Three Sermons and Prayers

Three Sermons and Prayers

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Title: Three Sermons, Three Prayer
Author: Jonathan Swift
Release Date: , 2000 [EBook #473] [Yes, we are more than one year
ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on March 10, 2002]

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Language: English
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Transcribed by Stephen Rice. Additional proofing by David Price,
email [email protected]. From the 1889 George Routledge and
Sons "Tale of a Tub and Other Works" edition.

THREE SERMONS AND PRAYERS BY JONATHAN SWIFT

Contents: On Mutual Subjection On Sleeping in Church On the
Wisdom of this World Prayers used by the Dean for Stella

ON MUTUAL SUBJECTION {1}--(First Printed in 1744)

"Yea, all of you be subject one to another."--I Peter v. 5
The Apostle having, in many parts of this Epistle, given directions to
Christians concerning the duty of subjection or obedience to superiors,
in the several instances of the subject to the prince, the child to his
parent, the servant to his master, the wife to her husband, and the
younger to the elder, doth here, in the words of my text, sum up the
whole by advancing a point of doctrine, which at first may appear a
little extraordinary. "Yea, all of you," saith he, "be subject one to
another." For it should seem that two persons cannot properly be said to
be subject to each other, and that subjection is only due from inferiors

to those above them; yet St. Paul hath several passages to the same
purpose. For he exhorts the Romans "in honour to prefer one another;"
and the Philippians, "that in lowliness of mind they should each esteem
other better than themselves;" and the Ephesians, "that they should
submit themselves one to another in the fear of the Lord." Here we find
these two great Apostles recommending to all Christians this duty of
mutual subjection. For we may observe, by St. Peter, that having
mentioned the several relations which men bear to each other, as
governor and subject, master and servant, and the rest which I have
already repeated, he makes no exception, but sums up the whole with
commanding "all to be subject one to another." Whence we may
conclude that this subjection due from all men to all men is something
more than the compliment of course, when our betters are pleased to
tell us they are our humble servants, but understand us to be their
slaves.
I know very well that some of those who explain this text apply it to
humility, to the duties of charity, to private exhortations, and to bearing
with each other's infirmities; and it is probable the Apostle may have
had a regard to all these. But, however, many learned men agree that
there is something more understood, and so the words in their plain
natural meaning must import, as you will observe yourselves if you
read them with the beginning of the verse, which is thus: "Likewise, ye
younger, submit yourselves unto the elder; yea, all of you be subject
one to another." So that, upon the whole, there must be some kind of
subjection due from every man to every man, which cannot be made
void by any power, pre-eminence, or authority whatsoever. Now what
sort of subjection this is, and how it ought to be paid, shall be the
subject of my present discourse.
As God hath contrived all the works of Nature to be useful, and in
some manner a support to each other, by which the whole frame of the
world, under His providence, is preserved and kept up, so among
mankind our particular stations are appointed to each of us by God
Almighty, wherein we are obliged to act as far as our power reacheth
toward the good of the whole community. And he who doth not