atur, & intentionem alterius nemo videre poteft. And thus much Garnet the Provincial did ingenuously con feffe upon his private conference with fome of our Bishops. Wherefore how they can excuse their idolatry in the worship of the elevated hoaft, I cannot fee, feeing they worship they know not what. Any man may easily conceive that they do carry a corrupt mind that way, because in all their Catechifmes fet forth for the inftitution of young beginners, they do leave out the fecond Commandment quite, and to make up the number they divide the tenth Commandment into two. Now having convinced them of idolatry which is the fin against God, and toucheth him in his Majefty and Glory, we fee how dangerous a thing it is to have conversation with such,least we receive of the plagues due to them. Though the Church of Pergamus did hold faft the name of Christ, and denied not his faith, yet had the Lord fomething a gainst her; Because she had there them that held the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Ifrael, to eat things facrificed unto idols, and to com mit fornication. The fame quarrel had our Lord to the Church at Thyatira, in which, though he approved her works,and charity,and fervice, and faith, and patience, yet he faith, Rev. 2.14. Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou (uffereft that woman Iezebel, who calleth ber felj a Prophetesse, Rev•2.20 to teach and to feduce my fervants, to commit fornication, and to eat things facrificed to idols. We have no law to favour idolatry, or idolatrous meetings tomaffe; we have fevere laws against them, yet it is in fight that Maffe is frequented by multitudes of all forts in the fight of Ifra el,in the fight of the fun, whence this boldneffe grows we cannot judge but from n negligent execution of our godly, and juft laws. Have we forgotten 88?have we forgotten the fifth of Novem ber. 1605? do we not believe experience? Were not the Canaanites whom Ifrael fuffered to live a Jude 2.3. mongst them against the Commandment of God, thorns in their fides, and pricks in their eyes, and were not their gods a inare to Ifrael? Is not Popery a dangerous religion to the Soveraign Authority of the King, fetting the Pope above him to over-rule him, and to deprive him of his Crown, if he be not for his turn? Is not Popery a profeft enemy to the Religion that we profeffe? light and darkneffe, God and Belial may as foon be reconciled; and therefore an enemy to our Clergy, who are all armed with the Word of God against it. Or is it good and wholesome doctrine which the Anabaptifts this last year tendred to the King, Prince, Nobility, Judges and Commons of Parliament that Freedome of Religion is not hurtful to any Common-wealth; or 9. that Freedome of Religion depriveth not Kings of any Power gi ven them of God. The times are foule; God is much difhonoured; where the fault is, and of whom the Church and Religion hath caufe to complain, is not fo much our duty to enquire, as to pray to God to amend all. Ile tell you where you shall have him. 2. The punishment of this finne is expreft in one word,Va Wo, and it containeth the whole Cup of Gods indignation. 1. In this life, they truft in that which cannot help them. They truft in lying vanities, and they forfake their own mer cy: they are taught by teachers of lies, and therefore the light that is in them is darkneffe. Baals fervants cried from morning to evening upon Baal their god to hear them, and it would not do; here is a double woe, 1. Loffe of labour, 2. Want of help. In the first, they bewray their folly; the god of this world hath made fools of them, for turning the glory of the invifible God into the images of creatures. But in the second they find the mifery; for we cannot without help, and they traft to idols where there is no help.. But But that is not all the woe: the Apoftle telleth us, that no idolaters shall enter into the Kingdome of heaven; this is terror domini, the terrour of the Lord; for how fhall they hope to have glory with God who deny glory to God will God give them glory, that feek to take away glory from him, or let them into heaven that would thruft him out? Obferve it in that law concerning graven images, God hath more expreft himself then in any of the reft, to be a God of vengeance; for there is ratio legis. God is jealous. And there is Comminatio judicis vifitabit; and it goeth in defcent to the third and fourth Generation of them that hate him.Ob ferve he calleth them fuch as hate him. There is a promise, He will fhew mercy to thousands of them that love him. any And I conceive this added to this Commandment rather then of the rest, because Gods Ifrael did most often offend in this kind, by worshipping