Selected quad for the lemma: love_n
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A61499
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Several short, but seasonable discourses touching common and private prayer relating to the publick offices of the church / by a divine of the Church of England.
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Steward, Richard, 1593?-1651.
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1684
(1684)
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Wing S5525; ESTC R7767
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35,778
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130
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The first part of which charge is 1. Take heed to your selves To you my Brethren of the Clergy is this charge more strictly given then to the Laity For to the people God hath appointed Pastors who are commanded in the text to take heed to the charge committed to them But who shall feed and guide the Shepherds who shall watch over the Watchmen or teach the Teachers Ye are the salt of the earth but if the salt have lost his savour wherewith shall it be salted it is thenceforth good for nothing but to be cast out and troden under foot of men Mat. 5. 13. 2. Take heed to your selves is the first part of the charge And secondly to your Flock The order observed in this Double Charge is the next thing observable which is the same observed by our Lord himself in his charge to S. Peter and in him to all Pastors of the Church saying Luc. 22. 32. When thou art converted then afterward strengthen thy Brethren and Iohn 21. 15. Simon son of Ionas lovest thou me and if so it then follows Feed my Sheep Implicitly commanding all Pastors of his Flock First to be themselves truly converted unto God and their souls inflamed with the sacred fire of Divine Love and then they may hope that their pains will be successful for the feeding and strengthening the Sheep of Christ That rule of Righteousness and Charity which is the sum of the second Table of the Law Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy self commands this order to be observed To love thy self aright in the first place and then thy Neighbor as thy self St. Bernard thus bespeaks every Shepherd of souls Tu frater cui nondum est firma satis propria salus cui Charitas adhuc nulla est aut adeo tenera arundinea ut omni statuicedat omni credat spiritui omni circumferatur vento doctrine quanam dementia quaeso aliena curare aut ambis aut aquiescis And upon Cant. 1. 6. They have made me the keeper of the Vineyards but mine own Vineyard have I not kept he severely checks and reproves himself that he had taken on him the Cure of of other mens souls having not sufficiently cared for and cured his own Et miror I do much wonder saith he at the Impudence of those persons that thrust themselves to be Labourers in the Lords Vineyard whilst their own Vineyard is overgrown with Bryars and thorns The Leper under the Law was commanded to have a covering upon his upper lip Lev. 13. 43. ut non docere alios praesumat saith Hesychius that no man presume to open his lips in the Congregation for the instruction of others who is himself infected with the Leprosy either of sinsulness or error for non est cadentis alium erigere Plutarch It is not for a man that lies in the dirt to raise up another thence not for a man that is a sleep in his sins to awake others from that spiritual sleep of death That Proverb remembred by our Lord. Physitian heal thy self Luc. 4. 23. 18. chiefly appliable to the Physitian of souls who must begin at home if he will work any cure upon the Souls of others 3. But this is not all for thirdly the Cure of a Pastors soul is a more difficult task as being to be perfected in a higher degree then ordinarily can be expected from any of his Flock For as our office of Priesthood is more high more emment more holy so should our Conversation be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 St. Chsysostom De sacerdotio As Angels above men as Shepherds above their flock as Masters above their Scholars so should a Bishop a Priest a Pastor excel and transcend the people in wholsome doctrine and holiness of life so the great Gregory Tantum debet actionem populi actio transcendere praesulis quantum distare solet a grege vita Pastoris with much more to the same purpose De cura Pastorali A book which was once translated by the wisest and greatest of our Saxon Princes King Alfred and by him commended to the Clergy of this Nation and a happy Clergy should we be an holy Priesthood if the Instructions in that Golden Book were well observed amongst us 4. Take heed to your selves and to all the Flock and both these joyntly and severally To your selves As to the Innocence and Holiness of your lives as becometh good Christians And to your Flock as Shepherds and Guides of souls Under the Law the Priests and Prophets of the Lord are frequently called the Angels of the Lord of hosts Iud. 2. 1. Mal. 27. And under the Gospel the Angels of the Church of Christ 1 Cor. 11. 10. Rev. 2. 1. 8. 12. And as we read of the Angels on Iacobs Ladder ascending and descending from heaven Gen. 28. 12. so the Priests of the Lord should first take heed to themselves by ascending with the Angels into heaven having their hearts and affections their meditation and Conversation in heaven Phil. 3. 20. And withal take heed to the flock by descending with the Angels from heaven enriched with the word of Life breaking unto them that bread which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world John 6. 33. But this joynt charge is sadly disjoyn'd and perverted by such as take heed to themselves indeed but 't is not with the Angels to ascend but descend only groveling in the dust and wallowing in the mire of Luxury Riot and Excess Pride and Coverousness the pomps and vanities of the world and the sinful lusts of the flesh which every one even the meanest of their Flock hath solemnly abjured when by holy Baptism admitted into the Fold of Christ. By such as take heed to themselves but 't is not in a spiritual but carntl sense who will look narrowly to themselves as to their worldly concerns their Revenue and Income but are to careless to the spiritual concerns both of themselves and their Flock Who seek their own not the things which are Iesus Christ Phil. 2. 21. Caring more for their Families at home then for the Family of Christ more for their bodily then for their spiritual relations providing better for their natural heirs then their spiritual successors in their respective places And in a word by all such as mind more the Benefice then the office more the Fleece then the Flock All such do falsly wrest and wickedly pervert this double charge of the great Visitor in the Text Take heed to your selves and to your Flock To your selves by being examples of holiness to your Flock And to your Flock as Shepherds to feed and guide them as Fathers to admonish and reprove them and as Mothers to nourish and cherish them For these are the four Essentials of a faithful Pastor Holiness of life soundness of Doctrine Christian courage Christian Charity 5. To all the Flock not to the flock at random not to this or that particular Sheep that fawns upon the Shepherd nor
