6 ones, and all manner of unrighteous Per• fons, will take the Letter to talk of, and call it their Rule and Guide, but are out of the Life thereof, and fo by it are condemned; and thofe are the Swine that are feeding upon the • Hufk without, and have gotten the Form, but are out of the Life and Power, and put the • Shadow for the Subftance.'

In thefe Words of James Parnel, there is not the leaft difparaging of the Scripture or Doctrine contained therein; nor could our Adverfary have drawn any fuch Confequence, had he not falfly cited them; much lefs could he have inferred that J. P. charges the Obfervers of the Scriptures with the Ignorance of Chrift the true Light, when 'tis plain his Words are directed againft those who did not obferve, nor live the Life of them.

As to preaching from a Text of Scripture, which he treats of, p. 174, 175. we have nothing against it, provided fuch Preaching proceed from the Motions of the Spirit of Chrift, as all true Preaching does; and 'tis well known, that fome of our Ministers do frequently begin their Teftimonies with reciting a Text of Scripture, and preach from it.

THE reft of this Section, concerning immediate Infpiration, is but a Repetition in part of what he has before faid in Sect. iv. and v. and which we have there already answered.

SECT.

SEC T. XIV.

Of PRAYER.

THIS Section begins with the following

Quest. • Is Is any outward vocal Prayer, in conformity to the external Letter of the Law, or any outward Command or Example in Scripture, ever acceptable to God, or fuch as he requires, but only when we have an inward and • immediate Motion of the Spirit moving us 'thereto ?'

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To this Query, the 13th Article of his own Church, before recited, gives him a direct Answer, Works done before the Grace of Chrift and the Infpiration of his Spirit, are not pleasant to God.

He queries yet farther, And is not all that is done without the immediate Motion of the Spirit, done in Man's own Will, or the Product of his own natural Will and Abilities?' To which we reply; All that is done, as an Act of Religion, without the immediate Motion of the Spirit of Chrift, is not done according to the Will of God; but are fuch Works, of which the 13th Article aforefaid exprefly says, for that they are not done as God hath willed and commanded, we doubt not, but they have the Nature of Sin.

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As to what our Opponent fays, pag: 180, o ufing outward vocal Prayer in Obedience to the outward Commands, and Examples, and Ex

hortations

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hortations given us by the Spirit of God in holy Scripture,' 'tis to be confider'd, that there can be no true Obedience to the Commands of God in Scripture, without his Holy Spirit first inwardly moving and inclining us to obey; without which Motion and Inclination, a meer outward Conformity to outward Commands, and a meer external following other Men's Examples in faying over certain Words after them, would be meer Will-Worship, and far from the Nature of true Prayer, which is the Sacrifice of the Heart, the Offering of a broken and of a contrite Spirit, the pure Breathings of a Soul in fome measure quickned by the Spirit of God, and touch'd with a Sense of his Divine Love, and of its own Infirmities, which are fuch that we know not what to pray for as we ought, but as the Spirit it felf helpeth our Infirmities, and maketh Interceffion for us, not always enabling to the Ufe of outward vocal Prayer, but with Groanings which cannot be uttered. Rom. viii. 26. And faith the Apostle, be that fearcheth the Hearts, knoweth what is the Mind of the Spirit, because he maketh Interceffion for the Saints according to the Will of God. ver. 27. Now if we know not what to pray for as we ought, and 'tis the Spirit only which knoweth the Mind of God, and maketh Interceffion according to his Will; what can be more evident, than that all vocal Pretences to Prayer, without the Motions and Infpirations of the Spirit teaching us both what to pray for, and how to do it acceptably, are lifeles Performances, Fruits of Ignorance, and Sacrifices in no wife well pleafing to God. And this our Adverfary himself, notwithstanding all his Efforts in Defence of meer formal Prayer, feems not who!ly infenfible of; when he tells us, pag. 181. of the gracious Affiftances of the Spirit to enable us to pray in an acceptable manner, and that a Difpofition

to Prayer is always owing to God's Holy Spirit. We may in this Place reasonably require from him an intelligible Diftinction between the Holy Spirit's working in Men a Difpofition to Prayer, and the Spirit's immediately moving us to pray, because while he afferts the one, he would feem to deny the other. Till he fhall therefore demonstrate the Difference, between the Spirit's immediate moving us to Prayer, and difpofing us thereto, we muft think his Difcourfe on this Head to be confufed and felf-contradictory.

He fays, pag. 181: And why may not the ferious and earneft Prayers, even of an unregenerate Man, in compliance with the preventing • Grace of God, that accompanies the external Word, be accepted, for his obtaining the • Grace of Regeneration, or that honeft and good • Heart that may prepare and dispose him for it; feeing to him that bath, or that maketh Ufe of ⚫ that Measure of Grace he hath already, shall be given more. Mat. xiii. 12:

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THAT even an unregenerate Man may have a measure of Grace, or of the Spirit of God in him, reproving him, and convincing him of Sin, and at Times raifing in him fome Defires and Prayers for Deliverance, we doubt not: But then fuch Defires and Prayers do really proceed from the Motions of the Grace or Spirit of God in him: Which Grace or Spirit would alfo, if he continued Obedient to its Motions, perfect in him the Work of Regeneration. So that when fuch Defires and Prayers are fo raised, he is as it were departing from his Wickedness, and entring into a better State, from which yet he may foon fall away again. So that we admit of praying accordto the measure of Grace or Spirit received; but not without

without any Measure of it. For it feemeth to us, that if a wicked Man, without any Motion of the Spirit of God preceding, do repeat a customary Form of Words, under Pretence of Prayer, he offers but that Sacrifice which, Solomon fays, is an Abomination to the Lord, Prov. xv. 18.

His ftances of David and Daniel, and other pious Perfons, whom he mentions as praying at ftated Times, make nothing againft us; feeing we doubt not but they prayed by the immediate Motion of the Spirit of God, which is the Thing we contend for. We never oppos'd stated Times for Worship, nor praying by the Motions of the Spirit at fuch Times; what we gainfay, is Men's refolving beforehand to use vocal Prayer at fuch Times, though without any Motion of the Spirit thereto.

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OUR Opponent fays, pag. 182. And conftant daily Family-Prayer, is a Duty exceeding ufeful and neceffary, to keep up a lively Senfe and Spirit of Religion in a Family; that with good Fofbua, we and our Houfe may ferve the Lord, and with faithful Abraham, command our Chil• dren and Houfbold after us to keep the Way of the Lord; and that his Fury may not be poured upon us, as upon the Heathen that know him not, and • the Families that call not upon his Name. And is not the Quakers waiting for the exuos

ry Motion of the Spirit to a known and

ry Duty, (for which the Motion of th in the Scripture is fufficient) the Reafoo < very few of them ever pray in their Fa or give Thanks for their Food; or but rarely? And if they are never to do in bi when they have a particular immediate Moson of the Spirit to it, how come they and the Sp