VII. CHAP. vin, so far as my lot hath been to know the practice of it, I confess it is a thing which hath made me much marvel to see them so punctual in practising their form prescribed, that scarce any thing came from the ministers themselves but that very short prayer afore the sermon, wherein they recommend themselves and their performance to the blessing of God, as you saw the fashion was in the ancient Church'. Because it is found that the opinions which this Church hath been disquieted with were taken up upon unreasonable affectation to be conformable with them, those that pretend their example are bound to shew us among them the principle whereupon this point is condemned, that a prescript form is that which the Apostle forbiddeth in "quenching the Spirit." § 46. Therefore it will not be enough to say that divers Churches of that reformation used to neglect the order ap- 253 pointed them, and use the voluntary conceptions of their ministers in public prayers"; for that might be thought of all of us, and for the reasons premised must be thought an example of ill consequence, and not for this Church to imitate. But it is requisite to allege the same reason from their doctors, and to shew that they disallow set prayers, as "quenching the Spirit." To which purpose I have not yet heard any thing produced either from the Fathers of the Church or from the reformed doctors. And therefore till that be done I am bold to send home that principle to them that have most right to own it, that is, to those of the separation from ful? Yet is this handful in respect of See Precum ecclesiasticarum formula Prayer used by the English at Geneva," u "All other reformed Churches, though they use liturgies, yet do not bind their ministers to the use of them."-Smectymnuus, sect. ii. quer. 2. p. 13. But it may be objected that the reformed Protestant Churches beyond the seas have their set forms of public prayer and sacraments. It is true, but I take it that the ministers are not tied to those forms, further than they will themselves. As we see the ministers of the Kirk of Scotland now in England use no set forms of prayer, but do discharge the duty of prayer with an excellent freedom of spirit."-Christ on His Throne, case vii. pp. 33, 34. A.D. 1640. this Church of England, or rather to those German sectaries CHAP. that dreamed of enthusiasms and immediate inspirations. VII. CHAPTER VIII. 254 OF TIMES OF ASSEMBLIES. DAILY MORNING AND EVENING SERVICE IS FOR of assem morning ing service edification Church. THE next point, concerning in general the order of public of times service, is the difference of times, and days, and hours, in blies. respect of frequenting our assemblies for the purpose of it: Daily, and first, the order of daily morning and evening service, and evenhow much it concerneth the edification of the Church, that is, is for the the training of it in the exercise of godliness. A point other- of the wise to be pleaded than the rest. For in other matters we have reason, or at least the shadow of reason, to deal with: in this, it is not for Christians to allege that it is not for the honour and glory of God to be served in public, or that it is not for the benefit of His people to join together in addressing their petitions in procuring their daily wants at His hands*. Nevertheless, as if these considerations were to give way to the occasions of the world, those that deny them not to be valuable are content to let them, and the order of daily service grounded upon them, be ineffectual and to no purpose. This is not the place to dispute how much the consideration 255 of God's service is to outweigh the world and the occasions of it. Only because it may be said how many idle bellies are maintained in the Church of Rome, to patter over their mat * Non obligatur nec obligari debet populus interesse ordinaria recitationi lectionum in matutino et vespertino officio per hebdomadam. Ordinaria igitur lectio reservanda est publicis conventibus, vel saltem suum legendi ordinem et perlegendi habere debent, si propter VIII. CHAP. ins and even-songs, in a manner not regarded by themselves, and a language not understood by the people: let it be considered what greater advantage the devil could wish to make of this abuse among them, than upon occasion of it to bring the service of God into disuse among us; or how he could have improved this scandal to more purpose for the hindering of goodness, than rooting out the substance of God's service, rather than reforming the abuses of the manner of it. Human institution' lawful. § 2. In the next place, the difference of festival and fastof festivals ing-days from the ordinary, in respect to the service of God upon them, is an order much concerning the edification of the Church in the exercise of godliness. Here indeed some pretence of reason hath been made to shew that it is not in the power of the Church to appoint festival-days, as a thing contrary to the tenor of the law, which saith, "Six days thou shalt labour and do all that thou hast to do." I know not whether men by this time be ware of the mistakes which this reason involveth, because it maketh not so much noise in these days but without doubt, it was always a gross inconsequence to imagine an office of the second table—of labouring 256 in ordinary work-to be commanded by a law of the first table: but without doubt, it was always a gross inconvenience to imagine God to give a command here which we must sup : "Because the worshipping of God by read prayer is a part of the worship of Antichrist, used and enjoined in the papacy, maintaining superstition and a dumb and idol ministry, nourishing the people in ignorance of the nature and right use of prayer."