a man may be very formall in the most extemporary
variety; & very fervently devout in the most wonted expressions: Nor
is God more a God of variety, than of constancy: Nor are constant
Forms of prayers more likely to flat, and hinder the Spirit of Prayer
and Devotion, than an unpremeditated and confused variety, to distract
and lose it.

Though I am not against a grave, modest, discreet, and humble use of
Ministers gifts, even in publique, the better to fit, and excite their
owne, and the peoples affections to the present occasions: yet I know
no necessity why private and single abilities should quite justle out,
& deprive the Church of the joynt abilities and concurrent gifts of
many learned and godly men; such as the Composers of the Service-Book
were; who may in all reason be thought to have more of gifts & graces
enabling them to compose with serious deliberation & concurrent
advice, such Forms of prayers, as may best fit the Churches common
wants, inform the Hearers understanding, and stir up that fiduciary
and fervent application of their spirits (wherein consists the very
life and soul of prayer, and that so much pretended Spirit of prayer)
then any private man by his solitary abilities, can be presumed to
have; which, what they are many times (even there, where they make
a great noise and shew) the affectations, emptinesse, impertinency,
rudenesse, confusions, flatnesse, levity, obscurity, vain and
ridiculous repetitions, the senslesse, and oft-times blasphemous
expressions; all these burthened with a most tedious and intolerable
length, do sufficiently convince all men, but those who glory in that
Pharisaick way.

Wherein men must be strangely impudent, and flatterers of themselves,
not to have an infinite shame of what they do and say, in things of so
sacred a nature, before God and the Church, after so ridiculous, and
indeed, profane a manner.

Nor can it be expected, but that in duties of frequent performance, as
Sacramentall administrations, and the like, which are still the same;
Ministers must either come to use their own Forms constantly, which
are not like to be so sound, or comprehensive of the nature of the
duty, as forms of publike composure; or else they must every time
affect new expressions when the subject is the same; which can hardly
be presumed in any mans greatest sufficiencies not to want (many
times) much of that compleatnesse, order, and gravity, becoming those
duties; which by this m