HOM, XIII. On the right Use of the Church.

together unto, there to hear God's holy word, to call upon his holy name, to give him thanks for his innumerable and unspeakable benefits bestowed upon us, and duly and truly to celebrate his holy Sacraments; (in the unfeigned doing and accomplishing of which standeth that true and right worshipping of God afore mentioned;) and the same church or temple is by the holy Scriptures, both of the Old Testament and New, called the house and temple of the Lord, for the peculiar service there done to his Majesty by his people, and for the effectuous presence of his heavenly grace, wherewith he, by his said holy word, endueth his people so there assembled. And to the said house or temple of God, at all times, by common order appointed, are all people that be godly indeed bound with all diligence to resort, unless by sickness, or other most urgent causes, they be letted therefrom. And all the same so resorting thither ought with all quietness and reverence there to behave themselves, in doing their bounden duty and service to Almighty God, in the congregation of his saints. All which things are evident to be proved by God's holy word, as hereafter shall plainly appear.

And first of all, I will declare by the Scriptures, that it is called (as it is indeed) the house of God, and temple of the Lord. He that sweareth by the temple,' saith our Saviour Christ, sweareth by it, and him that dwelleth therein,' meaning God the Father; which he also expresseth plainly in the Gospel of St. John, saying, Do not make the house of my Father the house of merchandise.' And in the book of the Psalms the Prophet David saith, I will enter into thine house; 1 will worship in thy holy temple, in thy fear. And it is almost in infinite places of the Scripture, especially in the Prophets and book

John ii. Matt. xxiii. John ii. Psalm v.

HOM. XIII. On the right Use of the Church.

of Psalms, called the house of God, or house of the Lord. Sometimes it is named the tabernacle of the Lord, and sometimes the sanctuary, that is to say, the holy place, or house of the Lord. And it is likewise called the house of Prayer, as Solomon, who built the temple of the Lord at Jerusalem, doth oft call it the house of the Lord, in the which the Lord's name should be called upon. And Isaiah in the fiftysixth chapter, My house shall be called the house of prayer amongst all nations.' Which text our Saviour Christ allegeth in the New Testament, as doth appear in three of the Evangelists, and in the parable of the Pharisee and the Publican, which went to pray in which parable our Saviour Christ saith, They went up into the temple to pray.' And Anna, the holy widow and prophetess, served the Lord in fasting and prayer in the temple night and day.' And in the story of the Acts it is mentioned, how that 'Peter and John went up into the temple at the hour of prayer.' And St. Paul, praying in the temple at Jerusalem, was wrapt in the Spirit, and did see Jesus speaking unto him. And as in all convenient places prayer may be used of the godly privately; so it is most certain, that the church, or temple, is the due and appointed place for commmon and public prayer. Now that it is likewise the place of thanksgiving unto the Lord for his innumerable and unspeakable benefits bestowed upon us, appeareth notably at the latter end of the Gospel of St. Luke, and the beginning of the story of the Acts, where it is written, that the Apostles and Disciples, after the ascension of the Lord, continued with one accord daily in the temple, always praising and blessing God. And it is likewise declared in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, that the church is the due place appointed

Exod. xxv. Levit xix. 1 Kings viii. 2 Chron. vi. Isa. lvi. Matt. xii. xxi, Mark xi. Luke xix. xviii. ii. Acts iii. Luke xxiv. Acts ii. 1 Cor. xi.

HOM. XIII.

On the right Use of the Church.

for the use of the Sacraments.' It remaineth now to be declared, that the church, or temple, is the place where the lively word of God (and not man's inventions) ought to be read and taught, and that the people are bound thither with all diligence to resort; and this proof likewise to be made by the Scriptures, as hereafter shall appear.