-Apology of Brownists, p. 67. A.D. 1604. "First I say, that if it were praying, and that z "Seeing therefore that the Lord this point, and instead that the Lord saith Six days thou mayest labour if thou wilt, to say, Thou shalt not labour six days, I do not see why the Church may not as well, whereas the Lord saith, Thou shalt rest the seventh day, -command that thou shalt not rest the seventh day. For if the Church may restrain the liberty that God hath given them, it may take away the yoke also that God hath put upon them."-Cartwright's Reply to Whitgift, p. 152. Primum argumentum contra observationem festorum petitur e verbis quarti præcepti in Decalogo, sex diebus operaberis. Hæc verba continent vel præceptum vel permissionem. Si præceptum operandi sex diebus, ergo nullus potest cessationem ab omni opere imperare si per missionem, ergo, nullus potest hanc libertatem populo eripere, et simpliciter cessationem ab omni opere imperare vel etiam ob cultum divinum. -Didoclavii Altare Damascenum, pp. 670, 671. VIII. pose Him to cross afterwards in the law of Moses, when He CHAP. cometh to appoint new moons and other solemnities to be observed on these six days. Therefore when the commandment saith, "Six days thou shalt labour," the meaning is, "Six days thou mayest labour:" thou art licensed and not forbidden to do thy daily work on them, by this commandment. So it is translated in our last English, Exod. xxxi. 15, "Six days may work be done :" and in the Hebrew the same word standeth for both senses. vice upon § 3. Last of all, whereas it is known that there were in the Public serJews' calendar, at the time when our Lord Christ lived upon them. earth, divers solemnities besides those that were appointed by the law of Moses, of which something must be said afterwards; and we know by the Gospel that our Lord Himself kept the Feast of the Dedication instituted by Judas Maccabeus; by that particular we are assured, both that He observed the rest, and that by observing He allowed and commended the institution in general for the purpose whereof we speak. For the blessings of God, whereof these solemnities 257 renew the remembrance, are of that esteem to the Church, that we are not able to express too much thankfulness in taking that occasion of solemnizing His service. And the greatest part of Christians are such as will receive much improvement in the principal mysteries of our faith, by the sensible instruction which the observation of such solemnities yieldeth. The remembrance of the birth, the sufferings, the resurrection and ascension of Christ, the coming of the Holy Ghost, the conversion of the Gentiles by sending the Apostles, the way made before His coming by the annunciation of a "And whereas you say. . . . the Jews had certain other feasts which they observed; indeed the Lord which gave this general law might make as many exceptions as He thought good. But it followeth not because the Lord did it that therefore the Church may do it, &c."-Cartwright's Reply to Whitgift, p. 152. bi Maccab. iv. 59; St. John x. 22. "And as for all the commodities which we receive by them-whereby Mr. Doctor goeth about to prove the goodness and lawfulness of their institution-as that the Scriptures are there read and expounded, the patience of those Saints in their persecution and VIII. CHAP. the Angel, and the coming of the Baptist, as it is a powerful mean to train the more ignorant sort in the understanding of such great mysteries, so it is a just occasion for all sorts to make that a particular time of serving God upon which we solemnize those great works of His. For the purpose is not to hinder the occasions of the world by setting aside men's ordinary work, but to prefer the service of God before itd. [Of their abuse.] § 4. If the public service of God be of better esteem than the business of this world, well may the Church own all the means by which she laboureth to procure the exercise of it: but if the business of this world, so far as it hindereth not the service of God, be good and commendable, she shall not need to own the restraint of it further than it tendeth to that purpose. Therefore provided, as it is among us, that the whole-258 some effect of this ordinance vanish not in the excessive multitude of festivals-ordinary occasions crowding out the remembrance of those that deserve it-it will not serve the turn to say that the Papists have made these solemnities the occasion of worshipping the Saints that own the days: to that must the same be answered as afore, that it is the use and improvement that the devil would choose to make of the Trinity, and those that are consecrate to our Saviour Christ are, in that they be called Trinity day, or the Nativity day of our Saviour Christ, by and by taken to be instituted to the honour of our Saviour Christ and of the Trinity; so likewise the people, when it is called St. Paul's day, or the blessed Virgin Mary's day, can understand nothing thereby but that they are instituted to the honour of St. Paul or of the Virgin Mary, unless they be otherwise taught."-Cartwright's Reply, p. 153. Calderwood speaks more positively thus: Nam si dies ipse sit in honorem eorum sacratus et liturgia .. canetur, coluntur ipsi sancti cultu religioso. . . . . at dices non in cultum sed in memoriam martyrum dies istos observare, Deum autem colere in sanctis aut propter sanctos. Non possunt ista duo, celebrare diem in memoriam, et celebrare in cultum, separari .... honor sanctorum celebris et cum solemnitate diei festi qui Deo soli debetur, est cultus religiosus.- Altare Damascen. p. 645. A.D. 1623. |