I Have often heard the Complaints and they are just, of many truly Pious and holy men, that some Mi­nisters do in a very irreverent man­ner mang [...] the Churches Service in the reading it, and use Prayers of their own in publick, in such a cant­ing way, that some good Christian people have been forced to rise from their knees in the midst of them, lest they should be thought to say Amen to them. Their pretence for the first is, that their Breath (poor infirm men) is not able to hold out to the end of the Litany, and yet they give you full measure in their own prayers (which it seems are a kind of Balsom to their Lungs) both before and after Sermon. I deny not but that this and the reproaches of those of the Romish perswasion, have given occasion to this Discourse concerning Set [Page 2]Forms of Prayer, for which we have by Christs example, a very fair Samplar and Copy; and accordingly most Christian Churches have had their framed Liturgies, and among the rest, our Church embraced that way: What success others have had with theirs, it is not for me to search into, but this of ours have had some great and pious Admirers of her Publick and Authorized De­votions, which were excellently composed as ever any; some of the Compilers of them having been holy Mar­tyrs, who shed their blood for the Testimony of the Truth. Yet all this have not staved off some open op­posers and enemies, nor others who by slyness, subtil­ties and cunningness, have sought to lessen the credit of these Publick Prayers. A principal one was to intro­duce a prayer of our own when we step into the Pulpit, when most of the Service is performed.

I am sure I can say this, I find no disposition in my self to cross any Learned or Holy mens Judgements, nor any practice of any in the Church, which can pro­duce Piety for the first [...] of it. But if this hath pre­vailed upon us with much prejudice to real piety, to the undermining (though with never so fair pretences and plausibleness) the sacred Liturgy and publick Service, I must have leave at least to shew my Reasons, why it is one of those things that are to be reformed, and men brought into a more sober temper then yet to keep up this practice.

I take it for granted that the first framers of our Li­turgy did think that they had made so compleat a Form of Prayer for Publick Worship, that as they then little expected cavils and disputes to that sullenness, which they have since risen to, ever to have appeared; so [Page 3]they did not once imagine that men that were willing to acknowledge this excellency in the Prayers, or that would seem to set so great a value upon their pains in hammering out so accomplished a Form for us, would ever bewray so great weakness, or wedd so much po­pularity in siding with froward men, as to do any act in publick, which may with the greatest violence and force imaginable, destroy the Reverence and esteem they intended should perpetually accrue to our Solemn Liturgy. I hope I need not make any defence for this Discourse: yet some men may be ready to think, or at least be willing that others of weaker understanding may imagine that this is but an envious eye in my self to other mens Gifts in Prayer, and so stain this Dis­course as an enemy to all good Ejaculations. I thank God I know what we get by wrastling with God in Prayer, even in such Prayers where our tongue is silent, and our thoughts only employed: In private and in our closet let men take what liberty they please; but in an Age when some mens whole business is to decry the Liturgy, to read it as if they minded it not, and use it only to set a keener edge upon their own prayers, I shall think it worth my pains to prove

First, That it never was, nor could be the intention of the Framers of our Liturgy, nor of the Authority by which they acted, to suffer our own effusions in Publick, which are no other then Rivals to the Churches Prayers in the peoples affections.

Secondly, That such Prayers were first introduced by notorious disaffected persons, though through cu­stom perhaps other more seeming friends to the Churches order have taken them up too, somewhat [Page 4]unwarily, not foreseeing the drift and cunning of those men that had designs by degrees either to wear out the Churches Prayers, or to affront them.

Thirdly, That such prayers are scandalous.

Fourthly, That they are enemies to higher Piety, and more solid Devotion.

