A Petition for Peace with the Reformation of the Liturgy, Part 8 – Part 11
Of the Celebration of Matrimony.
BEfore the Solemnizing of Marriage between any Perſons, their purpoſe of marriage ſhall bee publiſhed by the Miniſter, three ſeveral Lords daies in the Congregation, at the place or places of their moſt uſual abode reſpectively. And of this Publication, the Miniſter who is to joyn them in marriage, ſhall have ſufficient Teſtimony before hee proceed to Solemnize the Marriage; The Parents conſent being firſt ſufficiently made known.
At the Celebration the Miniſter ſhall either by a Sermon; or other Exhortation, open to them the Inſtitution, Ends, and Uſe of Marriage, with the conjugal Duties which they are faithfully to perform to each other. And then ſhall demand of them whether it bee their deſire and purpoſe to bee joyned together in the Bond of the Marriage-Covenant, and if they anſwer affirmatively, hee ſhall ſay to them.
I require and charge you as you will anſwer at the dreadful day of Judgement (when the ſecrets of all hearts ſhall bee diſcloſed) that if either of you do know any Impediment by Precon…ract or otherwiſe, why you may not law…ully bee joyned together in marriage, you diſcover it and proceed not.
If no Impediment bee diſcovered by them or others, hee ſhall Proceed to Pray.
MOſt merciful Father, who haſt ordained Marriage for mutual …n 2. 18. & …. 28. Mal 2. 15. 1 Cor. 7. 14. 9. Heb. 13. 4. Luk. 1. 6.help, and for the increaſe of mankinde▪ with a legitimate Iſſue, and of the Church with a Holy ſéed, and for prevention of uncleanneſs: Bleſs thy own Ordinance to theſe perſons, that entring this ſtate of Marriage in thy fear, they may there Ephe. 5. 22 &c. Mal …. 15, 16. P…al. 127. 3. Mat. 19. 13, 14. D…ut. 29. 11, 12 …zek. 16. 8. Pro. 20. 7. Eph. 6. 4. 1 Pet. 3. 1, 7. 1 Tim. 3. 11. & 5. 13, 14. 1 Co…. 7. 5, 29. Gen. 2. 18. P…o. 5. 18. Heb. 10. 26 1 Cor. 7. 29. Luk. 12. 40. 1 Pet. 3. 7. Rev. 19. 7. Joh. 17. 24.…tirely devote themſelves unto thée, and bée faithful in all con…gal Affections, and duties unto each other [and if thou bleſs them with Children] let them bee devoted unto thée, and accepted as thine own, and bleſſed with thy grace, and educated in thy fear. Subdue thoſe corruptioins If they bee young, it may …ee ſaid, Bleſs them with …hildren, and l…t them b… de…ed, &c.that would make their lives unholy or uncomfortable, and deliver them from temptations to impiety, worldlyneſs, unquietneſs, diſcontent or diſaffection to each other, or to any Unfaithfulneſs to thée or to each other; make them meet helps to each other in thy fear, and in the lawful management of the affairs of this World. Let them not hinder, but provoke one another to love, and good to works, and foreſéeing the day of their ſeparation by death, let them ſpend their daies in a Holy Preparation; and live here together as the Heirs of life, that muſt re…oyce at the great marriage day of the Lamb, and live for ever with Chriſt and all the Holy Angels and Saints in the preſence of thy glory. Amen.
The Woman if ſh…e b…e under Parents or Governours, being by one of them, or ſome deputed by them given to b…e married, the Man with his Right hand ſhall take the Woman by the Right hand, and ſhall ſay.
I. A. do take thée B. to bée my Married Wife, and do promiſe and Covenant in the preſence of God, and before this Congregation, to bée a loving and faithful Husband to thée, till God ſhall ſeparate us by death.
Then the Woman ſhall take the Man by the Right hand, with her Right hand, and ſay.
I. B. do take thée A. to bée my Married Husband, and I do promiſe and Covenant in the preſence of God, and before this Congregation to bée a loving, obedient, and faithful Wife unto thée, till God ſhall ſeparate us by death,
Then let the Miniſter ſay.
Theſe two perſons A. and B. being lawfully married according to Gods Ordinance, I do pronounce them, Husband and Wife. And thoſe, whom God hath conjoyned, let no man put aſunder.
Next hee may read the duty of Husbands and Wives out of E…heſ. 5. 2. Coll. 4. 2. 1 Pet. 3. and Pſalm. 128. or ſome other Pertinent Pſalm may bee ſaid or ſung; And let the Miniſter exhort them to their ſeveral duties, and then Pray.
MOſt merciful Father, let thy Bleſſings reſt upon theſe Gen. 28. 3. Tit. 1. 15. 1 Tim. 4. 5. 1 Cor. 10. 31. 1 Theſ. 3. 12. Eph. 5. 25. Gal. 5. 22. Rom. …. 1. 13. Gal. 6. ….Perſons, now joyned in lawful Marriage, Sanctify them and their Converſations, their Family, Eſtates, and … unto thy Glory. Furniſh them with love to thée and to each other, with méekneſs, patience, and contentedneſs. Let them not live unto the Fleſh, but unto the ſpirit, that of the ſpirit they may reap Everlaſting Life, through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
Then let him Conclude with a Benediction.
GOd Almighty, the Creator, Redéemer, and Sanctifier, bleſs you in your Souls and Bodies, Family and Affairs, and preſerve you to his Heavenly Kingdome. Amen.
The Viſitation of the Sick, and their Communion.
THe Viſitation of the Sick being a private duty, and no part of the Pub…ick Liturgy of the Church, and the caſe of the Sick being ſo exceeding various, as to ſoul and body, and it being requiſite that Miniſters bee able to ſui… their Exhortations and Prayers to the Condition of the Sick, let the words of ſuch Exhortations and Prayers bee left to their Prudence.
