The grand debate between the most reverend bishops and the Presbyterian divines appointed by…

Reply. Prayer and Humility are indeed the necessary means of Peace: But if you will let us pray for peace in no words but what are in the Common-Prayer-book, their brevity and unaptness, and the customariness, that will take off the edge of fervour, with humane nature, will not give leave (or help sufficient) to our souls to work towards God, upon this Subject, with that enlargedness, copiousness, and freedom, as is necessary to due fervour. A brief transient touch, and away, is not enough to warm the heart again; and cold Prayers are like to have a cold return, and therefore, even for Peace sake, let us pray more copiously and heartily than the Common-Prayer-book will help us to do. And whether this be that cause, or whether it be that the Common-Prayer-book hath never a Prayer for it self, we find that its Prayers prevail not to reconcile many sober, serious persons to it that live in faithful fervent Prayer. 2. And for Humility, we humbly conceive it would most effectually heal us, and by causing the Pastors of the Church to know that they are not to rule the flocks as Lords, but as ensamples, not by constraint, but willingly, 1 Pet. 5. 2, 3. and it would cause them not to think so highly of themselves, and so meanly of their Brethren, as to judge no words fit to be used to God in the public Worship, but what they prescribe, and put into our mouths, and that other men are generally unable to speak sensibly, or suitably, unless they tell us what to say; or, that all others are unfit to be trusted with the expressing of their own desires: Humility would persuade the Pastors of the Church at least to undertake no more than the Apostles did, and no more to obtrude or impose their own words upon all others in the public Worship: If they found any unfit to be trusted with the expression of their minds in public Prayer, they would do what they could to get meeter men in their places, and till then they would restrain and help such as need it, and not upon that pretence as much restrain all the ablest Ministers, ⟨p. 50⟩as if the whole Church were to be nominated, measured, or used, according to the quality of the most unworthy.

Reply. Prayer and Humility are indeed the necessarie means of Peace: But if you will let us pray for peace in no words but what are in the Common-Prayer-book, their brevitie and unaptness, and the customariness, that will take off the edge of fervour, with humane nature, will not give leave (or help sufficient) to our souls to work towards God, upon this Subject, with that enlargedness, copiousness, and freedom, as is necessary to due fervour. A brief transient touch, and away, is not enough to warm the heart arigne; and cold Prayers are like to have a cold return, and therefore, even for Peace sake, let us pray more copiously and heartily than the Common-Prayer-book will help us to do. And whether this be that cause, or whether it be that the Common-Prayer-book hath never a Prayer for it self, we find that its Prayers prevail not to reconcile many sober, serious persons to it that live in faithfull fervent Prayer. 2. And for Humility, we humbly conceive it would most effectually heal us, and by causing the Pastors of the Church to know that they are not to rule the flocks as Lords, but as ensamples, not by constraint, but willingly,