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A61499 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. Steward, Richard, 1593?-1651. 1684 (1684) Wing S5525; ESTC R7767 35,778 130

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to this or that Party or Sect which agrees with his Humours and Opinions but To all the Flock impattially and without Hypocrisie and this first affirmatively to instruct the Ignorant to strengthen the weak to confirm the wavering to reduce the erroneous to visit the the sick to comfort the afflicted to bind up the broken in heart to reprove the sinful and to testify against the stubborn and disobedient Secondly Negatively not to break the bruised reed and quench the smoaking flax Mat. 12. 20. not to sow Pillows under all Armholes Ezek. 13. 18. Not to suffer them to settle with ease and without reproof upon the Lees of their sins and and the errors of their wayes Not to claw the scabbed Sheep and scratch the itching ears not to tickle and foment the petulant humors of the Factious not to please those squeazy Palates who nauseate the solid food of Gods publick solemn standing worship under the prophane scurrilous name of Porridge and for no other cause but because it is like it self ever the same constant to it self Like the Glorious Sun in the Firmament which shines every day the same which renders it a worship acceptable as being herein most agreeable to the Immutable nature of God the Father of lights with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning Jam. 1. 17. But the Itch after novelties in the Flock and the Itch of popular applause or filthy Lucre in the Pastor whilst the one scratches the Itch of the other Hence the putrid Scabs of Schism and Heresie in the Church of Disobedience and Rebellion in the Kingdome are engendred Against all such sinful Compliance Take heed to your selves my Brethren take heed to your selves and to your vows and promises Sacerdotal and Ecclesiastical confirmed by your respective Subscriptions to the Articles and Canons of the Church to the Injunctions of your Metropolitan and Diaecesan to the Approbation and constant use of the Liturgy of the Church and of that onely in publick In which last particular wherein the greatest part of Ministerial Function consists I cannot but testifie in this Assembly so much concern'd therein That there is utterly a fault amongst us In that those divine and excellent Prayers and heavenly inspired Praises of God and that ancient and constant way of Gods worship in Publick is by many too much slighted and neglected by many irreverently and indevoutly celebrated by many mangled and maimed curtail'd abbreviated and by the Additions of others implicitly vilified And generally almost by all secretly undermind enervated and subverted by each mans private prayer in publick The which private prayer whether before Sermon or at any other time in the Congregation doth not onely secretly imply a defect in the Publick Prayers of the Church which must forsooth be supplyed by mens private conceived prayers but also 't is a disorder and confusion in the service of God for thus publick and private prayer are confounded which our Lord Christ hath distinguished and commanded to be seperately observed to avoid Hypocrisie and vain-glory limiting private Prayer to the private Closet Mat. 6. 5 6. and for avoiding Tautologies and impertinent bablings after the manner of the heathen he prescribes a set form to be us'd in publick vers 8 9. We are commanded when we call upon the Lord to pay our vows to the most High and then he will hear Psal. 50. 14. But can any man think it probable that God will hear their Prayers who sacrilegiously break their vows when they pray by praying otherwise then they have vowed and promised those promises also being agreeable to the Commands of Christ and the orders of his Church And this undoubtedly amongst many others is not the least canse of so many stray and wandring Sheep in every Flock of so many giddy headed and factious minded men in every Congregation of so many seperate Congregations or Conventicles in every Parish one great cause hereof is the falshood and treachery of the Shepherds who in compliance with the noxious humors of the diseased part of their Flock take no heed to themselves nor to the vows and promises they have made in order to the right and regular execution of their Function in feeding of their Flock so for the iniquity and irregular carriage of the Priests the sons of Eli in the sacrifices of the Temple Men abhorred the offering of the Lord 1 Sam. 2. 17. 6. But should not the Flock take heed to the Shepherd as well as the Shepherd to the Flock The duty of the one to the other undoubtedly is reciprocal and the mutual Relation respectively binding Take heed to thy said said the Lord to his people that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest upon the earth Deut. 12. 19. and Chap 14. 27. Fccl. 7. 30. There is nothing more plainly asserted and more punctually commanded in the book of God then that the people should take heed to their Priests the flock to their Shepherds especially such as are Orthodox and holy that they should hear and obey their voice and make their Application and recourse unto them in all cases of ignorance or doubting For the Priests lips should keep knowledge and they the people should seek the Law at his mouth for he is the messenger or the Angel of the Lord of Hosts Mal. 2. 7. Haec sunt initia haereticorum ut sibi placeant praepositum superbo tumore contemnant Cypr. lib. 3. Epist. ad Florent Hence the Rise of Hereticks in the Church when the people swelling with presumption of their own knowledge and pleasing themselves in their fancies and opinions proudly neglect and scorn to submit to their directions whom the Lord hath appointed to be their Shepherds and Guides of their Souls And thus even thus the people of God fell into Idolatry even that gross and infamous Idolatry of the Golden Calf when slighting Moses and overawing Aaron the high Priest they commanded him who should have commanded them saying Make us God to go before us for as for this man Moses we wot not what is become of him Numb 22. 1. When the same people were weary of the Government of Samuel the Prophet and desired a King the Lord said unto Samuel They have not despised thee but they have despised me 1 Sam. 8. 7. Whereupon St. Gregory Quam reverendi sunt Pastores optimi Sanctae Ecclesiae how reverendly to be esteemed are the Pastors of holy Church who whilst they faithfully serve the Lord in the Execution of their function they are so closely joyn'd unto him in the bond of love that the least slight disesteem or neglect that is cast upon them the Lord takes it as an injury to himself So said the Lord to his Apostles and in them to their Successors He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me Luc 10. 16. And this duty that the people should take heed to their