Parish ever saw This therefore is that which I shall endeavour to prove at this time And for that end have chosen these words for the ground and foundation of all that I shall say upon this subject Let all things be done to Edifying For the right understanding whereof we must know that the Apostle having in this Chapter discoursed at large concerning the way and manner of holding Christian Assemblies and having proved that whatsoever is there said ought to be spoken in such a Language that all there present may understand and so be edified by it he at last sums up the whole in this Proposition How is it then Brethren when ye come together every one of you hath a Psalm hath a Doctrine hath a Tongue hath a Revelation hath an Interpretation Let all things be done to Edifying As if he should have said Whatsoever gifts any of you have or pretend to yet when you meet together upon a Religious Account for the Publick Worship of God take special care that all things be there done to the Edifying of all who are there present From whence it is plain that the Apostle lays down this as a general Rule necessary to be observed in all Christian Congregations So that whensoever we meet together to Worship and Serve God if any thing be there done which is not for our Edification we come short of this Rule and so we do too if any thing be there wanting that may conduce to that end For according to this Rule as nothing is to be there done but what is for our Edifying so also on the other side all things that are or can be for our Edifying ought to be there done But for our better understanding the true sense and purport of this Rule it is necessary to consider what the Apostle here means by edifying For which we must know That all Christians being as the same Apostle saith of the Houshold of God built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner Stone Eph. 2. 19 20. Hence whatsoever tends to the strengthening supporting cementing or raising this Fabrick higher whatsoever it is whereby men are made more firm and solid Christians more holy and perfect men than they were before by that they are said to be edified And therefore it is a great mistake for men to think as many do that they are edified by what they hear meerly because they know perhaps some little thing which before they were ignorant of For Knowledg as the Apostle saith puffeth up it is Charity that edifieth 1 Cor. 8. 1. And therefore whatsoever knowledg we attain to we cannot be said to be edified by it any further than as it influenceth our minds excites our love and inclines our hearts to God and goodness And that this is the true notion of edifying is plain from the Apostles own words where he saith Let no corrupt communication come out of your mouths but that which is for the use of edifying that it may minister grace unto the hearers Eph. 4. 29. For from hence it is manifest that that onely is properly said to edifie that ministers grace unto us whereby we are made more pure and holy than we were before And therefore we read of edifying our selves in love Eph. 4. 16. and building up our selves in our most holy faith Jude 20. which are the two graces that make up a real and true Christian And nothing can be said to edifie but what tends to the exciting and increasing of them Vntil we come as the Apostle saith in the unity of the faith and of the knowledg of the Son of God unto a perfect man unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ Eph. 4. 12 13. Hence therefore when the Apostle saith Let all things be done to edifying his meaning in brief is this that in all our Christian Assemblies when we meet together to worship and serve God All things there are to be so done that we may return home wiser and better than we came thither with our knowledg of God and Christ increased our desires inlarged our love inflamed our faith confirmed all our graces quickened and so our whole souls made more humble more holy more like to God than they were before The words being thus briefly explained I shall now apply them to our present purpose and shew that that Form of Religious Worship which is prescribed by our Church established by the Laws of the Land and therefore to be used now in this place agrees exactly with this Rule or Canon of the holy Apostle even that all things in it are done to edifying But before we prove that that Form in particular which our Church hath prescribed is agreeable to this Apostolical Rule it is necessary to prove first That the prescribing a Form in general is so For unless the prescribing a Form in general be according to this Rule no Form in particular that is prescribed can possibly agree with it But now that this Rule admits yea requires the prescribing of some Form is evident from the Rule it self For the Apostle here commands the Church of Corinth and so all Provincial Churches to take care that in their Religious Assemblies all things be done to edifying But how is it possible for any Provincial Church to see that this be done except she prescribes some certain Form for the doing of it If every Minister of a Parish should be left to his own liberty to do what he pleased in his own Congregation although some perhaps might be so wise and prudent as to observe this Rule as well as they could yet considering the Corruption of Humane Nature we have much cause to fear that others would not At least the Church could be no way secured that all would and therefore must needs be obliged to consider of and appoint some such Form to be used in all her Congregations by which she may be fully assured that this Apostolical Rule is every where observed as it ought to be And although we should suppose what can never be expected that all the Clergy in every Province should be as wise and good as they ought to be yet it cannot be supposed that every one of them should understand what is for the Edification of the people as well as all together And therefore it must needs be acknowledged that the surest way to have this Rule observed is for the Governours of every Church and the whole Clergy to meet together by their Representatives in a Synod or Convocation and there upon mature Deliberation agree upon some such Form which they in their Prudence and Consciences judge to be according to this Rule which the Apostle here lays down before them And besides that the prescribing a Form in general is more for our Edifying than to leave every one to do what seems good in his own Eyes We have the concurrent Testimony Experience and Practice of the
