Worship consists either in attributes, or in actions.
10. All signs of the mind are either words or deeds; and therefore all worship consists either in words or deeds. Now both the one and the other are referred to three kinds; whereof the first is praise, or public declaration of goodness; the second a public declaration of present power, which is to magnify, μεγάλυνειν; the third is a public declaration of happiness, or of power secure also for the future, which is called μακαρισμὸς. I say that all kinds of honour may be discerned, not in words only, but in deeds too. But we then praise and celebrate in words, when we do it by way of proposition, or dogmatically, that is to say, by attributes or titles; which may be termed praising and celebrating categorically and plainly; as when we declare him whom we honour to be liberal, strong, wise. And then in deeds, when it is done by consequence or by hypothesis or supposition; as by thanksgiving, which supposeth goodness; or by obedience, which supposeth power; or by congratulation, which supposeth happiness.
And there is one sort natural, and another arbitrary.
11. Now whether we desire to praise a man in words or deeds, we shall find some things which signify honour with all men: such as among attributes, are the general words of virtues and powers, which cannot be taken in ill sense; as good, fair, strong, just, and the like: and among actions, obedience, thanksgiving, prayers, and others of that kind, by which an acknowledgment of virtue and power is ever understood. Others, which signify honour but with some, and scorn with others, or else neither; such as in attributes, are those words, which, according to the diversity of opinions, are diversely referred to virtues or vices, to honest or dishonest things. As that a man slew his enemy, that he fled, that he is a philosopher, or an orator, and the like; which with some are had in honour, with others in contempt. In deeds, such as depend on the custom of the place, or prescriptions of civil laws; as in saluting to be bareheaded, to put off the shoes, to bend the body, to petition for anything standing, prostrate, kneeling, forms of ceremony, and the like. Now that worship which is always and by all men accounted honourable, may be called natural; the other, which follows places and customs, arbitrary.
One commanded, another voluntary.
12. Furthermore, worship may be enjoined, to wit, by the command of him that is worshipped, and it may be voluntary, namely, such as seems good to the worshipper. If it be enjoined, the actions expressing it do not signify honour, as they signify actions, but as they are enjoined: for they signify obedience immediately, obedience power; insomuch as worship enjoined consists in obedience. Voluntary is honourable only in the nature of the actions; which if they do signify honour to the beholders, it is worship, if not, it is reproach. Again, worship may be either public or private. But public, respecting each single worshipper, may not be voluntary; respecting the city, it may. For seeing that which is done voluntarily, depends on the will of the doer, there would not one worship be given, but as many worships as worshippers; except the will of all men were united by the command of one. But private worship may be voluntary, if it be done secretly; for what is done openly, is restrained either by laws or through modesty; which is contrary to the nature of a voluntary action.
What the end or aim of worship is.
13. Now that we may know what the scope and end of worshipping others is, we must consider the cause why men delight in worship. And we must grant what we have showed elsewhere; that joy consists in this, that a man contemplates virtue, strength, science, beauty, friends, or any power whatsoever, as being, or as though it were his own; and it is nothing else but a glory or triumph of the mind, conceiving itself honoured, that is to say, loved and feared, that is to say, having the services and assistances of men in readiness. Now because men believe him to be powerful, whom they see honoured, that is to say, esteemed powerful by others; it falls out that honour is increased by worship; and by the opinion of power true power is acquired. His end therefore, who either commands or suffers himself to be worshipped, is, that by this means he may acquire as many as he can, either through love or fear, to be obedient unto him.
What the natural laws are concerning God’s attributes.
14. But that we may understand what manner of worship of God natural reason doth assign us, let us begin from his attributes. Where first, it is manifest that existence is to be allowed him; for there can be no will to honour him, who, we think, hath no being. Next, those philosophers who said, that God was the world or the world’s soul, that is to say, a part of it, spake unworthily of God; for they attribute nothing to him, but wholly deny his being. For by the word God we understand the world’s cause. But in saying that the world is God, they say that it hath no cause, that is as much as there is no God. In like manner, they who maintain the world not to be created, but eternal; because there can be no cause of an eternal thing, in denying the world to have a cause, they deny also that there is a God. They also have a wretched apprehension of God, who imputing idleness to him, do take from him the government of the world and of mankind. For say, they should acknowledge him omnipotent; yet if he mind not these inferior things, that same thread-bare sentence will take place with them: quod supra nos, nihil ad nos; what is above us, doth not concern us. And seeing there is nothing for which they should either love or fear him, truly he will be to them as though he were not at all. Moreover, in attributes which signify greatness or power, those which signify some finite or limited thing, are not signs at all of an honouring mind. For we honour not God worthily, if we ascribe less power or greatness to him than possibly we can. But every finite thing is less than we can; for most easily we may always assign and attribute more to a finite thing. No shape therefore must be assigned to God, for all shape is finite; nor must he be said to be conceived or comprehended by imagination, or any other faculty of our soul; for whatsoever we conceive is finite. And although this word infinite signify a conception of the mind, yet it follows not that we have any conception of an infinite thing. For when we say that a thing is infinite, we signify nothing really, but the impotency in our own mind; as if we should say, we know not whether or where it is limited. Neither speak they honourably enough of God, who say we have an idea of him in our mind: for an idea is our conception; but conception we have none, except of a finite thing. Nor they, who say that he hath parts, or that he is some certain entire thing; which are also attributes of finite things. Nor that he is in any place; for nothing can be said to be in a place, but what hath bounds and limits of its greatness on all sides. Nor that he is moved or is at rest; for either of them suppose a being in some place. Nor that there are many Gods; because not many infinites. Furthermore, concerning attributes of happiness, those are unworthy of God which signify sorrow; (unless they be taken not for any passion, but, by a metonomy, for the effect); such as repentance, anger, pity. Or want; as appetite, hope, concupiscence, and that love which is also called lust; for they are signs of poverty; since it cannot be understood that a man should desire, hope, and wish for aught, but what he wants and stands in need of. Or any passive faculty; for suffering belongs to a limited power, and which depends upon another. When we therefore attribute a will to God, it is not to be conceived like unto ours, which is called a rational desire; (for if God desires, he wants, which for any man to say, is a contumely); but we must suppose some resemblance which we cannot conceive. In like manner when we attribute sight and other acts of the sense to him, or knowledge, or understanding, which in us are nothing else but a tumult of the mind, raised from outward objects pressing the organs; we must not think that any such thing befalls the Deity; for it is a sign of power depending upon some other, which is not the most blessed thing. He therefore who would not ascribe any other titles to God than what reason commands, must use such as are either negative, as infinite, eternal, incomprehensible, &c.; or superlative, as most good, most great, most powerful, &c.; or indefinite, as good, just, strong, creator, king, and the like; in such sense, as not desiring to declare what he is; (which were to circumscribe him within the narrow limits of our phantasy); but to confess his own admiration and obedience, which is the property of humility and of a mind yielding all the honour it possibly can do. For reason dictates one name alone which doth signify the nature of God, that is, existent, or simply, that he is; and one in order to, and in relation to us, namely God, under which is contained both King, and Lord, and Father.