Parochial and Plain Sermons

HE first Christians set up the Church in continual prayer "They persevering daily with one lnind in the Temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did share their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God."  St. Paul in his Elistles binds their exalnl-le upon their successors for ever. Indeed, we cotfld hot lmve conceived, even if he and the other Apostles had been silent, that such a solemn opening of the Gospel, as tlmt contained in the book of Acts, was only of a temporary ntttre, and hot rather a specimen of 'hat was to t;ke l)lce amoug the elect people in evcry age, and a shadow of that perfect service which will be theh" blessedness in heaven. However, St. Paul removes all doubt on this subject by expressly enjoining this united and unceasing prayer in various 1)assages of his Epistles; as for instance, "I will... that me Acts il. 46, 47.

way in every I)lace, lifting up holy hands. ''x "Persevere in I)rayeL and watch in the saine with thanksgiving;" and in the text. But if will be said, "Times are altered; the rites and observances of the Church are local and occasional; what was a duty theu, need hot be a duty now, even though St. Paul happens to enjoin if on those whom he addresses. Such continual prayer was the I)articular ibrm which the religion of the early Christians took, and ours h;s taken another form." I)o hot sui)pose, because I allow myself thus to word the objection, that I thcrefore, for an instant, allow that continual united I)rayer lnay religiously be considered a mere usage or fashion; but soit is treated—so, I)erhaps, some of us in out secret hearts have af times been tempted to imagine; that is, we have been disi)osed fo think that I)ublic worship a.t intervals of a week bas in it something of natural fitness and reasonableness which contimml veekday worshii) has hot. Still, sui)posing it—anting daily worshii) fo be a mere observance, or an usage, while Sunday worshii) is not—calling if by any title the most slighting and disi)arang—the question returns, was this observance or usage of continual united I)rayer intended by the Apostles, for every age of the Church, or only for the early Christians? A I)recei)t rnay be but positive, hot simplyrnor, and yet of peri)etual obligation. o% I answer confidently, that united I)myer, unceasing ])rayer, is enjoined by St. Paal, in a I)assage just cited. from an Epistle which lays down rules for the government and due order of the Church fo the end of rime.  1 Tire. il. 8.  Col. iv. 2.

More plausibly even might we desecrate Sunday, which he does not mention in it, than neglect continual prayer, which he does. Observe how explicitly he spcaks, "I will thcrefore that men pray in cvcry ïolace;"—hot only at Jerusalem, not only at Corinth, hOt only in «,mc, but even in England; in England at this day, in out secluded villages, in out rich populous busy trains, whatever be the importance of those sccular ol,jects which absorb our thoughts and rime. Or, again, take the text, and consider whcther if favours the notion of a change or relaxation of the primitive custom. "]ot forsaking the assembling of ourselvcs together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another; and so matit l]t.c nore, as ye sec the:Day approaching." The increasing troubles of the world, the fury of Satan, and the madness of the people, the dismay of sun, moon, and stars, distress of nations with perplexity, men's hearts fafling them for fear, the sea and the waves roaring, ail these gatherihg tokens of God's wrath are but ealls upon us for g, eater perseveranee in united prayer. Let those men espeeially eonsider this, who say that we are but dreaming of eenturies gone by, missing out mark and born out of time, when we insist on sueh duties and praetiees as are now merely out of fashion; those who point fo the tumult and lever whieh agitates the whole nation, and sav we nmst be bnsy and troubled too, in ortier to respond to it; who say that the tide of events has set in one way, and that we must give in to it, ff we wou]d be practical men; that it is idleness to attempt to stem a current, which it will be a great thing even to direct- that since the present age loves conversing and hearing abolit religion, and does hot like sflent thought, patient waiting, recurriug pra.yers, severe exercises, tht therefore we lnust obey it, and, dismissing rites a.nd SaCl'ments, conve the Gospel into a rational fitith, so caHed, and a religion of the hea.rt; let these men seriously consider St. Pa's cxhortatitm, that we are fo persevere in pra.yera.nd tlmt in eveT l*lceand the lnore, fle more troubled and perplexcd the affairs of this world become; hot iudeed olnittig active exertions, but not, on that aeeouut omitting prayer. I bave spoken of St. Pud, but, consider how this rule of "eontilming in prayer" is exempfified in S Peter's history also. He lmd learlmd from his Sa.viour's pattern hot to think prayer a loss of time. Christ had taken him up with Him into the holy mourut, though mfltirudes waited tobe healed and taught below. Ain, befi, re His passion, He had taken him into the garden of Gethsemane; and while He pra.yed Hself, He caHed upon him likewise to "watch and pray lest he entered into temptation." In consequence, St. Peter warns us in his first Epistle, as St. Parti  the text, "The end of aH things is a,t hnd, be ye therefore sober, a.nd wutch unto prayer."  And, in one memorable la.ssage of his history, he received a. revelation of a nomentous and most grcious truth, when he was af his prayers. qo ould hot have said that he was wasting his rime, when he retired to the house of Simon at Joppa, for many days, and went up upon fle bousetop  pra.y, about the sixfl hour? Was that, it might  1 Pet. iv. 7.

