Directory for Public Worship - Prayer after the Sermon, Baptism (Worship Wednesday) On Worship Wednesdays, I read on the subject of worship and am currently doing so through The Directory of the Publick Worship of God, written by the Westminster Assembly.  Although the link is to a copy with commentary by Rowland Ward, I'm reading the one in the back of my Westminster Directory, so I'm afraid there won't be notes here on what Ward says (The Ward and Muller book will probably make an appearance on future Worship Wednesdays).  The following are a portion of my notes:

Of Prayer after the Sermon (p381-382)

• Offer thanks for
• the various works of the Father, Son and Spirit
• especially the gospel itself and all of its benefits
• naming covenant blessings specific to this congregation and church
• Asking
• for continuation of faithful Word, Sacrament, and Discipline here
• God's blessing upon each of these
• specific application of those points made from the Scripture by the sermon
• for preparation for last things (death, return, judgment, etc.)
• for blessing upon church and land

A Psalm Should Then Be Sung if Convenient

A Blessing Pronounced If No Other Ordinances That Day

--

Of Baptism (p382-384)

• is not to be unnecessarily delayed
• administered only by a minister
• only in corporate worship
• after teaching that
• it is instituted by Jesus
• it is a seal of
• the covenant of grace
• our ingrafting into Christ
• our union with Him
• the water signifies both the blood of Jesus and the work of the Spirit
• the washing signifies cleansing (mortification and rising to newness of life)
• by the blood of Christ
• for the merit of Christ
• through the death and resurrection of Christ
• the promise is made to believers ad their seed
• Jesus admitted children into His presence and said that the kingdom belonged to them
• they are being received into the church and are obligated to renounce and fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh
• children of believers are already set apart to God b/c of their parent
• the inward grace and virtue of baptism are not tied to the moment of its administration
• [e.g. they may come much later]
• they continue through the whole of life
• no one is in danger of damnation simply for not receiving water baptism
• this is just a pattern; the minister may use his own liberty to tailor to the situation
• admonish all present
• look back to their baptism
• repent of any covenant-breaking with God
• stir up their faith to make right use of their baptism
• exhort parent
• consider mercy of God to him and his child
• instruct, nurture, discipline the child in the Lord
• with warning of the danger of wrath upon himself and child if negligent in this duty
• prayer (that God would provide in time the inward realities and true benefits)
• words of institution, concurrent with application of water
• prayer
• thanking for the various mercies
• that the Lord would make the baptism effectual to the recipient, teaching him by His Word and Spirit

Labels: Directory for Public Worship, Worship Wednesday

  ¶ 5:08 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Directory for Public Worship - Of Publick Prayer before the Sermon, Of the Preaching of the Word (Worship Wednesday) On Worship Wednesdays, I am resolved to read on the subject of worship and am currently doing so through The Directory of the Publick Worship of God, written by the Westminster Assembly.  Although the link is to a copy with commentary by Rowland Ward, I'm reading the one in the back of my Westminster Directory, so I'm afraid there won't be notes here on what Ward says (The Ward and Muller book will probably make an appearance on future Worship Wednesdays).  The following are a portion of my notes, for my reference and your additional edification:

Of Publick Prayer before the Sermon

• Confess (p376-7)
  
• original sin, its effect upon even our best actions, its tending us toward the worst actions
• actual sin, as a despising of the riches of God's goodness and standing against the invitations of God's grace, and as a grievous revelation of our sinful hearts
• (therefore) our complete unworthiness of any good and deserving of every judgment
• Approach then with strong hope, but that hope only and entirely in Christ alone (p377)
  
• Requests for Us (p377)
  
• apprehension of God's love
• the Spirit and assurance
• comfort for the mourning
• conviction for the presumptuous
• sanctification (mortification of sin, quickening of new man)
• grace to fit and enable us for every duty and calling
• strength against temptation
• sanctified use of our blessings
• sanctified use of our crosses
• perseverance
• Requests for Others (p377-8)
  
• spread of gospel and kingdom
• second coming of Christ
• deliverance for the persecuted
• peace and purity for the church
• true/spiritual blessings for all authorities, specifically for specific authorities
  
• locally
• blessing upon the ministries of word, sacrament, discipline
• mercy to the inwardly or outwardly afflicted
• seasonable weather
• fruitful seasons
• averting of judgments
• For the Preaching (p378-9)
  
• ministry of the Spirit
• that the preacher would have "wisdom, fidelity, zeal, and utterance, that he may divide the word of God aright"
• for circumcised hearts and ears for the hearers

