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A25404 The pattern of catechistical doctrine at large, or, A learned and pious exposition of the Ten Commandments with an introduction, containing the use and benefit of catechizing, the generall grounds of religion, and the truth of Christian religion in particular, proved against atheists, pagans, Jews, and Turks / by the Right Reverend Father in God Lancelot Andrews ... ; perfected according to the authors own copy and thereby purged from many thousands of errours, defects, and corruptions, which were in a rude imperfect draught formerly published, as appears in the preface to the reader. Andrewes, Lancelot, 1555-1626. 1650 (1650) Wing A3147; ESTC R7236 963,573 576

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question but we must do the like to the pillers whereon they stand which are defiled as well as the garment for God commanded that there be not so much as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the piller basis or statue raised for them And in another place God protesteth that the silver and gold the materialls whereof they are made are abomination to him and therefore commandeth them to burn them lest they be snared with them Nor must any groves be planted whereby they might have occasion to set them up for not onely they but even the high places whereon they were planted were abominable and therefore it is that through the story of the kings it is laid as an imputation to them that they digged not down the high places though they had taken away the Idols So that these things which seem good of themselves are condemned because they had some semblance or shew of symbolizing with the Heathen Idolaters Therefore are we to have no conceites of our own tending that way and though there might be a good intent in saving the best sheep and oxen yet because it came within the compasse of facis tibi when God had expresly forbidden it therefore God abhorres it 5. We are not onely commanded not to use images to the dishonour of God our selves but to do our best to hinder others too not to steale them as Rachel did for that means is not commendable but to deprive others of them by all lawful means as Jacob did with the idols among his own houshold which he took and buried under an oak Gen. 34. 4. Had not the altar which the two Tribes and a half erected bin onely for a Testimonie and remembrance to the Lord but for sacrifice the other Tribes would have demolished it or else much blood would have bin shed about it And thus much for the Negative part of the Commandment what we are prohibited Now for the Affirmative part of Gods outward worship what we are Commanded Of the affirmative part of this Commandment And this is in few words set down by the Apostle All things must be done according to the patterne shewed in the Mount in Gods outward worship Now as Moses had this commendation from God himselfe that he was faithful in every point to follow his pattern so hath Christ also the like commendation Christ is said to be as faithfull as Moses and therefore his Pattern is to be as precisely followed by us Saint 〈◊〉 in his sermon to the people that came to see a Cripple cured and S. Steven in his Apology for himself being accused of blasphemy quot the prophecy of Moses concerning Christ. A prophet shal the Lord thy God raise unto thee from the midst of thee of thy brethren like to me unto him ye shall hearken And therefore whatsoever he shall command us we must observe to do it not alter or change any thing of it nor leave any part undone that is of what he hath expresly appointed but in such things as he hath left to the liberty of his Church being guided by his spirit and enabled by his authority in such things which tend to the better observance of his ordinances and are no way contrary thereto or corruptive of them to obey his Church is to obey him Luke 10. In the external worship of God we are to consider two things 1. The Substance 2. The Ceremony The substance consists of four parts 1. Preaching 2. Prayer 3. Sacraments 4. Discipline 1. For preaching It is a substantial and essential part of Gods worship Preaching is a duty of perpetual necessity under the gospel and may in a general sense be styled a part of Gods worship as reading the Scriptures catechizing and other wayes of instruction may because by publick declaring Gods will and setting 〈◊〉 his excellent nature with his great works and benefits to us as motives of obedience some publike honour redounds to God and therefore the Casuists refer preaching to the duty of publike praising or lauding God which is properly a part of Gods worship as Reginald prax lib. 18. tract 2. cap. 19. So Fileucius and others but in a strict and proper sense it is not part of Gods worship as Prayer and Praises are for the immediate object of these is God and their immediate end is Gods