in the Church afterwards and certainly the want hereof is such a defect as doth more then spoile the Beauty of a Church it is a main cause of the decay of all true piety and therefore the ignorance and stubbornness of the Generality of this Nation is much to be lamented which discourage our Governours from Establishing this Dayly Worship of GOD in Towns Cities and other populous Places which I may confidently call a Necessary as well as a Reasonable Service But as we ought thus to hallow every Day by devoting some part thereof to the publick Service of GOD so we are oblidg'd to Sanctify for this end one whole Day in seven viz. the first day of the Week commonly called the Lord's Day partly because of its being peculiarly consecrate to the Service of GOD and partly because of that special Honour whiich the LORD IESUS CHRIST conferred on this Day by his Triumphant resurrection from the Dead which was the Reason for its consecration we should set a part one day of the seven not that this portion appears necessary by Natural Light but because 't was expresly exacted of the Iews and that we are unjust if our expressions of Piety and Devotion towards GOD be lesse then what was sought of them and what oblidgeth us to the observation of the first day particularly is the practice of the Holy Apostles who either had an expresse command for what they did themseves and enjoyned others in the Worship of GOD or were led thereto by the holy Ghost Now their practice in this particular is declared to us Act. 20. 7. 1. Cor. 16. 2. And is witnessed by a constant universal Tradition of the Church Besides the LORD'S Day no other is strictly necessary to be kept except in obedience to our Rulers Civil and Ecclesiastical who without all question may as well as the Iewish Church and State formerly appoint dayes for the publick Worship and service of GOD upon the account either of some particular emergency wherein Church or State is concerned or of some special Mercy granted them But they ought to be careful neither to burden People with too many such appointments nor yet to give them a disgust by ordering Solemn Dayes upon mean silly accounts if Men be not serious in these Solemn Addresses they are a meer Mockery and Dishonour to GOD and it is impossible to make them Serious when the cause and occasion of them is frivolous and unworthy to be made the matter of Divine Worship And so the Church of Rome has miserably transgressed for first she hath so multiplied her Fasts and Festivals that the number of them almost exceeds the dayes of the Year the year would need to be enlarg'd if all their Holy Dayes should be distinctly and exactly keept And though it be pretended that all are not required to observe each of them yet there be too many imposed upon every person and every place so that the French King was necessitate to deall with the Pope lately for the dispensing with a great many in his Kingdom Again the Church of Rome is not only to blame for enjoyning such an intollerable burden of dayes but also because the Reason of these injunctions for the most part are frivolous scarce worthy of a Man's serious attention much lesse of being the matter and occasion of solemn Devotions as for example the invention of some pitiful Relicts the dedication of Bells some ridiculous passage of their Legendary Saints c. and as most of their Holy-dayes are in honour of their Saints so the most of their Saints according to their own relation did nothing memorable their lives are more Foolish and impertinent then Old Wives Fables or the Tales of Children as we might shew by several instances did we not fear to be tedious But leaving this we come next to speak to the Nature of this Worship which should be payed unto GOD publickly and to shew the Particulars whereof it should consist which ought especially to be considered And First as to the General nature of this Worship it must first answer the end thereof which is the Glory of GOD the Celebration and Praise of his Greatness Wisdom Goodness and other Glorious perfections that the Souls of the Worshippers may be enflamed with the love of GOD and that they may be excited to Fear Trust and Obey Him 2ly It must be agreeable to the Will and Mind of GOD and altogether free of what he hath forbidden or signified his displeasure with otherwayes it will be so far from being acceptable that it will be very abominable 3ly It must not only contain all the parts of Natural Religion but besides carry Characters of the Gospel for it is not only Reasonable but Necessary that the Worship of GOD be Regulate by special dispensations of his Grace and made to expresse the particulars of such Dispensations the Iews were required to Worship God in a different Manner from what is discernable by Natural Light and so those who believe the Truth and Mysteries of the Christian Religion must have a Peculiar Worship that is distinct from such as own no Revelation or only that of the old Testament Fourthly from these considerations it follows that Christians must Worship GOD together in spirit and Truth For so our Saviour directed us Iohn 4. 