36. Chapter X.

Chapter X. Of mental prayer as pretended to by some in the Church of Rome.

Having described or given an account of the gift of prayer, and the use of it in the church of God, and the nature of the work of the Spirit in this, it will be necessary to consider briefly what some have set up in competition with it, as a more excellent way in this part of divine worship. In the first place, mental prayer, as described by some devout persons of the church of Rome, is preferred above it. They call it "pure spiritual prayer, or a quiet repose of contemplation; that which excludes all images of the fancy, and in time, all perceptible actuations of the understanding; and it is exercised in signal elevations of the will, without any force at all, yet with admirable efficacy." And to dispose a soul for such prayer, there is previously required "an entire calmness and even death of the passions, a perfect purity in the spiritual affections of the will, and an entire abstraction from all created things." — Cressy, Church Hist. pref. par. 42, 43.

1. The truth is, I am fixed in a dislike of that mere outside, formal course of reading or singing prayers which is in use in the Roman church. Though in Mr. Cressy’s esteem, it has a show of a very civil conduct with God, it is indeed accompanied with the highest contempt for God’s infinite purity and all divine excellencies. And I so much more abhor that magical incantation which many among them use, in the repetition of words which they do not understand, or of applying what they repeat to an end other than what the words signify. It is saying so many prayers for such an end, or for such purpose, of which there may be not one word of mention in the prayers themselves. And thus I must approve of any search for a real internal intercourse of soul with God in this duty. But men must be careful of two things in this:

(1.) That they do not assert what they can fancy, but what indeed, in some measure, they have an experience of. It is always dangerous for men to conjecture about what others experience (for they can do no more), and from there, to form rules or examples of duty; and it may be pernicious to those who follow such instructions. And in this, Mr. Cressy fails. He gives nothing but his own fancies of others’ pretended experience.

(2.) That what they pretend to have an experience of, is confirmable by Scripture rule or example. For if it is not, then we are directed to the conduct of all extravagant imaginations in everyone who pretends to a spiritual experience.

Attend to these two rules, and I will grant in prayer all the ways by which the soul, or its faculties, can rationally act itself towards God in a holy and spiritual manner. But if you extend it to the kind of actings that our nature is not capable of, at least not in this world, it is the open fruit of a deceived fancy, and it makes all that is tendered from the same hand, to be justly suspect. And such is that instance of this mental prayer: it is in the will and its affections without any actings of the mind or understanding. For I grant that the adhesion of the will and affections to God, by love, delight, contentment, rest, and satisfaction, in prayer, belongs to the improvement of this duty. And yet, to imagine that they are not guided, directed, or moved by the understanding in the contemplation of God’s goodness, beauty, grace and other divine excellencies, is to render our worship and devotion brutish or irrational, where it is, and ought to be, our "reasonable service." Romans 12:1 This very description of prayer given here, is a mere effect of fancy and imagination, and not what its author was led to by the conduct of spiritual light and experience. That is evident from this: that it is borrowed from those contemplative philosophers who, after preaching the gospel in the world, endeavored to refine and advance heathenism to comply with it — at least it is fancied in imitation of what they ascribe to a perfect mind. One of them, and his expressions in one place, may suffice for an instance — Plotinus in his Enneads. For after many other ascriptions to a soul that has attained union with the highest good, he adds this: —

"A mind thus risen up is in no way moved, no anger, no desire of anything is in it" (a perfect rest of the affections); "no, neither reason nor understanding" (are acted), "nor, if I may say so, itself. But being ecstasied and filled with God, it comes into a quiet, still, immovable repose and state, in no way declining" (by any sensible actings) "from its own essence, nor exercising any reflex act upon itself; it is wholly at rest, as having attained a perfect state;" 475

— or to this purpose, with much more of the same. And as it is easy to find the substance of our author’s notion in these words, so the reader may see it further declared at large in that last chapter of his Enneads. And in design, all his companions at about that time speak to the same purpose.

