Baxter - BX5207 B3 A2 1696

312 7"heLÌEE of the LIB.J In the Sentences exciting to remember the Poor, the Scriptures and Apochry- phal Paffagesof Tobit are confounded without any note of fufftcient digin&ion , as if we wouldhave the Peoplebelieve that Tobit is Canonical Scripture. ThePrayer for the Church Militant (one of the heft)is very defe&ive, having no Petition for the Church, but tholefor [Truth, Unity, Love andConcord]. The ..Exhortation biddeth all ( and intreateth them for the Lord Jefus fake) even the wont and mog unprepared thatbe prefena, tocome to the Lord's Table,as invited thereto by God himfelf: which is a great wrongto him and them. And it mifinterpreteththe Parable, Mateb. zz. ( to which it feemeth plainly to a1 lude) which fpeaketh not of our coming to the Sacrament, but of our coming to Chrift, and into his Church: Though indeed the Exhortation is very good, if it were made at a fufficient diftancebefore the Sacrament, that they might have time of Preparation. Thenext Admonition againft unworthy Receiving is verygood ; but impertinent and unfeafonable, while it perfwadeth them to come to the Minifterfor Advice, in order to the Sacramentwhich is perfe&ly tobe adminiáred. It is a diforder, for one o f the Communicantsto be invited to be the Mouth of rberefb inConfefflon of Prayer. If the People may pro tempere make a Minifter, why not for continuance ; andfo the CommonPrayer Book is for the Principles of Popular-Se. paratilts. The proper Prefaces for CbrifImas-day. and TYbirfunday, repeat the word [at this day] which is either a falihood or impertinent ; and non-intelligible to the molt. It is a disorder inthe next words to begin in a Prayer and end in a Narra- tive. It is diforderlyfor the Minifter to receive the Sacrament in both kinds himfelf before theother Mini ters, or People do receiveit in either. There is no fufficient Explicationof the Nature and Ufe of the Sacrament pre- mifed : which is the greater defe&where the Sacrament is allowed to be admini- fired without a Sermon ; and where fo many of the People never learned the Ca. techifm, or underfrood what 'aSacrament is. TheExhortation is too defe&ive for the exciting the Faith' and other Graces of the Communicants; which yet we can bear with, if the Minifter may be allowed himfelf to fpeak filch other quickeningWords of Exhortation as he findeth fuitable to the temper of the Communicants. The ConfefGon ofSinbefore the Communion is too general and defeetive. The Confecration, Commemoration, and Delivery, and Participation are notdi- gin&ly enoughperformed. Sometime the Minister is to kneelat Prayer, and fometimeto Band up, without any fpecial reafon given for it. It were moreorderly to make the Delivery diftin& in Scripture words; and not to confound Prayer and the Delivery together. It is more fuitable to Chri is Example, that the WordsofDelivery be (ordinari- ly) in the Plural Number, and to the Church, or to many at once, [ Take ye, Eat ye, Drinkye,] than in the Singular Number recited to each one. It is diforderly for the People to repeat every Petition of the following Prayers, after the Minifter. That the Hymn be fang in Prole feemeth diforderly. The Colleets appointed to be laid after the Offertory, have no reason of order or connexion with what went before, or followeth after. The fir/ of them beggs [ Affiance in tbefe our Supplications and Prayers]; which should rather be towards the beginning than whenwe are coneluding.And it beggs but the oft repeated benefit of Defence againfb the Changes and (as it is inconveniently called) rbe Chances of cbir Life. And another of them again asked, chafe things which we dare not ask]. Butit is the greateft disorder of all, that every Parishioner (hall Communicateat leali thrice in the year, whether he be fit or unfit, and be forced to it. In Baptifm it is the greatelt diforder, that Mini ters muff be forced, though a -, gain/ their Confciences, to baptize all Children without Exception' the Chil- dren of Atheills, Infidels, Hereticks, unbaptized Perfons, Excommunicate Perfons, orImpenitent fornicators,or filch like. lc

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