Liturgy's Vindicated BY THE DISSENTERS: Or, the Lawfulness of Forms of Prayer and Liturgies; PROVED From the very Texts of Scripture urged against them, by John Bunyan and the Dissenters.  
By the Author of the Religious Conference between a Minister and his Parishioner, about Infant Baptism.  2 Pet. 3.16. 
In which are somethings hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrist, as they do also the other Scriptures, to their own Destruction.  
LONDON. Printed for C. Brome, at the Gun, at the West end of St. Paul's. 1700.   

THE CONTENTS.  
A PREFACE, giving an Account of the Undertaking, and secret Juggle of some, in pretending to Pray by the Spirit; how they are mere Deceivers, and Men-pleasers in it.  

Chap. I. Showing Jo. Bunyan's Imitation of Satan, not only in urging Scripture, and suppressing so much thereof, as makes against him, as particularly 1 Cor. 14.15. which is Explained, and Vindicated from the false Glosses he puts upon it, and turned full upon him; but also in his intolerable Pride, impudent Calumnies, and railing Accusations against us; and a Question is asked; How poor Creatures shall Pray in their Families, who have not this pretended Gift of Prayer? Which his Party are desired to Answer some better way, than by bidding them to Groan.  
Chap. II. Returning an Answer to his Objections against the Common Prayer Book, and clearing it from the Imputation of Popery, there being nothing thereof in it, but Composed by Protestant Martyrs; together with sundry Scripture Authorities, for the Lawfulness of Forms of Prayer, and our Observation of Christmas, Easter, and other Holy Days, in Memory of the Saints.  
Chap. III. Concerning his evasive Answers to our Saviour's Command for the use of the Lord's Prayer, Luk. 11.2. which is briefly Explained and Confirmed, with some Reflections on his Rules for Prayer, as also on the Presbyterian Directory, wherein, they as much limit the Spirit, as we do by a Form; as also concerning the falseness of his Assertion; That none but Saints ought to say the Lord's Prayer, from the known Examples of the Prodigal Son, and Rich Man, the one calling God, and the other Abraham, Father, and from that Relation which God bears to us by Creation and Redemption, he being on both accounts, the Father of all Men.  
Chap. IU. Of the Anabaptists Persecuting Spirit and Cruelty towards other Protestants, and particularly towards King Charles the Martyr, and his Loyal Subjects; and their Canonising such Persecutors for Saints and Martyrs, contrary to the Practice of those that deserved and had that Name among the Primitive Christians, whose only Weapons were Prayers and Tears; and of that Persecuting Passage in the solemn League and Covenant, where they are Sworn to Extirpate us.  
Chap. V Of some Texts of Scripture, Jo. Bunyan brings for the Prohibition of the Common Prayer Book, which are all shown to prove no such thing, but rather the Lawfulness of using it.  
Chap. VI Of two other Places of Scripture, which he produceth to the same purpose, as Zach. 12.10. and 2 Tim. 3.5. which rightly Explained, do both conclude against him, and for the Lawfulness of Praying by a Form.  
Chap. VII. Of his two Scripture Arguments, for Praying by the Spirit, as 1 Cor. 14.15. and Rom. 8.26. showing them to be impertinently Alleged, and clearing them from the silly Exposition and Paraphrase he makes upon them; and proving, that one at least, if not both of them, establish Forms of Prayer, and overthrow his Pretences of Praying by the Spirit.  
Chap. VIII. Of two plain Proofs, that Jo. Bunyan and his Party, have not the Spirit which they pretend to; viz. 1st. The Schism which they have made, and continue in the Church, with the Rebellions they have raised and carried on against the State. 2dly. The scurrilous and unchristian Language they utter against us, which is exemplified in some farther Instances than were given in the first Chapter.  
Chap. IX. Of another Proof to the same purpose, from his evil Counsel about the Education of Children, whom he would rather have to live without Praying at all, than to be taught it by any Form whatsoever, which does not savour of the Spirit of God; no more does his Beastly Expression, in calling this, a Nuzzling them up in a Form.  
Chap. X. An Apology for the Author, lest his Book be Condemned, as undervaluing the Holy Spirit; and the Assistance which he affords, is farther Explained and Stated, and Proved not to consist in the Groans, or extempore Effusions of Men, but in Godly Motions within us, and the fervent Desires of the Heart; the Life and Soul of Prayer, being Faith, Hope, and Charity; and such an Assistance of the Holy Spirit, our Church admits, and teacheth us to Pray for.   
The Conclusion. An Address to all the Members of our Orthodox Church of England, not only to Pray, but also to Live according to the Common Prayer Book, even a Godly, Righteous, and Sober Life, to the Glory of God's holy Name. Amen.   

THE PREFACE TO THE READER.  
BEing sensible, that some Men will censure, me for entering the Lists with such a Combatant, where it will be no Credit to Conquer, but a mighty Disgrace to be overcome, I think myself obliged to give this Account of the Undertaking, to reconcile the Reader, to what I have hereafter Written, lest otherwise, looking only on the Title-Page, he should grow Angry, and Impatient, and throw away the Book.  
The Discourse I here Answer, was sent me from an Anabaptist of my Parish, and (as I have reason to believe) by the Order and Direction, of one of their Teachers, as a choice Piece, which might take me off from the use of the Common Prayer Book (whose Morning and Evening Service, I wish were constantly offered up entire in all other Families as well as mine, when it cannot be performed in Public, and I am confident, they will receive no little Comfort and Satisfaction in so doing) but having read it over, I found so much Railing, Wresting, and Mis-applying of Scripture, almost in every Page, and so little Reason and Truth in any thing he said; I once thought his reviling, impertinent Discourse unworthy of any other Answer, but what the Archangel returned to Satan, Jud. 9 The Lord rebuke thee, Bunyan: But when I considered the high Value the whole Party set upon such slight scurrilous Pamphlets; how this was Bequeathed as a Legacy, by the last Will and Testament of one of them, to a surviving Friend, to convince the World, That whether Living or Dying, they have no Charity for us; and how they are contented, that themselves and subtle Books, should be let alone, to Creep into Houses, and lead silly Women, (I may add Men too) Captive, (who are sooner caught and seduced, with crafty and incoherent Reasoning, than with close and sound Arguments) and when they have gained them for Proselytes, and drawn them into the wild Mazes of their numerous Errors, 'tis very hard to reduce and bring them back into the way of Truth: On all these Accounts, I judged it needful to wipe off the soul Aspersions he casts on our Common Prayer Book, and all that use it, and to Examine and Confute his Pretences to Pray by the Spirit, as St. Paul did; which I have done in the ensuing Treatise, wherein I have shown, the Vanity and Sophistry of all his Arguments for himself, and against us, especially those that are fetched from Scripture, and returned them with their genuine Force, upon his own Head; I have there also Proved, that the Spirit does not now Invent and Dictate the very Words of our Prayers, as they pretend he does, tho' all their Pretences of this Nature, are mere Cant, and a Device how to please Men more than God, for Almighty God, who is the same Yesterday, to Day, and for Ever, is not delighted with Novelty, Variety, and change of Words; and therefore our Lord Jesus, in his last Agony, Prayed Thrice in the same Words, Mat. 26.44. and without doubt, in the use of that short pithy Form, (for so it was to him, having said it Twice before) he was as fervent in his Desires the Third time as he was at First; 'tis mortal Man only, (who has itching Ears) that loves to have them Tickled with new Expressions; and in Compliance with this vain Humour, I fear it is, that these Men decry all Godly Forms, even that of Christ's own Composing, and set up their Praying by the Spirit; which yet is but a mere Artifice, the effect of a good Memory, and great Confidence; and to cast a Mist before the People's Eyes, they Chop and Change the very same Prayers, beginning where they ended, and ending where they began, in such a Dexterous manner, that their ignorant Hearers perceive it not, but believe their Prayers are always New, and the Product of the Spirit; but more knowing Persons, (who often hear them) discover the Cheat, and that they are the very same Prayers still, with some little Alterations, and so they continue in the use of Forms themselves, whilst yet, they are so Presumptuous, as to Condemn it in others for an Antichristian Practice.  
I shall say no more, but refer the Reader to the serious Perusal of the following Discourse, where I shall leave him to determine how well or ill I have Managed it, thinking it no less vain than improper, to attempt the Byasing of his Judgement, by a Complimental Preface; only, I Pray a Blessing may attend him, in the judicious Reading what, I assure him, I have Written for no other end, but God's Glory, and his Churches good; and so I bid him hearty Farewell.   

A DEFENCE OF THE LITURGY Against the Dissenters, etc.  