be asked, the part of an Apostle, whose commission was to preach the Gospel? Was he thus burying his light, instead of meeting the exigencies of the time? Yet, there God met him, and put a word in his mouth. There he learned the comforttble truth thtt the Gentfles were no longer common or unclean, but admissible into the Covenant of Grace. And if contilmal prayer was the employment of an Apostle, much more was it. observed by those Christians who wcre less prominently called to laboul: Accordingly, when St. _Peter was prison, pr,yers were offcred fi»r him, "without cetsing," by the Church; and to those prayers he wa.s granted. When niraculously released, and an'ived at tle bouse of Mttry, the mother of Mark, he found "many gtthered together paymg. '' Stated and continual prayer, then, and especially united pmyer, is plttinly the duty of Christians. And if we ask how often we are to prty, I reply, that ought to consider prayer as a plain privilege, direct]v we know that if is a duty, and therefore that the question is out of place. Surely, when we know we lnay approach the Mercy-seat, the only further iuestion is, whether there be aiything fo forbid us coming often, anything implying that such frequent coming is presumptuous and irreverent. So g'eat a mercy is it to be permitted to corne, t, hat a hulnble mind may well ask, "Is it a profime intrusion fo corne 'hen I will?" I" it be not, such a one,«ill rejoice to corne continually. Now, by way of removing these fears, Scripture contains most condescending intimations that we may COlne at  Acts xii. 12.

all times. For instance, in the Lord's Prayer petition is nmde for daibj bread for tlds day; therefore, our S,viour intended it shofld be used daily. Further, if is said, "give us," "forgive us;" therefore if may fairly be presumed to be given us as a social prayer. Thus in the Lord's l'rayer itself there seems fo be sanction for da.ily united lrayer. Ain, if we consider His words in the parable, twice a day af least seems permitted us, "Slmll hot Goal avenge tIis own elect, which cw day and nigt unto Him?" though this is fo take the words according fo a very restricted interpretation. Aud since Iganiel prayed three times a day, and the l'salmist even seven, under the Law, we may infer, that Christians, certainly, are hot irreverent, nor incur the blame of using vin repetitions, though they join in nmny Services. Now, I do hot see wlmt can be said in answer fo these argamaents, imperfect as they are compared with the whole proof that might be dduced, except that some of the t.exts cited naay, perhaps, refer fo mere secret 1,rayer almost without words, and some speak primarfly of private prayer. Yet if is undeniable, on the other hand, that united t,rayer, hot private or secret, is principally intended in those 1)assages of the New Testament, which speak of prayer af all; and if so, the remainder may be left to at, ply indirectly or hot, as we chance to decide, without interfering with  conclusion othelavise drawn. If, however, it be said tlmt. family prayer is a fulfilment of the duty, without prayer in Church, I rel,ly, that I ara not at all speaking of if as  duty, but  Luke xviii. 7.

as a privilege; I do not tell men tiret they must corne to Church, so much as declaœe the gld tidiaags tlmt they may. This sure]y is enough for those who "hllnger and thirst after righteousness," and humbly desire to see the face of God. Now, I wi]l say a few words on the manner in which the early Christians fiflfilled this duty. Quite at first, when the persecutions raged, they assembled when and where they couhl. At tinms they could but avail themselves of Christ's promise, thut if two of His disciples "agrce on earth, as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of their He,vefly Father;" though, by small parties, and in the towns, they seem to bave met together continually from the first. Gradually, as they grew stronger,,r as they happened to be iolertted, they ruade full proof of their sacred p6vilege, and showed what was the desire of their he,rts. Their most solemn Service took place on the Lord's day, as might be expected, when the Holy Eucharist was celebrated.  Next fo Sunday came Weduesday and Friday, when, also, assemblies for worship continued till three o'clock in the aftenloon, and were observed with fasting; in some places with the Eclmrist also. Saturday, too, was ohserved in certah, branches of the Church with es]?ecial devotiou, the Holy Mysteries being solemnized and other Services performed as on the Lord's da)'. Next must be mentioned, the Festivals of the Mart)a% when, in addition to the sacred Services used on the

