adorning of our Churches which are likewise domus Dei domus orationis Gods houses consecrated and dedicared to his worship and seruice as was the Temple in Ierusalem And may not I say to you touching these as the Prophet did here vnto these Iewes touching the Temple Is it time for your selues to dwell in your sieled houses and this house lye wast So is it time for your selues to dwell in your sieled curious costly houses let your Churches which are Gods houses of prayer lye waste or vndecently rude and neglected as in too many places they doe throughout the Country Villages and some better Townes What an eye-soare is it to a Christian that loueth euen the outward beauty of Gods house What an vnwelcome abatement to his deuotion to behold in the place of the best account in this world the worst outside mouldy greene walls ill-fauoured pillers ragged floores vnseemely seates battered windowes homely Carpets and Linnen for Gods Table where his holy Sacrament is administred poore and base Ornaments or none at all for the Pulpits whence Gods Oracles are deliuered and such like And is not all this true in many of your Churches throughout this Countrey And yet who sees any thing amisse as if there were nothing to be presented but Omnia bene All is well Tertullian will tell you that Pietas est pro pietate sumptus facere That it is godlinesse to be at cost with God And I am perswaded that our Churches being Gods sanctuaries and dedicated to his seruice if they had their due habite and hability would serue ought to be more decent and beautiful then the houses of the rich or Nobles in this world nay they cannot be too beautifull Math. 10.16 all superstition and idolatry set aside Christians should bee as Doues without all gall of bitternesse and Doues you know loue to resort to a sweet and a dainty house Aspicis vt veniunt ad candida tecta Columbae Oh how farre short come we of that zeale of the Israelites in the building and beautifying of Gods Tabernacle when the workmen were faine to cry out to hold the peoples hands Plus affert populus quà m necessarium est Exod. 36.5 The people bring too much and more then enough for the vse of the worke Whereas we may cry out as fast on the other side The people bring too little nay they will hardly offer any thing I say not to the adorning and beautifying of Gods house quorsum perditio haec That were wast and superfluity indeed but to the ordinary reparation and maintenance thereof were it not for feare of presentment and danger of the law Brethren these things ought not so to be Againe looke into the 20. verse of the 2. Chapter of this Prophesie Hag. 220. and you shall see how God promised to blesse these Iewes vpon their diligence zeale in building and beautifying his Temple Gods materiall house in Ierusalem Is the seed yet in the Barne as yet the Vine and the Fig-tree and the Pomegranat and the Oliue tree hath not brought forth from this day I will blesse you And will not the Lord thinke you be as ready to blesse vs vpon our diligence and zeale in repairing and adorning our Churches Gods materiall houses among vs but especially in building his spirituall house reuerencing his sanctuary sanctifying his Sabbaths hearing his Word receiuing his Sacraments fearing the Lord and walking in his wayes If thus we shall doe touching Gods spirituall and materiall houses as becommeth good Christians to doe then no doubt the Lord will heare the cry of the Heauens Hos 2.21.22 the Heauens shall heare the cry of the earth and the earth shall heare the cry of the Corne the Wine and the Oyle and the fruites of the earth shall heare the cry of the people and he will blesse vs with plenty and abundance If thus we shall doe with zeale and piety then no doubt the Lord will say to vs as he did vnto this people From this day will I blesse you loe from this day forward will I blesse you One short obseruation more so an end Though time hath wings yet houe I not much transgrest my bounds And therefore listen yet a little I beseech you and I will not ouermuch straine the strings of your attention Here it is said that Prince Priest and People came and did the worke in the House of the Lord of Hostes their God Ezra 4.3 And in the 4 of Ezra we reade that reiecting the aduersaries of Gods true Religion they went about this worke themselues and they went about it together so linckt in concord and vnitie as if they had beene but one man So that they came to this worke as the Tribes came to Dauid with a single heart with a willing heart with one heart And so the Lord of Hostes who is the God of vnitie blessed and prospered the labours of their hands In like manner If we would be blessed and prosper in the building of Gods house which is the Church of the liuing God If we would haue impietie defaced pietie practised true religion imbraced and the Gospel to flourish we must not betake our selues to this businesse like those two Tribes of Israel Manasses readie to eat vp Ephraim and Ephraim Manasses We must not goe about this worke like Sampsons Foxes back to backe one drawing one way and another an other way one building vp and another pulling downe as Iesus