honour but the immediate object of preaching are the men to whom we preach and their instruction how to worship and serve God is the immediate and proper end of Preaching and so these differ as the means and the end Preaching is of great Antiquity He preached to the spirits that are in prison 1. Before the Law Noah was a Preacher 2. Under the Law Moses enjoyned the Priests to gather the people together men and women to hear and learn c. And S. James tells us that Moses had in every City them that preached every Sabbath-day And the Priests office was to teach to burn incense and to offer sacrifice 3. In the time of the Prophets Esay speaketh of preaching good tidings and the Prophet Jonah was sent to preach to Ninive And the prophet David professed that he had preached the righteousnes of God in the great congregation His Son Solomon also was entituled by the name Preacher 4. This continued to the time of the second Temple Ezra stood upon a pulpit of wood and preached to the people 5. In Christs time he not only preached himself but gave a Commission to his disciples to preach to all the world which they did every where as it is in the end of Saint Marks Gospel Saint Philip preached to the Eunuch and Saint Paul not onely preached as you may see in divers places but makes it an ordinance of God to save them that beleeve So that this we see hath bin a substantial part of Gods external worship in all ages 2. For prayer or invocation which the Prophet calls vitulos labiorum the calves of our lipps it consists of two parts 1. Petition 2. Thanksgiving and this hath bin of great antiquity also 1. Before the flood many 100. years there is mention made of invocation of the name of 〈◊〉 which some learned n en refer to publick formes of worship or liturgies then vsed as Drusius 2. After the flood Abraham prayed for Abimelech and 〈◊〉 servant for his good successe Aaron and Moses prayed for Pharoah 3. When the church was gathered together the Ark nor the army never removed or stood still without prayer Ther 's a set forme of blessing the people by the priest with invocation set down in the same book of 〈◊〉 Solomon at the dedication of the Temple vsed a prayer and therefore the Church is called the house of prayer by the Prophet which place our Saviour cited when he drove the buyers and sellers out of the Temple
Lastly we have a set form of prayer composed by our Saviour upon the petition of the disciples 2. The other Thanksgiving We see it vsed also before the flood by Abrahams servant when he had finished his busines successefully And we finde this duty commanded by God himself afterwards Moses had a set form of thanksgiving after the deliverance of the people from the Egyptians And King David in many places commends this part of prayer highly and penned a set form of it in a psalm which he entituleth a 〈◊〉 or song for the sabbath day Solomon his son in the time of the first Temple practized it and so did the people vsing one of King Davids psalms the burden whereof as we may so speak was for his mercy endureth for ever Ezra also vsed it after the building of the second Temple together with the priests and people So did our Saviour I thank thee o father c. In the time of the Gospel they sung a psalm Lastly it was not onely practized by the Apostle as you may see in many places I thank God through Jesus Christ and thanks be to God c. but commended by him to others speak to your selves in psalms and Hymns c. as unto the Philippians where he joyns both 〈◊〉 of this duty in one verse in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God And to omit many others in the Epistle to the Hebrews giving thanks i called the sacrifice of praise 3. As the word is Gods speech to us and Invocation ours to him so the sacraments are the Covenants between God and us Such are the type of circumcision instead whereof Baptism succeded and the type of the Passeover instead whereof we have the Lords supper And these two only we receive as sacraments generally necessarily for all But for our justification in thispoint S. Augustine saith upon the words of Saint John cited out of the institution of the Passeover A bone of him shall not be broken vnus emilitibus c. A souldier with a speare pierced his side and forthwith came out of it water and blood which are the two Sacraments of the church our mother And in another place Quedam pauca pro multis c. The Lord and Apostilical doctrine hath left to us a few in stead of many and those easy to be kept most excellent to the understanding and most pious to be observed the Sacrament of Baptisme and the celebration of the body and blood of the Lord. 1. The first Baptisme is so necessary a Badg for a Christian that he cannot be without it Saint Augustine saith sic accipiendum est c. That which the Apostle saith is thus to be understood that by the lavacre of 〈◊〉 and the word of