2. The offering them up with a proper Attention of Mind, and Fervency.

3. With a fuitable Behaviour of Body.

1. The firft Thing to be confidered is, the Prayers themselves. For, if when we approach the Throne of an earthly Prince, or attend the Levies of a prime Minifter, or a more private Friend, with a Petition, we take care that it be drawn up in the most refpectful and handfome manner, both as to Subftance, Form, and Expreffion, surely, when we approach the Throne of the Great King of Heaven, the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, to humble ourselves before him for our many provoking Sins, to acknowledge his moft glorious Perfections, and most gracious Favours, and to fupplicate the Continuance of them, the utmoft Care fhould be taken that every Part of our Addreffes be the most proper, as to the Matter of them, difpofed into the beft Order, and clothed in the most decent and apt Terms. This is the Argument of the great Preacher at the 5th of Ecclefiaftes, ver. 2. Be not hafty with thy Mouth, and let not thine Heart be hafty to utter any thing before God, for God is in Heaven, and thou upon Earth. This awful Regard, in our Addref fes to the Divine Majefty, we have abundant Reafon, from Scripture, to imagine that God expects from us. Did he, himself, direct that the Houfe, in which he was to be worshipped, fhould be the moft ftately and magnificent that ever was built; that every Thing made ufe of in the publick Service fhould be rich and coft

ly,

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ly, in fome measure answerable to his glorious Majefty; that all the Sacrifices fhould be the most perfect in their Kinds, without Spot, or Blemish; that all the Perfons who had the Honour to wait at his Altar fhould be free from any perfonal Defects? And will he not require that the Addreffes of our Understanding and Heart fhould be as perfect as it is poffible for our Weakness to make them? Befides, the more perfect our Prayers are, the better fitted they are to have the proper Influence upon our Minds.

It

may be faid, that God, who fees the Heart, will accept of a good Intention, be our Prayers ever fo imperfect. But the Answer to this is fhort and easy. It is impoffible that there fhould be a right good Intention, unless we pray in the best Manner that we can. I am speaking of stated Prayers, at fet Times, whether in the Clofet, or in publick, not of occafional Ejaculations, or fuch circumftantial Additions as may be neceffary to be made in our private Prayers where there was no Opportunity for Premeditation. I will illuftrate this Matter by the Inftance just mentioned. If an ignorant illiterate Subject should have a fudden Occasion to speak to his Prince, the Prince, if he were a wife and good Man, would certainly hear him with Patience and Candor, and make juft Allowances for the Incapacity of the Perfon, and the Imperfections of his Speech; but if he knew beforehand, that at fuch a fet Time it was expected that he should offer an Addrefs, and had an Opportunity of getting the Affiftance of fome fenL 2 fible

fible difcreet Friend to draw it up for him in a decent Manner, and yet would offer up a low, nonfenfical Piece of Stuff of his own penning, his Majefty would look upon fuch a difrefpectful Application as an Affront, and reject his Petition with Contempt and Indignation. So, likewise, we may have fudden Occafions of fpeaking to God, and in all fuch Cafes he will most affuredly accept of the most imperfect Prayers, provided we exprefs ourselves in the best Manner that we can; but if we should rafhly prefume to addrefs God extempore, when we have Time and Opportunity to confider beforehand, and to have our Prayers drawn up in a much better Manner, more fuitably to the high Dignity of God's Nature, and the Meannefs and Vilenefs of ours, is there not all imaginable Reafon to conclude that he would think himself very rudely treated, inftead of being honoured. Now, let us apply this plain State of the Cafe to our private and publick Prayers. The main Substance of our Morning and Evening Prayers in our Closet, are of fo general a Nature, that the fame Form may be used conftantly, and confequently it may be drawn up with the utmoft Care; fo that the most illiterate and ignorant People have the Opportunity, not only of Premeditation, but of the Affiftance of others; and therefore are inexcufable if they trust to their own Capacity, and still more culpable if they truft to their extempory· Conceptions. In publick, whether in a Family,

*

or

* Dr. Watts, at P. 70 of his Book on Prayer, fays, "We "fhould feck to be furnished with a Variety of Expreffion, that

or at Church, there is the fame Opportunity, and the fame Reason, for Premeditation, as in our private Prayers, fince no Man, let his Abilities be ever fo great, can at all Times, if at any Time, pray fo fully and accurately if he prays extempore, as if he ufes Premeditation; for which Reafon Dr. Watts ftrongly recommends it to his Brethren; and as far as Prayers are premeditated, they are fo far a Form of Prayer to him that prays; and all PUBLICK Prayers, whether they be premeditated, or conceived extempore, muft, in the Nature of Things, be a Form to the Congregation; and the Teacher impofes the Ufe of it upon them as much as the establish'd Church imposes the Ufe of the Liturgy upon us. I hope the Diffenters will not take Offence where there is none intended, or any juft Occafion given: I must endeavour to do Juftice to my Subject,

"our Prayers may always have fomething new, and fomething "entertaining in them." This is a moft extraordinary Paffage, and I was greatly surprised to find it in fo ferious a Writer. Are People to attend publick Worship as they frequent Plays, for Amusement? Are our Paffions to be raised by the Sound of Words, and by having our Imaginations play'd upon, or by the Alteration of the Understanding to the Nature of the Object, and the Subject Matter of our Prayers? If God be every Day the fame, and the Subject Matter of our Prayers, in the main, the fame, why may we not every Day ufe the fame Set of Words? His Reafon is this, because, That is apt to make us formal and dull. Then we muft take the more Care; and, if we beg the Affiftance of the Spirit, he can, and will, as effectually affift our Attention and Devotion in the Ufe of the fame Set of Words, as in the Ufe of new and entertaining Phrafes. Nay, the Understanding can more readily attend to the Sense of the fame Set of Words, than to new ones, where the Ear is conftantly attending to new Sounds, and the Fancy to new Images. There is one fundamental Error that leads them into all the reft, viz. That bearing a Perfon pray, and being affected by what they hear, is praying. -No fuch Thing.

.

but I mean to do it as inoffenfively as poffibly I can; and, as to the Argument, I will as freely retract what I cannot defend, as I now advance it. To go on, therefore, to fpeak my Mind freely. I have in a former Chapter fhewn, from the Nature of Prayer, that it is impoffible for a Congregation to join in Prayer with a Perfon that ufes a Prayer of which they knew nothing beforehand, any farther, than by giving their Affent to it by faying Amen at the Conclufion of it. Neither, indeed, do I see how that can be fafely done, without a Perfuafion that the Perfon prays by Infpiration. For, faying Amen to a Prayer, is declaring their Approbation of the whole and every Part of it, whereas they had not Time to confider and weigh every Part fo fully as will warrant fuch an abfolute Affent. But, at present, I wave these Points. I am now fpeaking about Forms of Prayer, and I repeat it again, that all publick Prayer must be a Form of Prayer to the Congregation. If the Congregation be under the Neceffity of ufing a Prayer, the Ufe of that Prayer is impofed upon them, and they are under an abfolute Neceffity of ufing that or none; and if they be under the Neceffity of ufing it without the Liberty of varying from any Part of it, it is a Form to them. If not, I fhould be much obliged to any one that would be at the trouble of teaching me what a Form of Prayer is. Now if this be a true State of the Cafe, (as it most certainly is) we have brought the Matter to this fingle Question, viz. Whether the Diffenters may not as fafely ufe a Form drawn up by a Committee

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