The Honor of Gods House, Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Of the place of Majestie in the Church, that is, the holy Table or Altar, and the incloſure thereof.
FOr the place of Majeſtie in the Houſe of God, Saint Iohn hath given it the name, either in the Altar, or place of it, Rev. 14.18. and 16.7. foreign, The Angells that are Gods attendants in Gods Houſe goe out and in as he commands them: They doe not goe into the Altar and out of it, and therefore Beza boldly tranſlates the one place ab Altari, from the Altar, and the other E Sanctuario, out of the Sanctuary, neither is he ſenſeleſſe therein, for ab Altari ſhewes the terme from which the motion begins, and E Sanctuario, the place out of which they move; and the bleſſed Angells wait both upon the Altar and ſtand in the Sanctuary to do ſervice as the are commanded. It was a fearefull voyce in the Sanctuary (Teſt. Joſeph. de Bello Iudaico, l. 7. cap. 12.) which often in the night was heard, ſounding theſe words, Let us goe hence, undoubtedly it was the voyce of thoſe bleſſed Spirits forſaking the Temple, and leaving it to the rage of the Romanes: In the captivitie, Ezek. 10.4. the glory of the Lord departed from the place of Majeſtie, firſt to the threſhold, Ezek. 9.3. ſecondly above it, Ezek. 10.4. Theſe were the firſt warnings in open view, thirdly, the glory returnes to call out the Cherubins themſelves, and they preſent themſelves at the Eaſt gate with their wings and wheeles, and the glory of God over them, as ready all at once to be gone, Ezek. 10.18. fourthly, from thē gate of the Temple, and the midſt of the city the glory of the Lord departeth and ſtands upon the mountaine, which is on the Eaſt ſide of the citty, Eze. 11.23. The captivitie of the Temple comes a pace when the glory of God is gone from it, I ſay thats the place of Majeſtie where God ſheweth the ſignes of his preſence, aad ſends his Angells to give their attendance.
In the new Teſtament, the Sanctuary or chiefe place of Majeſtie, is where the Altar ſtands, for the word either ſignifies an Altar or the place where it ſtands. It was not ſo in Iſrael, for all their Altars were placed out of the holy of holies, God did ſhut up himſelfe in the place of Majeſtie, and gave no admittance but to the high Prieſt once a yeare to enter that ſacred place, but now it is more common and of daily uſe for Gods people, yet not without diſtinction, as we ſee it is conſtantly obſerved by Saint Iohn in his Booke of the Revelation, for theſe foure parts are never confounded, but alwayes recited with their due diſtinctions and diſtances: In Saint Chryſoſtome is obſerved, and it is concluded of the whole Church of Conſtantinople, as a conſtant and common cuſtome of ſpeech to call the place of Majeſtie foreign, and I know no reaſon of the appellation but from the Altar, which the ſame Father calls by the name of the holy table, but not ſo preciſely as ſome call it now, and count Saint Paul to be of their minds, who ſo calls it every where as they ſay, and no where an Altar, which if it were granted, could conclude nothing for them, that therefore of purpoſe he reſtrained from the name of an Altar any more than Saint Chryſoſtome. Neither is it to be ſhunned either in reſpect of Iewes or Pagans, for the Pagans never uſed the word for an altar, but βωμὸς, as Saint Paul teſtifieth Act. 17.23. and I beleeve upon curious ſearch the word will be found meerely Eccleſiaſticall, and uſed onelyonly by Churchmen, and therefore we neede not to avoid it as a Pagan word, as they have avoided βωμὸς, which I never read was given to Gods Altar, neither is it to be avoided in reſpect of the Iewes, for Saint Iohn uſeth it often in application to Chriſtians and the ſervice of Chriſt, S. Paul avoides it not in the meaning, 1 Cor. 10.14. Flee from Idolatrie, his arguments are two, one from the Iewes, verſ. 18. another from the Pagans, verſ. 20. partakers of the legall ſacrifices, are partakers of the legall Altars, and ſuch is our communion with God, as our ſervice of him, Heb. 13.10. We have an Altar whereof they have no right to eate, which ſerve the Tabernacle. They that ſticke to Moſes againſt Chriſt cannot be partakers of Chriſt, Chriſts Altar and a Iewiſh Altar cannot ſtand together, Iſrael after the fleſh eates the ſacrifices of fleſh, and partakes with an altar of fleſh, and therefore cannot partake with Chriſt. The Argument is undeniable, that the Communion is according to the ſervice, and therefore to eate with Idolaters, in Idolatrous Temples, at Idolatrous Tables is Idolatrie, and we are to flee the Communion if we will avoide the corruption; I ſay the holy Apoſtle aymes not in a Table to avoid the name of an Altar or of a ſacrifice, but of the Communion. The Table in the Temple of Idolaters is an Altar, their meate and drinke offerings ſacrifices. They both eate and offer: but firſt offer and then eate; for common things cannot be ſacred to God, till wee both ſet them apart, and ſanctifie them for the uſe of his ſervice, for nothing is Deo ſacrum, which is not Deo oblatum, The very ſeparation is to God, that he might ſanctifie unto us what we firſt offer unto him; S. Paul makes communion oblation, participation, &c. to ſound all to one ſenſe, we other the with to God that it may be bleſſed, he gives the C…p to us with the bloud of his Sonne, the Cup is the Communion of bloud; call a Table an Altar, and an Altar a Table for me without offence, ſo I am ſure Ezekiel does, Chap. 41.32. and … ſeconds him, Cap. 1.1….1…. … Paul for ought I know might have called the Table of the Lord an Altar, as well as hee calls the Altar of devills a Table. But we are intended in our dayes to wrangle and wreſt all truths to oppoſe adverſaries, more than confirme them by faire and faſt binding our ſelves to give them intertainement in their beſt demonſtrations.
