Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n
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A16893
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The glorie of the latter temple greater then of the former Opened in a sermon preached at the consecration or restitution of the Parish Church of Flixton in the island of Louingland in the county of Suffolke; being sometimes the mother church of the East-Angles. 11. March. 1630 / By Iohn Brinsley.
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Brinsley, John, 1600-1665.
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1631
(1631)
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STC 3789; ESTC S119303
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16,363
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28
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was the presence and manifestation of him whom that ladder signified the eternall Sonne of God the Mediatour of the Couenant whose office it is to reconcile things in heauen and things vpon earth God and man as that ladder vnited heauen and earth He it was who was pleased at that time and in that place to manifest his presence by some visible tokens and that manifestation it was which made that place though in the open field dreadfull fearefull glorious It is this presence of Christ that maketh a place first to be the house of God and then that house glorious Ey but how is he present now vpon earth whom the heauens must containe vntill all things be restored How is Christ present in our Temples our Synagogues our Churches Why he is present after a spirituall manner in the midst of his publique ordinances in the Word in the Sacraments Where Christ is truly preached there is he truly present present with the Ministers present with the people With the Ministers I will be with you to the end of the world they are the last words of our Sauiour to his Apostles and their successours With the people Where two or three are gathered together in my name c. Christ is truly present in all places but in the midst of the seuen golden candlestickes he walkes he is present after a speciall manner with speciall assistance with a speciall euidence of his Spirit a speciall declaration of his power there is his arme reuealed As in the Word so in the Sacraments there is he present though not locally yet truly yet spiritually pardon the word really present to the faith of the receiuer And this is the glory of our Temples a spirituall glory consisting in the spirituall presence of Christ in the midst of his publique ordinances It must needs be so Glory to speake properly it is nothing else but an opinion of some excellency or worth conceiued by others to be in such or such a thing Now if glory be measured by opinion then is this spirituall glory The Glory It is so in the estimation both of God and his Saints First For God himselfe there is no Temple glorious in his eye where this Spirituall glory is wanting Be the building the outside the inside what it will he regardeth it not he dwels not in it So much in expresse words Saint Paul telleth those superstitious Athenians where beholding their blind deuotion in erecting of Altars and such other ceremoniall externall obseruances he tels them plainely that God who made the world and all things therein seeing that he is Lord of heauen and earth he dwelleth not in temples made with hands Be the Temple what it will if there be no more in it but the worke of mens hands God dwels not there he delighteth not in it True indeed God did once dwell in a materiall temple betwixt the Cherubins but wherfore was it the Ark was there God doth at this day dwel in the places of his publike worship and seruice but wherfore is it Why the Assemblies of his Saints his publique ordinances are there It is this spirituall worship and seruice which God delighteth to be entertained wth Time was indeed when externall rites and ceremoniall obseruances seemed to be in great request with God They were not onely a means but a part of his worship vnder the Gospell it is not so The time commeth and now is saith our Sauiour when the true worshippers shal worship the Father in spirit in truth for the father requireth euen such to worship him It is this Spirit Truth in holy performances the spirituall maner of worshipping God that maketh seruices persons places to be accepted of him And this it is that made not onely this Temple but euery Synagogue in Hierusalem nay that maketh euery Temple vnder the Gospell more glorious in the eyes of God then the Temple of Salomon was Salomon in all his royalty is not as one of these saith our Sauiour concerning the Lillies his beauty was artificiall theirs was natural Salomonâ— Temple in al the royalty of it was not as one of these these Temples these Synagogues these Churches where Christ is plainely and powerfully preached published offred applied in the word Sacraments There was a Ceremoniall here is a spiritual glory And secondly As in the eyes of God so in the eyes of his Saints this spirituall glory is The Glory what so glorious an obiect in the eyes of a Christian as Christ himselfe especially when he is reuealed A light to be reuealed to the Gentiles and the glory of his people Israel so old Simeon stileth him This is the glory in the eyes of a Christian when Christ is reuealed to his soule powerfully effectually in the publique ministery of the word So great is the glory of Christ crucified in the preaching of the word that Saint Paul cannot but wonder that his Galathians before whose eyes Christ had beene thus crucified in his Preaching of him should be so farre bewitched as to looke off from it as to looke after any thing els but Christ and the doctrine of Christ. O foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you Gal. 3. 1. No glory like vnto this when the veile is taken off not from Moses his face but from the face of Iesus Christ himselfe in the publique Ministry of the word This blessed be God that we may speake it without either feare or flattery is the glory of our Temples Children it may be are in loue with their bookes for the guilded couers for the babies and pictures sake it is the matter that men of vnderstanding looke at Poore blind ignorant soules whose deuotion is nothing but superstition may be in loue with the Temple for the painting caruing guilding decking but that which maketh it truly glorious in the eyes of God and his Saints is the glory of the latter Temple yâ— spirituall worship of God the presence and reuelation of Christ in his publike ordinances The time concludes me I must obey That which remains is a word of application I might in the first place from this ground take a iust occasion to discouer and taxe that childish superstition of the Church of Rome in their preposterous adornations of their Temples Let none anticipate my intentions or through preiudice either mistake my words or misconstrue my meaning I haue nothing to say against the decent beautifying of the places of Gods publique worship In this case I should rather make vse of a spurre then a bridle if the time would permit It is the shame of our nation in many parts of it if I could hide it I would not discouer it the houses of God seeme to lie neglected waste ruinous as if neither God nor man dwelt in them or had any reference to them we may without any iniurie write vpon the doores of them Ichabod there is no glory no beauty no decency neither in the outside
