SECTION VIII. 99 stances, especially that of gesture, in one and the same congre- gation, in some particular partsof worship, as standing in prayer, &c. but no such necessity of such a uniformity as to give power to any person or society to determine'for every single worship- per, and Oblige him to obey. If any whole church, or a multi tude of churches in a nation will chuse to agree in any particular practice, it is well ; or if they can persuade every person to con- sent to the same : But if some persons will presume to deter- mine all these circumstances one way, and will impose them upon their fellow- christians by a pretended authority, they go beyond the bounds that either the light of,nature or scripture allows, and assume such a power over the consciences of men as I cannot find the chapter and verse where it was given them ; for these circumstances being left indifferent in themselves, the nature of things, and in scripture, they are not necessary to be determined one way for a whole society, and much less should all this so- ciety be obliged in conscience to comply with such an imposition. Havinggiven such an account of the natural circumstances of social worship, let us enquire what are religious ceremonies. Religious ceremonies ate either real actions, or modes and circumstances of action by which some special honour is designed to be paid to God, and therefore God alone can institute them, who alone can determine what shall be honourable to himself. These have generally a signification of something inward and invisible annexed to them : But whether we can learn what they signify or no, still there is a holiness and a necessity placed in them by the divine appointment ; and therefore man cannot ap- point them, nor add to them, because he cannot put holiness into any thing, nor make any thing holy or sinful, which God has not made so. Some of these religious ceremonies are real actions, and entirely divine institutions of sacred appointments of ser- vice, which are in no wise necessary tonatural actions, nor should ever have been practised, if God had not positively enjoined them : Others in their abstracted nature antecedent to the divine command, were but mere natural circumstances of action; yet when thus determined particularly by God, they become as it were parts of pur religion, andbur worship. Circumcision, offering of sacrifices, slaying and eating the Passover, burning of incense, ' lighting the lamps, sprinkling of blood, divers washings, the use of the instruments of music in the temple, &c. seem to be the first sort, viz. such real religious ac- tions and ceremonies of pure divine institution, as were by divine appointment imposed upon the ancient church. Others are of the second sort, among which may be reckoned the places or spots of ground, perhapswhere the tabernacle and, temple stood, the holy times, such as sabbaths, new moons, and other festivals, the attire or vesture of the priests who officiate, &c. These were Yot. Iv D
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