George Herbert on making the most of Sundays

Today is the day when the Church of England especially remembers George Herbert. It even has a set prayer in his honour:

King of glory, king of peace,
who called your servant George Herbert
from the pursuit of worldly honours
to be a priest in the temple of his God and king:
grant us also the grace to offer ourselves
with singleness of heart in humble obedience to your service;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

In our series of posts for Lent on his small book on pastoral ministry, The Country Parson, we have reached chapter 8, on how to make the most of Sundays.

Herbert works through each part of the day and how ideally he would like to spend it in God’s service. He prays for the people to come prepared, and that he might edify them when they do. He preaches twice and also catechises in the afternoons. He spends the afternoon reconciling people and visiting the sick, as well as in one-to-one ministry with those who need it most. In the evening he entertains his neighbours with godly conversation. It is the busy market day of the soul!

CHAPTER 8
The Parson on Sundays.

The country parson, as soon as he awakes on Sunday morning, presently falls to work, and seems to himself so as a Market-man is, when the Market day comes, or a shopkeeper, when customers use to come in. His thoughts are full of making the best of the day, and contriving it to his best gains.

To this end, besides his ordinary prayers, he makes a peculiar one for a blessing on the exercises of the day, that nothing befall him unworthy of that Majesty before which he is to present himself, but that all may be done with reverence to his glory, and with edification to his flock, humbly beseeching his Master, that how or whenever he punish him, it be not in his Ministry: then he turns to request for his people, that the Lord would be pleased to sanctify them all, that they may come with holy hearts, and minds full of awe into the congregation, and that the good God would pardon all those, who come with less prepared hearts then they ought.

This done, he sets himself to the consideration of the duties of the day, and if there be any extraordinary addition to the customary exercises, either from the time of the year, or from the State, or from God by a child born, or dead, or any other accident, he contrives how and in what manner to induce it to the best advantage.

Afterwards when the hour calls, with his family attending him, he goes to Church, at his first entrance humbly adoring, and worshipping the invisible majesty, and presence of Almighty God, and blessing the people either openly, or to himself. Then having read divine Service twice fully, and preached in the morning, and catechised in the afternoon, he thinks he has in some measure, according to poor, and frail man, discharged the public duties of the congregation.

The rest of the day he spends either in reconciling neighbours that are at variance, or in visiting the sick, or in exhortations to some of his flock by themselves, whom his sermons cannot, or do not reach. And every one is more awaked, when we come, and say, “Thou art the man.” This way he finds exceeding useful, and winning; and these exhortations he calls his privy purse, even as Princes have theirs, besides their public disbursements.

At night he thinks it a very fit time, both suitable to the joy of the day, and without hinderance to public duties, either to entertain some of his neighbours, or to be entertained of them, where he takes occasion to discourse of such things as are both profitable, and pleasant, and to raise up their minds to apprehend God’s good blessing to our Church, and State; that order is kept in the one, and peace in the other, without disturbance or interruption of public divine offices.

As he opened the day with prayer, so he closes it, humbly beseeching the Almighty to pardon and accept our poor services, and to improve them, that we may grow therein, and that our feet may be like hind’s feet ever climbing up higher, and higher unto him (Psalm 18:33).