66

Introduct. gory Nazianzen fays, that "St. Bafil compofed orders "and forms of prayer." And St. Bafil himself, reciting the manner of the public fervice, that was used in the monaftical oratories of his inftitution, fays 62, that "nothing was therein done but what was confonant and "agreeable to all the Churches of God." The Council of Laodicea exprefsly provides 63," that the fame Liturgy "or form of prayer fhould be always used, both at the "ninth hour, and in the evening." And this canon is taken into the Collection of the canons of the Catholic Church; which Collection was established in the fourth general Council of Chalcedon, in the year 45164; by which establishment the whole Chriftian Church was obliged to the use of Liturgies, so far as the authority of a general Council extends.

It were very easy to add many other proofs of the fame kind, within the compafs of time, to which thofe I have already produced do belong 65; but the brevity of my defign only allows me to mention fuch as are fo obviously plain as to admit of no objections. To defcend into the following ages, is not worth my while; for the greatest enemies to precompofed fet forms of prayer do acknowledge, that in the fourth and fifth centuries, and ever after, till the times of the Reformation, the joint ufe of them obtained all over the Chriftian world. And therefore I fhall take it for granted, that what has been already faid is abundantly fufficient to prove, that the ancient Jews, our Saviour, his Apoftles, and the primitive Chriftians, did join in the ufe of precompofed fet forms of prayer. I fhall now proceed to prove,

2. Secondly, That (as far as we can conjecture) they never joined in any other. And firft, that the ancient Jews, our Saviour, and his Apoftles, never joined in any other than precompofed fet forms, before our Lord's refurrection, may very well be concluded, from our having. no ground to think they ever did. For as he that refufes to believe a matter of fact, when it is attefted by a competent number of unexceptionable witneffes, is always thought to act against the dictates of reafon; fo does that perfon act no less against the dictates of reason, who believes a matter of fact without any ground. And what

61 Orat. 20. in Bafil.

62 Epift. 63. tom. ii. p. 843. D. 63 Can, 18. Concil. tom. i. col. 1500. B.

64 Can. 1, Concil. tom. iv. col.

756. B.

65 See Dr. Bennet's Hiftory of the joint ufe of precompofed fet Forms of Prayer, from chap. viii. to chap. xvi.

ground

ground can any man believe a matter of fact upon, but Introduct. the teftimony of thofe, upon whose veracity and judgment in the cafe he may fafely rely? But what teftimonies can our adverfaries produce in this cafe? They cannot pretend to any proof (either exprefs or by confequence) within this compass of time, of the joint use of prayers conceived extempore, becaufe there is not the lowest degree of evidence, or fo much as a bare probability of it. And therefore they ought of neceffity to conclude, that the ancient Jews, our Saviour, and his Apoftles, never joined in any other prayers than precompofed fet forms, before our Lord's refurrection. It only remains therefore that I fhew, that there is no reason to suppose that they ever joined in any others afterwards.

And here as for our Saviour, we have no particular account of his praying between the time of his refurrection and that of his afcenfion; and therefore we can determine nothing of his joining therein. But as for the Apostles and primitive Chriftians, we may conclude, that they never joined in any other than precompofed fet forms after our Lord's refurrection, by the fame way of reafoning, as we concluded they never did before his refurrection. For unless our adverfaries can bring fufficient authorities, to prove that they joined in the ufe of prayers conceived extempore, we may very reasonably conclude they never did.

I know indeed there are fome objections, which our adverfaries pick up from words of like found, and, without confidering the fenfe, or how the holy penmen used them, urge them for folid arguments: but thefe my time. will not permit me to examine, nor is it indeed worth my while. I fhall only defire it may be confidered, that nothing more betrays the badness of a cause, than when groundlefs fuppofitions are so zealously opposed to evident truths 66.

I shall however mention one thing, which is of itself a ftrong argument, that the Apostles and primitive Chriftians did never join in any other than precompofed fet forms of prayer, viz. The difference between precomposed fet forms of prayer, and prayers conceived extempore, is fo very great; and the alteration from the joint ufe of the one, to the joint use of the other, fo very remarkable;

66 For farther fatisfaction fee Dr. Ufe of precompofed fet Forms of Bennet's Difcourfe of the Gift of Prayer, chap. xviii,

Prayer, and his Hiftory of the joint

that

Introduct. that it is utterly impoffible to conceive, that if the joint ufe of extempore prayers had been ever practised by the Apoftles and firft Chriftians, it could fo foon have been laid afide by every Church in the Christian world; and yet not the leaft notice to be taken, no oppofition to be made, nor fo much as a hint given, either of the time or reasons of its being difcontinued, by any of the ancient writers whatsoever: but that every nation, that has embraced the Chriftian faith, fhould, with a perfect harmony, without one fingle exception (as far as the most diligent fearch and information can reach) from the Apoftles' days to as low a period of time as our adverfaries can defire, unite and agree in performing their joint worship by the use of precompofed fet forms only. Certainly fuch an unanimous practice of perfons, at the greatest distance both of time and place, and not only different, but perfectly oppofite, in other points of religion, as well as their civil interefts, is, as I faid, a ftrong argument, that the joint ufe of precompofed fet forms was fixed by the Apoftles in all the churches they planted, and that, by the fpecial providence of God, it has been preserved as remarkably as the Chriftian Sacraments themfelves.

