UPON ADMISSION INTO THE CHURCH. God, who of his mercy hath given you grace to give yourself to his church, preferve and keep you in his truth, free both from superstition and profanenes. The Lord blefs and keep you, &c. as in Numb. vi. 24-5-6, and give you peace in confcience and conftancy in truth, and by the POWER of miniftration committed to ME, by our Lord Jefus Chrift, I re-admit you into the fellowship of his church, in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.

66

The confecration of churches began very early. Dr. NiCHOLLS fays, in the fecond century; * and Dr. SOUTH has obferved that our own excellent liturgy would not be the worse, if a form for the confecration of churches was added to itt. BINGHAM, in his Origines Ecclefiafticæ, fays, that antiently when churches were finished and adorned, it was then ufual to proceed to a dedication or confecration of them," and that, "by the confecration of a church, the antients always mean the devoting or fetting it apart peculiarly for divine fervice. Durandus and Bona, (fays he) are confident it was always fo from the times of the Apoftles; but I proceed to confider it as practifed in the next age (the fourth century) when in the peaceable reign of Conftantine, churches were rebuilt all over the world, and DEDICATED with great folemnity. Then it was a defirable fight, as Eufebius words it, to behold how the confecrations of the new built churches, and the feasts of the dedica tions, were folemnized in every city, being the more august and venerable, as commonly a whole fynod of the neighbouring, or provincial bifhops, met at the dedication. Thus the church of Jerufalem, built by Conftantine over our Saviour's fepulchre, and the famous church at Antioch, were confecrated t." The MANNER and ceremony of doing this was not always exactly one and the fame, therefore we are chiefly to regard the fubftance of the thing, which was the Separation of any building from common ufe to a religious fervice, and the first act of appropriating it to a divine use, was its CONSECRATION. The folemnity was ufually begun

66

Nicholls on the Common Prayer. Supplement, p. 41.

+ South's Sermons.

Bingham's Works, Vol. I. p. 323-4.

§ Ibid. p. 323.

1

with a panegyrical oration or fermon, chiefly of praife and thanksgiving to God, and fometimes in commendation of the founder, or glory of the new built church, as the oration in Eufebius, lib. 10. c. 4. and others in Gaudentius and St. Ambrofe. Sometimes there was more than one discourse upon it (fee Eufeb. lib. 10. c. 3. *) These confecrations being generally performed in a fynod of bishops, the bishops were the minifters always employed in this fervice; and if only one bishop was prefent, it was HIS bufnefs, fome antient canons not allowing prefbyters to perform it. The first council of Bracarat, an. 563, makes it deprivation, and adds, the canons of old forbad it, and in our British councils, collected by Sir H. Spelman, there is one under St. Patrick, an. 450, where he fays, a prefbyter, though he builds a church, shall not offer the oblation in it, before he brings his BISHOP to CONSECRATE it, because this was regular and decent : and antient hiftory affords no approved example to the contrary. A bifhop might not exceed his own bounds (or diocefe) unless called to affift another, or minifter in the vacancy of another bifhopric. The Council of Orange forbidding a bishop to confecrate a church built by himself in another diocefe, but leave it to the bishop of the diocefe. All which fhew the bishop of every diocefe was the proper minister of this fervice. It was a fchifmatic act in a prefbyter, to be punished; and a bishop offending in another diocefe, was fufpended a year from his office. Binghain adds, that the bishop of Rome had no privilege in the confecration of churches, though infifted on by fome, who would have every thing flow from the pleni-tude of power in the bishops of Rome!! || and that churches

* Bingham's Works, Vol. I. p. 324.

+ Cons. Bracar. i. c. 37. Si quis presbyter post hoc interdictum ausus fuerit Chrisma benedicere, aut Ecclesiam aut altarium consecrare, à suo officio deponatur. Nam et antiqui canones hoc vetuerunt.

Ibid. p. 325.

Cons. Arausican. can, 10. Si quis episcoporum in alienæ civitatis territorio Ecclesiam ædificare disponit-permissa licentia ædificandi non presumat dedicationem, quæ illi omnimodo reservatur in cujus territorio Ecclesia assurgit.

Ibid. p. 326. Sec. 7.

002

were

were always dedicated to GOD, and not to faints, though fometimes diftinguished by their names for a memorial of them; and that churches were fometimes named from their founders, or other circumftances in their building. * That no man was to begin to build a church (by the laws of Juftinian) before he gave feeurity to the bifhop for maintaining the miniftry, repairing the church, &c. and a Spanifh council ordered no bishop to confecrate a church before the donation of its maintenance was delivered to him in writing; beyond this the bishop was not to exact or demand, it being a part of his office to confecrate, unless, the founder made him a voluntary oblation. Confecration was performed on any day, indifferently; and the day was folemnly kept by many churches among their feftivals, and from this it is more than probable, came our WAKES, ftill obferved in fome places, as the remains of those feasts of dedication of particular churches §.

