call his Sonne out of Egypt it is no wonder the wonder is that hee did call him into Egypt It is true that Egypt could not hurt Christ the King doth not follow the Court the Court waits vpon the King wheresoeuer Christ was there was the Church But be our Israelites so sure of their sonnes when they send them into Egypt or any superstitious places It was their presumption to send them in let it bee their repentance to call them out The familiar societie of orthodox Christians with mis-beleeuers hath by God euer been most strictly forbidden and the neerer this coniunction the more dangerous and displeasing to the forbidder No man can chuse a worse friend then one whom God holds his enemy When Religion and Superstition meet in one bed they commonly produce a mungrell generation 2 Sam. 3.3 If Dauid marry Maachah their issue proues an Absolon If Salomon loue idolatrous women here is enough to ouerthrow him with all his wisdome Other strange women only tempt to lust these to mis-religion and by ioyning his heart to theirs hee shall disioyne it from God One Religion matching with another not seldome breed an Atheist one of no religion at all I doe not say this is a sufficient cause of diuorce after it is done but of restraint before it is done They may be one flesh though they be not one spirit The difference of religion or vertue makes no diuorce here the great Iudges sentence shall doe that heereafter And the beleeuing husband is neuer the further from heauen though hee cannot bring his vnbeleeuing wife along with him The better shall not carry vp the worse to heauen nor the worse pull downe the better to hell Quod fieri non debuit factum valet But now is there no tree in the Garden but the forbidden none for me to loue but one that hates the truth Yes let vs say to them in plaine fidelitie as the sonnes of Iacob did to the Shichemites in dissembling policie Gene. 34.14 Wee cannot giue our sister to a man that is vncircumcised either consent you to vs in the truth of our Religion or wee will not consent to you in the league of our Communion Saint Chrysostome calls this a plaine deniall of Christ Hee that eateth of the meate offered to Idols Gustu negauit Christum hath denied Christ with his tasting If hee but handle those things with delight Tactu negauit Christum hee hath denied Christ with his touching Though hee touch not taste not yet if he stand to looke vpon the Idolatry with patience Visu negauit Christum hee hath denied Christ with his eyes If he listen to those execrable charmes Auditu negauit Christum hee hath denyed Christ with his eares Omitting all these if he doe but smell to the Incense with pleasure O doratu negauit Christum hee hath denied Christ with his smelling It is said of the Israelites Commisti sunt inter gentes Psalm 106.35 They were mingled among the Heathen What followed Presently they learned their works The reason why the Rauen returned not to Noahs Arke is giuen by some because it met with a dead carkase by the way Why doe we pray Deliuer vs from euill but that wee imply besides all other mischiefes there is an infectious power in it to make vs euill Let vs doe that wee pray and pray that wee may doe it Yea Lord free vs from Egypt estrange vs from Rome separate vs from Idols deliuer vs from euill For thine is the kingdome the power and the glorie for euer and euer Amen Thus farre we haue taken a literall suruey of the Text concerning the materiall Temple externall or obiectuall Idols and the impossibilitie of their agreement Now to come neerer home to our selues in a morall Exposition here first The Temple of God Is the Church of Christ and they are so like that we often interchange the tearmes calling a Temple the Church the Church a Temple of God The materiall Temple vnder the Law was a figure of the spirituall vnder the Gospell The former was distinguished into three roomes the Porch the holy place and the Sanctum Sanctorum or Holy of holies The Porch prefigured Baptisme which is the doore whereby we enter into the Church of Christ The Holy place the communion of the militant church vply earth separated from the world The Hoon of holies whereinto the high Priest only entred that once a yeare presignified the glorious kingdome of heauen wherinto the Lord Iesus entred once for all There was one Court of the Temple common whither accesse was denied to none though they were vncleane or vncircumcised thus farre they might be admitted There was another Court within that allowed to none but the Israelites of them to none but the cleane There was a third proper only to the Priests and Leuites whither the Laitie might not come thus farre they might bring their offerings but further they might not offer to goe In the Temple it selfe there was one roome into which the Leuites might not enter the Priests might Another whither the Priests might not come but onely the high Priest and euen hee but once yearely Some passages of the Christian Church are common to all euen to the vncleane hypocrites and foule-hearted sinners They haue accesse to Gods holy ordinances and tread in his Courts as the Pharisee came into the congregation and Iudas receiued the Communion Other are secret and reserued wherein the faithfull onely conuerse with God and solace