Lord's day, there was read some account of the particular Martyr commemorated, with exhortations to follow his pattern. These holydays, whether Sunday or Saint's day, were commonly ushered in by a Vigil or religious watching, as you find it noted down in the Calendar af the beginning of the Prayer-Book. These lasted through the night. Moreover, flere were the sacred Seasons; such as the fi)rty days of Lent for fasting, and the fifty days between Ettster and Whitsuntide for rejoicing. Such was the course of special devotions in the early Church; but, besides, every day had ifs ordinary Services, riz., prayer morning and eveniug. ]3esides these, might be mentioned the prayers af the canonical hours, which were originally used/br private, but, af length, for united worship; riz., at the third hour, or nine in the morning, in commemoration of the Holy Ghost's descent at Penteeost af that hour; af the sixth, the tilne of St. Peter's vision af Joppa, in nelnory of out,aviour's crucifixion; a.nd at the ninth, in memory of His death, which was the hour when St. Peter and St. John went up fo the Temple and hea.led the lame man. If may be added, that in some places the Holy Eucharist was celebrated and partaken dafly. This is by no means  full enumeration of the sacred Services in the early. Church; but if is abundantly sufficient for my purpose, which is to show how highly they valued the privflege of united prayer, and how literally they understood the words of Christ and His

Apostles. I ara by no means contending, that every point of discipline and order irt this day must be precisely the saine as if w then. Christians then had more rime on their ha.nds tlmn nmny of us lmve; and certain peculiarities of the age and place migqt combine to aHow them fo do wht we cannot do. Stfll, so çar must be clear fo every candid person who considers the state of the case, that they found some sort of plcasure in prayer which we do not; that they t,»ok dcliht in an exercise, which(I ara afraid [ must say, thoug] if SeelnS profinm even to suy it)which we should consider painfully long and tedioua This too is worth observing of tire primitive Christins, that they united social aud private prayer in their Service. On holydays, for instanoe, when if was extended till three o'clock in the afternoon, hey commenced wiH singing fle l'salms, in tire midst of which two Lessons were read, as is usual with us, commonly one from the Old and one from the New Testament. But in some places, instead of flmse ssons, after every Psalm, a short space was allowed for private pmyer to be made in silence, much in the way we sy a short prayer on coming into and going out of Church. After the Psahns and ssons came the Sermon, the more solemn prayers having hot yet ben. Shorfly after, followed tire celebration of the Holy Communion, which ag'in was introduced by a rime of silence for private prayer, such as we ai this day are aHowed during the admilfistration of the Sacred Elements to other eomnmnicants. And in this way they lengthened out and varied their

Services; principally, that is, by means of private prayers and psahns: so that, when no regular course of sei-ice was proceeding, yet the Church lnight be full of people, praying in secret and confessing their sins, or singing together psahns or hyanns. Thus exactly did they fulfil the Scfipture precepts—" ls any among you afilicted? let him pray; is auy merry? let him sing psahns," and "Let the word of Christ dwell iii you richly in all wisdoln; teaching and admonishiug one another in psahns and h3nnns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hcarts to the Lord."'

I bave now said enough fo let you into the reasons why I lately began Daily Service in this Church. I felt that we were very Ulflike the early Christians, if we went on without if; and that it was my business to give you an opportunity of observing if, else I was keeping a privilege from you. If you ask, why I did hot commence if before? I will rather tell you why I began just ai this time. If was, that the state of public affairs was so flreatening, that I could hot bear to wait longer; for there seemed quite a call upon all Christians fo be earnest in prayer, so much the more, as they thought they sw the Day of vengeance approaching. Under flmse circumstances if seelned a'ong fo withhold from you a privilege, for as a privilege I would entirely consider if. I wish fo view if rather as a privilege than as a duty, because then all those perplexed questions are removed ai once, which otherwise beset the mind, whether a nian should corne or not. Considefing it in the light of a privilege, I ara hot obliged to blame a man for hot coming. I say to him, If you cannot corne, then you have a g'eat loss. Very likely you a.re rig'ht in not coming; you have duties connected with your temporal calling which have a claire on you; you must serve like Martha, you bave hot the leisure-of Ma.ry. Well, be if so; still you bave a loss, as Matha had while Mary was af Jesus' feet. You bave a loss; I do hot sa.y Goal cannot nmke if up fo you; doubtless He will lless every one who contiuues in the t)ath of duty. He blessed Peter in prison, and Paul on the sea, as vell as the mother of Mark, or the daughters of Philip. Doubtless, even in your usual employments you can be glorifying your Saviour; you can be thinking of I[im; you can be thinking of those who are met together in vorship; you can be following in your heart, as tïtr as may be, the prayers they offer. Doubtless: only t Dto realize fo yourself that continual prayer anti praise is a privilege; only feel in good eanlest, vhat somehow the mass of Christians, after all, do hot recognize, that "it is good to be here "—feel as the early Christians felt when persecution hindered them from meeting, or, as holy David, vhen he cried out, "My soul is athirst for God, yea, even for the Living God; when shall I corne to appear before the presence of God?"1 feel this, and I shall not be solicitous about your coming; you will corne if you can. With these thoughts in my mind, I determined to offer fo God the Daily Service here myself, h order 1 Ps. xlii. 2.

