SERMON V. THE TRUE NOTION OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP TO BE PAID BY SERM. V. [Rom. 9. 5.] JOHN xii. 20. And there were certain GREEKS among them that came up to worship at the feast. WE are here met together at this time to do the work, the great work which we were all made for, even "to worship Him that made us." And therefore it will be very seasonable to consider what that work really is, and how it ought to be always done. For I cannot but in charity believe, that they who constantly attend the places of God's public worship do truly intend and desire to worship God there; and that their failures in the performance of it do generally proceed either from ignorance or mistake of the way and manner how to perform it. For it cannot be easily imagined, that if people did rightly understand what it is to worship God, they should ever fancy that coming to Church, and continuing there whilst another prays and preaches, is all the worship that He that made them requires of them: and yet, to our shame be it spoken, this is all that is done by most of our congregations, instead of worshipping God. The truth is, we have in a great measure lost the right manner of performing religious worship, in a crowd of disputes about the object to which it ought to be performed. The Church of Rome hath of late degenerated so far from the doctrine and practice of the Primitive and Universal Church, that they who live in her Communion, do commonly perform the same acts of religious worship to creatures, which they do to the great Creator of the world, “God blessed for ever." This we justly condemn them for, as judging it one of the greatest sins that a Church or person can be guilty of. But in the midst of this our just zeal against the Papists, for giving as much worship to creatures as they do to the Creator, we must have a care of falling into the other extreme, even of giving no more worship to our Creator, than what may be given to a creature; which is the great fault of too many among us. For the reforming or preventing whereof for the future, it will be necessary to lay aside all prejudices, and consider impartially, what that is which Almighty God would have us do, when He commands us to worship Him; or what is the true notion of religious worship, properly so called, as it is distinguished from all other duties which we owe to God; and is commonly expressed in Scripture by the word goonúngis, adoration, and so is always distinguished from λargía, which signifies the serving of God in general, and not only that particular act whereby we are properly said to adore and worship Him. This therefore is that, which by His grace and assistance, I shall endeavour to do, in the explication of the words which I have now read: "And there were certain Greeks among them which came up to worship at the feast." Where, by Greeks we are to understand such Gentiles who, by conversing with the Jews, or else by some other means, had attained to the knowledge and embraced the worship of the true God. These are often mentioned in the Acts of the Holy Apostles, where they were called "devout" [Acts 2. 5 ; or "religious Greeks" and "proselytes;" because, although 43; 17. 4, they did not communicate with the Jews in their sacrifices 17; 21.12.] and offerings, and other rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law; yet they worshipped the same God as they did. Of such Greeks or Gentiles as these were, it is here said, that certain of them were now among the Apostles and Disciples of Christ, and that they "came up to worship at the the feast." Where there are three things to be observed concerning them : I. The place whither they came; "they came up." II. The time when; "at the feast." III. The business they came about; "to worship." "They came up to worship at the feast." I. The place they came up to was Hierusalem, and to the 10. 2, 7; 13. SERM. Temple there; which being then the only place upon earth V. dedicated to the service of the most High God, by His own Exod. 20. 24. appointment, it was, upon that account, the best and highest place upon earth, all other places being much inferior to it. And therefore whatsoever country or city these Greeks came from, they might be truly said, as they are here, to "come up," as to an higher place, when they came to the Temple at Hierusalem. And it is very observable, that these Greeks, acknowledging the true God, could not but know withal, that He being every where present, they might have performed the same worship to Him in any other place, which they did at Hierusalem. And yet, how far soever they dwelt off, they still came thither to do it. And the reason was, because their very going to worship there, was a professing their acknowledgment of the God which was there worshipped. And besides that, they knew that God had promised to meet them, and to bless them in such places where His name was recorded, in a more especial manner than in any other place; in that He had said, " In all places where I record My name I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee." From whence they could not but conclude it to be their interest as well as duty to go to Hierusalem to worship, that being the only place at that time where God had recorded His name, and, by consequence, where He had appointed to come unto them, and to bless them. And certainly this promise was never intended only for the Old