: they abhorreChriſtmas day. pag. 18, 19. to doe them, as they Abhorre God▪ their heart ſtands in the greateſt oppoſition to the Commands of Chriſt; as doe the remoteſt extreames, Heaven and Hell. Theſe doe wickedly as they can, and cannot but doe it, fullfilling all the wills of the fleſh, and ſo they will doe, that's the voice of their nature; The Godly Man doth fooliſhly ſometimes, we meane ſinfully againſt the commands of his Lord, but not with full conſent of his will, he doth it▪ overtaken now, or ſurprized, or betrayed, but, oh! he would not doe it, that is the voice of Grace. The evill man in doeing God's commands, is as the good man in doeing the commands of the fleſh. The evill man does doe God's Commands ſometimes, he reades, and heares, and prayes, but as unwillingly all this, as Haman brought Mordecai on horſebacke through the ſtreets of the Citie, that he would not doe in good things, that doth he. The godly man ſometimes doth the Commands of the fleſh, which are moſt contrary to the Commands of Chriſt, but what He hates that doth he. This is the point, and ſo we have done, A Brutiſh Paſtour, and a brutiſh people are ſo farre from doeing the Commands of Chriſt, That they hate to doe it, with their whole heart, and with their whole ſoule; and it were abſurd to ſay or thinke the contrary. When ye pray, ſay (this prayer after your owne) The Lord Chriſt commands no ſuch thing, neither ever came it in His heart, for could we ſuppoſe, our Lord had commanded ſo to doe, The Paſtour after Gods owne heart had never omitted it; The Brutiſh one had never ſaid it, unleſſe as a Parret his chaire, he had not ſaid it like a Clarke, as now he ſayes it, nor done it ſo, as he doth the wills of the fleſh. This is the ſecond.
Thirdly, We would aske this Godly Miniſter, what good he finds by adding this prayer to the end of his own, which we would ſuppoſe was wrought in him, and out from him, by the Spirit of God. We know Cui bono? is the greateſt enquiry; and in this Caſe, what Spirituall advantage by ſo doing? what hath this advantaged the Spirit; God's Spirit, or his owne, renewed by the ſame Spirit? We paſſe this, leaving it upon his thoughts, having ſpoken ſo much thereunto before; onelyonly this we would adde; It is, you know, a ſure ſaying, That every act of Grace, extends grace in the heart of a Diſciple; as every act of ſin, extends ſin in the ſinner; for grace, as corruption, gaines by acting; Now it is left upon your thoughts, whether you have found grace hath been extended in your heart, by the addition of this prayer to the end of your owne?
Fourthly, What good doth he doe by repeating this prayer, or what advantage is it to his hearers? Certainly a Godly Miniſter ſhould looke to that, whereby he may profit his people. The Preacher was wiſe; and how did he evidence his wiſdome? He Eccleſ. 12. 9.ſtill taught the people knowledge, yea he gave good heed, and ſought out: he would not ſpeake a word ſure but to profit, and the building up of his people. Two great workes he is continually verſed and exerciſed in, being charged upon him, praying and preaching, Acts 6. ….and how ſtudiouſly carefull is he, being the peoples mouth to God, and God's mouth to the people, that not one word paſſe from his mouth, which makes not for the good of his people, and for the clearing of his account at the great Day. He remembers well before Whome he is, and to Whome he ſpeakes in prayer, and from Whome he ſpeakes in preaching. And he conſiders, as he can the infinite diſtance betwixt Majeſtie and Nothing; and now how fixedly doth he looke to Him who is the Middle perſon, and having laid His hand upon Both, ſtands as a ſcreen, betwixt everlaſting Burning, and this peice of dried ſtubble, as in it ſelfe conſidered: and ſo rolling himſelfe upon This one Mediatour, and caſting himſelfe into the hands of His Spirit; and truſting in His ſupply, he falls to his worke, and now what advantage hath hee, or have his hearers by addition of this prayer? that is the Queſtion, and the anſwer thereunto, you muſt make unto your God; onelyonly this which we have heard, we will ſay more, which you know is a Miniſters Motto, or ſhould be, Nuſquam doceo, ubi non moveo: Nuſquam moveo ubi non doceo, I never teach ſavingly, where I doe not move or ſtirre feelingly; that is praevailingly: nor doe I ever ſo move, where I doe not ſo teach, ſo we leave this upon your thoughts, and proceed to one Reaſon more.
Fifthly, To our ſeeming, it is a very ſinfull doeing to adde this prayer to the end of our owne, and this upon a threefold account.
Firſt, You glad the hearts of them that ſhould not be gladded, the wicked we meane; if yon have not heard it ſaid by them, we have once and againe, What a Brave Miniſter have we to day? Why? he ſaid the Lords prayer twice to day (and oh how ſweetly did he ſay it!) and that was all they obſerved; for the addition of that prayer, rendred him ſo gracious in their eyes, and his Sermon ſo ſweet. Certainly we muſt not glad the hearts of wicked ones, for then we glad That Wicked-One.
Secondly, Ye muſt not make the wicked Blaſpheme in Calling God, Father; and Chriſt accurſed; but this they will doe in ſpight of your heart; for they and they onelyonly will ſay it after you, and if they ſhould be aſleep, as Commonly they are, all the time of your praying, yet they will awaken at this prayer, or if, while you are running it over with the ſpeed of a good Clark, they ſhould chance to nod at the firſt or ſecond Petition, yet they will be perfectly awaked at that ſignall Concluſion, AMEN—But wee forbeare—for Nemo libentèr moratur in aſperis.
Thirdly, Yee ſad them, whome the Lord would not have ſadded, yee ſad the hearts, we thinke, of all the truly Godly there; They cannot endure to heare the Name of God prophaned, That ſweeteſt Name, Father, Blaſphemed; their onelyonly Lord, called accurſed; They cannot endure it, it is more greivous to them to heare this within the meeting place, than ſee their filthy Converſation without We tell you againe; The Truely Godly cannot endure to heare this, they can with much more patience heare their Earthly father abuſed, &c. But their heavenly Father, Who loved them, and Gave His Son unto them; and them unto His Son: and this Son of God, Who, taking their nature, hath redeemed their Soules from all adverſitie, waſhing them in His owne blood; we were ſaying, they cannot endure to heare their Father Blaſphemed. nor their Lord called accurſed; nor that Signall Word, Amen—ecchoed forth by perſons little better than Quakers and Ranters; damnable Hereticks; wicked and ſinners before the Lord exceedingly. But wee have done: Theſe are our Reaſons, why a Godly Miniſter may not adde the Lord s prayer to th' end of his owne. OnelyOnly you will remember here what an Excellent Man ſaid; It is Better to occaſion wrath in the Bad, than greife in the Good.