Disciple for it is said when the Evening was come he was there alone but both Groves and High-places which were by Priests Consecrated for publick Conventions of Men and Women to Worship Publickly are commanded in Scripture to be destroyed Levit. 26.30 Hos 10.8 Amos 7.9 The first who built Temples were the old Egyptian Priests which they Dedicated to Priapus and drawing Women thither by Consecrated Whoredom thereby instituted the same the places of Publick Worship as well as of Marriage The next was Cecrops King of Athens who first in Greece instituted Marriage by a Priest in a Temple and with the same brought in the Publick Worship of Idols and Altars and Sacrifice for them whereby People were drawn from the Private and Omnipresential Worship of God to Marry and Worship Idols in Temples for the Gains of the Priests yet even amongst these Idolaters the wiser sort though Heathens understood these Pontifical Impostures but durst not speak against them as neither did Plato nor Aristotle Heathens believed the Omnipresence being warned by the Fate of Socrates though they many times express'd themselves that they believed the Omnipresence of God One desiring Demonax to go into the Temple of Esculapius to pray for the health of his Son Is he so deaf said he that he can hear no where but in a Temple Eras lib. 8. Apopth And Eratus the Greek Poet whom Paul cites speaks thus of Gods Omnipresence Plena sunt Jovis omnes Plateae Omnium etiam hominum Fora plenum est mare Pleni sunt Portus ubique Jove fruimur omnes Hujus enim genus sumus So the great Latine Poet Virgil Eclog. 3. Jovis omnia plena Ille colit terras illi mea Carmina curae Jove keeps the Earth all things full of him are And he even of my Verses taketh care Cato after the overthrow given by Caesar to Pompey of whose Party he was being advised to consult with the Oracle of Jupiter Hammon what course he were best take Answers thus Estne Dei sedes nisi Terra Pontus Aer Et coelum virtus superos quid'quaeritis ultra Jupiter est quocunque vides quocunque moveris Lucan Is Gods Seat other than Earth Sea and Air And Heaven and Vertue why do you despair And seek beyond who wheresoe're in these You go or see there to be found doth please It is not here affirmed as is already said That 't is unlawful for any to Marry or Worship by a Priest in a Temple or in a Publick Convention but it seems unlawful to compel any whose Conscience is dissentient or doubtful and that the Scriptures and Christ are so far from Compulsion that where Parties are not agreed they forbid so much as two or three to convene as Amos 3.3 Can two walk together except they agree and though they do agree yet single Prayer in private seems to be prefer'd as appears by what follows Prayer in Temples and Synagogues forbid by Christ and a distinction of the Place of Prayer and Preaching Commanded There is as little encouragement given by the Prophets in the Old Testament for Sacrifices Altars and Temples as there is by Christ in the New for Prayer and Sacrament in Synagogues and Temples Jer. 7.4 Trust ye not in lying words saying The Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord the Temple of the Lord these are Hos 8.14 Israel hath forgotten his Maker and buildeth Temples Revel 21.22 There was no Temple in the New Jerusalem nor was there any Temple in the Earthly Paradise more than in the Heavenly yet was Marriage instituted by God But hear next what he who saith Matth. 12.6 here is one greater than the Temple will say of Prayer in Synagogues which were the Jews Parochial Churches and Temples which were the Cathedrals John 4.21 Jesus talking with the Samaritan Woman saith unto her Believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor in Jerusalem Worship the Father And Verse 23. The hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall Worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to Worship him And they that Worship him must Worship him in Spirit and Truth 'T is granted the Jews set up a Local Worship in Synagogues and Temples but this Judaisme Christ expressly saith the hour was then come that it must be abolish'd and all Jewish Ceremonial Law and the Temple it self he foretold in the future there should not be left one stone upon another That he forbids a Prayer to be made in Synagogues Temples or any other publick Place and commands the same to be made privately in the Closet appears Matth. 6.5 When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites are for they love to pray standing in the Synagogues and in the Corners of the Streets that they may be seen of Men. Verily I say unto you they have their reward But when thou prayest enter into thy Closet and when thou hast shut thy door pray to thy Father which is in secret and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly The Jewish Synagogues were their Churches or Temples having a lesser or Parochial Jurisdiction and the Cathedral Church or great Temple having the National Jurisdiction but Prayer in both is abolished by Christ It is granted that in both the lesser and the greater Christ used to Teach as it is said Matth. 