where I may have Occafion to mention the Diffenters) but Justice to the Subject, and Charity to them, oblige me to declare plainly that, in my Opinion, it is abfolutely impoffible for any of the Diffenters, befides their Teachers, properly to pray in their Meetings, or in their Families; they only bear Prayers, in the very fame manner as they hear the Sermon. We, of the Church of England, having a Form of Prayer, the Congre gation may, if they please, make themfelves thoroughly acquainted with all the Parts of it, and knowing, beforehand, what the Minister is going to fay, they may accompany him all along, and while be pronounces the Words, they may, at the fame time, direct their Thoughts to God, and by that means make it their Prayer, as well as the Minifter's; and both theirs and his a joint Prayer; but, a Diffenting Teacher offers up a Prayer of his own private Conception, unknown, beforehand, to his Congregation; and, therefore, their Minds must conftantly be employed in attending to what he is going to say, and in judging of it; and, confequently, never can have time, themselves, to offer up to God, by the Direction of their own Minds, any Part of bis Prayer; much lefs can the Minister and the People offer up the fame Prayer, at the fame Time, because he muft actually have offer'd up every Part of it before they can tell what he will fay.

3. As this is a Matter of very great Importance, I shall conclude this Part with a joint Application to Church People and Dissenters. It is really

ftrange

ftrange that fo groundless a Conceit should ever enter into Mens Heads, as that bearing another pray should be praying. And yet, it is manifeft, from daily Experience, that the Generality of Mankind do think that they pray when they only hear another pray: Whereas (as I have obferved) unless I fpeak to God, myself; unless my own Soul difcourfes with him, I cannot be faid to pray. Suppofe, for inftance, I fhould be in a Room when two Perfons are difcourfing together, and should hear all that they said, but did not fay one Word myself; furely, nobody could: be fo fenfelefs as to imagine that I difcourfed with either of thofe Perfons to whom I did not utter one Syllable. Even fo, if I should be in a Church, or a Meeting-houfe, and hear the Minifter discourse with, or speak to God, that is, pray to him, either by a written Form, or a precompofed, or extemporary Prayer of the Minifter's own drawing up; I fay, I, myself, could not be. faid to pray, unless I directed thofe Thoughts to God which the Words expreffed. Whereas, alas! if People be prefent in a Place of publick Worship; if they feel themselves affected with the Subject-matter of the Prayer, with the Voice, or Delivery, of the Reader, or Speaker; if any of these things have fuggefted pious Sentiments, and excited pious Difpofitions, then they fanfy. that they have been praying, all that time, with great Devotion. But this is a mere Delufion; for, do but confider a little. I may be be very much affected with the bearing of a melancholy Story, and not speak that Story myself; and I do not

Speak

Speak it unless my Mind be directed to the Perfon to whom I would fpeak. I may be mov'd with a Man's Complaint of his own, or another Perfon's Misfortunes, and yet not make that Complaint, myself, and all the Actions of the other Party cannot be called mine, because I never made them fo, by speaking the Words, myself, either vocally, or mentally. Thus it is in the cafe of Prayer. I may be deeply touched by hearing the Minifter bewail his own, and other Mens Sins, and importunately beg for Mercy, and Forgiveness, and yet, not make his Confeffion mine, for want of that Direction of my own Mind, without which it cannot be Prayer, because it is not speaking to God, or difcourfing with him. I have taken the more Pains to make this effential Matter fo plain, because it has not been often explained, and is little underftood by common Readers.

4. But, the Cafe of the Papifts, with regard to their publick Prayers, is infinitely worse than that of our common Church People, or the Dif fenters from our established Worship. Indeed, I think I have proved very fairly that the Diffenters, not knowing beforehand what the Minister will fay in his Prayer, can never make his Prayer theirs while he is praying, much less make it jointly with him, and cannot properly be faid ever to pray, either in their Meetings, or in their Family Devotions; yet, they may edify by hearing their Minifter pray, juft as they may edify by his Sermons, or by reading a good Book. Their Judgments may be informed, their Paf

fions

fions excited, and fuch Impreffions left upon their Minds, as may be productive of good Fruits: But, it is impoffible for the illiterate People of the Romish Communion, either to join in their publick Prayers, or to be in the leaft edified by them, because they cannot understand them; neither can a Person who prays in a Tongue which he does not underftand, be, properly, faid to pray at all: For, as I have already proved, praying to any Perfon is, fpeaking to him, or converfing with him; but speaking to any Perfon, or converfing with him, is communicating, or expreffing, our Thoughts to him. But, what Ideas, what Thoughts, can any one have in his Mind when he speaks he does not know what? The Words may contain very proper Sentiments, but they cannot be his Sentiments, because they are, to him, No Sentiments at all, for want of understanding the Meaning of the Words which exprefs them. This, I am fure, was St. Paul's Opinion (1 Cor. xiv. 16.) " How, fays the Apo"ftle, fhall he that occupieth the Room of the "unlearned, (that is, how fhall the unlearned

Perfon, who does not know what thou speak"eft in a frange Language) fay Amen at thy giving of Thanks, feeing he understandeth "not what thou fayeft; for thou verily giveft. "Thanks well, but the other is not edified." And this he calls speaking into the Air; that is, to no purpose. Wherefore in the Opinion of this infpired Writer, a Man muft understand what is faid in Prayer, or he cannot make it his own Prayer by faying Amen to it. Neither is it pof

fible that fuch an Action as this, where neither the Understanding, nor the Affections; neither the Head, nor the Heart are concerned, should have any Effect towards anfwering any of the Ends of Prayer. From whence appears the grofs Corruption of the Latin Service of the Church of Rome. For, fuppofe that the Priest does understand what he fays, and confequently does truly pray; yet, he prays alone, and all the illiterate Part of the Congregation stand like Ideots, either hearing him fpeak, or speaking, themselves, fuch Words as they do not underftand a Syllable of; and, therefore do not pray at all: So that the great Chriftian Duty of worfhipping God in publick Affemblies, is rendered impracticable by the common People; God lofes his, Honour, and the poor deluded Wretches lofe the Opportunity of performing a most neceffary, and comfortable Service. We have, indeed, Reason to hope, and believe, that tho' they are fo unhappy as to lofe the prefent Advantages, and Satisfaction of discharging their Duty, their invincible Ignorance is excufable; but, for their Rulers, who introduced, and continue this infamous Corruption, the largest Charity can do no more than recommend them to the infiniteMercies of God. But, what infinite Reafon haye we, we of the CHURCH OF ENGLAND, more efpecially, to be thankful to God's Goodness, as for other Parts of the Reformation, so particularly for giving us the best Opportunity, and the best Means, of performing towards him the very beft, that is, the most reafonable Service;

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