CHAP. I.  
'TIS Observable of Satan that when he temped our blessed Saviour to throw himself Headlong from the Pinnacle of the Temple, he urges Psalm 91.11, 12. He shall give his Angels charge concerning thee; and in their Hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy Foot against a Stone; but the Devil leaves out part of the Verse which made against him, To keep thee in all thy ways, i. e. the ways of God, but not in all thy wander from them; wherein it would have been Presumption to expect the Divine protection; the like Course does John Bunyan take, when he urges 1 Cor. 14.15. I will pray with the Spirit, and I will pray with the Understanding also; he omits the later part of the Verse, I will sing with the Spirit, and I will sing with the Understanding also; and he does not only omit this in the Title Page, but in six or seven Repetitions afterwards, which no doubt was designedly done, because if he had once mentioned this, it would have been a plain and full Confutation of his Argument deduced from the former part of the Verse, and indeed of his whole Book; for if we may Sing with the Spirit, when we have a form of Words and a Tune also to observe, which is supposed and allowed in our present Practice of Psalmody, Why may we not as well Pray with the Spirit when we have a form of Words before us? Is there not the same Reason for Praying as for Singing with the Spirit, when both are done in a form of sound Words? This is such a convincing Proof of the lawfulness of Forms of Prayer, and that those who devoutly use them, may be assisted by the Spirit of God, that it overthrows all his Cavils and Exceptions against them, and strikes his Cause dead; thus the Author stumbles in the Threshold, and discovers the cloven Foot in the very entrance, and almost in every Page of his Book, as is evident from his intolerable Pride and uncharitableness which he shows therein; of which I shall give you a taste, for to mentionall would be to Transcribe his whole Discourse, Page 14 he says, That Ignorance, Profaneness and the Spirit of Envy reigns in the Hearts of those Men that are so hot for Forms of Prayers, etc. scarce one in Forty of them knows what 'tis to be born again, to have Communion with the Father through the Son, etc. they still live Cursed, Drunken, Whorish and Abominable Lives, full of Malice, Envy, Decit, Persecuting of the dear Children of God; Oh what a dreadful after-clap is coming upon them! Which all their Hypocritical assembling themselves together with all their Prayers shall never be able to help them against, or shelter them from, and p. 43, 44. he says, Every cursed Whoremaster, Thief, and Drunkard, Swearer and Perjured Person, they that have not only been such in times past, but are even so still, these I say, by some, must be counted the only honest Men, and all because with their Blasphemous Throats, and Hypocritical Hearts, they will come to Church and say, Our Father: Nay farther, these Men, tho' every time they say to God, Our Father, do most abominably Blaspeme, yet they must be compelled thus to do; and p. 45, 46. says he, Give me leave to Reason with thee thou blind ignorant Sot; it may be thy great Prayer is to say, Our Father which art in Heaven, etc. Is not the Devil thy Father? And darest thou say to God, Our Father, etc. But as the Devil presented himself among the Sons of God, Job 1. when they were to present themselves before the Father, even our Father, so is it now, because the Saints are commanded to say our Father, therefore all the blind ignorant Rabble in the World, they must also use the same Words, Our Father.  
These are some of the base, scurrilous and unchristian Reflections he every where bestows on the Members of the Church of England, without excepting any out of that number, making them, as St. Paul affirms himself, and his holy Brethren were accounted in his time, 1 Cor. 4.13. As the filth of the World, and the offscouring of all things unto this day; and I appeal to all sober and good Men, whether this be not the Language of a proud and uncharitable Spirit, and of a Tongue set on fire of Hell? Jam. 3.6. and as his Malice and Uncharitableness appears in calling us the Children of the Devil, so does his Pride also, in calling himself and his Party Saints, as is manifest from the last Passage I quoted out of him, Before the Father, even our Father; to whom the Saints, i. e. such as themselves, may thus address, but none of the blind ignorant Sots, (as we are) of the World besides.  
Page 73, he starts a Question, What would you have us poor Creatures to do that cannot tell how to Pray? etc.  
Where, before I give you his Answer, I cannot choose but take notice again of the subtlety of the Man, in suppressing so much of the Objection, as would have made it unanswerable, if he had but fairly proposed it, and that is this; How shall we poor Creatures Pray in our respective Families, since we have not the Gift of Prayer, which you and others pretend to? If it be an evil thing to make use of Forms, to have Prayerless Families is much worse, and that ours must be, if we are denied such needful helps; Now what would John Bunyan say to this untoward Objection? Would they advise these poor Creatures, as I am credibly informed, a Nonconformist did a Neighbour of his, when he was desired to compose a form of Prayers for him to use in his Family, viz. that he had better sit down and Groan, I suppose by what follows in my Author, that such poor Creatures must kneel down, for that is a more humble posture than sitting, and groan awhile, and that must for as good a Family Prayer, as if he had said one out of the Practice of Piety; but alas! This will not serve the turn, for what Edification is this to the Family, altho' they should all groan with him? What reasonable Service is this to present to Almighty God? or, Wherein is this better than the Quakers Silent-Meetings? And if Groaning with one's Family, instead of Praying with them be Absurd and Ridiculous, I would fain know what other course such ignorant Masters must Steer, who have not this pretended gift of Prayer? Certainly there is no other Remedy for them but to use the help of some Pious Form, in Praying with their Family, or else they must forbear Praying with them, till they have attained this pretended Gift, which perhaps may not be so long as they live; and then they must never Pray with them at all; and so fall under the Curse denounced against such Families as call not on the name of the Lord, Jer. 10.25. Where those that cannot pray in their Families without it, and yet despise the assistance of a Form, have a form of Prayer made to their Hands, but it is a dreadful one, that Woes and Vengeance in it; which I desire all concerned therein seriously to consider, lest it fall one day upon their Guilty Heads; But in Answer to this Query, as our Adversary has mollified it, what would you have us poor Creatures do, that cannot tell how to Pray etc. he say, poor Heart! Thou canst not, (thou complainest) Pray; canst thou see thy Misery? Hath God showed thee that thou art by Nature under the curse of his Law? If so, do not mistake, I know thou dost Groan, and that most bitterly; I am persuaded thou canst scarely be found doing any thing in thy Calling but Prayer breaks from thy Heart; Have not thy Groans gone up to Heaven from every corner of thy House? I know 'tis thus, and so also doth thine own sorrowful Heart Witness thy Tears, thy forgetfulness of thy Calling, etc. is not thy Heart so full of desires after the things of another World, that many times thou dost forget the things of this World?  
What abominable Pride and fulsome Flattery is this? He is persuaded of his own Party that Prayer breaks from their Heart in every thing they are doing, tho' he does not hear them utter one Word to that purpose; he knows they groan most bitterly in every corner of their House, as if he were by, and heard, and saw, and followed these poor Creatures from one Room to another; he has the Confidence to say more than once; I know 'tis thus with them; but when he is speaking of some of our People, he has the impudence to say, scarce one in Forty of them knows what 'tis to be born again, and to have Communion with God, and this he is as sure of as he is of the Heart breaking Prayers and bitter Groans of his own dear Brethren, and as if he had seen and read the Book of Life. John Bunyan can tell how few of us, scarce one in Forty, and how many of them, yea, all his own poor Creatures have every one of their Names written therein; and he lays down one Mark whereby to discern it, viz. that their Hearts is so full of Desire after the the things of another World, that they forget many times the things of This, though this is a very fallible one, as is clear from Balaam, who had sometimes such eager Desires as these, Let me Die the Death of the Righteous, and let my last End be like his, Num. 23.10. yea he was a Prophet, and had his Visions and Trances, wherein without doubt he thought and spoke so much of another World, that he sometimes quite forgot this; and yet notwithstanding his Gift of Prophecy, (which surely equalled if not exceeded Jo. Bunyans Gift of Prayer) notwithstanding his Raptures, Revelations, and Heavenly Desires, Balaam was a very wicked Man, giving that pernicious Council to the Moabites to seduce the Israelites to Idolatry, by the Temptations of their Beautiful Women, Num. 31.16. he also loved the Wages of unrighteousness, and is Branded for his Iniquity in several places of the Old and New Testament, and in this evil and wretched Condition he lived, and so in all likelihood he died, Josh. 13.22. And this I the rather mention to show that for all their Pretences to Pray by the Spirit, and to other extraordinary Gifts, this Man and his Party, may be as bad as Balaam was; but God forbidden, I should think so of all of them, and be so uncharitable to them, as they are to us; I hope better things of the worst among them, but I speak this to prove that if they had greater Gifts than they pretend to, they may notwithstanding this, be very wicked Men, for so was Balaam, and so was O. Cromwell, so was Major Weir of Scotland, and so were some Witches and Wizards, who could all Pray in a wonderful manner, and were believed by their Followers, to Pray by the Spirit, and far more Powerfully too than any Tinker Preacher of this Age; for we must carefully distinguish between the miraculous Gifts, and saving Graces of the Spirit, wicked Men may, and sometimes have the former, but the latter fall to the Share of none but good Men; and the Praying with the Spirit, which St. Paul speaks of, 1 Cor. 14.15. was such an extraordinary and miraculous Gift, it was Praying in an unknown Tongue, in such a Language as a Man had never learned, and neither the Congregation, nor perhaps himself understood, though he could speak it, for ver. 14. he says, If I Pray in an unknown Tongue, (which in the next verse he calls a Praying with the Spirit) my Spirit Prayeth but my Understanding is unfruitful, being not able to Interpret what he said, which was another extraordinary Gift of the Spirit, and which he that had the Gift of Tongues sometimes wanted; and therefore the Apostle intimates in this place, that there may be a separation between them, between Praying with the Spirit, and Praying with Understanding, and when there is, the latter is to be preferred before the former; ver. 19 in the Church I had rather speak five words with my Understanding, that by my Voice I might Teach others, than Ten thousand words in an unknown Tongue. i e. in the Spirit which bestowed that Gift; so that in St. Paul's Judgement, Praying with the Spirit, is not always to the Edification of the Church, not always performed with Understanding: And so much my Author owns, p. 58.59. This distinction was occasioned through the Corinthians not observing, that it was their Duty to do what they did to the Edification of themselves and others too, whereas they did it for their own Commendations, so I judge, for many of them having extraordinary Gifts, as to speak with divers Tongues, therefore they were more for those mighty Gifts, than they were for the Edifying of their Brethren, which was the cause that Paul wrote this Chapter to them, to let them understand, that tho' extraordinary Gifts were excellent, yet to do what they did was more excellent, for (saith the Apostle) If I Pray in an unknown Tongue, my Spirit Prayeth but my Understanding is unfruitful, and also the Understanding of others; therefore I will Pray with the Spirit and I will Pray with the Understanding also; but (as I observed in the beginning of this Chapter) he stops short here, without adding (which I shall therefore add) I will Sing with the Spirit and I will Sing with the Understanding also; the plain meaning of which Phrase, is this, viz. that in the Apostles Days, some were enabled by a miraculous Gift of the Spirit, not only to Pray in an unknown Tongue, but also to Sing in an unknown Psalm or Hymn, as appears farther from ver. 26. When ye come together, every one of you hath a Psalm, hath a Tongue, etc. both these were extraordinary and miraculous Gifts, by the Confession of our Adversary, and he may as well pretend to Sing as Pray extempore from this Text of Scripture, but unless he can Sing and Pray in an unknown Tongue, he doth not Sing and Pray as St. Paul and the Corinthians did; and if notwithstanding this, devout Christians may Compose Spiritual Songs and Hymns, and Sing them according to the Rules of Musical Notes, and yet all that while be assisted by the Spirit; so may they also Compose Prayers and Praises beforehand, and read them in the Congregation, who are to join with them therein, and yet all that time be assisted by the same Spirit, for Praying and Singing with the Spirit; are expressed, (as 
* Discourse of extempore Prayer p. 13.  Dr. Taylor observes) in the same Place, in the same manner, to the same end, and I know no Reason why there should be differing Senses put upon them to serve purposes.   

CHAP. II.  
HAving cleared the Scope and Meaning of this mangled, divided and abused Text, and detected the Author's Pride in Sainting himself, and his own Party, and his Diabolical Slanders, in making Devils Incarnate of us; I shall next, consider the malicious Reflections he casts on our Church's Liturgy, in the Prosecution of his Discourse: Page 11. he says, Our Common Prayer Book is taken out of the Papistical Mass Book, being the Scraps and Devices of some Popes, some Friars, and I wots not what; and this he repeats Page 29. Paul and his Companions, were as able to have made a Common Prayer Book, as any Pope or Prelate in the Church of Rome, and could as well have made a Common Prayer Book, as those who first Composed this, etc.  
But I have these things to offer, to show the Falseness, and Senselessness of such Suggestions.  

