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A25199 An orthodox plea for the sanctuary of God, common service, white robe of the house being writ for the good of all, but more especially intended for the common sort, being composed in a stile fittest for their capacities / by G.A. Sometime of Oxford, of St. Johns. Alsop, George, b. 1638. 1669 (1669) Wing A2902; ESTC R16186 26,026 98

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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
form so exactly couch't and fore-thought on as may be fit in an humble manner to be offered up unto the God of Order therefore when we prepare for the House of God we must also prepare in a fitted readiness what we shall have to say unto God when we come before him If for pardon of sin and begging of supplies if for giving of thanks for blessings and mercies received deliverances obtained why all this and whatever we shall or may have need of to put up to God must be seriously and devoutly forethought of to which intent there hath been and is at this very day fitted for our occasional wants holy and profitable Supplies the Divine-Service of the Church planted for a stable Worship and Service to God for ever So that none might rush into his sacred presence and there pour out before the God of Order and Holiness a long and tedious oration the most None-sence These were the common effusions of Olivers Saints Blasphemy and Rebellion with hum's and haw's coughs and impertinent fetches Now God of old to prevent this strange and irregular boldness prescribed a Set-form of Worship that men might not take up that boldness to speak any thing before him rashly especially the Guiders and Pastors of his People And the Lord spake unto Moses saying Speak unto Aaron and his Sons Thus shall they bless the people 1 The Lord bless thee and keep thee Numb 6.24 25 26. 2 The Lord make his face shine upon thee God himself did frame to his Priests the very speech wherewith they were charged to bless his people and be merciful unto thee 3. The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace Not leaving the blessing to their own extemporary effusions 't is plain enough known and that beyond the reach of contradiction that the ancient People of God the Jews had a particular Liturgy a Form of Divine-Service extracted out of the Holy Scripture as a constant Service for their approach to God upon all occasions their Benedictions being pen'd by the Masters of their Synagogues See Dr. Hamonds Practic Catech. Now this their Form of Worship as it was ordained for an exact Service to God so was it also intended to prevent the true Religion from all corruption in Doctrine that God might be served in all places with one and the same Order and Form of Divine Worship And as the Jews had their Forms of Divine Service so had and have the Christians also Luke 11.1 John the Baptist taught his Disciples to pray by Form and our blessed Saviour himself left us a Form of Prayer to signifie his allowance of that way of Worship and to prevent all temeritious effusions as also to take off all quarrels that might arise by the spirits of contradictions Our Saviour doth as it were stand up and speak to his Disciples to whom he was to leave the government of his Church after his Ascension my friends to take away all disputes that may be amongst you what kinde of worship my Church shall be served withal when ye pray say Our Father c. Luke 11.2 And as the Christians had their Set-forms of Prayer so had they also their Psalms and Hymns 1 Cor. 14.26 and all to make up a compleat Liturgy Matth. 26.3 For when they had sung a Psalm they went up into the Mountain and as the Jews had their Songs of Moses and Daniel Luke 1.46 so have the Christians the Songs of the Virgin Mary Luke 1.68 Zacharias and Old-Simeon Luke 2.29 And these are those which the Apostles doth so often say 1 Cor. 14 15. I will pray and sing with the Spirit And again Eph. 5.19 in Psalms and Hymns and spiritual Songs making melody to the Lord with my whole heart Now we know that Hymns and Psalms and such kinde of Prayer and Praises are not to be canvised on the sudden but to be premeditated and framed aforehand I but will some say all that St. Paul performed in this kinde he did it by the Spirit he prayed and sung by the Spirit All this we own God forbid else for know he that ventures upon any Form of Prayer or Hymn Psalm or Benediction without a devout and holy Spirit prepared for the work doth rather prattle than pray howl than sing Psalms All Gods Prayers must be prayed with the Spirit or else they fall under the scandal with those that the Apostle so long ago corrects That they use a Form of Godliness but deny the power thereof They therefore do very ill and uncharitable to the sacred Prayers of Gods Church to stigmatize it with that infamy crying of it down that it is barely carried on by Form without any power as if all Service and Devotion dwelt onely upon external performances but they that speak it without book they know not what they say for indeed how dare any take up that boldness to themselves to judge the heart of man when none knows it but God If our Worship be onely formal and hypocritical as many say it is I ask the Question how they know it Our words in our Service are Gods words our gestures and carriages with our habits are decent and comely when we perform our Worship Now what is within us none but God knows for let the worst of our enemies stand and behold our Order they must if they will speak truth When our service is performed with musical voyces devout hearts according to the old Latine verse Non von sed votum non chordula musica sed cor Non clamor sed amor cantat in aure Dei say that surely this is the place where God dwells I must confess we cannot free our Church altogether from sinful Pastors as well as refractory people for there hath always been Mixtura Ecclesiae from the beginning and will so continue Kain and Abel are the Churches Representatives who shows a mixt temper and composition of the Church from the beginning substantial and false-hearted attenders on the Altar of God Aug Ep. 145. Ad huc arca continet corvum columbam Clean and unclean birds the Dove and the Raven are both in the Ark and House of God And this hath been of old and will continue until the great Shepheard shall come and separate the good from the bad till then they feed together in the same pasture But however though there be and must be a mixture of good and bad Ministers and People yet the pure Worship and Service it self is unspotted Prayer and Praises have no errours Humanum est errare but Gods Service hath none And moreover in reference to the foregoing relation it hath been and is always the industrious care of the Fathers of the Church that none should be admitted to holy Orders to attend upon Gods Altar without they did seem and appear to be as well grounded in Grace as Learning that their offerings
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