Bodin Demono

mania,

Witches and Sorcerers, which upon their conviction,and penitence have laid open the fhameful rites of their nightly meetings; Nei ther was it without caufe that fome of their prime agents in the tantient Church were called from thofe filthy falhions which &c. were in ufe amongst them.Gnoftici borborita quafi cœnofi, ob turpitudi- Augustin nem in fuis myfteriis, &c.

1.de He

Philastr. de He

Contrarily, what pleasure the pure and holy God takes in the ref cleanneffe, both of flefh, and (pirit,is abundatly teftifyed by to those many, and strict injunctions of lotions, and purifications, which ref. we finde, upon every occafion in his antient law; and though those lawes be not now obligatory, as being for the fubftance of them ceremonial and typical, yet they have in them fo much tincture of an eternall morality, as to imply a meetneffe of decent cleanlineffe in the fervices of God.

part s. de

Le&tis.

&

Tit.Canon

In the observation whereof it is meet for us to hold a midle way betwixt fuperftition, and neglect; it is cafy to note how in the former extreme, a fuperftitious curiofity hath crept into the Church of Rome; in fo much as it may well vye with the Jewish, for multi- Bartol. tude and niceneffe of obfervances; Their Altar-cloths must not be Gavant, touched but with a brush appropriated to that fervice; their cor-tre porals must first (ere they be delivered forth) be washed by none munditi but thofe that are in facred orders, in a veffel proper only to that face fuel ufe, with fope and lye; and after with pure water, which after idem. the rinfing, must be poured into the facrarium; their chalices muft Tiscalix. not be touched by one that is not in Orders: No glove may be worn MURTA. in their quire: No woman or lay man may make their hoft, nei-Precio ther may any lay-perfon to much as look at that facred wafer out of bid Gahis window; Their miffal cushions may not be brought fo much as Marein. for the Bishop to kneel on: The Stones of a demolished Church St. ce omay be fold to lay-men, but with refervation of uses: neither rig. Papat. may 9. fo much as an houfe for the curate, be built upon the fame floor, Gavant. v. but by the Popes license: Upon the burial of an heretick within the Eclefia. precincts the Church muft be reconciled, and the walls fcraped: pa ietis fic The graffe in the Church-yard may not be used to any pafturage; Dona. their Agnus-Dei may not be touched by a Lay-man, no not with tile Optat. gloves on, or with a pair of tongues: What should I inftance in Tit comimore; a just volume would not contain the curious fcruples of their teia. nice obfervances, in their vestments, confecrations, facramental

Ee 2

rites,

vant

Abradendi

1.6.

rites; and indeed, in the whole carriage of their religious devotions; in all which they bring themselves back under the bondage of more then Judaical ceremonies:placing Gods worship in the ritual devices of men, and bringing their confciences under the fervile fubjection to humane impofitions; That liberty wherewith Chrift hath made us free calleth us to the avoydance of this unjust excesse: But withal our reverential fear of the God of heaven, calls us to eschew in the other extreme all fordid incuriousness, and flovenly neglect in his immediate fervices.

To which purpose let it paffe for a fure rule that there is a kinde of Relative holinefs in perfons, things, times, places, actions: Relative, I fay, not inherent in themselves but in reférence to their ufe, and deftination; and in the fecond place, that even this kind of holineffe challengeth a reverent refpect from us: A perfon whose profeffion is holy, by his folemn confecration to God, fhould and ought to carry more veneration from us then every common man. The holy elements in the facrament, being now fet apart to this divine ufe, fhould be otherwife regarded of us then the common bread, and wine at the Tavern: in refpect of that bleffed mystery whereto they are appropriated: Gods holy day is held worthy of more refpect from us,then all the dayes in the year befides;and why fhould it not be fo likewife in places and actions? Even in our own houles we observe a decency, and different regard of rooms; holding it unbefeeming that the bufineffes of the fculicry fhould be done in our parlour, or that our bed-chamber fhould be made a larder: And can we think it leffe uncomly to put Gods peculiar houfe to the use of a kitchin, or ftable? Surely, the fervice wherto it is ordained, and the name that it bears, ought to priviledge it from all either base, or profane imployment.

As for facred actions, as they have more life in then the outward circumstances of time and place, fo they do juftly require more refpect in the managing of them; in our petitions, if we come to earthly princes upon our knees, with an awful reverence; how much more ought we to do fo to the King of glory? In our receit of the bleffed Eucharift, our demeanure must be no other then fuch as may become the guests of the great King of Heaven, and the commenfals of the Lord Jefus, of whom and with whom we do then communicate; in hearing or reading the Divine Oracles, our

portment

deportment must be fuch, as may argue our putting a difference betwixt the word of the ever-living God; and the fallible dictates of mortal men like our felves.

