Fides Catholica, or, The doctrine of the Catholick Church in eighteen grand ordinances referring to the Word, sacraments and prayer, in purity, number and nature, catholically maintained, and publickly taught against hereticks of all sorts : with the solutions of many proper and profitable questions sutable to to [sic] the nature of each ordinance treated of / by Wil. Annand ...

SECT. 1.

That there were some cert•••••• places wherein men did worship•• the Lord in times of peace and settlement, is clear in Scripture both before and after the law.

• 1 Before the law, Gen. 4.3, 4. Cain brought of the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought, of the Firstlings of his flock, and of∣fering unto 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Lord. Now bringing suppo•••••• a place which they both brought their offerings unto, even that place which by their Father, Adam, who shall be the priest that offered his sons

• sacrifice, had been as it were consecrated for Gods house, where∣in he and his family might publickly worship, for Cain when he had slain his Brother is said, to flee from the presence of the Lord, which must in this sence be only understood.

  This is the first congregation we read of, and represents all other to the end of the world. It is a mixed one, consist∣ing of good and bad members, sincere and Hypocritical of∣ferers.

  As bringing supposes a place, so a sacrifice supposes an altar, in which or at which the Lord is said to dwell, and an altar, and a sacrifice suppose a priest which in regard of dignity must be Adam. Who as a priest unto his family as Iob for his, offers up sacrifices for their sins and offences.

  Lo here at the very beginning of the world do we implicitly see a place set apart for publick worship. For God to dwell in, for God to be praised in; for God to be consulted withall, and for God to be offered to; which not only used for that time of Cains offering; but constantly dureing Adams aboad in that place, Gen. 4.16.

  In this sence generaly Divines take that place, Gen. 4.26. Then (viz. In the days of Seth) began men to call up••n the name of the Lord. Not that he was forgot before, but in more pub∣lick places or Churches, for men at that time building citys and houses for their own security and ease, it is not to be sup∣posed that places for Gods worship to be celebrated in, with safety and honour, was forgotten, since nature taught the very heathen to set apart places for the worshiping of their false Gods. Especialy since the distinction of clean and unclean beasts which was chiefly in respect of Sacrifice, was known be∣fore the flood, Gen. 7.2. That God that taught them to offer sacrifice, taught them also which to offer, and how to offer; without doubt taught them also where to offer, for the more honouring of his name in the eyes of the sonnes of Cain.

  To let passe that place, of Mount Ararat, where Noa, (that preacher of righteousnesse) builded an altar, and sacrifi∣ced. Gen. 9.20 and come to Abraham, for by him God intends,

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  and from among his sons, purposes to get himself a name, and establish to him self a Church; he near Bethel, builds an altar and there he worshipped God, not for a day only but as long as he and his family lived there, Gen. 12.8. by reason of a famine Abraham is forced to dwell in Egypt, who comeing thence when God had visited Canaan with bread, came to the place of the altar which he had made there at the first, and called upon the name of the Lord; Gen. 13.3, 4. that is at Bethel, whose name of old was Beersheba, Gen. 20.10, 19. At this selfe same place did Isacck build an altar and worship God, Gen. 26.23, 24. In the same place did God appear to Iacob, Gen. 28.10. Surely (saith he) the Lord is in this place, the house of God, vowes that it shall be Gods house and that he will give his tithe thereto, or of∣fer them thereon, ver. 17. And when after twenty years he re∣turned he is called upon to go to Bethel, and offer sacrifice which he did, Gen. 35 1. At the same place he offered when he went down into Egypt. Gen. 46.1. For to sojourn, with his son Ioseph.

  Thus we see Bethel was as it were the Mother Church to these three glorious patriarcks, their other altars o places of sacrifice being but chappels of ease unto it, nay it is not improbable, that it is the very place where Noa sacrificed at first, however we are sure, it was a place of worship, a place where God dwelt, in the days of Samuel. 1 Samuel 10.3.

  Further, Gen. 22.2. Abraham is commanded to go to mount Moria, and offer up his son Isaack, the very same place where David is directed by God to build a altar for restraining the plage among his people, the place where Abrahams altar stood, A. M. 2062. was the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. A. M. 2922. and the place which was his threshing floor, was the place where Solomon laid the foundation of his temple, A.M. 2933. and then and there God established himself a Church; and appointed that to be the place of worship, unto the Church of the Iwes, but this leades us to the next point (viz.)

