Chap. II. bear; their splendor increafing according to the entertainment chriftianity met withal in the world; till, the em pire becoming chriftian, their temples rofe up into grandeur and ftatelinefs: as, amongst others, may appear by the particular description which Eufebius gives of the church of Tyre $7, and of that which Conftantine built at Conftantinople in honour of the Apoftless: both which, the hiftorian tells us, were incomparably fumptuous and magnificent. The form of them. و §. 3. I fhall not undertake to describe at large the feveral parts and dimenfions of their churches, (which varied according to the different times and ages,) but only briefly reflect upon fuch as were most common and remarkable, and are still retained amongst us. For the form and fashion of their churches, it was for the most part oblong, to keep the better correfpondence with the fashion of a hip; the common notion and metaphor by which the church was wont to be represented, to remind us that we are toffed up and down in the world, as upon a ftormy and tempeftuous fea, and that out of the church there is no fafe paffage to heaven, the country we all hope to arrive at. It was always divided into two principal parts, viz. the Nave or Body of the church, and the Sacrarium, fince called Chancel, from its being divided from the body of the church by neat rails, called in Latin Cancelli. The Nave was common to all the people, and reprefented the visible world; the Chancel was peculiar to the Priefts and facred Always perfons, and typified heaven: for which reafon they alftood at the ways ftood at the Eaft end of the church, towards which the church, part of the world they paid a more than ordinary reverence and why. in their worship; wherein, Clemens Alexandrinus 59 tells The Chan cels, why fo called. Eaft end of us, they had respect to Chrift: for as the Eaft is the birth and womb of the natural day, from whence the fun (the fountain of all fenfible light) does arife and fpring; fo Christ, the true Sun of righteoufnefs, who arofe upon the world with the light of truth, when it fat in the darkness of error and ignorance, is in Scripture ftyled the EAST: and therefore fince we must in our prayers turn our faces toward fome quarter, it is fitteft it should be towards the Eaft; efpecially fince it is probable even from Scripture 57 Ecclef. Hiftor. 1. 10. c. 4. p. 377. 58 De Vita Conft. 1. 4. c. 58, 59. P.555. 59 Strom. 1. 7. p. 724. C. 60 In Zechariah iii. 8. and chap. бо vi. 12. the Meffiah is called the BRANCH; and in Luke i. 78. the DAY-SPRING: in all which places the original words fignify the EAST, and are fo rendered in all other verfions of the Bible, itself, iffelf, that the Majefty and Glory of God is in a peculiar Sect. II. manner in that part of the heavens, and that the Throne of Chrift and the fplendor of his Humanity has its refidence there 6. In this Chancel always ftood the Altar or Communion-table; which none were allowed to approach, but fuch as were in holy orders, unless it were the Greek Emperors at Conftantinople, who were allowed to go up to the table to make their offerings, but were immediately to return back again62. §. 4. But though the chriftians of those times fpared no The ufe of convenient cost in founding and adorning public places for images forthe worship of God; yet they were careful not to run into bidden in the primia too curious and over-nice fuperftition. No images were tive worshipped, or fo much as ufed in churches for at leaft church. four hundred years after Chrift: and therefore certainly, might things be carried by a fair and impartial trial of antiquity, the difpute about this point would foon be at an end. Nothing can be more clear than that the christians were frequently challenged by the heathens for having no images nor ftatues in their churches, and that the chriftian apologists never denied it; but induftriously defended themselves against the charge, and rejected the very thoughts of any fuch thing with contempt and fcorn: as might be abundantly fhewn from Tertullian, Clemens Alexandrinus, Origen, Minutius Felix, Arnobius, and Lactantius. But I fhall only cite one of them, and that is Origen, who, amongst other things, plainly tells his adverfary (who had objected this to the chriftians) that the images, that were to be dedicated to God, were not to be carved by the hands of artifts, but to be formed and fashioned in us by the word of God; viz. the virtues of juftice and temperance, of wisdom and piety, &c. that conform us to the image of his only Son. "Thefe," fays he, 66 are the only statues formed in our minds; and by "which alone we are perfuaded it is fit to do honour to "him, who is the image of the invifible God, the prototype and archetypal pattern of all fuch images Had chriftians then given adoration to them, or but set them up in their places of worship; with what face can we fuppofe they could have told the world, that they fo much abhorred them? But more than this the council of 66 61 See Mr. Gregory's Notes and Obfervations upon Scripture, chap. 18. p. 71, &c. and p. 4, 5, of his Preface, with fome other parts of his works printed at London 1665. 63 " Chap. II. Illiberis, that was held in Spain fome time before Conftantine, expressly provides against them; decreeing 64, that no pictures ought to be in the church, nor that any thing "that is worthipped and adored fhould be painted upon "the walls:" words too clear to be evaded by the little fhifts and gloffes which the expofitors of that canon would put upon it. The first use of statues and pictures in the churches was merely historical, or to add fome beauty and ornament to the place, which after-ages improved into fuperftition and idolatry. The firft we meet with upon good authority is no older than the times of Epiphanius, and then too met with no very welcome entertainment; as may appear from Epiphanius's own epistle to John then Bishop of Jerufalem 65: where he fays, that coming to Anablatha, a village in Palestine, and going into a church to pray, he efpied a curtain hanging over the door, whereupon was painted the image of Chrift, or of fome faint which when he had looked upon, and faw the image of a man hanging up in the church, contrary to the authority of the holy Scriptures, he presently rent it, and ordered the churchwardens to make use of it as a winding-sheet for fome poor man's burying. This inftance is so home, that the patrons of image-worfhip are at a lofs what to fay to it, and after all are forced to cry out againft it as fuppofititious though the famous Du Pin, who is himself of the Romish communion, and doctor of the Sorbon, allows it to be genuine, and owns that one reafon of its being called in queftion, is because it makes so much against that doctrine. More might be produced to this purpofe but by this, I hope, it is clear enough, that the primitive chriftians, as they thought it fufficient to pray to God, without making their addreffes to faints and angels; fo they accounted their churches fine enough without pictures and images to adorn them. churches Decency in §. 