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them immediately, without all outward means and Helps, and without all Premeditation, all that they are to utter and say in their Preaching, and Praying.' Let him produce, if he can, any Place in their Writings, where they either fay or pretend fo. They fay indeed, that the inward and immediate Motions of the Spirit, or, as our Opponent phrafes it, the ordinary Infpirations and gracious Affiftances of the Spirit, are neceffary for all acceptable Worship, but they exclude not the Ufe of outward Means and Helps, tho' they hold the Guidance of the Spirit neceffary for enabling us to use them aright.

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THE Vicar fubjoins, p. 186. And our Church hath wifely provided us, with a pious Form of Publick Worship, according to the Practice of the Church in the pureft Times, and of all foreign Chriftian and Proteftant Churches now; the common Cafes and Neceffities of Chriftians being for the main always the fame; which we are therefore conftantly to ufe, without diftrufting the Affiftance of the Spirit in the Ufe thereof."

IF by a pious Form of publick Worship he intends, a prescribed Form, of Prayers to be daily repeated, as a Liturgy; it lies upon him to prove that the Church in the pureft Times were in the Practice of fuch a Form. Had the Apostles, than whofe times we know of none more pure, been in the Use of it, we should probably have met with fome Account of fuch Custom or Ufage in the New Testament. But our Adverfary for Want of Texts to Favour his Affertion, produces fuch as do not.

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He tells us, p. 187. that Our Saviour himfelf who had the Spirit in a greater Meafure than ever any Man had, yet prayed three feveral times, faying the fame Words, and never prayed more earnestly and fervently than when he did fo. Mat xxvi. 44. Mark xiv. 39. Luke xxii. 44. whereas both the Evangelifts Matthew and Mark do give an Account of Chrift's praying the first and fecond Times in a different Form of Words; fo that when it is faid, he prayed the third time, faying the fame Words, it cannot be understood of the fame Form of Expreffion; befides, the Text in thofe Evangelifts is mistranslated; the Greek Words in both, are Τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον εἰπών, faying the fame Word, (not Words) by which is to be understood uttering the fame Prayer or Petition for Substance, though not in the fame Form of Words. As to the Evangelift Luke, he does not mention that Chrift prayed three times on that Occafion.

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THE Vicar proceeds, • And when his Difciples <defired him to teach them to pray as John taught his Difciples, he did not direct them to wait for immediate Infpiration of what they were to offer up to God in Prayer, as certainly he would have done, if no other Prayer were acceptable to God, but he gave them a Form and com• manded them to use it, Luke xi. 2.' But that the Evangelifts themfelves did not understand Christ's Direction given them to relate to a prefcribed Form of Words by them to be used, feems evident, by their own not observing the fame Form of Words in reciting it; as by Comparing the Texts, Mat. vi. 12. with Luke xi. 4. doth plainly appear. And that our Saviour intended not the Enjoyning a prescribed Form to be repeated, is alfo plain, in that he gives at the

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fame time a moft ftrict Injunction against the Cuftom of the Heathen, who thought they should be heard for faying the fame things over and over, and therefore he exprefly charges his Followers, v. 7. When ye pray ufe not vain Repetitions, as the Heathen do. And v. 9. After this Manner therefore pray ye, he doth not fay, In the fame Form of Words. Nor does it appear by Scripture, that the Disciples fo ufed it; who yet, as the Vicar fays, It cannot be fuppofed, did not make use of it as he commanded them.

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OUR Opponent tells us, p. 188. that, The Meaning of that Text of St. Paul, Rom. viii. 26. Of the Spirit's helping our Infirmities, for we • know not what we bould pray for as we ought; and of the Spirit it felf making Interceffion for us with Groanings which cannot be uttered, is, as appears from the Scope of the Place, that whereas we know not what we fhould pray for as we ought, as to what concerns the Matter of temporal Afflictions, and our Deliverance from them, whether that will be most profitable for us; the Spirit helps this our Infirmity and Ignorance, by inciting us to pray in general for that which in this Refpect God shall fee best for us.'

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If the Reader, upon perufing that Chapter with Care and Deliberation, can perceive the Scope of the Place to be concerning the Matter of temporal Afflictions and our Deliverances from them. Our Adverfary's Interpretation may have fome Weight with him. But to us, who can fee no fuch Scope, it appears to be a mere Perversion, to caft a Mift before his Readers Eyes, left he should discern the true Import of that Text.

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To our Opponent's Query, p. 189. viz. Are we not required to watch unto Prayer? Pet: iv. 7. And what is this but to wait for the fea ⚫ fonable Time to pray, when the Spirit moves thereunto?' Robert Barclay's own Words in the Place cited are a fufficient Anfwer, (x) That there is a Neceffity of this inward Retirement of the Mind, as previous to Prayer, that the Spirit may be felt to draw thereunto, appears for that, in most of thofe Places, where Prayer is commanded, Watching is prefixed thereunto as neceffary to go before, as Matth. xxiv. 42. Mark xiii. 33. and xiv. 38. Luke xxi. 36. from which it is evident, that this watching was to go before Prayer. Now to what End is this Watching, or what is it, but a Waiting to feel God's Spirit to draw unto Prayer, that so it . may be done acceptably? For fince we are to pray always in the Spirit, and cannot pray of our felves without it acceptably, this Watching muft be for this End recommended to us, as preceding Prayer, that we may watch and wait for the seasonable Time to pray, which is when the Spirit moves thereunto.

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THE Vicar's next Query is, " Ought we always to exprefs our thankful Acknowledgment of the Bounty and Goodness of God to us before and after Meat; and to pray for his Bleffing on what he affords us for the Support of our frail Bodies, without a particular Motion and Impulse of the Spirit to it?"

HE anfwers, Yes, because it is our common Duty, p. 190.'

THAT it is our common Duty, who are always partaking of the Bounty and Goodnefs of God, S 2

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(k) Apol. p. 396.

to retain a deep and grateful Senfe thereof upon our Spirits at all times, and to implore with humble Hearts his Bleffing upon all the Merits and Favours we receive, we do moft heartily acknowledge.

BUT that we must at fome fet Times and Places exprefs before Men a formal Thanksgiving in Words without any particular Impulse and Motion of the Spirit to it, our Adversary has not proved to be our common Duty. The Texts he produces make nothing against us, who are as much for receiving theCreatures of God with Thankf giving as himself; nor do the Examples of our Saviour, and St. Paul, which he produces, in the least strengthen his Caufe, unless he can make appear that they gave Thanks without a particular Impulse and Motion of the Spirit to it, which we fuppofe he will not undertake. But he adds, And he, St. Paul, fpeaks of it as a common Practice among Chriftians, when he says, He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, or to his Glory, for he giveth God Thanks, Rom. xiv. 6.' But if the giving God Thanks, in this Place, doth fhew that it was a common Practice among Chriftians, to fay a formal Grace at Meals. It will neceffarily follow that they alfo faid a formal Grace, when they did not eat, for the Apostle immediately adds, And he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God Thanks. Such Abfurdities our Opponent runs himfelf upon, by applying Texts of Scripture to Matters they have no Relation to.

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Page 149. To this Queftion, Are we to of fer up all our Prayers and Petitions to God in the Name of Jefus of Nazareth the Son of Mary?'

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