sanctificational former sinns of the regenerate are cleansed and healed and not onely all sinns are remitted in Baptisme but those also which are afterward contracted by humane ignorance and infirmity and in another place Dimittitur eis regeneratione spirituli quod traxerunt ut 〈◊〉 dixi ex adami generatione carnali By this spiritual regeneration as I have often said whatsoever they have drawn from Adams carnal generation is forgiven them And this Sacrament is a service of faith For though children baptized cannot be properly said to beleeve of themselves by reason of their minority yet are they beleevers by their fidejussores or Godfathers and Godmothers and parents who present them and desire to have them baptized in the faith of Christ and received into the Church as were the Jews children by circumcision Inter credentes saith Saint Augustine 〈◊〉 populos baptizatos 〈◊〉 nec judicare aliter ullo modo audebis si nonvis esse apertus haereticus Thou art to repute little children that are Christened among beleevers nor must thou dare to judge otherwise if thou wilt not be an open heretick And in the same place Absit ut dicam non credentes infantes c. God forbid that I should call Infants unbeleevers I have disputed it before They beleeved by another and offended by another It is said They beleeve and it is enough to make them of the number of the faithful that are baptized This hath the authority of the Church and the Canon founded upon the truth obtained 2. The other the Lords supper is a substantial part of our servicetoo For in it is a whole Oblation of our selves souls and bodies to be a reasonable holy and lively sacrifice to God as we acknowledge in our liturgy In it we acknowledge confesse bewaile and repent us of our sinnes which cost our Saviour his most precious blood to make attonement for them And in it we professe that we are in love with God and our Neighbours which is the fulfilling of the Law Herein is a commemoration of that sacrifice which Christ offered for us upon the Crosse in which respect it may be called a sacrifice for as our reverend author else where speaks The Eucharist ever was and by us is considered both as a sacrament and a sacrifice A sacrifice is onely proper and appliable to 〈◊〉 worship c. In a word we hold with Saint Augustine de Civit. lib. 17. Chap. 20. Hujus sacrificii caro et sanguis ante adventum Christi per victimas similitudine promittebatur in passione Christi per ipsam veritatem reddebatur post adventum Christi per sacramentum memoriae celebratur Answer to Card. Perron p. 6. 7. And lastly by it we offer a most acceptable sacrifice and service to God of thanksgiving this Sacrament being called Eucharistia which signifies so much for bestowing so great a blessing upon u whereby every faithful Communicant is strengthened in the faith of Christ. Therefore Accedens debet esse plenus sanctitate he that comes to it ought to be as holy as he may for all our services to God are to be done in purity which is true internal worship and with decency which is external and both these make that compleat holinesse which becometh Gods house 4. The last part of the substance in the external wórship of God is Discipline by which men are regulated in the fear and service of God This we finde commanded Mat. 18. 15. 16. c. John 20. 22. Executed extraordinarily Act. 5. 4. By Saint Peter ordnarily 1 Cor. 5. 3. By S. Paul and Rules set down for the ordering of it 1 Tim. 5. It is as Barnard saith the yoke to keep us within the bounds of Order and as Cyprian Custos spei et retinaculnm fidei a preserver of hope and stay of faith Saint Augustine affirmes that it brings delinquents to repentance whereby they recover that which they had lost by their 〈◊〉 For it is sure enough that the Church of God hath in it of all sorts
his pillar at the entring c. And thus standing may be a reverend gesture when kneeling or some other gesture in publick worship is not prescribed by the church in which case we must conforme to what is 〈◊〉 for that which is indifferent in it self in the gesture is not indifferent to us or in the practise of it when it is commanded by lawfull authority 2. In private prayer we shall see it to be a samiliar thing sometimes to fall down prostrate as Moses and Aaron did This gesture of prostration was used by Moses as he testifies of himself And the Evangelist reports of our Saviour that he used it So likewise was kneeling a custome of the holy men of God in their private prayers Ezra fell upon his knees and spread out his hands And S. Paul in his private devotions bowed his knees as he sayes of himself In private devotions liberty and freedome of gesture may be used so it be reverent and humble which sitting at prayer cannot be Balaam willed Balak to stand by his burnt-offering Numb 23. 