of precious Stones Isa. 54 11 12 13. When the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord then is his rest or the place of his abode glorious Isa. 11 9 10. and therefore when Christ was ascended up on high far above all heavens that he might fill all things he gave unto his Church Apostles Prophets Evangelists Pastors and Teachers in order to the perfecting and edifying of his body and carrying it on unto the measure of the stature of his fulness wherein alone the Beauty thereof consisteth 2. By the Purity of Spiritual Worship When Sacrifices are offered with acceptance upon Gods Altar and none are so bnt spiritual Sacrifices then doth he glorifie the house of his Glory and beautifie the place of his Sanctuary and make it an eternal Excellency then doth he give gold for brass and silver for iron then doth he call the Walls of the Church Saivation and her Gates Praise Isa. 60. 7 13. 15 17 18. Therefore the second Temple though far inferior in outward Splendor to the former is said to exced that in Glory because unto it the desire of all Nations should come and set up theâ—ein his Spiritual Worship Hag. 2. 3 7 8 9. For as the soul which is the breath of Life puts Beauty into the Body so the Spirit of Christ poured out upon his Church doth enliven and beautifie that and turn the wildernesse into a fruitful field 3. By Sanctity of Life renewing them after the image of Christ for when the Church is sanctified and clensed with the washing of Water by the Word then it is fit to be presented unto Christ as a glorious Church Ephes. 5. 26 27. Holinefs is called by the Apostle the Renewing of the Holy Ghost the forming of Christ in us the quickning and creating us in him unto good Works Look what Beauty the renewing of a ruinous and decayed Building bringeth upon that what Beauty the Re-union of a living Soul unto a gastly body doth restore unto that what Beauty the Creation brought upon the void and indigested Chaos when it was wrought unto that goodly Frame and Sructure which we now behold the same and much more doth the forming of Christ and the Spirit of Holiness bring upon our deformed and defiled nature by the Efficacy of the Ordinances 4. By Decency of Order rendering the Church beautiful as Tirzah comely as Ierusalem terrible as an Army with Banners Thus the Church of Israel marched in the Wilderness in the manner of a formed Camp with exquisite beauty and order whereof we have an ample description Numb 2. In like manner the new Jerusalem which descended out of Heaven beautified with the Glory of God whose street was pure gold as transparent glass whose foundation was garnished with all manner of pretious stones is said to be four-square having an accurate proportion and symmetry in all the parts thereof Rev. 21. 16. And thus the Apostle directed all things to be done in the Church of Christ with Decency and Order 1 Cor. 14. 40. and rejoyced to see the Order which was in the Church of the Colossians Col. 2. 5. When every Member keepeth his own Rank and every Officer doth his proper Duty according to the Pattern and Commission given him by Christ then is the Pastoral Office administred with the Staff of Beauty In one word the Ordinances are thus the Beauty of a Church because in and by them Christ is spiritually present therein and the Treasures of his Grace are unfolded unto it He who is the chiefest among ten thousand and altogether lovely who was the desire of all Nations and the hope of Glory to his people in comparison of whose Excellencies all other things are but losse and dung whose very Afflictions and Reproaches are preferred before the Pleasure and Riches of the world in whose very Sufferings there is joy he is in his Ordinances evidently set forth before our eyes his Righteousness the Robe wherewith his Church is cloathed his Comlinesse the Beauty wherewith she is adorned and made high above all the people in Praise and in Name and in Honour by her interest in him and relation unto him she hath a new name given her Hephzibah the Lords delight who deligheth over her as the Bridegroom over the Bride esteeming her his rest his dwelling place his desire so that glorious things are spoken of her These Beauties of Christ in his Ordinances and in his Church by means of them were typified and prefigured by the glorious Garments of the Priests with allusion whereunto we are said in Baptism to put on Christ whose Righteousness is unto his Church a Garment of Praise By the splendor of the Tabernacle and of Solomons Temple and all the Vessels and Utensils belonging unto the Worship of God therein all which were exceeding glorious and magnificent for the building and providing whereof David prepared as immense a Treasure as we shall likely read of in any History in which respect that holy house is called the Throne of Gods Glory Jer. 14. 