abolish the holy and consecrated places of his own appointment, I cannot find the text wherein he has given to man any order or authority to pretend to make other places holy. Mortal men can never put holiness in ground or buildings, where God has not put it. No pompous ceremonies, no solemn forms, no magnificent appearances, no gaudy or golden solemnities can sanctify any place unto God and his worship, or make it more holy than it was before: And whatsoever fooleries and ridiculous rites or notions are found in the charch of Rome in this case*, I am well persuaded our wiser brethren of the church of England do not, cannot believe them to be of any value or importance, in order to make the worship more acceptable to God. They are of opinion indeed, that it is a very proper thing for christians to build large and convenient edifices, where considerable assemblies may meet together to worship God in and through Jesus Christ: They suppose, that nothing indecent should be done in these buildings, to bring them into contempt, and that they should usually be separated and kept for the sacred purposes of worship, for which they are built And I think the protestant dissenters are of the same opinion. They believe also, that when a commodious building is erected for the worship of God, it is a very decent thing to begin the worship at that place, with solemn prayer or addresses to God, that the solemnities of the christian religion, which are performed there, may find acceptance of the God of heaven through Jesus Christ their Saviour; and that the christian ordinances, there celebrated, may be blessed to the edification of the souls of men: Nor do the dissenters differ from them in this practice, for we are met together here, this day, for this very purpose.

It is true, the conformists have been pleased to call this the consecration of their churches; but though the dissenters use not that name, when they begin to worship in their new erected buildings or meeting-houses, yet they generally suppose and intend these buildings should be set apart chiefly for this end, nor should be usually employed for mean, or dishonourable, or ridiculous purposes in human life, without some appearing necessity of it, or some very great convenience to be obtained thereby, which might overbalance the mere considerations of decency and propriety. Reason and humanity seem to dictate this separation or appointment of buildings for public worship. Should the senatehouse where our law-givers assemble be used for a theatre or

*It is no wonder, that the church of Rome should pretend to make common things and places holy, hy the consecration of their bishops, when every priest, among them, assumes a power to turn a bit of senseless paste, into the holy body and blood of our blessed Saviour. Their ceremonies at the consecration of a church are so numerous and theatrical, that it would be very tedious to recite them; I shall only therefore, for a specimen, present you with a short abstract of the form of ceremonies, for blessing the first stone of any church, that is to be built, and this may be done by a common priest, provided he has power given him by the bishop. See the appendix at the end of this discourse.

droll-house, or for idle puppet-shews? Should the council-board be made a drinking or gaming table when the king is absent? Or the presence-chamber be an entertaining room for public mimics and scaramouches to divert the mob, as soon as his majesty is departed? Or is it proper that a place, built for divine service, should be alternately employed for the fooleries of human life to appear in, when the worship is ended? This would unite ideas which are extremely distant, and blend together solemnity and ridicule. This would too nearly join things divine and jocular, and mingle the images of such scenes in the fancy, as should for ever be kept separate.

If such things have been ever done, surely it has not been matter of choice, but necessity, when the worshippers have been constrained to meet in such rooms, having no fitter place of worship near at hand. The common prudence of mankind and natural decency in general, would seem to forbid it. When we erect a house for the worship of God, we would not chuse to couple it with any ludicrous or dishonourable ideas. But though our friends here have built this house purely for divine worship, and we are all of us engaged this day in addressing the Majesty of heaven, that, when the congregation attends here, he would condescend to favour them with his divine presence and blessing; yet all this human prudence, this natural decency, and all these prayers do not amount to the sanctifying the spot of ground or the building, so as to make it holier than the rest, or put any such holiness upon it as belonged to the Jewish tabernacle or temple, where it was sinful either to work or play. It must be confessed indeed, that some of the forms of expression which have been used in consecrations, and applied to new-erected chapels and churches in our nation, do carry too evident airs or appearances of superstition, as though men could put holiness into them: But we suppose, that these things were some of the relics of the popish religion, that were not quite swept away when the reformation brought in better christianity. How few wise men are there, amongst all our brethren in the national church, that would now-a-days approve of the ridiculous ceremonies, rites, and gestures, whereby archbishop Laud heretofore consecrated Creedchurch, near Aldgate, in London, and several others* ?

To make this agreement of sentiments between us and our brethren, yet further appear, let these three things be considered:

1. That many of the public churches, notwithstanding all their consecrations, are frequently used by the approbation of the minister, the church-wardens, and the whole parish, for other purposes than religious worship; such as the assembling of the

* A short abstract of this is found in Mr. Neal's History of the Puritans, sol. ii. p. 219. and a longer account in Rushworth's Collections.

vestry-men to chuse parish-officers and settle parish taxes, the choice of aldermen and common council-men in the city of London, in which they too often find such quarrels and mutual reproaches, such railing, such fraud, and falsehood in procuring votes at elections, as is very improper to be indulged, or even the probability of it admitted in a place, which has any real holiness in it. How many other secular affairs are sometimes transacted in churches in the country, and in church-yards too, though they are consecrated, because they are large and convenient? How many consecrated churches are appointed to teach little children their A, B, C, and all the rudiments of learning in them? And are not boys often indulged to play in churches, while men meet to ring bells there merely for diversion, or for any trivial purpose? Surely these places are not supposed to have much real holiness in them, where these things are continu ally practised, and universally connived at, if not publicly allowed.

