der how the Spirit is thus ftinted, and whether it be inconfiftent with the Nature or with the Ends of Prayer to have it thus ftinted; and because we cannot better judge. of this Matter than by taking the feaft Part of a Prayer, and confidering how the Spirit is ftinted in it, if it be a Part of a Form of Prayer, we will take one fingle Petition N for Inftance, Forgive us our Trefpafses; or because that Petition includes a great many Particulars in it, we will fuppofe that a Man asks Forgiveness of one Kind of Sin, and his Confcience being wounded with but one Act of this Kind, he asks Forgivenefs of that in his private Prayer, and this in a few Words, which are either lodged in his Memory, or written before him in a Paper, that is, in a fhort Form of Words; what is the Objection against this? that his Spirit is ftinted by this Form of Words for the Objection muft lie moft ftrongly against one particular Petition, if it hath any Strength at all, becaufe one Petition ftints the Spirit more than a great many Petitions. But if this be an Objection, let us fee whether it doth not lie againft all Prayer whatsoever. Suppofe then it comes in in an extemporary Prayer, is not the Spirit of a Man ftinted to that Petition while he makes it, as much as if he had used a Form? The Matter it felf confines him for the Time, and it cannot be otherwife, unless it

be

be neceffary for the Goodness of Prayer to wander from the Purpose. But on the other hand it is neceffary that his Invention should not be at work for other Matter, if he attends to this fingle Petition as he ought to do. This Petition ought to be urged with all his Affection, and his Affection is so much the more intenfe while it is confined to this Petition; as the Stream hath a ftronger Motion while it is put in a narrow Place, than where it runs in a broader Channel; and the Mind that is intenfely concerned about one thing, is more vehemently moved than when the Force of it is diverted from one thing by another; fo that, for ought I can fee, Prayer cannot be without ftinting the Spirit, that is, Prayer which is devout and effectual; and he whofe Spirit is not thus ftinted in every Petition of extemporary Prayer, doth not pray as he ought to do. And now what is the ftinting or ftraitning of the Spirit, which is caufed by the Ufe of good Forms of Prayer? It is no more than the confining a Man's Affections to the Defire of fuch Things as he asks, and this in a Form of Words; but whether there was this Form of Words or Matter or not, the Matter mult fint his Spirit, and therefore the Advantage fhould be on the Side of Forms, because they ferve beft to confine his Affections to the Matter, fince they will

not

not fuffer them to wander after the Invention of Words.

2. It is faid also that Mens Spiritual Gifts for the Performance of Prayer, which fhould be exercised and employed in Prayer, are laid aside and rendred useless, do decay and are loft by the Ufe of Forms; which Pretence fuppofes that it is one of the Gifts of the Spirit to be able to pray extempore: To which I fay, that this Ability may be faid indeed to come from God, as the Attainment of Logick or Oratory, or any other Human Accomplishment, which may be ufed in God's Service; but that it is one of the Gifts of the Spirit promised to all good Chriftians in the Gospel, must be denied, and few will fay that it is; and if this be not faid, nothing is faid, when Men pretend that the Ufe of Forms impairs the Spiritual Gift of Praying. Sometimes God has been pleased in his Wisdom to confer extraordinary and fupernatural Gifts upon wicked Men amongst others for particular Ends and Services, but our Saviour's Promife of the Holy Ghoft, and the Promise of the Spirit under the Gofpel, were made only to good Men: accordingly the Gifts that were beftowed upon the primitive Chriftians, for the Confirmation of Christianity, and the Edification of the Church, were ftill bestowed upon holy Perfons, and therefore the Apostle exhorts them, I Theff. 5.

19. not to quench the Spirit (i. e.) by no unchristian Temper or Action to abate the Influences of the holy Spirit upon them, which implies, that thofe Gifts of the Spirit would be loft by wicked Perfons. But as for this Ability of praying extempore, it is common to the Good and Bad, it hath been attained (to Admiration) by most unclean and wicked Perfons, which (to fay no more) fhews that it depends upon natural Parts and frequent Ufe, but is no more a Gift of the Spirit, than Volubility of Tongue, Memory, and the Knack of talking without Book to the People; and therefore when any say that we fpeak against extemporary Prayers because we have not the Spirit of God to pray as they do, they fhould remember how easy it were to confute them by the Examples of fome fcandalous Wretches, that have inveigled the People after them by a mighty fhew of this pretended Gift; and then moreover this we are to know, that Pretenders to be fpiritually gifted in this Thing may in the Fluency of extemporary Prayer be equalled, if not excelled and outdone, by many of those who make no fuch great Matter of it, and are far from believing or owning it to be a Gift of the Spirit at all.

The third and last popular Pretence is this, that People are not fo affected with fet Forms of Prayer as with Variety of pray

ing, and for this Experience is commonly appealed to (i. e.) Men appeal for this to their own Followers and Party; to which we must answer by appealing to all good People of our Communion, who seem to others to be affected with the Prayers of this Church, and would be believed that they are fo; and therefore in this Cafe the Queftion is, Who are to be believed? And if both are to be believed, there is another Question, Whofe Affections are moft Chriftian, and moft fuitable to the Duty of Prayer, and beft pleafing to God, theirs who cannot be affected but by extemporary Prayers, or theirs who are at least equally moved by the Ufe of Forms?

For the determining of which Question we ought to confider what it is that can or ought to move the pious Affections of Chriftians in the Ufe of good Forms of Prayer, and then what is there more in extemporary Prayers to move their Affections, who are dull and unconcerned when a Form of Prayer is used.

In offering our Devotions to God according to a fet Form, there are these Things to engage our Affections.

1. There is the Confideration of the great Majefty of God, to whom we fpeak, whofe Mercy we implore, whofe Goodness we adore, whofe infinite Perfections, whofe infinite Wisdom and Power we acknowledge. 2. There