2. The spiritual intense fixation of the mind, by contemplation on God in Christ, until the soul is, as it were, swallowed up in admiration and delight. And being brought to an utter loss through the infiniteness of those excellencies which it admires and adores, it returns again into its own abasements, out of a sense of its infinite distance from what it would absolutely and eternally embrace. And with that come the inexpressible rest and satisfaction which the will and affections receive in their approaches to the eternal Fountain of goodness. These are things to be aimed at in prayer, and which are frequently enjoyed through the riches of divine condescension. The soul is hereby raised and ravished, not into ecstasies or unaccountable raptures, not activated into motions above the power of its own understanding and will; but it is filled with rest in all its faculties and affections, through the effectual workings of the Spirit of grace and the lively impressions of divine love, with intimations of the relations and kindness of God — in "joy unspeakable and full of glory." 1 Peter 1:8 And these spiritual acts of communion with God, of which I may say with Bernard, Rara hora, brevis mora,476 may be enjoyed in mental or vocal prayer indifferently. But because the description given here of mental, spiritual prayer has no countenance given to it from the Scriptures — indeed, those things said about it are expressly contrary to it, such as "perfect purity" and the like — and as it cannot be confirmed by the rational experience of anyone, it in no way takes away from the necessity and usefulness of vocal prayer, to which it is opposed. For the use of words is still necessary in this duty, from the nature of the duty itself, the command of God, and the edification of the church. And it has fallen out unhappily, as to the exaltation of the conceived excellence of this mental prayer, that our Lord Jesus Christ not only instructed his disciples to pray by the use of words, but did so himself, and that was constantly so far as we know, Mat 26.39, 42.477 Indeed, when he was most intense and engaged in this duty, instead of this pretended still prayer of contemplation, he prayed "with a strong outcry," Heb 5.7,478 which in Psalms 22:1 is called the "voice of his roaring." And all the reproaches which this author casts on fervent, earnest, vocal prayer — namely, that it is a tedious, loud, impetuous, and uncivil conduct with God, a mere artificial slight and facility479 — may with equal truth be cast on the outward manner of the praying of our Lord Jesus Christ, which was often long, and sometimes loud and vehement. And to the example of their Lord and Master, we may add the example of the prophets and apostles, who mention nothing of this pretended elevation, but constantly made use of, and desired God to hear in their supplication, their "voices," their "cry," their "words" — the words of many of them were accordingly recorded. Therefore, words proper, suggested by the Spirit of God, and taken either directly or analogically out of the Scripture, help the mind, and enlarge it with supplications.480 The use of such words, being first led to by the desires of the mind, leads the mind on to express its further desires also; and it increases those which are so expressed. It is from God’s institution and blessing, that the mind and will of praying lead to the words of prayer, and the words of prayer lead on the mind and will, enlarging them in their desires and supplications. Without this aid, many would often be restrained in acting their thoughts and affections towards God, or be distracted in them, or diverted from them. We have experienced that an obedient, sanctified persistence in the use of gracious words in prayer, has prevailed against violent temptations and injections of Satan, which the mind in its silent contemplations was not able to grapple with. And holy affections are thus also excited by it. The very words and expressions which the mind chooses to declare its thoughts, conceptions, and desires about heavenly things, reflect upon the affections, increasing and exciting them. Not only do the things themselves that are fixed on affect the heart, but the words of wisdom and the sobriety by which they are expressed also affect it. There is a recoiling of efficacy, if I may say so, in deep impressions on the affections, from the words by which those affections are expressed. But we address prayer principally as it is to be performed in families, societies, assemblies, and congregations, where this mental prayer would do as well to promote edification, as that which is attainable in the silent meetings of the Quakers. And because this kind of "prayer," as it is called, is not only recommended to us, but preferred before all other ways and methods of prayer, and chosen as an instance to highlight the devotion of the church of Rome, and to invite others to it, I will inquire into it a little more particularly. And I must say that, on the best view or examination I can take of it, it seems to be a matter that is altogether useless, uncertain, an effect of the vain curiosity which it entertains, and by which men "intrude themselves into those things which they have not seen, being vainly puffed up by their own fleshly mind." Colossians 2:18 For (not to go over what was intimated before about practical things in religion) no man can understand anything which he cannot experience. And so nothing is rejected by virtue of this rule, which some men have no experience of through their own default; but everything is justly rejected which no man can attain any experience of in the discharge of his duty. If any such things belonged to our condition in this world, and someone speaks of them to others, he must be a barbarian to them in what he says.481 And because he speaks of that in which his own reason and understanding have no interest, he must also be a barbarian to himself. For no man can understand by the use of reason, however advanced by spiritual light, such actings of the souls of other men, or of his own soul, where there is no exercise of reason or understanding, as these raptures are pretended to consist in. Thus one of them says, "The ground of my soul, touches the ground of the essence of God."482 It would certainly have been better for him to keep his apprehensions or fancy to himself, than to express himself in words which, in their own proper sense, are blasphemous, and whose best defense is that they are unintelligible. And even if it is not unlawful, it is doubtless inexpedient for anyone, in things of religion, to utter what it is impossible for anybody else to understand, with this plea alone: that indeed, they do not understand it themselves, for it is what they enjoyed without any acts or actings of their own understanding. To allow such pretenses is the ready way to introduce Babel into the church, and to expose religion to scorn. I have known some among us, pretending to such raptures; for a while they stirred up the admiration of weak and credulous persons. But through a little observation of what they did, spoke, and pretended to, with an examination of it all by the unerring rule, they quickly came into contempt.