First, That it could never be the Churches intention; the Laws, Injunctions, Canon and Antient practice are express: And reason will carry it that the Church would not have a hand any way to set up a Rival to out-brave her Prayers, which our own inventions seem to do. It were strange that when all other sacred Offices, Sacraments, Marriages, Burials, Visitation of the sick, even to the Churching of Women, were carefully provided for by fixed Forms, that only Ser­mons must be served in, not with ordinary Prayer, but with effusions of our own; though they have not the Churches License nor Pass for their beggings or cra­vings. All her other care I should think were to little purpose, should the Pulpit be left open to let in these looser, and it may be, enthusiastical prayers, and that so soon as ever we were got into that inclosure; as if we were stept into some Fairy ground, (for we are al­tered in our faces, countenances, postures and language) we might use charms and spels (for many of our un­authorized Forms are very like them) of which possibly pride or popularity may be the mother. Which leads me to my second head, That these Prayers were first in­troduced, by notorious disaffected persons, wilfull, stub­born and refractory to order.

I confess I must go very high and somewhat before our times, and yet in the memory of some still living, [Page 5]the first with us that was thus bold to vent his own effu­sions in publick was M^r Cartwright, S^t Maries in Cambridge. a man of fame and note, but yet not altogether for Learning, but singu­larities too; after he had set up this standard to Faction, he was soon followed by a train of others, and so this unlicensed prayer spread it self; so pernicious is any evil example that flows from us. And what dammage, in­juries, affronts and indignities they have done to this Church and the Government thereof, I had rather in secret lament, then publickly express.

Thirdly, They are scandalous. And indeed they amount to as much, as I have stated them; for they seem to me so insolently to bear up to the Churches Prayers, in a manner confronting, mending, correcting as it were, supplying their poverty, driness forsooth, deficiencies and wants in expression, that I cannot whol­ly excuse them from it. You know whom we accuse for their Latine Mass, and Service in an unknown Tongue: And truly when I implicitly tye my self to all my measures of outward Devotion, by bended knees, with hands and eyes lifted up to pray whatsoever shall be suggested to me by anothers arbitrary fancy in his effusions, is to pray I know not what, which deserves as great a brand of sottish and superstitious devotion, as the other. I do not desire to aggravate this beyond its just measure, and indeed that will be enough; you must remember I suppose the Law on my side, against which this seems to me to be a transgression, and then I may confidently declare this practice against the sa­credness of Laws to be scandalous. Nor am I deterd from giving it so formidable a title of Scandal, for we all know even sacred Duties themselves, if otherwise [Page 6]managed then they ought to be, become scandalous. What sacred Duty is now with more veneration lookt upon then Sermons? Yet have not Sedition some­times stuft and swell'd them? And surely then they must not take it amiss, if we ascribe to them that odious title of Scandalous. If Prayer shall be con­fined and restrained by Laws, as I suppose ours in Publick are, (or else my structure wholly fals) surely our Prayers that shall step out of those bounds and limits, become scandalous too; that is, they do give offence to that Authority that enacts them, they then too cannot but so farre break that peace which makes our daies calm, the Church to flourish, the Crown to sit sure upon our Sovereigns Head, that he that shall indanger all these by inventions of his own, so needlesly as they do, must not blame me if these practises cannot so cleanly wipe off the name and badge of Scandall. I know nothing that I could not sacrifice to take off Scandall from the Church, much more any fine inventions of mine own. And is not this Scandall such an one that the Church of Rome hath more then once taken notice of? Neither am I moved at all, when I am told that some of these Prayers are very piously composed, the better if they be so, but that is the Priests worth, not the Churches care. I am not to seek for lesser scandals that every day appear from that arbitrary way of pray­er, which walks at random and requires elbow room, sober mens observations cannot miss them, and every ordinary eye and hand can point at them: I may be less curious to urge other reasons why they are scan­dalous, having named this grand one which will ever [Page 7]stand unshaken though never so many zealous oppo­sers may offer their service to assert the contrary. Yet because I may be thought to dismiss this Argu­ment with some timorousness and shiness, least I should be gravelled in it, should I not stop here; therefore consider further, That Prayer that concerns the whole Catholick Church (as sure she is alwaies to have a designed and particular place in our publick Ser­vice) though she will never be so coy and squemish, as to refuse any private peoples, much less the Priests Prayers, who is dedicated and consecrated to God for holy Ministrations; yet her wants and necessities may be so great, her distresses and anguishes so intricate and dangerous, her fears (though built upon a Rock, a­gainst which the gates of hell shall not prevail) so numerous and perplexed, by force and cunning too of enemies, that she cannot trust to the skill and arts of any private Priest to transact by way of agency or consulship for her, who though never so able, may mistake or misrepresent to Almighty God for the people in their daily sacrifice; but a whole National Church that hath her eyes every where, that can best descry all these, to whom nothing can be concealed or shadowed that can vex her to extremities, she safely relies upon to preferre her suits and desires. She then believes her work is well done with all the becoming graces and circumspection that her wisdom can think of, when the Priest shall have the recite­ing of such Prayers in her Solemnities as are autho­rized under the seal of her Office. The result of all is this; The Church cannot without an imputation of levity, weakness and supiness (a scandal which she [Page 8]is neither willing to give nor suffer from others) do less for her own security or credit, then to see that her exigencies be commended to the Throne of Grace in her Assemblies not lightly or perfunctorily, but with all gravity and soberness, with all the exactness in the most lively colours that can be delineating her own sadnesses or exultancies, her sorrows and joyes, her beauty or her sitting in ashes, without that con­stancy, steadiness and care never to give way to any that may possibly with wanton invention dress the publick Devotion, or carelesly vent in the ears of Almighty God fancies in stead of solid Prayers, Scandal cannot but break in, which (although many mens preciseness will not understand) if it does (as most certainly it does) to some height, I had al­most said to impiety or prophaneness: Who must an­swer for it? Who will be to seek a cure for the irremediableness of it, when it is too late? Who will suffer the ignominy and scorn that upon that account will be put upon her by adversaries for so many offences, and meerly to purchase an empty ti­tle of a good nature that leaves her Priests and Mini­sters to all freedom, either in exercising their gifts, or connivance at least at their private Forms (an inclo­sure we please our selves in) which when we have done to the full, there is left so much froth and scum upon her face, as nothing but sighs, fastings, and other austerities of holy men can wipe them off.

