The Honor of Gods House, Title page – Dedication
A TREATISE OF THE HONOR OF GODS HOVSE:
OR, THE TRVE PATERNE Of the Church, ſhewed in the parts And pietie of it;
With a Diſcovery of the true Cauſe and Cure Of our preſent Contentions,
And an anſwer of ſuch Objections as may Offend the weake.
CANT. 6.12.
Returne, returne, O, Shulamite, returne returne that we may behold thee; what ſhall you ſee in the Shulamite, but as the company of an Army.
LONDON, Printed by T. C. for William Cooke, and are to be ſold at his Shop neere Furnivalls Inne Gate in Holbourne. 1637.
Perlegi hunc tractatum, cui titulus eſt (A Treatiſe of the honour of God Houſe, &c) in quo nihil reperio ſanae doctrinae aut bonis moribut contrarium, quo minus imprimatur.
Ex Aedibus Lambeth. Jun. 15. 1637. IOHN OLIVER Reveren. in Ch. Patri & Dom. Dom. Ar. C…ant. Sacell. Dom.
TO THE RIGHT WORSHIPFVLL CLERE TALBOT, Dr. of Law, Comiſſary to the Reverend Father in God, the L. Biſhop of Norwich, one of his MAIESTIES Iuſtices of Peace.
Worthy Sir,
I Am forced to ſet forth my ſelfe as well as my Sermon, and to ſatiſfie ſome. I muſt tell them as well what I am, as what I have ſaid. A ſhort Sermon is often the occaſion of much diſcourſe, and many like the Athenians delight in nothing but to heare and tell newes, and ſome like the devill are not ſo idle, as ill occupied in ſlandering of others. The biting of mad dogges admits of medicine to helpe it, but there is no Phyſitian that knowes a remedy againſt a ſlander. All the comfort is, that Mala opinio benè parta delectat, a mans owne conſcience may be his cordiall: Vnus mihi pro populo erit, one underſtanding man is better than a multitude, whoſe very wiſedome (as the Wiſeman ſaith) is to be deſpiſed, Omnis honeſtae reimalus judex eſt vulgus, the common people are corrupt judges, Eadem probamus, eadem reprehendimus, hic eſt exitus omnis judicij in quo lis ſecundum plures datur, in number of voyces there is no certaintie of truth, ſatis eſt unus, ſatis eſt nullus, one or none may be ſufficient to ſatisfie in a good cauſe, which as I am perſwaded I have undertaken. I am not aſhamed to paſſe it from the Pulpit to the Preſſe, and to Print what I preached. In both I have your requeſt, and it is ſome part of a requitall to ſay, Hoc ego non multis ſed tibi, I owe as much as you have deſired, and will not be dainty by your hands to deliver it to others. That you have found the approbation you ſought for, is to mee a ſecond confirmation, it may doe more good than I expected: I ſhall be glad to helpe the weakeſt, and not to receive him for controverſies of diſputations. I have not ſtirred the ſtone they ſtumble upon, nor moved their mindes with noveltie, Qui intempestivè monet ille nocet, a monition muſt be as a medicine ſeaſonably applied. When there is no motion of humours in a body, their very agitation is dangerous, and no pacification to be expected by their purgation; but the Aphoriſme is true, when they move remove them, leaſt they doe miſchiefe, Si quid movendum move humores, qui turgent purgentur.
Me thinkes our diſeaſes are diſcovered by Saint Paul in the right method, Tit. 1.10. Many are unruly, vaine talkers, deceivers. Authoritie is diſobeyed. Secondly, diſobedience is defended. Thirdly, the defence deceives others. Theſe diſeaſes are apparent in many, whoſe malady is contention with their Superiours, which they defend by bookes, and by the ſame, poyſon moſt of the people, who looke not ſo much into the cauſe as the complaint, and complying in affection with the Authors, loſe the apprehenſion of the truth, which whoſoever ſhall reveale it to them, ſhall not be heard for the prejudice they have conceived. Prava dogmata, wicked doctrines make Heretickes and poiſon their mindes: but diverſa ſtudia, ſmall differences will make Schiſmatickes, and ſet them out of good thoughts, withall they cannot affect. Saint Paul diſputes the caſe charitably, 1 Cor. 11.10.19. he beleeves it in part, and paſſeth not the ſame ſentence upon all, and mitigates the matter further by an effectuall gradation from Schiſme to hereſie, as from the leſſe to the greater. No marvell you are divided in Rites and Ceremonies, and contrary Cuſtomes, wherein wee for our parts contend not, neither the Churches of God; but ſtudy peace and quiet, as counting them no matters of moment to cauſe contention. Such contentious ſpirits make Gods people come together, not for the better but for the worſe, where is the fault? not in the Church, but the bad humours of it, in ſuch as are in the Church, but not of it, in ſuch as have leaſt to doe with it, yet make worke enough for them which have moſt to doe, and ſet all into a combuſtion. I ſay the holy Apoſtle helpes the ſtaggering Chriſtian, and labours to make him ſtand upright.
Firſt, I beleeve it to be in your company, and onelyonly of thoſe that will not be of you. Secondly, it is from a bad cauſe to a good end. The devill moves it, but God will have the glory of it, and you ſhall have the good, in being approved to him. Secondly, in being made manifeſt to others, and that firſt, that you are not the Schiſmatickes: ſecondly, that you are ſuch as the Church approves: thirdly, you neede not wonder at Schiſmes, when Satan can raiſe hereſies. Thats a happy Church that is without weedes, and a thouſand ſeparations are not to be truſted, that ſeek ſafety where Satan ſhall not find them; America is no more the place than Rome, Satan is to be feared hath found and will finde their ſocieties, but I will not accuſe them ſo much as defend my ſelfe, and tell all men what I am, ſure I ſhould be, if I be righ….
I am unus in corpore, as well as unus in capite, one that ſtrives as much for one Church as for one Chriſt, and as it is my duty to name my ſelfe a Chriſtian from my communion with Chriſt, ſo ſhall it ever be the ſame to ſirname my ſelfe a Catholike from my communion with his body. Seeing you have drawne me out to ſay ſome thing, I ſay it for the Church, and ſeeke pacification of that which is now in agitation; and becauſe the Altar breedes the greateſt quarrell, I will firſt labour to take away the offence in the name; ſecondly, I will examine whether every Altar induceth a ſacrifice; thirdly, whether the ſacrifice ſuperinduceth the ſinne of Idolatry; fourthly, I will ſet before you ſeverall inſtances of the excellencies of Gods Houſe to bring us in love with it; fiftly, give directions to avoid danger; and this I am forced to fixe before my Sermon to make it more acceptable in the reading. I know it is not all one to Preach in a Pulpit, and ſpeake out of a Preſſe, my deſire is to make way by a Preface, that no prejudice may remaine in a ſhort Sermon, to ſay it was Preached indeede, but nothing proved. I am to take my leave of you, and know not whether I ſhall give you thankes for that you have brought me upon the ſtage, or ſay I ſhould have thanked you more to have buried all this in my ſtudy. Your thankes and mine are to be alike. Howſoever I will thinke you meant me well, and for that I thanke you, and reſt, and remaine.
Yours to be Commanded IOHN YATES.