of their Commission is this That God hath used Christ as a means to make peace between Him and the sinful World not by pardoning their sins whilst they remain in them but by admitting them to repentance by calling them and using admirable methods of mercy in revealing himself unto them which word of reconciliation is put into the Ministers hands that they may upon all needful occasions make known the means of grace and advise and perswade all who need it especially the sick and grieved in conscience to make use of it The Ministers imployment is to be as Negotiators for Christ to supply Christ's place on earth and to treat with Men after the same manner as Christ did when he was upon the Earth by calling them to repentance and beseeching them to reform their lives and make themselves capable of the return of God's favour to them 2 Cor. 5.18 19 20. When the Minister hath done this and the sick party hath received some large measure of satisfaction from him then upon his serious and unfeigned repentance if it be desired he is to give him absolution saying I absolve thee c. But here we are to take notice that there are three opinions touching the Ministers absolution 1. That it is only optative and precarious So in the Absolution for the Communion-Office 2. That it is only declaratory pronouncing the Penitent absolved by applying God's promises to the signs of his contrition So in the Absolution at the beginning of the Service-Book 3. That it is Authoritative as deriving Power and Commission from God not only to declare the party absolved but to absolve him in words denoting the first Person so in this Office for the Visitation of the Sick not that the Minister can absolve any whom God absolves not or that any sick Person can receive any benefit of absolution but upon the condition of his sound and sincere repentance The power of absolution is 1. Absolute and original which belongs only to God Mark 2.8 2. Delegate and in the Charter of the Church belonging to the Ministers and them only Matth. 16.19 Matth. 18.18 John 29.23 Vid. Bishop Andrew's Serm. in Locum See the Form of Ordination of Priests Vid. Montag Appell Caesar cap. 35.36 Vid. Fisher Visitation of the Sick upon the Service-Book lib. 1. c. 16. Vid. Reeve B. D. his Christian Divinity out of the Service-Book cap. 63. Vid. Bishop Morton in his appeal pag. 270. Sacerdos utitur ipsissima Christi potestate in remittendis peccatis Bullinger in Diatrib pag. 267. Sacerdos absolvendo confitentem pronunciat absolutum non remittit peccatum Sacerdotes dimittunt ostendendo manifestando habent se ad modum demonstrantis non directe sed dispositive ea adhibent per quae Deus dimittit peccata dat gratiam Aliter Deus solvit vel ligat aliter ecclesia Vid. Montag appell Caesar cap. 36. Our Lord Jesus Christ c. Note This absolution is grounded on Matth. 16.19 Matth. 18.18 John 29.23 And here the Minister first prays to God to absolve before he absolves himself and what he doth he doth in the Name of the Trinity acts so far as he receives Power and Commission from the Trinity and no further Rubrick And then the Priest shall say the Collect following Let us Pray O most merciful God c. Note This is the Principle and chief Prayer in the Office every word grounded upon Scripture and therefore Let us pray is prefixed to make the Minister and People present more intent upon it and serious and fervent in it It is grounded upon many clear Texts of Scripture not only the Materials of it but the very phrase is taken out of the Scripture Jam. 5.14 15. Heb. 8.12 Psal 51. c. Rubrick Then shall the Minister say this Psalm Psal 71. Note This Psalm is a Prayer for deliverance in time of distress which happens to a Man in the latter end of his life and therefore very fitly is it made to bear a part in this Office Paraphrase Vers 1. Lord all my trust and confidence is in Thee I trust not in any secular aid but depend upon Thee only Let not my dependance on Thee be disappointed and frustrated Vers 2. Thou art the Patron of all who are in distress and hast promised relief to all who constantly wait on Thee for it Lord grant me a portion in this thy promised mercy and let thy faithfulness and mercy give me a seasonable deliverance at this time Vers 3. Be Thou my sure place of retreat to which I may resert in this time of danger and grant me the performance of that mercy which Thou hast promised to all who constantly depend upon thee for it Vers 4. Keep me out of the snares of the wicked and let not the enemy of Souls have any advantage over me nor approach to hurt me Vers 5. I have ever depended and relied upon Thee as thy Creature and peculiar Client Vers 6. I acknowledge it thy work of continual protection by which I have been supported every hour of my life and it is of thy primary gift that I ever had any being in the World for both which I am obliged continually to bless thy Name Vers 7. Some carnal Men may wonder to hear me talk of relief from Heaven who am brought so low in the eye of Man but yet I am not disheartned at this I know whom I trust and there is no security like my dependance upon Thee Vers 8. Therefore be pleased to send me relief that so I may be able to confute those vain Men and divulge to others the glorious