ordained to be used in this Sacrament as the Breaking of the Bread and the Consecrating both that and the Wine to represent his Death the breaking of his Body and the shedding of his Blood for our sins that so our hearts may be the more affected with it and by consequence our Souls more edified by it But this cannot be so well done except there be a place set apart for it where they may all be placed about or near to the Communion Table and so behold what is there done at the Consecration of the Elements Hence also it is that the Seats there are and ought to be so ordered that all that are in them may still look that way and contemplate upon their Blessed Saviour there evidently set forth as Crucified for them The other thing that I would observe unto you concerning the Holy Communion is this that our Church requireth or at least supposeth it to be Administered every Lords-day and every Holy day throughout the year as it was in the Primitive Church For that is the reason that the Communion Service is appointed to be used upon all such days and to be read at the Communion Table that so the Minister may be there ready to Administer it unto all that desire to partake of it Which shews the great care that our Church hath of all her Members that they might be edified and confirmed in the Faith To which nothing contributes more than frequent Communion at our Lords Table Which if people could once be perswaded to they would soon find greater benefit by it then I can express or they themselves till then imagine I shall say no more of it at present but only this That I am so sensible of what I now say that could I be sure to have a sufficient number of Communicants I should be heartily glad to Administer this Holy Sacrament every Lords day both for their sakes and my own too Thus I have given you a short Scheme of that excellent Method wherein our Divine Service is performed Which whosoever rightly considers will need no other Argument to convince him that it is according to the Apostles Rule very Edifying indeed The last thing to be considered in it is the Manner of its Performance by which I mean only the several postures of the Body as standing and kneeling which are used in it for they also are done to edifying While we say or sing the Hymns and Psalms to the Praise and Glory of God we stand up not only to signifie but to excite the Elevation of our minds at that time For as on the one hand if our Souls be really lift up in the praises of God our Bodies will naturally lift up themselves to accompany them as far as they can towards Heaven so on the other hand the raising up of our bodies helps towards the raising up of our Souls too by putting us in mind of that high and heavenly work we are now about wherein according to our weak Capacities we joyn with the Quire of Heaven in praising God now as we hope to do it for evermore For this cause also we stand at the Creeds for they being Confessions of our Faith in God as such they come under the proper Notion of Hymns or Songs of praise to him All our praising God being really nothing else but our Confessing and acknowledging him to be what he is in himself and to us And besides that by our standing both at the Creeds and Gospels we signifie our assent unto them and our readiness to defend them to the utmost of our power against all opposition whatsoever And as for the Gospels particularly they contain the very Acts which our Lord did and the very Words which he spake when he was upon Earth and therefore we who profess him to be our Lord and Master cannot surely but stand up when we hear him speaking and listen diligently to those gracious words which proceeded out of his Divine Mouth And as when we praise God we raise up our selves as high as we can towards Heaven so when we pray unto him we fall down as low as we can towards the Earth not daring to present our Supplications to the absolute Monarch of the whole World any other ways then upon our knees Which is so proper so natural a posture of Supplicants that if all men would but duly consider what they do when they pray to Almighty God the Church need never have commanded them to kneel at that time For they could not chuse but do it No not although the place where they are should seem never so inconvenient for it For we find our Blessed Saviour himself kneeling at his Prayer in the Garden upon the bare ground Luke 22. 41. and St. Paul upon the Sea-shore where he could have no other Cushion but Stones or Sand Acts 21. 5. Howsoever To take off all those little excuses that men are apt to make for themselves in this case the Seats in this Church are so disposed and all things so prepared in them that there can be no inconvenience at all in it but rather all the conveniences for kneeling that can be desired And therefore if any of you shall yet neglect to kneel while the Prayers are read they will give us too much cause to call their Religion into question or to suspect they have none at all For if they had they durst not they could not offer such a manifest affront to the great Creator of the World as to carry themselves no otherwise while they pray to him then as if they were conversing with their Fellow Creatures But why do I speak of their praying unto God It is too much to be feared they do not pray at all nor come to Church for any better purpose then only to see and be seen I am sure they perform no Act of External Worship or Adoration unto God nor shew hm that respect and reverence which is due unto him and so give very great offence to all pious and devout Christians Whereas if all and every person in the Congregation would always be upon their knees while they put up their petitions to the most high God what a mighty advantage would this be not onely to every one in particular but to the whole Congregation in general For as every one would by this means keep his heart more stedfast in the true fear and dread of God and likewise more certainly obtain the good things he prays for as the Fathers frequently assert so the whole Congregation also would be very much edified by it For by this means we should excite and inflame each others Devotions confirm and strengthen one anothers Faith and convince both our selves and all that see us that Religion is indeed a serious thing and that we believe it to be so by our serving God with so much reverence and godly fear as this humble posture representeth And therefore as you tender the love of God the credit of