1st. That our Common Prayer Book was not Compiled by any Pope or Prelate of Rome, but by some Reformed Protestant Divines, who suffered Martyrdom for the Protestant Religion, Sealing it with their Blood; and how can that savour of Popery, that was the joint and unanimous Work of Protestant Martyrs, who, without doubt were assisted therein, with the same Holy Spirit that enabled them to resist unto Blood? and one of them (
* See Fox's Martyrol. p. 1524. They with weeping Eyes Prayed together, and Kissed one another, and he gave unto her a Book of the Church Service set out by K. Edward, which in the time of his Imprisonment he daily used.  Doctor Rowland Taylor) made use of the Common Prayer Book when he lay in Prison, and a little before his Martyrdom, commended it to his Wife, as the last Token of his Love.  
2d. If it were true, that the Common Prayer Book were taken out of the Mass, that is no Proof of its Unlawfulness, if there be nothing else Sinful in it, the Papists using some such Prayers as we do, does not render them Unlawful: They use to anoint Sick and Dying Persons with Oil, and so do the Anabaptists; and when urged with this, that theirs is a Popish Practice, their Answer is, that 'tis never the worse for all that, if it be according to the Word of God; and may not we return the same Answer? That our Prayers are never the worse, tho' some of them should be found (yet in another Language) in the Mass Book, so long as they are agreeable to the Holy Scriptures, and pursuant to those excellent Forms Recorded there.  
3dly. The Papists are so far from liking and favouring the Common Prayer, that the first thing they did after Queen Mary ascended the Throne, was to abolish and cast it out of the Church, which they would never have done, if they had thought it conducing to the advancement of their Cause; but they knew it was the best Defence and Buswark we have against Popery, and therefore demolished and took it away, and so did the Dissenters again, in the Cromwellian Days, and we may on their own grounds, conclude them to be Popishly affected, because they shown the same Enmity and Spite to the Common Prayer Book, and with disdain laid it aside, as the Papists had done before; and if these Men are never the worse for doing the same things the Papists did; Why is our Common Prayer Book the worse, for having some things in it, which the Mass Book has? Especially if it be considered, that all their Prayers are in Latin, which 〈◊〉 a Language unknown to the common People; all our Prayers are in English, which is our Mother Tongue, and understood by the Vulgar; most of their Prayers are presented to the Virgin Mary, and to other Saints and Angels; all our Prayers are offered up to God, through the Mediation of Jesus Christ; and with how many and (to say no worse) burdensome Ceremonies, Baptism and the Lords Supper is Administered among them? And with how few and Significant ones those Sacraments are Celebrated by us; (all which, make a vast Difference, between the Common Prayer and Mass Book) any one will easily find, that has leisure and opportunity to Compare them both together.  
4ly. How does J. Bunyan know that St. Paul never composed a Form of Prayer? The sound Words he commands Timothy to hold fast, 2 Tim. 1.13. might (for aught he can prove to the contrary) be such a Form; himself allows the Form of Godliness, which the same Apostle speaks of, 2 Tim. 3.5. to have respect to a Form of Prayer, as I shall show hereafter, and is there not as good reason that this Form of sound Words should likewise regard Prayer? And if it does, we may thence infer, that St. Paul made such a Form for the Church, and commanded Timothy to hold fast the same by using it therein; however this be, we may be sure St. Paul used a Form of Prayer himself, even that of Christ's own composing, Luke 11.2. when ye pray say, our Father, etc. and he taught others to use it also; or else he could not have kept a Conscience void of Offence towards God and towards Man, neither would he have declared unto his People the whole Council of God, as he protests he had done, Acts 20.27. and Chap. 24.16. and if St. Paul and the rest of the Apostles used no other Form of Prayer, it was because they were assisted by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost, and had miraculous Gifts bestowed upon them, such as the gift of Tongues, of Prophecy, of Healing, etc. and so did not stand in need of it; and let John Bunyan and his Party prove they have the like wonderful Gifts, and can work the like stupendious Miracles, and they shall be dispensed with in the use of the Common Prayer Book; but if none of those extraordinary Gifts and Miracles can be truly pretended to by them, than I think they need the help of such a Form of sound Words as well as we; and this has been the constant Judgement of the Church of God in all Ages since those Miracles ceased; and therefore did she at first establish Liturgies, and has always used them, if not in, at least ever since the Apostles Days.   
Page 31 our Author is very witty and says, But here the wise Men of our Days are so well skilled, as that they have both the Matter and Manner of their Prayers at their Finger's end; setting such a Prayer for such a Day, and that twenty Years before it comes, one for Christmas, another for Easter, and six Days after that; they have also bounded how many Syllables must be said in every one of them at their public Exercises; for each Saint's Day also they have them ready for the Generations yet unborn to say.  
All this (which is mere Banter) must pass for an invincible Argument to overthrow our whole Liturgy at once, and every Collect therein; but such as it is we will examine it, and show the absurdity and folly of it.  
1st. This Man does not show his wisdom in pretending we make Prayers for certain Days twenty Years before they come; since those very Days happen all within the compass of One Year, and therefore there cannot be the distance of twenty Years between them, and the making such particular Prayers; and if it be said that these Prayers are repeated for more than twenty Years one after another; we may answer, there is good reason for it, that as often as such solemn times return, we should suit our public Prayers and Praises according to such solemn Occasions, having the Example of God himself, and his Servant Moses, to justify our Practice; for by the Divine appointment, the Priests under the Law, were confined to a Form of Words in blessing the People, which they were always to pronounce when they dismissed the Assembly; Numb. 6.22, 23, 24, 25, 26. the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, speak unto Aaron and his Sons, saying, on this wise ye shall bless the Children of Israel, saying unto them; the Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the Lord make his Face to shine upon thee; and be gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up his Countenance upon thee, and give thee Peace; in which one Blessing, wherein the name of Jehovah or Lord is thrice repeated, we are taught the great mystery of our Christian Faith, even the Trinity in Unity, or the three Persons and one God, it being the peculiar property of God the Father to bless and keep us, of God the Son to be gracious unto us, and of God the Holy Ghost to give us Peace, as 
* See his Com. on Num. pag. 109.  Dr. Patrick has observed; to the like form of Words was Moses himself confined as often as the Ark moved and rested in the Wilderness, Numb. 10.35, 36. When the Ark set forward, Moses said, rise up O Lord, and let thine Enemies be scattered, and let them that hate thee flee before thee; and when the Ark rested he said, return O Lord to the many thousands of Israel; and by the same divine Institution the Jewish People were obliged to a set form of Words in praying to God, and praising his Name, when they offered their first Fruits, Deut. 26.5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. Thou shalt speak and say before the Lord thy God, a Syrian ready to perish was my Father, and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there with a few, and became there a Nation great, mighty, and populous; and the Egyptians evil entreated us, and afflicted us, and laid upon us hard Bondage; and when we cried unto the Lord God of our Fathers, the Lord heard our Voice, and looked on our Affliction, and our Labour and our Oppression; and the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty Hand, and out stretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with Signs and with Wonders, and he hath brought us unto this Place, and hath given us this Land, even a Land that floweth with Milk and Honey, and now behold I have brought the first Fruits of the Land which thou, O Lord, hast given me. The like Form of Words were they obliged to use in the Offering of their Tithes, Deut. 26.13, 14, 15. Thou shall say before the Lord thy God, I have brought away the hallowed things out of my House, and also have given them unto the Levite, and unto the Stranger, to the Fatherless and to the Widow, according to all thy Commandments which thou hast commanded; I have not transgressed thy Commandments, neither have I forgotten them; I have not eaten thereof in my Mourning; neither have I taken aught thereof for any unclean use, nor given aught thereof for the Dead; but I have hearkened to the Voice of the Lord my God, and have done according to all that thou hast commanded me; look down from thy holy Habitation from Heaven, and bless thy People Israel, and the Land which thou hast given us, as thou swearest unto our Fathers, a Land that floweth with Milk and Honey; And both these Forms of Prayer and Thanksgiving, were the Jewish People constantly to observe twice every Year in all succeeding Generations when they offered their first Fruits and Tithes before the Lord; but according to John Bunyan's bantering way he would expose them thus; The Wise Men of Moses his Days, with himself the Priests and People, were so well skilled, that they had both the matter and the manner of their Prayers at their Finger's end, setting such a Prayer for such a Day, and that twenty Years before it comes, one for the Day wherein they Offered their First-fruits, another for the Day wherein they Offered their Tithes; they have also bounded how many Syllables must be said in every one of their Prayers, at their public Exercises, for each of these Offering Days, they have them ready for the Generations yet unborn to say; so that if there be any weight in this way of Arguing, it will cast as much disgrace upon the Prayers of Moses, (which yet were Dictated and Directed by the infinite Wisdom of Almighty God) as upon the Prayers of the Church of England, which were also Composed by the same Spirit.  
If it be said, that Moses, the Jewish Priests and People had not the assistance of the Holy Spirit, as we have, and therefore they were tied to Forms, from which we are now set free: I Answer, (or rather John Bunyan does it for me, p. 53) You do not find any Words of Prayer that we read of, come out of the Mouth of Moses, when he was going out of Egypt, and was followed by Pharaoh, Ex. 14.15. and yet he made Heaven ring again with his Cry, but it was the inexpressible and unsearchable Groans and Cry of his Soul, in and with the Spirit; And this he repeats p. 75. so that by our Adversaries own Confession, Moses had the Spirit, and could Pray by it, even in their Sense as well at least as any Gifted Brother of them all; and yet this very Moses, sometimes used a Form of Prayer himself, and also prescribed a Form of Prayers for others, even the Jewish Priests and People, to be constantly observed by them on solemn Occasions, and on such particular Days, and Seasons of the Year.  
2dly. Those two great solemn Festivals, which my Author mentions as observed by our Church, Christmas and Easter, have good Authority for their Observation, even in the New Testament; for can we have better Warrant for our keeping Christmas-Day, than the Holy Angels keeping of it in a full Choir, as they did Luke 2.13. and suddenly there was with the Angel (i. e. who brought the Shepherds the joyful News of Christ's Birth) a Multitude of the Heavenly Host, Praising God, and saying, (and they did it all in the same Form) Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth Peace, and good Will towards Men. Now, What other Reason can there be given, why so many (if not all) the Angels should be present on Earth at this time, and unanimously Worship God, except it were to teach us to set apart this Day in all future Ages, for a Day of Thanksgiving to God, for the greatest Mercy was afforded the World since the Creation, even the Birth and Incarnation of the Saviour of it? Well may we keep Christmass-Day, our Humane Nature being assumed into the Godhead, and a Saviour being Born to us upon it, which is Christ the Lord: When the Holy Angels kept this Day, whose Nature he did not assume, and to whom he was not Born a Saviour, as he was to us.  
I shall say no more in behalf of this great Festival, but Transcribe a Passage out of the Assemblies Annotations on this portion of Scripture, Luke 2. 13. 
‖ See the Assemblies Annotations on Luke 2.13.  Thus God would (say they) have this public Service (for so their Multitude made it) performed by all who have Knowledge of, and Interest in the Birth of Christ, as to manifest his Mercy and Truth, so to Condemn their stupid Ingratitude, who perversely refuse to join in this Duty; as if general Precepts in God's Word, right Reason, and the Examples of Men and Angels inspired by God's Spirit, chosen Witnesses of of our Saviour's Nativity, and for this same purpose sent by God himself from Heaven, that they might thus Celebrate that Day; were not sufficient Warrant to lead them to Imitation, and joining in an Holy Harmony with them.  
And as for our keeping Easter Day, can we have better Authority than St. Paul's Command for it? 1 Cor.. 5.7, 8. Christ our Passover is Sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the Feast; i.e. Easter, which is our Christian Passover, that comes in the room of the Jewish; not with the old Leaven, neither with the Leaven of Malice and Wickedness; which is a plain Allusion to some of the Typical Ceremonies wherewith the Israelites kept their Passover, and proves that we Christians should keep Easter with the substance of those Types, even the unleavened Bread of Sincerity and Truth; i. e. in a pious Preparation for, and devout Participation of the Lords Supper, in a Death to Sin, and a Resurrection to newness of Life.  
Yet besides this Scriptural Argument, I shall add one Consideration more, and that is King Charles the Martyrs Quaery propounded to the Parliaments. Commissioners at Holdenby, April 23. 1647.  
I desire to be resolved of this Question.  
Why the new Reformers discharge the keeping of Easter?  
The Reason of this Quaery it;  
I conceive the Celebration of this Feast, was Instituted by the same Authority, which changed the Jewish Sabbath into the Lord's Day, or Sunday; for it will not be found in Scripture, where Saturday is discharged to be kept, or turned into the Sunday; wherefore it must be the Church's Authority that Changed the one, and Instituted the other; therefore my Opinion is, that those who will not keep this Feast, may as well return to the Observation of Saturday, and refuse the weekly Sunday; when any Body can show me that herein I am in an Error, I shall not be ashamed to confess and amend it; till when you know my Mind.  
C. R.  
Lastly, As to the Observation of Saints Days, those Men have no Reason to upbraid us with it, who every Year keep their Festival Days, in Memory of the Seiges, and prosperous Rebellion, they raised and maintained against their rightful Sovereign: Indeed, had they Fought for him, and been preserved and delivered in so Just and Loyal a Cause, to have kept an Anniversary Day in Remembrance of it, would have been a justifiable Practice; and so it is to observe those few Saints Days, whose Memory our Church requires us once a Year to Celebrate, having the like Authority in the Holy Scripture, for their continual Observation, as Psal. 116.15. Precious in the Sight of the Lord is the Death of the Saints, and 'tis the Days of their Death and Martyrdom, and not of their Birth, which we Commemorate, not their first Days in which they were Born into the World, but the last Days, in which they were Born into an happy Eternity; and on these Days, we do not only Bless God for those eminent Virtues and Graces which Shone in them, but also, we desire him to enable us to follow their good Examples; that being compassed about with so great a Cloud of Witnesses, we may run with Patience the Race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus their Captain General, who with them has endured the Cross, and received a Crown in Heaven; and by this means we do what we can to perpetuate their Memory on Earth, as God expects we should, Psal. 112.6. The Righteous shall be had in everlasting Remembrance. And this the Primitive Christians began, by first keeping the Day of these Saint's Martyrdom at the very Place where they suffered; and this after Ages followed, by Celebrating it in all other Places where Christianity was professed; and I doubt not but it will be continued in all future Ages, even unto the end of the World, among all Orthodox Christians.   

