God will give the eunuches in his house a name But now what of all this will they say that the reverence mentioned in the text Philip. 2. is to be given peradventure to the power renown or memory of the sonne of God and not to be done when wee heare him named by the name JESUS But then here would I know of them which of these power renowne or memory shall I conceive to be meant in this text by the word Name If they say his power then I aske why not his renowne If they say his renowne then why not his memoriall For the word Name doth in Scripture by a trope signifie every one of these And when we leave the proper sence of any word in Scripture wee must shew some necessity why we do so and make it plaine that it must be taken in that significative sence which we give therof It is not inough to say such De doct Chrâ—â— 3 C. 10. a word is in some places taken in a figurative sence and therefore I will so understand it here and where I list besides St Austine dealing with such loose expounders of Scripture saith Nihil facilius est quam dicere Tropus est figura est modus quidam dicendi est Hebraismus est i. It is an easie matter to say it is a Trope It is a figure It is a certaine forme of speech It is an Hebraisme And therefore he giveth this rule Oratio figurata est quae proprieintellecta nec ad fidem nec ad dilectionem nec ad ullam aedificationem accoÌ„modari potest i. Then is the speech figurative when it cannot be made to serve for either faith or charity or any edification in the proper sence of the words Illyâ—â—cus that one of the centuristes well knowne to be no friend to Superstition doth among the rest of his rules for the right understaÌ„ding of scripture give this for De rat Cogn Sacr. lit one Verba sacraruÌ„ literaruÌ„ proprie acccipienda sunt nisi loci sensus in aliqueÌ„ fidei articuluÌ„ propalaÌ„ incurrat i. The words of holy Scripture are to be understood in their proper sence ecept that so the meaning of the words do directy fal foul upon some articles of faith And in an other place he thus adviseth Ne quaerat aliquis umbras aut sectetur somnia allegorianum nisi manifesta sit allegoria literalis seÌ„sus sit alioquin inutilis aut absurdus i. let not a man hunt after shadows or dreame of allegories except there be a manifest allegory And that without an allegory the literall sense be unprofitable and absurd And to this point a learned Countriman of our own speaketh home saying Allegoryes Perk. in gal 4. 24. are to be admitted when the words sound against common reason analogy of faith or good manners Let us consider these rules and see if there be any necessity that the word Name in the text to the Philipians be understood in any other then the proper sense Is it against common reason Faith Charity or good manners so to understand it Or is it against the scope of that place or of any other part or peece of scripture for me to bow my knee or to expresse reverence by any seemly outward gesture when I heare my blessed Lord and Saviour named by his proper name JESUS How then dare I suffer my fancy here to leave the propâ—â—â—â—ase and to devise a figure as if I might worke the Scripture like a nose of waxe as I list my self I will here adde one rule more which we have from Saint Hillary Optimus lector est qui dictorum intelligentiam expectat ex dictis potius quam imponat et retulerit potius quam attulerit Neque cogat id videri dictis contineri quod ante lectionem praesumpserit intelligendum i. He is the best l. de trin 1. reader of Scriptures who lookes for the meaning of the words in the words rather then putteth or imposeth a meaning upon them who fetcheth the sense from the words rather then bringeth it unto them And who enforceth not that to seem to be contained in them which he presumed to find there before he read them If any man will contend that yet there is an allegory Ob. in that text because knees are there ascribed to things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth I answer that when knees are ascribed Ans to things which properly have none there necessity enforceth us to acknowledge a figure But the Son of God our blessed Saviour hath a name even the name JESUS in the proper sense And men have knees not figuratively but properly Therefore it is without any figure to say that men having knees naturally shall bow those knees at the name JESUS which is not a metaphorical but the proper name of the Son of God And so there is no necessity to seeke a figure in that text in the word name or in the word knees so farre as the duty concerneth man But it is very dangerous against the faith of a good Conscience and against the true rules of right interpreting the Scriptures thus to rove at figures and to imagine allegories where we need not and upon bare uncertaine conjectures not knowing certainly what to stand unto But by this bowing at the name of Jesus we shall Object magnifie the Son above the Father and the holy Ghost No such matter but we shall honour the Father Ans in the Son For so saith the text that this is done to the glory of God the Father And seeing no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the holy Ghost Let us never feare that that respect which we do to our Saviour by the instinct and direction of the holy Ghost can be any diminution or disparagement to the holy Ghost Will any man say that the blessed virgin Mary did disparage either the Father or the holy Ghost when she said My spirit rejoiceth in God my Saviour Luc. 1. 