themselues in the sweet fruition of his gracious presence The materiall Temple in three diuisions seemed to be a cleare representation of the Church in three degrees The first signified the externall and visible face of the Church from which no professor of Christ is debarred The second the communion of the inuisible Church vpon earth The last the highest heauen of Gods glorified Saints Neither did those roomes more exceed one another then do these parts of the spirituall house of Christ What are the most polished corners of the Temple to the spirituall liuing stones of the Church What be pebles to Saphirs or marbles to Diamonds Howsoeuer some are more transported with insensible monuments then with liuing Saints As it was a complaint long since Fulget Ecclesia in parietibus luget in pauperibus Yet Temples are built for men not men for Temples and what is a glorious edifice when the whole world is not worth one soule Dead walls bee of small value to the liuing Temples of the holy Ghost yea the temple of our body to the temple of Christs Body his Church yea the Temple of Gods Church militant on earth to that which is triumphant in heauen What is siluer and gold Cedar and Marble to those diuine graces faith truth pietie holinesse Salomons Temple did last but some 430. yeares the Church is for eternitie The Temple took vp but a little space of ground at most the Hill Sion the Church
THE TEMPLE A Sermon Preached at PAVLS Crosse the fifth of August 1624. BY THO. ADAMS LONDON Printed by A. Mathewes for Iohn Grismand and are to bee sold at his Shop in Pauls Alley at the Signe of the Gunne 1624. TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR HENRY CAREY Lord HVNSDON Viscount Rochford MY LORD AMong the many absurdities which giue vs iust cause to abhorre the Religion of the present Roman Church this seemeth to me none of the least that they haue filled all the Temples vnder the commaund of their politike Hierarchy with Idols and changed the glory of the Inuisible God into the worship of visible Images They inuocate the Saints by them yea they dare not serue the Lord without them As if God had repealed his vnchangcable Law and in stead of condemning all worship by an Image would now receiue no worship without an Image I haue obserued this one among the other famous markes of that Synagogue that they striue to condemne that which God hath iustified and to iustifie what he hath condemned For the former He hath precisely directed our Iustification only by faith in the merits of Christ this they vehemently dispute against For the other He hath not without mention of his Ielousie forbidden all worship that hath the least tang of Idolatry this they eagerly maintaine What large Volumes haue they written against the Second Commaundement as if they were not content to expunge it out of their Catechismes vnlesse they did also Dogmaticè contradict it to the whole world They first set the people vpon a plaine rebellion then make shew to fetch them off again with a neat distinction Thus doe they pumpe their wits to legitimate that by a distinction which God hath pronounced a Bastard by his definitiue sentēce as if the Papall Decrees were that law wherby the world should bee iudged at the last day But who will regard a house of magnificent structure of honorable ancient memory when the plague hath infected it or theeues possesse it And who in their right senses will ioyne themselues to that Temple which after pretence of long standing stately building and of many such prerogatiues and royalties is foūd to be besmeared with superstitions and profaned with innumerable Idols Why should wee delight to dwell there where God hath refused to dwell with vs. I publish this argument as no new thing to your Lordship but wherin your well experienced knowledge is able to informe mee Onely I haue beene bold through your thrice honoured Name to transmit this small Discourse to the world emboldened by the long proofe I haue had of your constant loue to the Truth and the gracious Pietie of your most noble Mother the best encouragement of my poore labours on earth The best blessings of God bee still multiplied vpon her your selfe your religious Lady and your honorable Family which is continually implored by Your Lordships humble Seruant THO. ADAMS THE TEMPLE 2. COR. 6.16 What agreement hath the Temple of God with Jdols IT is not fit they should bee too familiar or neare together in this world whose portions shall bee so farre asunder in the world to come The Sheepe and Goates are indeed now blended promiscuously and none can distinguish them here but hee that shall separate them hereafter the right and left hand of the last Tribunall shall declare them But they that be alien or opposite to vs in Faith and Profession are manifest and we haue a frequent charge De non commiscendo Now the neerer this ill match'd coniunction the more intolerable the same boord ill the same bed worse worst of all the same Temple So the Apostle begins his dehortation Bee not vnequally yoked with vnbeleeuers so he ends it What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idoles Diuers seeds of graine in one ground diuers kinds of beasts in one yoke Deuter. 