prosperity it still refresheth us more and more like Moses in his Communion with God on the Mount our faces shine by it our hearts are more clearly reviv'd I but say some this Common Prayer is so mean a thing that even a Childe may read it that can but read almost any thing it is so inferiour that we cannot esteem it with that worth as our Pastors would have us This sounds something like that sin of Corah and his complies to think meanly of the Service of the Church that any man is able to perform the Ministerial offices as the Priest particularly consecrated for the work but the punishment of Korah Numb 16. Dathan and Abiram to those that have read it should be a terrour and a sufficient warning to stave them off from such a cursed opinion I ask the Question do you think that a Butcher or a Slaughter-Man brought up to that Profession could not strike down an Ox with more slight and agility than a Priest or Levite Why yes no doubt but he could common reason answers this but this was not suffered in the Temple to be done none but those that have an express warrant must officiate in Gods House 't is true you may read the Prayers of the Church to the people but by reason you are not consecrated to that particular imployment it cannot be suffered by any Christian allowance Strange fire it is an abomination unto God The Jews Liturgy it was as plain and easie to be read as our Service do you think that the Laitie could not have read the ten Commandements the Song of Moses and Daniel the Prophesies the Psalms of David why yes no Question but those men might have read these words but not to any effect but Aaron and his lawful Successors appointed and set apart for the work by God for when the people are to be blest 't is Aaron and his Sons that must give them the blessing in Gods name 't is Gods Commandment Joel the 2. and the 17. Let the Priests the Ministers of the Lord weep before the Porch and the Altar and let them say Spare thy people Oh Lord. Malachi 2.7 By the Priests lips must the people learn knowledge He that heareth them heareth me saith Christ And he that despiseth them despiseth me See here then the true dignity of a Minister his Calling and Vocation is both sacred and eminent Now as Mr. Sandcroft observes there are a sort of men but of yesterday Mr. Sandcroft in a Sermon at the consecration of Bishops that would pretend to be wiser than their Forefathers the whole world yea even Christ himself which undertakes to thwart the ancient Decrees and Purposes of God as to the ordering of his Service and way of Worship a sort of men that know God and Religion no otherwise but by meer notion that are Christians from the shoulder and upwards that whatever their brain conceives their tongue talks it for infallible Revelations but in the Words of the Litany From all such good Lord deliver us They that deny the decent Order and Worship of Gods Church deny all that 's regular and good such think any thing will pass with God and serve his turn his Ministers Dunces and his Service Nonsence neither to be called nor appointed but to happen upon the office and performance by chance and so by guess accordingly officiate and perform but our God is a God of Order and must be worshipped in Order not in confusion his Priests must be consecrated and his Service premeditated or else it serves not his turn let us square but one proposal by common reason in reference to this discourse had we any business with an earthly King of some weight and concernment wherein if we should miscarry in the delivery of our message we should not onely lose our suit but incur the Kings displeasure how careful would we be to get words fit for our business how would we forethink of them be still premeditating writing correcting and getting them all exact that nothing might be mislik't Do you think our business with the King of Heaven ought not to be as carefully stated fore-thought and considered on knowing that all vain babling is abominable to him and that we can never think to be too exact in those words that must come before God in the behalf of our selves and others lest like Zebedy we be repulsed by our asking we know not what 'T is ill jesting with edg'd tools it is a strange presumptuous venture to step into Gods presence with unthought of words and expressions Eccle. 