Fides Catholica, or, The doctrine of the Catholick Church in eighteen grand ordinances referring to the Word, sacraments and prayer, in purity, number and nature, catholically maintained, and publickly taught against hereticks of all sorts : with the solutions of many proper and profitable questions sutable to to [sic] the nature of each ordinance treated of / by Wil. Annand ...

Quest. 4. Whether there be not vaine repetitions in those formes.

This is a grand argument brought by many justifying their non con∣formity to the Churches liturgy,* 1.1 and most heard from those men, whose publick prayers were for the most part carried on by empty, or at least by many repititons.

To be brief we must distinguish of repetitions: there is a bare repetition and there is a vain repetition.

1. Bare repetitions, if repetitions of themselves were un∣lawfull

lawfull to be used in prayer that is to repeate, or bring over a∣gain and again the same thing before asked, then many of the Saints of God must be blamed, and the son of God must not be Justified, who in one prayer repeated the same petition thrice over, Mat. 26.44. It is a desireable faculty to vary in prayer yet every one cannot do it, and they that can will repeate somtimes.

• * 1.21. Through pinching necessity this made Christ cry earnest∣ly in the garden that the Cup might passe from him, and upon the Crosse that God had forsaken hm, men in a ditch will cry help help, and in a Town fier, fier and yet no vain repeti∣tion, a soul may cry Lord have mercy upon us, Lord have mercy upon us, O Christ hear us, and be singularly de∣vout.
• 2. Through holy affection, Thus Daniel often calls Lord hear, Dan. 9.17, 18, 19. So Solomon often repeats. Then here thou in h••aven thy dwelling place, and forgive or do, which is above 7. times prayed for in a prayer, 2 King. 8.
• 3. Through strength of faith, so the Psalmist. Blessed be the Lord for evermore, Amen and Amen, so the Church Reve. 22.20.

In a word if repetitions barely considered as such were un∣lawfull, the Church must be blamed for singing, and the Psal∣mist for composing the Psalm. 163. and the 57, and the 42, and the 67. In all which Psalms that there are repetitions in the? sence above spoken is apparent, and that they are, and may be used without sin, is not to be questi∣oned.

2. Vaine repetitions, which are to be shunned in prayer, and of them we are forwarned by our Saviour, Mat. 6.7. of which we have above spoken.

Now repetitions are vaine.

• * 1.31. When they are affected as strains of Eloquence, and signs of wit, when to show the quaintnesse of the expession, that it may be observed, it is brought over again, and again, such were those of the Gentiles and Heathens.
• ...

• 2. When they are Impertient, empty, frothy, unprofitable, when there is no Spiritual life nor hear, holy zeal nor activity, and such vaine repetitions can never be in a book, they being in the cold heart and, dul soul of a Christian.
• 3. When they are Idolized, when men conceit that God either will refuse to heare them if they repeat not, or that he will here them the better for them, that is a vaine repetition. Thus the Gentiles thought they should be heard for their much babling or speaking, Mat. 6.7.
• 4. When they are pretended, when men sets themselves to repeat, that they may be thought to spend much time in prayer, and so be accounted religious, which is indeed a taking Gods name in vaine, and abusing of his eare, by their vain and needless repetition.

From which we conclude, that no vain repetitions are in the book of Common-prayers, they being of that nature that the soul and heart of man may zealously and holyly close withall. And let me declare my thoughts in this particular, since the reestablishment of the Common-prayer I have seen more ardent zeal,* 1.4 more watery eyes, more lifted up hands, and re∣verent deportment in the publick Churches, at the using of those formes then ever I saw in my life at extempore de∣liveryes.

Not that I am against those prayers whose rise is immediatly from the heart, whether in the house top or in the closet, but this I say, if set formes were used as they ought to be (by laying aside prejudice) they would never be spoke against, and if con∣ceived prayer or (as the phrase is) extempore, were more used, it would not be so much undervalued as it is. If he that hath ut∣terance in prayer and promptnesse on a sudden to expresse him∣self be thankfull, he doth well, but if he think himself the bet∣ter Christian because he seeth another use a forme, In this he is not to be praised.

Men of themselves may make vaine repetitions,* 1.5 yea vaine petitions, yet the same request that to the, and by the is vaine, may be to another, a holy, ardent, and affectionate request, condemn not therefore the service of the Church, which in

all things is well ordered and sure, but thy own heart, for not having life enough to answer Amen, and Amen, to all her holy repetitions, but of these things we have spoken else∣where.

Notes

• * 1.1

  See King Charles his meditation upon the or∣dinance a∣gainst the common-prayer.
• * 1.2

  Of prayer, 452.
• * 1.3

  Cabbet. prayer, 455.
• * 1.4

  I make no doubt but a man may be very formal in the most extemporary variety and very fer∣vently de∣vout in the most wont∣ed expressi∣ons. King Char. med. 16. upon the c. p.
• * 1.5

  See my Pa∣nem qua∣tidi. p. 25. ad fin.