21. By the City Jerusalem the mountain of the Lords holiness and the Joy of the whole earth by the holy oyl wherewith the Tabernacle the Ark the holy Vessels and Priests were anoynted compounded of the principal spices after the Art of the Apothecary by the beautiful order which was in Solomons Family by the dressing and preparing of a Bride for the Bridegrome as we read of the long and costly purification of the Virgins to go into King Ahasuerus Est. 2. 12. So here in the Ordinances the Spouse of Christ is attired and made ready being arraied in fine linnen clean and white and thereby prepared unto Glory and unto every good work Lastly By a strait smooth even and pleasant path wherein is no Crookedness from whence all stumbling blocks and offences are removed The Author and Efficient of all this Beauty is the Lord all whose works are perfect who hath made every thing beautiful in his time The summe and total of all Gods works are the World and the Church the world is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the Beauty and Comliness of of it in the which every thing was very good when the Lord took a view of it But the Lord hath chosen his Church upon which to bestow more abundant Glory It is called a Land of Ornament Dan. 11. 16. A land of Desire Jer. 3. 19. in the building whereof the Lord is said to appear in his Glory Psa. 102. 16. The World is beautified with the power and wisdom of God the Church besides that with his Love and Grace in the World we have the foot-prints of his Greatness but in the Church we have the Image of his Holiness The World was made by him the Church like him the World to shew forth his Glory the
tears from our eyes all sorrow from our hearts and thereby to make our faces shine for as Moses by extraordinary Converse with God on the Mount had a lustre on his face so in some proportion all Communion with him doth by the spiritual comfort bring a Beaury upon holy men filling them with the peace of God which passeth understanding and with Joy which is unspeakable and glorious 5. To fit and prepare us for the Lord himself to delight in that his Image in us may attract the eye and heart the love and delight of the Lord of Glory unto us the Lord hath set apart the man that is godly for himself hath chosen Israel for his peculiar Treasure hath formed them for himself to shew forth his praise and purified them unto himself for a peculiar people and because the Church is in this special manner Gods own therefore he will in special manner put his Comliness upon her and will beautifie the place of his Sanctuary as he is called the Glory of his people Israel so he hath hononred his people Israel with this high dignity to be called His Glory Lastly The manner of Christs Governing his Church by his Ordinances is full of Beauty and Sweetness with a still voice with the cords of a man with the bands of Love he gathereth the Lambs in his arm and carryeth them in his Bosome as one whom his Mother comforteth so doth he comfort them he doth not break the bruised reed nor quench the smoaking flax he deals with perswasions and entreaties by his Ambassadors beseeching us to be reconciled unto God he leads his Flock by still waters and into green pastures through ways of pleasantnesse and paths of peace he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men In the midst of wrath he remembreth Mercy when he causeth grief he sheweth compassion and when he speaks against Ephraim he earnestly remembreth him still he hath set up a sweet order in his Church both in Doctrine and Policy managing both with meeknesse and gentlenesse preaching peace proclaiming Liberty erecting over his people a Banner of Love and though he have an iron Rod for his enemies yet he holdeth forth a golden Scepter to his people ruling in their hearts by a spirit of Adoption and by a Law of Love Thus he feedeth his Church by his Staff called Beauty Great therefore is the Indignity which they offer unto Christ who despise the sweetness of this his Government the waters of Shiloah which go softly refusing to submit to his easie yoake being offended at the severity and Sanctity of his Doctrine saying in their hearts like those in the Gospel Luke 19. 