Prayer.
IF I were a Minister, I should think my self most in my Office, reading of Prayers, and dispensing the Sacraments; and ’tis ill done to put one to officiate in the Church, whose Person is contem∣ptible out of it. Should a great Lady, that was invited to be a Gossip, in her place send her Kitchen-Maid, ’twould be ill taken; yet she is a Woman as well as she; let her send her Woman at least.
[You shall pray] is the right way, because according as the Church is set∣tled, no Man may make a Prayer in pu∣blick of his own Head.
’Tis not the Original Common∣prayer-book; why: shew me an original Bible, or an original Magna Charta.
Admit the Preacher prayes by the Spiris, yet that very Prayer is Common∣prayer to the People; they are ty’d as much to his Words, as in saying [Almigh∣ty and most merciful Father:] Is it then un∣lawful in the Minister, but not unlawful in the People?
There were some Mathematicians, that could with one fetch of their Pen make an exact Circle, and with the next touch, point out the Centre; is it there∣fore reasonable to banish all use of the Compasses? Set Forms are a pair of Compasses.
[God hath given gifts unto Men.] General Texts prove nothing: let him shew me John, William, or Thomas in the Text, and then I will believe him. If a Man hath a voluble Tongue, we say, he hath the gift of prayer. His gift is to pray long, that I see; but does he pray better?
We take care what we speak to Men, but to God we may say any thing.
The people must not think a thought towards God, but as their Pastours will put it into their Mouths: they will make right Sheep of us.
The English Priests would do that in English, which the Romish do in Latin, keep the people in Ignorance; but some of the people out do them at their own Game.
Prayer should be short, without giving God Almighty Reasons why he should grant this, or that; he knows best what is Good for us. If your Boy should ask you a Suit of Cloaths, and give you Reasons (otherwise he cannot wait upon you; he cannot go abroad but he will discredit you) would you endure it? you know it better than he, let him ask a Suit of Cloaths.
If a Servant that has been fed with good Beef, goes into that part of Eng∣land where Salmon is plenty, at first he is pleas’d with his Salmon, and despises his Beef, but after he has been there a while, he grows weary of his Salmon, and wishes for his good Beef again. We have a while been much taken with this praying by the Spirit, but in time we may grow weary of it, and wish for our Common-Prayer.
’Tis hop’d we may be cur’d of our extemporary Prayers, the same way the Grocer’s Boy is cur’d of his eating Plums, when we have had our Belly full of them.