A dispute against the English-popish ceremonies, obtruded upon the Church of Scotland Wherein not…A dispute against the English-popish ceremonies, obtruded vpon the Church of Scotland Wherein not…

and I pray, which is the Word, and which be the Prayers, that make holy those things, which the Bishop avoucheth for things consecrated and made holy by the Church, namely, the ground whereupon the Church is built, the stones and timber of an hospital, the rents, lands, moneys or goods, given to the Ministry, and the poor, the vessels, vestures, tables, napkins, basins, &c. appointed for the public worship?

and I pray, which is the Word, and which be the Prayers, that make holy those things, which the Bishop avoucheth for things consecrated and made holy by the Church, namely, the ground wherevpon the Church is built, the stones and timber of an hospitall, the rents, lands, moneys or goods, given to the Ministery, and the poore, the veshels, vestures, tables, napkines, basens, &c. appointed for the publike worship?

2. Times, places, and things which the Church designeth for Sect. 8 the worship of God if they be made holy by consecration of them to holy Political uses, then either they are made holy, by the holy uses to which they are to be applied, or else by the Churches dedicating of them to those uses. They can not be called holy by virtue ⟨p. 8⟩of their application to holy uses, for then (as ^tAmes argueth) the air is sacred, because it is applied to the Minister his speech whiles he is preaching, then is the light sacred which is applied to his eye in reading, then are his spectacles sacred which are used by him reading his text, &c. But neither yet are they holy, by virtue of the Churches dedicating of them to those uses for which she appointeth them: for the Church hath no such power as by her dedication to make them holy. ^uP. Martyr condemneth the dedication or consecration (for those words he useth promiscuously, whereby the Papists hallow Churches, and he declareth against it the Judgment of our Divines to be this, licere imo jure pietatis requiri, ut in prima cujusque rei usurpatione, gratias Deo agamus, ejusque bonitatem celebremus, &c. Collati boni religiosum ac sanctum usum poscamus. This he opposeth to the Popish dedication of Temples & Bells, as appeareth by these words quanto sanius rectiusque decernimus. He implieth therefore that these things are only consecrated, as every other thing is consecrated to us. Of this kind of consecration he hath given examples. In libro Nehemiae dedicatio maenium civitatis commemoratur, quae nil aliud fuit nisi quod muris urbis instauratis, populus una cum Levitis & Sacerdotibus, nec non principibus, co see contulit, ibique gratias Deo egerunt de maenibus reaedificatis, & justam civitatis usuram postularunt, qua item ratione prius quam sumamus cibum, nos etiam illum consecramus. As the walls of Jerusalem then, and as our ordinary meat are consecrated, so are Churches consecrated, and no otherwise can they be said to be dedicated, except one would use the word dedication, in that sense wherein it is taken,