47. But why then is this reverence done at the name Quest of the second person more then at the name of the first or third Ans Because that not the Father nor the holy Ghost but the Son made himselfe of no reputation and tooke upon him the shape of a servant and became obedient to the death even the death of the Crosse therefore God hath exalted Him and given Him a name above every Phil. 2. name that at the name of Jesus every Knee should bow Shall I reverence a word or bow to a sound of letters Quest We bow to and worship not the word sound Ans or letters but God thereby expressed The word is our Remembrancer to put us in minde of the duty which we owe to God our Saviour Why is this speciall reverence done at this more then at any other name of God Quest Every name of God is reverend and holy But whereas a sinfull man shall find terror
by the holy Ghost in the reasonable creature And this holinesse is either inhaesive or expressive In haesive holinesse is that seasoning and gratious constitution wherewith the heart and conscience is Ps 51. inwardly so qualified by the holy Ghost as disposeth it wholy to the will honour and glory of almighty God And this is it which David hungered after when he said Create in me a mew heart and Eph. 4. 24. renew a right spirit within mee Yea this is that Image of God according whereunto man was fist created in righteousnesse and true holinesse Expressive holinesse is the outward manifestation of the former by the words of our mouthes and by the performances and gestures of the rest of the lymbes of our bodyes as in their severall kindes we be occasioned to make use of them and this is fully required at our hands Ro. 12. 1. present your bodyes a living Sacrafice holy and acceptable unto God This expressive holinesse is to be practised two wayes First in our conninuall conversation before God Secondly in our speciall approaching unto God As the duty of a Servant to his Master is first in being diligent and faithfull in all his businesse Secondly in his respective behaviour when he commeth to his Masters presence or is in speach with him and yet more specially when he is to crave favor or to give thankes for favors received from him So the Servant of God having his heart possessed with the feare of God is first very carefull that he offend not in the tounge that there be no pride nor lust in his eyes that his feete neither walke nor stand in the way of the ungodly that his hands be free from bribery oppression and all iniquity And finally that all his members be instruments of righteousnesse unto God and his conversation honest before the world That his light may so shine before men that they may see his good workes and glorifie his father which is in heaven God hath made as well the body as the soule And therefore he is to be served as well by the outward members of the body as by the inward abilities of the soule He that saith by Solomon Sonne give me thine heart Saith also by Saint Paul present your bodyes a living sacrifice And as there must bee no strife among the members so neither must the soule and bodye disagree But joyne sweetly both 1 cor 6. 20. as one in the Service of God And therefore he saith Glorifie God in your bodyes and spirits for they are Gods And of all this we must be constantly carefull Ps 16. 8. so to set God alwayes before our eyes and to have alwayes a good conscience both towards God and towards Act. 24. 16. man that when we come to give an accompt of our Stewardship we may with joy heare that comfortable approbation of our Lord and Master well done good and faithfull servant But when the servant of God approacheth unto God in his holy House ai his holy Table to speake to God by holy Prayer to heare him in his holy word to give him thankes for received blessings for health food rayment manifold preservations forgivenesse of sinnes the hope and expectation of the joyes of heaven to begge all things requisit for body or soule to receive the holy Sacrament of the body and blood of his blessed Saviour thereby to be sealed to the day of Redemption Then as to be specially reverend and devoute in heart within so to expresse the same by such behaviour and respect without as may shew the reverence and humility suitable to and becomming the holy servant of the holy God in so holy a businesse in the holy place And in all this there is no Superstition CHAP. IX Gods worship is to be performed with outward expressions THat in the common way of our ordinary conversation wee must conscionably serve God as well with the members of our bodyes as with the faculties of our soules None except peradventure some bruitish familists a generation given over to a reprobate sence will deny But I finde it beyond exceptation difficult to perswade diverse men who yet will seeme specially zealous Pro. 23. 