Much more might be added, but that I am fatisfied, what has already been faid is enough to convince any reasonable and unprejudiced perfon; and to thofe that are obftinate and biaffed it is in vain to fay more. I shall therefore proceed to fhew,

II. SECONDLY, That thofe precompofed fet forms of prayer, in which they joined, were fuch as the refpective congregations were accuftomed to, and thoroughly acquainted with. And upon this I fhall endeavour to be very brief, because a little reflection upon what has been faid will effectually demonftrate its truth.

And, Ift, as to the practice of the ancient Jews, our Saviour and his Difciples, it cannot be doubted, but that they were accustomed to, and well acquainted with, thofe precompofed fet forms, which are contained in the Scriptures and as for their other additional prayers, the very fame authors, from whom we derive our accounts of them, do unanimoufly agree in attesting, that they were of conftant daily ufe; and confequently the Jews, our Saviour, and his Difciples, could not but be accustomed to them, and thoroughly acquainted with them.

The matter therefore is past all difpute till the Gofpelftate commenced; and even then alfo it is equally clear and plain. For it has been largely fhewed, that the

Apoftles

Apostles and primitive Chriftians did conftantly ufe the Introduct. Lord's prayer and pfalms; whereby they must neceffarily become accustomed to them, and thoroughly acquainted with them.

But then it is objected, that "their other prayers, "which made up a great part of their divine fervice, 66 were not ftinted impofed forms, but fuch as the mi"nisters themselves compofed and made choice of for "their own use in public." But this may likewife be anfwered with very little trouble; because the fame authorities, which prove that they were precomposed set forms, do alfo prove that the refpective congregations were accustomed to them, and thoroughly acquainted with them. For fince the whole congregation did with one accord lift up their voice in an inftant, and vocally join in that prayer which is recorded in the fourth chapter of the Acts; fince the public prayers, which the primitive Chriftians used in the firft and fecond centuries, were called common prayers, conftituted prayers, and folemn prayers; fince the Liturgy of St. James was of general ufe in the church of Jerufalem within an hundred and fixty years after the apoftolical age; fince the church in Conftantine's time ufed authorized fet forms of prayer; fince the council of Laodicea exprefsly provides, that "the "fame Liturgy be conftantly used both at the ninth hour, " and in the evening;" I fay, fince these things are true, we may appeal to our adverfaries themselves, whether it was poffible, in those and the like cafes, for the respective congregations to be otherwife than accustomed to, and thoroughly acquainted with, thofe precomposed set forms of prayer, in which they joined.

We own indeed, that, by reason of the ancient Chriftians induftriously concealing their myfteries, copies of their offices of joint devotion might not be common. And therefore (except the Lord's prayer, which the catechumens were taught before their baptifm, and the pfalms, which they read in their Bibles) none were acquainted with their joint devotions before they were baptized; but were forced to learn them by conftant attendance upon them, and by the affiftance of their brethren, But the forms, notwithstanding, were well known to the main body of the congregation: and thofe very persons, who at first were ftrangers to them, did, as well as others, by frequenting the public affemblies, attain to a perfect knowledge of them; because they were daily accustomed to them, and confequently, in a very fhort time, thoroughly

Introduct. roughly acquainted with them; which was the fecond thing I was to prove. I come now in the last place to

prove,

III. THIRDLY, That the practice of the ancient Jews, our Saviour, his Apoftles, and the primitive Chriftians, warrants the impofition of a national precomposed Liturgy and this I fhall make appear in the following

manner.

1. Their practice proves that a precompofed Liturgy was conftantly impofed upon the laity. For that, without joining in which it was impoffible for the laity to hold church-communion, was certainly impofed upon the laity. Now their practice proves that it was impoffible for the laity to hold communion with either the Jewish or Chriftian church, unless they joined in a precompofed Liturgy; because the joint ufe of a precompofed Liturgy was their particular way of worship: and confequently as many of the laity as held communion with them muft fubmit to that way of worship; and as many as fubmitted to that way of worship had a precompofed Liturgy imposed upon them.

2. Their practice fhews that a precompofed Liturgy was impofed on the clergy, i. e. the clergy were obliged to the use of a precompofed Liturgy in their public miniftrations. For fince the ufe of fuch a Liturgy was fettled amongst them, it was undoubtedly expected from the respective clergy, that they fhould practife accordingly. For any one, that is in the least versed in antiquity, muft know how ftrict the church-governors were in those times, and how feverely they would animadvert upon fuch daring innovators, as fhould offer to fet up their own fancies in oppofition to a fettled rule. So that it is no wonder, if in the first centuries we meet with no law to establish the ufe of Liturgies; fince thofe primitive pat terns of obedience looked upon themselves to be as much obliged by the custom and practice of the church, as they could be by the ftricteft law. But we find that afterwards, when the perverfenefs and innovations of the clergy gave occafion, the governors of the church did, by making canons on purpose, oblige the clergy to the ufe of precompofed Liturgies; as may be feen in the eighteenth canon of the council of Laodicea: which, as I have fhewed, enjoined, that "the fame Liturgy fhould be ufed "both at the ninth hour, and in the evening :" which is as plain an impofition of a precompofed Liturgy, as ever was or can be made. Thus alfo the fecond council of Mela