Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A59372
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Several arguments for concessions and alterations in the common prayer, and in the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England in order to a comprehension / by a minister of the Church of England, as by law established.
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Minister of the Church of England.
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1689
(1689)
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Wing S2752; ESTC R33871
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58,452
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80
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and negligent so many good Books of Devotion and excellent pieces of Divinity as the Church of Christ abounds with they may be able to make such Prayers as may be sound and comprehensive suitable and edifying Nay they may attain to some ability to express their desires to God without an exact Form if they are such persons as are much in the practice of this Duty as it is fit Ministers should be after the example of the Apostles Acts 6.4 But we will give our selves continually to Prayer and the Ministry of the Word Secondly It was more seasonable at the Reformation than another Worship because it receded least from their former Worship leaving that only in what was plainly and undoubtedly evil and so was it more safe upon the same account For it is a common Rule in all Changes in Bodies Natural and Political that the Change be no more then needs must it being dangerous to run from one extream into another And that Change which they did make in the Worship was no without its danger for in Devonshire and Cornwall there was a Rebellion upon the account of changing their Worship But there would be no danger of Rebellion now upon some just alterations It caused one indeed in Scotland as before which infected England Thirdly It was more satisfactory and acceptable to the generality of the Nation at the time of the Reformation than any other So that we do not read of any that separated from it in Edward VI. days And though when they were at liberty in Germany some were for another Worship at Frankford yet we do not read but they Conformed to it in England until near the Spanish Invasion when a party of Jesuits and Roman Priests were found crying up a sort of Free Prayer drawing some off from the Common-Prayer though not men of note And in the Act Primo Elizabethae you may find the esteem they had for this Worship It saith to the great decay of the due Honour of God and discomfort to the Professors of the Truth of Christs Religion the Common-Prayer Book and the Act for it was repealed and taken away in Queen Maries days But now the generality of Dissenters and many that follow the Parish Ministers are dissatisfied in it and have little or no liking to it and whatever is the matter the genius of the people will not bear it or some things in it or at least not otherwise then as a Burthen and a Grievance Arg. IV. For proof that the Common-Prayer according to the Acts for Vniformity is inconvenient in some respects because of the confinement of Ministers to the use of it not only in the publick but in their Families in a manner wholly excluding all other manner of Prayer even the most sober and discreet use of the Gift as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vpon the Ordinance against the Common-Prayer Book Sect. 4. I am not against a grave modest discreet and humble use of Ministers gifts even in publick the better to excite their own and the peoples affections to the present occasions Again upon denying him his Chaplains Sect. 16. Which gift as I do not wholly exclude from publick occasions so I allow it its just liberty and use in private and devout retirements And the Act for Vniformity in the beginning of King Edwards Reign did give Liberty to use any other Prayers and Psalms taken out of the Bible at any due time not letting or omitting thereby the Service or any part thereof More may be spoken to enforce this part that Ministers should labour after some measure of the gift and ability to utter their minds to God in Prayer without keeping strictly to a Form. First Ejaculatory Prayer calls for some measure of this gift as when we lift up our Hearts to God upon any present occasion in some short Prayer as in time of Temptation upon sudden Danger or news of the Sickness or Death of a Friend or Judgment or Mercy befalling the Nation or Parish in which we live or according to the Discourse and Company which we are in or matter which we read Bishop Taylor in his Rules to his Clergy That they should teach their People to be much in this Ejaculatory Prayer Secondly For some gift and ability to Pray without a Form is because that Examination of our Hearts and Lives upon set days of Fasting and Humiliation before a Sacrament and in times of Affliction and Sickness or any Calamity the dayly Examination also according to many sober Heathens practice Pythagoras his Advice to his Scholars to that purpose and which is the practice of good men and serves only to find out our sins that we may beg pardon of them and power against them or be thankful to God for his Grace keeping us from sin or enabling us to do good and this cannot be done in one set Form. Thirdly Ministers Sermons should be begun continued and ended with Prayer Prayer for Direction to a suitable Subject such as the necessities of the people call for Method Matter Language that all may be done to edifying And when it is finished it is fitting to recommend it unto God for his Blessing upon it The more Prayer the more power working with our Sermons You will find such Sermons take most effect they will be weak without it And after Preaching that the Word Preached may be put in practice Some Ministers in the Country having a short Prayer after Sermon respecting the principal matter of the Sermon as the Duties Graces Truths of our Christian Religion or Sins as 2 Tim. 3.16 The Word being profitable for Doctrine Reproof to convince Gainsayers for Correction and Amendment of evil Manners and for Instruction in Righteousness or Holiness by an exercise of the Graces performance of the Duties of our Religion Now Prayer must accompany all the Ordinances of God to sanctifie and get Gods Blessing on them Fourthly It is fit that all should vary in their Prayers so much as occasions serves our Sins our Wants our Mercies Neither those of the Nation nor a particular Congregation are the same always not altogether though much the same Therefore it is fit our Petitions Intercessions and Thanksgivings should admit of some alteration Arg. V. For some ability to pray without an exact Form is that in Phil. 4.6 In every thing by Prayer and Supplication with Thanksgiving let your Requests be made known unto God In every thing of great concernment and importance in our Lives be it Worldly or Spiritual matters Besides in the two first Centuries this sort of Prayer prevailed in all probability and a mixt Worship in the third partly by Form and part otherwise 'T is too apparent to be denied and hath been the observation of too many and their complaint too that Ministers take occasion from the use of the Common-Prayers to neglect the sober use of free and conceived Prayer being insufficient to pray upon an emergent occasion to the scandal of their Function
