An humble apology for non-conformists with modest and serious reflections on the Friendly debate…

Quest. What is to be thought of Afternoon-Sermons, is not that a thing wholly superfluous, and would it not be better if as the Citizens and others have reduced their Families to one Meal a day; so the Ministers would their Congregations to one Sermon a day, and so have nothing besides Common-Prayer and Catechism in the evening? Deb. p. 89. edit. 4.

Answ. The Lord Falkland, in his Speech in Parliament, complained of some leading Bishops before the Wars, that they cried up Catechising, to decry Preaching. Catechising indeed is talked of much, but by many 'tis to be feared, it is to jostle out the Afternoon-Sermon out of doors: for we find in many Churches there is neither Preaching nor Catechising in the Afternoon. Of old, preaching was accounted praecipuum munus Episcopi, the Bishops chief Work or Office. Bishop Latimer was very smart against Unpreaching Prelates in his time; but of later times the Lord Falkland in his speech in Parliament charged some of that Order that they discouraged and discountenanced Preaching; that they preached not themselves, and discountenanced them that would. And not long before the Wars, I heard a Friend, a Minister (that had been with his Diocesan) who said, That upon his ⟨p. 62⟩quoting of Bishop Davenant to the Bishop, in justification of something he said; the Bishop replied, WHAT DO YOU TALK OF HIM, A PREACHING-COXCOMB! Bishop Latimer, Ridley, Jewel, &c. were great Patrons of Preaching, and themselves practised it Archbishop Grindal went so far as to countenance the Meetings called Prophesyings; and Bishop Hall of late thought they might be profitable. Former Histories did nor tell stories of any Bishop of the Reformed Religion, that gave God thanks that he had not left one Lecture, or one afternoon-Sermon in all his Diocese. There was a Gentlewoman of good Quality, cited a Kingly Preacher, viz. Solomon in his Ecclesiastes, for preaching in the Evening as well as Morning, Eccles. 11.6. In the morning sow thy Seed, and in the Evening withhold not thy hand. In the Country they account those Shepherds most careful of their flocks, and to have usually the best Sheep, who fothet twice a day. The Apostle Paul exhorts ro be instant in season and out of season: a Sermon in the afternoon can be but out of season. 'Tis observed that the Sermons at Court before Queen Elizabeth were constantly in the afternoon. And I knew a Parish in the Country, where it was desired by the good women, That in case their Minister would preach but once a day, it might be in the afternoon; because, they said, it might be a meant to keep their Husbands out of the Alehouse.