Religion or the salvation of your own souls I beseech you all in the name of him that made you that whensoever you come hither to pray unto him you do it in that awful lowly and solemn manner which our Church commandeth and as becometh creatures when you speak to your great and almighty Creator that so you may give true worship and honour unto him and also receive that benefit and edification to your selves which he hath promised and you expect from your Publick Prayers This being certainly the most edifying posture that you can possibly use upon such occasions From what we have hitherto discoursed concerning the Language the Matter the Method and the Manner of Performing Divine Service as contained and prescribed in the Book of Common Prayer we may positively conclude that it agrees exactly with the Rule in my Text even that All things in it are done to edifying Which was the thing I undertook to prove I know that many other Arguments might be brought to shew the Excellency and Usefulness of the Common Prayer But these already produced are sufficient to convince any sober and considering Christian of it And if there be any here present who are not yet convinced by what they have heard of it I desire onely one thing of them and that is That they would but make tryal of it for a while For my Charity prompts me to believe that all the Zeal that some express against the Common Prayer and all that indifferency that is in others for it proceeds only from their ignorance of what it is or at least from their want of an experimental knowledg of it For let any Man that seriously minds the Worship of God and the Salvation of his Soul before all things else let such a one I say set himself in good earnest to use the Common Prayer as he ought to do for some considerable time and I do not doubt but that by the blessing of God he will find that benefit and edification by it that his own experience shall convince him of all that I have now said more than all the Arguments that I have or any man in the World can ever produce to him Some perhaps may think this to be a Paradox But I do not question but that many here present can attest it upon their own knowledge Having found themselves more confirmed in their Faith more settled in their Religion more humbled for their sins more supported under their troubles more enflamed with Love to God and desires of Heaven every way more Edifyed by the constant use of the Common Prayer than they could ever have believed it possible to have been except they had found it to have been so by their own experience Now these things being thus briefly considered I shall observe only two things from them The first is the extraordinary prudence as well as piety of our first Reformers who first compiled the Book of Common Prayer so exactly Conformable to the Word of God and that Apostolical Canon in my Text which I cannot but ascribe to the same extraordinary aid and assistance from God whereby they were afterwards enabled to suffer persecution yea Martyrdome it self for his sake and so to confirm what they have done with their own Blood Which certainly is no small commendation of it The other thing I would observe unto you is the reason why the Devil hath had such a spight against the Common Prayer ever since it was first made For the more edifying it is to Gods People the more destructive it must needs be of the Devils Kingdom And therefore it is no wonder that he hath all along employed the utmost of his power and policy to blast its Reputation and so to discourage and disswade Men from the use of it And by the permission of God for the punishment of this ungrateful Nation he hath so far prevailed in his design that the Liturgy hath been twice cast out of the Church since it was first brought into it once in the Reign of Queen Mary and then again in the days of King Charles the First In the Reign of Queen Mary you all know who were his Instruments in the doing of it even the Papists For they cleerly and truly fore-saw that their Erroneous Opinions could never be believed nor their superstitious Practices observed in the Nation so long as the Common Prayer was used Forasmuch as there is nothing in that but what is sound and agreeable to the Doctrine of the Gospel and so contrary to the groundless Opinions which the Church of Rome would obtrude upon the World for Articles of Faith And besides that there are many expressions purposely inserted in it to arm us against the Popes Supremacy Indulgences Invocation of Sainâ—s Transubstantiation and other Popish Errors So that it would have been impossible for the Romish Religion to be ever restored in the Nation unless the Common Prayer was first removed Which therefore they took care to have done as soon as possible But within a few years after even the first of Queen Elizabeth it was brought in again And as the Reformation was begun before so from that time forward it was carried on and perfected chiefly by means of the Common Prayer For it is very observable that in the Reign of King Edward the Sixth and for several years too of Queen Elizabeth there was little or no preaching in most parts of the Kingdom and few then could read English and yet by the constant and general use of the Liturgy and Gods Blessing upon it the whole Nation was so edified in the True Religion that there was scarce one in an hundred but forsook and abhorred all Popish Doctrines and Superstitions Which is an undeniable Argument that in this respect also it is as edifying as it is possible for a thing of that nature to be In so much that so long as the Common Prayer is used and frequented as it ought to be it is morally impossible for Popery to get any ground amongst us But if this Bulwark was once removed which God forbid our grand Adversary would soon accomplish his malicious designs upon us one way or other This he knows well enough and therefore hath left no stone unturned to effect it But what he had done before by the Papists he afterwards brought about again by other means in the Reign of King Charles the First For by what kind of Spirit the Common Prayer was then cast out you all know and some of you found by woful experience All that I shall say of it is only this That the same Spirit that then stirred up people so violently against the Common Prayer stirr'd them up at the same time to Rebel against their King to take away Mens Estates and Lives contrary to all Law and Justice and at last to Murther one of the most pious Princes that ever lived And whether that was the Spirit of Christ or Antichrist God or the Devil judge you