23. Where he saith The hour cometh and now is 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 they that Worship must Worship him in Spirit and Truth Which words whither we consider them abstractly in a general notion as delivering a certain Natural Truth or with a reference to the way of Worshipping GOD then usual in the World I say which way so ever we consider them they teach us that GOD will now be Worshipped not by a Multitude of carnal and external Observances or a number of Mysterious and almost unintelligible rites and Ceremonies as the Gentiles used to doe and as he thought fit for a time to impose upon the Iews But by actions of a Spiritual Nature and whose signification and use is Reasonable and easily understood The Law considered Men as in a weak Infant State and so prescribed a Worship sutable to such a State but the Gospel endeavours to bring us to the full Stature of perfect Men and considers us as such and therefore our way of worshipping GOD now must speak out more perfect Reason and understanding The worship required of Christians is not a Pompous shew of Ceremonies which may affect Children or Childish Persons but Real and Substantial expressions of Faith Love Fear Ioy and Confidence in GOD There must not be more or other Ceremonies used in the Worship of GOD then what is requisite for Order and Decency or necessary to Excite and Fix the inward attention of our minds for that is not True or proper Worship which is wholly External and doth not come
to discuss the doubts which may arise from the consideration of that unequal and as it would seem unjust disposal of Men besides other things which may be instanced And without the help of Revelation all that can be known of GOD by meer Nature will not be effectual to counterpoise the corruption of our Natures and to restrain us from following Sensual and Brutish appetites which being cherished drown all sense of GOD and cast out all Fear and Regard for Him As Faith in the Divine Revelations of the Scripture is requisite to qualifie us for being Worshippers of the True GOD So in the next place it is necessarie that we adore the God-head according to that Incomprehensible Mysterie of the Trinity Reason and Scripture both teach That there is but One True GOD For it is impossible there can be more then One supreme Infinite Beeing But though Reason do not yet Scripture doth declare as plainly and clearly as it doth any thing that in the Unity of the God-head there are a Trinity of the Persons viz. the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost each of which is proposed to us as the due Object of all Divine Adoration therefore who do not adore all three and all three as one God doth not adore the true God For the true God is this Trinitie of Persons as he hath plainly manifested Himself and manifested it for this end that he may be so worshipped and acknowledged by men That the Trinitie is not contained within that Idea of God which we have by Nature will not excuse the disbelief thereof when clearly revealed as I suppose every one will find who layeth aside their prejudice We are as much oblidged to believe the word of God as the dictats of our own Reason and when Men will not believe God's word because their Reason cannot fathom the depth of it nor easilie conceive the truth thereof as in the present case then they make an Idol of their Reason and may be said rather to adore it then GOD Seing they will not acknowledge him according to what he really is in himselâ—… which he hath also plainlie declared but according to the appearance of their own Imaginations If the nature and essence of God agree with their sentiments they are very ready to own and acknowledge him but if it differ in any thing from these then they are Stubborn and Refractory Which I may fitly compare to those who make a nice distinction betwixt the name and Authority of the King and his person the King's Authority they profess to regard as much as any but however they are still Plotting and Rebelling against His Person If one should take away Omnipotency from God all would acknowledg that it is not God reallie but a fantome of his own devising which he pays worship too For that is no God which is not Omnipotent Now he doth the same who removes Veracitie from God for Truth as properly belongs to him as Power And therefore as the consideration of God's Omnipotencie doth oblidge us to believe that he can work not only above what we our selves can doe but beyond our conception for all things must be possible to him so the consideration of his Veracity oblidgeth us no less to believe all to be true which he speaks and declares though our reason cannot comprehend it If God had pleased he might have made the mystery of the Trinity and the other Mysteries of the Gospel more intelligible But then he would have wanted the homage and acknowledgement which is due from our understandings which the Scripture calls the Obedience of Faith and which is no less reasonable then the obedience of the will and actions He who doth not submit his will to the laws of God cannot be said to own him or his Authority Neither he who refuseth to yeeld His judgement to God to be informed by him And the withdrawing the submiâ—…on of our understandings will not be excused by paying the obedience of our wills for one duty will not make up the breach of another which is as necessary of it self Hence it is that Faith is so much spoken of in Scripture and made so necessary a duty to the being accounted