28. to have God rightly worshiped that in Gods worship there is any use of any more then the soule or minde alone And that because it is sayd sonne give me thine heart And herein they deale with us as the Papists do in another case For when we teach that a man is justified by faith in Christ They presently charge us that we exclude workes as not requisite in a Christian So these men hearing us urge that the members of the body must be used in the worship of God except against us as if we excluded the heart from this duty But I would gladly request my bretheren to understand that as being justifiâ—d by Jac. 2. 18. faith wee labour to shew our faith by our workes knowing that to be no true or lively faith which doth not fructifie and bring forth good workes So by the outward gestures of our bodies we declare that worship which is in the heart assuring our selves that there is no devotion in the heart of that man who maketh no expression thereof in his outward behaviour And whereas God saith sonne give me thine heart I conceive under correction that God dealeth herein as a tender father who seeing his sonne plunged into some dangerous gulph saith sonne give me thine hand not that the father intendeth to reskue onely the childes hand But because the hand is the gainfullest limbe for the child to reach out and for the Father to take hold on to draw the whole childe out of danger So almighty God seeing his childe at a lametable passe ready to sinke to the bottome of hell saith sonne give me thy heart That so God having gayned hold on the heart may thereby draw the whole man to eternall safety There is such correspondency and sympathy between the Soule and the body as maketh to accord one with an other like those Creatures and wheels mentioned by the Prophet Ezech. when those went these went when those stoode these stoode when those were lifted up these were lifted up for the spirit of the living Creatures was in the wheeles So may I well say when the Soule moveth forward in devotion Eze. 1. 21. towards God the body will not be left behinde but will beare the Soule company If the Soule in humility be dejected then the body with a bare head a bowing waste and bended knees is in all gestures of submission If the Soule be elevated and encouraged by desire and hope towards God then the eye looketh up and the hand is lifted up towards heaven expressing outwardly the inward disposition of the Soule And on the other side every man findeth in his owne experience that his Soule doth sympathise with the temper of his body For if the body be tired with labour the minde becometh heavy
us to sit whilest the minister is reading or expounding any part of the word of God for our instruction and while doctrines are taught and applyed for our further edification But when we come to utter an hymne or petition then the minister who before spake unto the people doth now joyn with the people and both minister and people with one heart and voice joyn in a language to almighty God And therefore compose themselves to a gesture of solemne adoration and worship which I never knew sitting to be neither do I thnike that any president can be found in all the whole Bible of any either Congregations assembled or persons in privat sitting at their solemn worship of almighty God We find in the revelation Apoc. 4. 2. God described upon his throne and foure and twenty Elders wearing crownes sitting upon so many seates round about the throne And anon those Elders betake themselves to worship him that sitteth on the throne But now they keepe themselves no longer on their seates when they are to performe the act of solemne worship But they fall downe before him that sate on the throne and cast their crownes before the throne saying Thou art worthy O Lord to receive glory c. So also cap. 11. ver 16. there are 24 Elders who sit before God on their seates But when they worship they fall downe on their faces We read also of some that worshipped God standing So did the publican 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 standing a far off he said God be mercifull to me a sinner And a great company whom no man could number did stand before the Luc. 18. 13. throne in the sight of the Lambe and cryed with a loud Apoc. 7. 8. voice saying Salvation from our God which sitteth on the throne And therefore we give glory to the father sonne and holy Ghost or recite some hymne appointed by the Church to be pronounced by the Minister and people joyntly to glorifie and praise God withall standing both in imitation of these examples and also accompting it the more reverend gesture then sitting which we never finde used in the solemne and publique worship by Gods people And in all this no man can point out any Superstition Againe we use the gesture of standing when wee publiquely rehearse the articles of our faith or attend unto those choise portions of the Gospell appointed for their speciall times and occasions And both these are the same For the Creede is the breviate of the Gospell and the Gospell is in the Creede or the articles of our Faith at large At the rehearsing of the one and at the reading of the other we stand up The reason is to signifie and expresse hereby our resolution and readynesse to stand and persevere to the end in this Faith which we do professe And this expression is according to scripture which by the metaphor of standing setteth out Christian fortitude and perseverance as Rom. 5. 