. DISCOURSE IiI; 579 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 ma- jesty is departed ? Or is it proper that a place, built for divine service, should be alternately employed for the fooleries oftun3an. 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 wor- ship 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 chose 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 Mtjeaty 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 he 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 sweptaway when the reform- ation 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 ges- tures, whereby archbishop Laudheretofore consecrated Creed- church, near Aldgate, in London, and several others* ? Tomake this agreement of sentiments between us and our brethren, yet further appear, letthese 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 S' A short abstract of this is found in Mr. Neal's History of the Puritans, root. ii. p. 219. and a longer account in Rushworth's Collections. o o 2
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