It pleaſeth the Holy Ghoſt as farre as I can apprehend it, to call the place of Majeſtie the Sanctuary in Gods Houſe, or the place where Gods Table or Altar ſtandeth; for this purpoſe, I have produced both Beza a moderne Divine, and Saint Chryſoſtome a more antient Writer, and will now proceede to ſay more from Theodoret, lib. 4. cap. 4. lib. 5.13. Zorrat, Hiſt. lib. cap. 25. Zozom. lib. 2. cap. 28. from Euſebius in his Panegyrick Oration at the dedication of the Temple of Tyre, from the Council of Laeodicia, Can. 44. ſixt Councill in Trullo Can. 69. Concil. Arcl. Can. 15. Concil. Conſtant. 5. and 6. Can. 69 Saint Cypr. lib. 1. Epiſt. 9. and from Saint Ignatius, I ſhall leave my Reader to enlarge himſelfe, and onelyonly ſet before his eyes what I have ſearched for my owne ſatisfaction. I will beginne with Theodoſius the Emperour, and Saint Ambroſe a Biſhop, the Emperour enters the Church at Millaine to act his ſolemne reverence, and his firſt reverence is the proſtration of his whole body, uſing the words of the Pſalme 119.25. adheſit … men, &c. my foule e…eaveth to the pavement, in humility of ſoule and body hee kiſſeth the very duſt and ſtones wherewith the Church was paved, and powred forth his teares abundantly: and preparing himſelfe to receive the Sacrament; (which is enough to ſtricke dead the point in …) foreign with equall … he went up the ſteppings of the Altar, I may have … amiſſe foreign, i… palatium in gonere, Gods houſe in ſpec… called Baſilica, but thats not enough here, for foreign in the plurall number ſignifies the degrees or ſteppings to the Altar, … 5. when he came to the Royall ſtay… be w… againe as abundantly as when he firſt entred the Church. Then according to his cuſtome at Conſtantinople he went within the raile, but S. Ambroſe by a Deacon foreign, hee taught him that places were to be diſtinguiſhed in the Church, foreign, that it was for Prieſts and not for Princes to come within the rayle, foreign, come forth and communicate with thine owne ranke, and remember in Gods Houſe to hold the perfect paterne of the difference and diſtinction, Purple makes Kings not Prieſts.of a Prince and a Prieſt, foreign, Princes robes and Prieſts ornaments are not alike, ſo neither are their places. At the Councill in Trullo Can. 69. Non licet ulli corum omnium qui in laicorum numero ſunt, ingredi intra ſanctu… Altare nequaquam tamen ab eo prohibita poteſtate & authoritate imperiali, quandocunque vol…er i… …catori dona offerre ex antiquiſſima traditione; It is not lawfull for any that be in the number of Laicks to enter within the raile of the holy Altar; yet the Imperiall Majeſtie and Authoritie is not thereby prohibited ingreſſe when … he hath a will to offer any gifts to the Creatour by a moſt antient tradition, for the moſt antient uſe of the Church was, that lay Chriſtians might have acceſſe to the Altar to preſent there their eſpeciall devotions, or receive Prieſtly abſolution, &c. otherwiſe they were not to enter, but receive the bleſſed Euchariſt, and place themſelves without the raile, as the Councill of Laodicia is expreſſe for women. Saint Ignatius who lived in the Apoſtles dayes, Epiſt. ad Trallens, Qui extra Altare est, eſt … qui five Epiſcop… & presbite…is & Dioconis ali…; and … Qui eſt extra Altare, ille pollutu… eſt … & eſt in…idels deterior, He which is without the Altar is hee who does ought without the Biſhop, … Deacon…; and againe, hee who is without the Altar he is polluted in conſcience, and worſe than an In…, where he is ſaid to be without the Altar, not who may not come within the raile, but who may not participate of the holy Table, for ſo thē Church Canons exclude him: and in ſuch caſe are all our Conventicle keepers, that both without and againſt lawfull Biſhops and Prieſts walke their owne bywayes. As Chriſt was knowne to his two diſciples in breaking of bread; ſo were the Primitive Prieſts knowne to their people by breaking the Sacramentall bread, and it was held the ſymbole of Chriſtian Communion to be partakers of the Altar, and to receive from it the holy Sacraments, Ignat. ad Tralleuſſ. qui