that all nùght have the opportunity of coming before Him who would corne; to offer it, not waiting for a congregation, but independently of all men, as our Church sanctions; fo set the example, and fo save you the need of waiting for one another; and at least to give myself, with the early Christians, and St. Peter on the house-top, the benefit, if hot of social, at least of private prayer, as becomes the Christian l»riesthood. If is quite plain that far the greater part of our Daily Service, though more fitted for a congmgation than for an individual (as indeed is the Lord's Prayer itself), may yet be used, as the Lord's Prayer is used, by even «ne 1)erson. Such is out Common Prayer viewed in itself, and our Church has in the Introduction to it expressly directed this use of it. It is there said, "All pricsts and deacons are to say daily the morning and evening prayer, either privately or openly, hOt 1,eing let by sickness, or some other urgent cause." Again, "The curate that ministereth in every parish (.hurch or chapel, being at home, and hot being otherwise reasonably hindered, shall say the saine in the parish church or chapel where he ministereth, and shall .ause a bell to be tolled thereunto a convenient rime before he begin, that people may corne to hear God's word and fo pray with him." Now, doubtless, there are nmny reasons which may render the strict observances of these rules inexpedient in this or that place.r rime. The very disuse of them wi]l be a reason fi,r reviving them very cautiously and gmdually; the laucity of clergy is another reason for SUSl)ending them. Still there they remain in the Prayer-13ook— obsolete they cannot become, nay, even though torn from the book in some da.y of rebuke (to suppose what should hardly even be supposed), they still would ha.ve power, and ]ive unto Goal. If prayers were right three centurics since, they are right now. If a Christian minister might suitably offer Ul» common prayer by himself then, sure]y he nmy do so now. If he was then the spokesman of the saints fir and near, gathering togethcr their holy and concordant suffrages, and presenting them by virtue of his pricsthood, hc is so now. The revival of this usage is mercly a ma.ttcr of place and rime; and though neither our Lord nor l[is Church would bave us make suddcn alterations, e en though for the bettcr, yet certainly we ought ncver to forger what is abstractcdly out duty, wha.t is in itself est, what if is we have fo aire af and la.bour towards. If uuthority were needed, besides our Clmrch's own, for the propriety of Christian Ministers pmying even by thcmselves in places of worship, we bave it in the life of our eat pattern of Christian faith and wisdom, Hooke: "To what he persuaded others," says his biographer, "he added his own example of fasting and pmyer; and did usually every Ember weck take ri'oto the parish clerk the key of the church-door, into vhich place he retired every dy, and locked himself up for many hours; and did the like most Fridays, and other days of fasting." Tlmt holy man, in this instance, kept his prayers to himself. He was hot offering up the Dafly Sewice; but I adduce his instance to show that there is nothing strange or unseemly in u Christian minister praying in church by himself; and if so, much less when he gives his leople the olportunity of coming if they will. TMs, then, is vhat I felt and feel:—if is commonly said, when week-da.y prayers are spoken of, "You -ill hot get a cogregation, or you will get but a few;" but they whom Christ has broght near to Himself to be the Stewards of His Mysteries depend on no man; mther, after I[is pattern, they are to draw men after them. He pra.yed alone on the mountain; He prays alone (for who shall join with Him?) in His Father's presence. He is the one effectual Intercessor for sinners at tle right hand of God. And what He is really, such are we in figure; what I[e is meritoriously, such are instrumentally. Such are we by His ace; allowed fo occul,y His place xisibly, however unworthily, in H is absence, tfll He corne; allowed to depend ou Him, and hot ou our ]people; al]oed to draw our commissiot froln Him, uot from them; allowed to be centres, about which the Church may gwow, and about which it really exists, be if great or little. Therefore, iu beginning and continuing the Da.ily Service, I do hot, will hot measure the effect produced, by appearances. If we wait til] all the world are worshippers, we must wait till the wofld is new ruade; but, if so, who shfll draw the line, and say, how many are enough to pray together, when He has told us that His flock is little, and that where two or three are gathered together in I-tis naine, I-te is in the midst of them? So I account a few met together in prayer to be a type of His tme Church; hot actual]y I-tis true Church (Goal forbid the presumption!) but as a token and type of it;