2. Consider how many chapels in the nation are erected and used for religious worship, without any consecration at all: And the divine service is justly supposed to be as effectually performed, and as much accepted of God, as if it had enjoyed all the ceremonious formalities in the world to consecrate it. Nor are any former impurities supposed to render a convenient place unfit for divine worship, though there have been no purifying rites and forms to sanctify it. Has the royal banqueting house, which was erected in the last age, and where our former kings celebrated other sort of festivals, than those of the apostles and martyrs, has it been ever consecrated by any of these forms, in order to make it a holy place for divine worship, which is regularly and constantly performed there in the present age

3. I could never learn, that the consecration of new churches and chapels, has any certain set of ceremonies, appointed for it by the laws of the land. There is indeed an ancient form preserved, whereby Lancelot Andrews, bishop of Winchester, in the year 1617, consecrated a small chapel at Peartree near Southampton, which I have several times seen, and gazed at it, as that very building which gives us the model for our present consecrations. But I have not found any sufficient authentic acts of the kings or parliaments of England, whereby this is required or made necessary. Upon the whole then, I cannot find any great difference between the sentiments of the dissenters and the conformists of our age, in this point, among wise and thinking persons. They seem to agree, there is no such holiness in places, as weaker minds imagine.

*This form of the consecration of churches, is found in bishop Sparrow's book, called "A Rationale of the Common Prayer," in octavo; and in the same author's "Collection of the Articles, Canons, &c." of the church of England in quarto.

VI." Since there is no particular place appointed of God where christians must worship him; then we cannot learn, where he has recorded his name any other way, but by the worship itself and its entire conformity to God's own ordinance and appointment." God resides in the midst of his people, wheresoever his divine institutions are celebrated, according to his mind and will. Ps. lxviii. 18. compared with Eph. iv. 8. informs us, that when our Saviour ascended on high, he received gifts for men, and he diffused those gifts to make pastors and teachers, to build up this church amongst the Gentile nations, who, at that time were called the rebellious; and he did it for this reason, "That the Lord God might dwell amongst them, as he did in Sinai, as he did in Sion:" And where these pastors or teachers celebrate his own ordinances, in their purity, there the great God condescends to dwell, and records his name there.

Time and places are necessary circumstances of all human actions, whether natural, civil, or religious. If God has appointed the time, let us keep to his appointments, and let us worship him one day in seven, according to his original institution; and let that be on the first day of the week, when our Lord rose from the dead, and his apostles directed the churches to attend on their exalted Saviour in religious worship. But if he has not appointed the place, we are left to the best use of our reason and christian prudence, to raise our synagogues in the most convenient ground, and to agree upon our meetings or assemblies for the worship of God, where it may best suit the conveniency of the church, or the greatest part of the worshippers. And since God has appointed no particular spot of ground, no s ecial building for this purpose, under the gospel, we inay assure ourselves, that whosoever worships him in spirit and in truth, will find acceptance in every nation, and in every place.

The parts of natural worship, are always the same, throughout all ages, that is, to attend to what God speaks, both in the dictates of reason and in his word, read or explained; to offer up our prayers to him for the mercies we want, and to celebrate his praises, and shew our thankfulness; these are accepted of God in all places. And as for the two ceremonies of baptism, and the Lord's-supper, since they are attached to no particular place by the appointment of our Saviour, let us perform these solemaities in any convenient place, according to his will, and there God will reside among his people. Wheresoever the children of men separate themselves from the wicked world, and devote themselves to God in and through Jesus the Mediator, and practise pure and undefiled religion, there is Sion under the gospel; there will he take up his habitation and his rest, for he hath desired it; Ps. cxxxii. 13, 14. There is the temple of the living God, for he hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk among them, and I

will be their God, and they shall be my people; 2 Cor. vi. 16, 17. Here indeed a question may arise, How shall we know with any certainty, where God has recorded his name? or what are the chief and most particular things, whereby we may judge, whether our religious worship be according to his appointment." To this I briefly answer under these four heads:

1. By endeavouring as far às possible to find out his mind and will, concerning his worship, both in the duties of natural and revealed religion. God has given us both the light of reason and the light of scripture to instruct us herein: Where reason fails us, the scripture directs, and where the scripture is silent, there we must betake ourselves to our own reason and conscience, to determine our practice in those things which are necessary to be determined but without inventing new ceremonies out of our own fancy, and appointing rites and forms which God has never appointed; or persisting in those which he has already abolished. Let us see to it, that such truths be published amongst us, as are agreeable to the written word, and that due honour is paid, to all the discoveries of his will, that he has made, in every part of our religious solemnities. A little mistake in these things, where the heart is sincerely inquisitive after the mind and will of God, shall never make our worship unacceptable to his

mercy.

2. His name is recorded only there, where worship is paid him in and through Jesus Christ, the great Mediator. Some have supposed his human nature to be that greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands," of which St. Paul speaks; Heb. ix. 11. Whether that be so or no, this is certain; it is through his hands, who is our great High priest over the house of God, that our worship must be directed to the Father; for the name of God is in him, it is the Man Jesus, who is the one Mediator between God and man; 1 Tim. ii. 5. in whom all the fulness of the godhead dwells bodily; Col. ii. 9. And it is only, on such worship, as is offered through God's incarnate Son, that he has recorded his own name: It is only in and by the name of his Son that we can have access to the Father, no man cometh to the Father but by him; John xiv. 6. It is in his name he has taught us to offer up all our prayers; John xvi. 24. If we enter into the holiest, that is, if our souls ascend to heaven in devotion, we must do it by the blood of Jesus, as a new and living way, which he has consecrated for us; Heb. 1. 20. Whatsoever is done in word or deed, must be to the glory of God through Jesus Christ; so this great apostle Paul requires: Col. iii. 17.

3. If we would have the name of God recorded and stamped on our worship it must be performed through the desired aids of his own spirit. This is another qualification of