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A54286
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A discourse concerning the worship of God towards the holy table or altar
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Penton, Stephen, 1639-1706.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing P1438; ESTC R31106
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36,950
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124
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deny that he is there really So neither must we deny the Table to be an Altar because they hold Transubstantion and say Mass at it For this is to refuse Gold because of Dross Wheat because of Tares Corn because of Chaff which is mere folly But come we now to shew the use of these words out of Scripture The use of the word Altar in Scripture Hebr. 13.10 The Apostle saith expresly we have an Altar we under the Gospel for he makes an Antithesis or Opposition between the legal Altars and this in that those who Minister at the Tabernacle have not right to eat of things offered upon this And why so Because while they retain the Ceremonical observances now abolished they argue Christ the true Sacrifice not to be exhibited and therefore have no right to eat of the Sacrifices of our Altar which commemorate Christ already Sacrificed or else I know no reason but the Jews should have as much interest in Christ as the Gentiles and be as much partakers of this Altar would they believe in him as we do But to wait at the Tabernacle that is to observe legal Rites cannot consist with our eating of Christ in the Sacrament or participating of our Altar because the one makes Christ not come the other commemorates him already come That this is the meaning of the Apostle is evident because in the following verses he compares the Type with the Antitype and shews how Christ did answer and fulfil all the Jewish Sacrifices and instead thereof appoint his own and consequently abolish the former together with the Ministery of the Jewish Priests which the Apostle makes the reason of this Speech We have an Altar whereof they have not right to eat c. Besides And that Altar is the Communion-Table what other thing can be meant hereby but the Communion-Table For it is an Altar from which some thing is eaten that was Sacrificed for nothing was eaten on the Altar but what was offered to God in Sacrifice But what other Altar can that be but the Holy-Table whereat we eat the Lords Supper and commemorate his Sacrifice You see by this then that the Holy-Table was thus called even by Saint Paul If you say he called it so improperly and Anologically in reference to the Jewish Altars This I have disproved in shewing that those were rather improperly termed Altars and Sacrifices in reference to ours whereof they were but Types Now having proved an Altar by your own consequence we must have a Sacrifice too and a Priesthood for these you say infer one another as Correlates But I will not be beholden to you to make this my Argument but will prove out of Scripture The word Sacrifice to be applied in Scripture to our Sacrament Matt. 1.10 the word Sacrifice to be applied to our Sacrament God by his Prophet foretels the Jews that whereas they had polluted his Altars he had also rejected them and their Sacrifices and would appoint himself a new People and new Sacrifice In every place that is not in Jerusalem only and in one place Incense shall be offered unto his Name and Sacrificium Purum a pure Sacrifice or Offering for so the word signifies in the Hebrew Now what other Incense have we but Prayer What other Sacrifice but the Lords Supper Which he calls a pure Sacrifice or Offering which God hath appointed to commemorate the Death and Sacrifice of his Son instead of the Jewish Sacrifice which only Typified it This is the Interpretation of the most and most Antient Fathers For among all the Antient Fathers both Greek and Latin there is nothing more frequent than the use of these words Sacrifice Priests Altar when they speak of the Sacrament Holy-Table and the Ministers of the Gospel No man can deny this that hath but cast his Eyes upon their Writings who are every where full of these expressions He that shall vilifie their Authority in this let him give me better for the contrary or I shall conclude him ignorant and impudent Add the constant use of these words in the Church even to this day both of the Eastern Church of the Greeks who have no Communion with the Church of Rome and the Western Churches besides the Roman i. e. the Reformed Lutheran Churches and our own wherein these words were never out of use but that of late some Novellists who love to antiquate all things that are Antient that their own modern intentions might be more in credit have laboured to possess men with an ill opinion of them by telling them they were Popish names a simple reason For if these names be therefore naught because the Papists use them then seeing a quatenus ad de omnis valet consequentia as Logitians speak then all other names which the Papists use are naught and we must not call the Lords Supper a Sacrament because of them nor Christen onr Children John Thomas Robert c. because they do so Must we run from the Papists in every thing because they err in many things This is to run from Sense and Reason Thus have I shewed how the Sacrament of the Lords Supper is a Commemorative Sacrifice and the Holy Table an Altar ' that it is so called in Scriptures Fathers and all Churches Now why are the Ministers of the Gospel called Priests The word Priest if we look to the Notation and Original of it is the only proper word for the Ministers of the Gospel Priest the proper name of the Minister of the Gospel 1 Pet. 5.1 for it is nothing but the contraction or corruption of the word Presbyter which signifies an Elder So that Priest and Elder is all one and wheresoever we read the word Elder we may as well read it Priest as the Elders I exhort that is the Priests I exhort who am also a Priest Now Christ would have the Ministers of the Gospel called Priests or Elders not in respect of their Age but in regard of their Function and Preheminence over the People as being their Teachers and Instructors in which respect also the People though for their Age they may be Elder than the Priest yet in regard of their subordination to him are called Younger Again Ministers of the proper name of the Priests of the Law as the word Priest is the term proper to the Ministers of the Gospel so is the word Minister proper to those whom we call Priests of the Law For the word in the Old Testament which the Translators were pleased to render Priest not observing this notion which I have told you doth not indeed signify any such thing though that also be a word of Dignity 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we translate Priest signifies one that Ministers about Holy things and therefore the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the Latin sacerdos do more truly express the meaning of that word than our English Priest for we should rather render it a Holy Minister or
