Selected quad for the lemma: duty_n
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A45474
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A vindication of the ancient liturgie of the Church of England wherein the several pretended reasons for altering or abolishing the same, are answered and confuted / by Henry Hammond ... ; written by himself before his death.
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Hammond, Henry, 1605-1660.
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1660
(1660)
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Wing H617; ESTC R21403
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95,962
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97
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about the time of the Jews destruction Gamâ—liel and his Sanhedrim added a nineteenth Prayer and after him others so that at length the daily service grew to an 100 Prayers That it is likely that the Pagans come to use their set Forms in their Sacrifice also and perhaps the Mahumedans too by the example of the Jewish Church for which he there referres the Reader to many Books of the Learned I conceive the authoritie of this Gentleman hath not been despised by the House of Commons and the Assemblers when it hath chanced to agree with their designes or interest and therefore I have thus farre as an Argument ad homines insisted on it Sect. 16 3. The not onely practice but precept of Christ in the New Testament who did not only use himself a set form of words in prayer three times together using the same words Matth. 26. 44. and upon the Crosse in the same manner praying in the Psalmists words onely changed into the Syriack dialect which was then the vulgar but also commanded the use of those very words of his perfect form which it seems he meant not onely as a pattern but a form it self as the Standard weight is not only the measure of all weights but may it self be used Luke 11. 2. when you pray say Our Father c. which precept no man can with a good conscience ever obey that holds all set forms necessary to be cast out of the Church Sect. 17 4. The practice not onely of John the Baptist who taught his disciples to pray Luke 11. 1. which occasioned Christs Disciples to demand and him to give them a form of Prayer but especially of the Apostles of which we find intimations 1. Cor. 14. 26. When you come together every one of you hath a Psalm which sure referres to some of the Psalms of David or Asaph used then ordinarily in their devotions and that as even now I said authorized by the example of Christ himself upon the Crosse who it is thought repeated the whole 22. Psalm it is certain the first verse of it My God my God why hast thou for saken me and so certainly a set form and that of Prayer too of which thanksgivings and Praises are a part But because every one had his severall Psalm it is therefore reprehended by the Apostle as tending to confusion and by that consequence S. Pauls judgement is thence deducible for the joyning of all in the same form as being the onely course tending to edification in the end of that verse and then sure 't would be hard that that which the Apostle conceived the onely course for edifying should now be necessarie to be turn'd out of the Church as contrary to edification Farther yet 't is clear by text that the Apostles when they met together to holy duties such are Fasting Prayer receiving the Sacrament continued very long time sometimes a whole day together This being too much to be alwayes continued in the Church and unsuteable to every mans businesse is said to have been the occasion that S. James first made choice of some speciall Prayers most frequently by them used which was after called his Liturgie which or some other in the disguise of that the Greek Church still use on solemn dayes This also being of the longest for every dayes use St Basil is said to have shortned and that again St Chrisostome how certain these reports are I shall not take upon me to affirm but onely adde that the Greek Church who are most likely to know the truth of it by their records do retain all these three Liturgies and would loudly laugh at any man that should make doubt whether St James St Basil and St Chrysostome were not the Authours of them 2. That the judgement of that Church if they are deceived also and may not be thought worthy to be heeded by our Assemblers is yet an argument of great authoritie to any prudent man if not that these Liturgies were purely the same with those which were written by that Apostle and those holy men yet that there were such things as Liturgies of their penning The like might be added of that short form of St Peters which alone they say was used in the Roman Church for a great while till after by some Popes it was augmented and the same of St Marks Liturgy I am sure St Augustine speaking of some forms retained in the Church and still to be found in our Liturgie particularly that of Sursum corda Lift up your hearts c. faith that they are verba ab ipsis Apostolorum temporibus petita words fetcht from the times of the Apostles which supposes that they did use such Forms And for that particular mentioned by St Augustine it is agreeable to the Constitutions of the Apostles l. 8. c. 16. which collection if it be not so ancient as it pretends doth yet imitate Apostolicall antiquity and so in St James's and Basils and Chrysostomes Liturgy in the same words with our Book as farre as to the word bounden and for many other such particular Forms used by us we find them in Cyril of Jerusalems Catechisme one of the ancientest Authours we have and then that it should be necessary for the Church to turn out what the Apostles had thus brought into it will not easily be made good by our Assemblers Sect. 18 Fifthly The practice of the Universall Church from that time to this which is so notorious to any that is conversant in the writings of the Ancient Fathers and of which so many testimonies are gathered together for many mens satisfaction by Cassander and other writers of the Liturgica that 't were a reproach to the Reader to detain or importune him with testimonies of that nature To omit the practice of Constantine who prescribed a form for his Souldiers a Copy of which we have in Euseb de vit Const l. 4. c. 20. I shall onely mention two grand testimonies for set Forms one in the 23 Canon of the third Councell of Carthage Quascunque sibipreces aliquis describet noniis utatur â—ise priùs oas cum instructioribus fratribus contulerit No man may use any Prayers which he hath made unlesse he first consult with other learneder Christians about theÌ„ And the other more punctuall Concil Milev c. 12. Placuit ut precesquae probatae fuerintin Concilio ab omnibus celebrentur Nec alia omninò dicaÌ„tur in Ecclesia nisi quae à prudentioribus tractantur vel comprobatae in Synode fuerint no fortè aliquid contra fidem aut per ignorantiam aut per minus studium sit compositum It was resolv'd on that the Prayers that were approv'd in the Councell should be used by all that no other should be said in the Church but those that had been weighed by the more prudent or approv'd in a Synod lest any thing either through ignorance or negligence should be doÌ„ne against the Faith Instead of such Citations and because