15. and being set he bids him rise up 2. The exteriour signes in respect of hope are oculi elevati manus extensae eyes lifted up and hands stretched out And these are to be used in that part of prayer which is called Petition for in deprecation the Publicans posture is fittest which is oculis dejectis with eyes cast down for the other we finde King David lifting up his eyes And in S. Johns gospel it appears that our Saviour did the like For the other the lifting up of hands we see that in the battail with the Amalekites Moses practised it Ezra in the place before cited spread out his hands to God The Prophet David tells us that he stretched out his hands to God Let the offering up of my 〈◊〉 be an evening sacrifice And it is the Apostles counsel to use this gesture I will that every man pray lifting up holy hands For as oculus elevatus expectat the eye lifted up expects so manus extensa petit the stretched out hand begs and asketh But in this point corruption is crept into our Church Instead of humbling our selves by prostration and kneeling we are pleased to sit at our ease and that in a proud manner instead of the depositio magnificentiae nudatio capitis kneeling and uncovering our heads we sit and with our heads covered too this is not to enquire at least not to imitate the dayes of old Balaam would not suffer Balac though a King to sit down but to stand at his burnt-offering and when he was set he bade him arise This sedentary prayer and proud fashion of covering the head cannot be warranted by any text in Scripture Secondly the outward gesture at the word preached or read in the old Testamament was usually sitting as we may see in Ezekiel They sit before thee and they hear thee c. saith the Lord by the Prophet And so in the new The multitude sate about our Saviour while he was preaching and the Pharisees and Doctors of the Law sate by him as he was teaching So Mary sate at Jesus feet and heard his word Eutychus also sate to hear S. Paul preach Sometime the word preached was heard standing as when Ezra opened the book standing in a pulpit of wood all the people stood up And these two gestures have ever been indifferently permitted and used In the administration and receiving the Sacraments the nature and dignity of them with the prayer for the preservation both of our bodies and soul unto eternal life to say no more may easily direct us with what exteriour reverend behaviour we are to carry our selves viz. that the gesture of kneeling and humble adoration is most fit and that such a gesture as doth not signifie our humble reverence as sitting is utterly unlawful In point of discipline the gesture is evident the Judge sits and the party accused or that hath any cause depending before him stands So that the end of all this is 1. That God may be glorified as well by the body which is the external worship as by the soul and spirit which is for the internal 2. That our outward gesture may stir up our souls to their duty as clothes increase the heat of the body though they receive their heat at first from the body Lastly as to stir up our selves so to stir up others by our example that they seeing our reverend behaviour may fall down with us and be moved to do that which they see us do and to glorifie God on our behalf Thus as we have shewed what we are to learn out of the affirmative part viz. what duties to perform so out of the Negative part we must learne what sinnes we must avoid and to finde out this we shall need to go no further then by opposing the contraries to that which hath been delivered in the affirmative part 1. To Humility and depositio magnificentiae he is opposite that carries himself proudly in Gods service The Wise man tells us a proud eye is an abomination to the Lord and if at all times much more at that time It is the Prophets counsel to 〈◊〉 this behaviour especially in Gods service Hear ye give ear saith he 〈◊〉 proud for the Lord hath spoken 2. To Humiliare He is averse that is stiffe necked not willing to bow and that hath knees like an Elephant that cannot bend when we give him not the reverence of knee head and of our whole body 3. To Coming Our absenting our selves from Gods service and worship S. Chrysostome saith Ludus jubet facis vocat aurea tuba venis Cultus Dei jubet non facis vocat non venis pleasure commands thee and thou obeyest the golden trumpet calls thee and thou comest Gods worship commandeth and thou obeyest not it calls thee and thou comest not Whose servant then thou art thou mayest judge by the Centurions words even his at whose command thou comest and goest 4. Lastly to the doing of his work the neglect of it is opposed and the neglecters out of Gods 〈◊〉 for neglectus praecepti 〈◊〉 is injuria est the neglect of a command is an injury to him that commandeth He that knoweth his Masters will and doth it 〈◊〉 shall be severely punished But in the manner of doing Gods work and his will in his service and publique Liturgy there are five things required of us of which though something hath been formerly spoken yet considering the great neglect and contempt of this work by many more is here to be said of them 1. The first is Unanimity and uniformity to come together at the same time and to joyn together in the same worship that there be no disagreement in our behavior in Gods service one to do one thing and another to do