14. We will not have this man to rule over us disdainfully undervaluing that great salvation which he by his pretious blood purchased for them and by the word of his Grace doth continually tender unto them Spretae injuria formae is no small dishonour done to him who is the Lord of Glory Great the Thankfulness we owe unto him for the fruit of this his Beautiful and amiable Government that we who were enemies unto him by wicked works and were well pleased with that our misery should by the power of his Spirit be translated from the Tyranny of Satan into the kingdom of Grace and be made a willing people beautified with his Salvation Great the value we ought to set upon the Ordinances of the Gospel the Staff of Beauty by which he governeth his Flock the Ornaments and Bracelets the Chain and Jewels which he sendeth unto his Spouse to adorn her withal No man cometh unto Christ till he seeth Beauty in him and vain men who love their Lusts better then their life are naturally prejudiced against his holy ways He is to the Disobedient a stone of stumbling a rock of Offence a sign to be spoken against Now by the Light and Majesty of the Ordinances this prejudice is removed and we all with open face beholding as in a glass the Glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from Glory to Glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord. Great the Duty which we owe to the Gospel to bear witness unto the Beauty thereof by our holy Conversation To think on those things which are venerable just pure lovely and of a good report which adorn and become the Gospel and are worthy of that high Calling wherewith we are called to remember that we are vessels of Honour to be purged and sanctified that we may be meet for our Masters use that we are Temples of the Holy Ghost separated unto his special service and presence And if any man defile the Temple of God him will God destroy That we are a redeemed and a peculiar people whom Christ hath purified unto himself That without Holiness our prayers and Sacrifices are but an abomination For as without Holiness no man can see God so without Holiness no man can serve him What hath my Beloved to do in my house saith the Lord seeing she hath wrought lewdness The Lord will be sanctified in all that draw nigh unto him We should thereforeall in our several places especially those unto whom the Pastoral Dignity and Trust doth appertain use our utmost care to preserve the Church of God amongst us in that honour and beauty which belongs thereunto not corrupting the Doctrine thereof or obtruding any meer problematical much less false and unsound positions of our own upon the faith of our Hearers not corrupting the Worship thereof either with superstition or irreverence not suffering either the meer Form of Godliness to swallow up the power or the pretence of power to shut out the Form but to give the Lord both that inward and outward Honour which is due to his holy name in all our solemn Attendances upon him not corrupting the sanctity thereof either with Hypocrisie or Prophaness with meer specious Pretences of Holiness on the one hand or with open and downright Contempt thereof on the other Lastly Not corrupting the Decency and Order thereof either by burthening Gods Service with an excessive number of needless Observances or on the other side censuring and deserting the Communion of a Sound and Orthodox Church because the Order thereof doth not in every particular please us Thus is the Church to be fed and Ruled with the former of our Prophets Staves The Staff Beauty Secondly Christ as the chief Shepherd by his Spirit and Power and his Under-Officers by their Ministery and Service do feed and rule his Church by his Staffe called Bands procuring and advancing the Unity thereof and gathering together into one all the members belonging thereunto that the whole body may be fitly joyned together and compacted without Schisms and Divisions which is
Lord doth severally divide as it pleaseth him for the profit and good of the whole body In the Administration of which Ordinances Offices and Gifts such Decency and Order is to be observed as that it may appear that in all the Churches of the Saints God is a God of Peace and not of Confusion ordaining in all of them that as God hath distributed to every man called every man so he should abide with God within the Precincts of his own Calling not running before he be sent but serving the Lord in that rank station wherein he hath set him 2. An Integral Vnity as between all the parts of an intire body joyned in due order together unto the compleating of the whole and this Unity presupposeth a double Vnion the one of the body to the head the other of the members to one another of both which the Apostle speaketh Ephes. 4. 15 16. 1. There is a bond of Vnion between Christ and his body the Church He that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit and this Bond is on Christs part his Spirit whereby he joyneth himself unto his Body we are an habitation of God through the Spirit and on a Believers part his Fatth whereby he joyneth himself to Christ and appointeth him for his Head by which means Christ dwelleth in the hearts of his people Both which the Apostle putteth together calling it the Spirit of Faith 2 There is a Bond of Vnion between the members of the body amongst themselves viz. The mutual Love of Believers unto one another called the Band of perfectness whereby they are knit together for this Grace is that Cement which joyneth the Stones of this spiritual building into one Temple being shed abroad into their hearts by the holy Spirit and is therefore called the Love of the Spirit Rom. 15. 