advantages of thy service Vers 9. Reject me not O God now I am in the Wane of my Age feeble and destitute of strength for I have none to flie unto but Thee only Vers 10. and 11. Refute the obloquies of those who look upon me as a Person forsaken of God and confute their rash descants upon me by sending me a most gracious deliverance Vers 12. Arise speedily O God to my relief who have no other dependance but on Thee Vers 13. So shall those vain Persons be brought to shame by seeing themselves frustrate and disappointed Vers 14. What-ever they talk and discourse they shall not drive me from my fast and sure hold nor from proclaiming to all Men the exceeding goodness of that God on whom I wait The less reason they conceive I have so to do still the more will I magnifie thy greatness and profess my dependance on Thee Vers 15. My mouth shall number thy faithful and gracious dealings toward me though I know not the number of them I will spend my whole life in this task and when I have so done I will confess my self to fall far short of giving Thee thy due praises for thy goodness towards thy Servant is infinitely above the imperfect measures either of my valuation or expression Vers 16. What-ever I do or undertake shall not be in any confidence of my
by him and delivered from those dangers which did encompass me I have nothing to do but to serve him in all sincerity and integrity of conversation Vers 8. For he hath rescued my life from death wiped all tears from my eyes restored me from my weakness to a perfect strength and soundness Vers 9. Therefore will I spend the remainder of my days which he shall afford me in this World in his service and at the present make my humble address to the place of God's special presence there to celebrate that mercy which he hath afforded me in so signal a deliverance Vers 10 11. When my calamities were most pressing and my dangers greatest by which I was clearly convinced that the arm of flesh was not to be trusted in for my relief yet I knew there was one sure hold to which I might hopefully and successfully resort the never failing Omnipotent hand of God therfore to that I betook my self entirely and from that I received my deliverance Vers 12 13 14. For this and for all other abundant mercies which God hath so graciously bestowed upon me I am bound up by all obligations to make my most thankful acknowledgment and to do it in the most solemn manner in the presence of the whole Congregation by way of publick Festival blessing and magnifying God's Holy Name who hath preserved my life from so great a danger and kept it as a Jewel of his own Cabinet as being by me humbly deposited with and intrusted to him And this is his gracious way of dealing not with me only but with all who truly rely and depend upon Him For which signal mercy of his I here present my self at this time to pay that gratitude and oblation of praise which if I did not promise in my danger yet am now bound up to perform after my deliverance Vers 16. O most gracious Lord how am I obliged to Thee by all the bonds that any ingagement can lay upon me No Servant bought with a price or born in a Man's house can be more closely bound to him than I am bound to Thee who hast rescued me by so great a deliverance from so great a danger Vers 17 18 19. What remains now but that I should return to Thee the humblest offrings of praise and prayer and spend my whole life as a vow'd oblation to thy service rendring Thee all possible praise in the publick Assembly and in the most solemn manner saying Blessed be the name of the Lord or Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost As it was in the begining is now and ever shall be World without end Amen Vid. Dr. Hammond Or this Psalm 127. Note This or the former is left to the prudence and discretion of the Minister but the Church in both hath made so good a choice that the Minister in either cannot make an ill one Paraphrase This Psalm was composed by Solomon as a Compendium of his Ecclesiastes wherein is set down the vanity of worldly sollicitude without God's blessing as in all things else so in that of Children the greatest blessing of life Vers 1. There is no way in the World to attain any secular wealth or safety save only from the blessing of God the author and dispenser of all good things The building up of Houses and Families of gathering Riches and begetting Children to inherit them is not to be imputed to Man's sollicitude but is wholly imputable to God's blessing Unless God by his special protection guard a City all the guards of Men can do but little to the securing or preserving of it and unless God build up a Family all the industry of Men will not be successful to it Vers 2. 