5.1 Be not rash with thy mouth saith Solomon nor let thy heart be hasty to utter a thing before God for God is in Heaven and thou art on Earth The White Robe CAvills about maters indifferent in themselves are too much the quarrel of the times and that which makes the animosities the stranger is this that order and comely decency in Gods Service makes the pure Worship of God despicable and that is objected too as one of the maine causes of it The Surplice which in it selfe is the embleme of vertuous innocency that that should keep so many off from serving God in publick as t is pretended is more then ordinary wonder Now this is a great grief to many that know the way to worship God aright to see so weake a prejudice live and do mischief and that upon no sure ground that it can keep footing on but let Antagonists vent their furious madness against that harmless Robe and we that weare it let them proclaim we are Idolaters because we serve the Lord in it in this we do appeal to God to judge between their cry and us thus much wee 'l condescend to satisfie the world we never do account our selves the holier when this white garment is upon us nor the unholier when it is off we owne this Ceremony as the body doth a fine garment for ornament sake or as a late learned Writer speaks The Ceremonies of the Church are as the body to the soul the body being enlivened by the soul is very amiable so Ceremonies with devotion is very comely We use this Ceremony in the Church for ornament sake and its significant resemblance being a habit fitted for consecrated Persons to draw near unto God withal for what more fit than white that suites with the affection of joy wherein God delights to have his Saints praise him Revel 7.6 Malachi 3.1 White it is the beauty that the Angels appeare before him in how then can any nay dare any deny the Church militant here on Earth that she may not signifie something by action and rite which the triumphant doth really performe in Heaven This wearing of the Surplice or White-Robe at Dâ—vine-Service is an innocent harmless and good imitating Ceremony a thing more for order sake than for any absolute necessity of Worship is receiv'd into the Church and made use of We usually have at
good than to get applause thus candidly conceive of him and it and thou wilt oblige him that is thy friend to serve thee still whilst thou with zeal shalt truly fear thy God honour the King and love the Church G. A. THE Sanctuary of God GOD from the very beginning hath always had a Place set apart for his Divine Worship and Service to be performed in where with Reverence and Obedience the Creatures acknowledgements were still offered up to the Creators acceptance Gen. 3.8 Adam our first Parent in Paradise had where to present himself before the Lord Gen. 4.3 and Adams Sonns out of Paradise had where to bring their Sacrifices and Oblations unto God the Holy Patriarchs had their Groves and Mountains for their Solemn Worship Gen. 22.1 and when they had no setled Habitation but were as Pilgrims here on Earth yet such was Gods care to have a Church a place to be worshipped in amongst them that he commands them to make a moveable Tabernacle Exod. 25. that nevertheless for all their discontinuance of settlement they might carry their consecrated Mansion with them where ever they went and this hath been the desire of God in all Ages that he might have a peculiar Place set apart for his Holiness to be worshipped in and that whatever Fabricks we built or erected either Palaces for the honour of Dignitie or Schools for the maintenance of Learning Houses for Commerce Trade or common uses that we should be so zealously careful as to leave room enough for the Temple of the Lord to be built on the best and highest Ground so that by a descent advantage as well as right of preheminence it might overtop the stateliest Palace as well as the more common and inferiour Buildings 'T is true we here must own that in the infancie of the World the House and place of Gods Worship was but of a small stature a very fit Receptacle for her Comers which were but small but as Religion grew and increast so increast the House of God from Altars to Groves from Altars and Groves to Mountains from Mountains to Tabernacles from Tabernacles to Synagogues and Temples Thus the dignity and excellency of Gods House increast until it arriv'd to what luster the Law could give it And as in the Law so in the Gospel for in the primitive appearance of Christianity the Church and Place of Gods Worship was but low and mean It first appear'd in Woods and Mountains but as the Christiain Religion grew and increast into esteem so increast the House of God from Woods and Mountaines Matth. 3.1 Matth. 5.1 to Rooms and Chambers within doors from Rooms and Chambers 1 Cor. 16.19 to Chappels Rev. 1.20 Churches and Cathedrals Solomons Temple was not from the beginning no more were ours but arriv'd by an orderly growth to what perfection they now appear at Damnable then is their opinion who would not allow of Christs House to be one inch bigger nor one glimpse lightsomer than she was in the primitive and persecuting times of Christianity Now let but reason be the Judge how foul and cruel this Hellish tenure is to be satisfied in nothing better than the ruine of Christs Temples that with those wretches in the Prophet Haggai 1 4. can be content to let the Houses of of the Lord lye waste while their own Houses are seiled and compleat Of a certain the maintainers of this wicked opinion could willingly see with content of minde another