I am ingaged in an Argument very unplausible, and little popular, yet I must proceed to make good another particular, and it will appear that these su­pernumerary [Page 9]and auxiliary prayers which seem to me to mutiny against Order, are so farre from advancing real Devotion and a holy Worship (as is pretended they do) that they rather obstruct the most solemn Devotion in Prayer, and draw Christian peoples mindes from it, and feed them with empty husks of Prayer. I know they have assumed to themselves (either out of the pride of the Composers and vent­ers of them, or out of the vanity or levity of ad­mirers) the name of powerfull Prayer, and this in an opposition to the Prayers of the Church, which is more intolerable the less they are able to make out that vain-glorious title of powerfull Prayer: Why powerfull? Is it because God accepts them better? and they sooner pierce the Almighties ears? Indeed they are ordinarily spoken with much oftentation of zeal to set them off: Or is it because they prevail with God soonest and with an irresistible force in them can have no denial? Do they find that what­soever they petition for, comes down like Manna from heaven, that they have abundancy and suffici­ency? Surely neither of Graces nor temporal Bles­sings. No man takes less delight then my self in objecting crimes to others; I wish them all the Gra­ces that the holy Spirit can sanctifie them with, and make them precious Saints in the eyes of God. But truly I must not make my self blind to do them a civility. The Graces that they are to pray for are Humility, Self-denial, and yet some think that these are seldom mentioned by them in their addresses. I will not charge them so home, I shall rather think some other string is out of tune that they obtain not [Page 10]these Graces which they seemingly crave, (for these Graces are not very eminently seen in them) but in stead thereof, Pride, Envy, Hatred, Malice, Uncha­ritableness, Schism, and Disobedience. What does God accept them soonest? Have they had no dis­appointments, no defeatures? If they cast up their accounts, very often. And it is well for this State they had. Had the powerfulness of some of their prayers workt with God, I doubt whether the King had had a Crown to sit upon his Head, or the Church that Peace, Unity, Truth, and Beauty she now enjoys.