And as it is in outward decency and cleanlinefs, fo alfo in the matter of coft, or handfomenels (at leaft) in the utensils and ftructures that belong to God; wherein it is a marvel how much we in this laft age of the world have varied from our predeceffours, in the first establishment of Christianity: Nihil refert five ex auro, five ex ligno fit Templum; five fit Stabulum ficut in Bethleem, five regia domus ficut in Jerufalem. Luth. in Pfal. 122. They thought nothing good enough for God Almighty, we think nothing too mean. Upon the first noife of the Gospel, when the fecular State was not their friend, the poor Chriftians were glad to make any shift; if they could build their firft Oratories, or Churches of fticks (as at Glastenbury in the entrance of Chriftianity) they were well apay'd: or if but the bare sky were their roof, they were well enough contented; but when once Kings became nurfing fathers to the Church, what coft, what magnificence was fufficient for Gods temples? Even as it was in the Elder times of Gods antient people, at the firft there was a stake pitched for the habitation of the Almighty;afterwards there was a Tabernacle erected, and God was pleafed to dwel in Tents; but when Kings were chofen by God to go in and out before his people, now a Statly Structure, one of the wonders of the World, was railed unto God in Sion: in fo admirable beauty as dazeled the eyes of the World to behold it. When the Christian Religion then had taken foot in the empire, what fumptuous monuments were erected by that pious Constantine (in whom our Nation claimeth a just interest) let histories speak; no stones were too precious, no mettal was too coftly for that happy use and fo powerful influence had that example upon Chriftian Kings and Princes, that each ftrove who should exceed other in the coft and fplendor of thofe holy fabricks, the riches of their dotation, the price of their facred veffels; and from them (as from the head to the skirts,) defcended to the Chriftian Nobility and Gentry 3 in fuch fort, that in a fhort space the face of the earth was grown proud to be adorned with fo many precious piles, and the Church was grown glorious and happy with fo bountifull endowments: and what fhall we think of it that the Kings of Tarshish and of the lles did

thus

thus bring prefents, and the King of Shiba, and Saba did offer gifts? Pf.72.10 Was it well done, or might it not better have been spared? Surely, had thofe Godly Emperours, Kings, Princes, Peers, Gentry, been of the minde of many moderne Chriftians, they had forborne this care and coft, and turned their magnificence into another channel: But if this bounty of theirs were holy and commendable,as it hath been juftly celebrated by all Chriftians, till this prefent age; how are thofe of ours fhamefully degenerated, who affect nothing but homlineffe and beggery in all that is devoted to the Almighty; and are ready to fay contrary to the man after Gods 2 Sam. own heart; Iwill offer to the Lord my Ged of that which shall cost 24. 24. me nothing.

With what great ftate and deep expence God was ferved under the Law, no man can be ignorant; for who knowes not the coftly furniture of the Tabernacle,the rich habiliments of the Prieft, the precious veffels for the facrifices; and after that the invaluable fumptuou nefs of the Temple, both without and within ; In the marbles, cedars, almuggim trees, braffe, filver, gold, in the curious celatures, and artificial textures? in regard of all which for matter and forme, what was this other then the glory of the whole earth? and as for the very altar alone (Gods Ariel) that which went up there from, in fmoke, both in the daily facrifices, and the folemn Hecatombs, upon fpecial occafions, what man could value ? Befides the treble tithes, firft fruites, oblations which were perpetually prefented to God for the maintenance of his Priesthood: O the coftly fervices of God under the Law! And do we think the fame God is now of a quite other diet, then formerly? Is all this meer ceremony? Is there not fo much morality in it as that it is meet the great God, who is the poffeffour of Heaven and Earth, fhould be ferved of the beft? that it is not for us to affect too much cheapneffe, and neglective homelinefs in our evangelical devotions? Surely, nature it felf calls to us for this refpect to a deity, even the very favage Indians may teach us this point of religion; amongst whom we find the Mexicans, a people that had never had any intercourse with the other three parts of the World, Eminent in this kinde; what sumptuous, and ftately Temples had they erected to their Devils: How did they enrich their mif-called Gods with Magazins of their treasure? And even still the most barbarous and

brutish

brutish of all thofe people that bear the fhape of men have this principle bred in them, that if they have ought better then other, it is for their God: a principle fo much advanced by imperfc&t Christianity; that the Abaffins hold it piacular to build their own houles of the fame matter which is referved for their Churches; Fo. Pories to the very fabrick and ufe whereof they yield fo much reverence Africk. defeript. of as that their greatest Peer alights from his horfe when he comes but within view of thofe facred piles.

And if from those remote parts of the world we fhall think fit to look homewards; how juft caufe fhall we finde to wonder at the munificent piety of our predeceffors, who fo freely poured out themselves into bountiful expence for raifing of the houses of God in our Ifland, and endowing them with rich patrimony, that the prime honor of this Nation, all the world over, hath ever been the beauty of our Churches: Neither was it otherwife in all those parts of the World where Chriftianity had obtained; How frequent was it for a wealthy matron with Vestina, and for a great Nobleman with the Roman Tertullus, Regna potius quam cœnobis vir fanctis pofteris reliquit, &c. Volaterran, to make God their heir, and Ex libro to enrich his houfes and fervices with the legacies of their jewels, Innocent.x. Pontific. and poffeffions? Whereupon it came to paffe that thofe ftructures and veffels which at the firft were but of mud, and meaner mettals, according to the poverty of the donors; foon after exchanged their homelinefs for fo glorious a magnificence, as bleared the cyes of the heathen beholders; See, faith that enemy of Chrift, in what veffels Maries (on is ferved; and Ammianus is ready to burst with spight at the liberal provifion of Gods minifters in comparison of their neglective Paganifme, ut ditenter oblationibus matrcnarum, &c.

There may have been fome in all ages, that out of a mifgrounded humility, and pretended mortification have affected a willing. difrefpect of all outward accommodations both in their own domeftick provifions, and in the publick fervices of God; fuch were St. Gallus of old; and in later Times, the two famous Francefes of Af- Walafrid fife, and of St. Paul: The firft whereof, Gallus, as the hiftory re- strabs.18. ports, when a great Duke out of a reverent opinion of his fanctity had given him a rich and curioufly carved peece of plate; Magnoaldus his Difciple who had the carriage of that pretious veffel,moving

that