Selected quad for the lemma: scripture_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
scripture_n	worship_n	worship_v	write_v	182	4	5.0375	4	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A65619	An account of the churches, or places of assembly, of the primitive Christians from the churches of Tyre, Jerusalem, and Constantinople described by Eusebius : and ocular observations of several very ancient edifices of churches yet extant in those parts : with a seasonable application / by Sir George Wheler ...	Wheler, George, Sir, 1650-1723.; Eusebius, of Caesarea, Bishop of Caesarea, ca. 260-ca. 340.	1689 (1689)	Wing W1606; ESTC R34742	41,000	136

and large Places For in the 4th of the Acts we find them Return from the Council to their own Company which were Assembled at a certain Place which was Shaken upon their Prayer by the Holy Spirit of God. And in the 21st of the Acts we find that such Places were Capacious enough to receive the whole Multitude who as St Peter tells St. Paul must needs come together Their Assemblies at Troas seem to be at a Stated Place as well as a Stated Time. This Place was generally at the House of the Chief and most Pious of the Faithful Believers As at James and Mary's at Jerusalem at the House of Aquila and Priscilla at Philippia So the Church in Nympha's House at Colossea and in Philemon's House Not that their Family was the whole Church of those Places but that their Houses were the Stated Places of the Meeting of the Congregation of that City Whether they set apart any particular Part of those Houses to the Worship of God and Service of his Church the Scripture is silent Thô the Recording of Christ's Correction and Correption for the Prophanation of the Temple His Direction how men ought to Approach to offer their Gifts at God's Altar And the Apostles opposing the Table of the Lord and the Altar they had both to the Jewish and Gentil Altars doth strongly suppose That they either had or should have such Separate Places when they were in Circumstances to do it where this Table of the Lord or Christian Altar was kept St. Paul is the most plain concerning the Place in 1 Cor. 11. where in the 18th Verse he seems very plainly to have respect to the Place 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When ye come together in the Church For first otherwise it would be a Redundancy in words When you come together would be enough And next he himself interprets that by the Place ver 20. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When ye come together therefore in one Place or rather In that or the same Place with Relation to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so the Particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Therefore doth joyn them And in the 22th Verse he opposeth Private Houses to the Church of God which may most properly be interpreted of the Place of the Assembly because he there mentions the People Assembled or at least part of them in the same Period And so the opposition of Private Houses in which they had the Liberty to eat and drink any thing at their pleasure and not in the Church or House of God is most clear and perspicuous And thus it is most plain That these Places set apart for Sacred use ought not to be profaned by any Vile or Common use What have ye not houses to Eat and to Drink in or despise ye the Church of God and shame them that have not In the Succeeding Ages immediately after the Gospel there is nothing more plain than that they had their Certain Stated and Appointed Places to worship God in S. Clemens who Lived in the Apostles time and whose Epistle to the Corinthians was anciently Read in the Churches as part of the Scriptures tells us plainly That Christ appointed both the Times when the Persons by whom and the Places where God should be solemnly worshiped Lucian thô a Heathen and what he writes is to expose Christianity yet we are beholding to him for this That he describes the Christians met in an upper Room adorned and guilt with Gold. Justin Martyr lived immediately Succeeding these Times And he describes Great Meetings in one place Every Sunday from all the Neighbouring Countries to the great Towns and Cities which must needs suppose a known and usual Place It is Evident That as it was naturally Necessary that they must needs Meet in some Place and that known so it cannot be doubted but that they were as Great and as Decent as their Circumstances and the continual Persecutions they were in would permit For Eusebius informs us That in the beginning of the Reign of the Emperour Dioclesian That the Concourse to the Churches was so great that in every City they were not content with their Old Edifices but built New ones and greater from the Foundations And the Beginning of the Persecution in this Emperor's Reign entred with the Destruction of their Churches But when Constantine Entred upon the Government they soon recovered themselves and then it is hard to describe the Glory Splendor and Magnificence where with he caused the Churches or Houses of God to be Rebuilt Endowed and Adorned every where Eusebius gives us a Specimen of some of them which he doubts not to compare with the Temple at Jerusalem At the Dedication of that at Tyre he was present and made an Oration in Praise of It and Paulinus the Bishop its Founder and had the Superintendency of the Building of that over the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem Of both which I shall draw you the most exact Platform I can both from those Lines he hath left us and what by others I have observed CHAP. II. The Description of the Church of Tyre Described by Eusebius Lib. 10. Cap. 4. The Plane of the Church of Tyre And the Glory of this Latter House shall far exceed the Former Therefore taking a far larger compass of Ground he Walled it both to be the Outward Court encompassing the whole Work and to be its sure Defence Then towards the Sun-Rising he raised a most magnificent Porch or Gate vastly great and high giving a Prospect of those things within to those who stand far off without the Sacred Place in the Outward Court And not only to them but also to those who were Strangers to the Faith. And at the first Entrance cast their Eyes upon it Insomuch that if any one do but pass by in the Street he may be astonished both at the Remembrance of the past Ruin and the Glory of the present Marvellous Work and so he hoped to draw them to Enter in to see what is within by that Glorious Prospect from without But when you are Entred within these Gates our wise Architect suffered not every one presently with unsanctified and unwashed Feet to Rush in unto the Holy things within But leaving a large Space as between the first Entrance and the Temple he Enclosed and Beautified it with a Portico or Cloyster on the Four Sides supported with Pillars in a Quadrangular form And the Spaces between each Pillar he fenced with Lattice of Wood Net-work Fashion of a Moderate and Convenient height He left the middle Space of this Quadrangle open to the view of Heaven to let in the cool Air and to be adorned with the resplendent Rays of the Sun. In this he placed the Sacred Symbols of holy Cleansing is e. Two Fountains opposite to each other before the Front of the Temple whose copious Sources yielded Water plentifully for cleansing of those who are to go further to the Sacred things within

