Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A02771
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The temple A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the fifth of August. 1624. By Tho. Adams.
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Adams, Thomas, fl. 1612-1653.
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1624
(1624)
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STC 129; ESTC S100422
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35,512
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74
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not rather go home to his house Peter and Iohn went vp into the Temple at the houre of Prayer Actes 3.1 they thought it not sufficient to pray in their priuate chambers but ioyne themselues with the Congregation as a Nauy Royall to transport their holy Merchandise to heauen Psalm 134.2 Lift vp your hands in the Sanctuary and blesse the Lord. Pure hands are accepted in euery place but especially in the Sanctuary What followes The Lord that made heauen and earth blesse thee out of Sion Hee sayes not the Lord that made heauen blesse thee vpon earth nor the Lord that made earth blesse thee out of heauen but the Lord that made heauen and earth blesse thee out of Sion Blessings come originally from heauen mediately through Sion In the Temple let vs seeke in the Temple wee shall finde those precious treasures and comforts of Iesus Christ This Temple is not without some enemies Besides those prophane Polititians that thinke with one Eustathius that there is no vse of Temples or those Massilians who as Damascen reports did adde to other Heresies Templorum contemptum or those Pseudo-Apostoli that laughed at a Temple full of Suppliants as a house full of fooles Or those that bee of Ieroboams mind who to settle himselfe in the kingdome of Israel diuerts the people from Gods house at Ierusalem In stead of that snowy glittering Temple they shall haue two golden representations Sion is too farre off these shall bee neere home that is a tedious way of deuotion these both compendious and plausible Antiqu. lib. 8. cap. 3. As Iosephus brings him in perswading them My good people and friends you cannot but know that no place is without God and that no place doth containe God wheresoeuer we pray he can heare vs wheresoeuer we worship hee can see vs therefore the Temple is superfluous the iourney needlesse God is better able to come to you then you are to goe to him Beside these the Temple of God hath two kinds of foes 1. The Anabaptists tell vs that the old superstition hath made those houses fitter for Stables then for Churches that they ought no more to be called Templa Dei but Templa Idolorum as they pretend the Passeouer was called in those corrupt times Iohn 2.13 not Pascha Dei but Pascha Iudaeorum By the same reason they would haue remoued all Princes because some haue abused their gouernments But we say though euill men abuse good things yet if a kingdome were not a lawfull State Dauid and Iosias would neuer haue been Kings for good men doe not vse euill things The Temple in Christs time was become a denne of theeues yet euen then and there did hee send vp deuout and holy Prayers It is a grosse ignorance that cannot distinguish betwixt a fault that proceeds ex natura facti Th. 1. qu. 41. art 6. and that which proceeds ex abusu boni the former is malum simpliciter the other is but malum per accidens No man pulles downe his house because vncleannesse hath been committed in one of the chambers Let offenders be remoued from the Temple not the Temple demolished because of offences The Kingdome of God shall be taken from you Math. 21.43 saith Christ not quite taken away but onely taken from the Iewes When GOD threatned the like to Saul 1 Sam. 15.28 he did not meane to haue no more Kings or to reduce it to the former state of Iudges no onely the kingdome shall lose Saul but Israel shall not lose the kingdome It is a Maxime in nature Things dedicated to God are not to bee transferred to the vses of men a principle in Philosophy Plato Quae rectè data sunt eripi non licet and a prouerbe among our children To giue a thing and take a thing is fit for the Deuils darling 2. The Sacrilegious to whom God is beholding if they let his Temple stand but for the maintenance of it they will bee so bold with him as either to share halfe or leaue him none There bee many that pray in the Temple who yet also prey on the Temple as if a thiefe should doe homage to that house in the day which hee meanes to robbe in the night But alas why should I touch that sore which is all dead flesh or speake against Sacriledge In orbe sacrilego among them that delight in it Where Lawyers are feeed hired bribed to maintaine Sacriledge God and his poore Ministers may euen hold their peace Something would be spoken for Sions sake but I take this place and time for neither the right Vbi nor Quando We know Abigail would not tell Nabal of his drunkennesse till hee was awoke from his wine Whensoeuer it shall please God to awake you from this intoxication we may then find a season to speak to you But God keepe you from Nabals destiny 1 Sam. 25.37 that when this sinne shall bee obiected to your Consciences on your death-beds your hearts doe not then die in you like a stone One thing let me beg of you in the Name of him whom you thus wrong Howsoeuer you persist to robbe the Temple of the due Salary yet doe not stand to iustifie it By imploring mercy perhaps you may bee saued but by iustifying the Iniury you cannot but be lost As the French King Francis the first said to a woman kneeling and crying to him for Iustice Stand vp woman for Iustice Iowe thee if thou beg'st any thing beg mercy So if you request any thing of God let it bee mercy for he owes you Iustice and in this poynt God be mercifull to you all It was Dauids earnest prayer One thing haue I desired of the Lord Psalm 27.7 and that will I seeke after that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the dayes of my life to behold the beautie of the Lord and to enquire in his Temple There are many that pray Dauids words but not with Dauids heart Vnum petij one thing I haue desired De praeterito for the time past hoc requiram this I will still seeke after de futuro for the time to come I haue required it long and this suite I will vrge till I haue obtained it What to dwell in some of the houses of God all the dayes of my life and to leaue them to my children after me not to serue him there with deuotion but to make the place mine owne possession These loue the House of God too well they loue it to Haue and to Hold but because the Conueyance is made by the Lawyer and not by the Minister their Title will bee found naught in the end and if there bee not a Nifi prius to preuent them yet at the great day of vniuersall Audite the Iudge of all the world shal condemne them By this way the neerer to the Church the further from God The Lords Temple is ordained to gaine vs to him not for vs