he particularly exacts the dutie from five severall sorts of men in one Psalm that are there mentioned as more especially bound to God 1. They that wander in the wildernesse and are harborlesse and in distresse and want and are relieved 2. They that are at the point of death and are restored to life and health 3. They that are in prison and are delivered 4. They that are delivered from shipwrack 5. They that are preserved from the hands of their enemies These several sorts of men as he there speaketh when they cry unto the Lord he delivereth them out of their distresse and therefore he often reiterates this and saith Oh that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnes and declare the wonders that he doth for the children of men And this deliverance by prayer hath three effects whereby God is glorified 1. When an humble minded man upon his prayer finds this deliverance he is thankful and glad 2. By this sinners seeing Gods goodnesse in hearing the prayers of his servants shall be converted 3 The mouth of all wickednes shall be stopped By all these wayes prayer brings glory to God If then prayer bring such glory to God and that without it God is like to be defrauded of a great part of his honour 2. It concerns us necessarily to practise it and that not onely in respect of God but of our selves too Our Saviour sheweth this by the parable of the widdow and the unjust judge where her importunity prevailing with a wicked judge shewes a majori how powerful prayer is with God a father of tender mercies and that we ought to pray allwayes and not faint And therefore having a care that we should know how to pray he himself who never did any superfluous act and who is our advocate and daily intercessor with God set down a form to our hands to instruct how to pray daily In the use whereof that comes to minde which Chrysostom observes in his first book de orando Deum out of Dan. 6. 10. where bodily death being set before Daniel if he prayed during thirty dayes on the other side tanquam si as if the forbearance for that time would be the death of his soul he chose rather to hazard his life then to neglect his daily custome In the Law besides the observation of the Sabbath there was a morning and an evening sacrifice Which was a type and is explained by the Psalmist to be prayer Prayer as incense in the morning and lifting up of hands which is nothing else but prayer for the evening sacrifice The fathers have for the most part written largely upon the necessity of this duty and call it Clavem diei et seram noctis the key to open the day and the bar to shut in the night Saint Chrysostom calls it signaculum diei the seal of the day out of the Apostle who saith that the creatures are good being sanctified by prayer else not and so it is a seal to confirme a blessing of the Creatures for the day following And in this respect it is said that our Saviour blessed the loaves by looking up to heaven that is by praying as also the meat at supper by blessing it be fore and singing an hymne of thanksgiving after And this is no new thing but a custome as ancient as Abraham as the Jews record who continue it still the chief of the family first takes bread and blesses it by prayer and then breaks it and the last thing is to take the cup and then to give a second blessing this being so holy a practise the whole Church of the Jews to our Saviours time observed it as a thing most necessary from which custome Christ translated the use of it to his own supper The Apostle fits all the rest of the spirituall armour to some speciall part as to the head the breast the feet but specifies no part for prayer because it is to cover all over and to make all the other armour useful Therefore the fathers upon that place of Epes 6. 13. call it Armaturam 〈◊〉 the armour of all other most necessary as if all the other were of no more strength then if we were naked if we put not on this And they stile it also flagellum demonum the Devils scourg Athanasius is confident that the bare but faithful recital of this ejaculation Exurgat 〈◊〉 Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered will make all the devils in hell to quake And Maximus another father affirms that he ever found this verse hast thee O God to deliver me make hast to help me O Lord effectual to deliver him from any temptation And Saint James prescribes no other remedy for afflictions then this Is any among you afflict d Let him pray even when humane hope fails yet 〈◊〉 for that which