Invocate and give thanks to his Father in the New-Testament are they not External Ceremonies and Services Did not the Apostles and the whole Church then and the whole Church after them supplicate God the Father by this Rite They continued breaking of Bread i. e. in the use of the Holy Sacrament and Prayers And Therefore in the Primitive Church they used to say all the Service at the Altar to Signify that they sent up their prayers in the Name of him whose Sacrifice the Ground of all attonement and Intercession was in that place Exhibited and Commemorated yet it seems very Novel to us to have part of our Service read there But least you might say the meaning is not that God will have no External Service but he will be worshipped by no External Gestures or Postures I say this also contradicts our Saviours Practise who himself lifted up his Sacred Eyes to Heaven when helprayed for Lazarus fell on his Face when he Prayed in his Agony c. What was Imposition of hands but an External gesture when God was invoked by way of benediction besides I see no reason why in the point of Evangelical worship Gesture should be more excepted against than Voice Is not Confessing Praying Praising an External Bodily worship as well as that of Gesture why then should the one derogate from the worship of the Father in Spirit and Truth and not the other In a word there never was yet in the World any Society of men that worshipped the Father in such a manner as this interpretation doth emply and therefore this cannot be the meaning Our Saviour intends here to reprehend the Idolatrous worship of the Samaritans The true sence who worshpped they knew not what Viz. God under the Representation of a Dove as the Israelites in Jeroboams time and long after under the similitude of a Calfe The Samaritans Idol This was the Object of the Samaritans worship as appears out of the writings of the Jewish Rabbies This was their Idolatry they worshipped God in a Bodily shape and the reason which our Saviour gives seems to emply this For God saith he is a Spirit i. e. he hath no body nor is he such therefore he must be worshipped as a Spirit for so indeed he is and not by any bodily Representatation So that the sense here is this The hour cometh and now is that the true worshippers shall Worship the Father in Spirit that is conceiving of him no otherwise than in Spirit and in Truth that is not under any Corporal or Visible shape for those that Worship under any Corporal similitude do indeed belye him For the Apostle saith of such as changed the Glory of the Incorruptible God into an Image made like to Corruptible man Rom. 1. they changed the truth of God into a lye Hence Idols also are called Lyes Amos. 6.4 Some interpret these words the true worshippers shall worship God in Spirit that is no longer by Jewish Ceremonies but in and by Christ who is the substance of those shadows This sence though it be true and plausible yet it is not congruous to our Saviours reason For God saith he is a Spirit and must be c. If this be the reason then God should never have been worshipped with Jewish Ceremonies and Rites for God was a Spirit from the beginning and manifested himself so to be even to the Jews who Worshipped him with Rites and Ceremonies Therefore I adhere to my first sense Thus your main Fort is blown up The Second Objection drawn from Goos Protestation against Sacrifices Michel 6.6 7 8. Hos 6.6 Isaiah 1. Psalm 51. with the Answer Vid. In a word Religion as man hath both a Body and Soul the Soul of our Service is the Service of our Soul but the Body of that Soul is the Service of our Body one must inform the other and both make a compleat man of God For as the Body without the Soul is dead so the Soul without the Body is imperfect God loves no maimed Sacrifice God calls for the Heart because he knows it commands the whole Man and therefore if he have the Heart at his devotion he is sure of the Body also Obj. Suppose all this God is to be adored outwardly as well as inward ly Yet this manner of Adoration is Dangerous and may become many ways Evil. For 1. It is Scandalous to weak brethren who hereat are offended 2. It may be an occasion to some Ignorant Ones to Commit Idolatry by Adoring the very Table 3. It is a fair Introduction to Popish Superstition 1. Every Scandal or offence taken is not a Scandal given Therefore that is properly called Scandalous which in its own nature tends to give offence not that which through willfulness or blindness may by accident become such Resp Resp Was not Christ himself a Scandal and Rock of offence to the Jews a Stumbling-block to the Greeks foolishness was not his Cross a Scandal should not therefore Christ have come and been Crucified because this proved an occasion of Scandal but who are these weak Ones and how is this an offence For the weak Ones Who are the weak they are such as usually think themselves strongly grounded