Selected quad for the lemma: prayer_n
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A42477
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Considerations touching the liturgy of the Church of England In reference to His Majesties late gracious declaration, and in order to an happy union in Church and state. By John Gauden, D.D. Bishop elect of Exceter.
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Gauden, John, 1605-1662.
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1661
(1661)
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Wing G349; ESTC R218825
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26,979
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44
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CONSIDERATIONS TOUCHING THE LITURGY OE THE CHVRCH of ENGLAND In reference to His Majesties late Gracious Declaration And in order to an happy UNION in Church and State By JOHN GAUDEN D. D. Bishop Elect of Exceter The second Edition Ephes 6.18 Praying alwayes with all prayer and supplication in the spirit c. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Cl. Al. De Liturgiâ Anglicanà Quem librum proprium perfectum omnis Divini cultus judicem magistrum esse jussimus Lib. Ref. Leg. Eccl. sub Edv. 6. reg 5. LONDON Printed by J. G. for John Playford at his shop in the Temple 1661. Considerations touching the Liturgy or Book of Common Prayer in the Church of ENGLAND c. IT is not to be doubted by any but those who are either ignorant of His Majesties native clemency and Christian charity or enemies to his and all our Tranquillity That His Majesties design in that indulgent Declaration was not to shew any disaffection or disesteem in His Majesty toward the ancient and excellent Liturgy of the Church of England which was His companion and consort in all His distresses and which still is the dayly rule and measure of His Majesties publique Devotions as it hath been of His Royal Fathers of blessed memory and all His princely Progenitors since the Reformation But this temporary condescention was onely in order to compose at present the minds of all His good Subjects to some calm and Christian temper untill such further expedients might be applied by His Majesties Wisdom and Charity as should not onely allay former civil differences but wholly remove the uncomfortable dissentions of His Loyal Subjects of the Church of England in so great a concern as that is of Religion yea and of the noblest part of Religion Devotion and the most eminent way of Devotion publike Worship of the solemne Service of God in His Church by Prayers Praises and Sacramental celebrations which are the great characters and confirmation of true Christians communion with God with their Saviour and the blessed Spirit and by the grace of these with one another Hence His Majesties gentleness and prudence hath been pleased at present to declare His royal pleasure for remitting a while the penal necessity of using the Liturgy upon consideration that many of His good Subjects have for many yeers been unaccustomed to it and being unacquainted with it may the lesse value it others have been unjustly yet vehemently prejudiced against it and some are less satisfied with it onely for some words and expressions in it which they do not so well understand and therefore are scrupulous to use them in the way of Worship to God But it were too much to mistake and abuse His Majesties Candor and Clemency to imagine that His Majesty had hereby dispensed with all legal moral and obediential tyes to the use of in any part of the Liturgy by which less imperious but more ingenious bands good men and good subjects are more oblig'd to the use of what is good and holy apt and indisputable in it as the main of it is than if the fear of punishment lay upon them which is very servile and below either a good Christian or a good Subject except where punishment is submitted to rather than sin commited or good is therefore omitted because of an inseparable adherence of evil to it Which sure cannot be the ground of some Ministers totally neglecting to use not onely the whole Liturgy but even the Lords Prayer the ten Commandements the three Creeds the Confession of sins and the Church Chatechisme all which are either holy and necessary or very wholsome and convenient for the Church of Christ 'T is true some that are reputed sober learned and Loyal Ministers in order to a firm Peace and Fraternal Union have for themselves and others humbly craved of His Majesty a serious review of the Liturgy yet no further than some modest and discreet variations or sutable additions Such as still retain for the main the former excellent matter and method of it without any discomposing or dissolving the whole much more without any rude despising of it or endeavour to destroy it For in earnest such insolent and enormous changes may not in Piety or Policy be permitted because First they would most undeservedly reproach the wisedome and blemish the piety of the first Martyrly Composers of it Next they would as unjustly as impudently disparage the Judgement and Devotion of the whole Church of England its Princes Parliaments Ministers and People who duly and comfortably served God and maintained the Reformed Christian Religion in the use of the Liturgy even then when this Church was most flourishing in peace and piety Lastly they would unreasonably damp and discourage the present Zeal and Devotion of the greatest and chiefest part of this Nation who are much pleased and profited by the use of the Liturgy which heretofore was highly approved and conscionably used even by most of those learned and godly men Ministers and others who in some things Ritual and Ceremonial were either more scrupulous or less conformable Yea His sacred Majesty could not but in all reason expect that all learned and godly Ministers with their people would the rather apply themselves to a dâ—screet and devout use of it in those parts of which they are satisfied so as might best express their grateful sense of His Majesties tenderness and indulgence to them in some others which are rather verbal then material Scruples and dissatisfactions Which Religious Loyal and Ingenuous principle to my knowledge hath so prevailed with some very able and godly Ministers in London and elsewhere that they have according to His Majesties desires intents and expectation presently applyed themselves to the use of the Liturgie in their respective Congregations being well satisfied themselves and having fully convinced the best and soberest yea the most of their people not onely of its lawfulness by Gods and Mans Lawes but also of its usefulnesse and fitnesse for this Church Although they did not heretofore use it while there was no power that would protect it and them all things being run to Faction and Confusion Tyranny and Anarchy under the pretensions of Liberty and Reformation ought not to extend beyond the Laws of God and and man by which the peace and welfare of Church and State are preserved So that for any worthy Ministers and sober people to be therefore more restive now and averse from the use of the Liturgie at all because of His Majesties clemency is a most unexcusable moroseness especially when they heretofore did use it and are still satisfied in their Consciences of the lawfulness and expediency of it yea and they were disposed to have used it immediately before the Declaration came out in case they had been required to it according to Laws in force rather then for default to have been punished For these men to have evil eyes against