a Minister about Holy Things or one that attends about holy service Neh. 10.36 Esay 61.6 Jer. 33.21 and therefore Scripture it self gives this interpretation of their names in very many places For though there were diverse Offices in the Jewish Hierarchy as the High-Priest the Priests the Levites Nethemims Porters Singers c. yet were they all Ministers about Holy Things though some in a higher others in a lower rank For the Levites Ministred immediately to the Priests the Priests to the High Priest and he immediatly to God as in our Church the Deacon whose name signifies a Minister Ministers to the Priest and the Priest immediatly to God Therefore Priest Levite Ezr. 7.24 Nethemims c. are all sum'd up in this name of Ministers see Joel 1.9 and 13. where they are all called Ministers of the Altar So Joel 2. Ezech. 46.24 c. Thus you see what the Hebrew word signifies which we turn Priest and what the Greek word Priest signifies which we would not have the Clergy called by and yet it is the very word given them by the Holy Ghost in the New-Testament viz. Elders Now I pray The Dignity of the Priests if they who waited on the Altar were called Ministers of God or of the Sanctuary or of the Holy Things why may not we of the Gospel be so called that is Priests for that the Interpreters ment when they translated the Hebrew Cohen which word likewise signifies a Prince to intimate the great Dignity of that Function which consisted in Ministring unto God about Holy Things And of no less Dignity is the word Priest or Elder And therefore these terms were premiscuously given to the Jewish Clergy and an Elder with them sometimes signifies a Prince So the Elders of the People of the City of the Congregation fignifies Rulers and Governours To be God's Ministers is to be the Peoples Elders We are the Ministers of God not men 2 Cor. 6. 4. 1 Cor. 4. 1. 2 Cor. 3. 6. Rom. 13. 6. for we are not the Ministers of men but of God and so we are stiled Ministers of Christ Ministers of the Spirit God and Christ set us on work he sends us forth to him we Minister though for you When we administer the Holy Word the Sacraments we are not therein your Ministers but his Dispensers or Stewards For we do it not at your appointment or command or by your Authority but by Gods from whom we have our Calling and Commission As the King is not his Subjects Minister though he doth administer Justice to them and therefore he is called Gods Minister Angels likewise Ministring Spirits to God even then when they are sent out for the good of them who shall be Heirs of Salvation Psal 103.21 104.4 For though the material Object of their Ministry or that whereabout their Ministery is conversant be men yet the formal Object or he in reference to whom this Ministery is executed is God Hence ye Priests ye Ministers of his that do his pleasure and he maketh his Ministers a flame and Daniel saith of them thousand thousands Ministred unto them Thus you see then whose Ministers we are Gods Dan. 1.10 not mens Secondly What a Dignity this is it is no less than what is attributed to Kings and Angels You see likewise that what the Interpreters translated Priests signifies that which you call us Ministers and the executing of their Office Ministring or Ministration As also that the word Elder Luk. 1.23 that the Holy Ghost calls us by is all one with the word Priest And therefore if you be so much against the Jewish terms you should rather call us Priests than Ministers but indeed we are both and the Holy Scripture useth both words promiscuously as well in the Old as the New Testament For we are Elders in respect of the people Ministers in respect of God and we Minister to God about Holy Things unless you will say that our Gospel is not so Holy as their Law our Preaching as their Expounding our Prayers and Service and Sacraments wherein is the Body and Blood of our Saviour are not as Holy as their Incense Oblation and Sacrifice for about these things are our Ministers conversant Now I come to the main Question concerning Adoration or Worship of God before or towards the Altar in our ingress into his house or at any other time when we shall approach thereunto Where first I will shew you what is meant by Adoration or Worship Secondly what is meant by the House of God 1. By Worship What is meant by Worship I do not understand here in the Latitude of the word the whole Act of Religion the whole Duty of Man which sometimes is generally so called the Worship of God the Fear of God nor yet only or primarily the inward Reverence and Devotion of the heart but in special the outward expression of Reverence and Humility in the posture or gesture of the Body not excluding but implying the inward worshiping of the mind In this sense the word is often taken in Holy Scripture as in the second Commandment Thou shalt not bow down to them Gen. 24 26.48.5 Rev. 19.10 nor Worship them So Saint John fell at the Angels feet to Worship him but the Angel refuseth it and biddeth him worship God that is give the outward Worship that he was ready to do to him to God to whom alone it was due For had not the outward Worship been an Act of Religion in regard of Saint John's intention and inward Reverence the Angel needed not to have refused it for outward Worship if it be only Civil is such as one man may give to another a Subject to his Prince much more to an Angel You see then the Holy Scripture by the name of Worship doth oftentimes mean in special the outward Adoration of the Body in visible gestures and so do I here Now this Act of outward Worship I make a part of Religion which that you may the better conceive I will tell you the Nature and Parts thereof For it is not generally believed that outward Worship is due unto God and consequently that it is part of Religion Religion Religion the Nature and Parts which is derived from a word that signifies binding Implies three things 1. An Act of Duty 2. The Object of that Act God 3. The Bond or Tye imposed upon us for the performance of such a Duty to such an Object The Object of Religion is God most Infinite most Glorious most Excellent and Perfect and therefore our Act of Duty in reference to such an Object ought to have three Properties 3 Properties of it 1. It must be an universal Act or Act of the whole Man 1 Vniversal of Soul and Body Soul and Body of all the Faculties of the Soul and of all the Members of the Body All are to concur in this Act of Duty to God and that for these