• 2. After the law, and that before the Captivity and after.

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  • 1. Before the Captivity, when Israel had been in the house of bondage, and from it delivered, and when God had given them rest, he appointed a place of worship, Deut. 12.5, 11. to bring burnt offerings, sacrifices & tithes, which is called his habita∣tion; this was in Shiloc, Ios. 18.1. and there was the place of Israels service all the days of the days of the Judges, even untill the days of David, 1 Sam. 1.3. who removed it into his own city, 2 Sam. 6.12. Where it abode in tents untill Salomon builded a Temple, 1 Kings 6.1. where it remained all the days of the Kings of Iudah, untill the days of Zedekiah, 2 Chron. 36.11. at which time the Temple or house of the Lord was burned with fire, A. M. 3360. 2 King. 25.9. and the Lords people carried away to a strange land even unto Babylon, where the harps of the sons of Iacob were hung upon the trees by the rivers of Babylon, as being of no use, since the glory was de∣parted from Israel, Psal. 137.2.
  • 2. After the Captivity, and that before Christ and after.
    • 1. Before Christ. When the seventy years of Iacobs trouble was accomplished, according to the word of the Lord spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah; Cirus King of Persia, who had conquer∣ed in battel Asyages King or Emperour of B••bylon, and uni∣ted the Monarchy, A. 3403. he appointed that the house of the Lord should be rebuilded at Ierusalem, 2 Chro. 36.22. the foundation of it is laid by Zerubbabel, A. M. 3422. Ezek. 10. and finished, A. 3528. and dedicated for a place of pub∣lick worship, Ezra. 6.15, 16. this continued the place of wor∣ship for 350. years, and and then was polluted by Antiochus Epiphanes, by reason of Idols, but being cleansed by Iudas Maccabeus it was restored unto its first use, 1 Mac. 4.59. and repaired afterwards by Herod the Ascalonit, King of the Jews, who also beautified it with sumptuous buildings and curious stones, to obtaine favour of that people, not for love of the place, which continued the days of our Saviour.
    • 2. After Christ, and that before and after his ascension.
    • 1. Before his ascension, In our Saviours time we read free∣quently of Synagogues, so called from the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 to ga∣ther

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    • together, and may be applied to any thing whereof there is a collection, yet they are vulgarly taken for those houses de∣dicated to the service of God, wherein it was lawfull to per∣form any kind of holy service, except sacrifycing. The Temple at Ierusalem was as the Cathedral Church for the whole Dio∣cess of Israel; and these Synagogues, as Parish-Churches to the people.

      When they began, the Scripture gives no particular account, however in regard that the Temple was a great distance from most of the people, and the Sabbaths were to be observed: Its probable they were erected in the days of Iosuah after the Lord had given the people rest: That they were in Davids time is clear, Psalm 74.8. And Moses of old time was preached therein every Sabbath, Acts 15.21. In the City of Ierusalem there were 480. of them; there were of them in Ga∣lilee, Mat. 4.23. In Damascus, Acts 9.2. At Antioch, and at Salamis, Acts 13. In all which places Christ and his Apostles did preach and teach the people.

      The Synagogues had written over the gates, that of Psalm 118.20. This is the Gate, the Righteous shall enter into it. and upon the walls within for the people to meditate upon such sentences as these, Remember thy Creator; Silence is com∣mendable in time of Prayer. In them the Scribes ordinarily taught the people; And as in the Temple there was a high Priest, in these there was a chief Ruler: they had in them al∣so an Ark, wherein they keeped the book of God, and the peoples faces were towards it; both these and the Temple were places of publick worship in the time before Christ his ascention.

    • 2. After his ascension, Peter and Iohn taught in the Temple, Acts 3. & 5.42. so also in the Synagogues, as those of the Li∣bertines, Cyrenians, Alexandria, of Asia, Acts 6.9. and several other all which were places set apart for divine service, and frequented by the Apostles, Acts 14.1. during their life, yea, since Ierusalems destruction, the Jews had Synagogues in Rome, Venice, Mentz, Frankford, Fridburg, Amsterdam, in Polonia, and in Hungaria, where they meet together to pray, and to

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    • hear the Law, and great preparation is made before their en∣trance; using these words when the bo••k of the Law is brought out of the Ark, into the pulpit, Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered, Psalm 68.1.