the factious Vulgar reduced to so low an ebbe both as to respect and subsistence that having shifted from one sequestred Living to another at last he was outed of all and having a great charge which hastened the armed man of poverty upon him he made to me with tears and horror of his sad condition this confession That after much tossing to and fro he knew not now which way to turn himself or to subsist that Gods hand was justly against him because he had trusted too much to the arme of flesh and followed popular applause that having against his judgment and conscience for many years forborne to use as other holy forms so that of the Lords Prayer for fear of offending some factious and fanatick people he saw God would teach him to pray for his daily bread by his want of it and by filling him with his own delusions Not only the Liturgie reviewed and setled by Authority will be of great use and concern to the good of the Church but also that short and plain Catechisme which is in the Book of Common-Prayer with some few other Questions and Answers added to it that so it might be if not more complete yet more explicate and plain to common understandings and might be distributed into 52. heads that each Lords day might have its portion assigned which every Minister should more or lesse insist upon after he had first asked every question in the Catechism and received the answers from the Cathecumens or younger sort This would certainly keep up knowledge as to fundamentals in all and advance it both with the elder and younger people who might easily by His Majesties command and the care of the respective Bishops and Ministers be digested once for all into two Books or Catalogues one of the Cathecumens the other of Communicants the first rank of Christians to be prepared by constant catechising in the After-noon for confirmation and the standard or proof of their knowledge to be the Church Catechisme thus confirmed they might be admitted to the holy Communion and put in the Roll of Communicants as an honour and advance to their souls hence not to be removed or rescinded unlesse they be for scandal by the censures of the Church excommunicated or are self-excommunicated by not receiving at least once in half a year The expunging of them out of this Book of Communicants to be publick and solemn as a note of Infamy no lesse than of Impiety Impenitency and Apostacy this method to be begun by every Minister in his charge taking once for all a particular account of all those people in point of knowledge of whose defect he hath any cause to be jealous But I fear to seem more forward curious and solicitous than becomes any private person in these times and in so publick a concern which requires publick â—ouncills and these ought not to be forestalled or prejudged My great invitations to these suggestions are 1. First Gods wonderfull mercy to this Church and State offering us miraculous opportunities of being happy if we be not by restivenesse and peevishnesse wanting to his providence 2. The next is the remembrance of the sore tribulations which we have felt and feared and which are still summons to all sorts of men Prince and People Bishops and Presbyters that having been so long in the furnace it is fit all of us should come forth of it well refined from our dross lest a worse thing come unto us that God may delight in our constant peace and prosperity to build us up and not pull us down 3. My last encouragement is the great benignity and gentlenesse of our Gracious King who being loth to grieve any friend or foe Trojan or Tyrian whom His clemency may amend or His charity relieve is wholly disposed both in His temper and judgment to win unite reconcile bind up and heal all parts in which is any thing sound sincere and honest that by His Royall hand and Soveraign touch as He daily doth on the infirm bodies of many so on the ill-affected minds of men He may work such cures and recoveries as may make all more devoted to serve God His Majestie and each other in all godliness loyalty honesty and charity which is then best done when mens minds by such gentle means being purged of peevish proud and uncharitable humors and reduc'd to a more humble meek and Christian temper our publick fistula's and ulcers which were fed and inflamed by these distempers may come to be dryed up and healed A mercy to be obtained followed and perfected by our prayers and to which no supplications will be more effectuall then the devout authoritative and uniform use of the Liturgy or common-prayer in the Church of England which unites all honest minds includes all our common necessities craves all spirituall and temporall supplyes keeps Christians warme in their love to God in Loyalty to their King and in their charity to each other it daily propounds the summary of all necessary religion it lays and confirms in the minds of the meanest people the foundations of sound faith and saving knowledge according to Gods word it is so compleat for duties to be done graces to be obtained mercies to be enjoyed both here and hereafter that I doubt not to affirm this truth of the Liturgy That if the common sort of people duly attend it judiciously learn it and conscienciously live up to the duties and graces there proposed to them of which Ministers particular prayers and sermons are but either Commentaries Repetitions or Paraphrases there is no doubt but they shall please God and be well prepared for an happy death and blessed eternity To the advance of all which excellent duties uses and ends nothing next the grace of God on mens hearts will more contribute then Ministers grave reverent deliberate pathetick devout and constant using of the Liturgy with and before their own prayers as an excellent means by little and little to edifie common people by frequent inculcations in faith and charity also to bring in and preserve a good harmony and correspondency among the Clergy who for many years have sounded so confusedly and awkly that they were like bells rung backwards in a conflagration or scar-fire Lastly to consolidate the publick peace of this Church and Kingdome by the uniformity industry and sanctity of Ministers godly lives and orderly labours which I hope will in time by Gods blessing so move the piety and holiness of all other estates and degrees or Nobility Gentry and Commons after the great example which His Majesties charity hath given that they will find out some way of effectual augmenting poor Ministers maintenance to some such ingenuous competency as may become both the worth of an able and painfull Ministry and also the piety and munificence of this populous and opulent Kingdome this great and mighty Nation whose glory is to be furthest from idolatry and sacriledge from