Syrach speaketh but rather like the Cherubins on the Mercie seat Exod. 37.9 turning face to face or like those Angels in Ezekiel Ezek. 1.9 ioyning wing to wing so we ioyning hand to hand heart to heart as if that blessing of God Ezek. 37.19 in the 37 of Ezekiel had fallen vpon vs. The wood of Iudah and the wood of Ioseph shall be ioyned in one tree and then shall we prosper in the building of Gods house when we our selues are composed ioyned together like Ierusalem Psal 122 3. which was builded as a Citie that was at vnitie in it selfe We must not then goe about this building like the builders of Babel in the confusion of tongues One speaking in the Language of Atheisme another in the Language of Papisme another in the Language of Brownisme another in the Language of Anabaptisme one speaking in the Language of this Sectary another in the Language of that deuided into companies like Labans Sheepe O no If we would haue this Spirituall building to goe on currantly we must all endeauour to speake one Language euen that which the Prophet Esay tearmeth the Language of Canaan Esay 19.18 by which may be meant the true profession of the one and onely true God and his sincere and true Religion O Lord let neuer the abhomination of desolation defile thy Temple O Lord let neuer the Arke and the Idol Dagon be set to stand vpon one Altar among vs. 2 Cor. 6.14
A SERMON PREACHED AT CERN IN THE COVNTY of Dorset the 18. day of September 1623. at the Visitation of the Right Reuerend Father in God the Lord Bishop of BRISTOLL BY ROBERT LOVGHER Pastor of Mapowder HAGGAI 1.4 Is it time for your selues to dwell in your sieled houses and this house lye wast LONDON Printed by IOHN LEGATT for FRANCIS CONSTABLE and are to be sold at his Shop at the Signe of the White Lyon in S. Pauls Church-yard 1624. To the Right Reuerend Father in God ROBERT by Diuine prouidence Bishop of BRISTOLL R. L. wisheth all health and happinesse both Temporall and Eternall RIght Reuerend Your Lordships request at Cern was to me as a command vpon my Canonicall obedience so that I durst not neglect the Apostles precept Obedite praepositis as hauing likewise learned that obedience is better then sacrifice Hauing hereupon summed vp my weake Meditations I haue now made bould to send you a Copie of my poore Labours in your Visitation according to your Lordships pleasure and my promise Whatsoeuer it was if any thing in the speaking I feare me it will be no thing or no thing like in the reading as wanting that life which is the first second and third thing as in a Rhetoricall so in a Theologicall Orator Onely this is my comfort that your Lordship will be pleased to giue it both life and grace by your reading it together with a kind of Episcopall confirmation by imposing your sacred hands vpon it Whatsoeuer it is it is wholy yours preached by your appointment and in your Lordships Visitation transcribed according to your pleasure and now with all humilitie it comes to kisse your Lordships hands in hope of a gracious and fauourable acceptance Princes and people did bring to King Dauid Brasse Siluer Gold and pretious Stones in great aboundance towards the building of a Temple a materiall House for the Lord of Hostes. Siluer I haue none and Gold I haue none nor any precious and curious stuffe fit for this purpose but such as I haue giue I vnto you towards the building of Gods spirituall House And where there is a willing and a readie minde God accepteth according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not Tolle Lege And the Lord giue a blessing to it and vouchsafe to blesse your Lordship for deigning thus to blesse and to grace it And so I cease to trouble you but neuer to honour you resting Euer deuoted to your Lordships seruice ROBERT LOVGHER Haggai cap. 1. vers 14. And the Lord stirred vp the spirit of Zerubbabel the sonne of Shealtiel a Prince of Iudah and the spirit of Iehoshua the sonne of Iehozadak the hie Priest and the spirit of all the remnant of the people and they came and did the worke in the house of the Lord of Hosts their God THE Lord commanded Moses to make two siluer trumpets which were to bee sounded by the Priests the sonnes of Aaron Numb 10.1 c. At the first sound of the trumpet the Rulers were to stirre the sounding againe of the trumpets was for the people so we reade in the tenth chapter of the booke of Numbers Men brethren and fathers right reuerend and the rest beloued in our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ It hath pleased God at this time to send me one of the meanest and weakest of the sonnes of Aaron to sound out the siluer trumpet of his sacred word to incite and stirre vp both Rulers and people to a conscionable performance of their duties in their seuerall places And the rather to animate and incourage me in this his Message he commandeth me as he doth all his Embassadours in the like case To cry aloud to lift vp my voice like a trumpet to shew his people their transgression and the house of Iacob their sinnes Esay 58 1. as it is in the 58. chapt of the prophesie of Esay You know how famous Ierusalem sometimes was the Citie of God and the Temple builded