barbarous and persecuting Herod alive a people as refractory as the obstinate Jews and all to lessen the Lords House to crucifie Christ over again to swim and bathe themselvs in Orthodox blood why this must be and nothing else could be lookt for otherwayes should the House of the Lord be brought down to its primitive dejectedness Christ must be murder'd in his Ministers and Professors for there 's no truer Omen of the people of Gods calamity than when the House of the Lord is held in contempt and by Heresie and Schism eclips'd Oh how doth Jeremiah mourn for the breach that he saw made in the House of God! The Prophet David could not sleep neither night nor day Psal 132.1 but was in a continual discomposement of spirit until he had found out a place for the Lord to be worshipt in Lord remember David in all his afflictions He would not climb up to his bed until he had found out a place for the Lord to be worship't in What saith the Prophet shall I dwell in Cedars and the Ark of the Lord without doors under Curtains 'T is observ'd in this very thing that even Pagans and Infidels are careful to build Temples and glorious Oratories for the worship of their false Deities and shall Paganism outstrip Christianity Shall they worship their Idols in Temples devoted and set apart for that use onely and shall not Christianity have a consecrated House set apart for the true God to be worshipped in Heaven forbid Oh such impiety it is the very road to Atheism for that soul-damning sin 't is commonly entred upon much like the pleasing sin of theft it begins with a pin and ends with a bigger thing thus ill-principled men not being fastned by grace into Gods true Religion first begin to rob God of one small Glory then of another that 's bigger until they have robb'd him of all that they can or dare First they begin to cavil and grumble at the number as well as the bigness of our Churches then at Revenues Oh sie cry they it s too much by half Next at the Ornaments the windows they are too gawdy this Altar that 's too superstitious the Commandments too Mosaical the Bells they make too much noise and then at the last they strike at the whole why not another House as well as this Thus from one objection to another they never leave objecting until they have objected God quite out of doors and his House into a disesteem But this is not all they stop not here for being given over to a reprobate sense as the Apostle well notes the Devil is still animating them on to further mischief and denial of goodness for from a disesteem of Gods House they come to a disesteem of the pure and sacred Word of God which is able to make the whole World wise unto Salvation they then pretend they have no need of Scripture ti 's but a dead Letter cries some wretches they have a quickening spirit within them that informs them all things there 's too too many of these that from a denial of Gods House comes to a denial of his Word and from that they arrive at last without Gods restraining grace to that woful pitch of reprobation and eternal damnation even to the denying of the Lord that bought them and this was too plainly seen in our late blasphemous and rebellous times when almost every apostatizing Sect dare take the Wall of Gods pure
that they should offer up to God in his holy Sanctuary might be spiritual and not carnal for there is nothing more hateful to God than a Formal Devotion without the Spirit therefore when we pray in the Liturgy we pray earnestly for the assistance of the spirit of God Wherefore let us beséech him to grant us true repentance and his holy spirit that those things may please him which we do at this present See in the Absolution And when the Minister blesseth the people in the Lords name The Lord be with you See after the Creed Hee 's answered by the whole Congregation by way of retaliation and with thy spirit And again in the Litany we pray See the Letany That it may please God to giue us true repentance to forgive us all our sins negligences ignorances and to endue us with the grace of his holy Spirit to amend our lives according to his holy Word And so in many other of our several Collects and Prayers we beseech God that he would send down his Spirit upon us to guide and direct us How wicked then are those men that abuse this holy Worship calling it a Form without a Spirit have given out in their preaching writings that we deny the spirit to have any exercise in our Worship when God he knows it is our earnest begging and intreating of him continually when we appear before him in Prayer that he would ever assist us with his holy Spirit They therefore that do not take the Worship and Service of our Church to be Spiritual and Divine are led and conducted by no other spirit but the spirit of Errour and Contradiction For know the Service of our Church performed cordially and sincerely it is a pure holy and acceptable Service it is as pleasing Incense in the Nostrils of God