it she may be protected in time of a danger ; Cant. i. 7 : 'Tell me, O thou whom my sonl loveth, where thou feedest, where thou makest thy flock to rest at noon? For why should I be as one that tm-neth aside by the flocks of thy companions V Fourthly, Because of the great delight he takes in the joint prayers and praises of his people. We need not detract from the excellency of private de- votions, to magnify the public prayers of the church ; both are necessaiy and highly pleasing to God ; yet it is no wrong to the private devotions of a parti- cular saint, to give the precedency to the public prayers of the church. God himself tells us, Psa. Ixxxvii. 2, he ' loveth the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.' No doubt the prayers which the faithful put up to heaven from under their private roofs were very acceptable unto him ; but if a saint's single voice in prayer be so sweet to God's ear, much more the church choir, his saints' prayers in concert together. A father is glad to see any one of his children, and makes him welcome when he visits him, but much more when they come together ; the greatest feast is when they all meet at his house. The public praises of the church are the emblem of heaven itself, where all the angels make but one concert. There is a wonderful prevalency in thejonit prayers of his people. When Peter was in prison, the church meets, and prays him out of his enemies' hands. A prince will grant a petition subscribed by the hands of a whole city, which may be he would not at the request of a private subject, and yet love him well too. There is an esjiecial promise made to public pi'ayer. Matt, xviii. 30 : ' Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.' He doth not say, I will, but, ' I am there ;' let them come as soon as they will, I am present by my special favour and grace, because this concord in prayer highly pleaseth me.
CHAPTER XLIII.
TWO QUESTIONS ABOUT PUBLIC PRAYER ANSWERED.
I SHALL now answer a question or two concerning public prayer.
Section I. — Whether it be lawful that the public prayers of the church be performed in a language not understood by the people ? All the officers of the church, and duties performed in its worship, are to be done unto edification : now, none can be edified by what he understands not, and therefore it must be a mocking of God and man, to babble such prayers in the church as the people understand not. ' If I pray,' saith the apostle, ' in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitfid,' 1 Cor. xiv. 14: he means the congregation are not the wiser for his understanding the prayer he puts up, except he could make them understand it also. We can no more be edified by another's intellect, than be saved by another's faith. When God intended to defeat that bold attempt of those sons of pride, who would need build a tower that should vie with the heaven for height, he did no more but confound their language, that they might not understand one another's speech ; and, when it was done, presently their work ceased : and as they covdd not build, so neither can he edify the people that understands not his speech in prayer. A dumb minister may serve the people's turn as well as he who by his speech is not understood by them. The minister's voice is necessary in his public administrations, to explain his meaning, not that God may hear, for he hears those prayers which the tongue is not emploj'ed to ex- press, but that the people may hear, and so join their votes with his to God. As the minister is to pray for them, so they are to pray with him, which they are to testify by their hearty ' Amen' at the close: but this they cannot do, if we believe St. Paul : ' How shall he that occupieth the room of the unlearned say Amen at thy giving of thanks, seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest ? ' 1 Cor. xiv. 16. 'The heart of the wise teacheth his mouth,' saith Solomon, Prov. xvi. 23 ; that is, he will not suff'er his tongue to run before his wit, but know what he shall speak before he sends his tongue on his errand. And surely, above all, wisdom is to be shewn in our prayers, wherein we speak not to man, but to God. To say 'Amen' to that prayer which we understand not, what is it but to ofl'er the sacrifice of fools ! Holy matter in prayer is the incense to be off'ered ; the tongue is the censer, but the affections of the devout soul bring the fire to the incense, before it can ascend as a sweet perfume into the nostrils
WITH ALL PRAYER AXD SL'Pi'LlCATIO:;. (397
of God. Now, if the intellect want liglit to understand what the matter of the prayer is, the affections must either he cold, or wild; and wild-fire is unfit to offer up the incense of prayer with. It is not enough that the praying soul be touched with some devout affections, but that these affections be suitable to the matter of the prayer, yea, arise from the sense it hath thereof.