CHAP. III.  
HAving in the former Chapter, detected the Sophistry and Fallaciousness of John Bunyans Arguments, against Forms of Prayer, and shown how they rather conclude for them, and against his Pretences to Pray by the Spirit: I shall now proceed to discover the Weakness and Folly of his Answer to that convincing Proof for the Lawfulness of Forms, even our Saviour's Command for it, Luke 11.2. When ye Pray, say our Father, etc.  
To this he says, p. 80. I cannot think that Christ intended it as a stinted Form of Prayer, because he lays it down diversely: But how diversely? Mat. 6.9. our blessed Lord says, After this manner Pray ye, Our Father. etc. the plain import of which is, that this aught to be the Pattern by which we should Compose all our Prayers; but lest his Disciples (who had desired their Master to teach them a Form of Prayer, as John Baptist had taught his Disciples) should think it well enough to have an Eye only to this Pattern in Composing all their Prayers by, tho' in the mean time they never made use of this very Form itself, therefore in Luke 11.2. our Saviour said unto them, When ye Pray, say Our Father, etc. i. e. do not content yourselves to Pray after this manner, in other Prayers of your own, Composing them according to it; but also use this very Prayer itself, together with your own of the like Nature, that putting up your Petitions to Almighty God, with a good Heart in Christ's own Words, ye may be sure to be heard; and let any honest Christian but Read and Compare these two Evangelists together in this Point, and I am confident he will acknowledge, that Christ must needs intent this Prayer of his should itself be daily used, and also the true Standard of all our Devotions; and consequently, he must needs intent it for a Form, or else his Words and Intentions would not agree, which is Blasphemy to imagine.  
But out Author answers farther, p. 81. We do not find, that the Apostles did ever observe this Form as such, neither did they admonish others so to do; search all their Epistles, etc. But did not the Apostles do many things which are not written there? As St. John says, there are also many other things which Jesus did, which are not written every one of them in the Gospel, Joh. 21.25: For, were not all the Apostles Baptised? And yet we do not Read in the New Testament, of the Baptism of any one of them; so the Apostles might, and without doubt did make use of the Lords Prayer, tho' there be no mention of it in their Epistles; otherwise how were they Faithful in keeping Christ's Commandments themselves, this being one of them? When ye Pray, say, Our Father, etc. and this doubtless they taught others to use also, or else they were not Faithful in executing Christ's Commission, who at the delivery thereof, speaks thus; Mat. 28.19.20. Go ye therefore, and Proselyte all Nations, Baptising them in the Name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have Commanded you; and this being one thing that Christ had Commanded them, when ye Pray, say Our Father, etc. we cannot suppose that they failed to teach others to observe this also, as well as Baptism, or any other Gospel Duty.  
But after all his trifling Answers to this invincible Objection, Jo. Bunyan confesseth, p. 81. That Christ by these Words, Our Father which art in Heaven, doth instruct his People, what Rules they should observe in their Prayers to God: And if it is a Rule for all our Prayers; is not this as great a Confinement of the Spirit, as the limiting of it to this, or any other Form of sound Words? This Author, p. 75. and those that made the Directory, (tho' they are Enemies to all Forms of Prayer, and therefore abolished our excellent Liturgy) yet lay down certain Rules, which we must observe in Praying to Almighty God; which is indeed, to do that thing themselves, which they condemn in us, and call a Restraining of the Spirit; for to dictate to the Spirit the Heads of Prayer which he must insist upon, and leave him at liberty only in the choice of Words, is every whit as much, if not more a restraining of the Spirit, than only to appoint the Words, and leave him at liberty in the choice of the Sense; the Matter of Prayer being more considerable than Words, and the Sense more valuable than Language: If therefore the Spirit must be left free, why do they themselves confine him, in imposing on him the Heads of his Prayer? As if he needed help for Invention, (as our 
* See his excellent Book, p. 686.  Royal Martyr observed) tho' not for expression; or as if Matter did not as much stint and obstruct the Spirit, as if it were clothed in, and confined to fit Words, (so slight and easy is the Leger-de-main which will serve to delude the Vulgar) And from hence any one may well conclude, that these Men instead of being inspired with the Spirit of God, are possessed with the Spirit of Pride and Singularity; what else is the meaning of their taking away the Book of Common Prayer, and yet establishing a Directory in its room, which is as much a restraining of the Spirit as the other? What else is the meaning of that Passage in the entrance of the Directory, p. 5? Let all enter the Assembly, not irreverently, but in a grave and seemly manner, taking their Seats or Places without Adoration, or Bowing themselves towards one Place or other: But that because when we enter the Church (the Place of God's gracious and more immediate Presence) we solemnly Worship God, by Bowing our Bodies and Knees before him, therefore the Dissenters when they enter the Church will not Worship God at all, being required by the Directory to take their Seats without Adoration; tho' herein they act contrary to David, who says, Psal. 95.6. O come let us Worship and Bow down, let us Kneel before the Lord our Maker: They act contrary to St. Paul's Converts, of whom he says, That coming into the Church, they will fall down on their Face and Worship God, 1 Cor. 14.25. They act contrary to those Pious Souls that came to Christ to obtain a Cure for themselves or Friends; who did not approach or address themselves to him, without a solemn act of Adoration, they always first Worshipped him, by Kneeling, Bowing, or Prostrating their Bodies before him; as you may see, Mat. 17.14. Mar. 5.22. Luk. 5.12. And if those good People paid Christ's Corporeal Presence so much Reverence in the Days of his Humiliation, certainly we ought not to give his Spiritual Presence less Honour in his Exaltation, since he is now advanced to the Right-hand of God; but when we approach him, should Worship him with our Bodies, as well as Souls; but the Directory in opposition to the Practice of these Holy Men, Commands the People to enter the Assembly (where they suppose Christ Spiritually present, or else, What make they there?) without Adoration, or Bowing their Bodies towards one Place or other; and consequently they must not Bow their Bodies or Knees to Adore God at all; for if they do so, it must be towards some Place, it being impossible to Worship God with our Bodies without it  
But to return from the Presbyterian Directory, (whither I have a little digressed, presuming it would be a Pardonable Digression) to our Anabaptistical Director of Spiritual Prayer, John Bunyan; p. 45. 46. he affirms, That none but such as are Regenerate, can truly with allowance, say Our Father, etc. and yet even these must go no farther, nor venture to say out the Lords Prayer, because it is a Form, and to use any such Forms, is as bad as setting up, and Worshipping Jeroboams Calves, which was downright Idolatry; and p. 110. What is this (says he) less than that accursed Abomination of Jeroboam, which kept many from going to Jerusalem, the Place and Way of God's appointment to Worship?  
But if this be less than Blaspemy, I know not what can be called by that Name; for if the use of godly Forms of Prayer (not excepting the Lords Prayer itself) be as abominable Idolatry as Jeroboam's Calves, than our Lord in commanding us when we Pray, to say, Our Father which art in Heaven, etc. must Command the Practice of Idolatry; which is to Charge God not only Foolishly, but Presumptuously; and in so doing, to fall himself into Jeroboams great Sin, in devising another way of Praying, than that revealed in the Word of God, and in slighting and despising that Form of Prayer which Christ has given us; a Practice which we justly detest and abhor, and therefore in our Morning and Evening Service, we always use the Lords Prayer, and all our other Prayers are Composed according to this divine and admirable Pattern; and Mr. Baxter, (whose Authority may have great Influence on the Presbyterians, if it should have little on John Bunyan and his Party) was so much for the use of the Lord's Prayer, that (I am credibly informed) he constantly concluded his own with it, and on his Deathbed, earnestly 
* See Mr. Baxters' Funeral Sermon, by Dr. Bates.  Recommended the like Practice to all his Dissenting Brethren, and wondered that any of them should lay aside the Lord's Prayer; assuring them he always found much Comfort in the use of it, and his Heart raised and lifted Heaven-wards, in the frequent Repetition thereof; which I mention on purpose to silence the Clamours of these Men against our Church, for using the Lord's Prayer twice, and sometimes more in our daily Devotions; for why may not our People receive as much Spiritual Comfort (as Mr. Baxter says he did) in such Repetitions? And can a good thing be repeated too often? They say, it cannot, when they require their Followers to attend the Repetition of their Sermons; and I presume, they dare not say that the very best of their Discourses, are so good as the Lord's Prayer, or that the Words of uninspired Men, are equal to the Words of Jesus Christ; besides, the Lord's Prayer being delivered by the two Evangelists, with some little Alteration, the one reciting the Doxology, the other omitting it, therefore also we repeat this Prayer once with and once without it; in the one ending thus; Deliver us from evil, Amen, as St. Luke Chap. 11.4. and in the other thus; for thine is the Kingdom, and the Power, and the Glory, for ever and ever, Amen: Our Church enjoining all its Members to make use of both Forms, that none may fail to comply with our Lords Commands, who requires us to Pray thus, and after this manner; and this I think is enough to satisfy the Scruples of any reasonable Person, that may be offended with the Repetition of the Lords Prayer in our Church's Liturgy.  
But if Jo. Bunyan cannot dissuade Christians from using the Lords Prayer, (and 'twill be hard to do so, so long as they find it in their Bibles) he invents such shifts to limit and confine this Divine Form, that he will allow none but Saints, i. e. such as himself and his own Party to use it; (tho' I believe few have ever heard it from their Teachers) and sometimes he will not permit the Saints themselves to make use of it, as p. 41. I tell you, (says he) however Hypocrites may think, yet the Christian that is so indeed, (and that surely must be one of the Saints) finds all the difficulty in this very thing, he cannot say God is his Father.  
But certainly the Author of the Pilgrim's Progress, had here forgotten the Parable of the Prodigal Son, who before he was a Saint, and a great way off from God, and in the far Country of Sin, whither he had fled from him, he said; I will arise and go to my Father, and will say unto him, Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee; and am no more worthy to be called thy Son. Luke 15.13. 18.20. But had Jo. Bunyan heard this Prayer, he would have Schooled him thus; Thou Poor Blind Prodigal Sot; thy great Prayer is to say; Father I have sinned against Heaven and before thee: Dost thou know the meaning of the first Word of this Prayer? Canst thou indeed with the rest of the Saints, cry Abba Father? Art thou truly Born again? Hast thou received the Spirit of Adoption? Dost thou see thyself in Christ? And canst thou come to God as a Member of him? Or art thou ignorant of these things, and yet darest say Father? Is not the Devil thy Father? And dost thou not do the Deeds of the Flesh? Hast thou not been a Prodigal Spendthrift, wasted thy Substance with Riotous living, and devoverd thy Estate among Harlots, and yet darest thou say to God, Father?  
Thus Rudely, Unchristianly, and Uncharitably, would Jo. Bunyan treat the Prodigal Son, as the elder Brother would have had him treated; but God himself treats him far otherwise; even as a dear and tender Child; for when he was yet a great way off, his Father saw him, and had Compassion on him, and ran and fell on his Neck and kissed him; and his Reception and Entertainment was extraordinary, ver. 22.23. The Author of the Pilgrim's Progress, had likewise forgotten the Parable of Dives and Lazarus; the former, tho' in Hell, called Abraham Father, Luke 16.24. But Jo. Bunyan would for this alone, have called him, Damned Wretch, and Child of the Devil, and demanded of him, What hast thou to do cursed Man, to call Abraham Father? But Abraham has better Language in his Mouth, and is so far from reproving even this Damned Rich man for calling him Father, that he gives him a mild Answer, and the Title of Son, perhaps, because he was one of his Offspring, tho' much degenerated from him that was the first Root and Stock of them; Son remember that thou in thy life time receivedst thy good things, etc. In like manner the most wicked Person in the World may call God Father; he being the God and Father of all Men by Creation, who are therefore said, to be all his Offspring, Acts 17.28, 29. So on the Account of their natural Being, which they received from God, all Mankind may truly call God Father; as all the Children of an earthly Parent, tho' of far different Natures and Behaviour, may yet call him their Father; 2dly. God is the Father of all Men by Redemption which is universal, and extended to all that will sincerely accept and lay hold of it, as is clear from 1 Joh. 2.1.2. If any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole World: So that Jesus Christ died for all Men, even the most profligate Wretches in the World, or else they were not bound to Repent and Believe the Gospel; for to what purpose should they do either, since none can be saved, but those for whom Christ died, and then all their Repentance and Faith would be in vain: So that on the account of Creation and Redemption, we may all call Almighty God Father; altho' we were never so wicked, even as Satan's Children, as this Author supposes us to be; and by consequence, may safely use the Lord's Prayer, without being guilty of Lying or Blasphemy; altho' none of us were Saints, at least not one in Forty did deserve that Name: Indeed William Pen and his Party, upbraid us for saying in our Prayers; Lord have Mercy upon us miserable Sinners; and, We have erred and strayed from thy Ways like lost Sheep: And John Bunyan and his Party, upbraid us for saying, Our Father which art in Heaven, etc. So that if we should hearken to these Men, we must not Pray at all, neither address ourselves to God as Saints, nor as Sinners; neither say Our Father, nor, God be merciful to me a Sinner; but the truth is, we may, and on good Grounds do say both, having the Examples of David and St. Paul, to justify our Practice, whom I presume our Author will allow in the number of Saints, and that they might truly call God Father; and yet one of them says in his Prayer to God; I have gone astray like a lost Sheep, O seek thy Servant, Ps. 119.176. the other says; Jesus Christ came into the World to save Sinners, of whom I am chief, 1 Tim. 1.15. and if after their Examples, and that of the penitent Publican we come to Church, and confess our Sins, and desire God to be Merciful to us Sinners; and also after the Example of the poor Prodigal, we arise and go to our Father, and say unto him, Father we have sinned against Heaven and before thee, and are not worthy to be called thy Children; we may hope to go back again to our Houses justified before the envious Elder Brother, and proud Pharisee, that Censure and condemn us for our Humility and Faith.   