Testament, or the Temple then standing; for it runs in general terms, "In all places where I record My name." And he must have very mean thoughts of Christ and His Gospel who can suffer himself to be persuaded that the name of God is not "recorded" in our Christian Churches, as well as it was in the Jewish Tabernacle or Temple. For this is to prefer the Law before the Gospel, and to make the condition of the Jews much better than that of Christians: forasmuch as they always had some place or other among them, where God had promised to come unto them, and so to be especially present with them, and to bless them; whereas, according to this opinion, we have none. But he that rightly considers the nature and design of the Gospel, must needs acknowledge, that as it excels the Law in many particulars, it comes short of it in none; much less in this, which is of so great importance. But that whatsoever it was whereby the name of God is said to be "recorded" among the Jews, the same is in as high, if not in a much higher manner, among us at this time; and howsoever it was that God was "specially present" in such places then, without all doubt He is so still. What it is that constitutes the Shechinah, or Special Presence of God in places that are consecrated to Him, and so to have His name recorded in them, it is not necessary for us to determine. I know it hath been the received opinion of late, that it is the attendance of the Holy Angels there. that doth it, and do not question but they are as certainly present in our Christian Churches as ever they were in the Temple at Hierusalem, for that St. Paul himself assures us [1 Cor. 11. io.] of. But God is not therefore said to be present in such places because the Angels are so; but the Angels are therefore present there, because He is so in a more especial manner there than elsewhere. And the specialty of His presence seems rather to consist in those special discoveries which He is pleased to make of Himself, and those special blessings and assistances which God the Holy Ghost vouchsafeth to His people, in such places where His name is recorded. Hence, several of the learned Rabbins, by the Shechinah understand the Holy Ghost. But I ground not this opinion upon any Rabbinical notions, but upon the words of St. Paul, where he saith, "Know ye not that ye are the 1 Cor. 3. 16. Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" From whence it is evident, that it is the inhabitation of the Spirit which makes a place a temple of God, a place of His special residence. And therefore as the Spirit is said to dwell in the real saints, because He actuates, influences, and assists them in what they do; so is He said to dwell in a Church or Temple, because He is there always ready to bestow His special grace and assistance, even all manner of Spiritual blessings, upon all such as come thither rightly disposed to perform their devotions to Him. Which seems also to the purport of the promise itself, "In all places where I record My name, I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee;" that is, I will so come unto thee, as to bless V. SERM. thee in a more especial manner than in any other place. And then it is no wonder that the Holy Angels, according to the general sense of Scripture and antiquity, are always present in such places, to admire the goodness of their Lord and Master to His creatures here below, and to be ready upon all occasions to distribute such blessings as they are capable of conveying to them. As we see in the story of the Eunuch, treasurer to Candace, Queen of the Æthiopians; who having been to worship at the Temple, an Angel was presently sent to order Philip to go and meet the said Eunuch, and to bring him into the Church, that he might be saved. [Acts 8. 26-40.] But we need not trouble ourselves with such nice speculations about it. It is sufficient for our present purpose that the most High God, according to His own promise, and the sense and experience of His Church in all ages, is present in all such places where His name is recorded, in a more especial and peculiar manner than He is elsewhere. For hence it is, that pious Christians always frequented such places as were dedicated to the service of God, and so had His name recorded in them. Hence it was, that heretofore they were so zealous and forward to erect and dedicate such places. They needed not in the primitive times, as we do now, the edicts of Emperors, or acts of Parliament, for the building of Churches; their own piety and zeal for the glory of God and the salvation of men prompted them sufficiently to it. Hence also it is, that the very setting apart and consecrating of such places for the service and worship of God was always reckoned, and truly is, a very great act of religion, in that we thereby demonstrate our acknowledgment of His power and sovereignty over us, of His love and goodness to us, and likewise of His right and propriety in what we have, in that we pay Him tribute, and do Him homage for it, by devoting some part of that land or estate that He hath given us, unto Him of whom we hold the whole. Hence, lastly it was, that the Greeks in my text came up to Hierusalem, that so they might worship God in His own house, the proper place where His public worship should be performed, and where nothing else should be performed but what hath relation thereunto. So that the same acts, which in other places |