5. And though thefe afterwards crept in again, and became the occafion of idolatry in the times of Popery; and necef. yet our church at the Reformation not only forbad the requifite fary. worshipping them, but alfo quite removed them; as thinking them too falfe a beauty for the house of God. But though she would not let religion be dreffed in the habit of a wanton; yet fhe did not deny her that of a matron: fhe would have her modest in her garb, but withal comely and clean; and therefore still allowed her enough, 64 Can, 36. tom. i. col. 974. 66 Hift. of Ecclefiaft. Writers, vol. ii. p. 236. not not only to protect her from fhame and contempt, but to Sect. II. draw her fome respect and reverence too. And no man furely can complain, that the ornaments now made use of in our churches are too many or too expenfive. Good men would rather with that more care was taken of them, than there generally feems to be. For fure a decency in this regard is conformable to every man's fenfe, who profeffes to retain any reverence for God and religion. The magnificence of the firft Jewish temple was very acceptable to God; and the too fparing contributions of the people towards the fecond was what he feverely reproved 65: from whence we may at least infer, that it is by no means agreeable to the Divine Majefty, that we turn pious clowns and flovens, by running into the contrary extreme, and worshipping the Lord, not in the beauty, but in the dirt and deformity, of holiness. Far from us be all ornaments mifbecoming the worship of a Spirit, or the gravity of a church; but furely it hath a very ill afpect for men to be fo fordidly frugal, as to think that well enough in God's houfe, which they could not endure even in the meaneft offices of their own. But to return to my first defign. 68 God. §. 6. When churches are built, they ought to have a Churches greater value and efteem derived upon them by fome to be confepe- crated by a culiar Confecration: for it is not enough barely to devote formal dethem to the public fervices of religion, unless they are dication of alfo fet apart with the folemn rites of a formal dedication. them to For by these folemnities the founders furrender all the right they have in them to God, and make God himself the fole owner of them. And. formerly, whoever gave any lands or endowments to the fervice of God, gave it in a formal writing, fealed and witneffed, (as is now usual between man and man,) the tender of the gift being made upon the altar, by the donor on his knees. The antiquity of fuch dedications is evident, from its being an univerfal cuftom amongst Jews and Gentiles: and it is obfervable that amongst the former, at the confecration of both the tabernacle and temple, it pleafed the Almighty to give a manifeft fign that he then took poffeffion of them". When it was first taken up by chriftians is not eafy to determine: though there are no footsteps of any fuch thing to be met with, in any approved writer, till the reign of Conftantine: in whofe time, christianity be 671 Kings ix. 3. 69 Exod. xl. 34. 1 Kings viii. 10, 11. nal of coun Chap. II. ing become more profperous and flourishing, churches were every where erected and repaired; and no fooner were fo, but, as Eufebius tells 70 us, they were folemnly confecrated, and the dedications celebrated with great feftivity and rejoicing. The rites and ceremonies used upon these occafions (as we find in the fame author") were a great confluence of Bishops and strangers from all parts, the performance of divine offices, finging of hymns and pfalms, reading and expounding the Scriptures, fermons and orations, receiving the holy facrament, prayers and thanksgivings, liberal alms bestowed on the poor, and great gifts given to the church; and in fhort, mighty expreffions of mutual love and kindness, and univerfal reThe origi- joicing with one another. And thefe dedications were try Wakes, always conftantly commemorated from that time forward once a year, and folemnized with great pomp, and much confluence of people; the folemnity ufually lafting eight days together72: a cuftom obferved with us till the twenty-eighth year of Henry VIII. when, by a decree of convocation confirmed by that king, the feast of dedication was ordered to be celebrated in all places throughout England on one and the fame day, viz. on the first Sunday of October 13. Whether that feast be continued now in any parts of the kingdom, I cannot tell; for as to the Wakes which are still observed in many country villages, and generally upon the next Sunday that follows the faint's day whofe name the church bears; I take them to be the remains of the old church holy-days, which were feafts kept in memory of the faints to whofe honour the churches were dedicated, and who were therefore called The name the patrons of the churches 74. For though all churches of angels or were dedicated to none but God, as appears by the gramto church-matical conftruction of the word church, which fignifies es. nothing else but the 75 Lord's houfe; yet at their confecration they were generally distinguished by the name of fome angel or faint: chiefly that the people, by frequently mentioning them, might be excited to imitate the virtues for which they had been eminent; and also that those holy faints themselves might by that means be kept in remembrance. 70 Hift. Eccl. 1. 10. c. 3. p. 370. 71 Ibid. et de Vita Conft. 1. 4. c. 44, 43. p. 546, &c. 72 Niceph. Cal. Hift. Eccl. 1. 8. c. 73 See Bp. Gibson's Codex, p. 276. 1 Islep 1362, in Bishop Gibson, p. 280. or in Mr. Johnfon's Collection of Ecclefiaftical Laws. 75 From Kugiaxǹ (which signifies the Lord's house) comes Kyre, and by adding letters of afpiration, Chyrch or Church, |