Series 5 > Religious Controversy in Scotland 1625-1639

RUTHERFORD & SYDSERFF,‘CANNONS AND CEREMONIES’
89
worship. I prove the minor. It is not alyke natural! to kneil at praying and to
kneill at hearing of the Word, the light of nature teaching to kneil when we pray,
but no light of nature teacheth us to kneil when we hear the Word, when we
read, when we meditat, when we conferre, etc. For God hath made kneiling by
nature’s light so kyndlie to praying, that the Word [re]placeth kneiling by a figure
for praying: Ephesians 3:14,‘for this cause I bow my knee to the father of our
Lord Jesus Christ’. I pray, tell me how oft kneifing and prayfing] are conjoyned
and where read ye kneiling and hearing, reading or any other acts of God’s
worship conjoyned? And therfor to take kneiling from praying, which is its seat
which God and nature hath placed it in, and to place it unnaturallie and violentlie
with sacramentall eating and drinking, must be a device of man’s will contrare to
God and nature’s fight.
Answer
But we kneil with praying in the act of receaving, for I cannot be better
exercised in receaving then to pray to God to give Christ himself with bread and
wine, howbeit I grant the prayer here is but a short ejaculation.
Opponent
If ye kneill because ejaculatorie xx xxx xxx and short prayers, ye have as
good reason to comand kneifing when ye hear the Word as when ye receave the
elements, for ther are ejaculatorie prayers in hearing the Word, in reading, con¬
ferring, and all the acts of God’s worship, but this ye will not say, and because
ejaculations in receiving are not universal! to all, and a warrant ye have not that
ejaculations will continow the whole time that [334] a table is in serving, so as
sometime kneifing shall be will-worshipe not comanded of God, but commanded
of you as will-worship, ane unnatural! and violent service to God.
Answer
But I never heard an argument from any of your side to imped praying in the
act of receaving.
Opponent
I will then shew yow an argument that troubleth me. If our wise lawgiver
and teacher Christ, who hath wisely seated and placed the wholl acts of God’s
worship in this supper in their owne place, hath willed that blissing by prayer
should be before takeing and eating and singing and praising after eating, then it
is not his will that their should be either praying and praising in the verie instant
of taking and eating, but the former is clear by the justification as used by Christ
and his disciples and repeated by Paul. Ergo there should be neither praying nor