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A17044
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Concerning publike-prayer, and the fasts of the Church Six sermons, or tractates. By Io. Br. B.D. Their severall contents are set downe in the next page.
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Browning, John, d. 1648.
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1636
(1636)
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STC 3919; ESTC S105933
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161,719
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248
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Concerning PVBLIKE-PRAYER AND THE FASTS OF THE CHURCH Six Sermons or Tractates By Io. Br. B. D. Their severall Contents are set downe in the next page S. Aug. de Temp. Serm. 230. Adversus Daemonum nequitiam quae nobis DOMINVS arma * Matth. 17.21 This kinde goeth not out but by Prayer and Fasting ostendit debemus utique retinere sc Orationem Iejunium LONDON Printed by Richard Badger and are to bee sold in S. Dunstans Church-yard in Fleetstreet at the Shop turning up to Cliffords Inne 1636. THE CONTENTS OF THESE SIX SERMONS FOLLOVVING Serm. I. Of Religious feare and Reverence in Gods House II. Of the Subordination of Church Duties in reference chiefly to the people III. Of the Duties Nature and Lawes of Publike Prayer IV. Of the necessity and order of Gods Service by Prayer and the Words Ministration chiefly in reference to the Clergy V. Of the Grounds and Reasons of Set times for Fasting VI. Of the manner and quality of Church Fasts TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE MY SINGVLAR GOOD LORD VVILLIAM Lord MAINARD Baron of EASTAINES and one of His Majesties Lords Lievtenants for the County of ESSEX Right Honourable and my very good Lord I Could never have thought these Sermons or any thing else comming from me worthy the view of so learned an Age. Neither have I ever shunned ought more then to come in publike Yet I know not how it now happeneth that I am at this present drawen forth into open view urged partly by the advice and earnest request of some good friends who judged these Sermons when preached necessary for these times partly by the mistake of some otherwise I doubt not well affected Christians who neverthelesse not well understanding my meaning have misreported both it and me To satisfie both I deemed this the best way necessary also perhaps besides other reasons hereby to prevent the publishing of them by any other hand since some Copies have gone abroad not through any desire of mine but by the request of those friends I could not gainsay That I present them to your Lordship is not without great good reason you not onely having beene a chiefe Auditour at the preaching of some of them but also which I may never forget nor can sufficiently recount being my most noble free and bountifull Patron Wherefore I could not but here follow the example of our Blessed LORD and SAVIOUR joyning the remembrance of Mary's Spikenard with the Gospell preached that is with these Sermons sent abroad into the World the thankefull acknowledgment of your Honours bounty For since in our bookes and writings wee honourably mention those Worthyes in Learning whose more able studies have furthered or advanced ours wee should by as good reason inscribe our books or writings to those Noble Personages worthy of all Honour whose rightly imployed wealth or power have under GOD supported upheld or encouraged our otherwise disheartned studies Thence Gratitude hath made it a custome with us even anciently practised by sundry Heathen that where Honourable greatnesse and goodnesse hath by any nourished the life and sappe of Learning for the present there by a due retaliation Learning and Arts should honor and eternize their memories to all future Ages that thus they by whom we live now may by us or ours in an happy and blessed memoriall live for ever I cannot promise your Honour by this poore worke any such lasting monument nor am I one of those that can any way arrogate that title to my selfe My desire onely is hereby to acknowledge to the World how much I am your Lordships that seeing I appeare in publike I may stirre up others if any shall receive any benefit by my poore labours to praise and pray GOD for your Noble Lordship Whilst I shall alwayes pray and beseech His Heavenly Majestie to blesse your Honour your Noble Lady Children and Familie with all increase of Heavenly Ioyes and earthlie happinesse Remaining whilst I live Your Lordships in all affectionate service and duty most bounden IOHN BROVVNING THE FIRST SERMON CONCERNING RELIGIOVS FEARE and REVERENCE in GOD's HOUSE ECCLES 5.1 Take heede to thy foote or keepe thy foote when thou entrest into the House of GOD. THE House of God is the house of Prayer Esay 56.7 Esay 56.7 Hither we enter that wee may offer not as at Ierusalem in one place 1 Tim. 2.8 hot every where calling upon GOD in Spirit and truth Iohn 4.23 Iohn 4.23 For from the rising of the Sunne saith the Lord even unto the going downe of the same Mal. 1.11 my Name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every place Incense shall be offered unto my name and a pure offering And what that is Verse 8. there at the 8. verse is shewed by the contrary If yee offer the blinde for sacrifice is it not evill If yee offer the lame for sacrifice is it not evill 1 Cor. 11.29 Yes doubtlesse very evill and the sacrifice of fooles that as Blinde cannot see not discerning the Lords Body 1 Cor. 11.22 therefore no reverence in offering that as Lame cannot bend or bowe despising the Church of God M. Minucius Felix in Octavio p. 51. and therefore no reverence in entring It is the saying of Minucius Felix to the Heathen De vestro numero carcer ex estuat nullus ibi Christianus nisi aut suae religionis rous aut profugus I would we could say so too No such matter our prisons are full And what 's the reason because our Churches are empty Empty at those publique Prayers when we should prevaile with God for a blessing both for our private and publique good when by being ready to heare and obey God and his Church wee may cause Him in His Church to be ready to heare us and to give us his blessing out of Sion Thus empty of offerers Nay empty of hearers strange in this Eare-age either wee heare not at all like the deafe Adder or else wee heare not as we should heare Wee have the Word of God in respect of persons we pronounce This or that or such or such a man for the most part such as they should not be Heare yee him Or else wee that are your Prophets as you call us are as the Prophets of old wee are unto you as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voyce and can play well on an Instrument Ezek. 33.32 you heare our words but you doe them not your Entrance is without reverence your Hearing for the most part unlesse you respect the person without attention your Prayers and Offerings without devotion and your departure I am affraide to tell you if you continue such must needs be without grace blessing and benediction Let mee not beloved be your Enemy for telling you the truth I had intended to have brought you other matter stronger meat but as the Apostle to the Hebr. 5.12 Hebr. 5.12 Yee that for the time ought to have
