the goings out thereof and the comings in thereof and all the ordinances thereof and all the forms thereof and all the lavvs thereof and write it in their sight that they may keep the whole form thereof and all the ordinances thereof and do them One vvould guess by these allegations the Catechist and his Brethren vvere far from being avovved enemies to setledforms of worship But that these are allusions only vvhich they are accustomed to cant vvith The former Text relates to the Tabernacle which God appointed Moses to make vvith the appurtenances thereof Act. 7.44 The later is not so easily resolved upon amongst Interpreters what Temple it was to be referr'd unto Grot. in EZek. cap. 40.2 It seems most probable that the Prophet EZekiel received the pattern of the Temple in a Vision as it was when Nebuchodonosor destroyed it and that to this purpose that the Jews might understand hovv great a glory of their Nation they had forfeited by their sins and that vvhen God should restore them from their captivity they might have before them a Sampler to imitate as far as they were able And if any object that the description here made of it doth not exactly square and agree with that of Solomon's 't is answered That those many Kings who came after Solomon did out of the great tributes and gifts brought into the Temple add much unto it by the ornaments of it yea and changed the use of some things about it But I need not lay any stress upon conjectures When we have the priviledge to be taken into the Mount with Moses and behold God's pattern or receive a Vision of it with Ezekiel we shall be certainly obliged to conform unto it but in the interim that vvhich is obtruded upon us by some for it vve can entertain for no other than a dream of men of strong imaginations 9. Those Scriptures which point unto the spiritual worship required by God under the Gospel †See the explication of this text farther in this book hereafter John 4.21 23 24. Woman believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem vvorship the Father but the hour cometh and now is vvhen the true vvorshippers shall vvorship the Father in spirit and truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and truth Heb. 10.19 20 21 22. Having therefore boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus by a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vail that is to say his flesh and having an high priest over the house of God Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water 1 Cor. 14.20 Brethren be not children in understanding 2 Cor. 3.7 8 9 10 11. where the Apostle compares the ministration of the Spirit with the Law and preferrs it as more glorious If the ministration of death written and ingraven instones was glorious so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance which glory was to be done away how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious For if the ministration of condemnation be glory much more doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory for even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect by reason of the glory that excelleth for if that which was done away was glorious much more that which remaineth is glorious The whole design of which place is to prefer the glory of the everlasting Gospel above that of the Legal dispensation which was to give way to it Catech p. 56.17 58 59 60. Now these places are alledged by the Catechist to prove That the decency and comliness of Gospel-worship doth not in the least depend upon the observation of any external rites or ceremonies But the mistake lies in making that the only excellency and requisite of Gospel-worship which is indeed it 's principal and chiefest qualification The case one would think were very plain We are not our selves naked bodies nor yet ghosts or spirits but spirit and body united together The soul and spirit is the most considerable and ruling part in us and yet the body is a part also though subordinate Our duty then is readily chalked out by the Apostle 1 Cor. 6 10 Glorifie God in your body and spirit which are Gods in body and spirit together Chiefly indeed in and with our souls and spirits which are chief within us but not with our souls only 'T is part of our reasonable service Rom. 12.1 to present our bodies also a living sacrifice holy acceptable unto God Yea whilst we live in Society 't is our greatest concernment in reference unto others by our visible and bodily and external devotions to declare a reverent sense of God and affection to his honour We cannot glorifie God among men but by the sensible expressions of our religion and therefore God in the second Commandment mentions these and the ordering of these is the proper matter of humane cognizance and government to busie it self about In the first place we must have Grace in our hearts that we may serve God acceptably but then it is but fitting that we discover that inward grace by the external acts of a becoming reverence also Let us have grace Hebr. 12.28 29. that we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear for our God is a consuming fire St. Paul thought it fit not only to provide that the Church at Corinth might serve God understandingly and with the spirit but after this decent manner also the man uncovered 1 Cor. 11. and the woman covered Nor is it fitting that the honour of God's publick worship should in this particular be left to the uncertainties of every clownish and fantastick humour 10. It is said to be the main design of the second commandment Catech. p. 62 63. to forbid the making unto our selves any thing in the worship of God to add unto his appointments whereof an instance is given in that of making and worshiping Images To this purpose we are frequently referr'd unto Exodus 20.4 5. Thou shalt not make unto thy self any graven image or any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above or that is in the Earth beneath or that is in the Water under the earth Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor serve them for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God c. It may seem neer akin to adding unto the Word of God for any to presume to turn the body of a precept into an instance only The main design of the commandment is plainly against Idolatry God's jealousie therefore is in this case said to be moved when we do as the wife that admits