All I intend at present is that, whatever is in this pretense, it is altogether useless for edification; and therefore its declaration ought to have no regard in the church of God. If the apostle would not allow the use of words, though miraculously suggested to those who used them, without an immediate interpretation of their meaning,483 then what would he have said of such words and things that are capable of no interpretation, such that any man living could understand them? For those who so extol and commend these to us at present, discuss them at random,484 as blind men talk of colors — for they do not pretend to have any experience of these things themselves. It is somewhat an uncouth way of proceeding, to enhance the value of the communion of their church, and to invite others to it, by declaring that there are some among them who enjoyed such spiritual ecstasies which could not be understood either by themselves or any others. For nothing can be understood where there is no exercise of reason or understanding. Therefore, the old question, cui bono? 485 will discharge this pretense from being of any value or esteem in religion with considerate men.

Again, the whole of this kind of prayer is useless as to the benefit and edification of the church or any member of it. So it is impossible for there to ever be any certainty about the raptures in which it is pretended to consist. Rather, they must everlastingly be the subject of contention and dispute. For who will assure me that the persons pretending to these duties or enjoyments are not mere pretenders?

Any man that lives, if he has a mind for it, may say such things, or use such expressions concerning himself. If a man, indeed, pretends and declares that he does or enjoys those things which are expressed in the word of God as being the duty or privilege of anyone — and upon that, they are acknowledged by all to be things that are true and real in themselves, and likewise attainable by other believers — then he is ordinarily, so far as I know, to be believed in his profession (unless he can be convicted of falsehood by anything inconsistent with such duties or enjoyments). Nor do I know of any great evil in our credulity in this, if we happen to be deceived in or by the person professing it; because he speaks of no more than what all acknowledge as their duty to endeavor after. But when anyone pretends to spiritual actings or enjoyments which are neither prescribed nor promised in the Scripture, nor are investigable in the light of reason, no man is obliged to give credit to this upon his mere profession. Nor can any man tell what evil effects or consequences his doing so may produce. For once men are taken away from that sure ground of Scripture and their own understandings, putting themselves afloat on the uncertain waters of fancies or conjectures, they do not know how they may be tossed, nor where they may be driven.