'T is to little purpose for Men to deny Nature that rest which God hath indulged to her to moil incessantly and to debar themselves the enjoyment of worldly comforts thinking by this means to inrich their Posterity for they who trust and depend upon their own anxious and sollicitous indeavours are generally frustrated and disappointed in their aims and ends whereas they who take God's blessing along with them thrive insensibly and become prosperous though they never loose any sleep in the pursuit of it Vers 3. And for Children that 's a particular blessing of God's from whom all increase comes and he gives them as he pleases and sees good as a present reward to the piety and other virtues of Men. Vers 4. And of all blessings this of a numerous Progeny is the greatest every Child being an addition of strength and safety to the Father Children of Youth are as arrows in the hand of a mighty Man and defend the House from Hostil Invasions as well as Weapons can Vers 5. As the Military Man guards himself with Weapons Arrows and Darts having them in a full quiver all in a readiness and prepared so the Master of a Family is fortified from Hostile Invasions and all other insolencies and molestations by the multitude and strength of his numerous Children who are in a readiness to back and defend him at all turns from injuries of any kind which the open violence or more secret fraud of Men can design against him either in the Field or in any Court of Judicature Vid. Dr. Hammond Therefore for other blessings and for these amongst the rest Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost c. Note Two more excellent Psalms could not have been selected out of the whole Book of Psalms for this Office which though not Penn'd for this particular occasion yet are most admirably fitted to it and most seasonably applied and no Church in the World is more happy for her Verba Opportuna as our Church of England is Then the Priest shall say Let us Pray Note This is like the Prophet David â—s invitatory Psal 95.1 and is frequently used in other Offices of the Service Book especially before the Lord's Prayer to shew what requests we desire more particularly to summe up in that Prayer at that time For this reason is this clause inserted into the Absolution at the begining of Morning Prayer Wherefore let us bâ—seech Him to grant us true repentance and his holy Spirit c. The meaning is that we are incited more particularly to pray for the grace of repentance and the gifts of the Spirit in the Lord's Prayer immediately following which Prayer was undoubtedly indicted by our Saviour for such a purpose or else it is set before these Three Versicles Lord have mercy upon us Christ have mercy upon us Lord have mercy upon us which antiquity called the lesser Litany and were of very early admission into the service of the Church Clemens lib. 8. c. 5. c. 6. And fitly are they placed before â—â—e Lord's Prayer because expedient it is we implore God's mercy before we resort to him in Prayer Durand rational lib. 4. c. 12. It is an address to the blessed Trinity whereby
out in my Scriptural citations upon the absolution at the beginning of the Service-Book and I love not Actum agere Rubrick Then the People shall say this that followeth after the Minister Turn Thou us O good Lord. Note Here the People as Persons very deeply sensible of their sins and nearly concern'd to beg paâ—don and ask forgiveness are incited to do it after the Minister with unanimous hearts united affections and the highest fervency of devotion in such form of words as is not only consonant with but almost Verbatim taken out of the Scriptures Hos 14.2 Joel 2.17 Joel 2.12 13. Nehem. 1.4 5 c. Rubrick Then the Minister alone shall say The Lord bless us and keep us c. Note This form of blessing is grounded upon Numb 6.23 24 25 26 27. It is pronounced by the Minister as being an Act of Authority Heb. 7.7 Highly esteem'd in the Primitive times and none durst go out of the Church till they had received it Concil Agath Can. 31. Ann. Dom. 472. Concil Orlean 3. Can. 22. The People kneeled to receive it Chrysost Liturg. The Jewes received it after the same manner Eccles 50.23 As God blessed by the Priests then Numb 6.22 23. So we have the promise of his assistance and ratifying the Priests blessing which they are to pronounce with authority under the Gospel Matth. 10.13 Luke 10.5 Where by peace resting upon the party capable and by Blessing returning to the Minister where the House resists and hinders the blessing we may note that there is a vertue goes out from the Minister together with the blessing POST-SCRIPT Reader FOr the removing of all scruples and to give satisfaction to some religious Persons who are perhaps of a different perswasion and whose Consciences may be so tender as to take offence where none is given I have here joyned by way of an Appendix a Paraphrase upon some places of Scripture sorted out for that purpose For truly I would have such Persons dealt with in the most tender and gentle way that can be imaginable I would have the Mote so discreetly pull'd out of their Eye as not to pull out Eye and all but done with so gentle a hand as not to forget the tenderness of an Eye and the nearness of Brethren we should make Christs President our pattern who would not break the bruised Reed nor quench the smoaking Flax. Rom. chap. 14th Vers 1. For the preserving of Christian charity among all who profess themselves to be Christians take these following Directions There are great dissensions and divisions gotten in already amongst us by reason of some different perswasions about some things in their own nature indifferent however all are not so perswaded these have caused animosities sidings and separations amongst us so that the communion and