Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	angel_n	golden_a	incense_n	1,470	5	12.0788	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A94296	Of religious assemblies, and the publick service of God a discourse according to apostolicall rule and practice. / By Herbert Thorndike.	Thorndike, Herbert, 1598-1672.	1642 (1642)	Wing T1054; Thomason E1098_1; ESTC R22419	207,469	444

ii Numb 5 6. and the annotations upon it To this must be added that memorable passage of the Samaritane Chronicle published not long since the tenour whereof is this The High-Priest living at that time that is the yeare of the world 4713. by their account took away that most excellent book that was in their hands ever since the calme and peaceable time of the Israelites which contained those Songs and Prayers which were ever used before their Sacrifices For before every of their severall Sacrifices they had their severall Songs still used in those times of peace all which accurately written were transmitted to the subsequent generations from the time of the Legate Moses unto this day by the Ministery of the Holy Priest For this whole passage speaketh clearly of the Service of God in the Temple shewing us that besides the book of Psalmes there were other Songs used at the Sacrifices of their severall Solemnities which were according to the course of their Service put together in one book for the purpose There was besides another part of the Service done in the Temple which men of learning have hit upon by conjecture out of Apoc. viii 3. And another Angel came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne joyned with Luk. i. 10. And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense From which Text Lud. Capellus collected That while the Priest offered his incense in the Tabernacle the people were at their prayers abroad and that S. Johns Vision alludeth to nothing else Whereupon our Mead of Christs Colledge very ingeniously conceived that where it is said there vers i. When he had opened the seventh Seal there was silence in heaven about the space of half an houre all this was represented in resemblance of the Service of the Temple where first the Praises of God are sung as it is before vi 9. then there is silence for half an houre while the Priest within offereth the incense and the people without pray for remission of sinnes every one by themselves For so I find this conjecture verified in Prike Aboth v. 5. where one of the ten miracles which the Jews relate fell out continually in the Service of God in the Temple is this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is They stood crowded but they worshipped at large which R. Obadiah Bartenora proceedeth thus to expound upon the meaning of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It hath the sense saith he from swimming upon the face of the waters For because of the crowd every one pressed his fellow so that they stood swimming as it were with their feet lifted up from the ground in the aire At the time of worshipping the miracle happened to them that they worshipped at large every man foure cubits from the next that he might not heare him when he confessed and remembred his sinnes Wherefore they stood while the Levites sung at pouring the wine upon the burnt-offering but when the Priest went to offer the incense then fell every man down to make confession of his sinnes in private Which being done the Holy Priest coming out into the Court pronounced the Benediction appointed in the Law over the people which was the end of Service Of this Maimoni of Prayer and the Priests blessing xiiii 9. In the Temple after the morning Service was done the Priests went up into the Pulpit to blesse which maketh me presume that the Order of Service in the Temple was no otherwise then hath been declared Which Ecclesiasticus seemeth punctually to describe in Onias cap. l. 15 16 17. He stretched out his hand to the cup and poured of the bloud of the grape he poured out at the foot of the Altar a sweet smelling savour unto the most high King of all Then shouted the sonnes of Aaron and sounded the silver trumpets and made a great noise to be heard for a remembrance before the most High Then all the people together hasted and fell down to the earth upon their faces to worship their Lord God Almighty the most High When the wine was poured forth and the Priests blew the trumpets within at Festivals it is to be understood that the Levites sung the praises of God without at the same time as we saw afore and so it followeth in the next words wherein this description is repeated vers 18 19. The singers also sang praises with their voices with great variety of sounds was there made sweet melody And the people besought the Lord the most High by prayer before him that is mercifull till the solemnity of the Lord was ended and they had finished his Service After all followeth the Priests blessing as Maimoni said vers 20 21. Then he went down and lifted up his hands over the whole Congregation of the children of Israel to give the blessing of the Lord with his lips and to rejoyce in his Name And they bowed themselves down to worship the second time that they might receive a blessing from the most High I make no doubt but there was time for reading and expounding the Law in the Temple as it hath been touched but because I find no remembrance of it in this Service and because it concerneth not the point in hand I let it alone In this course of Service then the prayer wherewith each of them confessed their sinnes was private and at pleasure the rest was all by prescript form The Priests blessing expressed in Scripture the praises of God out of the book of Psalmes and others for the purpose And this is the strength of that Argument that is drawn from the Titles of the Psalmes shewing that they were indited for the purpose of praising God and praying to him as the tenour of them is Two or three of these Titles it shall not be amisse to produce here Psalm iiii and all the rest where the title is To the chief Musician the Chaldee translateth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to sing or to praise to tell us that they were Psalmes composed for the Master of Musick to be used in the Service of the Temple xcii A Psalme a Song for the Sabbath day It is a pleasant thing to reade the vagaries of the Jews upon this Title from whence they conceive this Psalme to be made by Adam after his fall on the Friday to serve God with on the Sabbath whereas the meaning in our observation is plain that it was composed to be sung in the Service of the Temple on the Sabbath which the very tenour of the Psalme inforceth when it saith vers 4. For thou Lord hast made me glad through thy works I will triumph in the works of thy hands pointing at the meditation of the Creation upon the Sabbath as the Jews expound it Last the Title of those fifteen Psalmes after the

you shall agree on earth as touching any thing they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven For where two or three are gathered together in my Name there am I in the midst of them And we know that all Service of God at that time had reference to the Temple at Jerusalem which reference our Lord abrogateth in his speech with the Samaritane John iv 21. 23. substituting the worship of God in Spirit and Truth in stead of the Ceremoniall worship of the Temple upon which all depended at that time We must know further that by the Rules of the Synagogue under ten that are of years there is no Congregation Before that number of such as are come to years be present they go not to Prayers But our Lord intending to free his Church of all Rules that might abridge the Priviledges of it knowing that occasions might fall out to diminish the number of his people that desired to Assemble assureth them of his presence in the midst of them where the least number agree in the things which they desire at his hands But if the reason of his presence among them be their agreement in their desires then two or three that agree in their desires with opposition to the rest of the Congregation shall not be heard but if they agree with the Congregation then must they will they Assemble with it to obtain their desires at Gods hands The Apostle 1. Tim. ii 8. I will therefore saith he that men pray every where lifting up pure hands without wrath or disputing Beza there His verbis tollitur Hierosoly mitani Templi circumstantia legalis Et ista respondent verbis Mal. i. 2. Joan. iv 21. Omnem tamen locum intellige sacris coetibus destinatum Agit enim Paulus de publicis precibus in communi conventu ut in toto orbe terrarum pura haec sacrificia Deo offerantur de quibus apud Malachiam agitur These words in every place take away the legall circumstance of the Temple at Jerusalem And this agreeth with the words Mal. i. 2. Joan. iv 21. But understand every place of such as are appointed for holy Assemblies For Paul speaketh of Common Prayers at publick meetings that those pure sacrifices of which the Prophet Malachi speaketh be offered to God all over the world When the Apostle forbiddeth wrath and disputing in their Prayers it is plain enough his meaning is of their Assemblies the fruit whereof he would not have intercepted through their dissentions A strange thing that men should so forget the Communion of Saints as to think of the Publick Prayers of the Church no otherwise then of those which they know they can make at home As who should say that the incense of the Temple which the Psalme speaketh of cxli. 2. Let my Prayer be directed before thee as the incense made no other perfume then the spices would do were they burnt one by one Coimus ad Deum ut quasi manufactâ precationibus ambiamus Haec vis Deo grata est Tertull. Apologet c. 39. We make a riot upon God as if we sued by strong hand with our Prayers This violence is welcome to God He that is earnestly desirous to obtain those things which the Church prayeth for at Gods hands will think his pains well bestowed to joyn so much strength to his suit as the favour of the Congregation with God affords The Jews have an opinion that the Prayers of the Congregation are alwayes heard not so the Prayers of particular persons in private Maimoni of Prayer c. viii num 1. They have deserved to void the truth of this opinion as for the favourable part of it but the promise of our Lord hath inlarged it to us Again 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And alwayes saith he let a man go morning and evening to the Synagogue for his prayer is not heard alwayes but in the Synagogue and he that dwelleth in a city where there is a Synagogue and prayeth not there with the Congregation this is he that is called a BAD NEIGHBOUR Well may he be called a Bad Neighbour that will not lend his neighbours prayers the strength of his own but himself findeth the fruit of his own bad neighbour-hood when his own prayers want the assistance of his neighbours The Church is one in faith and one in love to this purpose that all that hold the unitie of it may find the strength of the whole in the effect of their own prayers This is that one shoulder and that one lip of the Prophet Zephaniah one shoulder to croud into Gods service one lip to praise him with This is that Mountain of God in the Prophet Isaiah unto which he foretelleth that all nations should flow whereupon the Rule of the Jews is to runne to the Synagogue but to come easily from thence Maimoni c. viii n. 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And we are commanded to run to the Synagogue As it is said Hos vi 3. AND VVE SHALL KNOVV VVE SHALL DRIVE ON TO KNOVV THE LORD Neither is it to be thought that the publick service of the Church can stand without reading the Scriptures how easie soever some men imagine it is to do it at home First from the beginning of Morall and not Ceremoniall service in Synagogues it hath appeared that it was wont to be read there as the subject for those speeches that followed for the exposition of it we know we have the Law of Moses distinguished into divisions answerable to the number of weeks in the year that it might begin and end with it and you shall find afterwards an Order of reading the Law in publick as ancient as Nehemiahs time The lessons of the Prophets correspondent to these how ancient soever they be Elias the Levite deriveth them from the time of Antiochus Epiphanes as if the Jews began to practise them when he had forbidden them to reade the Law of Moses we know our Lord Christ took one of them for the subject of his sermon at Nazareth as his Apostle stood up at Antiochia after the reading of the Law and the Prophets Certain it is that from hence hath been continued the custome of Lessons of the Old and New Testament in the Church to the same purpose Justin Martyr in his second Apology 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 On the day called Sunday all that abide in towns or the countreys about meet in one place and the records of the Apostles or the writings of the Prophets are read as far as occasion serveth Then the Reader having done the Presiaent in a speech instructeth and exhorteth to the imitation of such excellent things The words have a place here because the Authour is so ancient otherwise the matter is plain enough were it but from that we had in the Constitutions of the Apostles for no question the custome hath been very generall to begin the sermon when the Lessons of the Epistles and Gospels were