True Happiness, Section 5
SECTION V.
Of the place.
In the house of the Lord.
Gods house is the schoole of happinesse.
WE have heard of the happie mans habitation.Churches the Lords houses. Followeth the place, and it is Gods house. Not that he needeth a house, who is All, and filleth all, for the heaven is his throne, *Esay 66. 1.and the earth is his footstoole, what house can we build unto him? But he hath chosen Churches for his houses, that therein hee may deale with us in the matter of happinesse, and they are so called from his presence and delight. His presence, because as his providence is manifest every where in ruling the World in temporall things, he would also have some houses set apart for happinesse, and eternall salvation: So that albeit he be in every house, yet that his being in them may be called an absence, comparatively to his presence in the Church. His delight also is great in Churches:*Psal. 232. 14. This is my rest, here I delight to dwell. And to make it prove his house, he decoreth it with greater beautie than all the houses in the world: which made David to choose the house of the Lord, though he had stately and royall palaces to dwell in, as we shal heare (God willing) hereafter; for this cause one calleth him,Aug. tract. 3. an aspiring Lover of life eternall, who sought that one thing to dwell in the house of God. There are also other considerations of the Church mysticall, and individuall. Mysticall, is the Church of the Elect, to whom he imparteth this happinesse: Individuall, to speak so, is every elect person, a lively member of the Church of the Elect, because they are the Temples of the holy Spirit.
Hereof three things arise: First, Gods great merciemercy, who notwithstanding our grievous sinnes,They are tokens of Gods mercy to man. hath erected his houses every where in the world for our happinesse. Man could not ascend to God, therefore God came down to man, to deale with him openly in the matter of happinesse. When wee were cast out of Paradise, Sathan thought we should never be taken in favour againe, but now he hath appointed millions of houses for reconciliation. And he hath appointed his houses eminently for Sathans more eminent confusion. So Porphyre confessed it as from Apollo,Idque maxime in templis, quia Deus hos ibi ludibrio exponit. Aug. Civit. 19. 23. & 22. 3. that the divels abhorred the chief God, and that most in Churches, because there hee exposed them to mockerie. For his house is his trysting place, wherein we deale with him about happinesse: It is also as a richly furnished shop, offered to those that have no money *Isay 55. 1.. It is like unto these wine-cellars *Cant. 2. 4., whereunto Christ taketh his spouse to fill her with spirituall consolations.
Lastly, it is his open Schoole,Churches are schooles for happinesse. wherein the doctrine of happinesse is plainly taught. He saw mankinde lye flat on the earth; and though the Grecians seemed to lift mens minds to heavenly things, yet they erred worse than the former, in so far as errour is worse than simple ignorance, and made people erre by authority, who before erred only in simplicitie: for among them all, there was neither truth nor concord. For this cause, sometimes Gods house is put for Christ, as he is opposed to the Philosophers, Aug. Confess. 7. 18. & 20.because in him only is happines to be found. Therefore God pitying man, opened his schooles of the Church in the doctrine of happinesse: and there is more of it in this one sentence, This is life eternall *Joh. 17. 3.to know thee to be the only God, and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ; than in all the writs of Philosophers from the beginning. And God doth this in the sight of the World, because his works are good, and seeke the light. Sathan stealeth away man in his works of darknesse; but he will have them publickly returning to honour him, and shame Sathan.