is impossible by our selves is possibile per alium possible by God to whom we pray And indeed it hath been ever of such power that it hath wrought miracles 1. In the ayre By it Elias the Prophet shut up the middle region that no rain could come down for three years and six moneths and he prayed again and the heavens gave rain c. 2. If we desire to see the like in other elements we may in Fire by the same Prophet for he by prayer brought down fire which consumed the captain and his fifty men 3. In the Earth At the prayer of Moses the earth opened and swallowed up Corah Dathan and Abiram with their company 4. In the water At the prayer of Moses the red sea divided it self and the waters were a wall to the children of Israel and returned and covered the host of the Egyptians 5. And this efficacie it hath wrought not onely in the elements but in heaven also At the prayer of Josuah the Sun and Moon stood still 6. In putting to flight earthly powers also At the prayer of Moses when he lift up his hands Israel prevailed David stayed the plague By it Hannah of a barren womb became fruitfull The Ninevits escaped the severe judgements of God examples are infinite but these seem lesse because it hath power over spiritual powers death and hell and sathan 7. It hath power over death Ezechias having received a message of death by prayer obtained fifteen years addition to his life I have heard thy prayer and seen thy tears c. 8. Over hell and the devill Our Saviour tells his Apostles that by prayer and fasting the devills were to be cast out 9. And lastly which is the most remarkable it overcometh God himself we read that Moses used no other means but onely Prayer yet God saith Let me alone that my wrath may wax hot as though while Moses prayed God himself could do nothing against the Isrealites or as if Moses by prayer had offered violence to
God and not to any Creature whatsoever Therefore the learneder sort among them having studied the tongues better seeing the absurdity of these conclusions found out another shift and say that they neither do adorare nor colere imagines neither bow down to nor worship the images themselves but Christ and the Saints by the Images This distinction doth little avail them the records of Antiquity can tell them that this was the shift of the Heathen Idolaters of old even in the Primitive Church Lactantius taxeth those of his time for it Quae igitur amentia est c. what madnesse is it saith he to answer that you worship not the Idol sed Numen aliquod cui Idolum fabricatur but some God to which the Idol was was made and Chrysostome Adoratis simulachra non simulachra sed Venerem Martem per simulachra Veneris Martis you adore images and not images but Venus and Mars by their images lastly S. Augustine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 quis disputator c. there starts up I know not what disputer and he seems to thee to be a learned man and sayes I worship not that stone nor that senselesse Image I know like a subtill Prophet that it can neither speak nor see but I serve that Deity which I see not I worship not that Image but I adore what I see and serve him that I see not And what is that why a certain invisible Deity To which the Father answering saith Hoc modo reddendo rationem de Idolis optime factum putant c. by this means they think they do well by rendring a reason for their Idols And in another place he saith of another sort videntur sibi purgatioris esse religionis qui dicunt nec simulachrum nec 〈◊〉 colo sed per 〈◊〉 corporalem ejus rei signum intueor quam colere debeo but they seem to be 〈◊〉 a more refined Religion that say I neither worship the Image nor the Devil in it but by that corporeal shape I behold the representation of that which I should worship But what saith he to this Itaque Apostoli una sententia poenam c. one sentence of the Apostle testifles their punishment and damnation for such kinde of acts God gave them up c. But indeed this error is as ancient as the Calf in the wildernesse and if we examine it well we shall finde this of their's all one with that of the Israelites for they did not think the Calfe to be a God for these reasons 1. For first they desired a God to go 〈◊〉 them and their reason was because they could not tell what was become of Moses who formerly had bin a visible representation to them of God and not a God himself therefore they would have somewhat made instead of him and this must hold for one reason or else we must say that they took Moses for their God before 2. The assent of Aaron for if he had not had somewhat in his minde besides flat Idolatry in consenting and complying with them he had not bin favoured as he was but destroyed with the rest And therefore it cannot be understood that they conceived the calf as a visible Representation onely but that in that calf God might be worshipped for Aaron said to them that they should keep a feast to the Lord therfore they intended that the Calf should represent God in their solemnity Exo. 32. 