The Happiness of the Church, Title page – Table of contents
THE HAPPINES of the Church.
OR, A Description of those Spirituall Prerogatiues vvherewith Christ hath endowed her.
Considered in some contemplations vponupon part of the 12. Chapter to the Hebrewes.
Together with certain other Meditations and Discourses vponupon other portions of holy Scriptures: the titles wherof immediatly precede the Booke.
Being the Summe of diuerse Sermons preached in S. Gregories London: By Thomas Adams, Preacher there.
2. Corin. 12. 15.
I will very gladly spend and be spent for your soules.
LONDON, Printed by G. P. for Iohn Grismand, and are to be sold at his shop neere vntounto the little North dore of Saint Pauls, at the signe of the Gun. 1619.
TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE SIR HENRIE MOVNTAGVE, the Lord Chiefe Iustice of ENGLAND, my very good Lord.
RIght Honourable, my allegiance to the Almighty King necessitates my endeuours to glorify his Great Name. My Profession hath imposed on me all ministeriall seruices. My filiall dutie to our blessed Mother the Church, hath taught me to help forward her cause, both with tongue and penne. My thankfulnes to your Lo. tyes me to seeke your honourable authorising of all these labours. They run to you first, as if they waited your manumission of them to the world. If bookes be our children, and the masculine issue of our braines; then it is fit that your Lo. who hauehave the patronage of the father, should also vouchsafe a blessing to the childrē. Nor is this all: there is yet a weightier reason why they should refuge themselues vnderunder your Los. protection. The world is quickly offended, if it be told of the offences: men study courses, & practise them; and if the Clergie find fault, yea if we doe not iustify and make good what they magnifie, & make common, they will be angry. It is the most thanklesse seruice to tell men of their misdeeds. Now a busines so distastfull requires a worthy Patron: & whose Patronage should I desire but your Los. whose I am, and to whom I owe all duty & seruice? whose but your Los. who are in place to reforme vice, and to encourage goodnes: to make that practicall and exemplary, which is here onelyonly theoricall and preceptory? God hath intrusted to your hands his Sword of Iustice: draw it in his defence against the enemies of his Grace & Gospel. You sit at the common sterne, and therfore are not so much your owne as your Countreys. Helpe vsus with your hands, we will helpe you with our prayers. The God of maiestie & mercy, sanctifie your heart, rectifie your hand, iustifie your soule, and lastly crowne your head with eternall glory.
Your Lordships obseruant Chaplain, Tho. Adams.
To the worthy Citizens of Saint Gregories Parish, syncere louers of the Gospell, present happinesse, and euerlasting Peace.
I Owe you a treble debt, of louelove, of seruice, of thankfulnesse. The former, the more I pay, the more still I owe. The second I will be ready to pay to the vttermost of my power; though short both of your deserts, and my owne desires. Of the last I will striue to giuegive full payment; and in that (if it be possible) to come out of your debts. Of all I hauehave in this volume giuen you the earnest: as therfore you vse to doe with bad debters, take this till more comes. You see I hauehave venturously trafficked with my poore talent in publike, whilest I behold richer graces kept close at home, and buried in silence: liking it better to husband a little to the common good, then to hoord vp much wealth in a sullen niggardice. I censure none: if all were writers, who should bee readers? if none, idle Pamphlets would take vp the generall eye, be read and applauded, onelyonly through want of better obiects. If the graine be good, it doth better in the market, then in the Garner. All I can say for my selfe is, I desire to doe good; whereof if I should faile, yet euen that I did desire it, and endeuor it, shall content my conscience. I am not affrighted with that common obiection of a dead letter: I know that God can effectuate his owne ends, and neuer required man to appoint him the meanes. If it were profitable being spoken, sure it cannot be vnnecessary being written. It is not vnknowne to you, that an infirmity did put me to silence many weekes: whilest my tongue was so suspended from preaching, my hand tooke opportunity of writing. To vindicate my life from the least suspition of idlenesse, or any such aspersions of vncharitable tongues, I hauehave set forth this reall witnesse, which shall giuegive iust confutation to such slanders. If it be now condemned, I am sure it is onelyonly for doing well. I very well know the burden of preaching in this Citie: wee may say of it in another sense, what Christ said of Ierusalem, O thou that killest the Prophets. Many a Minister comes to a Parish with his veines full of bloud, his bones of marrow; but how soone doth he exhaust his spirits, waste his vigor! And albeit there are many good soules, for whose sake hee is content to make himselfe a sacrifice: yet there are some so vnmercifull, that after all his labor would send him a begger to his graue. I tell you but the fault of some, quitting your particular selues: I speake not to diminish the credit of your bounty, which I hauehave found, and heere with a thankefull profession acknowledge it. In testimony whereof I hauehave set to my hand, and sent it you a token of the gratitude of my heart. Receiue it from him that is vnfainedly desirous of your saluation: and if he knew by what other means soeuer he might bring you to euerlasting peace; would studie it, practise it, continue it; whilst his Organ of speech hath breath enough to mooue it.
Your vnworthy Preacher, Thomas Adams.
The Contents.
The Happinesse of the Church. Hebr. 12. 22. But ye are come vntounto Mount Sion.
The rage of Oppression. Psal. 66. 12. Thou hast caused men to ride ouer our heads.
The victory of Patience. Psal. 66. 12. We went through fire and through water.
Gods house. Psal. 66. 13. I will goe into thy House.
Mans Seed-time and Haruest. Gala. 6. 7. Whatsoeuer a man sowes, he shall reape.
Heauen-Gate. Reue. 22. 14. And may enter in through the gates.
The Spirituall Eye-salue. Ephe. 1. 18. That the eyes of your vnderstanding.
The Cosmopolite. Luke 12. 20. But God said vntounto him, Thou foole.
The bad Leauen. Gala. 5. 9. A little leauen leaueneth the whole lumpe.
Faiths Encouragement. Luke 17. 19. And he said vntounto him, Arise.
The Saints meeting. Ephe. 4. 13. Till we all meet in the vnity of the faith.
Presumption running into despaire. Reue. 6. 16. They said to the Mountaines.
Maiestie in misery. Math. 27. 51. And behold, the vaile of the Temple.
The Foole and his sport. Prou. 14. 9. Fooles make a mocke at sin.
The fire of contention. Luke 12. 49. I come to send fire on the earth.
The Christians walke. Ephe. 5. 2. Walke in louelove.
Loues Copy. Ephe. 5. 2. As Christ loued vsus.
A Crucifixe. Ephe. 5. 2. He hath giuen himselfe for vsus an offering.
The good Politician directed. Math. 10. 16. Be wise as Serpents.
The way home. Math. 2. 12. And being warned of God in a dreame.
Semper Idem. Hebr. 13. 8. Iesus Christ the same yesterday.
Gods bounty. Prou. 3. 16. Length of dayes is in her right hand.
The lost are found. Luke 19. 10. For the Sonne of man is come to seeke.
A Generation of Serpents. Psal. 58. 4. Their poyson is like the poyson of Serpents.
Heauen made sure. Psal. 35. 3. Say vntounto my soule, I am thy saluation.
The Soules refuge. 1. Pet. 4. 19. Let them that suffer according.
The end of the Contents.