called in the Old and New Testament having in the Old a double difference of the first or second Canon or bookes Canonicall and Apocryphall received also as were the rest from the Iewes to whom were committed the Oracles of God Rom. 3.2 Rom. 2.5 And therefore the Christian Church durst not reject them though because they received them not alike from all they had them not in the like reverence These bookes though distinguished from the other and valued under them yet were farre preferred before all Ecclesiasticall writings whether of particular men or Churches they were read in the Church next the Scriptures for manners and instructions in lesser points the other being received onely for the undoubted Canon and rule of faith So you see the first degree wherby we come nearest to heare and wherein we are safest in hearing is in Hearing God Himselfe The second degree 2 Degree whereby we come neare to heare though not so neare as before nor so sure as the other is the hearing the Word of GOD applyed either by generall or particular Churches in their 1 Catechismes their 2 Councels 3 Confessions their 4 Ritualls their 5 Homilies which next the Word of GOD are most worthily preferred before all other private works or Preachings being the workes of 1 many and those most learned and holy men 2 discussed with the clearest judgement 3 penned with the maturest study 4 delivered in the shortest manner 5 applyed in the most familiar phrase 6 ordered with the plainest method 7 shewing the most needfull points Lastly 8 comprehending most fully the summe substance and body of Christian Religion This degree though not so neare as the former yet by these eight steps if not many more it comes nearer up to heare then the latter Which is 3 Degree The third kinde of hearing the Word of GOD from particular and private men in their Sermons or Homilies which being the workes of one man alone are therefore most subject to errour large discourses and therefore more apt to be mistaken more hardly understood ofttimes not so applyed to the meanest capacities many times conversant as the Text leadeth us about unnecessary truths and high disputes confused and intricate in their order manner and method partaking of many imperfections weaknesses and ignorances in respect of those many wants even in the best of any of us all For we are though sent from God but men subject to infirmities failing I say many times for want of study want of time want of bookes want of meanes want of learning want of judgement c. and these and many more even in the best of ours Not to speake of the greater part of Sermons for the most part the worse in all perchance not penned at all delivered with little or no studie oft-times with little judgement by men of small knowledge learning or reading without any scanning discussing or clearing following their owne private fancies rather then the Word of GOD in the received Tenets of the Christian Church Not to speake of those Sermons of turbulent factious and seditious men worthy of no name memory or mention but the mention of Pilate who as hee out of a desire of pleasing others or profiting themselves by gaine lucre or vaine glory dare doe that which I dare not speake of nay which I tremble to thinke of opposing God and His Church Christ and His Spouse rending tearing and dividing CHRISTS seamelesse Coate nay dismembring and renting His most glorious body So you see that Sermons are the least and last degree of hearing whereby we least come neare to heare in which greatest danger of hearing And surely give me leave to tell you where Sermons and private expositions have prevailed and the Word of God it selfe either neglected or despised or any way thrust out in publique there follies have beene multiplied fooles have abounded not knowing that they doe evill This experience shewes us and because my Text is Historicall I will briefly shew you in the Iewish Easterne Westerne and Muscovy Churches 1 In the Iewish the Iewes neglecting the more publike authority of the Word of God and leaning to the doctrines of men in their traditions they fell at last to build the Law of Moses upon their Talmud Misnah with their Gemarahs by doing evill they became fooles that knew not that they did evill their Religion now being nought else but a masse of fooles and a packe of extreame follies 2 In the Church of Greece one siding with Cephas another with Apollos even in those earely dayes men getting them an heape of Teachers having itching eares hating sound Doctrine and multiplying foolish errours Sermons were restrained to some few to Bishops onely in their severall Diocesses or some from them and now as it seemeth they little venter beyond their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 3 In the Church of Rome the Scriptures once read constantly as with us through the whole yeare whereas being after hid in an unknowne tongue and Legends obtruded for them their Sermons began to bee frought with follies the Truth of GOD began manifestly to bee corrupted 4 Lastly the Church of Mosco and Russia neglecting the truth of God's Word and giving eare promiscuslouy to private interpretations and Sermons of men unlearned in the Scriptures and GODS Divine truth were at last faine to have private Sermons and Preaching as wee properly call it supprest and publique penned Homelies read in their places I cannot stand now with any more reasons which I might produce to shew you that howsoever these other bee excellent degrees of hearing yet in them there must bee caution as before for entring Take heede to thy foote So now for hearing Take heede how you heare whom you heare and what you heare As for the Word of GOD it is the touchstone the rule it selfe that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the sincere milke that sure word of prophecy 1 Pet. 2.2 2 Pet. 1.19 whereunto yee doe well that yee take heede as to a light that shineth in a darke place Our Sermons howsoever in respect of this light are but as candles to the Sunne This is the way whereby we may and do God be praised come nearest to heare Certainly howsoever we doe as I hope we all do reade the Scriptures at home yet the Word of God as it hath most right to the House of God so then most of all hath it God's blessing when in God's House it is delivered by God's Minister in the person and presence of God Where two or three are met together in my name much more if in His owne house Matth. 18.20 to His owne Word there am I in the midst of them Thus you see how wee must come neare to heare But we must not only heare It is at this day the Proposition III folly of the Iewes that they thinke they may turne their Temples into Schooles but they may not change their Schooles into Temples And is not the same folly found