of beauty in our temples must be proportionably conducive to the same holy purposes. There is, indeed, an excess to be avoided in beautifying holy places: but this consists rather in the kind than the measure of ornament. There are a sort of light meretricious decorations, apt to infuse ideas unsuitable to the solemnity of the place, and the sacred uses to which it is designed. The Church must not be dressed in the attire of an harlot, but of a grave and serious matron: and provided the ornaments are agreeable to this character, the more magnificent they are the more effectually will they engage our respect, and dispose us to reverence and devotion. More might be added on this argument: but the beauty of this holy place reminds that I speak to those who are forward of their own accord, and want no exhortation to this duty. It remains only to be observed to you, that the purity of the worshippers is the noblest ornament of the temple. If this be wanting, our churches, with all their decorations, will be but like "whited sepulchres, outwardly fair, but within full of all uncleanness." Let it, therefore, be our farther care to sanctify and cleanse every one ourselves, our souls and bodies, from all sinful pollutions. Let us bring hither clean hands and devout hearts, holy and undefiled affections. Then shall God delight in our temples and our service, hear our prayers, and accept our offerings; till, from worshipping in these earthly tabernacles, we are admitted to adore him in "houses not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, whose builder and founder is God." ON PLACES FOR THE PUBLIC SERVICE OF GOD. [RICHARD HOOKER.] XI. SOLEMN duties of public service to be done unto God, must have their places set and prepared in such sort as beseemeth actions of that regard. Adam, even during the space of his small continuance in Paradise, had where to present himself before the Lord." Adam's sons had out of Paradise in like sort whither to bring their sacrifices. The Patriarchs used altars, and mountains, and groves, to the self-same purpose. In the vast wilderness, when the people of God had themselves no settled habitation, yet a moveable tabernacle they were commanded of God to make. The like charge was given them against the time they should come to settle themselves in the land which had been promised unto their fathers: "Ye shall seek that place which the Lord your God shall choose." g When God had chosen Jerusalem, and in Jerusalem Mount Moriah", there to have his standing habitation made, it was in the a Gen. iii. 8. d Gen. xxii. 1. Deut. xii. 5-7. h b Gen. iv. 3. e Gen. xxi. 33. 2 Chron. iii. 1. c Gen. xiii. 4. f Exod. xxvi. chiefest of David's desires to have performed so good a work. His grief was no less that he could not have the honour to build God a temple, than their anger is at this day, who bite asunder their own tongues with very wrath, that they have not as yet the power to pull down the temples which they never built, and to level them with the ground. It was no mean thing which he purposed. To perform a work so majestical and stately was no small charge. Therefore he incited all men unto bountiful contribution, and procured towards it, with all his power, gold, silver, brass, iron, wood, precious stones, in great abundance. Yea, moreover, "Because I have," saith David, "a joy in the house of my God, I have of mine own gold and silver, besides all that I have prepared for the house of the sanctuary, given to the house of my God three thousand talents of gold, even the gold of Ophir, seven thousand talents of fined silver." After the overthrow of this first house of God, a second was instead thereof erected; but with so great odds, that they wept which had seen the former, and beheld how much this latter came behind it: the beauty whereof notwithstanding was such, that even this was also the wonder of the whole world. Besides which Temple, there were both in other parts of the land, and even in Jerusalem, by process of time, no small number of synagogues for men to resort unto. Our Saviour himself, and after him the Apostles, frequented both the one and the other. The Church of Christ which was in Jerusalem, and a 2 Chron. vi. 7. с 1 Chron. xxii. 14. Psalm, cxxxii. 3-5. d 1 Chron. xxix. 3, 4. b 1 Chron xxii. 19. b held that profession which had not the public allowance and countenance of authority, could not so long use the exercise of Christian religion but in private only. So that as Jews they had access to the Temple and synagogues, where God was served after the custom of the Law; but for that which they did as Christians, they were of necessity forced other where to assemble themselves. And as God gave increase to his Church, they sought out, both there and abroad, for that purpose, not the fittest (for so the times would not suffer them to do), but the safest place they could. In process of time, some whiles by sufferance, some whiles by special leave and favour, they began to erect themselves oratories; not in any sumptuous or stately manner, which neither was possible by reason of the poor estate of the Church, and had been perilous in regard of the world's envy towards them. At length, when it pleased God to raise up kings and emperors favouring sincerely the Christian truth, that which the Church before either could not or durst not do, was with all alacrity performed. Temples were in all places erected. No cost was spared, nothing judged too dear which that way should be spent. The whole world did seem to exult, that it had occasion of pouring out gifts to so blessed a purpose. That cheerful devotion which David this way did exceedingly delight to behold, and wish that the same in the Jewish people might be perpetual, was then in Christian people every where to be seen. Their actions, till this day always accustomed to be a Acts, i. 13. ii. 1. b Acts, ii. 46. c 1 Chron. xxix. 17, 18. spoken of with great honour, are now called openly into question. They, and as many as have been followers of their example in that thing, we especially that worship God either in temples which their hands made, or which other men since have framed by the like pattern, are in that respect charged no less than with the sin of idolatry. Our churches, in the foam of that good spirit which directeth such fiery tongues, they term spitefully the temples of Baal, idle synagogues, abominable styes. XII. Wherein the first thing which moveth them thus to cast up their poisons, are certain solemnities, useful at the first erection of churches. Now, although the same should be blameworthy, yet this age (thanks be to God!) hath reasonably well forborne to incur the danger of any such blame. It cannot be laid unto many men's charge at this day living, either that they have been so curious as to trouble the bishops with placing the first stone in the churches they built, or so scrupulous, as, after the erecting of them, to make any great ado for their dedication. In which kind, notwithstanding, as we do neither allow unmeet, nor purpose the stiff defence of any unnecessary custom heretofore received; so we know no reason wherefore churches should be the worse, if at the first erecting of them, at the making of them public, at the time when they are delivered as it were into God's own possession, and when the use whereunto they shall ever serve is established, ceremonies fit to betoken such intents and to accompany such actions be a Durand. Rational. lib. i. cap. vi. et de Consecratione, Dist. i. c. 2. "Tabernaculum." Gregor. Magn. Epist. lib. xii. 11. ix. 70. viii. 63. |