CHAP. IU.  
AS nothing is more usual than for Heretics and Schismatics to propagate their false and pernicious Doctrines by Fire and Sword, and all the studied Arts of Cruelty and Violence, that what is wanting of Truth on their side, may be made up with blind furious Zeal, and ungovernable Rage, so none are more forward to shift the Odium of such bloody Proceed, and cast it upon others that are not guilty thereof, and to make loud Outcries of Persecution and Oppression, which in reality must be charged upon themselves, and laid at their own Doors. Thus of old the Arians dealt with the Orthodox Christians, complained of hard Usage from them, and of their great Sufferings for Conscience sake, and yet none were more bloody Persecutors than themselves, as the Orthodox found by sad Experience, when these Men had gotten the Power into their own Hands, from whom they suffered more than ever they did from the most barbarous Nations, or under the worst Heathen Persecutions. And thus their Successors the Anabaptists have carried themselves towards the Churches of Christ, where they have had means and opportunities to show the Savageness of their Natures and Dispositions, witness the dismal Tragedies they acted at their first rise in Manster, and other Parts of Germany, which were so barbarous and inhuman, that the Modern Anabaptists pretend to be ashamed of them, and of the levelling carnal Principles, which their first Founders held: However this by the way shows their Religion to be very bad, whose Foundation was laid in Rebellion and Blood, and so indeed has it been propogated ever since, when any fair occasion has been offered for the discovery of their Intentions; witness their Persecuting King Charles the Martyr, and some of his loyal Subjects, to the very Gates of Death, and some of them to strange Cities, in which these Men had a great Hand, being some of the worst, tho' most potent in Cromwel's Army, who with their assistance ruled all, and accomplished those Villianies, which are a Scandal to our Nation, and Reproach to the Protestant Religion.  
And yet Page 45, speaking to a member of our Church, John Bunyan says, art not thou a desperate Persecutor of the Children of God? He is their Father whom thou Persecutest; Strange confidence indeed! that this Man should not be ashamed to complain of Persecution, who was himself a great Persecutor, as this very Book of his shows; wherein he treats us with bitter Words and railing Language, which is one kind of Persecution, and not the least neither, even that of the Tongue; for what Moses calls Ishmaels' mocking, St. Paul styles his Persecuting of Isaac, Gen. 21.9. compared with Gal. 4.29. and I doubt the Persecution of the Hand would soon follow, if it lay in these men's Power this way to hurt us; and perhaps they might think it meritorious, and that they should do God good Service in destroying us, as the mad Jews did when they killed Christ's Disciples, Joh. 16.2. This is certain, that the Anabaptists and other Dissenters, who now cry out so much of Persecution, have proved themselves desperate Persecutors, as often as they have had Opportunities to show it, witness their Ejecting, Decimating and Sequestrating, their Imprisoning, Banishing, and Beheading so many of the Loyal party in Cromwell 's Days, who by these men's advice and assistance, acted all those Villainies upon his faithful fellow Subjects, and imbrued his Hands in his gracious Sovereign's innocent Blood, in the shedding whereof all the Sectaries concurred, but especially the Anabaptists, who some of them sat as his Judges, and condemned him; 〈◊〉 
* See the Life of King Charles the First p. 55.  interrupted him in his last Devotions, and offered Affronts to him in his dying Moment's and Agonies, not suffering him to Pray or Die in quiet, without disturbing his Charitable Soul with unusual rudeness and injuries, witness their Rebellion likewise against King James the Second, under the Conduct of the Duke of Monmouth, a considerable part of whose Commanders, Officers and Soldiers were Anabaptists, and this resistance of their rightful Sovereigns tho' contrary to Rom. 13. and the practice of all the Primitive Christians; yet these Men Justify, Defend and Canonize such for Saints and Martyrs as died in it, and were executed for it, as may be seen in a Rhyming Pamphlet of Benjamin Keach's entitled 
* See distressed Zion relieved. p. 25, 26, 27. etc. where some that were Rebels to two if not 3 Kings are named as Saints and Martyrs.  Distressed Zion relieved or the Garment of Praise for the Spirit of Heaviness, wherein are to be found divers instances of such Army Saints and Fight Martyrs, tho' I dare say, the first the Christian Church ever heard of since the Foundation of it, all the Martyrs in Queen Mary's Days, and under the Ten Persecutions, being Strangers to Carnal Weapons, and accustomed only to Spiritual ones, even Prayers and Tears, thinking the other unlawful to be used against their Sovereign, or for Christ's sake, whose Kingdom is not of this World, nor are his Servants to fight for him, as himself expressly affirms, Joh. 18.36. So contrary to the Gospel and the holy Christian Martyrs is these pretended Protestants Practice, and so is that passage in the solemn League and Covenant, the Presbyterian Idol, to which they would have all Hands lifted up, and all Knees to bow, we shall in like manner, without respect of Persons, endeavour the extirpation of Popery and Prelacy, (that is Church Government by Archbishops, Bishops, their Chancellors and Commissaries, Deans, Deans and Chapters, Arch Deacons and all other Ecclesiastical Officers depending on that Hierarchy) we shall also with all Faithfulness endeavour the discovery of all such as have been or shall be Malignants, etc. by hindering the Reformation of Religion, etc. or making any Parties, etc. amongst the People contrary to this League and Covenant, that they be brought to public Trial, and receive condign Punishment, as the degree of their Offence shall require or deserve; by which Clauses they are bound to destroy our Church Root and Branch, and all others too that shall help us, or hinder them in this reforming Work, which any one would think could not be done without a bloody Persecution, unless therefore John Bunyan and his Party renounce the solemn League and Covenant, and their other Persecuting Oaths and Books, and also all their violent and cruel Practices, in this and other Countries, let them not for shame complain of Persecution, who have been, and are themselves the great Accusers and grand Persecutors of their Brethren.   

CHAP. V.  
OUR Author (I suppose) being sensible of the small success his railing against the Common Prayer may have to withdraw any rational Persons love from it, or to raise his hatred thereof, bethinks himself of better and stronger Arguments against it, and endeavours to persuade the World, that the holy Scriptures are on his side, and do in several places manifestly condemn it, which indeed would effectually do his Business, if he could but prove this vainglorious Assertion; but how well that is done, we come next to examine, for p. 35, 36. Jo. Bunyan, says, The Common Prayer Book is a mere humane Invention and Institution, which God is so far from owning of, that he expressly forbids it, with any other such like, and that by manifold Say in his most holy and blessed Word; and one of the Texts he quotes is Prov. 21.9. It is better to dwell in the corner of the House top than with a brawling Woman in a wide House, which perhaps is a mistake of the Printer, being nothing at all to his purpose; but all the other Texts he produces being altogether as Impertinent, and this a second Edition of the Discourse, I am tempted to think this is no error of the Press, but what the Ignorant Author might imagine a good Proof of the unlawfulness of Forms of Prayer, and as good Proof indeed it is, as those that follow, which he there inserts, as Mark 7.7, 8. In vain do they worship me, teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men, for laying aside the Commandment of God, ye hold the Tradition of Men, as the washing of Pots and Cups, and many other such like things ye do, where 'tis plain our Saviour condemned the Hypocritical Scribes and Pharasees for preferring their vain Tradations (of which they had a great many, and particularly the Corban, mentioned ver. 11.) before the Commandment of God, i. e. they forbade Children to help their Parents when they were in want, if they had either rashly made a Vow never to do it, or had devoted their Substance to pious uses, contrary to the Fifth Commandment, which requires Children to relieve their Parents when they need it; that being one way of honouring them; and thus those Hypocritical Scribes and Pharasees were very curious in cleansing their Pots and Cups, lest themselves should be polluted with any Legal uncleanness; but yet they notoriously neglected those great Moral Duties which were plainly Commanded, and also signified by them, even the cleansing their Hearts and Lives from the filthiness of Sin; as is evident from ver. 20, 21, 22, 23. and Luke 11.39. And the Lord said unto him; Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the Cup and Platter, but your inward part is full of Ravening and Wickedness: But how does the Jewish Corban, and their superstitious Washing of Pots and Cups, conclude against the use of the Common Prayer Book? Do we equal or prefer it to the Bible, as the Pharisees did these things to the Commandments of God? And what Commandment do we break in the use of the Common Prayer Book, as they did the Fifth in the Practice of their Corban? Certainly if this place has any respect to Prayer, it more forceably concludes against their extemporary Prayers, which they constantly use in their Meetings, whilst in the mean time, they reject that excellent Form which Christ himself has Commanded, Luke 11.2. When ye Pray, say Our Father, etc. So that with more reason any one may think they themselves are the modern Scribes and Pharisees, that are here Condemned by our Saviour, of whom he says, ver. 9 Full well ye reject the Commandment of God, even that concerning the Lords Prayer, that you may keep your own Tradition, even that of extemporary Prayer, which is a mere Invention of Men, and no where commanded in the Holy Scriptures: But in our Common Prayer Book, we retain that Divine Prayer; and all our other Prayers are Composed according to it; 'tis after that manner we Pray in all the rest, Mat. 6.9. so that in the use of the Common Prayer, we keep the Commandment of Christ, and they in despising thereof reject it; and then, these Words which they urge against us, turn upon themselves; and so does that of Deut. 12.30, 31, 32. Take heed to thyself, that thou be not snared by following them, after that they be destroyed from before thee, and that thou inquire not after their Gods, saying, how did those Nations serve their Gods? Even so will I do likewise; thou shalt not do so unto the Lord thy God; for every abomination unto the Lord, which he hateth, have they done unto their Gods, for even their Sons and their Daughters have they burnt in the Fire unto their Gods; what thing soever I command you, observe to do it, thou shalt not add thereto, nor diminish from it. For, first, are we such heathen People as these seven Nations were? Do we Worship the Host of Heaven, Sun Moon and Stars as they 〈◊〉 Do we Sacrifice our Children to Idols as they did? If this were true, they might have some pretence for urging these Texts of ●●●…ture, and from them also might 〈…〉, that they are bound to cut 〈…〉 Branch, (as by the Covenant they are S●or● to do) even as the Israelites were obliged to destroy the seven Idolatrous Nations. But, if none of these things can be laid to our Charge, who Worship the God of Heaven, and his Son Jesus Christ, and abhor Idolatry, with what Face dare they produce such Scriptures against us, as concern none but Idolaters? In the next place, How do we add to the Word of God, or diminish from it, by the use of the Common Prayer Book? Do we thereby, make more or less Canonical Books of Holy Scripture than the Church of God has allowed and approved of in all Ages? Do we not acknowledge and believe every tittle of the Holy Scriptures, and abominate the least addition or diminution to them?  
But some call it Divine Service, and the Common Prayer Book is Bound up with the Bible, and is not this an adding to the Word of God? No, by no means; for when we call the Common Prayer Divine Service, we give it that Title from the Object thereof, which is Almighty God, to whom all our Prayers are directed and offered up; and we are not so Presumptuous, as to intent thereby, that they are of equal Authority with the Holy Scriptures, or that God himself, is the immediate Author of them, (excepting that only of Our Father) but only that Prayer being the Service of God, and our Church's Prayers Composed according to the Rule of his Word, some on that account call it Divine Service, tho' that Title be not to be found in the Book itself, and therefore can be no Objection against it; and as for the Binding it up with the Bible, that does not make it any part thereof, no more than the Contents of the several Chapters, and the Marginal Notes can be said to be part of the Holy Scriptures, which yet are Bound up with them; but to show the great value we have for the Word of God, it is ordered by the Common Prayer Book, that in this solemn Worship of Almighty God, some Psalms and Chapters out of the Old and New Testament, shall be read every Morning and every Evening; wherein, we follow the Example of Christ and St. Paul, the former of which, did read part of the Prophet Isaiah to the People, and it was his Custom to do so, Luk. 4.16, 17, 18, 19, 20. and the latter after the reading the Law and the Prophets preached to the Congregation, Act. 13.15, 16, 17. etc. a thing which is never Practised (as I am credibly informed) by John Bunyan and his Party, no more than it is by the Quakers, which shows the little regard they both have to the Holy Scripture, and that they prefer their own Extemporary Prayers and Preachments before it, with what Forehead then can this Author pretend that we undervalue the Word of God, either by adding to it, or diminishing from it? which not we but they themselves are guilty of; for they never read the holy Scriptures to their Congregations as we do; but instead thereof pretend that their Extemporary Prayers and rambling Discourses are the immediate dictates of the Holy Ghost; and then both must be as good Scripture as any in the Bible, which is truly to add to the Word of God, and to break the foregoing Precept of Moses, and that other to the same purpose, Deut. 4.2. Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you, neither shall you diminish aught from it, that ye may keep the Commandments of your Lord your God, which I command you; which these Men thus openly neglect and contemn, in rejecting that Form of Prayer which Christ requires all his Disciples to use; and so those two other Texts he mentions, as Rev. 22.18. and Prov. 30.6. concern themselves and not us, in that pretending to pray in the very Words of the Spirit, they thereby add unto the Revelation of St. John new ones of their own, and therefore have all the reason in the World to fear the Plagues there threatened, and lest God should reprove them, and they should be found Liars; lastly, as for Col. 2.16. to verse 24. how does that effect the Common Prayer Book? Do we therein teach the Observation of new Moons and Sabbaths, and the Worshipping of Angels? Or do we therein forbidden to touch, taste or handle those things which God has allowed, (as some of the ancient Heretics did? as particularly Marriage, and unclean Meats, which they held to be unlawful) but if nothing of all this can be fastened upon us, what Impudence is it for this Man to produce this place of St. Paul against us? especially when we may with better reason urge it against him and his Adherents; for do not they forbidden to touch, i. e. any Form of Prayer, even that which our Lord Commanded? Do not they forbidden to taste, i. e. any Meat that has blood in it, which they hold unlawful to be eaten? do not they forbidden to handle, i. e. Psalms, Hymns and Spiritual Songs, which St. Paul has commanded to be Sung? And what is all this but to subject others to their own Ordinances, which are but the Commandments and Traditions of Men? Thus those very Texts of Scripture, which these Men foolishly brandish against us, sometimes urging them against Infant Baptism, sometimes against Sprinkling, sometimes against the Cross, and other Ceremonies, and sometimes against our Common Prayer, (as our Author here) do all turn upon themselves, and give them a deadly and incurable Wound.   