If it is said that the holiness and honesty of the persons by whom these special privileges are enjoyed are sufficient reason why we should believe them in what they profess, I answer that they would be holy and honest in good measure, if they did not pretend to things that are repugnant to reason and unwarranted by the Scripture — this is sufficient to crush the reputation of any man’s integrity. Nor can their holiness and honesty be proved to be such that it renders them absolutely impregnable against all temptations; that was the pre-eminence of Christ alone. Nor is there any more strength in this plea than what may be reduced to this assertion: that there are not nor were there ever any hypocrites in the world who are undiscoverable to the eyes of men. For if there may be such, then some of these pretenders may be of their number, notwithstanding the appearance of their holiness and honesty. Besides, if the holiness of the best of them were to be examined by evangelical light and rule, perhaps it would be so far from being a sufficient countenance for other things, that it would not be able to defend its own reputation. Nor is it lack of charity which makes men doubtful and unbelieving in such cases; but it is godly jealousy and Christian prudence, which require them to take care that they not be deceived or deluded. These not only warrant that they stay on their guard, but make it their necessary duty also. For it is not a new thing, that pretenses of raptures, ecstasies, revelations, and unaccountable, extraordinary enjoyments of God, should be made use of for corrupt ends — indeed, abused to the worst ends imaginable. The experience of the church, both under the Old Testament and the New, witnesses to this, as the apostle Peter declares in 2Pet 2.1.486 For among those of old, there were multitudes of those who falsely pretended to have visions, dreams, revelations, and such spiritual ecstasies — some of whom wore a "rough garment to deceive." Zechariah 13:4 And this was not alone, but it was accompanied with all those apparent austerities that might produce an opinion of sanctity and integrity in them. And when the body of the people had grown corrupt and superstitious, this sort of men had credit with them above the true prophets of God; yet for the most part they showed themselves to be hypocritical liars. We are abundantly warned about such spirits under the New Testament, as we are foretold that many would be deluded by them. We are commanded to test, by the unerring rule of the word, all such pretenders to extraordinary intercourse with God. And we desire only the liberty to do so. But suppose that those who assert these devotions and enjoyments of God in their own experience, are not false pretenders to what they profess; nor do they design to deceive; but they are persuaded in their own minds of the reality of what they endeavor to declare. Yet this will not give us the least security of their truth either. For it is known that there are so many ways, partly natural, partly diabolical, by which the fancies and imaginations of persons may be so possessed with false images and apprehensions of things — and with so vehement an efficacy as to give them a confidence of their truth and reality — that no assurance of these things can be given by being persuaded of the sincerity of those by whom they are pretended. There are so many ways by which men are disposed to such a frame and actings, or by which they are imposed on by such delusions, especially where they are prompted by superstition, and are encouraged doctrinally to expect such imaginations. Thus it is a far greater wonder that more have not fallen into the same extravagances, than any that have done so. We find by experience that some, by satanic delusions, have had their imaginations so fixed on things that are evil and noxious, that they have confessed to things and crimes that have rendered them liable to capital punishments — things they were never really and actually guilty of. Therefore, seeing that these acts or duties of devotion are pretended to be such that there is no sensible actuation of the mind or understanding in them, and so they cannot rationally be accounted for, or rendered perceptible to the understanding of others — it is not unreasonable to suppose that they are only fantasies of deluded fancies, which superstitious, credulous persons have gradually raised themselves to. Or they are such that these persons exposed themselves to being imposed on by Satan, through a groundless, unwarrantable desire for them, or an expectation of them. But whatever there may be in the height of this "contemplative prayer," as it is called, it is not prayer; nor on any account can it be esteemed prayer. It was declared before that we allow for mental prayer, and all actings of the mind in holy meditations. Nor do we deny the usefulness or necessity of those other things — of mortifying the affections and passions, of an entire resignation of the whole soul to God, with contentment in him, so far as our nature is capable of these things in this world. But what we inquire into is that incomparable487 excellence of prayer in the silence of the soul, and the pure adhesion of the will, without any actings of the understanding. And I say, whatever else there may be in this, it does not have the nature of prayer, nor is it to be esteemed as prayer, even though it is recommended to us under that name and notion. Prayer is a natural duty, the notion and understanding of which is common to all mankind; and the concurrent voice of nature does not deceive. Therefore, whatever is not compliant with it, at least what is contradictory to or inconsistent with it, is not to be esteemed prayer.