there by King Salomon â— Chro. 22.5 accounted the mirrour and glory of the world Yet for the sinnes of Princes Priests and people both Citie and Temple were brought vnto destruction by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians Who after two yeeres siege rased the Citie and burnt the Temple downe to the ground carrying away both Princes and people as slaues to Babylon when after 70. yeeres captiuitie Cyrus king of Perfia subduing the Chaldeans gaue them leaue to returne to Indea their owne countrey with commandement and authoritie to reedifie and build vp the Temple destroyed by the Babylonians restoring also the vessels of the house of God which were of siluer and gold carried away by Nebuchadonosor all which to a great number were deliuered to Zerubbabel Prince of the people 50400. Eâ—ra 1.11 which returned with him to Ierusalem This people two yeeres after their returne began to lay the foundation of the Temple where it stood before And this was done with great reioycing with trumpets and cymbals with singing of the Leuites and shouting of the people But they had no sooner begun but presently there arose vp aduersaries who openly and secretly hindered this worke vntill the second yeere of king Darius who mou'd by the Spirit of God did further this building as king Cyrus did before him But now behold Prince Priest and people were so carried away some with matter of pleasure this way and some with matter of profit that way that they little regarded the building of Gods sanctuary running euery man to his owne house and letting Gods house lie waste as it is in the ninth verse Whereupon the Lord raised vp this his Prophet Haggai to rouse them out of their sleepe of security and carelesnesse and to spurre them forward in the worke of the Lords house which here you see did take effect And the Lord stirred vp the spirit of Zerubbabel the Prince c. In which words are foure things remarkeable and of vs at this time to be considered First what is meant by the word spirit Secondly who stirred vp the spirit And that was God The Lord stirred vp the spirit Thirdly the persons whose spirit the Lord stirred vp And they were Prince Priest and People The Lord stirred vp the spirit of Zerubbabel the Prince and the spirit of Iehoshua the hie Priest and the spirit of all the remnant of the people Fourthly the end wherefore the Lord stirred vp the spirit of Prince Priest and people and that was to the repairing and building of his Temple they came and did the worke in the house of the Lord of hosts their God Of these points while I shall speake briefely and plainly as it shall please the Spirit of God to afford me his blessed assistance lend me I beseech you a little your wonted patience and attention And the Lord stirred vp the spirit This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 spirit hath in the Scriptures diuers significations Sometimes it is
taken for the nature of the Godhead or for God generally as in the 4. Ioh. 4.24 of Iohn God is a Spirit Sometimes for the third person in the Godhead specially so in the 1. Ioh. 5. There are three which beare record in heauen 1. Ioh. 5.7 the Father the Word and the holy Spirit Sometimes the good Angels are called spirits as in the first of the Hebrewes Hee made the spirits his Messengers Sometimes the euill angels are called spirits Heb. 1.7 as in the 10. of Luke Luk. 10.20 In this reioyce not that the spirits that is that the diuels are subdued vnto you but rather reioyce because your names are written in heauen Sometimes againe it is taken for the winde So in the 3. of Ioh. Spiritus vbi vult spirat The winde bloweth where it listeth Ioh. 3.8 Sometime it is taken for a vehement zeale and violent motion of the minde either to good or euill Luk. 9.55 So in the 9. of Luke Nescitis cuius spiritus estis You know not of what spirit you are Sometime it may be taken for breath as the signe of the soule or life as in the 2. of Iames the last verse As the body without the spirit is dead Iam. 2.26 so faith without workes is dead also Where by spirit I doe not thinke to be properly vnderstood the soule as the Rhemists would haue it in their annotations on that chapter for then workes must animate and giue life to faith as the soule doth to the body whereas S. Austin teacheth that Opera sunt ex fide non ex operibus fides That workes are of faith and not faith of workes So then as breath is not the life of the body but a signe of the soule which is the life of the body so charity is not the forme of faith good workes are not the life of faith but they are a signe of that confidence and trust in God which is forme and which is the life of faith As therefore that body which is without spirit that is without breth is knowne to be but a dead body So that faith which is without good workes is knowne to be but a dead faith Sometime indeede it is taken for the soule of man as in the seauenth of the Acts. Domine suscipe spiritum meum Act. 7.59 So Saint Steuen Lord receiue my spirit that is my soule And so our Sauiour Christ in the 23. of Luk. Pater in manus tuas commendo spiritum meum Father into thy hands I commend my spirit