3. When ministers by faction, passion, or corrupt interests, are apt to put these vices into their prayers, to the injury of others, and of the cause and church of God, free praying cherisheth this, or giveth it opportunity, which set forms do restrain.
4. Concordant set forms do serve for the exactest concord in the churches, that all at once may speak the same things.
5. They are needful to some weak ministers that cannot do so well without them.
6. They somewhat prevent the laying of the reputation of religious worship upon the minister's abilities: when in free praying, the honour and comfort varieth with the various degrees of pastoral abilities; in one place it is excellently well done, in another but dryly, and coldly, and meanly, in another erroneously, unedifyingly, if not dishonourably, tending to the contempt of holy things: whereas in the way of set liturgies, though the ablest (at that time) doth no better, yet the weakest doth (for words) as well, and all alike.
7. And, if proud, weak men have not the composing and imposing of it, all know that words drawn up by study, upon sober premeditation and consultation, have a greater advantage, to be exact and apt, than those that were never thought on till we are speaking them.
8. The very fear of doing amiss, disturbeth some unready men, and maketh them do all the rest the worse.
9. The auditors know beforehand, whether that which they are to join in be sound or unsound, having time to try it.
10. And they can more readily put in their consent to what is spoken, and make the prayer their own, when they know beforehand what it is, than they can do when they know not before they hear it; it being hard to the duller sort of hearers, to concur with an understanding and consent as quick as the speaker's words are. Not but that this may be done, but not without great difficulty in the duller sort.
11. And it tendeth to avoid the pride and self-deceit of many, who think they are good christians, and have the spirit of grace and supplication, because by learning and use they can speak many hours in variety of expressions in prayer; which is a dangerous mistake.
I. The commodities of free extemporate prayers, and the discommodity of prescribed or set forms, are these following.