in the Faith and able to confute this Worship we here maintain Such as though they be Women and Weavers think they can teach twenty of us thred-bare Schollers for all our Learning These are the weak Ones forsooth weak I confess in their knowledge for they are blind and therefore the bolder but in their own conceipt strong enough But how are these offended Why are they offended Are they drawn to imitate us in our Worship waveringly and doubtingly not knowing through the weakness of their Judgment whether they sin or no Scandal but relying on the knowledge and conscience of him whom they imitate thereby ensnare their consciences in sin This is properly a Scandal 1 Cor. 8. as the Apostle shews expresly were he makes that a Scandal given when in a thing in it self indifferent as Eating of meat Sacrificed to Idols not as such but as bought in the Market by a man of knowledge who knoweth that meat commendeth not to God and takes no notice of the Idol to whom it was offered but Eats is as Common or Ordinary When I say this Act of him that hath knowledge doth occasion one weak in knowledge to Eat the same meat with conscience of the Idol grounding himself upon the example of him whom he imitates and so offends Thus then comes in the Scandal The strong Eat of that without conscience of the Idol among the weak or ignorant that know not how to make such a distinction They imitate the strongs example as thinking what is lawful for the strong is lawful for them and so Eat of it with conscience of the Idol or as devoted to an Idol which is Idolatry Thus the strongs knowledge is an occasion of Sandal to the weak that
a Minister about Holy Things or one that attends about holy service Neh. 10.36 Esay 61.6 Jer. 33.21 and therefore Scripture it self gives this interpretation of their names in very many places For though there were diverse Offices in the Jewish Hierarchy as the High-Priest the Priests the Levites Nethemims Porters Singers c. yet were they all Ministers about Holy Things though some in a higher others in a lower rank For the Levites Ministred immediately to the Priests the Priests to the High Priest and he immediatly to God as in our Church the Deacon whose name signifies a Minister Ministers to the Priest and the Priest immediatly to God Therefore Priest Levite Ezr. 7.24 Nethemims c. are all sum'd up in this name of Ministers see Joel 1.9 and 13. where they are all called Ministers of the Altar So Joel 2. Ezech. 46.24 c. Thus you see what the Hebrew word signifies which we turn Priest and what the Greek word Priest signifies which we would not have the Clergy called by and yet it is the very word given them by the Holy Ghost in the New-Testament viz. Elders Now I pray The Dignity of the Priests if they who waited on the Altar were called Ministers of God or of the Sanctuary or of the Holy Things why may not we of the Gospel be so called that is Priests for that the Interpreters ment when they translated the Hebrew Cohen which word likewise signifies a Prince to intimate the great Dignity of that Function which consisted in Ministring unto God about Holy Things And of no less Dignity is the word Priest or Elder And therefore these terms were premiscuously given to the Jewish Clergy and an Elder with them sometimes signifies a Prince So the Elders of the People of the City of the Congregation fignifies Rulers and Governours To be God's Ministers is to be the Peoples Elders We are the Ministers of God not men 2 Cor. 6. 4. 1 Cor. 4. 1. 2 Cor. 3. 6. Rom. 13. 6. for we are not the Ministers of men but of God and so we are stiled Ministers of Christ Ministers of the Spirit God and Christ set us on work he sends us forth to him we Minister though for you When we administer the Holy Word the Sacraments we are not therein your Ministers but his Dispensers or Stewards For we do it not at your appointment or command or by your Authority but by Gods from whom we have our Calling and Commission As the King is not his Subjects Minister though he doth administer Justice to them and therefore he is called Gods Minister Angels likewise Ministring Spirits to God even then when they are sent out for the good of them who shall be Heirs of Salvation Psal 103.21 104.4 For though the material Object of their Ministry or that whereabout their Ministery is conversant be men yet the formal Object or he in reference to whom this Ministery is executed is God Hence ye Priests ye Ministers of his that do his pleasure and he maketh his Ministers a flame and Daniel saith of them thousand thousands Ministred unto them Thus you see then whose Ministers we are Gods Dan. 1.10 not mens Secondly What a Dignity this is it is no less than what is attributed to Kings and Angels You see likewise that what the Interpreters translated Priests signifies that which you call us Ministers and the executing of their Office Ministring or Ministration As also that