A30241:604
CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…
CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, or, Christs prayer before his passion explicated, and both practically and polemically improved by Anthony Burgess ...
London: printed by Abraham Miller for Thomas Underhill, 1656
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Sermon 24: Of vain Tautology in Prayer; And what Repetitions in Prayer are such, and what not; She…
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
3. There must be an attention to the words we use in our prayer as well as to the matter; That they be grave, decent and comely; That there be nothing of vanity, affectation, or irreverence; Prayer is a worship of God; When Abraham was admitted to a discourse with God, how greatly did he debase himself, he was but dust and ashes, Gen. 18.27. and who was he that he should speak to God, Eccl. 5.2. There is a notable advice to look to our words when we have to do with God, He is in heaven and thou on earth: That is a vast distance and great disproportion, Therefore let thy words be few: The wise man doth not there forbid a long prayer, for he himself made a very long one at the Dedication of the Temple, and repeated this Petition very often, Then hear thou in heaven and forgive, and heal this people, 1 Kin. 8. But that we should look to our words that they be not idle, superfluous and vain; a long prayer in this sense may be said to have few words, when the matter is pithy, and the words pertinent, as he said of a Book, Non sunt longa, &c. That is not a long Book from which you cannot well take away any thing, so that the length and shortness of a prayer lieth not so much in the quantity of time as in the matter; a prayer held out for an hour without any savoury matter or comely words is a long prayer: Look we then to the matter in the first place, and then to words, but if we look towards more then matter, and make an eloquent oration to God, rather then an humble supplication, this is ridiculous and sinful.
3. There must be an attention to the words we use in our prayer as well as to the matter; That they be grave, decent and comely; That there be nothing of vanity, affectation, or irreverence; Praier is a worship of God; When Abraham was admitted to a discourse with God, how greatly did he debase himself, he was but dust and ashes, Gen. 18.27. and who was he that he should speak to God, Eccl. 5.2. There is a notable advice to look to our words when we have to do with God, He is in heaven and thou on earth: That is a vast distance and great disproportion, Therefore let thy words be few: The wiseman doth not there forbid a long praier, for he himself made a very long one at the Dedication of the Temple, and repeated this Petition very often, Then hear thou in heaven and forgive, and heal this people,