possimus ut cum coeperit frumentum Dominicis horrcis condi fructum pro opere nostro labore capiamus Contr. Crescen Grammat l. 1. c. 14. That we are not therefore to depart from the Church our selves because we see tares to be in the Church but only to labour that we our selves may be pure grain that when that corn shall be lodged in God's granaries we may receive the fruit of our work and labour 2 Cor. 2.15 16. T is no prejudice unto those to whom the Word of God is the savour of life unto eternal life that the same Word by reason of other mens infidelity becomes unto them the savour of death unto eternal death 1 Cor. 11. T is no prejudice to the worthy receiver of the Holy Communion who feeds upon Christ's body and blood by faith and love and Divine meditation that the unworthy communicant at the same time eats and drinks damnation to himself The very same meat we know is nourishment to a well-disposed stomach which to an ill and depraved one is the matter of crudities and diseases nor is it any whit the less a nourishment unto the healthful because it may be at the same time it contributes accidentally to the encrease of the sick man's distemper Thus now have I declared with all plainness as much as seems necessary to be spoken here about the nature of Christian Churches and the qualification indispensably required in all the members of them CHAP. V. Of the places we call Churches That all difference of place is not taken away in the New Testament St. John 4.20 21 22. examined The Temple at Jerusalem on some accounts Typical on others Moral David's resolutions of building the Temple grounded on a rational piety and both He and Solomon arguing the fitness of its Magnificence by arguments of reason Scripture-precepts of reverence to God's house have no sign in them of being Ceremonial only Rationally therefore applyed by the Jews to their Synagogues The Centurion's Synagogue a proof of his love to their Nation Christ and his Apostles constant in frequenting the Temple and Synagogues Probable it is that even in the time of the first Christians there were certain places peculiar for their serving God in Intimations thereof in Sacred Scripture Act. 11.26 A Local Church as early as the name Christians 1 Cor. 11.18 The house of God opposed to their private houses Mr. Mede's conjectures what that house was and farther proofs about it The general reason of appropriating certain places to God's worship and service YEt before I leave this Argument quite I will take notice briefly of another acceptation familiarly used of the word Church 'T is confess'd indeed that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ecclesia which we translate church doth primarily referr to the persons assembled but this is no hindrance but that the same word may at other times signifie the place of their assembling in like manner as is usual with many other words for instance sake Colledge â—ynagogue Senate Synod c. Somewhat therefore of the place which we are wont and that upon ground enough to call the â—hurch and this the rather because of what the Catechist hath told the world Catec p. 29. Under the New Testament all difference of and respect unto place is taken away John 4.21 The hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusasalem worship the Father but 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 we are commanded in all places equally to make our prayers and supplications Here then it may not be amiss to consider first the true scope and importance of the place of Scripture here quoted and then such other particulars as shall appear pertinent for our right information about this subject As to the Text of St. John Our B. Saviour was novv conversing with a Samaritan woman who stood up for the worship of her Country in Mount Gerizim against the Jews who confined God's solemn appointed worship St. John 4. 20. to the Temple at Jerusalem These are the words of the 20th verse Our Father 's worshipped in this mountain and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship Hereupon therefore 21. 22. c. Christ saith unto her Woman believe me the hour cometh when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father That is The worship of God shall be so far from being limited to this place to this mountain that it shall not be restrained to Jerusalem it self nay a desolation shall shortly over whelm both Ye worship ye know not what We know what vve worship that is Ye Samaritans worship the God of the Land as it is declared 2 Kings 17.26 without knowledg vvho that is and your own Gods with him but vve Jews vvorship the eternal God of Heaven who hath revealed himself to us for salvation is of the Jews The special revelations of God beyond vvhat other nations enjoy belong to the Jews and so all manner of advantages tovvard our eternal good To them God sent his Prophets and of them cometh the Messiah the Saviour of the world The Jews then have the priviledge above the Samaritans or any other people Yet is not this an argument of the perpetual duration of their way of worshipping God by their Sacrifices yearly and other ceremonial observances at Jerusalem But the hour cometh and novv is that the true worshippers shall vvorship the Father in spirit and in truth for the Father seeketh such vvorshippers of him that is Now the time of reformation approacheth wherein God vvill be vvorshipped and obeyed no longer by the Judaical rites which are often call'd carnal consisting most-what in external performances and were to continue only till the time of Reformation Messiah's coming much less according to the Samaritan false worship who worshipped their own Idols together with God 2 Kings 17. but comparatively with these in a pure spiritual manner and such as was typified by those shadows And the Son of man is now come to draw all men to this way of worship i. e. from the Judaical and Samaritan way to the Christian God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and truth It is this Christian worship which he is especially delighted with as most suitable to himself nor indeed was he ever pleased with any meer bodily worship principally or in or for it self He will have our souls joyned to our external performances and be worshipped after that way of truth which answers to the fore-going types and shadows i. e. after the Christian manner by Christ revealed But now how weakly is it from hence inferr'd that because these two places whereto the Jews and Samaritans confin'd their worship are taken away and ruined or because there is no special place now under