that is my soule Luk. 23.46 Contrarie to that error of Apollinaris who held that Christ had a true body but had no soule but in steed of the soule stood the diuinitie which is plainly confuted by that of our Sauiour in another place where he saith Mark 14.34 My soule is very heauie euen vnto the death And againe Christ was made man like vnto vs in all things sinne only excepted and therefore needs must haue a soule which is the chiefe and principall part of man Sometimes againe it is taken for the mind of man Pro animo quo sapimus pro mente qua diuina contemplamur And this is said to be the noblest part of the soule Whereof the Apostle in the first of the Thess 5. I pray God that your spirit and soule 1. Thess 5.23 and body may be kept blamelesse and in the 1. Cor. 2. What man knoweth the things of man saue the spirit of man 1. Cor. 2. â—â— that is the minde of man which is in him Finally it may be taken sometime for the will of man or rather for a mixt power in the minde and will of man and so vnder the leaue of better iudgement I take it to be vsed here in my text Now let vs see in the next place who stirred vp this spirit this Mixtam potestatem in mente voluntate humana And that was God The Lord stirred vp the spirit Here must I of necessitie passe by a a maine point of controuersie touching mans will for I haue farre to goe and but a little time to spend and I would not willingly forget that saying of S. Hierome Quâm auditoris animus plus quà m valet tenditur mentis corda rumpitur When the eares of auditors are once strained beyond their accustomed compasse the strings of their attention are ready to burst asunder Briefely then to the purpose and no more The Lord stirred vp the spirit Here the Prophet setteth downe God to be the author of the godly motions of their minds and of the good inclination of their wils that they might not attribute any thing to their owne strength or powerfulnesse And as the Prophet preached not of his owne head and by his owne authoritie but by the instinct of Gods holy Spirit as the Lord his God had sent him So the Spirit of the same Lord stirred vp the minds and wils of Prince Priest and people first to here Gods messenger secondly to learne his will thirdly to feare him and fourthly to doe what he required at their hands The Prophet faithfully deliuered the word of the Lord as you may see in the 12. verse But to shew that Paul May plant and Apollos may water and that neither he that planteth is any thing nor he that watereth but God that giueth the increase It is here said That the Lord stirred vp the spirit Whence we learne so oft as we doe any thing that good is not to attribute that arrogantly to our selues which properly belongs to God seeing no man is fit for Gods worke but whom God stirreth vp transforming his minde informing his vnderstanding reforming his will conforming his affections and forming or rather creating in him a cleane heart and renewing a right spirit within him And thus is man changed into the image of God from from glory to glory by the spirit of the Lord whose workemanship he is 2. Cor. 3.18 created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes Eph. 2.10 which God hath ordained that he should walke in them The Apostle teacheth in the 2. of the Cor. and the 3. that of selues as of our selues we are not able to thinke a good thought 2. Cor. 3.5 much lesse saith S. Aug. are we able to desire to will and doe a good worke but all our sufficiency saith th'apostle is of God who worketh in vs Et velle operari Phil. 2.13 both the will and the deed euen of his good pleasure So that without Gods operation first to make vs willing and cooperation afterwards when we are willing we are neither able nor willing to doe any thing that good is No euery good giuing and euery perfect gift is from aboue Iam. 1.17 and commeth downe from the Father of lights who as at the first with his preuenting grace doth worke this in vs to be willing so afterwards with his subsequent grace he doth accompanie vs cooperate and
worke with vs that we will not in vaine according to S. Austin In short then As the eccho answereth not vnlesse first there be a voice or a sound as it were infused into it So Zerubabel the Prince Iehoshua the hie Priest and the remnant of the people could not answer in the language of true obedience vnto God vntill first the voice of the Lord did sound in their eares and his holy Spirit was infused into their hearts whereby they might say Paratum est cor nostrum Deus paratum est cor nostrum Our hearts are ready ô God our hearts are ready and so are our hands for the building of thy house And the Lord stirred vp excitauit The word in the originall signifieth to awake out of sleepe according to S. Hierom And so he translates it thus suscitauit Dominus spiritum And the Lord awaked the spirit Which me thinkes is a notable metaphor or borrowed phrase of speech setting forth the nature of sinne vnto vs. For sinne is indeede a sleepe of the soule hauing no feare nor feeling of God so long as a man lyes secure and carelesse in it And this is a phrase much vsed by the Apostle Saint Paul as you may see