Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A41505
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A discourse about ceremonies, church-government and liturgy humbly offered to the consideration of the convocation / by J.G.G.
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Gailhard, J. (Jean)
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1696
(1696)
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Wing G120; ESTC R25091
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108,929
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160
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all the Papists keep for her when alas I defie them all together to prove any of those Days to be the Day which they keep it for so then they are kept at a Venture What shall we say of the Names of Rogations Ember Week and so many more to be found in our Prayer-book which are the Quintessence of Popish Superstitious Holy Days What I say is not in Relation to the civil Part of those Names but as to the Spiritual as they are brought into the Church But they will say we keep not all such Dayes there is only a certain Number mentioned after the Kalender but I ask wherefore then do you set them down yet there are Mornings and Evenings first and second Lessons for the very Day which I make no doubt are read where Service is every Day In the same Kalender we find the fasts as well as Feasts and those Fasts are always upon the Eves of certain Holy Days which are many only I find St. Mark and St. Luke have none whilest All Saints have wherein a Partiality appeareth we have Good Friday Holy Thursday no better nor holier than another whole Lent c. But this matter of Feasts and Fasts I have spoken of before Upon the first of May is the Feast by Papists dedicated to Philip and James but we are so fond of the Latin Tongue that because Jacobus is the Latin for James in the Payer-book 't is called Jacob and not James I know no other Reason why it should be so only because it hath a greater Affinity to the Latin the Latin Church we still retain a Kindness for After the Kalender are certain Notes belonging to it whereof one is that the 13th Chapter of Daniel is to be read until such Words The Book of Daniel hath but 12. Chapters in all and must the History of Susanna against which as an Apocrypha are lawful Exceptions be fathered upon that holy Prophet and be inserted into his Book as a Chapter of it In the Morning and Evening Prayers when the general Confession is read by the Minister it were well for the People within themselves or with a very low Voice to follow him but so loud as usually it is is not pertinent but makes a Noise and Confusion for the same Reason the Answers that follow the Lord's Prayer which indeed have very little Relation if any at all with what goeth before or what followeth In Prayer the Minister is the Mouth of the People to God and the People with their Hearts are to joyn with the Minister in his Prayer as with Reverence and Attention they ought to hear when he is God's Mouth to them that is when he preacheth I might take notice of what is said there of singing the Lesson in plain Tune to sing the Collect Epistle and Gospel which are very improper things So of their Benedicite Magnificat Nunc dimittis which I suppose might admit of English Names of which I shall speak hereafter as for the Answers at the latter End they contain good Expressions but ill applied without a Connexion between themselves all after the Romish way which 't is to be wished we had not so much of as we have we could well enough be without it as without those Portions of Apocryphas when we are wanting something for Instruction Comfort and Edification which the Word of God may supply us with 'T is not enough to sing our Prayers but our Creed and Confession of Faith must also be sung as ordered in the Evening Prayer upon some certain great Days therein named We grant that 't is well to have those several things in Verses to use them however herein Men ought not to allow themselves oto much Liberty for the Word of God ought always to be handled with a great Respect and Reverence the Tone of our Voice ought to be adapted to the Matter and the Occasion according to that Rule of St. James Jam. 5.13 Is any among you afflicted Let him pray is any merry Let him sing Psalms Prayer and Singing are different Duties to be used upon several Occasions as are Affliction and Mirth Before I proceed farther one thing I must take notice of which to me seems unaccountable that is the using of the Word Priest in our Prayer-book In the two Places I quoted before Ephes 4.11 1 Cor. 12.28 whereunto we may joyn Rom 12 the Apostle mentioneth the several Offices belonging to the Church but there is no sign either of the Name or of the Office of a Priest under the Law there were some because Sacrifices were to be made but under the Gospel no Sacrifice but of Prayer and Praise we have the Eucharisty or Commemoration of our Lord and Saviour's Sacrifice upon the Cross but that 's good for Papists to have Priests who pretend daily to make an Expiatory Sacrifice for the Sins of the Living and of the Dead but we abhor such a thing at least pretend to do so We say we abolish the thing and yet retain the Name the Name of Minister is in Scripture known in this Sence 1 Cor. 44.1 Let a Man so account of us as of the Ministers of Christ and Stewards of the Mysteries of God The Names Bishop Pastor and Elder are known in Scripture but if they think the Word Minister below them which I charitably believe they do not because sometimes though seldom they use it then they may use the Word Elder or Presbyter which is the Greek for Elder 1 Pet. 5.1 Presbyter as St. Peter calls himself and Presbytery are Scripture Names signifying Office in the Church but there is a great Difference between 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a Presbyter and a Priest which is the proper Signification of the last as Heb. 5.6 so then the Word Priest is fetched afar off and there is no such Office in the Christian Church As to the Litany the same may be said by the People at the same time with the Minister but with a low Voice and not not after and separately they do it after the manner of the Kirie Eleison used by Papists here the People not the Minister make the Prayer for they and not he say Spare us good Lord Good Lord deliver us We beseech thee to hear us good Lord. When 't is said from Fornication and all other deadly Sin the Word deadly doth favour the Popish erroneous Distinction of Mortal and Venial Sins They hold but seven Mortal Sins whereof Fornication is one but they hold there are Sins of their Nature not mortal and which do not deserve Death which is contrary to the whole Course of Scripture Ezech. 18.20 Rom. 6.23 which saith expresly the Soul that sinneth it shall die and the Wages of Sin is Death This may easily be mended with changing the Word deadly into any of these gross horrid enormeous or such like which to deny is certainly to refuse Peace upon easie Terms to