2. we are by faitb admitted to this grace wherein we stand And cap. 11. 20. Thou standest by faith So 1 Cor. 16. 13. Stande in the faith And 1 Pet. 5. 12. This is the grace wherein yee stand So then we by this gesture of standing at the Creede or Gospell professe our constancy or perseverance But when the scripture speaketh of standing in Ob. grace or in the faith it doth not intend a bodily but a spirituall standing It is very true And when wee by our bodily standing do professe our spirituall standing we do Ans herein no whit swarve from the meaning of the Scripture But what the Scripture expresseth in word we declare by a gesture of the same signification And so in this is no superstition One would think that no body should be so absurd as to dislike the gesture of kneeling in prayer But because I have seene with mine eyes and that not seldome whole troops of men and women and those not of the meanest in the time and place of divine Service while prayers and supplications were made unto God sit all the while I think not altogether needlesse to free the gesture of kneeling in Gods worship from all suspition of superstition And that by precept practise and reason For precept take the words of the Psalmist Ps 95. 6. O come let us worship and fall downe and kneele before the Lord our maker For practice we will looke upon the farest president Our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ kneeled downe and prayed If Luc. 22. 41. men will be ruled by reason they will not when they are to petition the King of Kings omit such a gesture of humility as kneeling is being the most suitable for a man at his prayers and for this cause we kneele at the holy Communion receiving whereat we both lift up thankfull hearts unto God for the death and resurection of Jesus Christ as also beg of God that by the merits thereof our bodies and Soules may be preserved to everlasting life It is not denyed but that a man may pray sitting walking standing or layd along For we ought to pray alwayes But when a man betaketh himselfe to a set exercise of prayer and that specially in the publique Congregation kneeling is the fittest and no Superstitious gesture But though divers things in use with you in Ob. your worship might in themselves be something indifferent and tollerable yet there are some gestures used in your Churches very offensive to weake Consciences and therefore ought to be forborne How weake the consciences of these men be I must leave it to God to judge of But I must needes thinke that their fancies are strong whilest they will not beleeve but that they have better knowledge then their teachers and more wisdome then their Governors For they will prescribe what the minister must teach and how both Church and Common-wealth must be ordered And wherein their Ministers teach or their Governours Command otherwise then they like of they will slight the one and disobey the other But to come to the point What is that which is so offensive above the rest Let it come forth and shewe its Superstitious face that when wee see it to be such wee may abhor it thereafter It is as I am told for else I should never have magnified it The bowing which wee use at the name of Jesus and at the Communion Table For as the name of Jesus the plaine text telleth me that every knee shall bow thereat But forward people thinke to evade the authority of this text Phil. 2. 10. by saying that the word Name doth in scripture sometimes signifie power And this wee deny not and wee acknowledge further that it also signifieth divers other things as fame or renoune 2 Cro. 26. 8. His name went forth to the entrance of Aegypt So it signifieth also Posterity Deut. 25 7. My husbands brother refuseth to raise up a name unto his brother It is taken for memory or remembranâ—â— Es 56. 5.
in other Ans names of God expressing his Majesty Power Justice and the like This is the only name of God which fully setteth out unto us the mercy of God to eternall salvation For therefore is he called Jesus because he shall save his people from their sinnes And there is no other name under heaven given Matth. 1. 21. Luc. 4. 12. whereby we must be saved For so much therefore as in this name we find the greatest yea unspeakable Comfort It is agreeable to good reason that we be by this name stirred up and affected with unspeakable joy within and that we make expression thereof to the glory of God by devout outward reverence I would my brethren which are so scrupulous in this point would without prejudice read the learned and cleare tteatises which are extant on this argument and specially that exquisite peece of that most learned and judicious Bishop Andrews And that setting aside their causelesse quarrell against his being Lord Bishop they would weigh his reasons with an humble spirit and an heart lifted Joh. 16. 