II.

SERM. disturb ourselves for that action, make us no less meet for Ps. 66. 18. prayers than for it. For except a man abandon the purpose of Mat. 6. 14, sin, and except he be in charity, he is no more fit to pray than

15.

IV.

Imaginations touching

"prayers."

1 Thess. 5. 18.

Eph. 6. 18.

to communicate, and therefore should abstain from the one as well as from the other; or, to say the truth, should by renewing himself in both these points, make himself meet for both, continuing no less in the "breaking of bread" than in "prayers" and "doctrine."

Imaginations touching "prayers." As the former was the most special exercise of a Christian and chiefest in dignity, so this is the most general and chiefest in use. Therefore he puts it in the plural number; as if both in preaching, censuring, and communicating, it had his use (as indeed it hath) 1 Tim. 2.1. before all things," "in all things," after all things. And in this also we want not fancies; in this age especially, Num.6.27. wherein an idle conceit is taken up that never came into the heads of any of the old heretics (though never so brain-sick) once to imagine. Our Saviour Christ thus willeth us: "When Lu. 11.2. ye pray, say, Our Father," &c. A most fond imagination is started up in our times, never once dreamed of before, that telleth us in no case we must say "Our Father," &c. with which form, if St. Augustine be to be believed as a witness of antiquity, the universal Church of Christ hath ever used al. 130. s.s. to begin and end all her prayers, as striving indeed by divers other forms more largely to express the sense of that prayer; but not being able to come near the high art and most excellent spirit of perfection in that pattern, they always conclude with it, as being sure, howsoever they may for divers defects perhaps not attain to the depth of it, and 'by it they shall be sure to that.] (beg all things necessary at God's hands. This I named first because it is appropriate to our times.

Ep. 59. [al. 149. s. 16. Ep. 121.

21. 22.]

1 Cor. 14. their "understanding unfruitful."

14.

Besides, as the Church of Rome hath her imaginations touching prayers; first, against St. Paul's Orabo et mente, in setting the people to pray they wot not what, and so making And again, against our Saviour Christ's caveat, in setting them to go over whole Mat. 6. 7. rosaries and Psalters, as if much babbling after the heathen manner were acceptable to God. So likewise do others also among us err in their imaginations no less, and that even against the 1 Cor. 14. same places. First, against Orabo spiritu, in the same verse,

by finding fault with a set Liturgy, which they call stinted prayers, and giving themselves to imagine prayers at the same instant; whereby, it is plain, they so occupy their minds with devising still what to say next, their spirit is "unfruitful," no less than the others' "understanding;" and both these, 1. the understanding of the mind, 2. and the affection of the spirit, are there necessarily required. And again, that instead of rosaries and a number of prayers, they bring in the Pharisce's imagination of "long prayers," that is, a prayer as long as a Mat. 23.14. whole rosary. And this they take to be a great part of holiness, but indeed it is nothing but the former superstition drawn in backward. In which whoso marks them, shall find they commit both faults: that of the Pharisec, in tedious length, procuring many times nauseam'spiritûs, a dangerous passion; and the other of the heathen, in fond repetitions, tautologies, inconsequences, and all the absurdities that may fall into such manner of speech. St. Cyprian saith, It was ever in Christ's Church counted an absurd thing, which some count their glory, ventilare preces inconditis vocibus. [De Orat. Domin. The absurdity whereof would better appear if-seeing under init.] prayers here Psalms and spiritual songs are contained, both being parts of invocation-they would have no stinted Psalms, but conceive their songs too upon the present out of the Spirit,. and so sing them. For to say truth, there is no more reason for the one than for the other. But God's Church hath ever had, as a form of doctrine, both of faith in the Creed, and of life in the Decalogue, so of prayer too. Which, from the thirteenth chapter of Acts, the second verse, the Fathers in all ages have called a Liturgy or service of God.

These are of many imaginations, some set up and magnified by some, and by others adored and worshipped, under the names of the 1. Apostles' Doctrine, 2. Government, 3. Sacraments, and 4. Prayers.

St. Stephen telleth us, out of the fifth of Amos, that if we [Amos 5. do thus make to ourselves tabernacles and figures to worship 25, 26, 27.] them, our punishment shall be "to be carried away beyond Acts 7. 43. Babylon." And good reason, for these idle fancies are not from Christ's Church, from Sion, but from Babylon they came, and if we delight in them thither shall we be carried. And sure we are in a good way thitherward, for of Babel

II.