THE GLORIE OF THE LATTER TEMPLE GREATER THEN OF THE FORMER OPENED IN A Sermon preached at the Consecration or Restitution of the Parish Church of Flixton in the Island of Louingland in the County of Suffolke being sometimes the Mother-Church of the East-Angles 11. March 1630. By IOHN BRINSLEY LONDON Printed for Robert Bird and are to be sold at his shop at the signe of the Bible in Saint Laurence-lane 1631. REVERENDO IN CHRIS TO PATRI AC DOMINO FRANCISCO PROVIDENTIA DIVINA NORWICENSI EPISCOPO Nec Non VERE VENERABILI VIRO IOHANNI WENTWORTH DE SOMERLEITON IN COMIT SVFFOLCIAE MILITI ET RECTORIAE DE FLIXTON PATRONO DIGNISSIMO MEDITATIONES HAS DE TEMPLI EVANGELICI GLORIA IN DEVOTISSIMI OBSEQVII TESTIMONIVM D. D. D. IOH. BRINSLEY THE GLORIE OF THE LATTER TEMPLE Greater then of the Former HAGG. II. IX The Glorie of this latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of Hoasts WOrkes that are great and good ordinarily find great hindrances great discouragements Of all works what greater then the building of the walls of the new Hierusalem building the spirituall Temple of God Now what hindrances what discouragements this worke is euer like to meet withall we may see it typically shadowed out vnto vs in that historie recorded by Ezra and Nehemiah whereunto the words of the Text haue a speciall reference No sooner doth Zerobabel and Iehoshua the one a chiefe Prince the other the chiefe Priest with the rest of the children of the Captiuitie after their returne from Babylon set vpon the re-edifying of the materiall walls re-building of the materiall Temple in the earthly Hierusalem but presently stands vp Sanballat and Tobiah Rehum and Shimshai Tatnai and Shetherboznai brethren in euill with the rest of their confederates and associates to hinder the worke What plottings what combinations What secret underminings vnder colour of furtherance What writing and posting of letters euen to the King himselfe What retaining of Counsellours What forging what minting and coining of slanderous reports for the time past What Panick feares pretended for the time to come A rebellious people and that vpon record a seditious worke fit to be stifled in the birth or smothered in the cradle for feare of further inconuenience likely to ensue Such opposition they met with abroad They wanted no discouragements at home Amongst others the Temple they were about to build was meane and despicable a meane foundation a homely building in comparison of the former but as a Starre to the Sun comming far short of it in magnitude in glory The Glory of the former Temple had so dazled the eyes of the ancient men who had before beheld it in the beauty of it that they could not now looke vpon this without watering eyes They wept when they saw it saith the Text. Against this discouragement it is that the Lord goeth about by his Prophet to comfort the people in this Chapter whereof the Text is a part The Summe and quintessence of that consolation you haue it extracted in the words which I haue now read That which disanimated the people was the meannesse of the house which they were about to build A man child was borne But she called his name Ichabod The foundations of the worke were raised the Temple was in some forwardnesse but there was no beauty no Glory in it at least none in comparison of what once it was and what God had promised and they expected it should be To animate them against this dis-heartning the Lord sends vnto them by the hands of this messenger this Propheticall Promise promising Glory surpassing Glory to that worke which now seemed so despicable in their eyes that it should not onely match and equalize but surpasse and transcend the former The Glory of the latter house shall be greater then of the former saith the Lord of Hosts In the opening vnto you of this Prophecie and that you may see how this promise was afterward accomplished I shall present vnto you onely these two things 1. The Glorie of the former house 2. The Glorie of the latter house wherein it so farre surpassed and outstript the former The first was glorious but the latter more glorious To begin with the first of these the Temple of Salomon the wonderment of the world whilest it stood Glorious things are spoken of thee oh thou citie of God Glorious things are written of thee oh thou Temple of God Canaan the glorie of the earth Hierusalem the glorie of Canaan this Temple the glorie of Hierusalem Suppose the whole world a ring this Temple might well haue beene the iewell in it The Glory of this Temple consisted principally in three things the building the furniture other appurtenances 1. For the building we shall find it stately and magnificent What the glory of this building was we may guesse at it by those infinite had not the Spirit of truth recorded it incredible masses of treasure exhausted in preparation of materials That huge Army of Overseers Workemen Carpenters Masons Labourers all imployed about the cutting and hewing of wood digging and squaring and caruing of stones amounting in all to the number of one hundred and eighty three thousand three hundred men besides other curious Artizans for working in gold siluer brasse and the like of all which we may read in that 1 King 5. If euer Temple made with hands could haue been worthy to entertaine the God of heauen it had beene this 2. As it was glorious in the structure so no lesse glorious in the furniture the inside answerable and sutable to the outside I can but giue you a glimpse of things Do but looke into the Sanctuarie of God what euer you touch what euer you see is pure gold looke vpon the vessels the table the Candlestick the Altar the bowles basins spoones ashpans tongs snuffers all nothing but pure gold Looke vpon the hangings couerings vestments all other vtensiles requisite for that ceremoniall seruice behold them all as rich as curious as art and nature could make them 3. Besides the glory of the structure and the glory of the furniture there was yet a greater glory in the Appurtenances some excellent rarities belonging and appertaining to this temple of these the Hebrewes reckon ten I shall content my selfe with fiue and that to name them 1. The Arke of the Couenant wherein were the Tables of the Law written with Gods owne finger the rarest relicke that euer the world was owner of Here was The glory so we find it stiled more then once The glory is departed from Israel saith the wife of Phineas why for the Arke of God is taken To whom pertaineth the adoption and The glory saith Saint Paul concerning Israel The glory that is the Arke of the Couenant a speciall token and witnesse of the gracious nay glorious presence of God in that place where the Arke was and therefore called The Glory 2. Here was the