Righteous before God and therefore also it is that Abraham is proposed for our Patern who against hope believed in hope for being not weak in Faith he staggered not at the Promise of God through unbelief but was strong in Faith giving glory to God being fully perswaded that what he had Promised he was able also to perform and therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness Now saith the Scripture it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if we likewise believe By this rule Socinians and Quakers will be cut off from the pretences of Worshipping the true God for as much Reason as the one sets up for and for as great Pietie as the other endeavours to make a shew of Thirdly that the True GOD may be our GOD it is absolutly necessarie that we pay all divine worship to Him alone and not share it among others besides him for seing there is but One GOD therefore to have more Objects of divine Worship is to be guilty of Idolatrie and Idolatrie and the worship of the true GOD cannot agree together It is certain that GOD will not accept of their worship who pay the same adoration to others besides him Therefore the First command which He gave to his People of old was this Thou shalt have no other Gods before ME. Intimating thereby that the very foundation of true Religion and the very first thing to be done in the Acknowledgment of the true God is to resolve to Worship him only according to what our Saviour saith thou shalt Worship the LORD thy GOD and him only shalt thou serve Matth 4 10. This Ioshua understood well and laid plainly before the Children of Israel in his last solemn speech to them wherein he endeavoured to reclaime them from Idolatrous practices that is the paying divine respect to any other besides the True GOD by shewing the absurdity thereof and its inconsistencie with the Worship and service of the true GOD for having bidden them choose whom they would serve lest they might have thought that they could well enough both serve Him who had done so much for them and others besides he roundly tells them ye cannot serve the Lord for he is an holy God he is a Iealous God He will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins if ye foresake the Lord and serve strange gods then he will turn and do you hurt and consume you after that he hath done you good And when the People expressed their resolution to serve the LORD that they might give a true Testimonie thereof he said to them Now therefore put away the strange gods which are among you and incline your heart unto the LORD GOD of Israel
are these words this is my Body which in Truth when considered are no Pretext at all because none but such as are Prepossest with the Fancy could understand that to be the Meaning of them such a Mystery and Miracle as Transubstantiation is had need to have been asserted more plainly and clearly that is to say in Terms which do more necessarly import it The Disciples who used frequently to trouble our LORD about the meaning of His Words and to raise Scruples when he spoke of things far more Credible it is not likely that they would have let this go if they had understood him as the Papists do if they had so taken him up as to think that he said what He Reached and what they Received and Eat was not real Bread but that same real Body which was before their eyes they would no doubt enquired farther into the matter and asked how such a thing could be But having a little before in the Celebration of the Passover heard our LORD say of the unleavened Bread according to the Iewish custom this is the Bread of Affliction which our Fathers eat in Egypt they could not understand the Bread now distribut to be his Body otherways then the unleavened Bread was the Bread which their Fathers eat in Egypt to wit not the same reallie but only the Symbol or Memorial thereof Thus it appears that the Doctrine of Transubstantiation is a meer groundless Conceit favoured neither by Sense nor by Reason nor Scripture but flatly opposed by all of them And so though the Bread in the Sacrament be Consecrat to an Holy use and though it serve for Holy ends and Purposes yet as to its Nature and Substance it is still Bread and therefore who worship it worship not GOD but a Creature and a dumb Senseless Creature of it self too which is as gross Idolatry as any can be Neither will it excuse them that they think it to be him who is their GOD for then all Idolatry should be excusable he who Worships the Sun should be excused if he fancied a Deitie therein Mens Opinions will not alter the Nature of things nor make that Justifiable which is of it self Damnable otherways the greatest Crimes may prove no Crimes Nor will it acquit the Papists of Idolatry in worshipping the Host that they intend therein to worship JESUS CHRIST seing their Worship is directed immediatly to another thing otherwayes the Israelites who worshipped the Golden calf might upon the same account be freed of Idolatry And yet the Papists in worshipping the Sacramental Bread are more gross then the Israelites in worshipping the Golden calf For they made not the Calf their GOD neither did they terminat their worship in the Calf it self but used it only as the means of conveying their Worship to the true GOD. Whereas the Papists believe the Bread in the Sacrament to