22. diuers sorts of cloth in one garment were expressely forbidden vnder the Law and shall seuerall Religions bee allowed in one Church vnder the Gospell The absurdnes of such a mixture is here illustrated by many oppositions the sound of all which is Interrogatiue the sense Negatiue Righteousnesse and Vnrighteousnesse Light and Darknesse Christ and Beliall the Beleeuer and the Infidel these can haue no societie no communion no concord no coniunction and What agreement hath the Temple of God with Idols I need not by Art diuide these words for they are diuided by nature Now as Quae Deus coniunxit nemo separet Those things that God hath ioyned together let no man put asunder so Quae Deus separauit nemo coniungat Those things that God hath put asunder let no man ioyne together The scope of the Text and the matter of my Discourse is to separate Idols from the Temple of God the holy Ghost hath diuided them to my hands they cannot agree in his sentence let them neuer agree in our practise cursed is hee that goes about to compound this controuersie The Temple is holy Idols prophane it is not lawfull to mixe Sacra profanis The Temple is for God Idols for the Deuill God and the Deuill admit no reconciliation Therefore as two hostile nations after some treatie of peace neither liking the proposed conditions breake off in a rage In hoc vterque consentimus quòd consentire nolumus in this we both consent that we wil not consent at all so be it heere agreed that no agreement can bee made In composing differences betwixt man and man betwixt family and family betwixt kingdome and kingdome Beati Pacifici Blessed are the Peace makers But in reconciling Christ and Behal the Temple of God and Idols Maledicti pacifici Cursed are the peace-makers Heere Bella geri placeat magnos habitura triumphos God himselfe in Paradise did first put the quarrell his Apostle hath heere giuen the Alarme and hee deserues a malediction that sounds a retreat But as no battell can be well fought without order and martial array so no discourse can bee made profitable without some method The Temple therefore wee will suppose to be Gods Castle and Idolatry the Inuasion of it This Castle is but one Idols are many The Champions that God hath set to defend his Castle are especially or principally Princes and Pastors the Magistracy and the Ministery the aduersary forces that fight against it bee the Deuils mercenary Souldiers The Munition on the one side is the Diuine Scripture the sacred Word of God the Engines Ordnance and Instruments of assault on the other side are Idols Traditions and those carnall inuentions wherewith the corrupt heart of man seekes to batter it This Siege is continuall this feud implacable the difference irreconcileable Yet at last the warre shall end with the ruine of those enemies in the triumph of the righteous and to the euerlasting glory of God Now though this warre bee euery way spirituall it is diuers wayes considerable There is a materiall and there is a mysticall Temple there are
now stand to suruey this may be called an Idol of the Water fluid and vnsatisfying 2. Vaine Honour is the Idol of fooles no wise man euer sought felicity in shadows His Temple is Pride his Altar Ambition his Seruice Flattery his Sacrifice Petulancy Silly Sennacherib to make an Idol of a Chariot Esa 37.24 Ezek 28.4 and no wiser Prince of Tyre to make an Idol of his own brain Men mistake the way to bee great while they neglect the way to be good All the while a man hunts after his shadow hee mis-spends his time and paines for the Sun is vpon his back behind him and his shadow is still vn-ouertaken before him but let him turne his face to the Sun follow that his shadow shall follow him In vaine doth that man pursue honor his shadow while he turnes his face from vertue and goodnes he shall misse what hee so labors to catch but let him set his face toward Christ the Sun of righteousnes and run to the high prize of eternitie this shadow shall wayt vpon him for those that honour me I will honour saith the Lord. God resisteth the proud and good reason for the proud resisteth God Other sins diuert a man from God only Pride brings him against God brings God against him There is nothing in this world worth our pride but that mosse will grow to a stone Pride is euer dangerous but thē most when it puffes vs vp with a presumption of merit Thus the Romists presume to do more good works and those more perfect then God requires so that he is become a debter to them bound to make them satisfaction But doubtles God wil more easily beare with those sinnes wherof we repent then with that righteousnes whereof we presume Luk. 18. I am not as other men are said the Pharisee the clock of his tongue went truer then the dyall of his heart he was not like other men indeed sure he was like none of them that should be saued Humility is so hard a lesson to get into the heart that Christ was faine to come downe from heauen in his owne person to teach it Pride is euen conuersant about good workes and graces this Saul loues to be among the Prophets So that if a man haue some good measure of sanctification and of assurance of eternall life it will be hard not to be proud of that Pride hath hurt many Humility neuer yet did harme A man goes in at a dore and he stoops the dore is high enough yet he