HOM. XIII. ·On the right Use of the Church. there to serve him according as we are of duty most bound. And besides this most horrible dread of God's just judgment in the great day, we shall not in this life escape his heavy hand and vengeance, for this contempt of the house of the Lord, and his due service in the same, according as the Lord himself threateneth in the first chapter of the prophet Haggai, after this sort: Because you have left my house desert and without company,' saith the Lord, and ye have made haste every man to his own house, for this cause are the heavens stayed over you, that they should give no dew, and the earth is forbidden, that it should bring forth her fruit; and I have called drought upon the earth, and upon the mountains, and upon corn, and upon wine, and upon oil, and upon all things that the earth bringeth forth, and upon men, and upon beasts, and upon all things that men's hands labour for.' Behold, if we be such worldlings, that we care not for the eternal judgments of God, (which yet of all other are most dreadful and horrible) we shall not escape the punishment of God in this world, by drought and famine, and the taking away of all worldly commodities, which we as worldlings seem only to regard and care for. Whereas, on the contrary part, if we would amend this fault or negligence, slothfulness and contempt of the house of the Lord, and his due service there, and with diligence resort thither together, to serve the Lord with one accord and consent, in all holiness and righteousness before him, we have promises of benefits both heavenly and worldly. Wheresoever two or three be gathered in my name,' saith our Saviour Christ, there am I in the midst of them.' And what can be more blessed, than to have our Saviour Christ among us? Or what again can be more unhappy or mischievous, than to drive our Saviour Christ from amongst us, to leave a place for his and our most Haggai i. Matt, xviii. HOM. XIII. On the right Use of the Church. ancient and mortal enemy, the old dragon and serpent, Satan the Devil, in the midst of us? In the second of Luke it is written, how that 'the mother of Christ, aud Joseph,' when they had long sought Christ, whom they had lost, and could find him no where, that at the last 'they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors.' So if we lack Jesus Christ, that is to say, the Saviour of our souls and bodies, we shall not find him in the marketplace, or in the guildhall, much less in the alehouse or tavern, amongst good fellows, (as they call them) so soon as we shall find him in the temple, the Lord's house, amongst the teachers and preachers of his word, where indeed he is to be found. And as concerning worldly commodities, we have a sure promise of our Saviour Christ: Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and the righteousness thereof, and all these things shall withall be given unto you.' And thus we have in the first part of this Homily declared by God's word, that the temple or church is the house of the Lord, for that the service of the Lord (as teaching and hearing of his holy word, calling upon his holy name, giving thanks to him for his great and innumerable benefits, and due ministering of his Sacraments) is there used. And it is likewise declared by the Scriptures, how all godly and Christian men and women ought, at times appointed, with diligence to resort unto the house of the Lord, there to serve him and to glorify him, as he is most worthy, and we most bound: to whom be all glory and honour, world without end. Amen. Luke ii. The preceding twelve Homilies were composed by Archbishop Cranmer and Bishop Latimer, approved by the Convocation, and published in the year 1552, by order of King Edward the Sixth, of blessed memory. To these were added twenty one more by Queen Elizabeth, of which this Homily is the thirteenth; but in some copies it is placed the first of a second book. HOM. XIII. On the right Use of the Church. The Second Part of the Homily of the Right Use of the Church. It was declared in the first part of this Homily, by God's word, that the temple, or church, is the house of the Lord, for that the service of the Lord (as teaching and hearing of his holy word, calling upon his holy name, giving thanks to him for his great and innumerable benefits, and due ministering of the sacraments) is there used. And it is likewise already declared by the Scriptures, how all godly and christian men and women ought, at times appointed, with diligence to resort unto the house of the Lord, there to serve him, and to glorify him, as he is most worthy, and we most bounden. Now it remaineth in this second part of the Homily concerning the right use of the temple of God, to be likewise declared by God's word, with what quietness, silence, and reverence, those that resort to the house of the Lord, ought there to use and behave themselves. It may teach us sufficiently how well it doth become us, christian men, reverently to use the church and holy house of our prayers, by considering in how great reverence and veneration the Jews in the old law had their temple, which appeared by sundry places, whereof I will note unto you certain. In the twenty-sixth of Matthew, it is laid to our Saviour Christ's charge before a temporal judge, as a matter worthy of death, by the two false witnesses, that he had said, he could destroy the temple of God, and in three days build it again, not doubting but if they might make men to believe that he had said any thing against the honour and majesty of the temple, he should seem to all men most worthy of death. And NO. 6. 2 A HOM. XIII. On the right Use of the Church. in the twenty-first of the Acts, when the Jews found Paul in the temple, they laid hands upon him, crying, 'Ye men, Israelites, help, this is that man who teacheth all men every where against the people and the law, and against this place: besides that, he hath brought the Gentiles into the temple, and hath profaned this holy place.' Behold how they took it for a like offence to speak against the temple of God, as to speak against the law of God, and how they judged it convenient, that none but godly persons and the true worshippers of God, should enter into the temple of God.-And the same fault is laid to Paul's charge by Tertullus an eloquent man, and by the Jews in the twenty-fourth of the Acts, before a temporal judge, as a matter worthy of death, that he went about to pollute the temple of God.' And in the twenty-seventh of Matthew, when the chief priests had received again the pieces of silver at Judas' hand, they said, 'It is not lawful to put them into Corban, which was the treasure house of the temple, because it is the price of blood.' So that they could not abide that not only any unclean person, but also any other dead thing that was judged unclean, should once come into the temple or any place thereto belonging. And to this end is St. Paul's saying in the second epistle to the Corinthians, the sixth chapter, to be applied: What fellowship is there betwixt righteousness and unrighteousness? or what communion between light and darkness? or what concord between Christ and Belial? or what part can the faithful have with the unfaithful? or what agreement can there be between the temple of God and images?' Which sentence, although it be chiefly referred to the temple of the mind of the godly; yet seeing that the similitude and pith of the argument is taken from the material temple, it enforceth that no ungodliness, Acts xxi. xxiv. Matt. xxvii. 2 Cor. vi. HOM. XIII. On the right Use of the Church. specially of images or idols, may be suffered in the temple of God, which is the place of worshipping God and therefore can no more be suffered to stand there, than light can agree with darkness, or Christ with Belial: for that the true worshipping of God, and the worshipping of images, are most contrary. And the setting of them up in the place of worshipping, may give great occasion to the worshipping of them. But to turn to the reverence that the Jews had to their temple: You will say that they honoured it superstitiously, and a great deal too much, crying out, The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, being notwithstanding most wicked in life, and be therefore most justly reproved of Jeremiah the prophet of the Lord. Truth it is that they were superstitiously given to the honouring of their temple. But I would we were not as far too short from the due reverence of the Lord's house, as they overshot themselves therein. And if the prophet justly reprehended them, hearken also what the Lord requireth at our hands, that we may know whether we be blame-worthy or no. It is written in Ecclesiastes the fourth chapter, When thou dost enter into the house of God, saith he, take heed to thy feet, draw near that thou mayest hear: For obedience is much more worth than the sacrifice of fools, which know not what evil they do. Speak nothing rashly there, neither let thine heart be swift to utter words before God. For God is in heaven, and thou art upon the earth, therefore let thy words be few. Note, well-beloved, what quietness in gesture and behaviour, what silence in talk and words, is required in the house of God; for so he calleth it. See whether they take heed to their feet, as they be here warned, which never cease from uncomely walking and jetting up and down, and over Jer. vii. Eccles. iv. |