more fuitable to the Reverence and Dread we ought to have of the Divine Majefty, to offer up to him fuch Prayers as we have well ftudied and thought on, than the fudden Eruptions of our Minds, efpecially in our more folemn Addreffes to the Throne of Grace; but then when we come to worship God in Publick, we think it not only a Matter of Decency, but of Duty too, if any fet Form be enjoined us by Authority, to let alone our private conceived Prayers, and to make use of that Form.

On the contrary, there are others among us, that think we may expect the fame Affiftance of the Spirit in our Prayers, that the Apostles and other firft Chriftians in the miraculous Times did, and that God doth infpire his Servants, efpecially his Minifters, both with the Matter of their Prayers, and with the Form too; putting not only the Things that they should pray for into their Hearts, but the very Words and Phrafes into their Mouths; and they account that this is the only Praying by the Spirit, from whence they conclude, that no fet Forms of Prayer are to be allowed, especially in the publick Service of God, because they are Human Inventions, of Man's making, and not dictated or infpired by the Holy Ghoft: The Refult of which fort of Notions and Principles is this, that upon occafion hereof not only a great Difguft is taken at our Worship, but Men think themfelves

H 4

felves obliged in Confcience to separate from our Communion, because our Church is fo far from enjoining, that she discourages those spiritual Prayers, tying us up to a set Form of Service. How, fay they, can we join with your Church when your Service is only Will-worship? You have no praying by the Spirit among you, but every one reads his Prayers out of a Book: Can that be a pure Apoftolical Church of Chrift that thus fuppreffes and ftifles the Gifts of the Spirit, exprefsly contrary to the Apostles Command, who bids us not to quench the Spirit?

This, as I take it, is the State of the Difference amongst us, as to the Point of Praying by the Spirit; not that I would infinuate that all the Diffenters carry the Matter fo far as I have now reprefented, for a great many of them do allow of Forms of Prayer, nay, and zealously contend for them; but others are as much against them, and that upon the Grounds I have now mentioned.

Having fo fair an Occafion now given me, (the Argument of the Day being the Gifts of the Spirit). I mean with all Plainness and Brevity to difcufs this Matter, and I hope I fhall put it in fo fair a Light that there can no Doubt remain with any one on what Side of the Queftion the Truth lies: And I will do my Endeavour likewife to manage this Difpute with fuch Temper, that even they that are of a different Opinion fhall have no

Reafon

Reason to be offended; for I often think of a Saying of Mr. Chillingworths, I would in the Pulpit ufe none as Enemies but the Devil and Sin.

The Method I fhall take in the difcuffing this Point fhall be to make out thefe Four following Propofitions; which, if they can be made out, all the Difficulty that seems to be in this Argument does perfectly vanish.

First of all therefore, I fhall fhew that Praying by the Spirit, in the Sense that the Apoftle meant, is fo far from being a perpetual Duty required of all Chriftians, that, as far as we know, no Chriftian now living can with Reafon pretend to that Gift.

Secondly, I fhall fhew that that which is now called Praying by the Spirit, that is, the conceiving of Prayers on a fudden without Study and Premeditation, and expreffing our Conceptions with great Fluency and Movingnefs of Words and Geftures, is fo far from being the immediate Effect of the Spirit of God, that, generally speaking, it is the Effect of Art or Induftry, or a prefent Heat of Temper.

Thirdly, I fhall fhew that if there be any other Notion of Praying by the Spirit in Scripture, fuch as is to be extended to all Times and Ages of Chriftianity, and is not peculiar to the Apoftolical Age, that Notion will every jot as well fit and fuit with fet Forms of Prayer, as with those Prayers that we call Extemporary.

Fourthly,

Fourthly, I fhall fhew that though we fhould fuppofe that God, even in these Days, doth affift Men both as to the Matter and even the Words of their Prayers, yet we have more Reason to believe that the publick Prayers of the Church were indited and contrived by that Spirit of God, than we have to believe that any private Man's Prayers are, and confequently that when we use them we pray as much by the Spirit as when we ufe fudden conceived Prayers.

I begin with the First of these Propofiti

ons, which is this; that Praying by the Spirit in the Senfe of the Text I am now upon, (which indeed is the chief Text that gave rife to this Expreffion, and accordingly the Meaning of the Expreffion ought to be governed by the Meaning of the Text; I fay, Praying by the Spirit, as the Apostle here fpeaks of it) is fo far from being a perpetual Duty required of all Chriftians, that it is much to be doubted whether any Christian now living can with any Reafon pretend to that Gift.

And the Reason is evident, because this was one of the extraordinary miraculous Gifts which God, for the gaining Credit to Christianity, and fupplying the Neceffities of the then Infant Church, was pleased to confer upon the Apoftles, and other Chriftians of that Age; which Gifts, as Chriftianity got Footing in the World, did by degrees wear out, and at last perfectly ceafed.

Now

Now that Praying by the Spirit was one of those extraordinary Graces, it is plain enough from the whole Difcourse of the Apostle in this Chapter; for, according to him, Praying with the Spirit, and Singing with the Spirit, and bleffing with the Spirit, are but fo many feveral Exercises of the Gift of Languages, or that Power which the Chriftians were then endowed with of speaking in unknown Tongues which they had never learnt.

I fhall make the Matter very plain to you. The Church of Corinth, to whom St. Paul writes this Epiftle, was at that Time favoured with many eminent Gifts of the Spirit: But it feems feveral of thofe that had thefe Gifts did not make that use of them which they were given for; for whereas the Gift of Tongues, was chiefly beftowed for the Converfion of Infidels, to be a Sign (as the Apoftle speaks in Verse 22. of this Chapter) not to them that believe, but to them that believe not; those Men took a Pride in exercifing this Gift in the Chriftian Congregation, making Prayers, and Hymns, and Thanksgivings, at their publick Meetings, in a Language that the People understood not, and confequently from which they could receive no Benefit. This Abuse now it is the Defign of the Apostle in this Chapter to reform, and at the fame Time to regulate the Exercise of their other feveral Gifts; and the great Rule which he lays down in this Mat

ter,