be the very LORD IESUS CHRIST himself and do terminat their Worship in the very Sacrament it self Then which I hardly think there can be a grosser instance of Idolatry produced from among the Heathens whither Ancient or Modern If saith Coster a Popish-Writter the Doctrine of Transubstantiation be not true the Idolatry of the Heathens in Worshipping some Golden or Silver statue or any Image of their Gods or the Laplanders Worshipping a red cloath or the Egyptians an Animal is more excusable then that of Christians Worshiping a bit of bread And another of them saith that if there be nothing but bread in the Eucharist they are all Idolaters Thus they confess that it is the Supposition of Transubstantiation only which can vindicat them from the grossest Idolatry but that there is no such thing to be supposed we have already proved and they who will needs believe a thing not only without all ground but contrarie to all Evidence of Sense Reason and Scripture their Errour is wilfull and neither is it to be excused nor the Practises which they build thereupon to be Extenuated And it will be to little purpose here to have recourse to the Fathers for the Defence of this Opinion for first we are not obliedged to believe any of them contrary to Sense Reason and Scripture And secondly it hath been frequently shewed that they say no such thing for untill about the Eight or Ninth Century this Opinion did not creep into the Church it only entered in with the Worship of Images for which among several others see a late discourse of Transubstantiation But though there were ground for the Doctrine of Transubstantiation and that CHRIST should be really in the Sacrament as the Papists imagine yet according to their Principles it is scarce possible yea I may say altogether impossible to know certainly or to have any assurance when the Bread is truly Transubstantiated or that CHRIST is Really in the Sacrament and therefore who Adore it run alwayes the Hazard of committing the grossest Idolatry which is the most Heinous of Crimes According to the Principles of the Romish Church there can be no Transubstantiation if the Elements be not prepared of due matter viz. The Bread of true Wheat and the Wine of ripe Grapes and neither of them any wayes spoiled or corrupted if the Priest who Celebrats be not a true Priest that is to say Rightly ordained and according to them a great many things are requisite to make ones Ordination valid and it is not possible to know when they are wanting or when they are present but thought he should be a True Priest yet if he intend not seriously the Consecration of the Sacrament or doth not pronounce the words or doth not pronounce them right but doth either mangle or transpose them in all these cases there is no Transubstantiation neither is there any difference betwixt the Elements of Bread and Wine which seems to be consecrat and common Bread and Wine And therefore it is impossible to know when the Bread is Transubstantiated or when not when CHRIST is really present and when he is absent for it is one to an hundred but some one or other of these necessarie conditions of a right Consecration is wanting and therefore also who adore the Sacrament can never be certain that they adore JESUS CHRIST really but instead of him may be paying Divine worship to a meer creature to lifeless Bread and Wine which may perplex the minds and consciences of such as seriously consider the heinousness of the crime of Idolatry To evade this Difficultie they tell us that the Adoration of the Sacrament is always with the supposition of Christ's presence that they adore the Bread upon this condition that it is the Body of IESUS CHRIST But this is a sillie evasion and will never free their Church of Idolatry for it is only Doctours or the Learned who may use these subtilties as for the Vulgar they do not make any such supposition nor do they worship the Sacrament with any such salvo And besides both the One and the Other
from and is not performed by the inward Mind Thus in a word as we should Worship GOD in Spirit and Truth So to Worship in Spirit is to Worship with the inward acts and Affections of the Soul and to Worship in Truth is to perform such Outward Acts as doth not Mystically and Figuratively but plainly and properly signify and hold forth these inward ones Having thus viewed the Nature of Publick Worship in General we passe to the consideration of the parts thereof In particular And First the Publick Worship of God should consist of Prayers this is so clear from Scripture Reason the practice of all the world that it were a vain thing to prove it the parts and Qualifications of Publick Prayer are the same with those of private Prayer whereof we have spoken already And because it is so useful to know before hand what we should Pray and so unworthy a thing to utter rash and indiscreet expressions before GOD especially in publick therefore the Church in Ages have ever thought themselves oblidged to compose deliberatly Forms of publick Prayer and not to leave them to the extemporary effusions of him who officiates there is not at this day any Church except our own without a publick Service and Liturgy But because we are driven to the necessity at present not to use one therefore it is incumbent on the publick Ministers to take