Section II. ^Whether a set form of prayer be lawful to be used in the church? If it be unlawful, it is because, by the use of a set form in prayer, some commaiul of God is transgressed ; for where there is no law there is no transgression. Now it will trouble those who decry all set forms, how holy soever the matter of them be, to shew any command upon Scripture record that forbids the pray- ing by a set form, or that disallows its use, either in express terms, or by necessary consequence. It will be granted, yea, must, that the Scripture is a perfect rule in this particular duty of God's worship, as well as in others. But among all the precepts and rides in the book of God, we find none that com- mands we should pray by a conceived form, and not by a set form ; we are commanded who to pray to, — to God, and none other, Psa. xliv. 20 ; in whose name we are to pray, 1 Tim. ii. 5 ; Eph. v. 20 ; we are bound up to the mat- ter of our prayer, what wc are to ask, 1 John v. 14 ; and, lastly, in what num- ner we are to pray, — we must pray with understanding, John iv. 22 ; 1 Cor. xiv. 16 ; Heb. xi. 6: in faith, James i. 6 ; Heb. xi. 4: with sincere fervency, Jer. xxix. 12. In a word, which comprehends all in one, we are to pray in the Spirit, Epli. vi. 18 : in the Holy Ghost, Jude 20. Now he that can do all this, need not fear but he prays lawfully, and, consequently, acceptably. And we must confess this may be done by one that prayeth with a set form, or else we must very boldly charge many eminent saints in Scripture for praying imlaw- fuUy. Who dares say that Solomon praised God unlawfully, when he used the very form which David, his father, had penned ? Or that Moses did not pray in the Spirit, because he prayed in a constant form at the setting forward of the ark, and at its setting down again ? Thus you have seen what God hath pre- scribed to our praying acceptably; and if it had been of such dangerous con- sequence to have prayed by a set form as to make our prayers abominable, ■would God have omitted to warn his people of it, especially when he foresaw that his churches generally in their assemblies would make use of them, as they have done for thirteen or fourteen hundred years ! But may we not rather, yea, undoubtedly we ought to conclude, that seeing the Lord in his word de- scends not to prescribe what the outward frame and order of our words in prayer should be, whether spoken extempore, or cast into a form beforehand, both are lawful and warrantable, the Scriptm-e having determined neither the one nor the other ; and, therefore, to put religion in one, so as to condemn the other as unlawful, looks, as a learned pen hath it, too nuich like superstition, seeing God himself hath laid no bond upon the conscience either way. As for the excellency of conceived prayer, wherein the devout Christian, out of the abundance of his heart pours out his request to God, none but a profane spirit dares open his mouth against it. But is there no way to magnify the excellency of that but by vilifying and imputing sin to the other ? Alas ! the evil is not in a form, but in foi-mality ; and that is a disease that may be found in him that prays with a conceived praj'er. A man may pray without a form, and yet not pray without formality ; though I confess he that binds himself constantly to a set form, especially in his private addresses, seems to me to be more in danger of the two, to fall under the power of that lazy distemper. But to despatch this question, I would desire those that scruple the lawfulness of all set forms, to look at those set forms of blessing, prayers, and thanksgiving, that are upon Scripture record, and were used by the servants of (iod with his ap- probation ; and then consider whether God would prescribe or accept what is unlawful. The priest had a form of blessing the people. Numb. vi. 2.'J. Moses used, as I hinted, a form of prayer at the removal of the ark, — ' Rise up. Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered; and let them that hate thee flee be- fore thee :' and when it was set down another form, ' Return, O Lord, unto the many thousands of Israel,' Numb. x. 3'i, 36, which very form was contiiuicd and used l)y David, Psa. Ixviii. 1. Asaph and his brethren had set forms of thanksgiving to use in their public service, 1 Chron. xvi. 7 : ' On that day David delivered first this Psalm to thank the Lord into the hands of Asaph
gC)g WITH ALL PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION.