Letters written to J.M. a nonconformist teacher, concerning the gift and forms of prayer. The second part. By Matthew Hole, B.D. sometime fellow of Exeter College, Oxon. now vicar of Stoke-gursey in Somersetshire.

LETTER I. To J. M. (Book 1)

SIR,

I Receiv'd another Packet of Letters from you, in which I find you trying your Skill in making some Replies to my former Let∣ters concerning the Gift and Forms of Prayer; but to how little purpose, I hope to make you sensible by degrees: And to that end, all that you offer in them, of any moment, shall be consider'd in due time and order.

1 First then, for the Letters that concern the Gift of Prayer, your own Concessions seem to bid fair towards an Accomodation: For you begin to see, that an Ability or Variety of Ex∣pressions are (tho' vulgarly, yet) improperly and abusively styl'd, The Gift of Prayer. For in your Letter of April 1st, you tell me, you can well enough grant that such an Ability as you mention, is not properly the Gift of Prayer, and that 'tis only the Gift of uttering Prayer; and comfort your self with this, That however improper it may be, you are not the first that have so styl'd it. This is a good Concession, if you would keep to it; for hereby you may see Prayer to be no Verbal, but Spiritual thing; and consists mainly in the inward Desires and Breathings of the Soul after God. In your

Letter of April 15th, you own this Ability to be such a Gift as that, by which the Pharisees, Hypocrites, and all wicked Men are said to pray: Which must be very improperly call'd by the sacred Name of Prayer; since 'tis All no better than an Abomination to the Lord.

If then this Gift doth not properly lie there, there must be some other thing in which it may be more properly placed; And the Knowledge of that would clear up this matter. What then should that be? Why, we see it must lie either in the Heart or the Tongue; (i. e.) either in the pious motions of the one, or in the nim∣ble and ready motion of the other. Now I think you will scarce venture to put it in the nimble∣ness of the Tongue, which is apt to run too fast, and out of the way too, and may not be trusted without a Bridle: And therefore the Psalmist resolved to keep his Mouth as it were with a Bridle, to restrain its Extravagance, and to look to his Ways, that he might not offend with his Tongue. And St. James tells us, That He that offends not with his tongue, (especially when let loose) must be a perfect man. So that this Gift cannot be safely plac'd there; especi∣ally since the whole Work and Business of Prayer may be perform'd without it. Now if you would but speak out, and make the Heart the proper place of it, which is indeed the true Seat of all Devotion, there might be a speedy end of that part of the Controversy.

And the better to encourage you to speak out, in a matter of this Consequence, consider (Sir) the three different ways of addressing or draw∣ing nigh unto God, (viz.)

1. The First is with the Heart, and that is performed by the inward Desires and Elevations

of the Mind and Soul to him; and this is very truly and properly styled Prayer, and is all that is Essential to it.

2. The Second is with the Lips, when the Heart is far from Him: And this may be ra∣ther called vain talking and babling, than pray∣ing to him.

3. The Third is with the Heart and Lips to∣gether, (that is) when the Heart and the Tongue accompany each other. And this is that Vocal Prayer used in publick; whereby we are en∣abled, with one Mind and one Mouth, to glo∣rifie our Great Creator. Now here two things are carefully to be distinguish'd; the one is an Ability of lifting up the Heart in holy Desires unto God: And this is properly the Gift of Prayer; the other is an Ability of expressing those Desires, and putting them into fit Words: And this is properly the Gift of Speech, Utter∣ance and Elocution; the use whereof in Prayer, is to help us to join together in our Requests, and to put up the same Petitions. And this is far better done in the known consider'd Words of godly Forms, than the sudden Effusions of free Prayer.

(Sir) If you well consider and digest this, your Eyes might soon open, and discern between the Gift of Prayer, and the Gift of Speech; and that the Heart is the proper Seat of the one, as the Tongue is of the other. The confound∣ing of these two different things, hath con∣founded your Notious about it; whereas the distinguishing between them, would shew you the different Nature and Place of both. And this is the more carefully to be distinguished and attended to, because the want of it hath led many into great and dangerous Mistakes:

For he that can use most new Words, and hath the best Faculty of changing and varying Phra∣ses, is by too many, thought to pray best. And the ordinary Gift of Prayer which you talk so much of, and would have studied and practis'd by Ministers and People, is nothing else than this Faculty of Variations; which is rather a hindrance than furtherance of true De∣votion: And yet you seem to put the Life and Spirit of Prayer chiefly in it: For you tell me, That the same Words are apt to deaden and cloy; and that all Men are delighted with Va∣rieties and new things. And to shew what a mighty Stress you lay upon such Novelties, your Brethren are wont to ask, whether he that sings still the same Song, or is always telling the same Story, would not make those that hear him, to grow weary and sick of them? Thence inferring, that the daily and constant use of the same Prayers, will have the same Effect up∣on the Minds of the People, who are therefore to be entertain'd with new.

But is there no difference (think you) be∣tween these things? Are not Songs and Stories, things merely intended to gratifie the Senses, and please the Fancy, which is best taken with new things? And are these to be compar'd with the sublime and weighty Matters of Religion, which are design'd to affect the Heart, and are still exercis'd about the same things? The Di∣versions of humane Life, best attain their end, by Change and Variety; but must we be given to change too in Matters of Religion, and hunt about for new Words and Phrases, when we address to God for the same things? I hope you do not think that God Almighty is taken with new things, since all the Pleasure of them

is occasion'd chiefly from Suddenness and Sur∣prize; and therefore cannot affect him, to whom nothing can be new: And we find wise Men, who are govern'd more by Judgment than Fan∣cy, are but little affected with such things. So that 'tis only vulgar Minds and such as are mostly led by Imagination, that are thus ta∣ken with the Novelty and Sound of Words; and seek about for Variety of Expressions. Now this is a Weakness in them, which you should be so far from cherishing and encourage∣ing, that you ought rather to use your best Skill, to perswade them out of it; and to let them know, that God neither expects nor is de∣lighted with these things. For true Religion inclines still to the doing and speaking the same things: He that endeavours to keep up a constant Reverence and Fear of God in his Heart; and by a daily continued Practice, de∣sires the same Blessings in the same Words, shall be more soberly and religiously devout, and find better Acceptance with him, than he that loves and labours for new Words, and thinks he shall not be accepted without a Multitude or Variety of Expressions: The Study whereof is more apt to distract, than compose the Mind, in this Duty.