peace of the Church the most precious thing to be preserved is more than likely to be broken Therefore to make up this breach that it prove not incurable by continuance I make this seasonable application and first I admonish those who do not think themselves obliged to the use of those indifferent things not to reject others who think themselves bound up in Conscience to their observance but to receive them to their communion and not to quarrel with other Mens resolutions and perswasions as to such things but to direct their own lives by what in conscience they are perswaded is lawful or unlawful about such matters in case the things indifferent in their nature are left also indifferent in their use Vers 2. For he who is sufficiently instructed in his Christian liberty makes use of his Christian liberty and makes no scruple at all about such things neither doth he place any religion in them further then to express his obedience to lawful Superiors which is not the least part of Christian Religion whereas he who is weak and not sufficiently instructed in the nature of the liberty allow'd him by Christ so long as he remains in that errour reckons of such things as unclean in themselves and not to be conformed to Vers 3. But let not him who discerns his Christian liberty in such matters despise him who is scrupulous and erroneous neither let the scrupulous and erroneous reject and cast out of his communion those who are better instructed in the nature of their Christian liberty seeing God hath admitted them into his Church and received them as Servants into his Family Vers 4. And what commission can any pretend to judg the Servants of God received and owned by him or to exclude them out of the Church touching such matters seeing they must stand or fall be cleared or condemned by God's Sentence and not Man's God is able to clear them if he will and he certainly will having received them into his Family and given them this liberty Vers 5. Some Judaizing Christians observe the Sabbaths and other Rites appointed by Moses others who know their liberty make not that difference of times and things which Moses Law requires in such things Let every Man act by his own Conscience and not by another Mans what he is verily perswaded he ought to do and let not the unity and peace of the Church be broken for such matters Vers 6. 7. He who makes a difference betwixt days as they were differenc'd by Moses Law this is nothing to our Christian Festivals observed upon another account thinks it is God's will he should do so and he who doth not make that difference thinks it is God's pleasure now under Christ that he should not make it So is it for Meats as well as for Days some who understand not their liberty make a difference from the supposed obligation of Moses Law others who are very well instructed in their Christian liberty make no difference as from Moses Law however from Christian Laws a difference may be made as to the use but not as to the nature of Meats and Days which Christian-Laws Christians who rightly understand their Christian liberty will cheerfully obey certainly when both sides do what they do meerly out of conscience and to do a thing pleasing to God this is well done for no Man is to do what himself likes best but what he thinks to God is most acceptable Vers 8. For our life and death are very inconsiderable but as by them we may serve God so ought we to do it in all other things Vers 9. This being the great end of Christ's death Suffring and Resurrection that he should have power over us all and command and give what liberty he pleaseth but further then he gives we may not take nor pretend to such a Christian liberty as unavoidably destroys Christian duty Vers 10. But why do we condemn our fellow Christians or exclude them from our Communion Why do we vilifie set them at naught or judg them so long as they only use and do not abuse their Christian liberty in conforming to the use of some things which not the
far from the true Christian knowledge or from directing it to the right end which is charity and the edification of our Brethren Vers 3. If any Man loves God sincerely and so adheres to him in time of danger he truly knows him and consequently is acknowledged by him Vers 4. We know indeed that an Idol is nothing in the World no part of Gods first Creation only an invention and fancy of Mâ—n there is but one true God all the rest are fictions of wicked Men who were first the formers and then the worshipers of them Vers 5. There may be many such fictitious deities called by that title whether in Heaven or in Earth Vers 6. But we Christians are assur'd the e is but One true God the Creator of all things to whom all Mens Prayers must be addressed from whom we had our being and to whom we are obliged to be his Servants and to make all our applications to Him and there is but One Mediator and Lord Christ by whom all things were created and by whom as the only Mediator betwixt God and us all our Prayers are addressed to Heaven Vers 7. Yet all Men are not of this perswasion that these Idols are nothing for sure if they thought so they would not worship them nay some are of Opinion that they are something and are able to hurt them and therefore they