2. It's too true, that the carelessness, sloth and worldly alienations of Ministers, made all useful sufficiency for the work of the Ministry, in Praying and Preaching, to be neglected, and doth to this day. But I hope no wise man dreameth that all the Pastors had one soul, or one mind and design. If any Malignants used or enjoined forms, to make ⟨p. 22⟩Christs promise, and the Spirits help useless; others used them, and promoted the use of them, for the performance of Christs promise, and the Spirits help. 1. Because there were not (when public countenance increased the Churches) half enough men for the Ministry, that had the extemporate gifts of Prayer and Preaching. 2. And you confess that each Church had then many Elders for oversight, besides those that laboured in the Word and Doctrine. Do you believe that all these had such extemporate gifts of utterance? Or that these might not on occasion Pray and Preach. 3. If Parents teach Children necessarily to Pray in a prescribed form of words, without designing to defeat Christ or his Spirit, but to subserve them; how can you tell, but the first prescribers of public forms did mean as well, when they found few persons able to do so well without, and abundance of Heretics ready to corrupt Gods Worship with their Errors? 4. Let it be soberly considered, Whether mens long and hard Study for all the words which they write in Books, and for their Sermons, be done to defeat Christ and his Spirit, or to subserve them? And why the use of words studied by others, and weighed by us, before we utter them, should defeat the Spirit any more, than words premeditated by our selves? Or at least, is not the Spirit as much defeated in the People that join, who ever prepareth the words? For they do not themselves put them up by their gift of utterance. And its impossible when you speak, for the people to know whether those words were before studied, and whether by your self or by another, from whom you borrowed them. I have heard Mr. Ph. Nigh, wish that some men were sent into Wales, and other such places, with an injunction to read good Sermon Books to the people, such as Dr. Prestons, Sibbs, &c. was this spoken to defeat the Spirit, or to serve him?
2. It's too true, that the carelesnes•, sloth and worldly alienations of Ministers, made all useful sufficiency for the work of the Ministry, in Praying and Preaching, to be neglected, and doth to this day. But I hope no wise man dreameth that all the Pastors had one soul, or one mind and design. If any Malignants used or enjoyned forms, to make ⟨p. 22⟩•hrists promise, and the Spirits help useless; others used them, and promoted the use of them, for the performance of Christs promise, and the Spirits help. 1. Because there were not (when publick countenance increased the Churches) half enough men for the Ministry, that had the extemporate gifts of Prayer and Preaching. 2. And you confess that each Church had then many Elders for oversight, besides those that laboured in the Word and Doctrine. Do you believe that all these had such extemporate gifts of utterance? Or that these might not on occasion Pray and Preach. 3. If Parents teach Children necessarily to Pray in a prescribed form of words, without designing to defeat Christ or his Spirit, but to subserve them; how can you tell, but the first prescribers of publick forms did mean as well, when they found few persons able to do so well without, and abundance of Hereticks ready to corrupt Gods Worship with their Errors? 4. Let it be soberly considered, Whether mens long and hard Study for all the words which they write in Books, and for their Sermons, be done to defeat Christ and his Spirit, or to subserve them? And why the use of words studied by others, and weighed by us, before we utter them, should defeat the Spirit any more, than words premeditated by our selves? Or at least, is not the Spirit as much defeated in the People that joyn, who ever prepareth the words? For they do not themselves put them up by their gift of utterance. And its impossible when you speak, for the people to know whether those words were before studied, and whether by your self or by another, from whom you borrowed them. I have heard Mr. Ph. Nye, wish that some men were sent into Wales, and other such places, with an injunction to read good Sermon Books to the people, such as Dr. Prestons, Sibbs, &c. was this spoken to defeat the Spirit, or to serve him?
