The Honor of Gods House, Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Concerning an Inſinuation of the honour due to Gods Houſe, with the heads of the enſuing Diſcourſe.
EVery houſe is knowne beſt by its owner, and it beares his name, great men diſplay their Armes where they are diſpoſed themſelves to live, and their very Chariots have the inſcriptions of their Honour. The Cherubins are called the glory of God, Ezek. 1.20. and every place where he appeares takes denomination from him: Iacob calls thē place of Gods appearance unto him twiſe by the Name of God, and it teacheth us, what it is that makes a place holy and honourable, even the Name of God, and this remaines at this day in our Temples as a remembrance of Gods holineſſe in his Houſe; we neede not aske the queſtion why Gods Houſe is more holy than an other place? or reſolve it as ſome doe upon falſe grounds, of preſence and vertue, either in the people or place it ſelfe: It is not holy becauſe an holy people meete there, or for popular preſence, which is more likely to pollute than exciteto any holineſſe, or for any qualities in it to make them more holy, but becauſe of God whoſe name it beares, and whoſe preſence fills it with the ſignes of his glory; and who there eſpecially ſanctifies and accepts holy ſervice; a Relative, no inherent holineſſe, a Relative it is to God and not to men, his houſe it is, not theirs, whereſoever God men and Angells meete, and are made knowne one to another by voyce and viſion, there is Gods Houſe and holineſſe; when God appeared to Iacob and ſpake unto him, Gen. 28. the bleſſed Angells accompanied him, and waited upon him in the Ladder of his Providence, and aſſured Iacob that they would goe with him in every ſteppe of his journey, both forward and backward: Nay, Iacob ſaw in his journey the very ladder of heaven, and his way to eternall happineſſe, Ioſ. 1.51. and 8.56. It would be obſerved what made the place dreadfull, and yet a gate of heaven, Surely the Lord is in this place and I knew it not. Ignorance of an inviſible preſence deprives us of our comfort therein, and therefore God by viſion and voyce ſo workes upon our eyes and eares, that they may let in Majeſtie and merciemercy together, Power and Compaſſion, Grace and Glory, &c. Theſe ſignes want not their uſe in our dayes, and deliver us our duties in the like expreſſions of Majeſtie to us: Our ſignes are milder, yet not leſſe Majeſticall than of old, now wee are all ſo for voyces, that we in a manner contemne all Viſions, and our eares are ſo open to hearing, that we heed not what our eyes ſhould turne us unto. When God appeared to Moſes Exod 3. hee had a Viſion and a Voyce; when he appeared to Ezekiel, Ezek. 1.28. he had the like; Cornelius and Peter had both of them Viſions and Voyces to direct them, Act. 10. And as in the extraordinary, God takes this way upon him, ſo in the ordinary courſe he obſerves the ſame, and ſets before us, as well ſignes of his Preſence, as Voyces to informe us; Maſſe is made a matter of juſt reproach to them that take away the teaching and intelligible voice to turne it into the pleaſure of the eyes? yet there be of itching eares too, that ſteppe over duties and looke not to their feete, when they enter conſecrated places to give God any honour at his memoriall in his Houſe, and ſight of any ſigne of his preſence: They ſay they are ready to heare a good dutie, but that is not enough, if they conſider not the preſence of God & Angels in the place, and give not ſome teſtimony more than the eare, that they come to obey; Remember the houſe and the honour that I ſhall in this Diſcourſe ſet before thee, and eſteeme better of the place for his ſake that ownes it, and to whom thou oweſt humble ſervice, I meane to ſpeake of Gods Houſe in all the partitions of it, and to vindicate to my power all his honour in making him the onelyonly object of divine worſhip in it, my indeavour ſhall be to uſe Gods Word and Church cuſtomes as candles to light us, and not as clouds to hinder our ſight. The Perſians by beholding the Sunne and Moone become Idolaters in odoring of them, but David, Pſal. 8.3. makes a better uſe to ſee in them a finger of the divine power, and ſo conſidered as the ſtarre led to Chriſt, Matth. 2. they ſerve to lead the quicke to the living God, & not to dead Idolls. The over ſuſpitions of ſuperſtition, become moſſuperſtitious to avoid it, and who can hinder the forge of a ſeduced heart to forme what fancie it luſteth, waves beating againſt a rocke are diſſolved into froth, and every imagination againſt the truth is as an haſtie purſuit running out of the way, and like hounds that are ſwift of foote but not exquiſite in ſent, which ſpend their mouthes and courſes in vaine [Our inſolent Separatiſts having hiſſed a while like Snakes, turne themſelves into fiery Dragons, and ſpit out all the poyſon they can againſt us. Other adverſaries wee have that like the Panther into which the Dragon creepes in the Revelation] ſeeke to deceive us by ſubtiltie, Rev. 13.2.in whoſe wiles many are caught before they be aware, and before they attend to keepe him at a diſtance. It is not without cauſe that the Dragon is ſaid to have the Panther for his ſucceſſor, for Satan is ſubtill to change his skinne, and doe the ſame miſchiefe in a more ſecret, as in an open evill way. Pagan Idolatry is odious to all Chriſtians, and the ſhew of the Dragon is enough to make them flie him: Rev. 13.1.but ſee, when God brings him to his ſtand, and drives him to vaniſh where hee had his firſt originall, yet the Text ſayes he ſtood upon the ſand of the ſea, Dan. 7.3.and gave way to the Panther to riſe out of it and ſucceede him, πάνθηρ dictus quod omnium animalium amicus ſit excepto dracone. Iſidor. c. 12.2.The Panther and the Dragon are the greateſt oppoſites, and ſo is Pagan and Chriſtian Religion, but the devill will deviſe their reconciliation, and make friends of the greateſt foes: The Panther is ſo called becauſe he is a friend of all Bruits, except the Dragon [The Cannon doth not ſo much hurt againſt a wall, as a myne under it, nor a thouſand enemies that threaten, ſo much as a few that conſpire and take an oath to ſay nothing. Gods Houſe and Honor are much ſuſpected, and many accuſed and libelled againſt, as if they were the Panthers of our time: ſo that now we ſuſpect all; but certainely we muſt either bluſh for ſhame, or grow pale for feare, our accuſations may ſhame us if we cannot prove them, and our puniſhments apale us that wee caſt our ſelves into priſon and perills, becauſe we are peeviſh interpreters of the minds of our Superiours. My labour at this time ſhall be to ſelect ſome one ſentence that may ſet us on worke, to ſee and ſearch if there be as great cauſe as we complaine there is of complaining of our preſent times.
