Twelve Reasons Against Prescribed Forms of Prayer

Twelve Reasons laid down against prescribed and stinted Formes of Prayers or Prayses.

Because it is against Gods glory, in stinting to him such a daily measure of service (consisting of prayer or praise) and so hindering the spiritual petitions and phrases, that otherwise would be, if Gods good gifts were used.

It is against the dignity of Christ, which has qualified his Saints with a proportionable measure of the gifts of the Spirit, for prayer or praise (1 Corinthians 14:15, 16), in making their gifts needless and useless, when they can serve themselves with books, and formes, without them.

It quencheth the gifts of the holy Spirit; because it has no spiritual employment for prayer nor praise in his spiritual house (1 Peter 2:5).

God is so jealous of his glory, that he cannot endure his worship should be corrupted with the least mixture of man: Nadab and Abihu, for offering with strange fire which God commanded them not, were destroyed with fire from the Lord (Leviticus 10:1, 2).

Vzzah, for touching the Ark contrary to the order of the God of Israel, was smitten dead, and Israel had a breach made among them (1 Chronicles 13:9, 10, 11, compared with 1 Chronicles 15:12, 13).

Jeroboam devised worship at Dan and Bethel, though he pretended by it to worship the true God, and advance the worship of Jehovah; yet he worshipped nothing but the Devils, and Calves that he made (2 Chronicles 11:15). And it became a sin to Jeroboam and his house, to destroy it root and branch, and all the Kings that countenanced and upheld it (1 Kings 13:34; 2 Kings 17:21, 22, 23). But such as feared the Lord among them, both Levites and Priests, left their Cities, and possession; and of the people, such as set their heart to seek the Lord God of Israel, came to Jerusalem: so Jeroboams Kingdom weakened; but Rehoboam, that gave liberty of conscience to worship the true God, strengthened (2 Chronicles 11:16, 17).

Now, was God so jealous of his glory under the Law, that he that sinned against that worship which God by Moses prescribed, he died without mercy? How much severer punishment are they worthy of, that sin against the Son's authority, seeing he is Lord of the spiritual house, whose house are we (Hebrews 3:6), and the heavenly Father commands us to hear him (Matthew 17:5), and that in all things, or our souls must perish (Acts 3:22, 23)? Now, if we worship God in prayer or praise, or any other way, by any innovation or invention of man, let us hear what our Prophet Jesus says: "In vain you worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men" (Isaiah 29:13, 14; Mark 7:6, 7, 8). And however it may seem glorious in our eyes, yet God has set this stigma on it, that it is a vain worship.

I cannot worship God in a stinted form of worship, in prayer and praise, and the like, lest I make myself guilty of the blood of Christ.

Christ by his death has freed me from the whole Ceremonial Law, so that if I consent to rear again what Christ by his death has abolished, I crucify Christ, make myself guilty of his blood, and as much as in me lies, expel him out of the Nation.

Now, the Ceremonial Law has his constitution in Israel, either from Moses, or from God: not from Moses, for he was a servant in his house, and he did nothing in the Tabernacle, nor about it, but what God showed him (Exodus 25:4; Acts 7:44). But the Ceremonial Law has his original law from God: now, if the death of Christ were of that power, to put an end to the whole Ceremonial prescribed worship, so that whoever should rear it again should crucify Christ, and make us guilty of his blood, etc., then, that death of Christ is of force, to put an end to mans Ceremonial Worship.

But the first is true; therefore, the latter.

The consequence is denied.

That power which can disannul the greater, must needs disannul the lesser; if the death of Christ put an end to the heavenly Father's Ceremonial worship, and in prayer and praise, at, or before the Ark, or in the Temple; then it will put an end to all mans devised worship, unless you will advance the authority of man above God the Father (Colossians 2:20, 21, 22, 23). If Christ by his death has freed us from the rudiments of the world, the Mosaical Ceremonies, why living in the world are we entangled with ordinances, after the doctrine, traditions, and commandments of men?

But they are set up for the glory of God.

Not I, but Paul shall answer for me; they have a show of wisdom, in will-worship; but it is only a show, there is no substance in it.

We harden the obstinate Papist in their superstition; for they say, and that truly, we received most of our forms of prayer and praise from them.

We rob the Spirit of his glory, who is given to Saints to form prayer and praise in them (1 Corinthians 14:15, 16; Romans 8:26; Galatians 4:6).

We impose a burden upon conscience to be practiced, which God has left arbitrary, to be used according to our necessities; if we be afflicted, then pray; if we have tasted how bountiful the Lord has been to us in blessings, then let us praise him (James 5:13).

If we frequent devised forms of worship in prayer or praise, we shall lay a stumbling block before a weak brother, and cause him to fall. Woe be to them that follow the way of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel (Revelation 2:14; Jude v. 11). Now offences must come, but woe to the men by whom they come: it were better for me, that a millstone were hanged about my neck, and that I were cast into the sea, than that I should offend one of these little ones (Luke 17:1, 2).

If we frequent devised forms of worship in prayer or praise, we shall offend our consciences; (even so many of us as are Saints enlightened, to behold the beauty of his spiritual worship, performed, or offered in his spiritual house, the congregation of the faithful united;) now if our consciences condemn us, God is greater than our consciences, and he will condemn us also (1 John 3:19), for he knows all things. Therefore I say to you (who blame us for not frequenting devised forms of worship in prayer and praises) as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego did to King Nebuchadnezzar, We are not careful to answer you in this matter; Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of your hand: but if he will not, be it known to you, we will not serve your gods; nor worship our God in that devised way that men set up (Daniel 3:16, 17, 18).

If one set form of spiritual worship in prayer and praises had been needful, Christ would have left one: but the Prophets, Christ, the Apostles, never prayed nor praised God by any set form of worship invented by man; but by the powerful work of the holy Spirit (Romans 8:26; Galatians 4:6).

A set form of worship prescribed in prayer or praises, cannot in prayer express the several necessities of Gods people; for the more grace they have, the more they see their own wants; and the more sensible they are of their own infirmities, corruptions, and sins. Neither can it in praises express the manifold experiences that the Saints daily observe of Gods merciful dealing with them: therefore a set form of prayer or praises to Gods Saints, and faithful ones, principled with a spirit of prayer and praise, it is altogether unuseful (1 Corinthians 14:15, 16).

Soli Deo honor & gloria

FINIS.