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← A Priest to the Temple, or, The Country Parson/Book 1 · A Priest to the Temple, or, The Country Parson his Character and Rule of Holy Life
Chapter 39HerbertParson.1.39

The Authour's Prayer before Sermon.

Confession of Unworthiness

The parson confesses human sinfulness and unworthiness before God's majesty, acknowledging that humanity lost God for an apple and still loses him for trivial things.

O Almighty and ever-living Lord God! Majesty and Power and Brightness and Glory! How dare we appear before you, we who are contrary to you in everything we call you? for we are darkness and weakness and filthiness and shame. Misery and sin fill our days; yet you are our Creator, and we are your work. Your hands both made us and made us lords of all your creatures, giving us one world within ourselves and another to serve us. Then you placed us in Paradise and continued to shower us with favors, until we interrupted your plans, frustrated your purposes, and sold our God — our glorious, gracious God — for an apple.12 O write it! Oh, brand it on our foreheads forever: for an apple we once lost our God, and we still lose him for no more — for money, for food, for our appetites. But you, Lord, are patience and pity and sweetness and love; therefore we sons of men are not consumed.✦3

Christ's Incarnation and Love

The parson praises Christ's incarnation, death, and resurrection, and marvels that the ministry of reconciliation is entrusted to sinful humans.

You have exalted your mercy above all things, and have made our salvation, not our punishment, your glory — so that where sin abounded, not death but grace superabounded. Accordingly, when we had sinned beyond any help in heaven or earth, then you said, "Behold, I come!"✦✦✦ Then the Lord of life, unable in himself to die, devised a way to do it.4 He took on flesh, he wept, he died; he died for his enemies—even for those who mocked him then and still despise him.✦✦ Blessed Savior! Many waters could not quench your love!✦ Nor could any pit overwhelm it.✦5 But though the streams of your blood flowed through darkness, the grave, and hell, yet through these conflicts of yours and what seemed like mortal dangers, you rose in triumph, and by that made us victorious.6 Nor does your love stop here! For this message of your rich peace and reconciliation you have entrusted not to thunder or angels, but to simple and sinful human beings—even to me, pardoning my sins and sending me to feed the people of your love.✦✦7

Praise and Petition for the Word

The parson praises God and petitions for the blessing of the preached word upon the universal church and the local congregation.

Blessed be the God of heaven and earth!✦ who alone does wondrous things.✦ Awake, then, my lute and my viol!✦ awake all my powers to glorify you! We praise you! We bless you! We magnify you forever! And now, O Lord! By the power of your victories, by the ways of your ordinances, and by the truth of your love: look, we stand here pleading with you to bless your word wherever it is spoken today throughout the universal Church. Oh, make it a word of power and peace, to convert those who are not yet yours, and to confirm those who are; especially bless it in this kingdom of yours, which you have made a land of light, a storehouse of your treasures and mercies. Oh, do not let our foolish and unworthy hearts rob us of the continuation of this sweet love of yours; but pardon our sins, and perfect what you have begun. Ride on, Lord, because of the word of truth and meekness,✦ and righteousness; and your right hand will teach you terrible things.✦8 Especially bless this company gathered here, as your unworthy servant speaks to them: Lord Jesus!9 Teach me, that I may teach them; sanctify and enable all my powers, so that in their full strength they may deliver your message reverently, readily, faithfully, and fruitfully. Oh, make your word a swift word, passing from the ear to the heart, from the heart to life and conduct: so that as the rain does not return empty, neither may your word, but accomplish what it was given for.✦10 Oh Lord, hear; Oh Lord, forgive!✦

Concluding Plea and Lord's Prayer

The parson concludes with a final plea for God to listen and leads into the Lord's Prayer.

Lord, listen. And do this for the sake of your blessed Son, in whose sweet and pleasing words we say, 'Our Father,' and so on.11

Read the original English

O Almighty and ever-living Lord God! Majesty, and Power, and Brightnesse, and Glory! How shall we dare to appear before thy face, who are contrary to thee, in all we call thee? for we are darknesse, and weaknesse, and filthinesse, and shame. Misery and sin fill our days: yet art thou our Creatour, and we thy work: Thy hands both made us, and also made us Lords of all thy creatures; giving us one world in our selves, and another to serve us: then did'st thou place us in Paradise, and wert proceeding still on in thy Favours, untill we interrupted thy Counsels, disappointed thy Purposes, and sold our God, our glorious, our gracious God for an apple. O write it! O brand it in our foreheads for ever: for an apple once we lost our God, and still lose him for no more; for money, for meat, for diet: But thou Lord, art patience, and pity, and sweetnesse, and love; therefore we sons of men are not consumed. Thou hast exalted thy mercy above all things; and hast made our salvation, not our punishment, thy glory: so that then where sin abounded, not death, but grace superabounded; accordingly, when we had sinned beyond any help in heaven or earth, then thou saidest, Lo, I come!

then did the Lord of life, unable of himselfe to die, contrive to do it. He took flesh, he wept, he died; for his enemies he died; even for those that derided him then, and still despise him. Blessed Saviour! Many waters could not quench thy love! nor no pit overwhelme it. But though the streams of thy bloud were currant through darknesse, grave, and hell; yet by these thy conflicts, and seemingly hazards, didst thou arise triumphant, and therein mad'st us victorious. Neither doth thy love yet stay here! for, this word of thy rich peace, and reconciliation, thou hast committed, not to Thunder, or Angels, but to silly and sinfull men: even to me, pardoning my sins, and bidding me go feed the people of thy love.

