Section II: The Glory of True Worship vs. Roman Pageantry
that representation which is made of Christ in the gospel. It is, therefore, the wisdom and duty of all those who desire a stability in the profession of the truth, continually to endeavour after this experience, and an increase in it. He who lives in the exercise of faith and love in the Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed in the gospel, as evidently crucified, and evidently exalted therein, and finds the fruit of his so doing in his own soul, will be preserved in the time of trial.
Without this, men will, at last, begin to think that it is better to have a false Christ than none at all; they will suppose that something is to be found in images, when they can find nothing in the gospel.
Section II: The Glory of True Worship vs. Roman Pageantry Sect. II. It is a prevalent notion of truth, that the worship of God ought to be beautiful and glorious.
The very light of nature seems to direct unto conceptions hereof.
What is not so may be justly rejected, as unbecoming the divine Majesty; and therefore, the more holy and heavenly any religion pretends to be, the more glorious is the worship prescribed in it, or ought so to be. Yea, the true worship of God is the height and excellency of all glory in this world: it is inferior unto nothing but that which is in heaven, which it is the beginning of, the way unto, and the best preparation for. Accordingly, even that worship is declared to be glorious, and that in an eminent manner, above all the outward worship of the Old Testament, in the tabernacle and temple, whose glory was great, and, as unto external pomp, inimitable. To this purpose the apostle disputes at large, 2 Cor. 3:6–11. This, therefore, is agreed, that there ought to be beauty and glory in divine worship; and that they are most eminently in that which is directed and required in the gospel. But withal the apostle declares, in the same place, that tins glory is spiritual, and not carnal: so did our
Lord Jesus Christ foretell that it should be; and that, unto that end, all distinction of places, with all outward advantages and ornaments belonging unto them, should be taken away, John 4:20–24.
It belongs, therefore, unto our present design, to give a brief account of its glory, and wherein it excels all other ways of divine worship that ever were in the world; even that under the Old Testament, which was of divine institution, wherein all things were ordered "for beauty and glory." And it may be given in the instances that ensue:—
1. The express object of it is God, not as absolutely considered, but as existing in three persons, of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is the principal glory of Christian religion and its worship. Under the Old
Testament, the conceptions of the church about the existence of the divine nature in distinct persons were very dark and obscure; for the full revelation of it was not to be made, but in the distinct actings of each person in the works of redemption and salvation of the church;
—that is, in the incarnation of the Son, and mission of the Spirit after he was glorified, John 7:39. And in all the ways of natural worship, there was never the least shadow of any respect hereunto. But this is the foundation of all the glory of evangelical worship. The object of it, in the faith of the worshipper, is the holy Trinity; and it consists in an ascription of divine glory unto each person, in the same individual nature, by the same act of the mind. Where this is not, there is no glory in religious worship.
2. Its glory consists in that constant respect which it hath unto each divine person, as unto their peculiar work and actings for the salvation of the church. So it is described, Eph. 2:18, "Through him"—that is, the Son as mediator—"we have access by one Spirit unto the Father." This is the immediate glory of evangelical worship, comprehensive of all the graces and privileges of the gospel; and to
suppose that the glory of it doth consist in any thing but the light, graces, and privileges which it doth itself exhibit, is a vain imagination. It will not borrow glory from the invention of men. We shall therefore a little consider it as it is here represented by the apostle:— (1.) The ultimate object of it, under this consideration, is God as THE FATHER: "We have access" therein "unto the Father." And this consideration, in our worship, of God as a Father—relating unto the whole dispensation of his love and grace by Jesus Christ, as he is his
God and our God, his Father and our Father—is peculiar unto gospel worship, and contains a signal part of its glory. We do not only worship God as a Father,—so the very heathens had a notion that he was the Father of all things,—but we worship him who is the Father; and as he is so, both in relation to the eternal generation of the Son, and the communication of grace by him unto us, as our Father. So,
"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him," John 1:18. This access in our worship unto the person of the Father, as in heaven, the holy place above, as on a throne of grace, is the glory of the gospel.
See Matt. 6:9; Heb. 4:16, 10:19–21.
(2.) The Son is here considered as a MEDIATOR;—through him we have this access unto the Father. This is the glory that was hidden from former ages, but brought to light and displayed by the gospel.
So speaks our blessed Saviour himself unto his disciples:
"Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive," John 16:23, 24. To ask God expressly in the name of the Son, as mediator, belongs unto the glory of the gospel worship.
The especial instances of this glory are more than can he enumerated. The chief of them may be reduced to these three heads:
— 1st. It is he who makes both the persons of the worshippers and their duties accepted of God. See Heb. 2:17, 18, 4:16, 10:19.
2dly. He is the administrator of all the worship of the church in the holy place above, as its great High Priest over the house of God, Heb.
8:2; Rev. 8:3.
3dly. His presence with and among gospel worshippers in their worship gives it glory. This he declares and promises, Matt. 18:19,
20, "If two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them." All success of the prayers of the church dependeth on, and ariseth from, the presence of Christ amongst them: he is so present for their assistance and for their consolation.