Revel. 7.11. And all the Angells ſtood round about the Throne, and about the Elders, and the foure beaſts, and fell before the Throne on their face, and worſhipped God.
Gods Houſe or honourable Pallace hath the partition according to the perſons, firſt in reſpect of God, The ſeates of the Elders. The foure Beaſts.here is a Throne, ſecondly in reſpect of his Miniſters, there be ſedes ſeniorum, Rev. 4.4. thirdly, in reſpect of the people; there be foure Animalia, or as David expreſſeth it, Pſal. 58.10. and the Septuagint tranſlates it foreign, and S. The people ordered in their ſtandards dwelt in it.Hierom reades it Animalia tua habitaverunt in ea, that is (the people ordered in their ſtandards dwelt in it;) fourthly, in reſpect of the Angells, there is their round and guard ſet in the Houſe of God, they are the cheefe attendants upon the Majeſtie of God, and where he places his Court or Sanctuary, there doe they give their attendance, and therefore in Gods Houſe wee are bidden looke to our words, becauſe we are before Gods Angells, Eecle. 5.6. 1 Cor. 11.10.and women are bidden to weare a veile, which as their haire is naturally given them for a covering, may be a ſigne of their modeſtie, and being under covert and ſubjection, Becauſe of the Angells. This made Jacob in his journey count the place dreadfull, where God and his Angells appeared unto him: In the words of the text without ſtraining them, Gods Houſe upon earth, in all the parts of it: There is the place of Majeſtie, called the throne of the Lambe, ſecondly, the place of the Miniſtry called the ſeates of the Elders; thirdly the place of Auditory, called the foure beaſts, or ſtandards of the people; fourthly, the place of the heavenly gard, called the round of the Angells.
The honor is anſwerable to the houſe, and it may be for our better method divided into foure parts, 1. the object which is no (foreign or σέβασμα) Altar or Idoll, Act. 17.23.but God alone: They worſhipped not the Throne when they fell downe before it but God, and therefore the accuſation is ſhamefull of many in our Kingdome, that they worſhip the Altar when they bow downe before it; I might as well accuſe the holy Angells to worſhip the throne, becauſe they fell downe before it, as many blame thoſe for worſhipping the Altar who bow towards the holy Table or Altar, ſuch fault finders will not diſcerne that the bowing is before the Altar the adoration to God —and a like howſoever the holy Table be ſited. But ſome will be wiſe to make others wicked, and holy to make others thought horrible Idolaters worſe than any; for I never yet read of any that worſhipped Altars, Idolls by ſome, and Images by others, upon or above Altars, I know have beene and are ſtill worſhipped, and therein the Panther and the Dragon are reconciled; Baals Prieſts leaped upon their Altar, and it may be upon their God too, to awaken him and ſhed their bloud in ſacrifice upon him, but I doe not heare they adored their Altar, or called upon it, but heare us O Baall; ſecondly, as God is the Object of divine honour, ſo the kinde of honour that is due to God, and him alone is worſhip and adoration. Arrius was not onelyonly an hereticke in denying the Godhead, but an Idolater in worſhipping the bare Manhood, we may honour Angells and Saints, but wee may not worſhip them; every one that worſhippeth honoureth, but not on the contrary, every one that honoreth adoreth, Its Gods prerogative Royall, and ſo incommunicable that none may partake with God in this honour: thirdly, wee have the moſt humble geſture expreſſed in this honour, and that is prostration. The very Angells of God may teach us reverend geſtures in the Houſe of God; fourthly, here is the directing of the geſture, and thats towards the Throne: Gods people in captivity were to looke towards Iudea, in Iudea towards Ieruſalem, in Ieruſalem towards the Temple, in the Temple towards the MercieMercy ſeate; when we pray in Gods Houſe, we muſt turne our face towards the Throne of Majeſtie, and ſo doē the Elders, as well as the Angells, Revel. 4.10. the text ſingled out will talke with our times, God inable me to give the right ſenſe, for I will ſeeke to ſtraine nothing, but as cloſely as I can cleare every paſſage.