felf, that the Majefty and Glory of God is in a peculiar Sect. II. manner in that part of the heavens, and that the Throne of Chrift and the fplendor of his Humanity has its refidence there. In this Chancel always ftood the Altar or Communion-table; which none were allowed to approach, but fuch as were in holy orders, unless it were the Greek Emperors at Conftantinople, who were allowed to go up to the table to make their offerings, but were immediately to return back again 62. bidden in §. 4. But though the chriftians of those times fpared no The use of convenient coft in founding and adorning public places for images for the worship of God; yet they were careful not to run into the primi a too curious and over-nice fuperftition. No images were tive church. worshipped, or fo much as ufed in churches for at leaft four hundred years after Chrift: and therefore certainly, might things be carried by a fair and impartial trial of antiquity, the difpute about this point would foon be at an end. Nothing can be more clear than that the christians were frequently challenged by the heathens for having no images nor ftatues in their churches, and that the chriftian apologifts never denied it; but induftriously defended themfelves against the charge, and rejected the very thoughts of any fuch thing with contempt and fcorn: as might be abundantly fhewn from Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, Minutius Felix, Arnobius, and Lactantius. But I fhall only cite one of them, and that is Origen, who, amongst other things, plainly tells his adverlary (who had objected this to the chriftians) that the images, that were to be dedicated to God, were not to be carved by the hands of artifts, but to be formed and fashioned in us by the word of God; viz. the virtues of juftice and temperance, of wifdom and piety, &c. that conform us to the image of his only Son." Thefe," fays he," are the only ftatues formed in our minds; and by "which alone we are perfuaded it is fit to do honour to "him, who is the image of the invifible God, the proto"type and archetypal pattern of all fuch images 63." Had chriftians then given adoration to them, or but fet them up in their places of worthip; with what face can we fuppofe they could have told the world, that they fo much abhorred them? But more than this the council of 66 Chap. II. Illiberis, that was held in Spain fome time before Conftantine, exprefsly provides against them; decreeing, that no pictures ought to be in the church, nor that any thing "that is worshipped and adored fhould be painted upon "the walls:" words too clear to be evaded by the little fhifts and gloffes which the expofitors of that canon would put upon it. The firft ufe of ftatues and pictures in the churches was merely hiftorical, or to add fome beauty and ornament to the place, which after-ages improved into fuperftition and idolatry. The firft we meet with upon good authority is no older than the times of Epiphanius, and then too met with no very welcome entertainment; as may appear from Epiphanius's own epistle to John then Bishop of Jerufalem65: where he fays, that coming to Anablatha, a village in Palestine, and going into a church to pray, he efpied a curtain hanging over the door, whereupon was painted the image of Chrift, or of fome faint: which when he had looked upon, and faw the image of a man hanging up in the church, contrary to the authority of the holy Scriptures, he prefently rent it, and ordered the churchwardens to make ufe of it as a winding-fheet for fome poor man's burying. This inftance is fo home, that the patrons of image-worship are at a lofs what to fay to it, and after all are forced to cry out against it as fuppofititious: though the famous Du Pin, who is himself of the Romish communion, and doctor of the Sorbon, allows it to be genuine, and owns that one reafon of its being called in queftion, is because it makes fo much against that doctrine More might be produced to this purpofe: but by this, I hope, it is clear enough, that the primitive chriftians, as they thought it fufficient to pray to God, without making their addreffes to faints and angels; fo they accounted their churches fine enough without pictures and images to adorn them. churches requifite and necef fary. Decency in §. 5. And though these afterwards crept in again, and became the occafion of idolatry in the times of Popery; yet our church at the Reformation not only forbad the worfhipping them, but alfo quite removed them; as thinking them too falfe a beauty for the houfe of God. But though he would not let religion be dreffed in the habit of a wanton; yet fhe did not deny her that of a matron: fhe would have her modeft in her garb, but withal comely and clean; and therefore still allowed her enough, 64 Can. 36. tom. i. col. 974. 66 Hift. of Ecclefiaft. Writers, vol. ii. p. 236. not not only to protect her from fhame and contempt, but to Sect. II. draw her fome refpect and reverence too. And no man furely can complain, that the ornaments now made use of in our churches are too many or too expenfive. Good men would rather with that more care was taken of them, than there generally feems to be. For fure a decency in this regard is conformable to every man's fenfe, who profelles to retain any reverence for God and religion. The magnificence of the firft Jewith temple was very acceptable to God 7; and the too fparing contributions of the people towards the fecond was what he feverely reproved 68: from whence we may at least infer, that it is by no means agreeable to the Divine Majefty, that we turn pious clowns and flovens, by running into the contrary extreme, and worshipping the Lord, not in the beauty, but in the dirt and deformity, of holiness. Far from us be all ornaments mifbecoming the worship of a Spirit, or the gravity of a church; but furely it hath a very ill afpect for men to be fo fordidly frugal, as to think that well enough in God's house, which they could not endure even in the meaneft offices of their own. But to return to my first defign. formal de §. 