stoops you will say he needs not stoope yea but saith Bernard Bern. there is no hurt in his stooping otherwise he may catch a knocke this way he is safe A man may beare himselfe too high vpon the fauor of God there is no danger in his stooping no harme in humilitie Let me rather be the lowest of Gods seruants then the noblest among his enemies The honour of this world is at best but a golden dreame from which men commonly awake in contempt This is an Idol of the Ayre 3. Wealth is the couetous mans Idol Iob shewes the form of his Canonization He makes gold his hope and sayes to the wedge Iob. 31.24 Thou art my confidence As treason sets vp a new king for Dauid Absolon so couetousnes sets vp a new god for Iehouah Māmon But O miserable god saith Luther that cannot defend it selfe from rusting or robbing And O more miserable man that trusts himselfe vpon the keeping of that god which himselfe is faine to keepe Iudg. 17. Micah did not worship his siluer till it was cast into the forme of an Idol these spare the labour of forming and worship the very metall The Superstitious adore Aurum in Idolo gold in the Idol the couetous find Idolum in Auro an Idol in the very gold Metalla seemes to sound quasi 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Post alia necessaria when they had manured the ground sowen seeds gathered fruits and found out other things to sustaine life then Itum est in viscera terrae they digged into the bowels of the earth O that man should lay that next his heart which God hath placed vnder his feet that the thing which might bee best spared should bee most admired Mammon hath his Temple the world God hath his Temple the Church but there be many that balke Gods Temple to goe to Mammons and they offer faire that make some reuerence to God as they passe by him to the world Hence it is that so many get riches and so few godlines The Poets faine Pluto to be the god of Hell the god of Riches as if Riches and Hell had both one Master Sometime they set him forth lame and slow-paced sometime nimble as fire When Iupiter sends him to a Souldier or a Scholer he goes limping when hee sends him to on of his Pandars he flies like lightning The morall is the wealth that comes in Gods name comes slowly and with diligent labour but that which is haled in with an euill conscience is both hasty abundant in the collection This is the worldlings maine god all the rest be subordinate to him Si modo Iupiter mihi propitius sit minores deos flocci facio So long as Mammon fauours them or their Great Diana multiplies their gaines they scorne the other petty gods making account with a little money to buy them all This is an Idol of the Earth No agreement Ye cannot serue God and Mammon you may dispute for it you shall neuer compound it Gehezi cannot run after the forbidden talents but hee must leaue his master Some indeed here haue so finely distinguished of the busines that though they serue God they wil serue him more thriftily and please him as good cheape as they can They haue resolued not to do euill though they may gaine by it yet for gaine they will venture as neere euill as possibly they can and misse it But when it comes to push it wil be found that for one scruple of gold they will make no scruple of conscience But as those Inhabitants of Iudea that serued both God Idols did indeed neither serue God nor Idols so these higlers while they would haue two masters haue indeed neuer a one For in the euill day their master the world will renounce them then their master Christ will not receiue them so highly doth hee scorne such a competition Man was made to serue God and the world to serue man so the world at best is but Gods seruants seruant Now if we plead our selues Gods seruāts what an indign preposterous thing is it to take our owne seruant and make him competitor with our Master God sayes lend giue clothe feed harbor Mammon sayes Take gather extort oppresse spoile whether of these is our God Euen he that is most obeyed No lesse might be said for pleasures and honors or whatsoeuer is delectable to flesh and blood The loue of
is vniuersally spread in all parts of the world God hath his chosen Did our intellectuall eyes truely behold the beauty of this Temple wee would with that good Emperor esteeme it better to be a member of the Church then head of the kingdome We would set this one thing against all worldly glories As when Henry 4. that late Great king of France was told of the king of Spaines ample dominions as first he is king of Castile and I quoth Henry am king of France he is king of Nauarre and I am king of France he is king of Portugall and I am king of France he is king of Naples and I am king of France he is king of the Sicilies and I am king of France hee is king of Noua Hispania the West Indies and I am king of France he thought the kingdome of France equiualent to all these So let thy soule O Christian solace it selfe against all the wants of thy mortall pilgrimage in this that thou art a member of the church Another hath more wit or learning yet I am a Christian another hath more honour and preferment on earth yet I am a Christian another hath more siluer and gold and riches yet I am a Christian another hath large possessions yet I haue an Inheritance