the word Elder Luk. 1.23 that the Holy Ghost calls us by is all one with the word Priest And therefore if you be so much against the Jewish terms you should rather call us Priests than Ministers but indeed we are both and the Holy Scripture useth both words promiscuously as well in the Old as the New Testament For we are Elders in respect of the people Ministers in respect of God and we Minister to God about Holy Things unless you will say that our Gospel is not so Holy as their Law our Preaching as their Expounding our Prayers and Service and Sacraments wherein is the Body and Blood of our Saviour are not as Holy as their Incense Oblation and Sacrifice for about these things are our Ministers conversant Now I come to the main Question concerning Adoration or Worship of God before or towards the Altar in our ingress into his house or at any other time when we shall approach thereunto Where first I will shew you what is meant by Adoration or Worship Secondly what is meant by the House of God 1. By Worship What is meant by Worship I do not understand here in the Latitude of the word the whole Act of Religion the whole Duty of Man which sometimes is generally so called the Worship of God the Fear of God nor yet only or primarily the inward Reverence and Devotion of the heart but in special the outward expression of Reverence and Humility in the posture or gesture of the Body not excluding but implying the inward worshiping of the mind In this sense the word is often taken in Holy Scripture as in the second Commandment Thou shalt not bow down to them Gen. 24 26.48.5 Rev. 19.10 nor Worship them So Saint John fell at the Angels feet to Worship him but the Angel refuseth it and biddeth him worship God that is give the outward Worship that he was ready to do to him to God to whom alone it was due For had not the outward Worship been an Act of Religion in regard of Saint John's intention and inward Reverence the Angel needed not to have refused it for outward Worship if it be only Civil is such as one man may give to another a Subject to his Prince much more to an Angel You see then the Holy Scripture by the name of Worship doth oftentimes mean in special the outward Adoration of the Body in visible gestures and so do I here Now this Act of outward Worship I make a part of Religion which that you may the better conceive I will tell you the Nature and Parts thereof For it is not generally believed that outward Worship is due unto God and consequently that it is part of Religion Religion Religion the Nature and Parts which is derived from a word that signifies binding Implies three things 1. An Act of Duty 2. The Object of that Act God 3. The Bond or Tye imposed upon us for the performance of such a Duty to such an Object The Object of Religion is God most Infinite most Glorious most Excellent and Perfect and therefore our Act of Duty in reference to such an Object ought to have three Properties 3 Properties of it 1. It must be an universal Act or Act of the whole Man 1 Vniversal of Soul and Body Soul and Body of all the Faculties of the Soul and of all the Members of the Body All are to concur in this Act of Duty to God and that for these
or would not hear him any where else Or that Solomon thought God could not or would not hear any prayer but what was made in his Temple certainly he did not For the reason why he beseeched God to have respect unto the Place which he had made and to hear the Prayers of those that prayed in it or towards it was only this because it was built for the Memorial of Gods Name for the place of his special presence and God had promised to place his Name there And mark Gods Answer 2 Chr. 7.14 2 Chr. 7.14 If my People shall humble themselves and Pray c. Then will I hear and forgive Now mine eyes shall be open and mine ears attent to the Prayert that are made in this place Would you know the reason why God would hear in this place rather than in another Though God did not abridge himself of hearing in anyother place It is expresly set down in the next Verse For now I have chosen and Sanctified this house that my Name that is my Memorial or special presence might be there for ever and my Eyes and my Heart shall be there perpetually Is there not the same reason for Gods presence in our Churches as in their Temple if they be as much Sanctified to this end viz. Gods Memorial or Name to Inhabit in as that was And to what other end were these ever Consecrated Now unless you can shew this promise of Gods meeting and blessing men by a peculiar manner in all places where he recorded his Name was proper to the Jews or hath been since reversed by God then certainly our Churches have as much of Gods special presence as the Temple And God will there meet with us and bless us especially and we are to adore God as much towards our Memorial as the Jews towards theirs Thus I have proved the Lawfulness of Adoration towards