God in creatures, and by performing external adoration to them, which is in this law chiefly forbidden. The fear of this woe hath not wrought enough upon the Romanifts who are guilty of groffe idolatry; fo on the other fide it hath wrought too much upon fome zealous Profeffors, who fearing fuperftition and idolatry,dare scarce fhew any external reverence to God himself,either when they come into Gods house,or when they come to Gods Table. Yet the Angel that would not be worshipped, faid, worship thon God, and that is all the Church exacteth, not an inward Worship only, but an outward also commanded in the second Commandment. Verf. 20. But the Lord is in bis holy Temple, let all the earth keep filence before him, The Temple of Gods holineffe is understood here as you have heard,two ways. S1. For the Temple at Jerusalem. 12. For heaven. Gal. 5.20 Vbi cft. In both let all tremble before him. This is the fecond part of the Antithefis,True Religion, containing two parts. (1. Where God is. 2. What duty is owing to him, 2. He is in his Temple at Jerufalem, and in all other Temples dedicate to his fervice. For the Temple at Jerufalem, he appointed the making of it, and chose the man to whofe care he committed the truft of the work; David might not do it, but Solomon was the man. When it was finished, and Solomon had affembled the People to the confecration of it, and prayed there, God anfwered the Prayer of Solomon with a vifible expreffure of his Presence: for a cloud filled the houfe; it was filled with the Glory of God. But fome of our Sectaries fay, there is no need of Churches for Gods publick fervice; there is neither precept nor example in Scripture for it, but the words of Chrift to the woman of Sa maria leave it at large. John 4.23- The houre cometh and now is, when the true Worshippers shall Worship the Father in fpirit and truth. Saint Auguftine calleth this herefie in the Maffilians, that they denied the ufe of Temples, because Chrift foretold that the ufe of the Temple at Jerufalem (hould ceafe,which was a fhadow of things to come. In the Old Teftament befide the Cathedral, and MotherChurch, the People had their Synagogues for their meetings to Gods fervice, which continued even to and in Chrifts time.Chrift himself defigned a place for that meeting, wherin he celebrated the laft Paffeover, and instituted the Sacrament of his Supper. The Disciples had a place of meeting wherein Chrift twice found them the first day of the week. The perfecutions of thofe times gave no fod ain liberty to fettle a Church, and to erect Temples, nor that I can read, for the first 200 years after Chrift were any Temples built. Yet before the perfecutions ceafed, they had erected Oratories for their meeting to Prayer and hearing of the Word; for f in the tenth Perfecution under Dioclefian. An. Reg. 19. Mense Eufeb.8.2 Martio, he made an Edict for the pulling down of the Temples of the Chriftians. But under Conftantine, when Chriftian religion had the favour of Authority regal, then Concurrebant populi ad populos quafios ad os. Ecclefie que antea impiis tyrannorum machinis destructa fuerant,rediviva, &c, Then the People came together. And ever fince the Church hath continued this practife of maintaing Oratories for the meeting of the Congregations for the praise and service of God. There is warrant enough from the example of the Church, and the Authority thereof to maintain this holy practice. Thofe places be the Temples of Gods holineffe, the hou-fes of God feparate from all common ufe to the holy fervice of God. And God who by his Omnipotency filletà all places, is in our Churches by a more fpecial prefence; for if the Glory of God filled the Temple in the time of the Law, why may we not believe that in the light of the Gospel, he reveileth his Prefence more, because the place wherein we ferve God is Gods house, and all Civil and common ufe of it is refigned, to confecrate it to Gods fervice. If God be prefent where two or three are affembled, furely where there is a meeting of a fulCongregation he is prefent with a fpecial prefence. Euf. 10. 2. And therefore it hath ever been efteemed a pious charity in thofe that have been founders, enlargers, reftorers, or adorners of Churches, as Saint Origen faith, quam gloriofum est fi dicatur in Tabernaculo domini. Illius fuit hoc aurum, hoc argentum, in ex. 25. Rurfus quam indecorum ut dominus veniens nihil muneris tui inveniat in eo, nihil a te cognofcat oblatum. Ego optarem fi fieri poffet,effe aliquid meum in auro quo arca contegitur: Nollem effe infœcundus &c. These houses of God are the temples of his holineffe where. the name of God is declared to the Church, wherein God by his Hom. 13. |