not as bcing His elect, one by one, for who can know whom He has chosen but He who chooses?—not as elect for certain, for it may be a man's duy to be away, as Martha was in her place when serving, and only fiuflty when she thought censoriously of Ma W;—hot as His complete fiock, doubtless, for tiret were to exclude the old, and the sick, and the infirm, and little children; —hot as His select and undefiled remnant, for Judas was one of the twelve—still as the earnest and promise of His Saints, the birth of Christ in its rudiments, and the dweHing-place of the Spirit; and precious, even though but one out. of the whole lmlnber, Slnall though it be, belong af present to God's hidden ones; nay, though, as is likely fo be the case, in none of theln there be more flmn the dawn of the True Light and the goiugs fooEh of the morning.—Some, too, wfll COlne af rimes, as accident fides them, giving promise that they may one day be settled and secured within the sacred fold. Some w corne in rimes of grief or compunction, others in preparation for the Holy Columuon.1 Nor is it a se'ice for those only who are present; a men know the tMe, and many mark it, whose bodfly presence is away. We have with us the hearts of many. Those who are conscious they are absent in the path of duty, wi naturally turn their thoughts fo the Church at the stated hour, and thence fo God. They will recollect 1 It may be suggested here, that week-day seces (with fasting) e the appropriate attendants on weekly communion, which h lately been advocated, especially in the impmssive serinons of Mr. Dodswoh. When the one observance is used without the other, either the sacmdness of the Lord's day is lost, from its wanting a pecuHar Service, or the Etchast is in danger of profanation, from its frequency leadlng us to remissness in preparing for it.

what prayers are then in course, and they will have fl'agments of them rising on their minds umid their worldly business. They will call to mind the duy of the month, and the psahus used on if, und the chapters of Scripture then read out to the people. How pleusant to the wayfaring man, on his journey, fo think of what is going on in his own Church! How soothing und consolato W fo the old nd infirm who cannot corne, to t'olhw in their thoughts, nay, with the pruyers and psalms before flem, what they do not heur! Shull hot those prayers and holy meditutions, separated though they be in place, uscend up together to the presence of God? Shall hot they be with their minister in spirit, who ure provoked unto prayer by his service? Shall hot their prayers unite in one before the Mercyseat, sprinkled wifl the Atoning Blood, us a pure offering of incense unto the Father, and un acceptable sacrifice both for the world of sinners and for His purchased Church? Who then will dare speak of loneliness and solitude, because in man's eyes there are few worshippers brought together in one place? or, who will urge if as u defect in our Service, even if that were the case? Who, lnoreover, will so speak, when even the ]Ioly Angels are preseut when we pray, stand by us as gmmlians, sympathize in our need, and join us in our praises? When thoughts sueh as these are set before the multitude of men, they appear to some of them strained and unnatural; fo others, formal, severe, and tending fo bondage. So must if be. Christ's eomlnands will seem fo be a servitude, and His privileges will be strange, till we act upon the one and embrace the other. To those who corne lu faith, to receive and to obey, who, instead of st.auding at a distance, reasoning, criticising, investigating, adjusting, hear tlis voice and follow Itim. not knowing whither they go; who throw themselves, their hearts and wills, their opinions and conduct, into Ilis Divine System with a noble boldness, and serve Hiln on a venture, without experience of results, or skill fo defend their OWll confidence by argulllent: who, when He says "I'l'ay," "Continue in prayer," take tIis words simply, and forthwith pray, and that instantly; these men, through tlis great mercy and the power of the Holy Ghost working in t, hem, will at length find persevering prayer, praise, and intercession, neither a londage nor a barrenness. But it is in the nature of things that Christ's word nmst be a law u'hilc it is good tidings. Tha.t very message of good tidings, that Christ saves sinners, is no good tidings to those who have hot a heart to abandon sin; and as no one, by nature, has this good heart, and, even under grace, no one obtains it except gradually, there nmst ever be a degTee of bondage i the Gospel, till, by obeying the Law and creating within us a love of God and holiness, we, by little and little, enter into the meaning of His promises. May He lead us on evermore in the narrow way, who is the One Aid of all that need, the Helper of all that flee to Him for succour, the Lire of theln that believe, and thc Resurrection of the dead