5. And it is likely that it was so because that while they were in Egypt they knew no other God then Apis an Oxe And it is recorded that Aaron upon these words of the people These be thy Gods 〈◊〉 that brought thee up out of the land of Egypt took hold of them and built an altar and proclaimed a fast to 〈◊〉 which they must needs know could not be ascribed to the Calf So that this was the Elench that deceived him that they might worship God in the Calf though Moses could not be deceived so for he brake it in pieces and burnt it to ashes 3. The third evasion of the Papists is That these Images are not erected either to adore or worship them or God by them but that ignorant people might have something to put them in minde of God and therefore Images are called by them libri laicorum the books of lay-men This is no new device but vsed of the old Idolaters as we may see by the 〈◊〉 of Symmachus There must be something to put the ignorant in minde of God Which Ambrose and Prudentius answer thus Omnia Deo plena all things have God to manifest him and put us in remembrance of him And by Arnobius These that stand so for Images saith he vse to say that they made no account of the Image but onely in respect of the ignorant sort of people that are put in minde of God by it And 〈◊〉 in an oration saith Istiusmodi 〈◊〉 esse pro libris quae dum legunt cognitionem dei dediscunt c. That while they read these books of Images in stead of learning God they loose the knowledge of him and therefore calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 moralizing upon 〈◊〉 not teaching true divinity So that we see there is nothing said in this canse that was not said before Now if we aske the Papists that if the people must be put in minde of what it must be Not of the deity for they themselves are weary of maintaining that and though they were wont often and in many places do still to represent God and the Trinity in humane shapes yet Hosius now confesseth that such things came in Dormientibus 〈◊〉 praepositis while the gouernors of the Church were a sleep 2. Not of Christ as he is God for his attributes are 〈◊〉 but as he is man onely and in so doing in representing him by picture as man and not God seeing that person in the deity cannot be delineated they imitate Nestorius who did divide the natures of Christ and so consequently may seem to run into the Anathema of the council of Ephesus because in some sort they divide in their picture the manhood from the Godhead which they cannot expresse therewith 2. Not of Christ as man and now glorified for against this the saying of Eusebius may serve well that the glory of Christ in heaven is now far greater then it was when he was 〈◊〉 in the mount where the disciples could not look upon him and therefore cannotbe pourtrayed by any pensil 3. Nor of Christ as he was in the flesh for that were as the Prophet speaks to teach us lies and rather to forget then to remember what he suffered for us for in his picture as in that upon the crosse for example we can be put in minde we see no more then the piercing of his hands and feet a wound in his side by a spear and the thorns on his
witnes of the truth Sain Paul attributeth sanctification of every thing to prayer premised and therefore it is termed the preparative to all the duties of a Christian more plainly Our Saviour very early before day went out into a solitary place and there prayed and afterward came and preached in the Synagogue which is very probable to have been on the sabbath day whereby we may observe that Christ himself took prayer to be the first means of sanctification 1. Now for the times of this exercise of prayer on the Lords day they are two 1. Before the other publick duties and 2 After 1. That before is either private as of a master and his family 2. Or else in the congregation which is publick Both which the psalmist comprehendeth in one verse I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart secretly among the faithful there 's the first And in the congregation there 's the last 1. Concerning the first we see in the place before quoted that our Saviour went out into a solitary place as also elsewhere As soon as he had sent the multitude away he departed into a mountain to pray 2. For the other we may gather out of that place in the Acts that amongst the very Heathen the religious Hellinists which were called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which were a kinde of proselytes that worshipped the God of Israel vsed to assemble themselves to pray by a rivers side But more plainly the Apostle saith that to the prayers of the congregation every one should joyn his own Amen Again prayer is to be vsed after For as we are not fit to receive any spiritual grace before