The Honor of Gods House, Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Touching the Throne of Majeſtie in Sinai, and the Tabernacle, &c.
FIrſt he alluds to Sinai Gods firſt glorious Sanctuarie among men, Rev. 4.5.as may appeare by Lightnings and thundring and voyces which iſſue out of the Throne, as they did upon Sinai when God appeared, Exod. 19. and in theſe declared his Majeſtie, and ſet bounds to all Iſrael to be kept with the greateſt diligence, leaſt danger befall the intruders to their ruine; God made all the Mount the place of his Maieſtie, and he himſelfe ſpake in terrour to his people, ſo that they petitioned there might be a middle betweene them and him, and that Moſes and men like themſelves might ſpeak, and that firſt diviſion of Majeſtie and auditory, of God ſpeaking and men bearing being too terrible, might be turred into a more milde and middle way of Miniſterie intervening betweene himſelfe and them, Exod. 24. The multitude are to keepe the ſtation, and not to ſtirre at all to draw any nearer to God, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu with ſeventy Elders are to goe u… with Moſes into the Mount, and there muſt they Miniſter …weene God and the people; whiles God gives the …fect patterne of all things in the Mount, he makes the Mount the firſt draught, and drawes the forme in the place of their ſtanding, as a throne of Majeſtie, ſeates of Elder… and a boundarie for the people, and the bleſſed Angells to keepe their rounds and gaurds of attendance in all places as God appoints them. Exod. 24 10.17.Majeſtie is in the pavement, and where the feete of the Almightie plant themſelves, there is as the body of heaven in his cleareneſſe, the … of the Maunt was like devouring fire, and all to ſet forth his glorie that is moſt inviſible: No picture of God, but paſſing ſignes of his preſence, and warnings which way they were to worſhip him, and be wrought into an holy feare of ſo dreadfull a God, as hee ſhewed himſelfe to be i… the ſaid expreſſions: God is farre more milde in the Chriſtian Church, and his Sanctuarie is ſet upon Mount Sion which may be approached, and from whence God ſpeaketh more mildly unto us, and in which the innumerable company of Angells keepe their watch. I ſee not out the holy Table may be ſet as a ſigne to diſtinguiſh the place of Majeſtie from all the reſt: Our Antients made that Regall which was in the ſteppings and degrees of the Altar, and therefore the Altar much more may expreſſe Majeſtie. If any aske me why is God in one part of the Church more than an other, and why is one part more holy than another? I anſwer it is not from any inheſſion or incluſion of God and holineſſe in that place, as Pagans imagine in their Temples where they include their Gods. Againſt theſe Saint Paul diſputes at Athens, and ſo doe Origen▪ Minuti… Felix, Arnob…us, and La…tantius, and are …, as i… they …ried downe Temples and Altars: for ſuch Temples, Alt…, and Images, as they confute are impious and forbidden to Chriſtians, becauſe the Heathen did Revoca… … mortuorum ad Templa, Altaria, Imagines, revoke …he ſoules of the dead to Temples, Altars, Images, and put…n them Divinas virtut…s, &c. they placed divine vert… in their Temples, Altars, and Images, and ſought for … by their preſence, as being filled with Celeſtiall power to do them good; but we beleeve of our Temples and … Salomon did, that God is in them of grace …nd … to his people, and that they are holy in relation to him, as the Houſe is his, the Table his, where he will feede his people, and fill them with his favours. It pleaſeth him to have his Throne, and as ever, ſo … a Co…t of Majeſtie which he daily opens to his people, wh…n … them to his heavenly Table. His Table is enough to make it holy, and ſeparate from common uſe, and to be the dayly monument of divine benediction where Church Prayers have beene ſaid, nay have the preferment, and be counted the moſt ſacred place in Gods Houſe, in which hee offers himſelfe to his people, and they take him, as truely preſent; for reall preſence is not demed, when tranſubſtantiation is rejected, but Chriſt really preſent i… the holy Sacrament is an object of our faith, not of our ſight or ſeene, as Gods Houſe and Honour goe together: ſo the chiefe place invites the worſhip of God towards it, according to the decencie of Religion. Secondly, Saint Iohn alludes to the Tabernacle in the Wilderneſſe, and Temple in Canaan, as may appeare by the Lampes of fire and Sea of Glaſſe. Now that in both theſe were diſtinctions, as the Court of Majeſtie, Court of Miniſtry, and Court of Auditory it needes not inqu…ing. The Tabernacle in the Wilderneſſe, which in the whole is often called Gods Throne, was pitched about in that goodly order, that the Prieſts and Levites encamped next to the whole Tabernacle, the people at a greater diſtance, Num. 6.2. and as ſome imagine two Engliſ… miles. Their doores were to open upon the Sanctuary, and they were to doe their devotion, both going out and comming in: ſo that when the Sanctuary was open for ſervice, there was a threefold diviſiō, into the couit of the people, court of the Prieſts, and Court of God; when it was ſhut up the diviſion was three fold, the Tabernacle, the Campe of the Prieſts and Levites, and the foure Campes of Iſrael under 4. ſtandats, as we ſhall heare afterwards. The Arke, the Mercy-ſeate are often called Gods Footeſtoole, and his Throne. Laſtly, Ezekiel ſhewing Gods little Sanctuarie in the Babilonian captivitie and deſtruction of Solomous Temple teacheth the ſame, where we have foure Beaſts, and over them a Firmament, and above that a Thro…, Eze. 1. The foure Beaſts may well point at the foure Standards of the twelve Tribes. To the Eaſt was Judah, Iſachar and Zabulon, with the Enſignē of a Lyon; to the South, Ruben, Simeon, and Gad, under the ſigne of a man in the flagge: To the Weſt, Ephraim, Manaſſes and Benjamin, with the banner bearing the ſigne of a Bullocke. To the North, Dan, Aſhur and Naphtali bearing the Enſigne of an Eagle: Its probable that Ezechiel hath this meaning, if we marke his ſtanding, looking into the North the place of the captivitie of Iudah, Ezeck. 1.4. the firſt face that meetes him, verſ. 10. is the face of a man, and thats Rubens quarter to lie upon the South, on his right hand is the Eaſt, and on that ſide appeares a Lyon, where Iudah quartered, on the left ſide the face of an Oxe, and thats the Weſt, where Ephraim encamped. The North needes no character, and that is the face of an Eagle where Dan was appointed to pitch about the Tabernacle, ſo that foure Beaſts are characters of the places of Gods people, when they forme a part of Gods Houſe or Sanctuary. The Firmament or expanſe is now the voide place where God may be heard and ſeene of his people: The Beaſts let downe their wings and ſtand in ſilence, and from the Firmament above them, a voyce is uttered, &c. This is the middle ſpace betwixt God and his people. Above this appeares the Throne, and one in the appearance of a man ſitting upon it: here is mention of precious ſtones as in Saint Iohn, and of a Rainebow, and all together ſhew our diſtinction of the place of Majeſtie, Miniſtery and Auditory, and Angells of God as ſecret ſpirits to keepe their rounds and guards as God himſelfe that guides all pleaſeth; and that of the Throne of Majeſtie, which God hath alwayes had it in his Church.