But I must follow my Argument closer, and yet will walk so warily, as he must be very unmeasurably moody and touchy that shall raise cavil or sinister in­terpretation: I am to maintain that new modelled prayers which start up in the Church, for any thing I know, without her Authority to grace them, not spun out of her fine wool, are so course, so loosly knitt, and with so many stitches in them faln, that though they are weak (for I do not assert this out of any opinion I have of the excellency of them, not any way equal to the Churches Collects and Lita­nies, which steady and wise people will alwaies keep a just veneration for) yet through vanity and levity of many people of another grain, heady, inconstant, impatient of any thing prescribed, these prayers con­duce much to the fomenting as it were a Worship distinct and apart from what is authorized by [...]he Church, they contribute to the dangerous supplanting of, and heaving (as it were) at them, and serve to little other purposes, then to work in people some [Page 11]strange giddiness, after which they scarce ever reco­ver sound mindes or affections to sober and authori­zed Prayers, or reconcile themselves to solid Devoti­on, but have certain qualms and ill digestion of holy Service, orderly Ministrations or Decencies of Religion. I might instance in one for all; To the holy Sacra­ment of the Lords Supper how is Devotion decay­ed? How rarely and by few frequented? It is hard to give any other reason then the prejudice they have taken at the Solemnity and Rites of it; perhaps were it celebrated as some of our Sermons are usher'd in with a fine prayer of our own, and we not tied up to the Churches Laws in the Ministration of it, it might pass with us for a tolerable Ordinance at the least, seeing Christ himself instituted it. This gap have these prayers opened to the peoples cravings, longings and lustings, to the great diminution of re­gular Devotions, and little frequentation of this bles­sed Sacrament; which perhaps, had not these prece­dents and examples been given, might have had still in the Church the same Veneration which the Pri­mitive time gave to it, and men had not been so guilty as now they are of wholly abstaining from it. The neglect of which upon these grounds, it is no wonder if people that have taken offence and pett at the Churches Prayers, seduced and debauched with extravagant, rather then with any excellent or fixed Forms, in an angry mood wholly please themselves with such wilde, uncouth and fiery Devotions, which puts them into these distempers that they lose all fixedness in Religion, scarce owning any thing as sa­cred, and with a scornfull eye looking upon those [Page 12]Duties either to God or man, which they had learn'd from the Prayers of the Church, and perhaps upon those Graces too, which they had learn'd of her to invocate God for, in their humble addresses. And when publick Devotion hath received this unworthy debasement and affront by such Prayers as she is no way Guardian of, nor Sponsor for, we may less mar­vell if men receive new Impressions from those Ori­sons they are zealous affecters of, and that their lives and conversations are not squared by her Doctrines or holy Instructions; that those Christian Graces, which she perpetually in her Litanies invocates the Divine Majesty for, her Members do wither and fade in them too, that austerities of life, mortification, sub­duing of lusts by Fasting, Abstinence and holy Dis­cipline are almost renounced by them, that new waies to heaven are thought upon, in which the Patriarks, Prophets, Apostles, Martyrs and Confessors never trod, such as the Primitive Church would have been amazed at and lamented with millions of tears; such as the Angels in heaven joy not in as manifestations or evidences of our Conversion, and whereof they cannot upon any promise that God hath made them, hope for any other reward then that of the hypo­crites. If these be the fruits of such Devotions as are not framed by that assistance wherewith the holy Ghost inables and qualifies Composers of holy Ser­vices in sacred Councels, Synods and Clergy Con­vocations, to enact and make Sanctions for, it is high time to take it at least into consideration, the wayes, means and instruments by which sovereign Piety, and wholsom Devotion is decayed, checkt, slighted and [Page 13]affronted, mens lives not governed or steered by ho­ly and primitive Precepts, and upon due examination we cannot but find that I have hinted a main pillar, support and advancer of them, which in all reason should keep us closer to the sole use in publick Ora­tories of such Rogations and Suffrages as have for their authentickness the Churches stamp and signa­ture. Now it will be unreasonably alleadged that Prayers may at the least claim the same priviledges, immunities and freedom