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A34597 The country-curate's advice to his parishioners, in four parts I. Directs us, how to serve God on the Lord's day, II. On the week day, III. How to discharge our duty in our several relations, as husband and wife, parents and children, masters and servants, IV. How to prepare for death / by H.C. H. C. (Henry Cornwallis), 1654?-1710. 1693 (1693) Wing C6333; ESTC R37664 30,893 81

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THE Country-Curate's ADVICE TO HIS Parishioners In Four PARTS I. Directs us how to serve God on the Lord's Day II. On the Week Day III. How to discharge our Duty in our several Relations as Husband and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants IV. How to prepare for Death By H. C. LONDON Printed by T. W. for J. Robinson at the Golden Lyon in St. Paul's Church-Yard 1693. TO THE READER REligion is the grand employment of our Lives the main design and biass of our rational Natures the important work and task that Heaven hath set us and calls for our greatest vigour and vivacity to attend it and though perhaps it may suffer some diminution from the meanness of the Person who treats of it Yet it is not to be denied that its own intrinsick worth and native excellency are sufficient to render it most acceptable to all intelligent Minds and unprejudiced Understandings I pretend not to any high strain of Eloquence or high flown Rhetorications for if I were Master of a very fluent Oratory yet should I at this time wave it and study plainness the Station I am in a Curate the Persons I write unto not Courtiers but Country-men oblige me to it My Office is to present my Reader with a Portraicture of Practical Religion especially as it hath an aspect to the Duties which constitute our Devotion Here it is not proper to be quaint and florid but to make Impression on Mens Hearts and bring the Deity into their Souls This I have attempted to accomplish in the ensuing Sheets though I most frankly acknowledge how feeble and languid my Enterprize hath been Among the plain Directions which I have given towards the Consummating of a Religious Life I have placed those which respect the Lord's Day in the Front of all and with good reason seeing this sacred time is the Queen and Empress of all the Days in the Week and hath a just precedency of them by our Saviour's Institution and the practice of his holy Apostles Religion commenceth here he that begins not with the right Celebration of this Day will be extreamly defective in all the other acts of Devotion and Religion This therefore in the first place I most passionately recommend to all Votaries of Christianity that they would concern themselves in the due Observation of this Divine Time and accordingly I here offer them such Rules as will be a certain conduct to them and fully instruct them how to behave themselves in all the Portions of that Sacred Day If this attempt be favoured and incouraged by the Religious Reader I shall be animated then to aspire to a further degree of consulting his Spiritual advantage by committing to the Press those other Directions which I have prepared for the guidance of pious Minds in the grand business of Religion In the interim I bid such adieu and incessantly implore the Tri-une Deity That these my weak endeavours may prove Auspicious H. C. THE CONTENTS of this BOOK Chap. I. THE Preparation for the Lord's Day upon Saturday Eve Chap. II. Of Awaking with God upon the Sunday Morning Chap. III. Closet-Prayer and the Preparations to it Chap. IV. Of Family-Duty ere we go to God's House Chap. V. Of the great Obligation that lies upon every one of us to worship God in publick Chap. VI. Of going to our Parish-Church Chap. VII The Souls Soliloquy as it walks to God's House and behaviour there Chap. VIII Of our behaviour at Church when the Minister is come unto it Chap. IX Of our due behaviour between Morning and Evening Service Chap. X. Of resorting to the Evening Sacrifice CHAP. I. Of Saturday's Eve Devotion I Shall wave all the Opinions I have read concerning the beginning of the Sabbath because I would not here enter into a Controversy with any Man The Sentiments of Men are various yet how different soever they may be otherwise sure I am all agree in this That a due Preparation the Even before will be a great help to perform the Duties of the Day following The Primitive Christians used to spend the greatest part of Saturday Night in Fasting Watching and Prayer to fit them for the Duty of the subsequent Day from whence I suppose our Church borrows the Custom of reading the Collect for the Sunday upon the Eve foregoing Nay so zealous were they in God's Service that upon the ringing of the Bell to Church the Plowman used to leave the Plow and the Tradesman his Shop to join with the Minister in publick Prayers for a Blessing on the Sabbath Which Devotion of theirs because this our degenerate Age is for the most part strangely averse to and very few if any will have recourse to the House of God there to perform their duty Let them repair to their private Oratory Let them enter into their Closets Let Conscience there call an Audit in their Breasts and both impartially judge the actions of the Week past and how the Case stands at present between God and their Souls Beg O beg of God Dear Christian to give thee a true sight and sense of all thy Sins which thou maist do in this following Prayer O Father of Light and God of Love grant me true Light true Love and true Wisdom that I may clearly discern what doth please or displease thy Divine Majesty most earnestly desiring even from my very Soul to detest the one and embrace the other Illuminate the Eyes of my Vnderstanding that I may truly see my Sins and Imperfections strengthen my Memory that I may duly confess them and rectify my Will that I may resolutely amend them Return O my Soul to thy Self and to thy God Lament Repent Amend The Spirit indeed is willing but the Flesh is weak therefore turn thou me O Lord and I shall be turned Convert thou me and I shall be converted Further me I humbly beseech thee with thy continual help that in all my Works begun continued and ended in thee I may glorify thy holy Name and finally by thy Mercy obtain Everlasting Life through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen Questions to be put to our selves every Saturday Night 1. How have I this Week kept my Heart Have I been diligent in putting away evil thoughts of sundry sorts and have I kept my mind exercised with good and holy Meditations Have I thought humbly of my self Charitably of my Neighbour and reverently of my Maker and Redeemer 2. How have I this Week kept the Door of my Lips Have not I uttered many idle vain and unprofitable words Have I spoke of my Neighbour with that Love and Charity as I would have others speak of me Have I had that compassion of others defects as of my own 3. What aim had I in all my actions Have I done them so purely for the Love of God as I ought or had I any Worldly respect in the doing of them 4. How have I kept my Senses this Week Have not mine Eyes gazed upon wanton objects Have