Secondly,And the happinesse of a Nation. the happinesse of a Nation where God hath houses,aPsal. 50. 2. Sion the perfection of beautie. And more,bPsal. 48. 2. Sion the joy of the whole earth, and the Citie of the great King. Many count his house a burden, and wrangle miserably in the provision of pastors, like the Gadarens, cLuk. 8. 37.who thrust Christ away for their swine: or like the Polonians, who having embraced Christianitie, and finding the maintenance of it heavier than Paganisme, resolved to turne to Paganism again. However, it bideth sure, that Gods presence in a Land is their happinesse and glorie. The world thinketh, that Monarchies are the glorie of a nation, but God gave more to the Jewes in the Temple and Synagogues, than to the Assyrians, Persians, Grecians, Romans in their flourishing Monarchies. He giveth to other nations without the Church, great naturall and politick gifts, but they are nothing to the sanctuarie. Albeit they excell the Sain…s in these common gifts, yet the spirituall gifts are infinitely better. For as the waxing power is stronger in plants than in beasts. because in them it is eminent, but in the other subject to the sensitive power: and in beasts the sensitive power is stronger than in man, in whom it is subject to reason; so among men, they who have nothing but Nature, it is eminent in them, as in the own sphere. Without the Church many have excelled in common gifts for mankinds civill perfection, and because they had no other purpose to exercise their spirit. But the Saints are taken up in things supernaturall, and so are weaker in the naturall. And this is a fruit of Gods dwelling among them, when their soules runne out on things supernaturall, rather than naturall.
Thirdly, our duty in two things: First, that wee frequent the house of God in reverence:Churches are to be frequented for happinesse. for God is there in a singular maner, and our salvation and happinesse is proponed there. Therefore since he keepeth both time and place of trysting, let us not be so ingrate as not to meet with him. Many in opinion of greater spirituall profit in private, abstain from temples: but let them remember, that David was a Prophet, and laden with revelations: yet in the statute times of worship, hee chose to bee in the Sanctuarie rather than in private. For albeit God bid us worship him privately, lest we be found hypocrites; yet he wil have us honour the publike meetings, because larger grace descendeth from God, and more groans ascend to him. Moreover, when we come to the sanctuarie, let us remember, that we are come to get happinesse, which is proponed there. For, to passe by humanitie and ph…losophie (which treat not of happinesse) and come to the schooles of divinitie, Happinesse is not there so clearly proponed as in Churches. For there truth is almost lost by jangling: Happinesse is rather obscured than cleared, new questions augmented, and all more for the glorie of the disputer, than edification of the hearer, but nothing of heart or conscience. But in the Churches, happines is clearly proponed.Aug. Tract. 28. fol. 177. 1, 2. Here a man shall bee convinced of his own miserie, he shall heare many are blessed whom the world count miserable for their crosses, and that many are miserable, whom they count happie for their prosperitie. And that the best have need to look to the deceit of their heart, that they steale not Gods glorie, ascribing his gifts to them. Churches are types of heaven, Factus sum ad coelum. Aug. Tom. 9. fol. 27. …ol. 1.and of these two great places, God hath set the earth under our feet, and the heaven above our head; and given our bodie a straight stature,Prosper. 4. 6. 8. to tell we should tread on the earth, and aspire to heaven.
Next,We should be the temples of the holy Spirit. that we try if we be the Temples of the holy Spirit: if we have the altar of a cleane heart, daily warmed with fire from above: The daily offering of Repentance: Bernard. 632.The shining Candlestick of a pure conscience: The Shew-bread of sinceritie and truth, in obedience: The altar of Incense, to praise God for his blessings we receive daily. God sought not sacrifices under the Law for themselves, but for the thing signified: They represented Christ to us, and that wee should sacrifice our selves upon that great altar. If we be so, that unction *1 Joh. 2. 27.dwelleth in us, he will reveale to us the chiefe good, and apply our hearts to the love of it, that we may enjoy it: Hee maketh us also conscious and sensible of this work, for he is an unction teaching, and a seale confirming our union with the chiefe good. This is a great happinesse, when the temples of the holy Ghost, and living members of Jesus Christ, come to the house of God, to seeke true happinesse, and obtaine it.Deus & home vicissim se habitant. Aug. Tom. 9. fol. 109. Here is also a mutuall dwelling, when God & man dwelleth mutually in other. He prepareth us Mansions, when he prepareth us for these mansions: His house is the godly, and then the place is prepared, when we live by Faith;Mansionibus parando mansores. by beleaving wee desire him, that by our desire we may have him. The desire of our love to him,Aug. Johan. 14. is the preparing of our Mansion. So Lord prepare what thou preparest! thou preparest us to thee, and thee to us, because thou makest a place in us to thee, and thee to us, for thou hast said *Joh. 15. 4.Abide in me, and I will abide in you.