6. When churches are built, they ought to have a Churches to greater value and efteem derived upon them by fome pe- be confeculiar Confecration: for it is not enough barely to devote crated by a them to the public fervices of religion, unlefs they are dication of alfo fet apart with the folemn rites of a formal dedication. them to For by thefe folemnities the founders furrender all the God. right they have in them to God, and make God himself the fole owner of them. And formerly, whoever gave any lands or endowments to the fervice of God, gave it in a formal writing, fealed and witneffed, (as is now usual between man and man) the tender of the gift being made upon the altar, by the donor on his knees. The antiquity of fuch dedications is evident, from its being an univerfal cuftom amongst Jews and Gentiles: and it is obfervable that amongst the former, at the confecration of both the tabernacle and temple, it pleafed the Almighty to give a manifeft fign that he then took poffeffion of them 69. When it was first taken up by chriftians is not eafy to determine: though there are no footsteps of any fuch thing to be met with, in any approved writer, till the reign of Conftantine: in whofe time, christianity be 671 Kings ix. 3. 69 Exod. xl. 34. 1 Kings viii. 10, 11. try Wakes. 70 Chap. II. ing become more profperous and flourishing, churches were every where erected and repaired; and no fooner were fo, but, as Eufebius tells 7° us, they were folemnly confecrated, and the dedications celebrated with great feftivity and rejoicing. The rites and ceremonies ufed upon these occafions (as we find in the fame "author) were a great confluence of Bishops and ftrangers from all parts, the performance of divine offices, finging of hymns and pfalms, reading and expounding the Scriptures, fermons and orations, receiving the holy facrament, prayers and thanksgivings, liberal alms beftowed on the poor, and great gifts given to the church; and in fhort, mighty expreffions of mutual love and kindness, and univerfal reThe origi- joicing with one another. And these dedications were nal of coun-always conftantly commemorated from that time forward once a year, and folemnized with great pomp, and much confluence of people; the folemnity ufually lafting eight days together 72: a cuftom obferved with us till the twenty-eighth year of Henry VIII. when, by a decree of convocation confirmed by that king, the feaft of dedication was ordered to be celebrated in all places throughout England on one and the fame day, viz. on the first Sunday of October 13. Whether that feaft be continued now in any parts of the kingdom, I cannot tell; for as to the Wakes which are still obferved in many country villages, and generally upon the next Sunday that follows the faint's day whofe name the church bears; I take them to be the remains of the old church holy-days, which were feafis kept in memory of the faints to whofe honour the churches were dedicated, and who were therefore called The name the patrons of the churches 4. For though all churches of angels or were dedicated to none but God, as appears by the gramfaints given to church-matical conftruction of the word church, which fignifies nothing elfe but the 75 Lord's houfe; yet at their confecration they were generally diftinguished by the name of fome angel or faint: chicây that the people, by frequently mentioning them, might be excited to imitate the virtues for which they had been eminent; and alfo that those holy faints themselves might by that means be kept in remembrance. Cs. 70 Hift. Eccl. 1. 1o. c. 3. p. 370. 71 Ibid. et de Vita Conft. 1. 4. C. 42, 43. p. 546, &c. 72 Niceph. Cal. Hift. Eccl. 1. 8. c. 73 See Bp. Gibfon's Codex, p. 276. Iflep 1362, in Bishop Gibson, p. 280. or in Mr. Johnfon's Collection of Ecclefiaftical Laws. 75 From Kugian (which fignifies the Lord's houfe) comes Kyre, and by adding letters of afpiration, Chyrch or Church. reverence §. 7. Though I have already been fo long upon this Sect. III. head, yet I cannot conclude it, till I have obferved what refpect and reverence thofe primitive chriftians ufed to Great refhew in the church, as the folemn place of worship, and pet and where God did more peculiarly manifeft his prefence.fhewn in And this we find to have been very great. "They came the church. "into the church (faith St. 76 Chryfoftom) as into the pa-es by the pa-primitive "lace of the great King, with fear and trembling;" upon chriftians. which account he there preffes the higheft modefty and gravity upon them. Before their going into the church they ufed to wafh, at leaft their hands, as Tertullian probably intimates 77, and Chryfoftom exprefsly tells us, carrying themselves while they were there with the profoundeft filence and devotion. Nay, fo great was the reverence they bore to the church, that the Emperors themfelves (who otherwise never went without their guard about them), when they went into the church, used to lay down their arms, to leave their guard behind them, and to put off their crowns; reckoning that the lefs oftentation they made of power and greatnefs there, the more firmly the imperial majefty would be entailed upon them 79. Examples, one would think, fufficient to excite us to use all fuch outward teftimonies of refpect as are enjoined by the church, and established by the cuftom of the age we live in, as marks of honour and reverence: a duty recommended by Solomon, who charges us to took to our feet, when we go into the boufe of God; being an allufion in particular to the rite of pulling off the fhoes ufed by the Jews, and other nations of the Eaft, when they came into facred places; and is as binding upon us to look to ourfelves by uncovering our heads, and giving all other external teftimonies of reverence and devotion. SECT. III. Of the Minifters, or perfons officiating in NOTHER thing mentioned in this rubric are theThe necef A Ministers; by whom we are to underfiand thofe who, ity on a di vine com being taken from among men, are ordained for men, in things million to pertaining to God: an honour, which no man taketh to kim-qualify a felf, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron; for the perfon for 76 In Ep. ad Hebr. c. ix. Hom. 15. tom. iv. p. 515. lin. ult. 77 De Oratione, c. 11. p. 133. C. 78 In Johan. 13. Hom. 72. tom. ii. p. 861. lin. 23. any facred office, 79 Codex Theodof. lib. 9. Tit. 45.proved. leg. 4. tom. iii. p. 363. 80 Ecclef. v. I. 81 Exod. iii. 5. Josh. v. 15. 82 Heb. v. 1, 4. minifterial |