law and Pot of heauenly Manna are preserued the one restraining vs from sinne to come by a happy preuention the other assuring vs pardon of sinne past with a blessed consolation Let vs looke further vpon the golden Candlesticks our illumined vnderstandings wherby we perceiue the will of our Maker and discerne the way of our eternall peace Then vpon the Tables of Shew-bread which be our holy memories that keepe the bread of life continually ready within vs. Yea Memory is the treasury of this Temple which so lockes vp those celestiall riches that wee can draw them forth for vse at all opportunities Here is also the Vaile and those silken curtaines and costly hangings the Righteousnes of Christ which makes vs acceptable to God both hiding our own infirmities and decking vs with his vertues Here is the Altar for sacrifice the contrite heart the beast to be slain is not found among our heards but among our affections we must sacrifice our lusts the knife to kill them which would else kill vs is the Sword of the Spirit the Word of God the fire to consume them is holy zeale kindled in our brests by the inspiration of God There be other sacrifices also for vs to offer in this Temple on this Altar Besides our praises and prayers Psal 141.2 the setting forth of our prayer as Incense and the lifting vp our hands as an euening sacrifice there is mercy charitable deeds What is deuotion without compassion What sacrifice without mercy Math. 5.23 If thy brother hath ought against thee yea if thou haue ought that should haue bin thy brothers thy oblation will stink in Gods nostrils It was an old complaint of the Church that her stones were clothed and her childrē naked that the curious found matter to delight them but the distressed found not bread to sustaine them Therfore saith S. Augustine Aug. in Psa 41. Si habes taurum pinguem occide pauperibus If thou haue a fat Bull sacrifice it to the poore Though they cannot drink the blood of goats they can eat the flesh of bulls And he that saith Psal 50.12 If I were hungry I would not tell thee yet wil acknowledge at the last day I was hungry Math. 25. and thou didst feed mee Come thou blessed The poore haue Gods commendatory letters to vs and our prayers be our commendatory letters to God if we will not hearken to him how should he gratifie vs Thus O Christian art thou a mouing Temple of the liuing God Let this teach vs all to adorne these Temples with decent graces Superstition cares not what it bestowes on materiall Fanes mountainous Columnes Marble Pillars gorgeous Monuments which yet are not sensible of their owne ornaments spangled Crucifixes Images clad in Silkes and Tissues with embroydered Canopies and Tables beset with Pearles and Diamonds Thus bountifull is she to her superfluities Oh that our Religion would doe something for these ancient and ruinous walls But how much more precious bee these spirituall Temples of our selues How much more noble ought to be their furnitures First then if we be the Temples of God let vs bee holy for holinesse O Lord becommeth thy House for euer 2. It is Domus orationis they must haue the continuall exercises of Prayer In Templo vis orare In te ora Wouldst thou pray in Gods Temple Pray in thy selfe 3. The sound of the high praises of God must bee heard in these Temples There euery man speaks of his honour It pleaseth the Lord to inhabite the praises of Israel Psal 38.9 And Psal 48. Wee haue thought of thy louing kindnes O God in the midst of thy Temple that is euen in the midst of our selues in our owne hearts There let vs think vpon his mercies there eccho forth his praises 4. The Inhabitant disposeth all the roomes of his house if God dwell in vs let him rule vs. Submit thy will to his word thy affections to his Spirit It is fit that euery man should beare rule in his owne house 5. Let vs bee glad when hee is in vs and giue him no disturbance Let not the foulenes of any roome make him dislike his habitation Cleanse all the sluttish corners of sinne and perfume the whole house with Myrrhe Cassia Still be getting neerer to thy Land-lord other Inhabitants come home to their houses but here the house must striue to come home to the Inhabitant Whensoeuer God comestoward thee meet him by the way and bid him welcome to his owne 6. Lastly if we be the Lords houses then no bodies else The materiall Temples are not to bee diuerted to common offices much more should the spirituall be vsed only for Gods seruice Let vs not alienate his rights thus hee will say This is my house heere will I dwell for I haue a delight therein O may we so adorne these Temples with graces that God may take delight to dwell in vs. Idols These be the Temples the Idols that haunt them wee better know then know how to expell they bee our lustes and inordinate affections the rebellions of our corrupt nature which fight against the Soule defile the bodie and disgrace the Temples of Gods Spirit So I passe from them to the last poynt that betwixt these libidinous Idols and those spirituall Temples there can be No agreement God wil dwel with no Inmates if vncleannes be there Reuel 21.27 will the fountain of all purity abide it Will Christ dwell with an adulterer He that will suffer no vncleane thing to enter his citie aboue will he himselfe dwell in an vncleane citie below O think how execrable that sin is which doth not onely take the members of Christ and makes them the limbs of an harlot but euen turneth Christs Temples into stinking Brothels Our hearts bee the Altars to send vp the sweet Incense of deuout prayers and cherefull thanksgiuings if the smoke of malicious thoughts bee found there will God accept our oblations Is it possible that man should please his Father that will not be reconciled to his brother The Lamps of knowledge and sobrietie are burning within vs will not the deluge of drink put them out Will the Lord dwell in a drunken body Must we not cease to be his Temples when we become Bacchus his Tuns and tunnels There is Manna the bread of life within vs will not Epicurisme throat-indulgence corrupt it There is peace in vs will not pride and contention affright it There is the loue of heauen in vs wil not the loue of the world banish it Shall the graces of God cohabitate with the vices of Satan Wil the Temple of God indure Idols No these Eagles plumes wil not brook the blending with cōmon fethers this heauenly gold scornes the mixture of base and sophisticate metalls Let vs search our hearts ransake them narrowly if we doe not cast out these Idols God will not own vs for his Temples Math. 21.13 My House