Now, in the common sense of mankind, this duty is that acting of the mind and soul in which they address their desires to God, with faith and trust; or they ascribe praise and glory to him for what he is in himself, and what he is to them. This is done from an acknowledgment of the sovereign being, self-sufficiency, rule, and dominion of God, with his infinite goodness, wisdom, power, righteousness, omniscience and omnipresence. And it is with a sense of their own universal dependence on God, on his will and pleasure, as to their beings, lives, happiness, and all their concerns, as their state and condition require. This is the general notion of prayer, which the reason of mankind centers in; nor can any man conceive of it under any other notion whatever. The gospel directs the performance of this duty in an acceptable manner with respect to the mediation of Christ, the aids of the Holy Ghost, and the revelation of the spiritual mercies we all desire. But it changes nothing in the general nature of it. It does not introduce a duty of another kind, and call it by the name of that which is known in the light of nature, but which is quite another thing. All men in whom the first innate principles of natural light are not extinguished, or woefully depraved, universally understand this general nature of prayer well enough. Prayer may be done among some by a long traditional course of an atheistic and brutish conduct. But as large and extensive as the convictions of men are, concerning the being and existence of God, so are their apprehensions of the nature of this duty. For the first actings of nature towards a Divine Being are in invocation. Every one of Jonah’s mariners knew how to call on his god when they were in a storm. And where there is no trust or affiance488 in God acted, by which men glorify him as God, and where desires or praises are not offered to him — neither of which can be done without express acts of the mind or understanding — there is no prayer, whatever else there may be. Therefore, this contemplative devotion — in which it is pretended that the soul is ecstasied, and the will and affections are advanced above all the actings of the mind or understanding — this does not have one property of prayer, as the nature of prayer is manifested in the light of nature and the common agreement of mankind. Prayer without an actual acknowledgment of God in all his holy excellencies, and the actings of faith in fear, love, confidence, and gratitude, is a monster in nature, or a side-effect489 of imagination, which has no existence in rerum natura.490 These persons, therefore, had best find some other name with which to impose this kind of devotion on our admiration; for it is utterly excluded from the whole precincts of prayer or invocation on the name of God. What place it may have in any other part of the worship of God, we will immediately inquire into. But this examination of prayer by the light of nature will be looked at as most absurd and impertinent. For our measures of all matters of spiritual communion with God will be false and perverse if we must try them by this rule and standard — and that is in those things which wholly depend on divine, supernatural revelation. I say, no doubt they would. Therefore, we call only that concern about it to a trial hereby, whose true notion is confessedly fixed in the light of nature. Without extending that line beyond its due bounds, we may take by it a just measure of what prayer is and is not; for in this it cannot deceive nor be deceived. And this is all we engage in at present. In the pursuit of the same inquiry, we may also bring it to the Scripture, from which we will find that such mental prayer is as foreign to it, as it is from the light of nature. For as it is described, so far as anything intelligible may be collected from that, it exceeds or deviates from whatever is said in the Scripture concerning prayer. This is true even in those places where the grace and privileges of prayer are most emphatically expressed, and as it is exemplified in the prayers of the Lord Christ himself, and of all the saints recorded in it.

