N00779:192
The order of the Gospel, professed and practised by the churches of Christ in…
The order of the Gospel, professed and practised by the churches of Christ in New England, justified, by the Scripture, and by the writings of many learned men, both ancient and modern divines; in answer to several questions, relating to church discipline / by Increase Mather, president of Harvard College in Cambridge, and teacher of a church at Boston in New England. ; [Five lines of Scripture texts]The order of the Gospel, professed and practised by the churches of Christ in New England, justified, by the Scripture, and by the writings of many learned men, both ancient and modern divines; in answer to several questions, relating to church discipline / by Increase Mather, president of Harvard Colledge in Cambridge, and teacher of a church at Boston in New England. ; [Five lines of Scripture texts]
Boston: printed by B. Green for Benjamin Eliot, 1700
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.
But supposing (which yet remains to be demonstrated) the Disciples were to use this prayer as a Form whilst they continued under the Jewish Pedagogy, it cannot from thence be concluded that Believers under the New-Testament are bound so to use it. There are some Learned men that do allow the Lords Prayer to have been a prescribed Form, that do not think it to be designed for the perpetual use of the Church as such, but only for a Temporary Form. And that after our Lords Resurrection and Ascension, they should no longer use it as a Form, because therein is no express mention of the name of Christ, nor asking Blessings for his sake, nor ascribing praises to God through him, which after his accomplishing the work of Redemption, ought to be. Thus do they interpret that Scripture, Jo•. 16 24. However it does not follow that it a Form were proper and needful for the Jews, that such things are necessary for Christians in the days of the Gospel, wherein there is a more plentiful effusion of the spirit of praye• […] 12.10 We say not that all Forms are […]. No doubt but that a man who has […] of prayer, […] better make use of a Form of his o•n composing or taken out of some good Book, (but I would not advise to take one out of the Mass Book) to worship ⟨p. 130⟩God with, in his Family, then not to have any Religious Worship at all therein. But if that man shall afterwards •e blessed with a Gift of Prayer, for him to tie himself to a Form is (as useth to be said) like as if one that has used C•••ches whilst he was weak, should continue to use them […] he has gained strength. What Liturgies […] Jews had whilst they were yet the Church of God, we know not. Nor is there any great Credit to be given to what their Rabbins who are made up of Fables, shall think meet to tell us. Some of themselves confess that Forms of Prayer were not always used by their Fathers. Saubertus in his late Learned Academical Disquisitions, Cites a passage of R. Bechai, (m)who sayeth, That from the time of Moses until the Great Sanhedrin, there was no ordinary Form of Prayer amongst the Israelites, but every man made a prayer for himself, according to what knowledge and gift of utterance he was endued with.