The cure of church-divisions, or, Directions for weak Christians to keep them from being…

O that men would discern what is the true worth of prayer? and how little God is taken with the Oratory of them, in comparison of the ⟨p. 187⟩faith and love and desire which is the soul of prayer. And O that men would lay no greater stress on their peculiar modes and words than God doth; and condemn no mens prayers further than they are condemned by God; nor separate from any further then God rejecteth them or commandeth our separation.

I cannot forbear telling you the aggravation of this kind of sin. It seemeth to me a kind of blasphemy against God. As if you would make the world believe that God is so much for your mod• and words, that he overlooketh all the desires of the Spirit; and all his promises, and all mens interest in Christ, and forgetteth all his love to his people: so that Christ shall not intercede for them, or shall not prevail, unless they pray to God in the words and mode which you have fancied to be best, whether with a Book or without, in these words or in those. Me thinks you are renewing the old controversy, whether in this Mount or at Jerusalem men ought to worship? and knew not that the time is come that God will neither accept men for worshipping at this Mount or at Jerusalem, here or there, with a book or without book; but the true worshippers whom he chooseth, do worship him as a Spirit, in Spirit and in truth, as well with Forms as without them.

I cannot forbear telling you the aggravation of this kind of sin. It seemeth to me akind of blasphemy against God. As if you would make the world believe that God is so much for your mod• and words, that he overlooketh all the desires of the Spirit; and all his promises, and all mens interest in Christ, and forgetteth all his love to his people: so that Christ shal not intercede for them, or shal not prevail, unless they pray to God in the words and mode which you have fancied to be best, whether with a Book or without, in these words or in those. Me thinks you are renewing the old controversie, whether in this Mount or at Ierusalem men ought to worship? and knew not that the time is come that God will neither accept men for worshipping at this Mount or at Ierusalem, here or there, with a book or without book; but the true worshippers whom he chooseth, do worship him as a Spirit, in Spirit and in truth, as well with Forms as without them.