explain with greater care or inculcate more frequently than the Covenant of Grace which God hath made with us in Christ The terms and conditions of which you should endeavour to make your People thoroughly to understand both on Gods part and on their own together with the Mediator of this Covenant and the means whereby he purchased such gracious Conditions of Salvation for us But above all things we must take the greatest care that our life do not contradict our Doctrine for it is not sufficient that our Conversation in this World be innocent and unblameable but we must endeavour to make it exemplary and useful It must be so ordered as to convince the People that we firmly believe the excellence of those Vertues which we commend to them and that our chief aim and design is to save their Souls This will procure us love and esteem and make the People look upon us with Reverence as Men of God Our Office which is indeed very honourable is not sufficient to secure us from contempt if we act not according to it Nay men are prone to pry into our lives to see if they can find a justification of their own evil Practices by ours Which is the argument that Isidorus Peleusiota uses to a Bishop to be very cautious Lib. IV. Epist 219. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because his Life is scanned and strictly examined by a thousand eyes and tongues I shall say nothing particularly of our care to avoid any tang of Vain Glory and desire of applause in our Preaching but conclude this matter with this plain admonition That in an age so degenerate as that we now live in we ought to give all diligence to shine as Lights in the World as well as to be harmless and blameless the Sons of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation holding forth the Word of Life by our examplary conversation that is as well as by Preaching II Philip. 15 16. This St. Paul there makes the duty of all Christians but above all it concerns the Ministers of Christ whom he himself calls V Mat. 13. 14. in a peculiar manner the Salt of the Earth and the Light of the World And there never was greater need than now that we should study to season Men not only with wholsome Doctrine but an holy Example that we may preserve them from the Corruption which is in the World through lust There is a most dangerous putrefaction of manners as I may call it which hath so universally spread among us that I look upon the Nation as lost if we should lose our Savour Nothing can then preserve it from utter ruin and destruction And therefore let us distinguish our selves from others by our diligence in our calling by our exemplary Piety and Holiness that if it be possible we may save our Nation from perishing SECT VI. The next Office wherein you are concerned is the Ministration of Baptism of Infants Concerning which I shall only briefly admonish you of these things following 1. First that it is your duty to instruct your People frequently in the nature of this Sacrament that they may not imagine it an indifferent thing whether their Children be Baptized or no nor bring them carelessly to the Font as an old Ceremony that hath been long used in the Church But they may look upon it as indeed it is a solemn dedication of their Children to Christ and their entrance into the Covenant of Grace which they stand bound sacredly to keep And consequently call upon them often to consider their Children after this as Christ's Children by whom they are regenerate and boru again and therefore ought to be carefully brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. VI Ephes 4. 2. More particularly put them in mind that in Baptism a solemn profession is made of belief in the Blessed Trinity that is of God in Three Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost Unto whose Service we are there devoted For it is no frivilous observation of Theophylact upon those Words of our Saviour XXVIII Mat. 19. Go and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost That 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he does not say Baptise them into the Names but into the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost For though they be three yet their Name viz. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Their Godhead is but one as he there explains it One God in three Persons of whose Love and Favour we are assured in Baptism and should value it above all the Riches in the World 3. And therefore admonish them what care they ought to take to give up their Children as soon as they can to this Blessed Trinity That they may be under their Care and partake of the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the Love of God and the Communion or Communication of the Holy Ghost as St. Paul speaks 2 Corinth XIII 14. And the first Rubrick before the Office for private Baptism directs them to admonish the People often that they defer not the Baptism of their Children longerthan the first or Second Sunday next after their birth or other Holy-day falling between unless upon a great and reasonable Cause to be approved by you 4. Next of all you are bound by the following Rubrick to warn them that without great Cause and Necessity they procure not their Children to be Baptized at home in their Houses The reason of which is given in the first Rubrick before the Office of Publick Baptism which sets forth the convenience of administring Baptism only upon Sundays or other Holy-days when the most number of People come together First For that the Congregation there present may testify the receiving of such as be newly Baptized into the Number of Christ's Church and Secondly that every Man present may be put in remembrance of his own Profession made to God in his Baptism Which are such wise and holy Reasons that every Man of Conscience who is Considerate will yield unto them 5. Advise Parents also about the Choice of Godfather and Godmothers and of the usefulness of them First about their Choice that they be such Persons as have a sense of Religion and understand it and will take some care it may be hoped of their Children if they themselves should die before they be grown up It is supposed that as long as Parents live they will put their Children in mind of their Vow in Baptism which is the reason that no new Obligation besides that they have already is laid upon them by making them Sureties for their Children But without this solemn undertaking for them other Men would not be so ready to assist them and look after their Education as it is to be hoped this will make them Which shows the other thing the usefulness of this Institution Which in the beginning of our Religion was in a manner absolutely necessary For when