4.23 And Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their Synagogues and preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of Diseases amongst the People And Mar. 14.49 he saith of himself I was daily teaching in the Temple And the avoiding of publick Prayer he taught not only by his Precept but Example for we never find that he so much as Convened the Twelve who were his own Family to pray with him but Mark 1.35 He went out and departed into a solitary place and there prayed And Matth. 14.23 He went up into a Mountain apart to pray and when the Evening was come he was there alone And Matth. 26.36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane and saith unto the Disciples Sit ye here while I go and pray yonder Whereby it is clear that Christ both by Precept and Example taught there ought a distinction to be made between the place of Preaching and Prayer the one to be publick the other to be private the one to be in conventions the other to be single and alone and if he prohibited the contrary to any who were free he much more prohibited any should be compell'd Then as to Non-Communicants 't is manifest Christ never instituted the Sacrament in a Church or Temple nor appointed the same to be after Celebrated there for he instituted it in a private House and no company with him but his own private Family with him as Matth. 26.17 It is said Now the first day of the Feast of unlevened bread the Disciples
when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit and those that worship him must worship him in Spirit and Truth To worship therefore in Spirit and Truth is the Internal Worship of the heart and not the External Ceremonies which may be Compelled and Counterfeit and if mixt with the Worship of God are not directly to Worship God but the Idol or the Priest as for example I shall instance the usual Ceremonies of uncovering the Head Bowing and Kneeling to which men are compel'd in Temples Compulsion to external Ceremonies is to Worship the Idol and the Priest and not God as both Ancient and Modern Pagan Idolaters pretend the same distinction of Worship to and towards the Image where those or other Ceremonies are used as do the Papists and if the same should be allowed there could be no Idolatry committed in the World and the Second Commandment were useless and deservedly by the Papist turn'd out of the Decalogue for all Nations in the World whether Civil or Barbarous which use Idols or Images yea the Tartars Africans Indians and very Americans say They Worship not the Idol but their God in the Idol But if once the Omnipresence is believed this Faith destroys all Ceremonies of Worship both towards and to and in and shews the Worship of Spirit and Truth to be every way and every where and that Idols ought not to be brought into the Place or mixt with the Divine Worship they manifestly drawing the Honor of Bowing Falling down Kneeling or the like towards or before them pretended to God to be given themselves for which reason it seems Josephus lib. 8. cap. 2. de Antiq. Jud. says Solomon sin'd and broke the Law in making Similitudes in the Temple of Beasts of Brass to underprop the Brazen Sea and Lions to set unto his Throne which are apt to be Converted to Idolatrous Uses and of the Act of Hezekiah 2 Kings 18.4 to take away those External Ceremonies of Worship then in fashion for it is said He removed the high Places and brake the Images and cut down the Groves and brake in pieces the Brazen Serpent which Moses had made for unto those days the Children of Israel did burn Incense to it and he called it Nehushtan Yet here might it have been said by the Idolatrous Priests who made great gains of these Ceremonies of Bowing Kneeling and Falling down to those Images that they were very Ancient and Decent Ceremonies and great Ornaments of the Worship of God and they did not Bow Kneel Fall down or offer Incense to the High Places but God in them yet here in the Judgment of Hezekiah these external Ceremonies gave the Honour pretended to be given to God to these Idols and he therefore Abolished them In the like manner do the Priests now the Images are removed yet Surrogate in their stead what Idols they can of Temples and Altars abolished by Christ and under pretence of the Ornament and Decency of Worshipping God by Compulsion to those External Ceremonies of the Body to which it is impossible to compel the worship of the Spirit and Soul draw to themselves wholly that Divine Honour which they feign is given through these to God as is easie to be seen in every common Church or Temple the People walk talk and place themselves in what posture they please till the Priest appears and is heard in the Pew then as if the Apparition of a Deity spake there is such shuffling away of Hats and falling on knees to receive an Absolution which none but God can give of their Sins and as assoon as the Morning Service is ended and the Priest got out of the Church all the Hats are again on and not a man to be seen on his knees till the Priest again return in the Afternoon then are they all again on their knees to pray according to the foremention'd distinction towards him but not as they said to him and receive his Benediction which none is able to give but God and these Ceremonies of falling on their knees towards the Priest in those many Postures of Confessions of Sins Penance Absolution and Benedictions were so scandalous