conceived Prayer is no less than the immediate influence of the holy Spirit of God Object At least they say That Prayers read in a Book have not that quickning vigour in them like to the prayer memoriter and without book the one savours of the deadness of the Letter the other of the quickning Spirit Answ. But in holy prayer it is not the words said whether written or not written whether said within or without book but the affectionate Zeal of him that prays That gives vigor and efficacy to this holy Duty and where this is wanting the fault is not in the Prayers themselves but in the persons that profanely slight and undervalue them the deadness they talk of lies in their own hearts which are not touched with the quickning spirit of devotion in the use of those holy and good prayers And whosoever Is more affected with a conceived than a written prayer thinks sure that the one is more immediately by inspiration from Heaven than the other and so smels strong of the Heresie of Enthusiasm I am sure to speak foolishly and impertinently hath been usually accounted and called speaking without Book Object 3. There be many Episcopal persons and such who both use and are zealous for the Liturgy of the Church do yet use private prayer of their own before Sermon the which surely they would never do if they conceived it unlawful Answ. This is done t is confest by many persons of known worth and integrity some with good intentions to win upon such persons whom no other kind of prayers will please some that their private prayer may be a Pattetn whereby their people may learn to pray in private and for these reasons I conceive this practice hath been and is still overlook'd by Ecclesiastical Superiors But in the general this custom is continued through inadvertency in not considering and deeply weighing the equity or iniquity fitness or unfitness thereof nor can the practice of this or any other custom prove the same to be lawful There is a great difference betwixt a custom founded upon the principles of truth and equity and such a custom as is contrary hereunto how plausible soever Many persons also that are eminent in knowledge and piety in the general may through long custom and many examples fail in some particulars through inconsideration Object 4. T is observable by experience that variety of expressions and change of Forms in prayer do more work upon the Affections of the People and stir up their Devotions than one and the same constant standing Form Answ 1. This doth more tickle the itching ears of the people indeed and the itching of the ears comes from the corruption of the heart And surely their devotion is very cold that must be warmed by variety of expressions the which in preaching may be commendable but not in praying except by way of private ejaculations it being one great design of Exhortations and moving ing admonitions in Sermons to excite their Affections to what is taught and exhorted unto whereas holy Prayer is not the cause but the effect and issue of devout Affections and t is then only acceptable unto God when it comes from a heart replete with humility compunction fervor and Divine love which do necessarily infer foreknowledge of the Prayers we use that they be such as whereby our devout Affections may be expressed Answ. 2. It is generally observed by the Masters of Mystical Theology and Spiritual Life that there is a sensible Devotion which begins in the sensitive Nature producing tenderness of spirit drawing often sighs from the bosome and tears from the eyes and begets a secret delectation and sweetness in the soul with which many persons are much taken and transported as conceiving such pleasing delights in Prayer to be no other than the influences of the holy Spirit of God And yet this exterior pleasure of a sensible Devotion is not always a sign of a sound and right temper of holiness in the soul Because First many wicked irregenerate persons may and have enjoyed the same Secondly it may proceed from the natural temper Thirdly from the vehement intention of the mind Fourthly from the mournful tone cadence of words and power of language And such sensible delights even in Prayer are sometimes the insinuations and illusions of the Evil spirit to puff up the soul with self-self-love vain-glory presumption in Gods favour and contempt of others I deny not but such sensible consolations are often the influences of the holy and true Spirit given us for our encouragement in holy and divine Offices in the love of God and obediener But there is great discretion and humility also required in the use we make of them neither are we over-highly to esteem of them as the Casuist observes Because they are neither true virtues neither are they neeessary instruments of proficiency in true devotion for without such sensible consolations many holy persons have ascended to a great height of virtue and purity of mind The strongest Devotions and most effectual Prayers are seldomest attended with these sensible consolations and sweetnesses which flow in upon variety of taking expressions for a great Devotion is like a great Grief which is not so expressive in words as a less moderate passion a lesser Grief also is wasted away by tears and complaints whilst the greater is both more silent and more lasting so the less and more weak devotion of the Soul is breathed out and wasted in variety of language but not the solid strong and lasting servor Such was the prevailing devotion of Moses when he fell down before the Lord Deut. 9. 18. 25. and that of Hannah when she prayed in the Temple 1 Sam. 1. 10 11. Their words in their prayers were few and low unheard but their desires and affections strong and prevalent as being not wasted by much speaking And such was that Devotion of our Lord in the Garden and on the Cross when he poured out his Soul in prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears Heb. 5. 7. His words were few but his devotion great and prevailing mightily which devotion was neither begotten nor increased nor poured forth in a floud of language and various expressions for he went away saith the holy Ghost and prayed saying the same words Mat. 26. 44. So that settled and stinted Forms of Prayer may be expressive enough of the greatest Devotion nor is God more pleased or the Soul that prayeth more profited by variety of expressions though the exterior pleasure of a sensible devotion may be raised thereby Object 5. But stinted forms of Prayer cannot suit with all tempers and conditions a Garment may as well be made to fit the changeable Moon as one Form of Prayer to fit all men or any one man at all times Answ. 1. T is true that limited forms of Prayer cannot be fitted to every man's fancie and affection especially amongst such men where such prayers are either