Therefore, the light of nature and the Scripture, by common consent, exclude it from being prayer of any kind. Prayer, in the Scripture’s representation of it, is the soul’s access and approach to God by Jesus Christ, through the aids of his Holy Spirit, to make known its requests to him, with supplication and thanksgiving. And that on which it is recommended to us, are its external adjuncts, and its internal grace and efficacy. Of the first sort (external adjuncts), the principal ones are earnestness, fervency, importunity, constancy, and perseverance. No man can attend to these, or any of them, in a way of duty, except in the exercise of his mind and understanding. Without this, whatever looks like any of them, is brutish fury or obstinacy. And as to the internal form of it (grace and efficacy), in that description which is given of its nature in the Scripture, it consists in the special exercise of faith, love, delight, fear, and all the graces of the Spirit, as occasion requires. And in that exercise of these graces, in which the life and being of prayer consists, a continual regard is to be had to the mediation of Christ and the free promises of God. Through these means, he exhibits himself to us as a God who hears prayer. These things are both plainly and frequently mentioned in the Scripture, as all of them are exemplified in the prayers of those holy persons which are recorded in it. But for this contemplative prayer, as it is described by our author and others, there is neither precept for it, nor direction about it, nor motive for it, nor example of it, in the whole of Scripture. It must seem marvellous, to some at least, that although this duty and all its concerns are more insisted on in Scripture than any other Christian duty or privilege whatever, that in the height and excellency of contemplative prayer (in comparison to all other kinds of prayer), all the actings of the mind and soul are decried — and yet this has not obtained the least intimation in Scripture. For if we were to take a view of all the particular places in which the nature and excellence of this duty are described, and the grace and privilege with which it is accompanied — for instance, in Ephesians 6:18, Php 4:6, Heb 4.16, 10.19-22 491 — there is nothing that is consistent with this contemplative prayer. Neither is there anything in the prayers of our Lord Jesus Christ, nor of his apostles, nor of any holy men from the beginning of the world, either for themselves or the whole church, that gives the least countenance to it. Nor can any man declare what is or can be the work of the Holy Spirit in this, as he is a Spirit of grace and supplication; nor is any gift of his, mentioned in the Scripture, capable of the least exercise in it. So in no sense can this be that act of "praying in the Holy Ghost" which is prescribed for us. There is therefore no example proposed for our imitation, no mark set before us, nor any direction given, for attaining this pretended excellence and perfection. Whatever is fancied or spoken concerning it, is utterly foreign to the Scripture, and it must owe itself to the deluded imagination of a few persons.

Besides, the Scripture does not propose to us any other kind of access to God under the New Testament, nor any nearer approaches to him than what we have in and through the mediation of Christ, and by faith in him. But in this pretense, what is aimed at seems to be such an immediate enjoyment of God in his essence, that it is regardless of Christ, and it leaves him quite behind. But God will not be "all in all" immediately to the church, until the Lord Christ has fully delivered the mediatory kingdom to him.1 Corinthians 15:28 And, indeed, the silence concerning Christ in the whole of what is ascribed to this contemplative prayer, or rather the exclusion of him from any concern in it as mediator, is sufficient with all considerate persons to evince that it does not have the least interest in the duty of prayer, whether name or thing. Nor does this imagination belong any more to any other part or exercise of faith in this world; and yet here we universally walk by faith, and not by sight. The whole of what belongs to it may be reduced to these two heads: what we do towards God, and what we enjoy of Him in this. As to the first, all the actings of our souls towards God belong to our "reasonable service," Romans 12:1; more is not required of us in a way of duty. But that in which our minds and understandings have no concern, is no part of our reasonable service; nor is it any part of our enjoyment of God in this life. For no such thing is promised to us anywhere; and it is by the promises alone that we are made partakers of the divine nature, or have anything from God communicated to us. Therefore, there seems to be nothing in the bravery492 of these affected expressions, than an endeavor to fancy something above the measure of all possible attainments in this life, and yet falling unspeakably beneath those of future glory. It is therefore a kind of purgatory in devotion — something that is out of this world and yet not in another; it is above the earth and beneath heaven, where we may leave it in clouds and darkness.