continue their Heathenish custom to be present at the Idol-Feasts notwithstanding these very Persons have received the faith of Christ so that their sick and sinful Consciences are defiled and polluted by so doing Vers 8. Now a Man who is not of this perswasion towards the Idol if he goes to the Idol-Temple with the Idol-Worshipers may be a means of confirming them in their Error it being certain that they will think he comes as they come with the same Opinion of the false deity and of reaping some benefit by it which inconvenience must needs be very dangerous Vers 9. For though the being there or not being there be not of it self of any great moment in the sight of God yet this care would befit every Christian so to use his own liberty as not to be an occasion of sin or of continuance in sin to others by confirming them in their sinful courses Vers 10. For if any Man who through an erroneous Conscience goes to an Idol-Feast sees another at the same Feast who knows within himself an Idol to be nothing and eats not out of any religious Opinion but only as of ordinary meat Will not he by this means be confirmed to go on in his erroneous course Vers 11. So that the Christian of an erroneous Conscience shall go on in his sin and be in danger to be ruined by reason of the others practise who presumes upon his knowledge and so goes confidently to the Idol as a meer vanity and thing of nought not at all considering the erroneous Conscience of his weak Brother and so he makes himself guilty not only of uncharitableness to his Brother but of injury to Christ in betraying a Soul to ruine for the saving of which Christ died Vers 12. And be it granted that for one who understands his Christian liberty to be present at an Idol-feast be not impiety against God yet is it an act of great uncharitableness against the weak Brethren in bringing them to a confirmation in those sinful practises wherein through error they are already and so it may be an impiety and sin against God too who is concerned in them Vers 13. Therefore if to eat a Feast in an Idol-Temple or any use of my liberty in the same kind be an occasion of confirming any Christian in an erroneous sinful practise or of bringing him to do any thing which is unlawful I will be sure to deny my self the use of that liberty supposed it be such as by the Laws of Christ truly belongs to me when it shall prove of such dangerous consequence to my fellow-Christians Note Whatever hath been spoken by way of a plain Paraphrase out of the forementioned places of Scripture makes nothing at all against any Mans conformity to the use of the Common-Prayer-Book now by Law established 1. Nothing out of Rom. 14. makes against it for these following reasons 1. Because no Man who is a Christian can possibly be so weak in the faith unless he be wilful too as to scruple at prayer as such it being the great duty of a Christian or at Prayer in a set-form because it is authorized out of both Testaments and was ever the practise of Christs Church so to pray or at the set-form of Common-Prayer established in our Church because it is conform to all ancient Liturgies and to the Liturgy of the Roman-Church too is not denied so far as that is conform to the Prayers of the ancient and primitive Church but no otherwise besides every branch of it is reducible to the Lords Prayer the Creed and Ten Commandements is agreeable to Scripture and most delivered in the very Scripture-phrase and framed up according to St. Paul's prescribed Model 1 Tim. 2.1 2. Vid. Dr. Hammond Annot. in Locum 2. All this supposed and as easie to be proved as supposed I believe no Christian can pretend to that tenderness of conscience as to be grieved in his conscience for doing that which is so agreeable to God's Word and the practise of all the Church-Christian all the World over 2. Nothing out of 1 Cor. 8. makes against Conformity unless these weak Christians will say which I know they will not least they should be accounted wicked rather than weak 1. That God is an Idol 2. That to pray to God in his House of Prayer or to be present at Christian Festivals and Services in his Temple is Idolatry besides if any should be so perverse and yet mask it under pretence of tenderness of conscience as to be offended at us in so doing and by so doing discharging our duty I do not see how we can leave off these things to gratifie them for we have consciences as well as they have and as tender apt to be grieved as theirs and we understand our Christian liberty as well as they do and it may be in some things better too for we know this liberty is not so in our power as to use it and not use it when we please to gratifie and comply with every passion and distemper but we are bound up by Laws which by Authority deriv'd from God's Laws have power to bind the conscience to serve God in such set-forms and at such set-times neither do I see how any power upon earth can disoblige us from obedience to those just Laws which are impos'd upon us by lawful Superiors how can we to satisfie another Mans conscience take off our obedience from those whom we are commanded to be subject to not only for wrath but also for conscience sake Rom. 13.5 our Christian liberty hath freed us from the Ceremonial