without it so neither to keep it after the devil will take the word out of our hearts after we have heard it unlesse we desire of God that it may remain with us and seek his blessing that the seed may fructify And this was in the law to come from the Priests mouth The Lord blesse thee and keep thee By vertue whereof the devil wil lose his power in taking the word out of our hearts but it shall continue with us and fructifie in us 2. The second is the word which is magnified or sanctified by God for our sanctification for as the prophet saith God hath magnified the law that is his word and made it honorable and else where plainly the hearing of the word is made one end of publick assemblyes gather me the people together saith God and I will makethem hear my words Now the word upon the sabbath hath a double use 1. First as it is read and heard read onely 2. And secondly as it preached or heard preached 1. For the first the Church in great wisdome alwayes thought it most convenient and necessary that reading should precede preaching that when it should be preached it might not seem strange to them that heard it But as that is thought a thing fit by the Church so would it be no lesse expedient that before we come to church we would meditate on it yet such is our wretchlessenesse in matters spiritual that we think we have done enough if we can apprehend it when it is read whereas if we would meditate on it before hand we might make the better 〈◊〉 of it when it is read and be the better confirmed in what we hear preached The Jews had their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the preparation to the sabbath and about the ninth houre of it which is our three of the clock in the after-noon they usually met and spent their time in reading of the scriptures that they might be the better fitted against the sabbath The publick reading of the word in the congregation on the sabbath day is warranted by diverse passages in holy writ as by that in the Acts of the Apostles where it is said that when Paul and his company came into the synagogue at Antioch on the sabbath day the rulers of the Synagogue after the 〈◊〉 of the Law and the Prophets sent to them saying ye men and brethren if ye have any word of exhortation say on And by another passage in the same Chapter where it is said that the Prophets were read every sabbath day And by another a little after which saith thus that Moses that is the law was read in the Synagogue every sabbath day And lastly Saint Paul gives a special charge by the Lord to the Thessalonians thathis Epistle to them be read unto all the holy brethren There is a vse also of private reading and that of great consequence for Christ saith plainly that his witnesses be the Scriptures and therefore will he have them searched because they testified and prophecied of him That this exercise is profitable the prophet maketh plain by a question Should not a people enquire at their God which he explains in the next verse by seeking To the law and to the Testimony And again Seek in the book of the Law and read And therefore we see that the Bereans were much commended and storied for wiser and nobler 〈◊〉 other people why because they searched the Scriptures daily to confirm their faith in the points preached to them There are other vses also in reading In the Revelation there is a blessing pronounced to those that read or heare the words of that prophecy because it might excite men to praise God when they see all fulfilled Man seeing the prophecies fulfilled may thereby give him praise And for this cause there were anciently Monuments kept in Churches which preserved and set forth the accomplishing of Gods promises or threatnings As the memorials of the warres of God on the behalf of the Israelites which was called liber bellorum Dei the book of the battels of the Lord and their verba 〈◊〉 or Chronicl es of Nathan Gad Shemaiah c. these they permitted in a holy use to be privately read that seeing his promises and his threatning denounced in them to have been fulfilled men might the better be stirred up to the praise and fear of God 2. Another use was the understanding of hard places in the Scripture It is recorded of Daniel that while hs was reading the book of 〈◊〉 about the accomplishment of the number of the 70 years captivity mentioned by the same prophet God sent an Angel to him to informe him in that great 〈◊〉 about the time of Christs sufferings So the Eunuch while he was reading in the book of Esay had the exposition of Christs sufferings from the Apostle Philip sent for that purpose by God and because God doth not now by such extraordinary means informe us in the true sence of Scriptures therefore we are to read such as have written 〈◊〉 upon such places and so no doubt but if Philip had written any thing at that time upon Esay that the Eunuch would have read it and made use of