Dei. 18.

[51.]

SERM. St. Augustine saith, Civitas illa confusionis indifferenter habuit De Civit. philosophos inter se diversa et adversa sentientes; In God's city it was never so, there was ever correction for coiners, but in Babel, the city of confusion, every philosopher might set up, as now every sect-master may broach any imagination that taketh him in the head without punishment. For in Babel it is reckoned but an indifferent matter.' Sure the Prophets tell us that if Babylon's confusion go thus before, the captivity of Babylon is not far behind. From which Almighty God deliver us, and make us careful, as to continue "the Apostles' doctrine," &c., so neither to engrave nor to bow down and worship any of these imaginations. Amen.

ONE OF THE SERMONS

UPON THE

THIRD COMMANDMENT,

PREACHED IN THE

PARISH CHURCH OF ST. GILES, CRIPPLEGATE,

ON THE ELEVENTII OF JUNE, A.D. MDXCII.

JEREMIAH iv. 2.

And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness.

Et jurabis, Vivit Dominus, in veritate, et in judicio, et in justitiá. Lat. Vulg.

[And thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, in judgment, and in righteousness. Eng. Trans.]

Of this commandment there are two main propositions: 1. Thou shalt take "the name of God"-clse it should have been, Thou shalt not take it at all; 2. Thou shalt take it orderly, and not "in vain." Of the first: Thou shalt take it to those ends and uses to which God lendeth it. Of which one is, "Thou shalt swear by it;" which is limited by two ways.

First, by what: "The Lord liveth."

Secondly, how: "In truth, judgment, justice." As in the former Commandments so in this, there be two extremes. 1. The one of the Anabaptists, which hold all swearing unlawful, contrary to the first, "Thou shalt swear." 2. The other of the licentious Christian, which holds, at least in practice, A man may swear how and in what sort he list: by creatures, &c. contrary to "The Lord liveth," &c. falsely, rashly, lewdly; contrary to " In truth, judgment, justice."

SERM.

"Thou shalt swear."

99

Isa. 45. 23.

That it is lawful to swear, it appeareth by the Law, Deuteronomy the sixth chapter, and thirteenth verse: by the Prophets Jeremy here. Esay more earnestly: "I have sworn by Myself, the word is gone out of My mouth and shall not return, That every knee shall bow to Mc, and every tonguc På 63. 11. shall swear by Me." David: Laudabuntur omnes, qui jurant per Eum. By the practice of the saints not only under Moses, Gen.21.24. but under the law of nature. Abraham sweareth, Isaac swearGen.31.53. eth, Jacob sweareth. Now our Saviour Christ came "not to [Mat. 5. destroy the law and the Prophets" in those things wherein 17.] they agree with the law of nature: therefore, not to take away an oath.

Gen.26.31.

Whereas they object first, that it standeth not with Christian profession, but was tolerated as an imperfect thing under the law:

We answer, it cannot be reckoned an imperfection to swear. For that not only Abraham, the pattern of human perfection, Gen.21.24. both sware himself and put his servant to an oath, but even Gen. 24. 3. the Angels, nearer than we to perfection, "sware" both under Rev. 10. 6. the law, and under the Gospel. And not only they, but even Gen.22.16. God Himself in Whom are all perfections, so that it cannot Ps. 110. 4. be imagined an imperfection.

Dan. 12. 7.

Besides, the holy Apostles, the most perfect Christians 2 Cor.1.23. have in urgent causes done the like: "I call God for a record 1 Cor. 15. against mine own soul;" and, "By our rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord;" which place cannot be avoided, [S. Aug. having in the Greek the word Nỳ never used but in an oath

31.

Serm.

180. 5.]

[Mat. 5. 34. 33.]

only.

Whereas secondly they object our Saviour's saying, "I say unto you, swear not at all," the ancient writers answer, that our Saviour Christ in the very same place, not reproving the other part, Reddes autem Domino juramenta tua, meant not to take all oaths away, but must be understood according to the Pharisees' erroneous gloss of this commandment, which He intendeth to overthrow by opposing to Dictum est antiquis, Ego autem dico; which was of two sorts: 1. for first, it seemeth they understood it of perjury alone; so that if a man forsware not himself, he might swear any oath. And so Christ reproveth not only false, but all rash and unadvised swearing.

2. Secondly, it seemeth they had this conceit: so a man