Of the Preaching of the Word

• in addition to those qualifications assumed in ordination, the preacher must pray God's help and must prepare (p379)
  
• suggestions (wise counsel, but not necessary/commanded in all its particulars)
• Introduce with a summary, including as simple a division/organization of the matter as possible (p379)
  
• Make points that are true, from the text, intended by the text (p379)
• Make the point uncontestable, clear, and delightful using argument and illustration (p379-80)
  
• Answer probable doubts, objections, or mistakes (p380)
  
• Application (p380-1)
  
• both what they should do, and counsel for how best to go about it
• show the way that the corresponding sin can trap us
• when comforting, make sure to answer any possible objections
• provide ways to self-examine for good application
• don't give every possible application, but select those most needful
• whatever method of preaching selected, the preacher should always preach
• diligently
• plainly enough for the simplest
  
• with a view to exalting Christ and helping others, not exalting or helping himself
• as one who has been personally convinced, convicted, and practiced of the matter
  

Labels: Directory for Public Worship, Worship Wednesday

  ¶ 5:54 PM 0 Comments Links to this post

  Directory for Public Worship - Preface, Assembling, Reading (Worship Wednesday) Welcome to worship Wednesdays. Yesterday, Timeless Tuesdays recommenced. With God's help, I hope to be reading on the subject of worship every Wednesday, and blogging my notes for easier future reference and for the edification of whoever wishes to read them. Perhaps I can even stimulate some blog readers to "take up and read" the original sources.

The Directory for the Publick Worship of God is one of the simplest and clearest guides for Reformed worship ever written.

As we have had our calls to worship through the book of Hebrews, we have found the convincing argument that since Christ is all and does all in our worship, it actually detracts from Him to add anything that He has not commanded in His Word.

The Directory describes precisely such simple and Scriptural worship, seeking to establish it orderly and edifying in obedience to the commands in 1 Corinthians. Although in these dark times worship such as described in The Directory is rare, it has pleased God in the past to make it widespread, and it may please Him to do so again. In February, 1645, both the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, and the Parliament of the Kingdom of Scotland unanimously adopted The Directory as the law to govern worship in that country.

You may wish to purchase a copy of The Directory, [here] with notes by Sinclair Ferguson and Mark Dever, or [here] with all of the original Westminster Standards adopted by the Church of Scotland. My notes are taken from the copy in the latter volume, beginning on p369.

--

Notes:

Preface

• Although the Book of Common Prayer had done much in redressing errors of Roman Catholic worship, it left intact many superstitious ("standing above," i.e. going beyond God's own revealed religion, once delivered) ceremonies, and its many set forms for reading led to a lazy and unedifying ministry (pp373-4)
• The Directory is a guide of those things divinely instituted for all worship, and the filling up of the actual thoughts and words on specific occasions is left to the minister (p374)

Of the Assembling of the Congregation, and their Behaviour in the Publick Worship of God (p375)

• the people should prepare their hearts before coming
• the people should not absent themselves
• the people should take their seats in a serious manner
• the people should not read anything except what the minister is reading or citing
• the people should abstain "from all private whisperings" "as also from all gazing, sleeping, and other indecent behavior"
• the point is NOT private devotion but a joining with the assembly
• the minister's call to worship should be followed by a prayer:
• acknowledging God's majesty and our vileness
• asking God for pardon, assistance, and acceptance

Of Publick Reading of the Holy Scriptures (p375-6)

• we depend upon God and are subject to God in reading the Word
• ALL of the Word is to be read in the common tongue out of the best translation
• though the amount to be read is left to the wisdom of the minister, the directory recommends "that ordinarily one chapter of each Testament be read at every meeting; and sometimes more, where the chapters be short, or the coherence of matter requireth it"" (p375). [Yes, that's 2+ chapters of reading in addition to the sermon; makes our readings look small, and shows you how word-poor is the common worship in our land today by comparison]
• these readings should rapidly cover the entire Bible, and proceed in order from one week to the next, "that the people may be better acquainted with the whole body of the Scriptures" (p375)
• parts of the Bible that the minister thinks are more apt for edification should be read even more frequently
• in addition to these public readings, the congregation is urged to read privately--including urging them to learn to read for this purpose and to have a Bible

I'm sorry that this is all I had time to read today. Hopefully, we can finish the document next week on Worship Wednesday.

Labels: Book Recommendations and Reviews, Directory for Public Worship, Worship Wednesday

  ¶ 10:52 PM 0 Comments Links to this post