intra Altare eſt, purus eſt, igitur & obedit Epiſcop… & Presbyteris, he who is within the Altar is pure, therefore alſo he obeyeth the Biſhop and Prieſts. He is within the Altar that may receive the Sacrament, and he onelyonly may receive the Sacrament that is in obedience, or due order, ſubject to the Biſhop and Prieſts: Sine his Eccleſia electa non eſt, non caetus ſanctorum, non congregati… ſanctorum, without theſe there is no elect Church, no obſervation of holy things, no congregation of Saints, ad Epheſ. Epiſt. … foreign he that is not within the Altar is deprived of the Bread of God, that is, he that hath no Communion with his Paſtor at the Altar, is to be denied the Sacrament, ſtill the Altar hangs upon the Prieſt; and fellowſhip with him proves fellowſhip with the other. The Apoſtles Doctrine, fellowſhip, prayers, and breaking of bread are all cloſely compriſed together by this Father, Epiſt. ad Magn. foreign in faith and concord, foreign praeſidente Epiſ…p… Dei lot…, the Biſhop being preſident over them in the place of God; the Biſhop ſucceede the Apoſtles in plenarie power; the Presbitere the ſeventie whom our Saviour adjoyned to his Apoſtles. foreign that ſuch a Senate might meete to conſider of matt… of peace and truth. Act. 15.6. foreign, that all might … in one place to pray, foreign runne to the Temple of God, as to one place of Majeſtie, or one Altar, and one Ieſus Chriſt foreign and foreign are as one, for the whole Church is Gods Palace, eſpecially the place of his Altar where the people are made partakers of Chiſt himſelfe, Temple muſt be taken away ſayes Vedelius, as a corruption contrary to thoſe times that profeſſed they had no Temples, and ſo muſt Altars too, for they profeſſed againſt them, and then nothing is left but Ieſus Chriſt who muſt be found out of Temples, and Altars too may be in the Deſert and ſecret chambers, where there is neither the Apoſtles Doctrine, fellowſhip, breaking of bread or prayers; but a confuſed rabble without all order or obſervation of Gods Ordinances, as hee hath appointed them, foreign and foreign are acknowledged by Saint Iohn Rev. 14.17, 18. in ſuch a ſenſe as they ought to be, where God, Angells, and men meete, and as the whole place may be called Gods Houſe or Temple, ſo the Sanctuary or Altar is the ſpeciall place of Majeſtie, One Euchariſt, one Fleſh, one Bloud, one Bread, one Cup, one Altar.Epi. ad Philad. foreign, here I am ſure is the Sacrament with all the ſignes and the things ſignified, and what ſhall the Altar be? Chriſt will ſome ſay is one Altar to all Churches, for Tables they may have many. Not ſo, but as there is to us one Chriſt, ſo one Altar, and we profeſſe no more to expreſſe the Majeſtie of our God, There is one Altar for the whole Congregation.many Altars in one Church were never heard of in the moſt Primitive times, let theſe looke to them that undertake their defence, for I ſay with S. Ignatius foreign.
The fiſt generall Councell ſpeakes of concourſe to the Altar, that there was running foreign, and Saint Iohn hath foreign, Rev. 4.4. and foreign. v. 6. All I ſeeke for, is ſome ſympathie betwixt the holy Scriptures and Primitive practiſes. A throne of Majeſtie there is in the Houſe of God, or ſome viſible ſigne of Gods inviſible preſence to make the partition as S. Iohn hath ſet it downe. At the Dedication of the Temple of Tyre… I read of the foreign, compaſſed about with neate workes, …he holy Al….and the reverent placing of Pauline the Biſhop with his clergie in Cathedra, and Exedris about it; I reade of Alexander the holy Biſhop of Conſtantinople in the caſe of Arrius and the deſperate ſtorme threatened againſt him, and the Orthodox faith to have fallen at the foote of the Altar and proſtrate to Almightie God, to have prayed that God would evert that judgement from his poore Church, &c. I conceive wee may well conjecture we are not farne from the ſenſe, the ſame ſence may yet further be fetched from three places of Scripture, to which he alludeth in the expreſſion of the Chriſtian Theatre upon which God repreſents his glory in the world.