when it is fired by the ardency of Faith and true Devotion when the Churches Worship is joyntly and universally performed throughout her several Congregations observing and obeying one and the same order though but a Church militant yet she fairly by imitation represents the Church triumphant which praises God in a joynt Communion they all sing with one and the same Form Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth whereas a disorderly Devotion in the Church must surely as much affront God as amaze the people when the whole time at Service shall be spent in throwing out corrupt and indigested words as they happen to come uppermost some right some wrong the Hearers spending their time in nothing else but in listening and considering what their extemporary Preacher or rather Pratler with his long fetches and turns will drive at at last being often out but seldome in it is therefore no wonder at all that many times the people complain that their Guides are dark and dubious in their directions being so often lost and at a stand themselves in the very prescribing of their Rules whereas our Service and Divine Worship it is even a guide to the simplest and lowest of men for certainly he must be of a very shallow capacity that cannot joyn with the Minister in our Prayers and Services And undoubtedly those Prayers doeth most good that are performed knowingly Ignorance in the Worship of God is the mother and breeder up of Error Matth. 22.29 You erre saith Christ to the Sadduces not knowing the Word He that prayes ignorantly reaps little profit by it whilst he that prayes understandingly reaps wisdom unto Salvation Oh what a goodly and comfortable a sight it is to see both Pastor and People praying in a joynt agreement and communion for of a certain those Prayers and Praises are likely to do most good that are performed understandingly as well as publikely for as Doct. Hamond observes in his Practical Catechism that the Union of many hearts being met together are likeliest to prevail and the presence of some godly may bring down mercies upon others whose Prayers hath no promise to be heard especially performed by a consecrated person whose office is to draw nigh unto God to offer up Prayer and Thanks-giving as an Embassadour between God and Man Oh 't is a glorious sight to behold these sacred performances to be done with zeal and devotion Certainly as Jacob saith it is the Gate of Heaven Holy-Prayer is that which pleaseth God advantageth Man And if Prayer then seemly and orderly Prayer and what more orderly and seemly than the Holy Service that is now blessed be the Lord amongst us the worst of our enemies cannot say it is a mystical or intricate Worship delivered in an unknown Tongue or imbroidered with canting tearms such as many of our adversaries Prayers are more befitting a Prologue of a Comedy to create laughter than stir up zeal the worst they say of our Prayers they are plain and homely but these are unchristian-like Reproches as if any thing that acquaints the soul with God or conducts it to Heaven can be too plain and obvious but if plain as they say let them know it is the plain Word of God that Word which is able to make us wise unto Salvation For know that our Prayers Psalms and Benedictions are the most of them extracted out of the Word of God and are methodically placed in an orderly advantage for the glory of Gods Praise and the blessed benefit of his people that draw nigh unto him Sure then those orderly and premeditated Prayers and Praises taken out of the Word of God may I hope as well for their antiquity as their worth plead the preheminence before the effusion of long and tedious extemporary Prayers made by the vain and bold imaginations of some Squander-headed fellow But here I suppose some may be apt to step in and say Were your Service made up onely with Prayer and Praises we might it may be sooner agree and assent to them but they are mixt with Prayers and Hymns and Psalms and Chapters made up altogether it appears not at all so advantagious and profitable as if made up with Prayers and Praises onely To this I answer our Saviour Christ left the government of the Church upon his ascending up on high unto the Apostles and their lawful Successors commissionating and binding them as Paul did Timothy at Creet Tit. 1.5 to settle and establish all things in an orderly advantage as well for the praise of his glory as the good of his people now whereas it is commonly objected that the mixture and variety that is in our Service makes it not approved of nor followed by many I thus vindicate this point in opposition to their erroneous mistake for know that the Service of our Church would not be so profitable nor so like to a true Worship that must be offered up to God were it not for the change and succession that 's in it Thus I make it appear to all reasonable men viz. When we approach to the publike Service of the Lord we come or at