9. By superstitious placing their Religion in indifferent and undetermined things, and laying a greater stress on the words of prayer, than there is cause. Overvaluing their several outward forms, expressions and orders, in the worshipping of God: when instead of provoking each other to faith and fervency to Love and to good works, they place more of Godliness in words and circumstances (which God hath certainly left free to every mans conscience) than God doth place in them: And one thinks that he is irregular, that prayeth without a set form, and another that he is ungodly, that prayeth not by the Spirit, who useth a set form; when both do but speak their own superstition, and make Laws and Rules which God never made. Superstition and our own additions in Religion (even in those that cry out much against it) is the occasion of most of our Church-divisions. One side supposeth every ⟨p. 5⟩disorder or unfit expression in free prayer to be a greater fault than indeed it is: And that its unlawful therefore to join with a Church that hath no set forms: Another party supposeth the forms in the Church Liturgy to be worse than they are; and that it is unlawful to join in them, or to receive the Lords Supper when they are used. When as God hath neither tied us to set forms, nor from them; save only as unsuitableness to any particular persons may make one less edifying than the other: And both free prayers, and set forms, studied prayers, and sudden prayers, are all the work of man, (as to mans part): and therefore they must needs be imperfect and faulty as man is: And yet in both we may pray by the Spirit, even with the holy and fervent desires which the Spirit exciteth in us: And the Spirit may ordinarily be a Spirit of supplication in us, and help our infirmities, in the one way and in the other: And therefore, though I will not equal them (For I prefer some mens free praying before any forms, and I prefer the Common prayers before some mens free prayers) yet I may say, that I will neither Assent and Consent to every word in the one, nor in the other, no not of any man that ever I heard: And yet I will not take it for unlawful to join with Church, or Family, or person in the one, or in the other:
9. By superstitious placing their Religion in indifferent and undertermined things, and laying a greater stress on the words of prayer, than there is cause. Overvaluing their several outward forms, expressions and orders, in the worshipping of God: when instead of provoking each other to faith and fervency to Love and to good works, they place more of Godliness in words and circumstances (which God hath certainly left free to every mans conscience) than God doth place in them: And one thinks that he is irregular, that prayeth without a set form, and another that he is ungodly, that prayeth not by the Spirit, who useth a set form; when both do but speak their own superstition, and make Laws and Rules which God never made. Superstition and our own additions in Religion (even in those that cry out much against it) is the occasion of most of our Church-divisions. One side supposeth every ⟨p. 5⟩disorder or unfit expression in free prayer to be a greater fault than indeed it is: And that its unlawful therefore to joyn with a Church that hath no set forms: Another party supposeth the forms in the Church Lyturgy to be worse than they are; and that it is unlawful to joyn in them, or to receive the Lords Supper when they are used. When as God hath neither tyed us to set forms, nor from them; save only as unsuitableness to any particular persons may make one less edifying than the other: And both free prayers, and set forms, studied prayers, and sudden prayers, are all the work of man, (as to mans part): and therefore they must needs be imperfect and faulty as man is: And yet in both we may pray by the Spirit, even with the holy and fervent desires which the Spirit exciteth in us: And the Spirit may ordinarily be a Spirit of supplication in us, and help our infirmities, in the one way and in the other: And therefore, though I will not equall them (For I prefer some mens free praying before any forms, and I prefer the Common prayers before some mens free prayers) yet I may say, that I will neither Assent and Consent to every word in the one, nor in the other, no not of any man that ever I heard: And yet I will not take it for unlawful to joyn with Church, or Family, or person in the one, or in the other: