Selected quad for the lemma: saint_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
saint_n	apostle_n	church_n	corinth_n	1,463	5	10.8722	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A61269	A sermon preached at the temple, the Svnday after the church was opened being then newly repaird, adorned and beautified at the joynt expense of the two honorable societies / by John Standish.	Standish, John, d. 1686.	1683 (1683)	Wing S5219; ESTC R33852	11,999	33

is more then probable from Saint Pauls words that there was a Church built at Corinth early 1 Cor. 11.22 Have ye not houses to eat and to drink in or despise ye the Church of God and shame them that have not for not only the opposition between private Houses and the publick Church but also the difference between shaming the poor and despising the Church seems to require that Church there signifies the Place and not the People the most that can be urged to the contrary is that the Tyranny of those times would not probably suffer them to erect many Churches but that they were necessitated to make use of some convenient Room in an ordinary House some times for their Religious Worship What then it does not follow but that those Rooms were presently separated from all former and common uses and thenceforth became Holy Places That succeeding ages were never without decent places for Divine Service is questioned by none but a few Enthusiasts that cite Arnobius and Lactantius their writings in defence of Christianity against the Gentiles because they say the Christians had then no Temples but the fallacy lies in the word Temples signifying Stately Fabricks built to magnifie their religion which they were not in a condition to compasse then their purses running low and their Profession being discouraged by the hi●● Powers But all this while they can be no more supposed to have wanted places for their Assemblies than to have been no Christians And yet by these mens good leave the Christians had their Basilica or Temples long before Constantines time as Eusebius and others do assure us which were demolished under Dioclesian Nay Lactantius himself somewhere speaks of such an one in Nicomedia Ego cum in Bithynia oratorias Literas docerem contigit ut codem tempore Dei Templum everteretur that is in the same persecution He that would be further satisfied in this matter may consult Eusubius his Eccl. History Lab. 10. ch 3. where he will find that when that dreadfull storme was blown over and the Churches had rest and peace Temples were presently rebuilt out of the ruines of their old Foundations and high Festivities appointed at their Eucoenia or new Dedication which by the tenure of his relation appears to have been a most ancient Custom being in all places as it were naturally observed No cost was spared to shew their chearful affection no thing was thought too dear to part with for so laudable a work the whole World seemed to triumph in having occasion to pour out their gifts for so blessed a purpose That forward devotion 1 Chron. 29. those free-will offerings which David once rejoyced exceedingly to behold in the Jews on such an accompt was then every where visible amongst the Christians The same Author tells us that when Constantine had finished a magnificent House for Gods Service at Jerusalem the greatest part of the Bishops in Christendom met together at his summons for the more solemn Dedication thereof As it greived Davids royall heart to think that Himself should dwell in an House of Cedar and the Ark of God still remain within Curtaines 2 Sam. 7.2 So this pious Emperour convinced the World by his Example as well as Edict that it was a ridiculous fancy in men to think that God should delight to dwell beggarly and took no pleasure in their services unless performed in some ordinary Barn or thatched Cottage And certainly it is most suitable decent and fit for the greatness and Majesty of Jesus Christ who is now no longer in the form of a servant Philip. 2.7 but Lord of all and the sublimity of his Gospel to worship Him in the beauty of holiness 1 Chron. 16.29 unless we think as meanly of him as the Apostate Julian's Officers did who when they saw the vast price of the vessels belonging to his service said blasphemously what a deal of doe and charge is here for the honour of Mary's Son or are content which David scorned to serve God with that which costs us nothing 2 Sam. 24. Now the matter of fact being so fully evident it will be no great difficulty to resolve the Question de Jure by what right and warrant both Jews and Christians have in their severall times devoted and set apart places for the divine worship supposing there be no express Command in Gods Law for it either in the Old or New Testament what then That there is no Caveat put in against it is sufficient to authorize an action laudable in it's self nay directly tending to the advancement of Gods Glory and necessary to the preserving of the well-being of his Church and to scruple the lawfulness of such an act for want of a positive command were to question whether God gave his Law to reasonable or unreasonable creatures Besides there is an implicit command at least and God would never have enjoyned all the Jews to reverence his Sanctuaries were they to have but one that is the Temple nor can it be imagined that an Ocean should be contained in a narrow Bucket I mean that the Children of Israel who were as the Sands of the Sea for multitude Isai 10.22 could all find room in one Temple of no great confines or be reasonably expected to have recourse thither from the remotest parts of Canaan to pay their daily devotions No they were required to be at Jerusalem only at some high Feasts such as that of the Passover for they had Synagogues at home wherein to celebrate their ordinary service and therefore we may observe that when the veil of the Temple was rent in twain to let out the ceremonial Law St. Matt. 27. as now become useless and the Temple it self at length destroy'd by Titus Synagogues for Gods moral service remained still and they were the true and more immediate Exemplars of our Churches Thus the Communion of Saints being one Article of the Christian Faith they believe themselves bound to assemble together frequently for the exercise of their common Christianity consisting chiefly in publick prayers and the Eucharist which they can no more perform without convenient places for those holy uses than a man can be supposed to walk without legs or fly without wings And hence they Judge themselves obliged to found and consecrate Churches to maintain and credit their Religion as well as provide for the poor members of their own Body those living Temples S. Chrysostome truly construes the reason why our Saviour would not suffer Mary Magdelen to be reproved for her sumptuous expence upon his Body and Person St. Matt. 26 which might have done much good among the Poor to be this that his Disciples might understand themselves to be bound to maintain the means and decorum of Gods service as well as the Poor that attend upon it wherefore the manner is and ever hath been to warm the House of God in a full body with solemn Prayers when it is

own Reverend Name Psal 111.9 who hath signally approved the pious bounty of such as loved our Nation St. Luke 7.5 and built us Synagogues by driving those zealous Mony-changers out of his Temple and restoring the Holy Place to that Primitive use those sacred Offices for which it was at first designed and set apart by solemn Dedication Now from these words of the Evangelist I shall endeavour to resolve these three Enquiries 1. What Feast of Dedication is here spoken of 2. By what warrant the Jews did of old and Christians do since Dedicate Places to Gods Service 3. How far forth and in what sence places thus Dedicated are to be esteemed Holy I. I begin with the first What Feast of Dedication is here spoken of the reason of the doubt is because we read of three several feasts of Dedication kept by the Jews at divers times and different occasions The first was at the dedication of Solomons Temple the solemnity magnificence whereof you may see at large 1 Kin. 8. The 2d was of the second Temple rebuilt out of the Ruines of the first by Zerubbabel after the Jews return from their Captivity at Babylon the story whereof is recorded Ezra ch 6. and then besides those we read of a third Dedication of the Temple and Altar by Judas the Maccabee after Antiochus Epiphanes had defiled and prophaned them with Idoll-sacrifices and all uncleanness 1 Maccab. c. 4. Now that the Feast of Dedication here spoken of was the last of these that by Judas is most evident by these two Reasons 1. It no where appeares that either of the two former Feasts were annually renewed or observed any more then once but of the last we find expresly that Judas and his Brethren ordained that the days of the dedication of the Altar should be kept in their season 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from year to year by the space of eight days 1 Macc. 4.59 2. Admitting though vve need not that the dedication of the first or second Temple or both might be commemorated by an annual feast notwithstanding all records are silent in the case yet that this Feast here spoken of must needs be meant of the dedication of the Altar is further evident from the circumstance of time not omitted by our Evangelist And it was Winter Which punctually accords with the first Institution hereof in the forecited place 1 Macc. 4. where it is said to be in the Moneth Casleu their ninth Month answering to our December whereas Solomon's Temple was dedicated in Autumn in the Moneth Ethanim near our September 1 Kings 8. And the second Temple in the Spring in their twelfth Month called Adar as we read 1 Esdras 7.5 that is about our March The first and least material Enquiry being t●●s briefly and fully resolved I proceed to the Second II. By what Warrant the Jews did of old and Christians do since Dedicate places to Gods service And in order to our resolution hereof it will not be amiss to premise and observe that both Jews and Christians did and have all along de facto erected and dedicated certain Places for GODS Publick Worship 1. It is without dispute and generally acknowledged that the Jews had many other places dedicated to Gods service besides the Temple which from their religious Assemblies there held they commonly called Synagogues Of these their owne Writers tell us there were 480 in Jerusalem and as many with proportion in other Cities The Temple was as it were the Cathedral or Mother-Church Synagogues much like our Parish-Churches or Chappell 's of Ease and this only difference is to be noted between them that the Ceremonial Service of God by Sacrifice Oblations c. was confined to the Temple and unlawfull any where else but his Morall service was common to all Synagouges as well as the Temple For there the Law was solemnly read and expounded to the People and the Peoples prayers offered unto God The only mention made of Synagogues in the old Testament Ps 74.7 8 84.13 is in the Psalmes where they are styled Sanctuaries though the Talmud-Doctors extend that Precept to them also Levit. 19.30 Ye shall observe my Sabbaths and reverence my Sanctuary Whereupon Philo calls them places of secondary holiness to wit in respect of the Temple by vertue and in imitation whereof they were set apart and dedicated to an holy use But then the new Testament is so plain and frequent in telling us that they had divers Synagogues in all their Cities and daily paid their reverence thereto as also of our Saviour's often resorting thither to expound the Law and teach the people that it were superfluous to enlarge further on this Particular Whether in imitation of the Jews or from a Principle of their own natural Law teaching them that whatever God they worshipped they must have some convenient place to do it in is uncertain but this is most certain that the very Heathen themselves did generally erect Magnificent Temples and Altars not only at Rome Ephesus and Athens where one we find inscribed TO THE VNKNOWN GOD and other famous Cities but almost every where throughout the World Only some wandering Scythians are said to have none the reason was because they had no Houses of their own but like salvage creatures rambled daily from one place to another And of all other Sects of Philosophers only the Stoicks forbad building of Temples either out of derision of that vulgar error that Deities were kept prisoners and confined within those Walls or else out of the singular dissenting humor of that Sect whereby they counted the general practice of others a laudable and sufficient ground for their contrary opinion But then 2. The practice of Christians is most clear from the best Historians that they built and separated places for Gods publick Service from time to time when the persecutions of the Age did not restrain them Saint Luke observes that in the Apostles days they broke Bread Acts 2. that is celebrated the Holy Sacrament from house to house Beza may be my Author that He there means Houses set apart to that purpose And yet Dr. Hammond hath more probably conjectured that the Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is no more than 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the House that is the House of God the Temple where the same Saint Luke had said before they were continually St. Luke 24. and that the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or upper room where the Apostles were assembled Acts 1.13 was one of those Chambers belonging to the Temple spoken of in 1 Chron. 28.11 which they devoted to the publick exercise of their Religion till the Jews maliciously turned them out However it is reasonable to believe that those vast summes of money laid down at the Apostles feet were not so wholly expended upon the poor Acts 4.35 but a competent part was reserved to maintain the Decency of Gods Service in the Sanctuary It