Blessed be the God of Heaven and Earth! who onely doth wondrous things. Awake therefore, my Lute, and my Viol! awake all my powers to glorifie thee! We praise thee! we blesse thee! we magnifie thee for ever! And now, O Lord!

in the power of thy Victories, and in the wayes of thy Ordinances, and in the truth of thy Love, Lo, we stand here, beseeching thee to blesse thy word, wherever spoken this day throughout the universall Church. O make it a word of power and peace, to convert those who are not yet thine, and to confirme those that are: particularly, blesse it in this thy own Kingdom, which thou hast made a Land of light, a store-house of thy treasures and mercies: O let not our foolish and unworthy hearts rob us of the continuance of this thy sweet love: but pardon our sins, and perfect what thou hast begun. Ride on Lord, because of the word of truth, and meeknesse. and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Especially, blesse this portion here assembled together, with thy unworthy Servant speaking unto them: Lord Jesu! teach thou me, that I may teach them; Sanctifie, and inable all my powers, that in their full strength they may deliver thy message reverently, readily, faithfully, & fruitfully. O make thy word a swift word, passing from the ear to the heart, from the heart to the life and conversation: that as the rain returns not empty, so neither may thy word, but accomplish that for which it is given. O Lord hear, O Lord forgive!

O Lord, hearken. and do so for thy blessed Son's sake, in whose sweet and pleasing words, we say, Our Father, &c.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Lam.3.22 — The steadfast love of the LORD—it has not ceased; his mercies have not come to an end.
  2. ↩Rom.5.20 — The law came in alongside so that the trespass might increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more.
  3. ↩Ps.40.7;Heb.10.7 — Sacrifice and offering you did not desire— you opened my ears; burnt offering and sin offering you did not require. Heb.10.7 — Then I said, 'Behold, I have come — in the scroll of the book it is written of me — to do your will, O God.'
  4. ↩Jas.2.13 — For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy; but mercy triumphs over judgment.
  5. ↩John.1.14;John.11.35 — And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth. John.11.35 — Jesus wept.
  6. ↩Rom.5.6-Rom.5.10 — For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Rom.5.7 — For rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though for a good person someone might perhaps even dare to die. Rom.5.8 — But God demonstrates his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Rom.5.9 — Much more then, having now been justified by his blood, we will be saved through him from the wrath. Rom.5.10 — For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
  7. ↩Song.8.7 — Many waters cannot quench love, and rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly despised.
  8. ↩Song.8.7 — Many waters cannot quench love, and rivers cannot sweep it away. If a man were to give all the wealth of his house for love, it would be utterly despised.
  9. ↩2Cor.5.18-2Cor.5.19 — All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 2Cor.5.19 — that is, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has entrusted to us the message of reconciliation.
  10. ↩John.21.15-John.21.17 — When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?" He said, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said to him, "Feed my lambs." John.21.16 — He said to him again a second time, 'Simon, son of John, do you love me?' He said to him, 'Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.' He said to him, 'Tend my sheep.' John.21.17 — He said to him the third time, 'Simon son of John, do you love me?' Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, 'Do you love me?' and he said to him, 'Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.' Jesus said to him, 'Feed my sheep.'
  11. ↩Ps.72.18 — Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders.
  12. ↩Ps.72.18;Ps.136.4 — Blessed be the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone works wonders. Ps.136.4 — who alone does great wonders, for his steadfast love endures forever
  13. ↩Ps.57.8;Ps.108.2 — My heart is steadfast, God; my heart is steadfast; I will sing and I will make melody. Ps.108.2 — My heart is steadfast, God; I will sing and make melody, even my glory.
  14. ↩Ps.45.4 — Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
  15. ↩Ps.45.4 — Gird your sword on your thigh, O mighty one, in your glory and majesty.
  16. ↩Isa.55.10-Isa.55.11 — For just as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there unless they have watered the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater— Isa.55.11 — So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
  17. ↩Dan.9.19 — O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, pay attention and do! Do not delay — for your own sake, O my God, because your name is called over your city and your people.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩"one world within ourselves, and another to serve us": the human microcosm (the little world of the self) and the outer world of creatures given to serve us.
  2. 2 ↩Early modern "disappointed" here means frustrated/thwarted (not modern emotional disappointment).
  3. 3 ↩"meat" and "diet" rendered as "food" and "our appetites": early modern meat often means food in general; diet means fare or regimen of eating.
  4. 4 ↩"Unable of himself to die" means that, in his divine nature, he could not die; the Incarnation is the "contrivance" by which he made death possible.
  5. 5 ↩Source "nor no pit" is an Early Modern double negative; rendered as a single modern negative without changing sense. "Pit" may evoke grave, abyss, or Sheol.
  6. 6 ↩"Currant" is archaic spelling of "current" (flowing). "Seemingly hazards" is read as seeming/apparent hazards—dangers that looked real and mortal.
  7. 7 ↩"Silly" in Early Modern English means simple, lowly, or frail, not modern "foolish"; rendered "simple" to preserve that sense.
  8. 8 ↩Terrible here means awe-inspiring or fearsome deeds, not merely bad ones; the wording keeps the traditional psalm cadence.
  9. 9 ↩Portion is rendered company: the local assembly of people present, not a share of goods.
  10. 10 ↩Conversation is rendered conduct: Early Modern English for manner of life, not talk.
  11. 11 ↩Source '&c.' is the conventional cue that the Lord's Prayer continues; rendered as 'and so on' rather than expanding the full prayer text.

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