This presence of a living Christ, and not a dead crucifix, gives glory to divine worship. He who sees not the glory of this worship, from its relation unto Christ, is a stranger unto the gospel, with all the light, graces, and privileges of it.
(3.) It is in ONE SPIRIT that we have access unto God in his worship: and in his administration doth the apostle place the glory of it, in opposition unto all the glory of the Old Testament, as doth our Lord
Jesus Christ also in the place before referred unto; for,— 1st. The whole ability for the observance and performance of it, according to the mind of God, is from him alone. His communication of grace and gifts unto the church is that alone which makes it to give glory to God in his divine service. If this should cease, all acceptable
worship would cease in the world. To think to observe the worship of the gospel without the aid and assistance of the Spirit of the gospel, is a lewd imagination. But where he is, there is liberty and glory, 2
Cor. 3:17, 18.
2dly. By him the sanctified minds of believers are made temples of God, and so the principal, seal of evangelical worship, 1 Cor. 3:16,
4:19. This temple being of God's own framing, and of his own adorning by his Spirit, is a much more glorious fabric than any that the hands of men can erect.
3dly. By him is the church led into internal communion and converse with God in Christ, in light, love, and delight, with holy boldness; the glory whereof is expressed by the apostle, Heb. 10:19, 21, 22.
In these things, I say, doth the true glory of evangelical worship consist; and if it doth not, it hath no glory in comparison of that which did excel in the old legal worship. For the wit of man was never yet able to set it off with half the outward beauty and glory that was in the worship of the temple. But herein it is that it not only leaves no glory thereunto in comparison, but doth unspeakably excel whatever the wit and wealth of men can extend unto.
But there is a spiritual light required, that we may discern the glory of this worship, and have thereby an experience of its power and efficacy in reference unto the ends of its appointment. This the church of believers hath. They see it as it is a blessed means of giving glory unto God, and of receiving gracious communications from him; which are the ends of all the divine institutions of worship: and they have therein such an experience of its efficacy, as gives rest, and peace, and satisfaction, unto their souls. For they find, that as their worship directs them unto a blessed view, by faith, of God in his ineffable existence, with the glorious actings of each person in the
dispensation of grace, which fills their hearts with joy unspeakable; so also, that all graces are exercised, increased, and strengthened in the observance of it, with love and delight.
But all light into, all perceptions of this glory, all experience of its power, was, amongst the most, lost in the world. I intend, in all these instances the time of the papal apostasy. Those who had the conduct of religion could discern no glory in these things, nor obtain any experience of their power. Be the worship what it will, they can see no glory in it, nor did it give any satisfaction to their minds; for having no light to discern its glory, they could have no experience of its power and efficacy. What, then, shall they do? The notion must be retained, that divine worship is to be beautiful and glorious. But in the spiritual worship of the gospel they could see nothing thereof; wherefore they thought necessary to make a glory for it, or to dismiss it out of the world, and set up such an image of it as might appear beautiful unto their fleshly minds, and give them satisfaction. To this end they set their inventions on work to find out ceremonies, vestments, gestures, ornaments, music, altars, images, paintings, with prescriptions of great bodily veneration. This pageantry they call the beauty, the order, the glory, of divine worship. This is that which they see and feel, and which, as they judge, doth dispose their minds unto devotion. Without it they know not how to pay any reverence unto God himself; and when it is wanting, whatever be the life, the power, the spirituality of the worship in the worshippers— whatever be its efficacy unto all the proper ends of it—however it be ordered according unto the prescription of the word,—it is unto them empty, indecent; they can neither see beauty nor glory in it. This light and experience being lost, the introduction of beggarly elements and carnal ceremonies in the worship of the church, with attempts to render it decorous and beautiful by superstitious rites and observances,—wherewith it hath been defiled and corrupted, as it
was and is in the Church of Rome,—was nothing but the setting up a deformed image in the room of it. And this they are pleased withal.
The beauty and glory which carving, and painting, and embroidered vestures, and musical incantations, and postures of veneration, do give unto divine service, they can see and feel; and, in their own imagination, are sensibly excited unto devotion by them. But hereby, instead of representing the true glory of the worship of the gospel, wherein it excels that under the Old Testament, they have rendered it altogether inglorious in comparison of it; for all the ceremonies and ornaments which they have invented for that end come unspeakably short, for beauty, order, and glory, of what was appointed by God himself in the temple,—scarce equalling what was among the Pagans.
It will be said, that the things whereunto we assign the glory of this worship are spiritual and invisible. Now, this is not that which is inquired after; but that whose beauty we may behold, and be affected with: and this may consist in the things which we decry, at least in some of them;—though I must say, if there be glory in any of them, the more they are multiplied the better it must needs be. But this is that which we plead:—men, being not able, by the light of faith, to discern the glory of things spiritual and invisible, do make images of them unto themselves, as gods that may go before them; and these they are affected withal: but the worship of the church is spiritual, and the glory of it is invisible unto eyes of flesh. So both our Saviour and the apostles do testify in the celebration of it: "We are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel,"
Heb. 12:22–24. The glory of this assembly, though certainly above