the Altar out of Scripture Now for the Opinion and Pratise of the Church That it was the Opinion and Practise of the Old Church 1 Kings 8.22 2 Kings 19.14 2 Chr. 7.3 is apparent by what is said Hezekiah in his distress went into the Temple and their Prayed towards the Place of his presence Viz. the Mercy Seat and therefore compellates God by this Title Thou that dwellest between the Cherubims Might not the King have Prayed at home was not God present in his house or had he confined him between the Cherubims No but Hezekiah knew that God had more especially promised his Presence in this Place and therefore here he comes and prostrates himself before Gods Memorial How the Christians Esteemed ever and reverenced their Churches Vid. c. And how highly they regarded their Altars Chrisost Hom. 20. In the Second Epistle to the Corinthians Optatus in his 6th Book describing the Dignity of the Altar illustrates it from this Viz. That it was the Seat of the Body and Blood of Christ Alexander Bishop of Constantinople falling down at the foot of the Altar besought God that he would subvert the furious Plots and Endeavours of the Arrians the next day Arrius as he was exonerating nature withal voided his Guts and Bowels Nazians Or. p. 1. or in some 25. tells That his Sister Gorgonia being Sick applies her self to the chief Physitian of all mortals and casting her self down before the Altar and Invocating him who was Honoured upon the same she recovered her former health By which Examples it may seem that God by his miraculous benefits hath confirmed this Reverence Tertull tells how penitents after they are restored to the Church at their entrance into it were wont to cast themselves down before the Priests from whom they were to receive absolution and to bow themselves submisly before the Altar of God c. God cares not for any complements He requires the Heart Object and the Inward Devotion thereof and so our Saviour teacheth us to serve God John 4.23 The hour cometh and now is that they that worship the Father must worship him in Spirit and Truth This Text is much abused to prove that God in the Gospel allows not of External or Bodily worship or Service but requires this of the Spirit only and consequently to make this the main difference between Gods worship under the Old-Testament and the New Now first I will shew the absurdity of this meaning which they give of the words and then declare the true sense This sense is inconsequent from our Saviours Words The absurdities of the Puritance exposition for he did not speak any thing to the woman about Bodily worship but only about the place of worship and the Object For her question to our Saviour perceiving him to be a Prophet was about a main controversy between the Jews and Samaritans who were bitter Enemies about the Place of worship They mistake the Scope so whether Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem were the place appointed for Gods worship This you may see is nothing concerning the manner of worship whether it should be Outward or Inward But our Saviour in answering waves the question and tells her that was not so material a controversy but that there was a greater Question than that about the place Viz. about the object of their worship for you saith he worship you know not what but we Jews know what we worship After which follows the words cited But the hour cometh c. This is the first absurdity it hath not Consistance with the contest Secondly They add to the Letter Their interpretation addeth to the very Letter of the Text For our Saviour saith not we must worship him in Spirit only there is no such word This exclusive particle our Saviour useth not So that though he might mean that we must worship him cheifly or Principally in Spirit yet it follows not but we might worship him with our bodies also Subordinately for the Principal doth not exclude the Subordinate but include it And none dare say that outward worship is opposite to inward This is the Second Absurdity they add to the letter what our Saviour never said or thought Thirdly This Exposition is directly contrary to the words For our Saviour saith God must be worshipped in Spirit and Truth but God is not nor yet can be worshipped in Truth without Bodily worship for his worship is not true 'T is conerary to the Doctrine and practise of Christ and of all Christians in all Ages unless it be entire and Universal as hath been shewen and entire it is not without the Joynt-worship of the Body Fourthly This Exposition contradicts the Ordinances of the Gospel expresly together with the practise of our Saviour his Apostles and the Church in all Ages For the blessed Sacraments are External Rites and Services Baptisme wherein we make our first Stepulation with God to become his Servants The Eucharist which is substituted in place of those Bloody Sacrifices of the Law to be a Rite and mean of our Address to