that Sermons, upon which there is no restraint laid, nor are we tied up by words and syllables prescribed us here, we range at pleasure, and a larger forest is opened to us for our holy chase; we are no waies bounded, nor are we hindred in our walks with overgrown thickets, that is by Laws and Injuctions: We reprove, condemn or absolve whom we please, we comfort and pour oyl into what wounds we see good, we exhort to what Graces we think best; we threaten, menace judgements, not only temporal but eternal, as oft as they come in our thoughts; We promise heaven, eternal bliss, the Crown of Life; We dehort from sin and vice when we see our time; We fright with terrors, we refresh with gracious offers, we startle seared consciences, we lift up the sorrowfull and penitent when, where, and how we please: And this we do without words pre­scribed us, not chained to syllables, we take up, and let out, and spread our Nets as we list, our expres­sions are not coyned to our hand; And why this Liberty granted in one, and denied in the other? I could ask questions too, but I chuse rather to satis­fie other mens. I must deny that the Church hath [Page 14]set us no boundaries in our Sermons, yes she hath, and those so severe and strict, that besides our sub­scription to them required, she hath under no less penalties then Suspension from our holy Offices, and in case of refractoriness, non-resipiscence and contu­macy, deprivation of our Benefices, Profits, Emolu­ments, and any part of her sacred Patrimony. I de­ny that she hath not fenced, railed in, and hedged about both our Doctrine and Discipline so with Articles and Canons, that their boldness and insolen­cy is intolerable and very piacular; for it cannot be weakness, but a fastidious pride in any of her mem­bers, especially in the Priest, even in their judge­ment not willingly to assent to her, but to gainsay, contradict and thwart her in them is very sinfull and schismatical: And little less is it by popularity and softnesses, upon pretence of moderation: For to be more moderate then the Churches Precepts, is no o­ther then to think our selves wiser and more prudent then she, and to assume to our selves out of that vain affectation of the style of healing men (where­by we infinitely betray things sacred) a Mastership of Chancery of her Laws, is so derogatory to her chaste purity in establishing and compiling her Arti­cles, that it seems to me so impertinent a piece of gravity, so unseasonable a wisdomness this moderati­on (the Church having once declared her self) that though it doth not openly withdraw obedience, nor destroy her fences, yet it casts so much jealousie and suspition upon her, (as if all were not right) it ex­poseth her to unworthy aspersions, as if she had tied us by her tyranny over mens consciences, either to [Page 15]some Errors, or at least unnecessary Tenets and un­commanded practises. It is evident then enough that Sermons are not left so arbitrary but that the Church exacts and requires an account of us what we Preach, her resolutions are our Rule, if we vary from them, we are liable to and provoke her indignation, and incurre her Censures. If we wander and stray either from those grand Truths which she holds out to us, and we are to adhere to in her Confessions of Faith, and Articles of Religion, (which she hath with great Judgement, Piety, and Deliberation determi­ned) or else if we out of wantonness or peevishness rather step aside from her other causeys and walks which she hath paved for us, in vilifying or reproach­ing her Hierarchy or Discipline, we do find that she bears not the spiritual Sword in vain, but that our boldnesses, singularities and fancies are controulable by her: our expressions, our ill framed notions, our popular compositions (which commonly are tuned and hammered out for itching and vulgar ears) are such crimes as she not only frowns upon, and knits her brow at, but shews so high a displeasure to, that nothing but publick Repentance, Humiliation, Sub­mission, Recantation (and perhaps not alwaies these) can make a full and satisfactory expiation for, but she proceeds to pious Severities, and authoritative Ana­thema's: To our Sermons these gentle confinements she appoints, they are as out-guards maintained upon her charge, yet upon our Parole that we keep no intelligence with the enemy, Hereticks or Schisma­ticks, nor betray her precious Verities. She denies us not our liberty, freedom in our walks, shades and [Page 16]Arbours, to please our selves in our own expressions, varieties and language, which she mints not for us any where but in Homilies (which if they were then framed when knowledge was less, sure humility was greater) yet even in these she pents us not up, if we had rather use our own Talent in Preaching. But if through pride or popularity we should abuse