Contradiction And concerning the Truth it self Children may but Men will not be forced to learn. Therefore truly since so great a Part of Mankind are and ever will be either Ignorant Prejudiced or Invincibly Obstinate and so very much incapable of Instruction or at least being so perfectly Instructed in the highest Mysteries that they will be hardly Reconciled to what even their true Spiritual Guides and Superiours judge most Agreeable to the Glory of GOD in His Worship and fittest for their Edification Therefore I say it would certainly be very happy for the Christian World That some such Rational Method were Ordered as may with more Ease Lead them into Christ's Flock rather than Drive them For Mankind was ever naturally averse to Force and Violence It is only Force of Argument that can convince the Rational Soul. And what better ORDER can be Invented than this Ancient Tryed Method By which the World was overcome and became Christian For thô we have not the same sorts of Men in all points now-adays now the World is Professedly Christian yet in some sort all are so who are not Reconciled or do not consent to the Universal Doctrine and Practice of Christ in Vnity and Charity who have not attained to the Perfect Building up in the most Holy Faith. Yet so far as they have obtained I am perswaded that this Method would be the best to Incite them to such a Vnity as so far to Walk all by the Same if such a Rule CHAP. X. The Application to the Church of England THis ORDER might with as much Ease be Accommodated to Our Church as it was to the Primitive since it is so happily Restored to the Purity of the Primitive Doctrine and Government and not a little Advanced towards the Ancient Discipline For Blessed be God we have an Orthodox and Learned Clergy consisting of Bishops Presbyters and Deacons And to these adhere as Pious Noble and Well-informed not to say as Learned a Laity as any Age of the World can boast of and few Equal Who both Delight and Rejoyce in the Regular Reformation of Our Catholick I mean Orthodox Church who in a Pure Conscience and Upright Sincerity embrace Her Reverend Form of Worship Appointed and Ordained by the Church and State after mature Deliberation in divers Synods and Parliaments That admire the Prudence Moderation and Temper of Our Reformers and so fervently Love to perform their Devotions in Sincerity and Truth accompanied with that Beauty of Holiness that She directs for the setting forth the Glory of God and setting forward the Salvation of All Men. These ought to be look'd on as the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Faithful and Perfect of the Ancients of whom the Scripture speaks and the Ancients are not silent But there are some who thô they are well Instructed and Believe well and Externally conform to the Rules of the Church yet are highly wanting in the Practice of Holiness of Life and Conversation These ought in great Compassion to their Souls to be made sensible of their Danger and for their Recovery ought to be Considered and Intreated as Penitents There are yet Others who acknowledg the same Orthodox Faith that We do and are as far as we know Pious and Devout yet Divide from Us upon the Account of Discipline and Form of Worship Who having been Misinformed concerning Us have thereupon forsaken Our Communion in Prayers and Sacraments Yet I know they would be contented to hear Sermons and the Holy Scriptures Read with Us. Therefore why should we not have Our Sermons at such a Convenient time of the Service as may Invite Them to come and be Our Auditors for their further Instruction concerning both Themselves and Us Which might in time Reconcile them Entirely to Us being the Thing We so much wish and desire This requires but the Alteration of One Indifferent Rule and no Substantial part of the Liturgy And what more Convenient Time than the Beginning either before Morning or Communion-Service when Mens Senses are fresh and open for Instruction After These are several Others as Quakers c. who want Instruction and thô Aged yet are Children in the Knowledge and Grace of Jesus Christ These are truly Catechumeni and are by all means to be Invited to hear Reason and Religion and to be instructed in their Dissenting Articles of Faith and Good Manners For whom Sermons and Catechetical Discourses such as are usually discoursed to Children and are most plain and easie are most Proper For to such all Sorts of Mankind might properly come who may not be Admitted to Holy Mysteries nor Devotions without Impiety and Profanation of them Yet such ought and perhaps would be willing to hear the Holy Scriptures a Sermon or Catechizing which might prove for their Edification and in time their Effectual Conversion So that if I were worthy to be heard That Rubrick and that Part of the Act of Vniformity concerning Sermons should be the first that I would beseech the Church to alter as the only absolutely Necessary one I know to be Altered in our present Circumstances whereby all that are not Reconciled so as to be in Communion with Us might have the Liberty orderly to leave the Congregation when the Sermon or Catechetical Discourse is ended As to Penitents They might be Assigned another Time as the Synod with Respect to this Canon and our Liturgy might Advise But because the mixture of the Assembly makes great Disorder and Confusion in their Leaving the Congregation therefore it would yet be more commodious if Dissenters had a particular Place assigned them for that Reason It would not be a matter of any great Difficulty or Charge to Accommodate Our Churches according to the Manner of the Primitive Church Especially the Cathedrals where they have Space enough to do this many ways They being neither Encumbred with Pues nor otherwise straitned It is but Removing their Shrines or rather Screens in most of them And the Holy Table stands where it Anciently did and setting a Reverend Pulpit Adorned with the Commandments in the place of the Throne Thus within the Choirs would be sufficiently Capacious for the Faithful and within the Rails for the Clergy and other Ministers And then there would be sufficient Place for Dissenters of all Sorts in the Iles with Liberty to come and go when they think sit or rather by the Admonition of the Minister Or as it is in some Churches yet The Sermon might be first Preached in the Body of the Church according to S. Chrysostom's Way which prevailed in After-Ages and then the Clergy and Faithful might retire thence to their Devotions First to the Choirs for Morning-Service and then at last within the Chancel or Rails for the Communion The Church of Canterbury till within this two or three years had the Morning Prayers at Seven or Eight of the Clock in the Morning the Sermon at Ten in the Audit house and then the rest