Comfortable Words » Bishop Beveridge’s One Year Challenge

Comfortable Words » Bishop Beveridge’s One Year Challenge

Bishop Beveridge’s One Year Challenge

Bishop William Beveridge (1637-1708)
GIVE ME LEAVE to speak freely to you, of the Church you live in: a Church, not only in its doctrine and discipline, but in all things else exactly conformable to the primitive, the apostolical, the catholic Church. [...]

[L]et any one that hath a due sense of religion, and a real desire of happiness, let such a one make trial of our Church but for one year; let him constantly read the Scriptures, in the method that she prescribes; let him constantly use the Common-Prayer according to her directions; let him constantly observe all her fasts and holy-days; let him receive the Sacrament as often as she is ready to administer it, and perform whatsoever else she hath been pleased to command; let any man, I say, do this, and then let him be against our Church if he can: I am confident he cannot.

But our misery is, that none of those who are out of our Church, and but few of those that are in it, will make the experiment: and that is the reason that those are so violent against her, and these so indifferent for her.

But let others do what they please, and answer for themselves as well as they can another day; as for you who are here at this time, in the especial presence of God, I humbly beseech and exhort you in the name of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, that as he hath been pleased to admit you into so holy and pure a Church, so you would all endeavour to live up to the rules and orders of it, as many here present do.

First, keep close to the words she uses in her Articles and common prayers; by this means you will have a right judgment in all things, and hold fast the form of sound words indeed.

By this means you will be secure from heresy, and entertain no doctrine but what is catholic and orthodox.

By this means whatsoever happens, you will still be stedfast in the faith of Christ, and not suffer yourselves to be imposed upon by the adversaries of our Church on either side; for if they cannot fasten new words upon you, it will be impossible for them ever to deceive you.

But then you must remember to conform to the discipline, as well as to the doctrine, of our Church, not hypocritically, indifferently, and partially, but sincerely, constantly, universally, so as to observe and do whatsoever she commands, either in her Liturgy, Canons, or Constitutions.

By this means you will live as the primitive Fathers did, and come short of none of the most eminent Christians that ever lived since the Apostles’ times.

By this you will shame the adversaries of our Church into a compliance with her, when they see how far you outstrip them in all true grace and virtue: yea, by this means you will be really saints on earth, and glorified saints in heaven.

For be but you as pious towards God, as loyal to our queen, as sober in yourselves, as faithful to your friends, as loving to your enemies, as charitable to the poor, as just to all, as our Church enjoins you; in a word, be but you as conformable to her, as she is to the catholic Church in all things, and my life, my eternal life for yours, you cannot but be happy for evermore. Which God of his infinite mercy grant we may all be, in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

William Beveridge (1637-1708). Works Vol. I.
A Form Of Sound Words To Be Used By Ministers.