and derision of Dissenters If one unexpectedly light upon a sick person and be desired to pray for him it is a pitiful excuse for him to say he hath not his Book with him In case of any Calamity befalling a Parish Fire any Infectious Disease or much Sickness c. Or any National Judgment as upon poor Ireland or Mercy as the Miracle of Mercy and Deliverance wrought for us of this Nation it will be expected or at least it is fit that Ministers should put in Occasional Expressions for such matters else it will be look'd upon on as a weakness and uncomfortable failing in them not to be able to say a Word or put in an Expression in things of such Importance and Concernment to the Congregation which remain many times unprovided for by the Common-Prayers First The length of the Common-Prayers allows little room for the exercise of the gift in publick though it be with Sobriety and Moderation So much of the time passeth in the use of this Worship that there is little remaining when the Sermon takes up so much besides Secondly Many in Cathedrals Visitations and often in their Parish Churches use only the Lords Prayer in the Pulpit considering the length of their Common-Prayers And indeed a long Prayer in the Pulpit after the long Prayers of the Desk seems to me to be highly inconvenient for the Common-Prayer casting a disrespect upon that whereas if the Ministers own Prayer were placed after the Sermon to pray for a Blessing upon the practical matter of the Sermon among other things it would much further Ministers Gift and Ability in Prayer and promote Gods Blessing upon the Word In Duties preached to pray for Grace to perform them Graces that they may be wrought in us Truths such as are without Controversie for Grace to know and believe them Spiritually and Grace to repent of sins or keep from them with a Confession and Thanksgiving for Mercies Spiritual or Temporal Thirdly The Canon bidding Prayer taken in a strict sence seemeth utterly to forbid and disallow of all use of the gift in publick Therefore by some Conformists it is condemned and held utterly unlawful for them to use any other than an exact Form in generals according to that Canon Fourthly Some look upon themselves bound to use the Common-Prayers and no others in their Families according to that Order All Priests and Deacons are to say daily the Morning and Evening Prayer either privately or openly not being let by Sickness or some other urgent cause And the Curate not being reasonably hindered should say the same in the Parish-Church So that if it be not said openly in the Parish Church if Sickness or some other urgent cause do not hinder it is to be said privately in their Families or personally by a mans self Fifthly Some Conformists so addicted to this Form in their Families and in publick are so set against all other manner of Prayer as to call it ex tempore Effusion Confusion vain Bablings Non-sense running beyond the very heighth of Conformity Far be it from me to plead for or to excuse and countenance the wild extravagancies of some fanciful Spirits who place their Devotion more in their various modes of speaking to God and expressing the matter of their Prayers rather than in the Truth and Piety of the Heart Yet I think we ought with Bishop Wilkins to endeavour after the Gift of Prayer accordingly to exercise it in those cases above-mentioned And perhaps some more liberty in publick were desirable or at least the exercise of that liberty which some suppose given us already as Cars Plain Considerations for satisfaction to the disaffected to our Book of Common-Prayer p. 8. Our Ministers have liberty not only in private but in publick both before and after their Sermons to exercise their Gift of Prayer and to enlarge themselves upon any emergent occasion or opportunity afforded as God shall enable them and they themselves shall judge any way expedient or needful Cases of Conscience of the Lawfulness of joyning with Forms of publick Prayer Part 1. p. 28. The Clergy of the Church of England are not restrained from exercising their own abilities in publick Prayer in which is allowed them the liberty the Dissenting Ministers can claim or pretend to to express in their own words all the matter of publick Prayer with all the sobriety affection and seriousness they are able And this permission being of long continuance and hitherto uncontrouled by our Church-Governours amounts to an allowance c. Such a liberty as this and such a practice concurrent with it were desirable But all are not agreed herein nor satisfied in point of this liberty Arg. 6. For Concessions and Alterations in the Common Prayer because of the frequent commands of bearing with the infirmities of the weak i. e. indulging the weak and scrupulous with some favour and liberty to forbear those things they scruple of becoming all things to all men to gain some and pleasing our Brother for his good to edification and that all things be done in Charity c. these call for some Concessions as my Lord Hales in his Discourse of Religion tells us Some allowance is to be made in the case or a weak Brother who on that account refuseth and cannot though he would obey Either all the Commands of bearing with the infirmities of the weak signifie thus much saith he or nothing at all And though the common Answer is Is it not fitter that he should submit to the Church then the Church submit to him Yet that Answer I presume is not sufficient in this case though there be a Duty that the Child owes to the Father yet that will not excuse the Father from the Duty which he owes to his Child especially when it is from a Conscientious account that he refuseth to obey Mr. Tulli 's Sermon of Moderation p. 22. St. Paul made himself all things to all men c. And how was he all things to all Bishop Hall. as a Learned Prelate of our own asks the Question if he did not sometime remit of his right to some Bishop Saunderson ad Aulam Serm. 8. Sect. 38. We deal not like Christians no nor like reasonable Creatures if we expect all men should come to our bent in every thing and we our selves relent not our own stiffness in the least matter for their sakes And even Dr. Sherlock of Religious Assemblies p. 22. Speaks of making all reasonable condescensions to the weakness or ignorance of some doubting and scrupulous Consciences and of giving ease to them and relaxing the terms of Communion 1. But the experience of many years shews that our Brethren remain unsatisfied in their Consciences 2. They offer to give it in upon their Oaths that they are not satisfied in Conscience as some to my knowledge would and Dr. More tells us so on their behalf I think in his Mystery of Iniquity and Answer touching Liberty in Religion a