Gods to which Christ opposes your heavenly Father knoweth what you have need of and so needs not your Tautologies to explain them to him Much more might be said for the explaining of that mistaken place but that it would seem unnecessary to this matter the exception being so causlesse that the Vindication would passe for an extravagance Sect. 35 Of the Prayers for the King the account will not be much unlike S. Paul commands that prayers supplications and intercessions thanksgivings be made for Kings c. 1. Tim. 2. 1 2. where though the mention of those severall sorts of prayers signified by those foure words might be matter of apology for the making severall addresses to God for Kings in one service supposing them proportioned to those sorts in that text yet have we distributed the frequent prayers for him into the severall services one solemn prayer for him in the ordinary daily service and onely a versicle before as it were prooemiall to it another in the Letany another after the Commandments on which though our book hath two forms together yet both the Rubrick and Custome gives us authority to interpret it was not meant that both should be said at once but either of the two chosen by the Minister another before the Communion where the necessity of the matter being designed for the Church militant makes it more then seasonable to descend to our particular Church and the King the supream of it just as Herodotus relates the custome of the Persians l. 1. p. 52. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they pray for all the Persians particularly for the King To this practice of ours so grounded in the Apostle we shall adde 1. the reward promised by the Apostles intimation to such Prayers if not as I conceive by those words that we may live a peaceable and quiet life c. that peaceable and quiet life of all blessings the greatest seeming to be a benefit or donative promised to the faithfull discharge of that duty of praying and supplicating and interceding and giving thanks for Kings yet certainly somewhat else in that high Declaration made concerning it in the next words for this is good and acceptable before God our Saviour whose acceptation is reward sufficient to any action and yet who never acceptâ— but rewards also 2. The practise of the ancient Christians set down by Tertull. Sacrificamus pro salute Imperatoris purâ prece our prayers are sent up a pure sacrifice for the prosperity of the Emperour And that quoties conveniebant in another place at every meeting or service of the Church precantes semper pro omnibus Imperatoribus vitam prolixam Imperium securum domum tutam exercitus fortes Senatum fidelem populum probum Orbem quietum quaecunque hominis Caesaris votâ— sunt praying alwayes for the Emperours and begging of God for them long life secure Reign the safety of his house couragious Armies a faithfull Senate a good people a quiet world all those severals which would make up more prayers then our book hath assigned all that either a Man or King they can stand in need of and so Athenâ—goras and others to the same purpose especially when they have occasion to justifie the fidelity of Christians to their unchristian Emperours having no surer evidence to give of that then the frequency of their prayers for them which they which think necessary to abridge or supersede must give us leave by that indication to judge of somewhat else by occasion of that topick to observe their other demonstrations of disloyalty to those that are set over them by God And to any that are not guilty of that crime nor yet of another of thinking all length of the publick service unsupportable I shall referre it to be judged whether it be necessary that the King be prayed for in the Church no oftner then there is a Sermon there Sect. 36 6. The Communion of Saints which if it were no Article in our Creed ought yet to be laid up as one of the Christians tasks or duties consists in that mutuall exchange of charitie and all seasonable effects of it between all parts of the Church that triumphant in heaven Christ and the Saints there and this on earth militant which he that disclaims by that one act of insolence casts off one of the noblest priviledges of which this earth is capable to be a fellow citizen with the Saints and a fellow member with Christ himself The effects of this charity on their parts is in Christs intercession and in the Saints suffrages and dayly prayers to God for us but on our part thanksgivings and commemorations which 't is apparent the Primitive Christians used very early solemnizing the day of Christs resurrection c. and rehearsing the names of the Saints out of their Diptycks in time of the offertory before the Sacrament besides this so solemn a Christian duty another act of charity there is which the Church ows to her living sonnes the educating of them in the presence of good examples and setting a remark of honour on all which have lived Christianly especially have died in testimony of the truth of that profession and again a great part of the New Testament being story of the lives of Christ and his Apostles and the rest but doctrine agreeable to what those lives expressed it must needs be an excellent compendium of that book and a most usefull way of infusing it into the understanding and preserving it in the memory of the people to assigne proper portions of Scripture in Lessons Epistles and Gospels to every day every Sunday every Festivall in the yeare which are none in our Church but for the remembrance of Christ and the Scripture-Saints to infuse by those degrees all necessary Christian knowledge and duties into us the use of which to the ignorant is so great that it may well be feared that when the Festivals and solemnities for the birth of Christ and his other famous passages of life and death and resurrection and ascension mission of the holy Ghost and the Lessons Gospels and Collects and Sermons upon them be turn'd out of the Church together with the Creeds also 't will not be in the power of weekly Sermons on some head of Religion to keep up the knowledge of Christ in mens hearts a thing it seems observ'd by the Casuists who use to make the number of those things that are necessariò credenda necessary to be believed no more then the Festivals of Christ make known to men and sure by the ancient Fathers whose Preaching was generally on the Gospels for the day as apears by their Sermons de tempore and their postils To all these ends are all these Festivals and these Services designed by the Church and to no other that is capable of any the least brand of novell or superstitious and till all this antidote shall be demonstrated to be turned poyson all these wholesome designes to be