pray against Lightning is as good as to pray against Rain Snow and the like by thine Agony too much like an Oath The Word gracious meaned of King or Queen is not proper in a Prayer to God who knoweth whom we mean without such Titles in Prayer the Attribute most gracious which is a superlative Degree is not well applied to Princes we can say no more to God and as good to call most holy King there ought to be a Difference in Titles given to God and those given to Princes specially in Church at the Worship of God In God's Sight they are but Men and the Lord is jealous of his Honour and Glory which he declared he will not communicate to any one Let Men keep flattering Titles when they speak to Princes though I think none but due ones were better but in Prayers to God let Names of Blasphemy be avoided which we all condemn in the Pope of Rome Farther it were well to forbear the often unnecessary Repetitions of the same thing which in this Litany and other Parts of the Book are frequent and those broken Parts of Scripture which have no relation one to another all might be made up into one Prayer and not be divided into so many Then in one of the Prayers 't is said Turn from us all those Evils that we most righteously have deserved We think the Word justly is more proper the other being ambiguous Justice and Righteousness do differ Now for the Collects there are many for several Sundays in Advent and so many after Epiphany and Trinity an odd Way of reckoning the Lord's Days by in that on St. Stephen's Day God is prayed to grant us to learn by the Example of St. Stephen The Name of the Lord Jesus is a strong Argument and sufficient to prevail with God if any can so that of any Man is not necessary but there is a Day appointed to be kept for that Martyr and upon it something of him must be said but we take a great deal of Pains more than the Believers in his Time who appointed no Day for him Who gave the Name of Innocents to the Children killed by Herod's Order They confessed not with speaking but with dying and because they were put to Death to satisfie Herod's Policy and State Jealousie it doth not follow they died either Confessors or Martyrs they did not lay down their Lives for the Testimony of the Lord Jesus for they were not able to know and discern Why to observe the Day of Christ's Circumcision and not of his Baptism No Man as I observed before can say for certain the Day of any such Feasts they keep why to keep Epiphany or Twelft Day so much turned to Excess in Popery and amongst us too None of these produceth Decency nor Edification I think amongst Christians in our publick Devotion book as the Liturgy is The Words Lord's Day or Sabbath were more proper than Sunday Rev. 1.10 having as we have a Warrant out of Scripture This is the Way of reckoning after Popery I pray God we be not called to an Account for too much following after them As to observing Days for the Apostles I know of no Warrant we have to believe God is pleased with it on the contrary nor of the Purification of the blessed Virgin which is but a Continuation of a Jewish Ceremony all which are or ought to be abolished under the Gospel As to the Collect wherein it is said thine only begotten Son was this Day presented in the Temple it containeth either a Lie which no Man can disapprove or at least an uncertain and doubtful thing there being no Certainty of the Day If by Michael the Archangel or Prince of Angels be meaned our Lord and Saviour for the Name Michael signifying who is like unto thee O strong God is appliable to him then he hath his Day called the Lord's Day if Michael be an Angel then he is a Creature so not to be joined with the Creator and no Days to be kept for Angels there being no Warrant for it in Scripture Honour the Angel would receive none Rev. 19.10 and Chap. 22 9. Psal 16.4 As for all Saints Days 't is a Shame a Day for all Popish Saints with David we should say I will not take up their Names into my Lips As for the Apostles whilst alive they never thought nor desired to have Days kept for them after their Death St. Paul the zealous Asserter of Mercy and sworn Enemy to any thing of Merit in Man would never have approved that a Day should be kept for his Conversion he sufficiently declares against observerving of Days Months and Times and Years which makes him say Gal. 4.10 11. 1 Cor. 1.12 and Chap. 3.5 2 Cor. 4.7 Rom. 9.21 I am afraid of you least I have bestowed upon you Labour in vain he would have said Who is Paul Who is Apollo Who is Cephas But Ministers or Servants Earthen Vessels And a Lump of Clay in the Potter's Hand whilest alive when Instruments in God's Hand but much less are they after their Death he would have said what are they that Days should be kept for them and for himself Which once was a Persecutor a Blasphemer and the chief of Sinners After this followeth the Order for the Administration of the Communion there in the Beginning of the Rubrick we read of the Curate and in other Places of Vicars and such inferior Limbs of Hierarchy whereof not the least Step in Scripture If Prayers be appointed to be read in the Chancel for Conveniency of Reader and Hearers it 's well but if upon any Opinion of Holiness or other Privilege of the Place then 't is ill for that Place is no better than any other in the Church but why the Minister should stand on the North Side of the Table except for Conveniency I see no Cause for the Temple of Jerusalem stood on the North Side of the City but now we ought not to stand upon such Points of the Compass The People saying after every Precept Lord have mercy upon us c. is superfluous specially with a loud Voice once after the last as we humbly conceive might be enough Matth. 6.7 Christ forbiddeth to use vain and unnecessary Repetitions for Men are not heard for their much speaking It may be observed that the two Prayers for the King are improper upon that Occasion it supposeth a Communion without a Sermon before instead of which an Homily to be read which is better than nothing but there ought to be a Preparatory Sermon except in Case of Accident or else the Ministers are encouraged to Laziness and Neglect and used to read rather than to preach After Sermon or Homily the Minister or Curate is to declare unto the People Popish Custom still whether there be any Holy-Days the Week following and if there be what To shut their Shops and give over working for the Day By a Moral Commandment of God the