HOOKER fays, "diftinct and proper places ought to be appointed for the folemnizing those religious duties we owe to God. Adam had one in Paradise, his fons a place out of it. The patriarchs had altars, mountains, and groves for that purpose. The people of God a moving tabernacle in the wilderness. God appointed a temple to be built at Jerufalem, and David's forrow was as great, that he might not have the honour of erecting it, as their anger is implacable, who would have power to demolish the temples they never built? After the fecond temple, there were many fynagogues in Jerufalem, which our Saviour and his Apostles frequented, though privately, and when the church was perfecuted, they chose the most secure, if not commodious places; afterwards they erected oratories by leave,

Cons. Arausican. p. 327. Sect. 8, 9.

+ Ibid. p. 328. Sec. 11.

Justin. Novel. 672. Non aliter quempiam Eeclesiam de novo exædificare, precisquam loquatur ad Deo amabilem, episcopum, & definiat mensuram quam deputat ad luminaria, & ad sacrum ministerium, & ad domus custodiam, & ad aliena ministrantium, &c.

See Hooker's Eccles. Polity, Book 5. Sec. 12, or the abridg ment, p. 75.

fuitable

fuitable to the poverty of the church, and when the rulers embraced Christianity, their zeal built magnificent temples, adorning and endowing them proportionably. What they piously defigned, is now called idolatry, and our churches are called fynagogues of Satan, polluted ftyes, &c. The first thing they except against is ereding of churches, where they might have fpared their pains, for if it be a crime, few now are guilty of it, nor are our churches the worse for their ill names. But as we do not favour what is amifs, they fhould not fcandalife the piety of our Chriftian progenitors, fuch as Conftantine, who built a houfe of God in JERUSA LEM, and in the dedication of it required the affistance of most of the bishops in Chriftendom. (Eufeb. de vit. Conft. I. i. c. 41-2-3-4) who performed it by offering up PRAYERS and PRAISES to God for all his mercies, and inclining the Emperor's heart to love Chriftianity, and build the Chriftians a CHURCH to worship God in. Every thing fhould fuit the dignity of the person they are to be employed for, and how can any think, that in building a houfe for God, no greater folemnity was proper than in building a kitchen or a parlour for common ufe. Solomon knew men's pronenefs to contemn holy things, and guarded the temple with laws and folemnities; and our Saviour employs them as arguments against the prophaners, Matt. xxi. 13, and Jer. xvii. 24, proving that we fhould diftinguish between our own houses and thofe dedicated to God. He forbad the temple being an exchange, as the apoftle did its being an eating house. All that is meant by fanctifying or hallowing churches is, that they are fet apart for the public worship of God, and if any indecent ceremonies have been used, they are difapproved by the Church of England.

BISHOP SPARROW, in his Rationale, thus expreffes himfelf. "Almighty God always had both PERSONS and PLACES SET APART for his public fervice and worship, a temple and a prieft. The light of nature taught heathens thus much, and they obeyed, and DEDICATED, and fet apart to the worship of their gods, priests and temples. The patriarchs, by the fame light, and the guidance of God's holy fpirit, when they could not fet apart houfes, being themselves in a flitting condition, dedicated altars, * for

* See Bingham's Works, Sec. 10, p. 328.

God's

to

fervice, (fee Gen. xxii. 9. 28. 24, &c.) Under the law God called for a Tabernacle, Exod. 25. within which was an altar, upon which was to be offered the morning and evening facrifice daily, Exod. xxix. 38. David, by the fame light, and without any exprefs command (see 2 Sam. vii. 7. as God did not fuffer him to build it) defigned an house for God's fervice, and God bleft his intention many generations, 2 Samuel vii. But Solomon built it, God accepted it, and Chrift owns it as his house of prayer, where the apoftles went to pray, Acts iii. 1. - Afterwards Chriftians fet apart and cONSECRATED, with great folemnity of religious rites, and holy prayers, CHURCHES and oratories for the fame folemn fervice. Nor can this be thought needlefs or fuperftitious. Did not the light of nature teach it? The patriarchs, and Mofes, Solomon, did so -teaching, that the house given up to God, fhould be soLEMNLY SURRENDERED into his poffeffion, and by RELIGIOUS RITES, guarded and defended from facrilegious ufurp

ation.

Nature thus teaches, that the houfe thus confecrated, is to be no more employed in common uses, but fet apart for holy fervices, like thofe with which it was confecrated. Primitive Chriftians accounted not these things fuperftitious they knew profanation was eafy, and that bold men take even from God; how hard to preferve fuch houses, and therefore wifely ftrove to imprefs men's minds, and thus reftrain their boldness, by nourishing a reverend affection; building and SETTING APART for God's fervice, churches and oratories, called Dominicas, the Lord's houfes, and Bafilicas, royal and kingly houses, because sacrifice and worship were therein offered to the king of the world. And when perfecutors deftroyed thefe places, thofe bleffed fouls immediately rebuilt and beautified them, (Eufeb. 1. 10. c. ii.) to worship God, in the beauty of holiness. Thus to ferve God in dedicated churches, is moft fit for God's honour and our profit, where flesh and blood has no right, or prophane thing may be done; it nourishes in us an awe of God; and our fervices are beft accepted, 2 Chron. vii. 15. Mat. xii. 13. his eyes are open, and ears attentive to the prayers made there. See the promife, Exod. xx. 24. In all places dedicated to me, Gen. xxviii. 22. I will come and blefs thee; and fuch are all CONSECRATED churches and chapels, and therefore our holy church wifely orders that the prayers and public fervices of God fhall be offered up there,