to the Heathen that when a Christian reproved one of them that he fell down before a dead Idol and worshipped it he would answer That the Christian fell on his knees before a worse living Idol Et quod Pontificis coleret Genitalia In the like manner was a Jesuit Recriminated who reproved an Indian King of Candecan that he fell down and worshipped his Paw-God and answer'd That He fell down and worshipped his Crucifix To the same purpose have some Episcopal Protestants been Recriminated who reproved Papists that they bowed and fell on their knees to the Host in the Mass and answer'd that they bowed and fell on their knees to the High Altar and the Bread received from it So neither side can justifie but Recriminate which how weak Argumentation it is concerning the worship of God in Spirit and Truth is easily understood But to return to the first consideration That the Priest is worshipped and not God by the Ceremonies of the Temple appears in regard if they taught that the People must put off their Hats or fall on their knees in token of Reverence to God as being in the Temple Consecrated by the Bishop more than in another place then must they teach them that they ought to perform the same Ceremonies when both Bishop and Priest are out as well as in and must be perpetually as long as they are in the Church seeing God is perpetually in it and both Bishop and Priest must be perpetually uncovered when there as well as the People and as well before Service as after and as well without the People as with them but they neither teach nor practice any such matter but only command uncovering and kneeling to be towards themselves when present therefore they give the whole Honour of these External Ceremonies to themselves and not to God So the Popes Missionary Priests breed up the poor Americans in such Superstition and Slavery as they worship the Priests for Gods and if a Priest do but ride on a Journey through the street they all as he passeth fall on their knees with their hands Elevated towards him praying him to forgive their Sins and give them their Benediction which the Priest very gravely doth making many Mumpsimusses with his Mouth and Crosses in the Air with his finger towards them and they for the same bring him plenty of Provision and Oblations to his Lodging where he Inns The Arch-Bishop of Moscho reputed the Greek Pope or chief Patriarch when he Consecrates the River there for Baptism which is once a Year he Rides in great State in most Rich and Gorgeous Robes carrying the Sacrament in his Lap the Emperour himself leading his Horse by the Bridle and many persons casting before
came to Jesus saying unto him where wilt thou that we prepare for thee to eat the Passeover And he said Go into the City to such a man and say unto him The Master saith My time is at hand I will keep the Passeover at thy House with my Disciples The reasons why Christ prohibited publick and commanded private Prayers may be divers 1. The first is express'd to avoid vain glory and suspition of Hypocrisie 2. To avoid the dangers incident to Conventions in Temples or publick Places whereby he foresaw his Church might be destroyed and how many of the Primitive Christians and since have by this means of the Conventions in Churches and Temples suffer'd some have had the Churches fired about them and themselves burnt in them others have been in them Massacred with the Sword others carried away and destroyed by Torments which had never happened to them if they had followed Christs Precept of not casting their Pearl before Swine or when they were persecuted in one City to flie to another or kept themselves in their Closets to pray 3. The impossibility of a Convention of People to agree what they would have prayed for were it but when they would have Rain and Dry-weather 4 The impossibility of worshipping God in Spirit and Truth unless he is worship'd as Omnipresent for as he that worships God in an Image or towards an Image commits Idolatry because he confines his Omnipresence to the petty Prison of an Idol so who in his Imagination comprehends him who is Incomprehensible in the walls of a Temple is as guilty of Idolatry as the other only one worships him in a greater Idol and the other in a lesser And as to Marriage in a Temple or by a Priest 't is manifest the Jews never Married in a Temple nor did Christ ever Marry any Man or Woman nor any of the Apostles Marry any nor had any Precept to do it and all the Primitive Christians for 300 Years after Christ so far observed the Precept and Example of Christ and abhor'd Marriage or Worship in Temples and Altars that Celsus doth reproach them with it that they had no Sacred places of publick Worship and Origen in Answer confesseth that they were not instituted by Christ but crept in afterwards Notwithstanding all which the Divinity of the later Times hath been so far from following the Precept and Example of Christ that it hath destroyed the Omnipresential Worship of God commanded by him in Spirit and Truth with a gawdy Ceremonial Worship by Priests and Temples for to discover the Truth of this great Mystery of Iniquity of Popish Priests it concerns them in the highest points of their Profit to abolish as much as they can possible all thoughts of Gods Omnipresence