In the story of the Acts of the Apostles we read, that Paul and Barnabas preached the word of God in the temples of the Jews at Salamine. And when they came to Antiochia, 'they entered on the sabbathday into the synagogue, or church, and sat down; and after the lesson or reading of the law and the prophets, the ruler of the temple sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if any of you have any exhortation to make unto the people, say it. And so Paul standing up, and making silence with his hand, said, Ye men that be Israelites, and ye that fear God, give ear, &c. preaching to them a sermon out of the Scriptures, as there at large appeareth. And in the same story of the Acts, the seventeenth chapter, is testified, how Paul preached Christ out of the Scriptures at Thessalonica. And in the fifteenth chapter, James the apostle in that holy council and assembly of his fellow apostles saith, Moses of old time hath in every city certain that preach him in the synagogues or temples, where he is read every sabbath-day. By these places ye may see the usage of reading the Scriptures of the old testament among the Jews in their synagogues every sabbath-day, and sermons usually made upon the same. How much more then is it convenient that the Scriptures of God; and specially the Gospel of our Saviour Christ should be read and expounded unto us that be Christians in our churches, specially our Saviour Christ and his Apostles allowing this most godly and necessary usage, and by their examples confirming the same?

Acts xiii. XV.

HOM. XIII. On the right Use of the Church.

It is written in the stories of the gospel in divers places, that Jesus went round about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom: In which places is his great diligence in continual preaching and teaching of the people most evidently set forth.

In Luke ye read, how Jesus, according to his accustomed use, came into the temple, and how the book of Isaiah the prophet was delivered him, how he read a text therein, and made a sermon upon the

same.

And in the xix. is expressed how he taught daily in the temple.-And it is thus written in the viii. of John: Jesus came again early in the morning into the temple, and all the people came unto him, and he sat down and taught them. And in the xviii. of John, our Saviour testified before Pilate, that he spake openly unto the world, and that he always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, whither all the Jews resorted, and that secretly he spake nothing. And in St. Luke, Jesus taught in the temple, and all the people came early in the morning unto him, that they might hear him in the temple.

Here ye see as well the diligence of our Saviour in teaching the word of God in the temple daily, and specially on the sabbath-days, as also the readiness of the people resorting all together, and that early in the morning, into the temple to hear him.

The same example of diligence in preaching the word of God in the temple, shall ye find in the apostles, and the people resorting unto them, Acts the fifth. Where the apostles, although they had been whipped and scourged the day before, and by the high priest commanded that they should preach no more in the name of Jesus, yet the day following they entered early in the morning into the temple, and did

Matt. iv. Mark i. Luke iv. Matt. xiii. xx.

Luke iv. xix. John viii. xviii.

Mark vi. Luke xiii. Luke xxi.

HOM. XIII.

On the right Use of the Church.

not cease to teach and declare Jesus Christ. And in sundry other places of the story of the Acts, ye shall find like diligence both in the apostles in teaching and in the people in coming to the temple to hear God's word. And it is testified in the first of Luke, that when Zacharias the holy priest, and father to John Baptist, did sacrifice within the temple, all the people stood without a long time, praying;' such was their zeal and fervency at that time. And in the second of St. Luke appeareth what great journies men, women, yea, and children took, to come to the temple on the feast-day, there to serve the Lord,' and specially the example of Joseph, the blessed virgin Mary, mother to our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of our Saviour Christ himself, being yet but a child, whose examples are worthy for us to follow. So that if we would compare our negligence in resorting to the house of the Lord, there to serve him, with the diligence of the Jews, in coming daily very early, sometimes by great journies to their temple, and when the multitude could not be received within the temple, the fervent zeal that they had, was declared in standing long without and praying: we may justly in this comparison condemn our slothfulness and negligence, yea, plain contempt, in coming to the Lord's house, standing so near unto us, so seldom, and scarcely at any time. So far is it from a great many of us to come early in the morning, or give attendance without, who disdain to come into the temple: and yet we abhor the very name of the Jews, when we hear it, as of a most wicked and ungodly people. But it is to be feared, that in this point we be far worse than the Jews, and that they shall rise at the day of judgment to our condemnation, who, in comparison to them, shew such slackness and contempt in resorting to the house of the Lord,

Acts xiii. xv. xvii. Luke i. ii.