CHAP. VI  
BUT if none of the aforementioned Texts will serve the turn, but rather prove mischievous to him, Jo. Bunyan has Two in reserve that shall effectually confute us; the first is Zachar. 12.10. I will pour upon the House of David and Inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of Grace and Supplication, etc. which being Prophesied of the Gospel Days, he thence infers that the Spirit is the Author of all our Prayers, and therefore must needs invent and dictate them to us; in Answer to which, I say,  
1st. That what we Translate the Spirit of Supplication, may as properly be rendered the Spirit of Mercy, and so the Seventy render it, the Word in the Original signifying as well to show Mercy as to Pray; and then the Argument deduced from this Place, is of no force at all; that because God would have Mercy upon the Jews, (who are here meant by the House of David, and Inhabitants of Jerusalem) in bringing them out of Captivity, that therefore we Christians, have a Promise here to Pray by the Spirit, in that Sense our Author would have it.  
2dly. If we allow the Vulgar Translation, in rendering it the Spirit of Supplication, and that this Prophecy has respect to the Gospel Days, it was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost, when so many Thousands were Converted by Saint Peter's Sermon, of whom it is said, they were first pricked to the Heart, Acts 2.37. i e. for all their Sins, and particularly for that great one, of Crucifying of Jesus Christ, and so, they looked on him whom they had pierced, (as the Prophet foretold they should, in the same place) by the Eye of Faith and Repentance, and received from him, the Spirit of Grace and Supplication, i. e. such miraculous Gifts and Graces, as were bestowed upon the Apostles and first Disciples of our Lord, and were confined to that Age; when was fulfilled also that Prophecy of Joel, Chap. 2.28, 29. as St. Peter assures us, Acts 2.16. This is it (i. e. those miraculous Gifts which you see us have) which was spoken by the Prophet Joel.  
3dly. The Holy Ghost is called, the Spirit of Supplication, because all those Prayers in the Old and New Testament; which were made by the Prophets and Apostles, and particularly that of our Lord, were immediately Inspired and Dictated by the Holy Ghost, and they are left upon Record, as so many Patterns for us to Compose our Prayers by them on the like occasions; and so the Spirit helps our Infirmities, in teaching us to Pray according to these Scripture Forms.  
4thly. Because, the Holy Spirit stirs us up to this Duty, and assists us with fervent Desires in the actual Performance of it; on this account also he may be Styled The Spirit of Supplication, altho' he does not Dictate to us the very words of our Prayer, (as he did to the Prophets and Apostles) and for any to pretend he does, unless they can produce the like Miracles as the Prophets and Apostles wrought, is the greatest vanity and Presumption in the World.  
5thly. We may on as good, or better Grounds affirm, that he is called the Spirit of Supplication, because, He assists us in the Composure and Devout use of godly Forms of Prayer, since 'tis said, Zach. 12.11. In that Day shall there be a great Mourning in Jerusalem, as the Mourning of Hadadrimmon in the Valley of Megiddo; and how that was, we are given to understand, 2 Chron. 35.25. And Jeremiah lamented for Josiah, and all the Singing-Men and Singing-Women spoke of Josiah in their Lamentations to this Day, and made them an Ordinance in Israel, i. e. the Jews had a Form of Prayer and Lamentations, to be Sung with doleful Notes every Year to Condole the great Loss of that good King Josiah: And if the Spirit of Supplication will cause us to Mourn in our Prayers before the Lord as the Jews did, we must compose and use the like Form as they did; and such a Form have we in our Common Prayer Book, wherein, on January the Thirtieth, we Mourn for our English Josiah, I mean, King Charles the Martyr; and therefore it ought to be continued as an Ordinance among us, like that of Jeremiah 's among the Israelites; and 'tis to the Shame and Scandal of some of our Clergy, that this Day is antiquated, and the Anniversary-Service disused in several Places, and I mention it for no other Reason, but in hopes they may be speedily Reformed, or exemplarily Punished.  
John Bunyan's second reserved Proof, is, p. 112. How will the Favourers of such a Practice, (i. e. Forms of Prayer) answer that Scripture, which commandeth the Church should turn away from such as have a Form of Godliness, but deny the Power thereof? 2 Tim. 3.5. and this he had urged before, p. 57 The great Cheat that the Devil and Antichrist deludes the World withal, is to make them continue in the Form of any Duty, the Form of Preaching, of Hearing, of Praying, etc. These are they that have a Form of Godliness, but deny the Power, from such turn away.  
But this Text also, tho' he repeats it, and puts false glosses upon it, makes nothing to his purpose, but rather against him; for, 1st. St. Paul does not here Condemn a Form of Godliness, having Commanded it a little before, in the very same Epistle, 2 Tim. 1.13. Hold fast the Form of sound Words, which thou hast heard of me: And surely the same Apostle who Commands us to hold fast, cannot be supposed so changeable, as to Command us to turn away from a Form of Godliness; that can never be the meaning of the Place, to make the same inspired Penman, to Write Contradictions in the same Epistle: When therefore he upbraids them, with having a Form of Godliness, it was only because it was separated from the Power thereof; i. e. they had put asunder those things which God would have united; as Almighty God upbraids the Jews with the Multitude of their Sacrifices, their vain Oblations, Incense, new Moons and Sabbaths, as if he did not require, but abominate them; and yet these things God himself had strictly enjoined under great Penalties; Isa. 1.11, 12, 13. But the Reason why he is there said to loathe them, is, because their Hands were full of Blood, they did not bring these Sacrifices and Oblations, with such pure Hearts, and clean Hands, with which he commanded them to be Offered at his Altar, ver. 15, 16, 17. Now this Author might with as much or more reason from these Texts infer, that God had forbidden the Jewish People to Offer any Sacrifice or Incense, to keep any new Moons or Sabbaths; as from the other Text to pretend that God forbids a Form of Godliness, whereas indeed nothing but the Abuse of these Religious Duties is reprehended in either place; and when St. Paul commands Timothy, 2 Epist. 3.5. (for this is spoken to him, to whom this Epistle was sent) to turn away from such, the Apostle gives him Direction what to do with such notorious Hypocrites, as had the Form of Godliness, but denied the Power thereof; even to cast them out of all Christian Society, by the Censures of the Church, and so to withdraw from them, but not from the Form of Godliness, which was good still, and never the worse for these men's abuse of it: Turn away from such Men, but not from such a Form: So that this Text likewise (as all the rest he hath hitherto urged, if it has any respect to a Form of Prayer, as this Objector insinuates) is a good Argument for the Lawfulness of such a Form, and will justify us in the use thereof, provided we let the Power of Godliness go along with it, and on this account St. Paul commands Timothy, or the Church, (as this Man would have it) to hold fast that Form of sound Words, which he had heard of him; and in another place to the same purpose with this and the former, he says, 1 Tim. 6.3, 4, 5. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome Words, even the Words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the Doctrine which is according to Godliness, he is Proud, knowing nothing, but doting about Questions, and strifes of Words; whereof cometh Envy, Strife, Rail, evil Surmising, perverse Dispute of Men of corrupt Minds, and destitute of the Truth, supposing that Gain is Godliness, from such withdraw thyself; i e. by passing the Sentence of Excommunication upon them: Now do not all three places concern Jo. Bunyan and his Party, who teach otherwise, and who condemn that Form of sound Words, which Christ himself has taught us, and St. Paul commands us to hold fast? Are they not also Proud, false Accusers, Traitorous, Heady, , and plainly deciphered under the black Character the Apostle there gives of such as reject that Form of sound Words, which is according to Godliness? And so we have hence also gained another good Proof of the Lawfulness of the Common Prayer Book, as being a Form of Godliness, and containing a Form of sound and wholesome Words; and if we join the Power thereof with it, we may and aught to continue in the Devout use thereof, and never to Teach or Practise otherwise, for fear of falling under the black Character before given, and more at large set down in that Chapter.   

CHAP. VII.  
BUT our Author having had such bad Success in the choice of his Arguments against Forms of Prayer, which prove no such thing, but rather the Lawfulness of them, and the unlawfulness of their withdrawing from them for the sake of their extemporary Effusions; let us, in the next place, see what better Arguments he advances to make good his Pretences to Pray by the Spirit, and that such extemporary Prayers are commanded in the Scriptures: As for his Text out of 1 Cor. 14, 15, which is the chief Proof he brings, it is no Proof for but against him, as I have already shown in my first Chapter, and shall now farther make appear.  
For, 1st. This is no Command but an Example, and that of an extraordinary and miraculous Nature, even by the Confession of our Adversary, St. Paul's Praying with the Spirit being accompanied with the Gift of Tongues, and therefore he says, ver. 18. I thank God, I speak with Tongues more than you all; so that unless Jo, Bunyan and his Party had the same miraculous Gift of Tongues, (which I presume they have not the Confidence to pretend to) they cannot urge St. Paul 's Example for their pretences to Pray by the Spirit, having it not in the same extraordinary Measure which he had: They may as well pretend to Visions and Revelations which were vouchsafed to that great Apostle in an high degree, he being caught up into the third Heaven, and hearing there such Words as are not lawful, i. e. not possible for a Man to utter, 2 Cor. 12.2, 3, 4. They may as well say, I have been caught up into Paradise, as I will Pray with the Spirit in the same manner that St. Paul did: But if these Words should (as I think they cannot) refer to the ordinary Gifts of the Spirit, than we may from them deduce, not only the Lawfulness, but necessity also, of using a Form of Prayer, (as I have before observed) being so closely connected with the latter part of the first, I will Sing with the Spirit, and I will Sing with the Understanding also: Now since all Christians make use of Forms in Singing, or else the Congregation can never join with them; and when they do, they may Sing with the Spirit: What Reason can there be given, why they may not as well Pray by the Spirit, altho' they Pray according to set Forms which are before them? So that this is as unlucky a Text for his purpose, as the Author could possibly have lighted upon; for instead of concluding against Forms of Prayer, it is such a convincing Argument of the Lawfulness of them, as I believe neither be nor all his Party will ever be able to Answer.  
His next Argument, is from Rom. 8.26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our Infirmities, for we know not what we should Pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself maketh Intercession for us, with Groan that cannot be uttered; which he sets down in the Title-Page, and repeats and flourishes with several times in his Book, and does thus Paraphrase upon it, p. 29. Consider first, the Person speaking, even Paul, and in his Person all the Apostles; We Apostles, we extraordinary Officers, the wise Master Builders, that have some of us been caught up into Paradise; we know not what we should Pray for: And p. 31. The Apostles when they were at best, yea when the Holy Ghost assisted them, yet then were they fain to come off with Sighs and Groans, falling short of expressing their Mind, but with Sighs and Groans which cannot be uttered. A false and silly Paraphrase indeed; for first, When St. Paul says [We] or [I] we are not to understand it always as spoken of himself; but he takes upon him the Person of others, and sometimes such as are unregenerate, even after his own Conversion, as Rom. 7.8, 9.14.23.25. where he says, Sin wrought in me all manner of Concupiscence; Sin revived and I died: I am carnal sold, under Sin; I see another Law in my Members, warring against the Law of my Mind, and bringing me into Captivity to the Law of Sin and Death; with my Flesh I serve the Law of Sin: All which Expressions by no means agree to St. Paul, who was Converted before this, being quite contrary to the Nature of a Regenerate Man, who is said in other places of this Epistle, to be free from Sin, and the Servant of Righteousness, Rom. 6.18. That the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ, has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death, Rom. 8.2. That he has crucified the Flesh, with the Affections and Lusts, Gal. 5.24. That Sin does not Reign in his mortal Body, that he should obey it in the Lusts thereof, Rom. 6.12. So that unless we can twist Contradictions, we cannot suppose St. Paul to speak of himself, in that seventh Chapter, but only of a Judaising Christian, or a Convinced but not Converted Person, and nothing is more usual, than for Prophets and Apostles, to speak in the Person of others, when they say [I] or [We] did so or so; for we cannot suppose St. Paul and the rest of the Apostles, or indeed any sensible Christian so very Ignorant, as not to know to whom, and through whom, and for what to Pray; and therefore the, we know not &c. must have respect to other Men, and such as were Heathens and Unconverted, who had not before heard of Christ, or seen the Gospel, where there are Rules laid down, and those Dictated and written by the Holy Spirit, how they and all Men ought to Pray, even to our Father which is in Heaven, through his beloved Son Jesus Christ, for such Lawful things as are according to his Will: And when Men Pray thus, according to that excellent Form which Christ has prescribed, his Holy Spirit will also assist them with good Desires, so that they shall Hearty wish and long for those things for which they Pray, with submission to the Will of God; and thus the Spirit helpeth our Infirmities, in revealing to us the Holy Scriptures, where those that were Ignorant before, are taught how to Pray as they ought.  
But our Author goes on with his Paraphrase, p. 30.31. The Apostles when they were at best, yea when they were assisted with the Holy Ghost, yet than they were fain to come off with Sighs and Groans, etc. Mark here, (says he) they could not so well and fully come off, in the manner of performing this Duty, as these in our Days think they can.  
But is not this another good Argument for Forms of Prayer, when the Apostles themselves stood in need of them, and therefore desired Christ to teach them such a Form as John had taught his Disciples, Luke, 11.1. Lord teach us to Pray as John also taught his Disciples: And certainly they had need to be taught such a Form to help them out, if they were such Bunglers at Prayer as J. Bunyan represents them, viz. That they were not able to make an end of the Prayer they had begun in the Congregation, but were forced to break off abruptly, perhaps in the midst thereof; which must needs cause Shame to themselves, and Disappointment and Confusion to the whole Assembly, which all their Sighs and Groans, would never be able to compensate; but no Man of Sense, can believe, the Apostles ever Prayed at this rate in the Church of God, where they command all things to be done Decently and in order, and to the Edification of the People, 1 Cor. 14.26.40. For, what Order, Decency, or Edifying is there in Sighs and Groans, which Hypocrites may utter, as well as Sincere Christians? And when either does it, who can tell the meaning of them? And may not a Man edify as much by the Quakers Silent-meetings, as by such Sighs and Groans, which have no certain and determinate Signification as Words and Speeches have? And yet if we may believe Jo. Bunyan, these were a good part of the Apostles Prayers, even in their public Assemblies; but the Proof which he brings for it, is Simple and Ridiculous, viz. [For the Spirit itself, maketh Intercession for us, with Groan which cannot be uttered] Whereas these are not the Groan of the Apostles, or of any Man else upon the Face of the Earth, but the Groan of the Holy-Ghost himself in Heaven, where together with the Lord Jesus, he maketh Intercession for us, at the Right-hand of God, and that in a very fervent and powerful manner, which St. Paul calls his Groan which cannot be uttered, and therefore can never be applied to the Groan of Men, which are always heard, and make a sound in their very utterance: So foolish and presumptuous is this Man in Expounding and Applying this Text; especially in endeavouring to prove from it, that the Holy Spirit does invent and dictate to us, the very words of Prayer; for here are no Words at all proceeding from the Spirit, but only Groan; How then can this place prove, that the Spirit suggests to us the Words of our Prayer, when he intercedes for us without Words, even with Groan, (but pray mistake not) not with such Groan as Jo. Bunyan and his Party makes, and may be heard in every corner of the House, and in the very Streets, but with Groan that cannot be uttered: And that these are the inexpressible Desires of Christ and the Spirit of God in Heaven, is plain from Rom. 8.27. He that searcheth the Hearts, (i. e. Almighty God, whose Prerogative it is) knoweth what is the Mind of the Spirit, because he maketh Intercession for the Saints according to the Will of God. So that this Text also, as all the rest, turns upon the Objector, and proves, that the Spirit does not put Words into their Mouths, nor cause those Groan, which are so loud and frequent in their Meetings; the Spirits Groan here, being said to be without noise or sound, without utterance or expression; they are such as cannot be uttered: Whence I may well conclude, that Jo. Bunyan 's extemporary Prayers, his dismal Groans, and those Fits and Agonies of the Spirit, which (he says) he was sometimes in, when he was strongly persuaded to leave off, and to seek the Lord no longer, p. 71. I may conclude, (I say) that this is a great Cheat of the Devil and Antichrist, by which he does delude and deceive the World, by which Men would persuade themselves and others, that they Pray with the Spirit, that they Preach with the Spirit, and Hear with the Spirit, even with the same extraordinary Spirit which St. Paul had, when there is no such thing, but they are rather possessed by an evil Spirit, which makes them think and speak so highly and vaingloriously of themselves, and so contemptibly and uncharitably of others; their Mouth speaketh great swelling Words, having men's Persons in admiration because of advantage: These be they that separate themselves, Sensual, having not the Spirit, Jud. ver. 16.19.   