of another to her husband's bed when we forsake God for the cleaving to any other thing or person in his room when we deny God the worship he requires or give his worship to another Deut. 4.23 24. Make not any graven image nor the likeness of any thing that I have forbidden thee for the Lord thy God is a consuming fire even a jealous God For a close of this I will desire the Catechist's friends to peruse impartially an admirable Discourse of Bishop Andrews upon the occasion of this Commandment Bp Andr. Sermon on Act. 2.42 against the Worshipping of imaginations 11. Those Scriptures which are said to speak of the Apostacy of the Church prophetically Cat. p 81.82 set out under the name of fornication and whoredome and the innocency of those that kept themselves undefiled therewith Revel 14.4 5. These are they which are not defiled with women for they are virgins these are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth these were redeemed from among men being the first-fruits unto God and unto the Lamb and in their mouth was found no guile for they are without fault before the Throne of God Revel 17.1 2 3 4 5. And there came one of the seven Angels which had the seven Vials and talked with me saying unto me Come hither I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great Whore that sitteth upon many waters with whom the Kings of the earth have committed fornication and the inhabiters of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet-coloured beast full of names of blasphemy having seven heads and ten horns And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour and deck'd with gold and precious stone and pearls having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication and upon her forehead was a name written Mystery Babylon the great the Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth and I saw the woman drunken with the bloud of the Saints and with the bloud of the Martyrs of Jesus Rev. 18.4 And I heard another voice from heaven saying Come out of her my people that ye be not partakers of her sins and that ye receive not of her plagues That nothing so properly answers to fornication and whoredome in the sense of Scripture as Idolatry doth I have intimated under the last head and might here produce many Texts of sacred Writ to that purpose Levit. 17.7 They shall no more offer their sacrifices unto Devils after whom they have gone a whoring Psalm 106.35 36 37 38 39. They were mingled among the heathen and learned their works and served their Idols Thus went they a whoring with their own inventions Jer. 2.20 27. Upon every high hill and under every green tree thou wandrest playing the harlot saying to a Stock thou art my father and to a Stone thou hast brought me forth c. to omit other places the case is so familiar Answerably now to this notion there is nothing bids so fair to the title of the Great Whore in the Revelations as Rome-heathen and nothing so like her fornication as her Idolatries I will not now enlarge upon the special inducements unto this belief It shall suffice here to transcribe a clear paraphrase upon the quotations mentioned See Dr. Ham. Notes on the places according to this supposal Revel 14. ch 4 5 Revel 14.4 5. ver are a description of the primitive Christians purity from the uncleanness of the Gnosticks These are as virgins not defiled with women they that have kept pure from all the heretical Gnostick corruptions of uncleanness c. and that hold out constant against all the terrors of persecution and so were rescued from the sins of that wicked age the pure primitive Christians those first-fruits to God and the Lamb that never fell off to any false Idolatrous or heretical practise but served God blameless Rev. 17.1 2 1 4 5. Revel 17.1 to 5. ver contains the Vision of Rome-heathen Another vision I saw to the same purpose one of those executioners of God's wrath came unto me saying I will shew thee vengeance that is ready to befall the Imperial dignity of Rome fitly entitled the Great whore Great in it self and who for their impieties against God their worshiping of many heathen gods directly own that title as an harlot is she that takes in many others instead of the one husband sitting i. e. ruling over many waters i. e. much people having many nations under her Dominion from the power and authority whereof many other Kingdoms have been confirmed and fortified in their Idolatrous courses and had their false worship propagated to them the whole Roman Empire running mad after her vile heathen practises And in this vision me-thoughts I was in a desart fit to represent the desolation to be express'd in the Vision and there I saw what he had promised me verse 1. a woman i. e. that great whore there mentioned the Imperial power of Rome-heathen seated on an Empire in a scarlet robe a great blasphemer against the true God and a forwarder of Idolatry and he had seven heads the City of Rome built on seven hills and ten horns i. e. so many other Kings that ruled over divers countries and were confederate with the Roman Emperour And this Roman power was in prosperity much sumptuousness was bestowed on their Idol-worship and all manner of abominable filthiness was committed therein which being so srequent and ackowledged in their secreter devotions are best described by the word Mystery a word the Greeks used for their uncleanest meetings and by Babylon which of old was famous for these and so destroyed and from hence came all the Idolatry of the other cities even from this Mother of Harlots a great persecutor of the Christians c. Rev. 18.40 ver is a warning unto Christians upon the destruction coming on this great heathen City to depart Another voice Rev. 18.40 me-thought I heard warning all Christians to come out of her that is first to abstain strictly from all communication with her sins contrary to what the looser sort of Christians then did and secondly to depart out of the city as the Emperour Honorius and Bishop Innocentius did to Ravenna at the time of Alaricus's siege And thirdly to flee to the Basilica or Christian Church at the time of the plundering or destroying Rome as the Christians did as the only way of rescuing them from that destruction Catech. p. 79. 80. Lastly Scripture instances of severity alledged against persons who by ignorance neglect or regardlesness have miscarried in not observing exactly God's will and appointment in and about his Worship This was the case saith the Catechist 1. Of Nadab and Abihâ— Levit. 10.1 2. Their fault vvas Offering strange fire which the Lord commanded not i. e. as we