this trust in handling the Word of God deceitfully, in seek­ing our own not the things of Jesus Christ, she may even here tye us up shorter too, and prescribe to us her own Dialect, Sentences, Periods and Discourses, for the edifying Christs mystical Body, for the build­ing up of the Church in holiness and purity of life, whensoever she shall have cause to exercise this Re­gency over us. But in the mean while (which will answer the question proposed) why not in this Mi­nistration as well as in our Prayers she seems not to exercise the same strictness and circumspection, but gives us our freedom to expatiate, and a more ample Charter, it is no doubt that she is willing that the Priest, who's lips should preserve knowledge, may not be any way liable to the reproach of Laziness, as if he were set apart only for Offices that will cost him no pains, no watchings, no study, no care, no spending of his spirits, or oyl of Life in the Duties of his Fun­ction. She knows what murmurings and repinings and even envy too is raised not only against her oynt­ment (which in Judas his language is a wast) not only against her richer Revenew, the finer wooll that cloaths persons eminent both for Learning and Piety in Cathedral Churches, but even likewise that smal patrimony in Tithes which God hath given, and [Page 17]Offerings which Holy men have devoted to the sup­port of Gods Parochial Altars. Our of her wisdom, both to take off that envy of our plenty, mainte­nance and temporal enjoyments, and to stave off if possibly sacrilegious hunger, which people have to devour holy things, she sets us upon a Laborious work, Preaching, which winns us credit, love, repu­tation, and praises even from enemies, and somewhat allaies that envy that otherwise would attend our Function should we live wholly at ease, in softnesses and idleness, which would likewise expose us to vi­ciousness and many sins which might stain our holy Order, and vilifie the Dignity of it. This work of Preaching she intirely leaves to us; and I hope most do it with that Gravity, Seriousness and Obedience to the Christian Profession and her Laws, that wins them fame and honour here, and will purchase them a Crown of Glory hereafter. Though not all alike, either through ignorance or other deficiencies, many of us have too much exposed this ministration to such vile and contumelious reproaches as cannot be wiped off; yet she attends with patience and long suffering our reforming, and will not for the blemishes and defects of a few which cause people to erre, de­ny others the full displaying of their abilities and Graces with which they have so excellently dischar­ged that Duty, that they have only the curses and execrations of wicked men and Devils, but the thanks of converted sinners, and the applause of all Holy men, Saints and Angels. How willing she is that her Priests should be known to the world as shining lights, not only by purity of Conversation and ex­emplariness [Page 18]of life, but in their often and indefati­gable Labours, to the astonishing of people with their Arts and Eloquence, with the exquisiteness of their toyling, whereby sin is discountenanced, the works of the Devil abolished, and holiness advanced. To this work she gives us no other helping hand, then pointing us to Sea marks, her Articles, to avoid Rocks, Sands and Shelves. But in our publick Pray­er she is more reserved and severe, and upon the best grounds that any thing can be thought of, to esta­blish Uniformity, that all people though distinguished into several stations and Parochial Congregations, may serve God with the greatest reverence and deco­rum of Worship in their approaches to his Divine Majesty, she for all her Priests (not out of any de­sign to disgrace their abilities or parts, not out of any jealousie of their worth) wholly her self com­pleats in her own Language what she offers up to the Throne of Grace in her daily sacrifice, and out of that dread and awfulness wherewith she would have the solemnity of her services Consecrated to our heavenly King, she sets her seal to all her sacred Offices, mints her self our Orisons, not allowing no not her Priests their own inventions, or any mixtures of a meaner alloy (only for the consummating of her Rogations and Suffrages too, the Lords Prayer) upon any pretence of ush'ring in any Sermon or Le­cture upon which she is carefull in sundry scattered Peeces and Collects to crave a blessing both in her former and latter Service; And with this pureness of affection that our Prayers every where may be one and the same, that they may in one and the [Page 19]same combination (though from distinct Oratories) ascend up as one and the same Incense and Perfume in a blessed Union and Peaceableness, and this upon no less Warrant then from Christ himself, After this manner therefore pray ye.