CHAP. VIII.  
HAving said in the Conclusion of the former Chapter, that J. Bunyan and his Party, have not the Spirit to which they so much pretend, I come now to prove this Charge against them, from two substantial Arguments.  

1st. Their Disobedience to their Lawful Superiors in Church and State: The Spirits of the Prophets, are Subject to the Prophets, 1 Cor. 14.32. And the Spirit of God, persuades and commands Men to Obey every Ordinance of Man, for the Lord's sake, and to be subject to our Civil and Ecclesiastical Governors, not only for Wrath, but also for Conscience sake, Rom. 13.5. 1 Pet. 2.13. But these Men by their causeless and sinful Separation from our Church, make a Schism in it, as by their frequent resistance of our rightful Kings, they have made Rebellions in the State, a thing which the Apostles and primitive Christians, were never guilty of, under the most bloody Persecutions, but always abhorred it as contrary to the good Spirit of God.  
2dly. The base Railing, and filthy Language, which this Author and his Party do aften bestow upon us; a brief account of which, I have before given, and shall now give an instance or two more of it, to fill up the Measure of his Iniquity, p. 44. speaking of Men that use Forms of Prayers, (by which without doubt he marks out us) he says; They in Person appear as Hypocrites, and their Prayers are an abomination; when they say, they have been pouring out their Souls unto God, he saith they have been Howling like Dogs, and for this he quotes Hos. 7.14. though 'tis plain, he here adds to the Word of God, there being no mention of Dogs in that place, but only of the Children of Ephraim's Howling upon their Beds; and this bold Man adds thereunto, like Dogs, to render us more odious in the application. But if we should take the same liberty, and say, that these Men in their Conventicles, Groan and Grunt like Hogs, and Snarl and Bark like Dogs, tho' they cannot By't and Devour us, I believe they would Proclaim us for the most Wicked and Uncharitable People in the World: For this very Man, on the Score of our slighting his Praying by the Spirit, (as I think I have sufficiently proved we have Reason to do) breaks out into this strange and horrid Exclamation: Is it not the Mark of implacable Reprobates? O fearful! Can you not be content to be Damned for your Sins against the Law; but you must Sin against the Holy Ghost? Good God That we should be accused of the Sin against the Holy Ghost, only for Vindicating his Honour, and exposing such Men as would father their Nonsense and Blasphemies upon him! But in Truth, 'tis these are the Blasphemers of the Holy Spirit; 'tis these be the Corahs' and Balaams' of the Age, that Rebel against our Moses and Aaron, and Curse God's People to their Face, even with bitter Words, and venomous Expressions, which shows them to be acted by the Instigation of another Spirit, even that of Satan and Antichrist, who are all for Railing and Reviling, but the good Spirit of God, is all for mild, gentle and charitable Speeches, Jud. 9 Michael the Archangel, when contending with the Devil, he Disputed about the Body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing Accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. The good Spirit of God, wherever he rests, produces kind Thoughts, and charitable Expressions, both which, Jo. Bunyan is a Stranger to, as is evident from p. 89. When Men Pray for a show to be heard, and thought some body in Religion; there are two sorts of Men, that Pray to this end, 1st. Your Trencher-Chaplains, that thrust themselves into great men's Families, pretending the Worship of God, when in truth, the great Business is their own Bellies, which were notably Painted out by Ahab's Prophets, 1 K. 18. and also Nebuchadnezzar's Wisemen, Dan. 2. who, tho' they pretended great Devotion, yet their Lusts and their Bellies, were the great things aimed at by them in all their pieces of Devotion.   
Now can there be a greater uncharitableness shown, than is couched in these few Words? Wherein all the Chaplains of great Men, without any exception, are represented as a Company of gormandizing Epicures, that make their Belly their God, and to be as bad as Ahab's false Prophets, which fed at Jezabel's Table, and as bad as Nebuchadnezzar's Magicians, who were initiated into the Black-Art, and in a solemn League and Covenant with the Devil: Good God That a Man should publish to the World, such Base and Scandalous Reflections, on some Divines, who, for aught he knows to the contrary, may be as good Christians and pious Persons as any in the Nation; But if they call the Master of the House Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his Household? Mat. 10.25.  
May we not with more Truth, call this Author a Corner-Chaplain? That follows his poor Creatures, that are deluded by him, into every Corner of the House, and there makes them Groan most bitterly, or else he could not say as he does p. 73. I know 'tis thus with them; their Groans go up to Heaven, from every Corner of the House; I know they do Groan, and that most bitterly: Of this sort are they, that creep into Houses, and lead Captive silly Women, laden with Sins; and that is enough to make them Groan indeed, 2 Tim. 3.6. But if this does not please him, he must be contented to enjoy the Title of Tinker Chaplain, as most agreeable to his old Trade, tho' after all, for want of Charity, he proves to be but as sounding Brass, or a tinkling Cymbal.   

CHAP. IX.  
FOR a farther Proof that Jo. Bunyan's Pretences to the Spirit are vain, I shall produce his own Words in Evidence against him, where he advises Parents not to teach their Children to Pray by any Form, no not so much as the Lord's Prayer; and then being not of themselves able to Pray extempore, they must not Pray at all Evil Council indeed, and which never came from the good Spirit of God; it is p. 77.78. My Judgement is, (says he) that Men go the wrong Way, to learn their Children to Pray, in going about so soon to teach them a set company of Words, as is the common use of poor Creatures to do: For to me it seems to be a better way, for People betimes, to tell their Children what cursed Creatures they are, and how they are under the Wrath of God, by reason of original and actual Sin, as also to tell them the nature of God's Wrath, and the duration of the Misery; which if they conscientiously do, they would sooner learn their Children to Pray than they do.  
But tho' this Author gives his Judgement, in the Style of St. Paul, yet does he show by it, that he has not the Spirit of God, as St. Paul had; for that Apostle advises Parents thus, Ephes. 6.4. Ye Fathers provoke not your Children to Wrath; and to tell them, they are all cursed Creatures, in a damnable Condition, and obnoxious to Hell torments, which shall last for ever; one would think, were the ready way to provoke them to wrath indeed, but St. Paul says, provoke them not by any harsh Speeches at all, as these certainly are, which may sooner drive them to Despair, than persuade them to Pray; but (as he immediately subjoins) bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; and what can that import, but to teach them to say the Creed, Lord's Prayer, and Ten Commandments, which contain the Sum and Substance of the Christian Religion, even what we ought to believe and do, and how to Pray, in order to Salvation? But especially to teach our Children to Pray according to that perfect and complete Form, which our Lord Jesus has taught us, and left upon Record in the Gospel, this is to Breed them up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord; and not the next way to make them cursed Hypocrites, and puff them up with Pride, as our uncharitable Author says it will, p. 78. I am confident, to tell little Children of Hell-fire and Damnation, and their own Wretched and Miserable estate, (if they understand what we say) is the next way to cast them down into the Gulf of Despair; and therefore our blessed Saviour took a quite contrary Course with them, Mark 10.14. Suffer little Children to come unto me, and forbidden them not, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven; and v. 15. Whosoever shall not receive the Kingdom of God as a little Child, he shall not enter therein, and ver. 16. He took them up in his Arms, puts his Hands upon them, and Blessed them, which without doubt he did by some short Form of Prayer, and so by that taught little Children to Pray also: Our Lord Jesus to encourage little Children to be good betimes, says, of such is the Kingdom of Heaven, but J. Bunyan to discourage them, says, of such is the Kingdom of Hell. Christ proposes them as a Pattern of Meekness, Innocence, and Humility, Mat. 18.2, 3, 4, 5, 6. But John Bunyan exposes them as the Objects of God's Wrath and Vengeance, and so many Brands of Hell-fire; and this he says, will make Tears run down your sweet Babes Eyes, and hearty Groans to flow from your Hearts, tho' any one else would imagine this would swallow them up with overmuch Grief, and sink their tender Spirits into downright Despair; and here I cannot choose but take notice how much this Man is for Groaning, since he would have Children to learn it, instead of their Prayers; Why? according to his way of Expounding Scripture, Rom. 8.26. the children's Groan may be as acceptable to God, as the best of our Prayers, for, (as I observed before, Chap. 7.) he says, The Apostles could not so well come off, in the manner of performing this Duty, etc. When the Holy Ghost assisted them, yet even then, they were fain to come off with Sighs and Groans, falling short of expressing their Minds, but with Sighs and Groans which cannot be uttered. (But how then could they express their Minds by them, if they were unutterable?) and cannot Children as well express their Minds this way as the very Apostles themselves, if they can but Groan lustily, as he supposes the other to have done? So that our Author has found out a new Way, to teach Children to Pray, as well as their ungifted Brethren, 'tis but for them to Groan well, and often, and loud, and the Work is done, and they may be said to Pray as well as the Apostles ever did; and this Groaning will save them the labour of Reading the Bible, or Learning any Catechism that has the Lord's Prayer in it: O poor sweet Babes! The Lord open your Eyes, and make you see, and shun the wicked and pernicious Counsel, of such groaning Hypocrites.  
And I must farther observe, that J. Bunyan, does not in all his Advice here, put Parents upon Teaching their Children to Read the Holy Scriptures, tho' Timothy had done it from a Child, and St. Paul commends him for it, 2 Tim. 3.15. And I doubt, the true Reason why he does not mention the Reading their Bibles, is for fear they should meet with the Lord's Prayer in it, and so have a mind to learn by Heart, that excellent Form, which Christ himself has made, and enjoined all his Disciples to use; yet p. 79. he Quotes a Passage out of Psalm. 34.11. which is this, Come ye Children, harken unto me, and I will Teach you the fear of the Lord: Which after his silly way, he Paraphrases thus, David does not say, I will Nuzzle you up in a Form, but I will Teach you the fear of the lord Where, if the words refer to Children, and not Men, as they seem to do from the next Verse, ver. 12. What Man is he that desireth Life? Yet, 1st. Jo. Bunyan uses a Beastly Comparison, in calling our Teaching Children, a Form of Prayer, a Nuzzling them up in it; which is an Expression belonging to Hogs, whose young ones are said to be Nuzzled up by them; and 'tis a piece of Profane Wit, to compare the Teaching our Children Godly Forms of Prayer, to the rearing up young Pigs; this is to offend and despise not only one, but all these little ones, tho' we are cautioned against it, at the Peril of our Souls; and lest their Angels Revenge the Contempt we throw upon them: Mat. 18.6.10. Whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better that a Millstone were hanged about his Neck, and that he were Drowned in the depth of the Sea: Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in Heaven, their Angels do always behold the Face of my Father which is in heaven.  
2dly. 'Tis plain, that David was for Educating Children in a Form, or else he had not kept the Commandment of the Lord, who required him to do it, as is evident from Deut. 6.6, 7. And these Words which I command thee this Day shall be in thine Heart, (which relates chief to the ten Commandments mentioned in the 5th. Chapter) And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy Children; and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy House, and when thou walkest by the Way; and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up: And Deut. 31.12.13. Gather the People together, Men, Women, and Children, and the Stranger that is within thy Gates, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and observe to do all the Words of this Law: And, What was all this, but the Teaching their Children Forms? So that David himself, (according to this Fellows unseemly Comparison) did Nuzzle up Children in Forms, or else he had disobeyed God, which required it; and the Teaching them such Forms, is here called, the Teaching them the fear of the Lord; so unhappy still is this Man, in urging Texts of Scripture, that they all conclude against him, and for that very thing against which he produceth them.   