30. as elsewhere the Vnity the Supply and the Fellowship of the Spirit For where this Unity of Spirit and Love is every member doth make a Supply according to the measure which it self hath for the increasing and edifying of the body walking together in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost 3. An Essential Vnity or as St. Hilary calls it Naturalis Vnitas as the body and the soul being joyned together maketh one man and thus Christ is said to make in himself of twain one new man by the participation of that one Spirit which was without measure poured out upon Christ the Head and from his Fulness shed abroad in such proportion upon his Members as he is variously pleased to dispence unto them by which means Christ is formed in us liveth in us and is a quickning Spirit unto us for the Spirit of Christ is that divine seed whereby we are regenerated unto his life and likeness and as St. Peter expresseth it are partakers of the Divine Nature 4. Consequent upon this Essential Vnity whereby all the mystical members of Christ are animated and enlivened by one and the same quickning Spirit doth follow a Moral unity of hearts and minds between all of them as it is said of the Primitive Christians that the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul. And this Moral unity is four-fold 1. An Vnity of Faith in the great and necessary Doctrines of Salvation or in the knowledge of God and of Jesus Christ called by the Apostle the Foundation the Principles of the Doctrine of Christ the form of sound words the proportion or Analogy of Faith the knowledge of Jesus Christ and him Crucified the doctrine and truth which is after godliness the Faith of the Gospel the Faith of Jesus the Mystery of Godliness the Rule by which we should walk called by the Ancients the Seed of Doctrine the Character of the Church the Rule which is common to small and great in one word whatever Doctrine there is the knowledge whereof and assent where-unto is simply necessary unto Salvation in this all who shall be saved do first or last most unanimously agree Differences there may be and usually are in less necessary points which are matters quaestionum non fidei as S. Austin speaks for we know but in part and are not yet come to be perfect men and till the members have attained unto their full stature there cannot be expected an universal consent and harmony of judgements in all points even among the best and most learned men in which case notwithstanding we should receive one another in love and Brotherly Communion because God himself receiveth even those who thus differ into his favour but the Spirit of God doth never fail to lead all that shall be saved into all necessary truths and to preserve them from any damnable and pernicious doctrines 2. Vnity in obedience wherein all holy men do agree albeit some may much exceed others in their progress and degrees of holiness as we may see by comparing the Testimony given unto Asa and unto Josiah such are Repentance from dead works without which we cannot be saved Reliance upon Christ alone by a sincere and unfeigned faith for Life and Salvation A true love of the Lord Jesus and of all that are his A sincere regard unto all Gods Commandments and an hatred of every false way A desire to fear Gods Name and a purpose of heart to cleave unto him and follow him fully Lastly Self-denial submitting our Will and Reason in all things to the Word and Will of God There may be great differences in the spiritual growth and degrees of holiness between one Christian and another some sick others healthy some strong others weak some little children others young men some bruised reeds and smoaking flax others bold as a Lyon But this is obedientia parvis magnisque communis 3. Unity in Worship For though different Churches may have different observances in the External forms and modes of Divine Service yet in the Substantials of Worship they all agree viz. that God is to be worshipped in spirit and in truth and to be sanctified in all those that draw nigh unto him That we are to call upon God only in the Name of Christ as our alone Advocate and Mediator giving thanks unto God the Father by him That we are not to worship Creatures who cannot know our hearts nor answer our prayers nor supply our wants in whom we are not required to believe but are to hold the head to keep our selves from Idols 4. Unity in Ends and Designs for being Brethren in the same Family fellow Citizens with one another and of the houshold of Faith having one Hope one Lord one Faith one Baptisme one God and Father of all the same Enemies to oppose the same interests and common Salvation to