LETTER XIV.

REV. SIR,

Of Prayer to Christ.

HAVING got three perfons, all of them poffeffed of all divine perfections, all of them having intercourfe with mankind, and confequently all of them naturally objects of prayer, I do not wonder that you appear to be a little embarraffed in your ideas of what is proper to be done with respect to each of them, individually confidered. "That the Father," you fay, p. 103. " is a proper object of prayer, God forbid "that I should ever not acknowledge. That he "is the proper object, in the fenfe in which you "feem to make the affertion, in prejudice and "exclufion of the other perfons, God forbid that "I should ever concede. I deny not that there is " an honour perfonally due to him as the Father. "There is alfo an honour perfonally due to the "Son, as the Son, and to the Spirit as the Spirit, "but our knowledge of the perfonal diftinctions "is fo obfcure, in comparison of our apprehen"fion of the general attributes of the godhead, "that it should feem that the divinity (the 70

Sev) is rather to be generally worshipped in "the three perfons jointly, and indifferently,

"than

"than that any diftinct honours are to be offered to each feparately. Prayer, however, for fuccour against external perfecution, feems "addreffed with particular propriety to the Son."

Now, Sir, as this is a thing that relates to practice, I fhould have imagined that, if each of the three perfons had been to be addreffed feparately, we should have been distinctly informed concerning the circumstances in which we were to pray to one of them, and not to the others; confidering how difficult it must be, from the nature of the thing, for mere men to distinguish the feparate rights of three divine perfons. That you yourself have made fome mistake in this business, will not, I think, be difficult to fhew. In order to this, let us confider how your fuppofition or theory, correfponds to the fact. For if it be not fupported by correfponding facts, how ingenious, or probable, foever it may feem to be, a priori, it must fall to the ground. You will agree with me, I imagine, that the apoftles and primitive christians knew whether the Father or the Son was the more proper object of prayer in the time of perfecution. Let us fee then both what directions they gave, and also what they themselves actually did in this cafe.

The apostle James, writing to chriftians in a state of perfecution, fays, ch. i. 2. &c. My brethren count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, or

trials,

trials, &c. If any of you lack wisdom, let kim ask of God. You will hardly fay that in this he advises them to apply to Chrift, or to the trinity, for direction in thefe circumftances. If you do, I' will venture to affert, that your hypothefis has no countenance either in the fcriptures, or in any chriftian writer before the council of Nice. For they all understood the Father alone to be intended whenever mention is made of God abfolutely.

Peter, writing to chriftians in the fame fituation, fays, 1 Pet iv. 19. wherefore let them that fuffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their fouls to bim in well doing, as unto a faithful creator. This is certainly meant of God the Father; but more evidently muft we fo interpret, 1 Pet. v. 10. The God of all grace, who has called us into bis eternal glory by Christ Jefus, after that ye have fuffered a while, make you perfect, establish, Strengthen, fettle you. I do not find here, or any where elfe in the fcriptures, any direction to pray to Chrift in time of perfecution, or indeed, in any other circumstances.

Let us now attend to fome particulars in the biftory of the apoftles. When Herod had put to death James, the brother of John, and imprisoned Peter, we read, Acts xii. 5. that prayer was made without ceafing of the church to God, not to Christ, for him. When Paul and Silas were in prifon at Philippi, we read, Acts xvi. 25. that

they

they fung praifes to God, not to Chrift. And when Paul was warned of what would befal him if he went to Jerufalem, A&ts xxi. 14. he said, the will of the Lord be done. This, you must suppose, was meant of God the Father, because Chrift himself ufed the fame language in this fense, when, in praying to the Father, he faid, Not my will but thine be done.

Thefe, you may perhaps fay, are only incidental circumstances, on which no great stress is to be laid. But in Acts vi. 24. &c. we have a prayer of fome length addreffed to God the Father, at the very beginning of the perfecution of chriftians, when Peter and John had been examined before the high priest, and his court, and had been threatened by them. As I fufpect that you may not have given much attention to the tenor of it, I fhall recite the whole, which is as follows; "And when they heard that, they lifted up their "voice to God, with one accord, and said, Lord, "thou art God, who haft made heaven and earth, "and the fea, and all that in them is; who by "the mouth of thy fervant David, hast said, Why "did the beathen rage and the people imagine vain "things, The kings of the earth ftood up, and the "rulers were gathered together, against the Lord, "and against bis Chrift. For of a truth against thy holy child" (or fervant) "Jefus whom thou haft anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with "the Gentiles, and the people of Ifrael, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy

"hand

hand and thy counfel determined before to be "done. And now Lord behold their threat

nings, and grant unto thy fervants, that with "all boldness they may fpeak thy word, by ftretching forth thy hand to heal; and that figns and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child" (or fervant) " Jefus."

We have now examined fome particulars both of the inftructions, and the examples of fcripture, with regard to the proper object of prayer in time of perfecution; from which it appears, that, even in this cafe, we have no authority to pray to any other than that one God, to whom Chrift himfelf prayed in his affliction; and if we be not authorized to pray to Chrift in time of perfecu tion, there is, by your own acknowledgment, lefs propriety in praying to him on any other

occafion.

As you profefs a great regard for thofe who are called apoftolical Fathers, let us attend to the prayer of Polycarp, when he was tied to the take, ready to be burned alive. Now this prayer which is a pretty remarkable one, is addressed to God the Father, and not to Chrift; fo that this difciple of the apostle John, did not think the example of Stephen any precedent for him. The prayer begins as follows: "O Lord, God Al"mighty, the Father of thy well-beloved and "bleffed Son Jefus Chriit, by whom we have re"ceived the knowledge of thee, the God of

angels