for if this is once understood it will appear there is no need for the People to pray by a Priest whereby they will lose their gainful Offices of Masters of Requests for where the Prince is in presence there needs no such Officer 2. This will lose their gainful Office of Confession of Sins for where God is in Presence 't is better to confess to him than the Priest 3. It will lose them their Pardon-Office which brings them in Millions for who is so mad to beg Pardon of a Priest if God is in presence and he may beg it of him 4. It will lose him his great Office of Benediction of all those who are Married in his Temple for if God is in presence at â—ome of whom the Party may crave a Benediction who is so mad to think he need go beg a Benediction of a Priest in a Temple 5. It will lose him his Office of Excommunication and casting out of his Synagogue and out of the Presence of God for if God is Omnipresent then can none cast out of his presence for these good Reasons are all the Clamorous School men silent and have writ nothing Material concerning that great Attribute of God his Omnipresence nor have the in numerable Heaps of Theologists inclosed any thing considerable of this point nor have the Bishops so much as once named it in the 39. Articles but like Lapwings drawing the Readers as far as they can from their nest diverting his Fancy when they speak of God to matters unintelligible and not necessary to Salvation and fitting the rest with matters totally Tending to their gain I cannot pass the Contemplation of the Omnipresence of God without some further Remarques for without this he could not be Omnipotent he could not be Omniscient he could not be a God he could not be distinguished or known from an Angel or Daemon or any inferior Spirit or Invisible Power But that these are Circumscribed in their Vagrant Ubi's or Chain'd to their fix'd Localities to dwell in such a Temple to haunt such a Grove to give their Response from the hollow of such a Dodonaean Oak Such a Delphick Den from the belly of such a Sibyll the Breast of such a Prophet the Brayns of such a Dreamer of Dreams These shew their Miracles only at such an Image such an Idol such a Tomb such a Sepulchre such a Fountain such a River such a Pool of Bethesda But are not able to shew them every where nor to be present every where Seeing therefore to believe in God only is the Fundamental of all Religion and we cannot believe in Him unless we know Him and so cannot know Him unless we can distinguish Him from an Angel or Daemon or other Invisible Power nor Worship in Spirit and Truth unless we can distinguish Theolatry from Angelolatry and Daemonolatry and Theology from Magick nor when we are in distress can we know where to Pray to Him for deliverance if we know not where to find him and he being Invisible is impossible to be found unless he is Omnipresent and if we Run to Temples Tombs Images Idols Oracles we fall into the Power of Darkness Daemons Magicians or Deceivers And even the foremention'd Demonax and Cato and many other Heathen themselves will rise up in Judgment against us And seeing the whole Language of Theology is grown Anthorpomorphite to describe the Infinite Power in human shape in human Apparition or what is worse in Brutish of Lamb or Dove and confine him to a small Throne in the Coelum Empyraeum from whence these mischiefs would follow That Saturn would make his Orb the Round Table of eating Children Jupiter his the Seraglio for his Rapes Mars his a Spoliary Sol his a Throne to assume Supreme Worship to himself Venus hers a Stews Mercury his a Den of Theives Luna hers a Nunnery for secret Endymions The Prince of the Air his a Forge of Cyclopses to fire the World and in the Bottom of all these the Pope his an Infallible Chair In Hell and Purgatory to Rule the Roast Then would be no Government of these Variant and Contrariant Orbs Then would the Doctrine of Christ be in vain Matth. 10.29 Are not two Sparrows sold
neither granted by God nor a Good Angel for God never sells his Mercies for Money And this was the Theology of Simon Magus a Magician to think the Holy Ghost might be bought with Money to which was made a Tart Answer Act. 8.20 Peter said unto him Thy money perish with thee because thou hast thought that the Gift of God may be purchased with money And Christ gives express Command to his Disciples Missionated by him with Power of Signs and Miracles to do good to the People Matth. 10.7 Go Preach saying The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand Heal the sick cleanse the Lepers raise the dead cast out Devils freely ye have received freely give So Elijah when he had cured Naaman of the Leprosy took no Money of him but punished Gehazi for doing the same 2 Kings 5.20 And Moses when he did provide the Miracle of Manna he did not ask any Money or sell it to those who needed for that had been to have deprived God of thanks for his own Gift And Petrus Quinqueranus Relates That when some Neopolitan Kings had inclosed a place with a Wall which was of great Resort of Poor for the gathering of Manna there that they might be Excluded from gathering unless they paid a Tribute or Impost for the same The Manna suddenly ceased and fell no more and when as the Doors were again set open it fell as before The Place was again the Second Third and many times shut up for Tryal and still when it was shut the Manna fell not at all but when open as at first it Continued to fall Plentifully Camerar Centur. 