throughout his Epistles As in the 13. of the Rom. It is now time to awake from sleepe Rom. 13.11 and in the 1. of the Thess 5. Let vs not sleepe as other doe 1. Thess 5.6 but let vs watch and be sober And in the 1. Cor. 15. Awake to liue righteously and sin not 1. Cor. 15.34 and in the 5. of the Ephes Awake thou that sleepest and stand vp from the dead Ephes 5.14 and Christ shall giue thee light c. Thou hast a name that thou liuest saith the Lord to the Church of Sardis in the 3. of the Reuel 1. verse but indeed thou art dead Now as if this death in sinne were a sleepe he saith in the 2. verse be awaked and if thou wilt not awake I will come on thee as a theefe c. God in his holy word by corporall things vseth to declare vnto vs the nature of things spirituall both good and bad As we when our bodies lye sleeping in our beds which is the very image of our graue can neither see here feele taste smell mooue out of the place nor take any pleasure in any one creature of God vntill we be awaked So when we lye sleeping in sinne we can neither see the Maiestie of God with the eye of our faith nor feele his mercies offered vnto vs in his Sonne Christ nor can taste at all how sweet our Lord and Sauiour is our eares are stopt from hearing good counsell we perceiue nothing at all of Gods goodnesse toward vs his word is vnsauorie vnto vs neither be once stirred vp to any one good worke of pietie toward God nor to any one good worke of charitie toward men So that as the Shunamite sonne lay dead starke dead vntill the Prophet Elisha came and stretched himselfe vpon him laying his mouth vpon his mouth and his eyes vpon his eyes 2. King 4.34 and his hands vpon his hands vntill his flesh waxed warme and he opened his eyes and saw saith the text In like manner albeit we haue a name that we liue yet are we dead starke dead in trespasses and sinnes vntill God by his Prophet vntill God by the preaching of his sacred word together especially by the powerfull opâ—ration of the H. Ghost do touch as it were our eyes and our eares and our mouthes our hands and our hearts and that the spirituall warmth of a new life be wrought in vs being baptized with the holy Ghost and with fire burning vp all carnall affections and kindling our hearts with faith hope charitie and such like spirituall graces As that Lacedemonian then when he could not set a dead man to stand vpright vpon his feet said Oportet aliquid intus esse there must be somewhat within meaning a life or a soule to quicken him So we can not be set to stand vpright before God as true conuerts as penitent and repentant persons vnlesse there be aliquid intus somewhat within euen the spirit of truth working together with the word of truth to quicken and support vs. The meanes to awake men out of this sleepe of sinne are many and diuers but the ordinarie and speciall meanes which God vseth is the preaching of his word which he will haue to be sounded as a trumpet in the eares of his people according to that in the 58. of Esay Cry aloud as you vse to a man that lies in a dead sleepe Cry aloud spare not life vp thy voice like a trumpet Esay 581. shew my people their transgressions and the house of Iacob their sinnes Dauid was a good king and said to be a man after Gods owne heart yet he was apt to fall into the sleepe and slumber of sinne adultery and murther and therein lay securely sleeping for the space of a yeere vntill the Prophet Nathan came and sounded the trumpet of Gods word in his eares then he awaked and cryed out peccaui Against thee oh Lord haue I sinned 2. Sam. 12.13 c. as it is in the 51. Psalme which he composed vpon the same occasion Ezekiah was a good and a religious king yet was he apt to fall into the sleepe of sinne euen pride and vaine-glory and therein lay securely sleeping vntill the Prophet Esay came and sounded the trumpet of Gods word in his eare then he began to awake and he had no sooner cast downe his eyes vpon his black feete but presently he began to let fall his proud peacocke plumes 2. King 20 15 16. c. as you may reade in the 2. Kings 20. chapt Ioas was a good king so long as his vncle Iehoida the hie Priest â—iued and sounded the trumpet of Gods word in his eares but as soone as Iehoida dyed and the trumpet of Gods word lay still Ioas began to slumber nap yea and fell fast asleepe 2. Chron. 24.17 aufinem cap. He fell into a grosse sinne of foule idolatry and therein was murthered by his owne seruants as you may reade in the 2. of Chron. the 24. chapt Now to come home vnto my text The Iewes here after their returne from Babylon fell into a deepe and a heauie sleepe of securitie and carelesnes forgetting God and his house where he would be worshipped But the Prophet Haggai had no sooner sounded the trumpet of Gods word in their eares but they awaked and presently came and did the worke in the house of the Lord of hosts their God Here if you marke it not only the meaner sort the remnant of the people fell asleepe but Zerubbabel the Prince and Iehoshua the hie Priest were heauie headed too and had neede to be awaked as well as the rest Whence we may obserue that there is not the wisest man nor the greatest