582 THE HOLINESS OF PLACES OF WORSHIP. will betheir 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 endeavouringas far aspossible 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 inventingnew ceremonies out of our own fancy, and appointing rites and forms which God has never ap- pointed ; 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 everypart of our religious solemnities. A little mistake in these things, where the heart is sincerely inquisitive after the mind and willof 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 thefulness 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 ; Johnxiv. 6. It is in his name he has taught us to offer up all our prayers ; Johnxvi. 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 consecratedfor us ; Heb. x. 20. Whatsoever is done in word or deed, must be to the glory of God through Jesus Christ; so this great apostle Paul re- quires : Col. iii. 17. 3. If we would have the name of God recorded and stampedon our worship it must be performed through the de- sired aids of his own spirit. This is another qualification of
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