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tion in this holy Place? The Confideration SE RM. that it is holy Ground we tread upon, i. e. V. dedicated to holy Ufes, and poffeffed by holy Company, should put us in Mind of pulling the Shoes off from our Feet, according to the Eastern Cuftom; or, which is the fame Thing with us, uncovering our Heads, bending our Knees, and bowing down our Bodies, and, by our humble and reverential Poftures, expreffing the Zeal and Devotion of our Souls. For it cannot be expected that those profane and flovenly Worshipers, who will not afford God fo much as the Homage of their Bodies, and are notoriously guilty of the Omiffion of these fmaller Matters, should perform what is more difficult, and ho nour him with their Souls.

4. IF God vouchfafes his more particular Prefence in thofe Places, in which his Name is remembered, or which are dedicated to his public Worship; then from hence we may infer, that the Confecration of Churches is no infignificant Ceremony, no fuperftitious Rite; but a decent as well as antient Ufage of the Church; begun upon very good Grounds, and for fubftantial Reasons, and continued down from the primitive Times, even till this Day. If we look back into the Beginning VOL. II:

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SERM. of the World, we shall find, that in all Places, where any Settlement was made, Altars were erected and confecrated to the Worship of God; and thofe Places and Countries were looked upon as profane and unclean, which had no Altars dedicated to Gen. iv. God's public Worship. It is probably collected that Cain and Abel brought their Sacrifices to their Father Adam, who was a Priest as well as King, and that he offered them up to God in fome particular Place. And certain it is, that Noah, as foon as ever he came out of the Ark, -viii. confecrated an Altar for the Worship of God. It is recorded of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that, where-ever they pitched their Tents, they built Altars, and erected Places ---xxviii. for Divine Worship; and, Jacob took the Stone that he had put for his Pillow, and laid it for the Foundation-Stone of a Pillar, or Houfe, which he had erected and confecrated by pouring Oil upon it, and endowed it with the Tenth of all that he poffeffed.

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NOR is that Objection which is commonly made against the Confecration of Churches, of any Weight, that we do not find any Divine Command for the doing of it; because there is no Need of any positive Command, for the Performance of

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those Duties, which are plain and evident SERM. by the Light of Nature; nor is it ufual, V. in the Holy Scripture, thus to enforce them. It is fufficient that it is a Sanction of the Law of Nature, and discoverable by the Light of Reason, and fuch Truths, which are fo, have no Need to be enforced by any pofitive Command. Natural Reafon tells us, that, if there is a God, he ought to be worshiped, and that this Worship must be performed in fome Place; and that this Place ought to be fet a-part and confecrated for this fole Use and Purpose; that this is the Voice of Nature, is plain, because this was the univerfal Practice from the Beginning of the World, to the Mofaical Difpenfation. Thus it was alfo all along the Jewish Oeconomy; this was confirmed by the Practice of our Bleffed Saviour himself, who obferved the Feaft of the Dedication of the Temple: And, that this was the conftant Practice of Chriftians from the most pure and primitive Times, even to this Day, might eafily be made appear, would the Time permit. And this Practice of the Church of God is founded upon firm and fubftantial Reasons, which will hold good in all Times and in all Places, whereMen's corrupt Intereft doth not overbalance

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SERM. balance their Reafon as well as their ReV. ligion; the Setting a-part Places for the public Worship of God ftands upon the fame Foot, with the Setting Times a-part for that Purpose; and there can be no Reafon given for the one, which is not as conclufive with Relation to the other ; and yet it is remarkable, that thofe Perfons, who are most apt to fall into Superftition on the one Hand, are most liable to be guilty of Profaneness on the other. But this Rite of confecrating Churches has this Obligation farther to recommend it: That it is neceffary, upon two Accounts, both to fhew the World, that the Owners of these Places have renounced all private Right and Title to them, and given them up to this public Ufe, fo that neither they, nor their Heirs, have any further Property in them; but have passed it over to the Church in Trust for holy Uses : As alfo to make it evident to the World on what Conditions, and for what Ends and Purposes, they parted with their Right, that, this being publickly known, and folemnly fixed, they might never return again to any common and profane Ufe. And, to make this more firm, it was ufual to guard those Donations with such dreadful Threats and Denunciations of

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God's Vengeance against thofe facrilegious SE RM. Hands who prefumed to violate what was thus made facred, as none but the most hardened Wretches durft break through.

5. If the Church is the House of God, who, in a more particular Manner, refides there, than in any other Place; then, from hence, we may infer, how Churches ought to be built, adorned, and kept. God has built himself the moft ftately and magnificent Palace, the beautiful Frame of the Uniyerfe, and has created Mankind on Purpose to contemplate and admire its Beauty, and the Power and Wisdom ofits Author; but yet fince he is pleased to record his Name more particularly in fome Parts of it than others, natural Light will fufficiently inform us, after what Manner thofe Buildings ought to be erected, which are dedicated to this Purpose. The Palaces of Princes and Courts of Judicature, and other fuch public Buildings, are generally raised to a vast Height and large Extent, with costly Materials, exact Symmetry of Parts, and most curious Workmanship, to this End, that they may beget awful and venerable Notions, of thofe Perfons who inhabit them, in the Minds of the Beholders; and, by Parity of Reason, God's Houfe ought to exceed our private Houses in Magnificen

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