13. up to God through Jesus Christ to be guided by that Spirit of truth which our Saviour promised to send to guide us all into all truth Then I make no doubt but they would soone see that in bowing the knee to God at the mention of the name of Jesus there is no Superstition But you call the Communion table an altar and Ob. you adore it by bowing and doing reverence thereunto We are not by any Canon or rule that I know required to call it an altar And the now Lord Ans Bishop of Elie a man specially zealous to restore Gods publique worship to the primitive lustre in the articles which he lately exhibited in his visitation when he was Bishop of Norwich doth Chrys Nyssen 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not at all call it by the name altar but sometime the Communion table and sometime in the words of the Fathers the holy Table And yet it hath antiently been called indifferently by either name Coale from the Altar Altar Christianum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Antid Lincol. Altar or Table and may indifferently beare either name as is abundantly cleared of late by divers learned pennes who have eased me from any labour in this point and are sufficient to satisfie any reasonable spirit Neither know I any particular or oppositive law enjoyning us to bow at the altar or Cōmunion table Yet the devotion of those which do practice it being grounded upon the custome of the Catholick Church of Christ is in my poore judgment not only justifiable but also commendable For what is there to be said against it It is superstition in Gods worship to bow or do Ob. reverence to any creature Wee do not bow to the table but at the table Ans as a man in his onw house praying either in his closet by himselfe or in some roome amongst his family kneeleth at his chaire or table is not sayd to kneele to his stoole or table So we that bow at the Communion table do our reverence there not to the table but to God at the table And why there more then any where else Quest I answer first by such another question Why Ans not there as well as any where else what is there to forbid me to do my duty reverently unto God in that place Againe I aske my brother why was Moses commanded Exod. 3. 5 at the fire bush to put his shooes from his feet rather there then in any other place I hope he will answer me with Gods own reason and words viz. because the place was holy ground Then I ask once more what made that place holyer then an other will it not be confessed to be Gods speciall presence there specially manifested in the voice that spake and the fire which burned not the bush All this is cleare and undeniable And from hence then thus it followeth necessarily A place where God by speciall signes manifesteth his speciall presence is more holy then another place though not in nature yet in use and relation And there men are to demeane themselves with special reverence therefore But the Communion table is a place where God manifesteth himselfe specially present in the Sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ And therefore men ought there to demeane themselves with speciall reverence towards God there specially present For when a man considereth the love of God in Jesus Christ sealed unto him by the body and blood of Christ whereof the Communion table doth specially put him in minde as being a table specially set up and set apart for that banquet then the heart if it be right is lifted up in reverend thankefullnesse to our mercifull God and the body boweth to expresse that reverence and thankfulnesse which the heart conceiveth If the Sacrament were alwayes on the table Ob. then this argument might have some shew of reason but we see men bow when nothing is on the table The Communion table being appropriated for the Service of the Communion retaineth still Ans its relation to that Sacrament and still calleth upon us to remember the love of God to us in the body and blood of Christ and therefore to be reverently thankfull And so it continueth still an holy Table in the regard of the holy things which belong unto it though they be not really present upon it If this matter of permanent relation seemeth Gen. 28. harsh to any let him consider a passage in the book of Gen. where the case is thus God in a dreame exhibiteth unto Jacob speciall signes of his speciall presence in that place where Jacob was then sleeping In the morning Jacob awaketh But then there appeareth not any of those signes And yet in relation to that presence of God which had in the night before appeared unto him in those signes he saith O how dreadfull is not was this place It is not was the house of God Is the place now the house of God and a place to affect Jacob with dread though the signes be not present upon the place And shall not the Communion table be stil the table of God and an holy Table to affect us with reverence though the sacrament be not alwayes actually on the table Did not our Saviour call the Temple an house of Prayer and not allow it to be at all an house of Merchandise Neither might it serve the turne of the money changers to save them from the whip to have said wee will not trade in the Temple in the time of Sacrifice or of Prayer or of Preaching but only when the Service is ended For the Temple is alwayes an house of prayer whether men be there at Matt. 13. 21. Praiers or not And so the holy Table is alwaies the Communion Table or Table of the Lord whether the Sacrament be upon it or not Doth not our Saviour also tell us that he which