be taken about the due Performance of it That is 1. First of all you ought to invite your People to a frequent Participation of it We are not told in Scripture how oft we are to do this in remembrance of our Saviour But when we consider that this is the end and intention of it to Commemorate the wonderful Love of our Lord in his Death and Passion for our sakes we cannot think fit to let there be a long time between one communion and another Especially when we consider that the first Christians it is manifest met together every LORDS Day at least to magnifie the mercy of God in giving his only begotten Son to be our Redeemer and the inconceiveable love of the Son of God in making himself an Offering for our Sins This they thought their great business when they assembled together so that our Assemblies never look so like Christian Assemblies as when the Holy Communion is celebrated 2. In order to which frequently open to your People the Nature Necessity and the great Benefits of communion with Christ and one with another in this Holy Sacrament of Christs Body and Blood Answer their Scruples and remove their Objections but especially awaken them out of that lazy indifference wherein too many live whether they live like Christians or no. 3. When the time is appointed for its Administration warn them to prepare themselves for it and direct them how to do it and require them who intend to partake of it to signifie their Names to you at least sometime the day before So the first Rubrick before the Order for Administring the Holy Communion requires with great reason because you ought to have time to do what follows 4. If any Person in your Parish be a notorious evil liver or have done any wrong to his Neighbours either by word or deed so that the Congregation be thereby offended you ought having knowledge thereof to admonish him as the next Rubrick directs to amend his naughty Life and not presume to come to the Lord's Table till the Congregation be satisfied of his Repentance and that he hath made such a recompense to those he hath wrong'd as they accept of The like is to be done when you perceive Malice and Hatred to reign among any of your Parish endeavouring to bring them to a reconciliation before you suffer them to partake of the Holy Communion 5. And more than this the Third Rubrick requires you if these private endeavours have no effect openly to repel such Persons from the Communion if they offer themselves to receive it who will not be reconciled nor reformed giving notice of their obstinacy to the Ordinary within the time there prescribed 6. In the Administration of the Holy Communion compose your selves to the most serious and solemn deportment and perform every part of this most Christian service with the highest degree of Devotion So St. Justin Martyr tells us in his Second Apology where he gives an account of what was done in the Christian Assemblies in his time that Bread Wine and Water being set before him that presided He sendeth up Prayers and Thanksgivings 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with all his Power or Might Which is an expression that hath been much abused by those who separate from us to prove that no forms of Prayer were used in the Church in those days but he who officiated conceived a Prayer of his own as well as he was able So they interpret that Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is manifestly an expression of that earnestness of Devotion with which the Bishop or Priest came to Consecrate the Sacrament of Christ's Body and Blood It being a Phrase very much used among the Jews when they speak of their Prayers For their Ancient Doctors have this saying among them as our excellent Mr. Thorndike observes Whosoever saith Amen WITH ALL HIS MIGHT the gate of the Garden of Eden is opened to him And Maimonides describing their Morning Service useth the same form of Speech The People answer Amen be his great name Blessed for ever and ever WITH ALL THEIR MIGHT See Service of God at Religious Assemblies Chap. VII To which may be added what we read in the Apostolical Constitutions where there is a large Form of Thanksgiving at the Eucharist for all Gods Blessings Especially in our Lord Christ from his Incarnation to his Sufferings Death and Resurrection And then it follows Therefore being mindful of these things which he suffered for us We give Thee thanks O Almighty God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not so much as we ought but as much as we are able Which exactly answers to the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ALL THE MIGHT in Justim Martyr and explains the meaning of it But there have been so many excellent Books written about the Holy Communion that I will enlarge no further upon this Subject SECT V. In that Office there is a Rubrick directing where the Sermon is to come in and therefore I shall in the next place say something to you concerning Preaching Which is a Duty to be performed by every Priest according to the Authority given to him at his Ordination in those words Take thou Authority to Preach the Word of God and to Minister the Holy Sacraments in the Congregation where thou shalt be lawfully appointed thereunto And the Prayer made after the Ordaining of Priests That God's Word spoken by their mouths may have such success that it may never be spoken in vain Now to make it thus successful a great many directions might be usefully given concerning both the Matter of Sermons and their Form their Stile also and manner of Delivery with distinct Pronunciation and such like into which if I should launch out they alone would be sufficient to fill a little Book I shall therefore only briefly desire you to consider the state and condition of your Auditory and to suit your Discourses thereunto Country People are not to be troubled with Controversies and Disputes but to be plainly taught what to believe and practice 1. Therefore endeavour to instruct and settle their minds in the Principles of Religion And for this end study well the Works of Two Late Bishops of Chester One of which Dr. Wilkins hath wrote a Treatise of Natural Religion and the other Dr. Pierson hath given a full account of the Christian in his admirable Book upon the Apostles Creed 2. Especially instruct them in the great Fundamental Article of our Religion the Divinity of our Blessed Lord and Saviour and of the Holy Ghost showing them how all our comfort is built upon this And truly I look upon it as a singular Providence of God that he did not 〈…〉 Hereticks who now boldly strike at this great Article of our Faith to start up in an ignorant Age but in a time when there are so many able Men in the Church to beat them down God hath furnished us with a great number of such excellent Persons as have throughly studied