CHAP. X.  
NOW after all, lest any should censure me for speaking too lightly of these men's Groan, and Pretences to Pray by the Spirit, I have this (which I presume will be thought sufficient by all Honest and Impartial Christians) to offer in my Defence and justification.  
1st, That when I reflect on Jo. Bunyan's Groan, I do it only to show his false and absurd Interpretation of Rom. 8.26. where he misapplies the Groan the Apostle there speaks of, to himself and other Men, which plainly belong to the Spirit of God, being such as cannot be heard or uttered; as the Groan of Men are, and I do not hereby condemn the Sighs and Graans' which good People out of a deep Sense of their Sins, and Sorrow for them, may, and often do utter in their Closet, Devotions, and private Ejaculations, which tho' none but God sees and hears, yet he approves and accepts them the better, and merely for their being Sincere and Secret, he will one Day, Reward them openly, Mat. 6.4.6.18. but as for such Sighs and Groans, which are vented in the Congregation, (a thing constantly practised among the Quakers, as well as J. Bunyan and his Party, and other Dissenters) we have no Precept or Example for them, either in the Old or New Testament. We read or hear of no such thing in all their Religious Assemblies; and particularly those three great ones, wherein the Spirit of God assisted in a more extraordinary manner, than he has ever done since that time; I mean when the Apostles and Disciples, to the number of an Hundred and twenty met together, and Prayed to God to direct them in the choice of a Successor to Judas; Acts 1.15.24. and when they were assembled on the Day of Pentecost, Acts 2.1. when Three thousand were Converted by St. Peter's Sermon, ver. 14.41. when the first great Council was assembled at Jerusalem, Act. 15.7.12. and when St. Paul Preached his farewell Sermon at Troas, continuing his Speech till Midnight, Acts 20.7. in all which places we read, that the People either kept Silence, or were sorrowful and pricked to the Heart, or else spoke in divers Tongues, the wonderful Works of God; but we do not find there was one Soul that Groaned among them; which I the rather mention, because all these were wonderful Conversions, and extraordinary Effusions of the Holy Ghost; so little Authority from the Scripture, have any Dissenters for the frequent Groan which are heard among them, in their respective Meetings; or for their making these Groan, an infallible Mark of their having the Spirit of God; they are rather sometimes a Mark of Hypocrisy; and that those that Delight and Pride themselves in them, do this (as the Scribes and Pharisees did of old) only to be heard and seen of Men; Mat. 23.2. And therefore whatsoever good Men may do in private between God and their own Souls, when none sees or hears but God alone; yet in public, they are careful to avoid such loud and frequent Groans, at least to be very sparing in them, lest instead of passing for Saints, they should be taken for vainglorious Hypocrites.  
2dly. As for my slighting J. Bunyans and the Dissenters Pretences to Pray by the Spirit, I must confess I do so in that Sense they intent it, who imagine and say, That the Holy Spirit Invents and Dictates all the Words of their Prayer unto them; which is to make Almighty God, to multiply Miracles without necessity, and to make also, the Words of their Prayer as True, Infallible, and Divine, as the very Words of Scripture, being both equally Inspired by the Holy Ghost; a thing that has not been known since the Apostolic Age, and then, it was always accompanied with the Gift of Tongues; and the different and contradictory Prayers of the Quakers Anabaptists, Independents, and Presbyterians, (who all confidently pretend to Pray thus by the Spirit, and yet Pray one against another) is a sufficient Confutation of it; for the Holy Spirit is one, and not contrary to himself; and all his Intercessions for the Saints, are to the same end, in the same manner, and according to the same good Will and Pleasure of Almighty God; but all this is Performed in a Secret, Invisible, and Unutterable way; and so is the Assistance which he affords to good Men, even by godly Motions, and holy Desires, which are kindled within them, and which they can only feel in their Hearts, but not hear with their Ears, or express with their Tongues; and such an Assistance of the Holy Spirit, our Common Prayer Book allows of, and teaches us to Pray for it; in the beginning of Morning and Evening Service, after Confession of our Sins, the next Prayer (which is in Form of an Absolution) runs thus; Wherefore let us beseech him, to grant us true Repentance, and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him, which we do at this present, and that the rest of our Life hereafter may be Pure and Holy, etc. Before the repetition of the Ten Commandments, the Collect has these words in it, Cleanse the Thoughts of our Hearts by the Inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee, and worthily magnify thy Holy Name, etc. In the Litany, one of the Petitions is; That it may please thee to give to all thy People, increase of Grace, to hear meekly thy Word, and to receive it with pure Affection, and to bring forth the Fruits of the Spirit.  
And 'tis worth our Observation, that what some are pleased to call the Gift of Prayer, is not mentioned among the Fruits of the Spirit, which are all particularly set down, Gal. 5.22.23. as, Love, Joy, Peace, long Suffering, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, Temperance; neither is it reckoned among the Gifts of the Spirit, which are recounted, Isa. 11.2. as, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might, Knowledge, [Godliness] and the Fear of the Lord,; nor yet in, 1 Cor. 12.8, 9, 10. where they are placed in this Order; The Word of Wisdom, the Word of Knowledge, Faith, the Gifts of Healing, the working of Miracles, Prophecy, discerning of Spirits, divers kinds and Interpretation of Tongues; in both which places, there is no mention of the Gift of Prayer, tho' in one of them, there is of the Gift of Prophecy; and therefore these men's Pretences to Pray by the Spirit, as a peculiar Gift of his, has no Foundation in Holy Scripture; indeed, for any to express themselves well on a sudden, and to Pray with variety and fluency of Words, is, and may be called a Gift of God; and so is Speech, Memory, and Invention, which nevertheless, are all common to good and bad Men, and capable of being improved by industry and use, and more apt to Puff up than Edify, and to make such as have them, despise and decry all that use Forms, as Formal Superstitious and Graceless Men, that want the Life, Spirit, and Power of Prayer, and yet I doubt not, but many good People can testify this by their own Experience, that some notorious Hypocrites have this Gift of Prayer, and some devout and sincere Christians continue in the use of Forms, and reap the Comfort and Benefit of it: And 'tis farther observable, that all the Gifts of the Spirit enumerated by St. Paul, were of an extraordinary and miraculous Nature, as the Gift of Healing, divers kinds of Tongues, working Miracles; and the Faith there mentioned among them, was not such as is ordinary and saving, even to believe that Jesus Christ is the true Messiah and Saviour of the World; but it was a Faith of an extraordinary and miraculous Nature, even to believe that God would enable them to Work the Miracle they were about to perform before the People; for the Apostles never attempted to work a Miracle, till they had this extraordidinary Faith wrought in them first, by some Divine impulse from the Spirit, which assured them, that they should certainly perform the Miracle they undertook; for had the Apostles at any time failed in such attempts, and set about a Miracle, which they were not able to work, it would have exposed them mightily to the World, and given a great Blow to the Christian Religion, and made them and it, to be looked on as an Imposture; and therefore they had always first a strong and infallible Impulse upon their Minds, (which St. Paul calls also Faith) to assure them they could and should be able to work the Miracle before ever they attempted to do it; but this and the other Gifts he there reckons up, were not ordinary and saving, which every good Christian may now hope for, but they were extraordinary and miraculous, as is farther evident from 1 Cor. 12.11. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every Man severally as he will; i. e. no one Person had all these miraculous Gifts before mentioned, but they were variously distributed among them; one had this, another had that, another a third, and so on, and they all ceased in that Age; which cannot be said of the saving Gifts and Graces of the Spirit, where he that has one in truth, has certainly all of them; as he that truly has saving Faith, has also Hope and Charity, Patience and Meekness in some measure; they being all knit together, as so many Links in the same Chain, that there can be no Separation made between them, and these shall never cease; and the not understanding and considering this, is the main Cause I doubt, that many in this Age, expect and pretend to those extraordinary and miraculous Gifts of the Spirit, which are long since ceased, as St. Paul declares they should, 1 Cor. 13.8.13. Charity never faileth; but whether there be Prophecies they shall fail, whether there be Tongues they shall cease; whether there be Knowledge it shall vanish away; and now abideth Faith, Hope, Charity, these three, but the greatest of these is Charity: But little or nothing of this, is to be found in all Jo. Bunyan's Book, which I have here Answered, as I believe any one will find, that does not think his Labour lost to read it.   

The CONCLUSION.  
AND thus having with his own Weapons, Vanquished this Anabaptistical Goliath, that is Armed Cap-a-pee with Brass, I shall close all with this short Address to the Armies of our Israel; That they would every one of them get a Common Prayer Book, that is able to use it; and think himself Naked and Unarmed without it, as a Soldier does that is without his Sword; and that they would not only have their Common Prayer Books about them, but also make use of them in their daily Devotions; and not only use them, but put them also in Practice by their daily Conversation, in living a Godly, Righteous, and Sober Life, as they are therein taught to do; without this, tho' our Prayers are never so good, and we make never so many of them, they will signify nothing, they will do us no more Service, than the Ark of God did the Israelites, when they relied on it only for their Deliverance and Preservation, and did not take care to walk worthy of the Divine Presence which resided therein, and dwelled among them; 1 Sam. 4.3. Let us fetch the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that when he cometh among us, it may save us out of the Hand of our Enemies. Thus they thought, and earnestly expected, but were soon convinced of the contrary, by the overthrow of their Army, and the taking of the Ark itself, and carrying it in Triumph, into the Philistines Camp, ver. 10, 11. And thus has it fared with our Common Prayer Book, when we too much rested in it, and made use of it with Formality, Lukewarmness and Indifferency, and not with a suitable Zealand Devotion; it was twice thrown out of the Church, and taken from us, and carried Captive by our Adversaries of Geneva and Rome, who, tho' they seem to stand at a distance, and defy one another, yet they both agree in this, to Hate our Common Prayer Book, and to do what they can to destroy it; and nothing but our walking unworthy of it, nothing but the Sins of our Priests, and the Iniquity of our People, can give them once more, their desired Success against it; wherefore, let all the Members of our Orthodox Church, show their Soundness and Sincerity, by something else, than the bare use of the Common Prayer in their respective Families; by something else, than Drinking numerous Healths to the Prosperity of both; for I must needs say, such numerous Healths as these, are one of the Diseases she at present labours under, and there is no hopes of a Cure, till all her Sons grow wise unto Sobriety; till they all show themselves sincere Christians, and sound Protestants, by something else than bare Names, and mere outward Professions; even by living Godly, Righteous, and Sober Lives, as our Common Prayer Book teaches us, to Pray every Day, in its general Confession, and we are bound to Practice in our daily Conversation; in short, our leading reformed Lives, and our Walking, as well as Praying according to the Common Prayer Book, is the best, the only way to Preserve it, and the Reformed Religion among us.    
FINIS.