the more care in composing their Prayers that their expressions be grave Decent that as to the Matter of them they contain all things proper necessary nothing disagreable to God or which may disgust stumble the Worshippers they should study to make their Prayers to express truly the general needs desires of the People for he who Prayeth is their mouth imployed to speake in their name what every one should do if they were allowed to speak so all publick Prayers should be so ordered that every one may be able to joine heartily with them And here I cannot passe two faults ordinarly committed in this part of publick Worship the one for the most part in Country Parishes the other generally both in City and Country by this last I mean a careless unconcernedness in Prayer many think not themselves oblidged to joyne with the Minister while he prayes they do not consider that he is but their voice that 't is necessary for them to say with the heart what he does with the mouth else the Prayers cannot be heard as theirs or for them Though one Pray but audibly to shun confusion yet it is necessary for all to assent thereto The other Fault is committed often by the Common People especially in the Northren parts of the Kingdom as the former in the Southren parts who fall to their particular Prayers when the Minister is praying in the name of the whole Congregation this is an irregular and undecent thing which obstructs the Edification Designed by this part of Worship see 1. Cor. 14. 26. When the congregation cometh together it should be with one Heart and Mind they ought not to have different exercises but alwayes the same they should pray one and the same Prayer with one accord as we read the Disciples did Act. 4. 24. To prevent both these Evils if 't was usuall in all both Iewish and Christian Liturgies to Appoint the People to utter sometimes some short sentenes and alwayes to speak out audibly Amen at the conclusion of every Prayer as is inti mate to us 1. Cor. 14. 16. Another Act of Divine Worship especially in Publick Assemblies is singing of Psalms and Spiritual Songs This was alwayes a part of the Worship of GOD under the Old Testament 't was observed by our Saviour with his Disciples Matth. 26. 30. And St. Paul enjoyns it to all Christians Eph. 5. 19. Col. 3. 16. Singing Hymns and Psalms is of great use in the Service of GOD both to prepare our Minds for it and to make us take Pleasure in it It fixeth our thoughts elevats our Spirits fills us with Joy in GOD and leaveth on our Minds a deeper impression of Divine Truths then almost any other part of Religious Worship for which cause it hath been an universal practice in the Church through all Ages of the World And as Singing is our Duty so the Psalms of David are excellently fitted for the purpose they furnish us both with proper Matter and apposite Expressions They were dictate by the Spirit of GOD to be imployed particularly in this Divine exercise and we must not think the use of them to have ceased with the Law or Iewish state no certainly they are still usefull to the Church and proper for the times of the Gospel Without doubt S. Paul in the forecited places and S. Iames Ch 5. 13. Are to be understood of the Psalms of David because the tittle of Psalms has been alwayes appropriate to them And from this Injunction of the Apostles conformable to their Practice and which is most Reasonable and uâ—…efull the Church hath ever used these Psalms in her Publick Service I know there are some who not only scruple at some of the Psalms but say expresly they ought not to be sung and when it is done they refuse to take a part But truly I think there is no Reason for this Indeed all of them are not proper for all occasions some are more pertinent and sutable at one time then another and therefore they who have the ordering of the Publick Service should make a Prudent choice of Psalms suted to the occasion however all of them may be sung and because People have not their own choise but must take them as they are prescrib'd I will here propose some Considerations to shew how we may freely joyne with any Psalm and both sing it with understanding and also with edification First there can be no Question of those Psalms which Declare the Divine Attributes Display the Works of GOD hold forth the excellency of his word or the General State of Man To Sing and Meditate on these cannot be improper at any time but alwayes usefull and seasonable 2ly As for those Psalms which were Writ upon particular Occasions besides the Literal sence which relates to those Persons their actions and circumstances upon which account they were penned there is a Mystical sense belongs to them which referres them to Christ and his Church and moreover they are capable of being accommodated to several Conditions and Circumstances both of Private Persons and Publick Societies by allowing some Liberty to Figures Allegories and other Poetical Strains which are usual in Songs and Hymns Now though we should be little concerned in the Literal sense yet we are in the Mystical and if they will suffer an accommodation to our selves or the Church and State we live in then we not only may use them but the use of them will be both pleasant and edifying 3ly These Psalms which contain narrations of the Wonders which GOD wrought