once a Year on the first day of Lent though the Prayers then appointed are to be used at other times as the Ordinary shall appoint This if done solemnly though it seem a thing of no great labour yet might have a great effect For every one knows or ought to know that the Lent Fast was Instituted to be a time of Repentance and to bring Men to it what can be more effectual than this Denunciation of Gods Anger and Judgments against Sinners with most comfortable assurances of Grace and Mercy to the Penitent I know it is hard as the World goes to get a Congregation together upon that day when this is required to be read in the Church You may therefore read it on the First Sunday in Lent and then put the Sense of it into your Sermon where it may be proper to press them to weigh every part of it distinctly And in order to it remove that foolish Objection which I have heard some have in their Mouths that they cannot endure to Curse their Neighbours by showing them plainly that they are not the Curses of the People but of God himself which he hath denounced against Sinners To which when the People are ordered to say AMEN they only consent to the truth of that which God saith The very Office teaches this when it declares the end of reading those Curses gathered out of the XXVII of Deuteronomy and other places of Scripture and the Peoples saying Amen to them that they may flee from such vices for which they affirm with their own mouth the Curse of God to be due And represent to them also that whether they will affirm these Curses to be due or no they will fall upon them if they be such Sinners as are there named and the sooner because they refuse to say Amen to the Words of God that is affirm what he affirms who is the Faithful and the True This Cavil being taken away it will be easie to make them sensible how useful it is for them to joyn with you in this Commination which may awaken drousy Souls to consider and amend their evil doings that they may escape those Judgments that are threatned to them which are unavoidable if they go on still in their Sins There was something like this among the ancient Jews who at certain stated times were wont to denounce a general Anathema against all the Israelites who knowingly and willingly violated such and such Laws A Form of which Mr. Selden hath given us out of their Ritual called Colho Lib. IV. De Jure Nat. Gent. cap. 7. This it is likely the Christian Church thought fit to imitate not by denouncing a formal Anathema but only by a solemn recital of the Threatnings in God's Laws against impenitent Sinners And their affirming the truth and certainty of them Which in the Romish Church came at last to such an Anathema as I now mentioned in the Jewish Ritual call'd The greater Excommunication which here in England was denounced by every Bishop twice a year and by every Parish-Priest four times a year against certain Persons A Form of which great Curse the same most Learned Person hath given us out of the Ritual according to the use of the Church of Sarum in his first Book De Synedriis Cap. X. where he observes that in the room of this our first Reformers only ordered this Maledictory Commination as he well stiles it to be used once a Year In the beginning of which Commination there is mention made of a godly Discipline in the Primitive Church whereby such Persons as stood Convicted of notorious sins were in the beginning of Lent put to open Pennance This Discipline we there wish might be restored again but seem to suppose that for the present we can only instead of it denounce God's anger and judgments against sinners and make them say Amen thereunto whereby they may stand Convicted in their own Consciences that they are under the Curse of God and so be brought to Repentance Had we not need then do this very seriously if it be all that we can do of this kind Yet let it be considered whether we may not be able to do something more if we will attempt it For may not scandalous Persons be more frequently presented than they are May not private Admonitions if not publick be more used Let us not then think fit to do nothing because we cannot do all that we would The right way to enlarge our Authority of the want of which we complain is to use that which we have uprightly and faithfully That is if we presented none in the Ecclesiastical Court till private Applications had been made to them with seriousness and earnestness unsuccessfully and if it were done without respect to Persons Parties or Interests we might bring our Courts into that just esteem and credit which they ought to have And having mentioned private Admonition let me in a few words remember you that at your Ordination you promised to use both publick and private monitions and exhortations as well to the sick as to the whole within your Cures as need shall require and occasion shall be given And perhaps more good might be done this way than any other if it were done at fitting times with as much secrecy as may be and with apparent affection to them In some Cases perhaps it may be done most effectually by Letter which may be sent when you cannot have opportunity to speak to them And here it may be proper to admonish you that Dissenters from our Church are thus to be dealt withal by some way of private Conference with them not by Preaching against them for they are not there to hear it Our own People indeed are by publick Discourses as well as otherways to be confirmed and established in our Communion But there is no way to reduce them but by private arguing with them Which is not to be omitted because the present act of Indulgence doth not justify them in their separation but only suspends the Punishments to which they were before liable Still they are in a state of Schism out of which you should endeavour to recover them by kind Perswasions and Arguments which may work more upon them than all the Penalties formerly inflicted which made them Angry but did not Convert them For the Conclusion of this part of my Treatise I should upon the mention of LENT have said something concerning that Fast and other days of Fasting or Abstinence appointed by the Church which if Men could be perswaded to observe as times of Recollection and Examination of themselves and Prayer they would find great benefit thereby to the encrease of Christian Piety I wrote a little Book about it in the beginning of the late Reign which had the Approbation of my Superiours But I have not room to say more of it here Nor of the Festivals which are ordered to be kept in Commemoration of great Blessings God hath bestowed