Indeed, where God in his Providence hath done any new thing, either by sending some new Judgment or Calamity; or by bestowing some new Mercy or Deliverance; here, in our publick Fasts and Thanksgivings there must be such new Words, as may suit such Occasions: And (Thanks be to God) the pious Care and Wisdom of our Governours, is never wanting to make a due and suitable Provision for us, on such Occasions: But for the constant Matter of

our daily Prayers and Praises, there can be no need of new Words, but only to bring new Hearts and good Affections, in the use of the old well-digested Words, and Composures of the Church. We read of our Saviour's pray∣ing three times most earnestly, using the same Words; so that these can neither hinder the Earnestness, nor the Efficacy of true Devotion. In the Prayer that Christ gave his Disciples, and in all the Prayers he put up himself, he hath left no Command or Example, for such unnecessary Variation; but rather the quite con∣trary; and therefore you are to consider fur∣ther, how you will excuse it from Superstition, to think that God is pleas'd with many and new Words; or displeas'd without them: Which is to place Religion in things which God hath no where requir'd at your hands, and to lay a doctrinal Necessity in the Inventions of Men: Which is a piece of Will-worship and Superstition.

As for the Multitude of Words, Solomon hath shew'd that to be an Occasion of Sin, * 1.1 and an Instance of great Folly; * 1.2 and therefore wills that our Words unto God should be few: And our Blessed Saviour con∣demned the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, * 1.3 or much speaking of the Heathens, and all that imitate them.

And as for the Change and Variety of Ex∣pressions in Prayer, there is not the least Co∣lour of a Command or Encouragement for it in Holy Scripture; for tho' we are bid [To pray 〈◊〉〈◊〉 all prayer and supplication in the spirit. * 1.4] That is by the same Apostle expounded of the several parts of Prayer, but is

understood by none, * 1.5 of extempore or varied Prayers. So that to make it a Ministerial Duty, to pray without Book; and to put the Vulgar upon beating their Brains for new Phrases, as a more spiritual way of praying; cannot be excused from Vanity and Superstition. Yea, a Learned and Ingeni∣ous Divine hath shew'd this to be a sort of Ido∣latry:

For the Mis-representation of God, and worshipping him according to that Mis∣representation is the Sin of Idolatry.

Now, to think to please God with new and varied Phrases in Prayer, is to mis-represent him; and to take him for such an one as our selves: and by offering up such Prayers, we worship him according to that Image and false Representation of him: And therefore 'twill be hard to excuse this Practice from the Sin of Idolatry:

Yea, such Persons, not only represent God under the Shape of a Man, but pray to him as re∣presented under the Weaknesses of a Man. And certainly, if the Mis-representation of the Object makes the Idolatry; by how much the worse the Representation is, by so much the grosser must the Idolatry be.

(Sir) If you will throughly weigh and con∣sider these things, you will find, That the main Work and Business of Prayer lies in the Heart and the good Motions of it: And therefore the Gift or Ability of performing it, must properly be placed there.

So that your great Mistake all this while, hath been in taking the Gift of wording Prayer, for the Gift of Prayer: To rectifie which, you must know that Words are no part of Prayer; or if they were, the well-consider'd and di∣gested

Words of a Form, are far more agreeable to the Nature and Dignity of this Duty, and the Majesty we address to, in it; than any present and hasty Expressions. And consequent∣ly, the Gift of composing pious and well-or∣dered Forms for publick and private Devotion, is in this Sense far more fitly styl'd, the Gift of Prayer, than your Talent of Extemporary Effusions.

But at rast, I find you (in that Letter of April 15th) acknowledging, that the offering up pious Desires to God, without the use of any Words, is Prayer in a proper Sense; and that pious Souls who are duly affected with their Wants, Sins, and Mercies, may be said to have the Gift of Praying acceptably to God in a spiritual manner, without them: Where you seem to place the Gift of Prayer, as it should be, in the Heart: Yea, all your own Arguments and Distinctions, if well consider'd, do most properly and principally place it there. For, what you call the special, internal, devout, spiritual, and successful Gift, is truly the Gift or Grace of Prayer: And what you style the common, external and artificial Gift, is pro∣perly the Gift of Speech, Utterance and Elocu∣tion applyed to the Duty of Prayer. And for the Novelty and Variety of Words, you grant in your Letter of April 1st, that 'tis no further necessary, than as the various Matter and Occa∣sions require. So that (Thanks be to God) by these Concessions, that part of the Contro∣versie is come to a pretty good Issue.

It remains then that you endeavour to unde∣ceive the People, and take them off from their vain and high Thoughts of this Verbal

Gift: That they may return to the Ancient, Publick, and Devout Prayers of the Church, from which they have ignorantly swerved.

I am Yours in all true Affection, M. H.

July 24th, 1697.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Prov. 10.19.
• * 1.2

  Eccles. 5.2.
• * 1.3

  Matth. 5.
• * 1.4

  Ephes. 6.18.
• * 1.5

  1 Tim 2.12.