A practical exposition of the Lord's-Prayer

2. Their ascribing Harshness to God, as if he were hard to be entreated, and delighted in the pain of his Creatures, and would be more affected with them, because they wearied themselves with the Irksomeness of a long Prayer. Penal Satisfactions are very natural. Superstition is a Tyranny, it vexeth the Soul with unreasonable Duty, affects outward length to the weariness of the Flesh. The general conceit is, that Man thinks God must be served with some self-denial, and the Flesh must be displeased; but it shall be displeased but in a little, and in an outward way, as Baal's Priests gashed themselves; as if God were pleased with our burdensome and long Exercises.

2. Their ascribing Harshness to God, as if he were hard to be entreated, and delighted in the pain of his Creatures, and would be more affected with them, because they wearied themselves with the Irksomeness of a long Prayer. Penal Satisfactions are very natural. Superstition is a Tyranny, it vexeth the Soul with unreasonable Duty, affects outward length to the weariness of the Flesh. The general conceit is, that Man thinks God must be served with some self-denial, and the Flesh must be displeased; but it shall be displeased but in a little, and in an outward way, as Baal's Priests gasht themselves; as if God were pleased with our burdensom and long Exercises.

3. There was this Error in it; They did not conceive aright of the Spiritual Nature of God, as if he were pleased with the mere Task, a long Hymn, and an idle Repetition of Words, without Sense and Affection: Whereas the Lord doth not measure Prayers by Prolixity, but by the Vehemency; not by the Labour of the external Work, but by the inward Affection manifested therein: and Words are only accepted with him, as they serve to quicken, continue, or increase our Affection.

3. There was this Error in it; They did not conceive aright of the Spiritual Nature of God, as if he were pleased with the meer Task, a long Hymn, and an idle Repetition of Words, without Sense and Affection: Whereas the Lord doth not measure Prayers by Prolixity, but by the Vehemency; not by the Labour of the external Work, but by the inward Affection manifested therein: and Words are only accepted with him, as they serve to quicken, continue, or increase our Affection.