SOME

TRULY TENDER SCRUPLES OF CONSCIENCE, ABOUT THAT FORM OF PRAYER,

CALLED,

THE COMMON PRAYER,

AS USED BY THE MEMBERS OF

THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND,

s to the reading the Holy Scripture, either privately r openly, that I am not against, but would encourage it all christians, and true believers in Christ: and we ught to excite one another thereto, and more especially › put in practice what we read to be our duty; othervise the holy letter will kill, (as said the apostle, 2 Cor. i. 6.) which is to be understood when we practise conary to what we read therein. As for example, where ur Lord saith, "Every idle word that men shall speak, hey shall give account thereof, in the day of judgement." Mat. xii. 36. Again, "God will not hold them guiltess, that taketh his name in vain." Exod. xx. 7. That servant that knew his Lord's will, and did it not, hall be beaten with many stripes." Luke, xii. 47. These, and many more portions of holy scripture, are conlemning and killing to those who live in sin and evil, vhich the letter is absolutely against, and without true epentance, accompanied with amendment of life, though he Holy Bible be read every day, it will but add to our condemnation. But if people truly repent of the evil of their ways, and awake to righteousness, and sin not, as the holy scriptures themselves hold, and Christ taught, chen unto such souls they are a rich treasure, and as a cabinet full of precious jewels," Able to make the man of God wise unto salvation, through faith, in Christ, (by the influence of the Holy Ghost, or spirit.) It is not the readng divinely inspired writings, or the bible, which is

scrupled, but the formal reading of formal composed prayers and songs, at set times, instituted by such whose principle is that there is now no divine revelation, and that we cannot live without sinning, while we are in this world, acccording to the tenure of the common prayer; holding, that we sin as long as we live, as if God's power were not stronger to preserve out of sin, than the devil's to keep us in sin, contrary to the work and doctrine of the holy apostles, who were sent of God to turn people from satan's power, to the power of God; whose glorious, eternal power, is above the power of sin, death, and the devil.

In the common prayer some unsound words, and also some scripture expressions, perverted to a wrong use, I would a little open, or write a few words concerning. 1st. As to that expression in the common prayer, "We are miserable sinners." 2d. And that "We are full of bruises and putrifying

sores."

that

3d. And "From the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, there is no soundness in us."

4th. And that "We have left undone the things which we ought to do, and do those things which we ought not to do ;" and these to be repeated for life.

First, then, If people must be miserable sinners all their days, to what end did Christ come into the world and preach the gospel, and suffer death, the painful death of the cross? Did he not come to put an end to sin, and to destroy the works of the devil, whose works are sin? Did he not preach against sin, both within and without? Witness the 5th, 6th, and 7th chapters of the evangelist Matthew. Yea, his birth, life, preaching, suffering, death and resurrection, and ascension into glory, were against sin, the devil, death and darkness, and all the works and deeds thereof. Christ died for our sins, and we should die to them, and live to him: he came to save us from the act of sin, as well as the imputation of it; and takes away the guilt of sin on condition of true repentance and amendment of life, as the doctrine of Christ and his apostles do largely and plainly demon

all

rate, as any who are come to the years of discretion, id who can but read the holy scriptures, may plainly

scover..

ean.

The apostle saith, "Whatsoever things are holy, hatsoever things are pure, just, and of good report, seek ter those things." And again, "No unclean thing can ter the kingdom of heaven;" but certainly all sin is unRead over the holy scriptures, from the beginng to the end, their nature and tendency is against all n; and as it is true, that we all have been sinners, surely erefore all true christians, and true believers in Christ, ave cause reverently to bow, and to be truly and humty thankful, that Christ, our great Lord, by offering imself for us, hath taken away that imputation; so that ow through faith, and belief in Christ, accompanied with ue repentance, and amendment of life, the imputation f our former sins is taken away; for this cause we raise God, and adore his eternal majesty for ever.

2d. As to the word "miserable," a christian may ineed be poor; but since Christ is come to make us appy and comfortable, through the hope of eternal salation, in his name and power (as we are not to think urselves better than we are) so we cannot say nor think e are miserable, unless we are without God and Christ; nd then we are miserable indeed; but no mortal can be niserable who hath Christ; "For he that hath the Son, ath life (eternal life) abiding in him :" to be truly in Christ, is to be truly happy; this doctrine is as clear as he sun at noon-day, or as a morning without clouds: soul, when it comes to see itself undone without a Savour, and see sin to be exceeding sinful, and is ready to ry to the Almighty, Lord, help, or I perish! save ne, or I am undone forever! Then the soul seeth itself niserable; but it is for want of Christ: and when Christ s come into, or unto the soul, then its misery vanisheth, or flieth away; but from day to day, and week to week, yea, all the days of one's life; to be miserable sinners, is miserable case indeed, destroying the very nature of Christianity: wherefore, some tender, conscientious souls, kkk

cannot join with such miserable sinners and sayers, who neither say nor do that which they ought.

3d. As to these sayings, "We are full of bruises and putrefying sores, from the crown of the head to the sole of the foot, and that there is no soundness in us,”

Can any congregation of such people as these (if they say truly, and if they do not say truly, what will the con sequence be, let the wise in heart judge) can, I say, sugh a people be the church of Christ, or his spouse, or beau. tiful bride? Christ saith, "If the inside be clean, the outside will be clean also; and he came to cleanse the souls of poor mortals, and to heal them, and wash them from sin, and doth it by his spiritual baptism, and the fire of his word; also the abovesaid church and people, contrary to this putrefied and unsound, constant and continual confession, do both "Promise and vow, that they will forsake the devil and all his works, the pomp and vanity of this wicked world, and all the sinful lusts of the flesh, and walk in God's holy will and commandments, all the days of their lives." The very highest pitch of perfec tion any man or christian can attain in this life! and yet contrary to those vows and solemn covenants, they tell the Almighty, from time to time, that they are unsound, nay, that there is no soundness in them; but that they are putrefied from head to foot (as above) and by their common practice intend to tell him so as long as they live in this life this is unsound work indeed: and truly those who are tenderly conscientious, may well scruple to join with it, or with those who are in such ways, words and works.

Those bruised, putrefied, sore and unsound souls, are therefore tenderly, in christian love, advised to come to Christ, the physician of value, and great doctor of the soul, that he may heal them, and wash their sinful putrefied souls, and unsound hearts, "By the washing of regeneration, and renewing of his word and spirit." "Ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you," saith our Saviour. John xv. 3. They were cleansed by putting his word in practice; for, saith Christ,