2. cap. 160. p. 401 402 403. It is not here affirmed That if such as are Preachers or Teachers of the Truth of God receive necessary maintenance for their study and pains in Executing the same unless they pretend to Preach by Inspiration That their Doctrine is from Daemons and not from God for the Labourer is worthy of his Hire and these have not Received their Gift freely but by long study and Paynes but only this is affirmed That if they pretend to any Extraordinary and Miraculous Gift from God or Angels as to be Mediators for Prayers or to keep God under Lock and Key in a Temple and Receive money for Executing the same it is a Manifest sign they have neither their Gift from God nor Good Angels but from Daemons Some that have Writ of Witchcraft say That such as Pray though to God for unlawful things if they succeed and have Their Prayers granted It is a Sign That they have made a Covenant with the Devil for God never grants unlawful Prayers therefore it must be the Devil or Fortune And that a Man may be a Witch yet not know it There being therefore two great Dangers to Pray by a Priest who takes money for his Prayers first That he Prays to Daemons under the Name of God Secondly That he will make unlawful Prayers Quid non mortalia pectora cogit Auri sacra fames Flectere si nequeat superos Acheronta Movebit Should the Doctrine of the Omnipresence spread men would rather Pray to God as Christ Commands in secret and Omnipresentially to whom they may Pray and He Exacts no money of them nor Compels their Consciences to Pray in unlawful Forms or for unlawful Matters rather than Imploy so Chargeable and Dangerous a Mediator who if God is in Person Omnipresent is not only useless but hurtful whereby he will lose all his Money and Hire for his Prayers and the Silver-Smiths of Diana have their Trade utterly spoiled 3 Men would be induced to worship in secret and Omnipresentially to avoid another Danger incident to Prayer by a Priest for the Prayer by a Priest would be in Publick in a Synagogue or Temple which is lyable to a double danger one of Daemons the other of Men to neither of which any Modest or Prudent Petitioner desires to have his Prayers known not to Daemons because he may have Errors and Imperfections in his Prayers which if discovered only to God He is ready to prevent those Dangers he would draw on his own head by his Rash Petitions and like a Father in pity to his Child to forgive them whereas if Discovered to Daemons they if not by God restrained would be ready to grant him success in all the Noxious things he asks to Insnare and Ruin him Not to Men first because for any to confess his private Sins or Enumerate his private Wants or Desires in Publick would but afford matter of Derision to the Heathens Secondly The malice of Men would be apt to wrest all the Words though innocently intended of his Prayers sometimes to Herefie sometimes to Sedition sometimes to Treason it self and the same would kindle the hatred and sometimes provoke the Rage of all Dissentients against him As at Vassy in France Fifteen hundred Protestants being assâ—mbled in a Church on a Sabbath day to Pray and hear the Word of God the Duke of Guise suddenly Compassed the Church with Armed Souldiers himself standing in the Door with a drawn Sword and Cruelly sent his Souldiers who killed all without Distinction of Age or Sex Acts and Mon. 4 Granting the Omnipresence Bishops could not pretend Power to Nâ—ll and Dissolve private Marriage Consummated by Birth of a Child nor separate those at whose Matrimonial Acts God was present as a Witness and Party and thereby joined them not to be put assunder by Man 5 Granting God to be Omnipresent and present in the Internal Sâ—irit and heart of Man and sees and knows thereby all of his thoughts all External Ceremonies of Worship are useless yea the Compulsion to them is the highest Denial of his Internal presence and all the Difference and Distinction taken away how to know the Worship of God from the worship of Men and the Counterfeit Worship from the True for though to the worship of Men External Ceremonies are necessary and the Internal thoughts of the Heart cannot be Express'd to Men but by External acts of the Body yet to God it is otherwise for he being present in the Heart it self it were as Impertinent that the Heart should be Compelled to Pray or Express it's Intentions by External Ceremonies without the Body as to Compel a Vassal when his Prince is in the midst of the House with him to throw his Petiâ—ion out of the Window to be sent to him many Miles off by the Priest who is in the outer Court And as Compulsion to Worshâ—p by the outward Ceremonies of a Priest or a Tempâ—e is unnecessary so is it the way to Compel an Hypocritical and Counterfeit Worship contrary to the Command of Christ Joh. 4.21 Where he talking with the Woman Concerning to the Two Places of Worship the Temple of Samaria and the Temple of Jerusalem Saith Woman believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father And vers 23. The hour cometh and now is