in heauen I am a Christian Dauid thought it not so happy to bee a King in his owne house as to bee a doore-keeper in Gods house Were our hearts throughly sanctified we would vnder-value all honours to this that we are parts of this spirituall Temple the members of Iesus Christ Jdols Euery deuice of man in the seruice of God is a meere Idol Whatsoeuer we inuent out of Gods Schoole or substitute in Gods roome is to vs an Idol Howsoeuer we flatter our selues with reflecting all the honour on God yet hee will reflect the vengeance on vs. Iob 13.7 Shall a man speake deceitfully for God or tell a lye for his glory Hee is not so penurious of meanes to honour himselfe as to be beholding to vs for a lye The doctrine of vniuersall grace seemes to make much for Gods glory but himselfe sayes it is a lye for he will haue mercie on whom he will haue mercy and whom hee will hee hardneth To say that Christ in the wombe wrought many miracles hath a faire shew of honouring him but who can say it is not a lye Sure wee reade no such matter To distribute among the Saints departed seuerall Offices as one to haue the charge of women in child-bed another to bee the Patron of such a Citie or Countrey to omit their protection of beasts one for hogs another for horses seemes to honour God in thus honouring them but it is a lye and a plaine derogation to his vniuersall prouidence yea as absurd as if the flies should take vpon them to giue the charges and offices of this kingdome To say the Saints in heauen know the occurrents of this nether world and the condition of their ancient friends or children below reading them in the Deitie as by the reflection of a glasse this is a fiction that carries a shew of honouring God but it doth indeed dishonor him by making creatures as omniscient as their Maker Besides how absurd is it to say that Iohn in Patmos seeing Christ did see all that Christ saw If I standing on the ground see a man on the top of a high Turret doe I see all that hee seeth If the sight of him that looketh bee to be measured by the sight of him on whom hee looketh it will follow that hee which looketh on a blinde man should see nothing at all And who seeth not the blindnes of this consequeÌ„ce To say that all the worship done to the Virgin mother redounds to the honour of her Sonne and God is a grosse falshood The Idolatrous Iewes might as well haue pretended the honor of God when they worshipped the Queene of heauen That fanaticall vision of theirs Specul Exempl concerning the two ladders that reached vp to heauen while Christ was preparing to iudge the world the one Red at the top whereof Christ sate the other white at the top whereof the Virgin sate and when the Friers could not get vp the red ladder of Christ but euermore tumbled downe backward St. Francis called them vp the white ladder of our Lady and there they were receiued Did this make for the honour of Christ when the red blood of our Sauiour is not so able to bring men to heauen as the white milke of his mother which must needs be the morall or meaning of it Barrbad in Conâ— Euang. Or the obseruation of Barrhadius the Iesuite who made bold to aske Christ why in his ascension to heauen he did not take his mother along with him and makes himselfe this answer It may be Lord for feare lest thy heauenly Court should bee in doubt which of the two they should goe first to meet An tibi Domino suo an ipsi Dominae suae whether thee their Lord or her their Lady as if it had been well aduised of Christ to leaue his mother behind him lest she should share part of his glory Did this make for the honour of Christ To choke vp the knowledge of God by preaching that Ignorance is the mother of Deuotion hath small colour of honouring God The ascribing of false miracles to the liuing or departed Saints seemes to honour God but sure he will neuer thanke them for it Saint Augustine being sick a blind man came to him expecting that he could miraculously restore his sight but that good Father sent him away with a check Doest thou think that if I could cure thee by miracle that I would not by miracle cure my selfe It is a foolish thought that God will bee glorified by a lie Our iudiciall Astrologers that tye mens destinies to the Starres and Planets pretend Gods honour who hath giuen such vertue and influence to his creatures but indeed make theÌ„ no better then Idols Though the Sunne and Moone bee good and necessary yet to adore the Sunne and Moone is flat Idolatry It was not Mercury that made the theefe nor Venus that made the strumpet as when the husband cudgeld his adulterous wife and shee complained that he was vnnaturall to strike his â—wne flesh alledging that it was not shee that playd the harlot but Venus in her to whom he replied that neither was it shee that he did beat but Venus in her or rather Venus out of her To make this vsefull to our selues let vs take heed of fancying an other seruice of God then hee hath prescribed vs. Euery Master in his owne family appoints the manner how he will be serued He that requires our seruice requires it his owne way or else he holds vs to serue our selues not him Shall we make our selues wiser then our Maker as if he did not best know what would best please him Shall heauen giue a blessing to that