So urgent is the neceſſity of the Sick, and ſo ſeaſonable and advantagious the opportunity, that Miniſters may not negligently over-paſs them, but in love and tenderneſs inſtruct them according to their ſeveral Conditions; Endeavouring the Converſion of the ungodly, the ſtrengthening of the weak, and comforting ſuch as need Conſolation, directing them how to improve their afflictions, and helping them to bee ſenſible of the evil of ſin, the negligences and miſcarriages of their lives, the vanity of the World, their neceſſity of a Saviour, the ſufficiency of Chriſt, the Certainty and Excellency of the Everlaſting Glory; Exhorting them to repentance and to faith in Chriſt, and to ſet their affections on the things above; And (if they are penitent beleevers) comfortably to hope for the Kingdome which God hath promiſed to them that love him, committing their ſouls to their Redeemer, and quietly reſting in the will, and love, and promiſes of God; Reſolving if God ſhall recover them to health, to redeem the time, and live the reſt of their lives unto his glory. And being willing, if it bee their appointed time, to depart and bee with Chriſt; and they muſt bee exhorted to forgive ſuch as have wronged them, and to bee reconciled to thoſe with whom they have been at variance, and to make a pious, juſt, and charitable diſpoſal of their Worldly Eſtates.
The Order for Solemnizing the Burial of the Dead.
IT is agreeable to nature and Religion, that the Burial of Chriſtians bee ſolemnly and decently performed, as to the caſes; Whether the Corps ſhall bee carried firſt into the Church, that is to bee buried in the Churchyard? And whether it ſhall bee buried before the Sermon, Reading, or Prayer, or after, or in the midſt of the reading, or whether any Prayer ſhall bee made at the grave, for the living, Let no Chriſtians uncharitably judge one another about theſe things, let no people keep up groundleſs uſages, that being ſuſpicio…s, grieve their Miniſter and offend their Brethren. Let no Miniſter that ſcrupleth the ſatisfying of peoples ungrounded deſires in ſuch things, bee forced to do it againſt his Conſcience, and let Miniſters that do uſe any of theſe Cuſtomes or Ceremonies, have liberty, when they ſuſpect that the people deſire them upon ſome Error, to profeſs againſt that Error, and teach the people better.
Whether the Miniſter come with the Company that brings the Corps from the houſe: or whether hee meet them, or receive them at the burial place, is to bee left to his own diſcretion. But while hee is with them, let him gravely diſcourſe of mans Mortality, and the uſeful truths and duties thence to bee inferred: And either at the Grave, or in the Reading place, or Pulpit, by way of Sermon, according to his diſcretion. Let him (at leaſt if it bee deſired) inſtruct and exhort the people concerning death, and the life to come, and their neceſſary preparation. Seeing the ſpectacle of Mortality, and the ſeaſon of mourning, do tend to prepare men for a ſober conſiderate entertainment of ſuch Inſtructions, and hee may read ſuch Scriptures as may minde them of Death, Reſurrection, and Eternal life, as 1 Cor. 15. or from verſ. 10. to the end, And Job 1. 21. & 19. 25, 26, 27. John 11. 25, 26. & 5. 28, 29. And his Prayer ſhall bee ſuited to the occaſion.
When ever the Rain, Snow, or Coldneſs of the ſeaſon, make it unhealthful to the Miniſter or People to ſtand out of doors, at leaſt then, let the Reading, Exhortation, and Prayers, bee uſed within the Church.
Of Extraordinary Daies of Humiliation, and Thanksgiving, and Anniverſary Feſtivals.
WHen great afflictions lye upon the Church, or any ſpecial part or members of it, or when any great ſins have been Committed among them, it is meet that in publick, by faſting and prayer, wee humble our ſelves before the Lord, for the averting of his diſpleaſure; and on ſuch occaſions it is the Paſtors duty to confeſs his own, and the peoples ſins, with Penitence, and tenderneſs of heart, and by his Doctrine and Exhortation, to Endeavour effectually to bring the People to the ſight and ſenſe of their ſin, and the deſerts of it, and to a firm Reſolution of better obedience for the time to come, being importunate with God in Prayer for pardon and renewed grace.
Upon the receipt of great and extraordinary mercies, the Church (having opportunity) is to Aſſemble for publick Thankſgiving unto God, and the Miniſter to ſtirre up the people to a lively ſenſe of the greatneſs of thoſe mercies, and joyfully to Celebrate the praiſes of God, the Author of them. And it is not unmeet in theſe daies to expreſs our joy in Feaſting and outward ſignes of Mirth, provided they bee uſed moderately, ſpiritually, and inoffenſively, and not to gratifie ourſenſual deſires, and that wee releeve the poor in their neceſſities (which alſo on daies of Humiliation and other ſeaſons. wee muſt not forget.) The occaſions of ſuch daies of Humiliation and Thankſgiving being ſo various, as cannot bee well ſuited by any ſtanding forms, the Miniſter is to apply himſelf to the reſpective duties, ſuitable to the particular occaſions.
Though it bee not unlawful or unmeet to keep Anniverſary Commemoration by Feſtivals, of ſome great and notable mercies, to the Church or State, the memory whereof ſhould bee tranſmitted to poſterity; nor to give any perſons their due honour who have been the Inſtruments thereof; yet becauſe the Feſtivals of the Churches Inſtitution now obſerved, are much abuſed, and many ſober Godly perſons, Miniſters, and others, are unſatisfied of the Lawfulneſs of the Celebrating them as Holy daies, let the abuſe bee reſtrained, and let not the Religious obſervation of thoſe daies by publick Worſhip, bee forced upon any that are thus unſatisfied, provided they forbear all offenſive behaviour thereupon.