who sware by his father's fear, (Gen. xxxi. 53.) which he spake of his Bethel: How dreadful is this place! this is none other, but the house of God: this is the gate of heaven; Gen. xxviii. 17. The several distances and distinctions, that were observed in the Temple of God, at Jerusalem, are famously known. None might sit within the verge thereof; but the king: all others, either stood or kneeled. I have read of some sects of men so curiously scrupulous, that their priests were not allowed to breathe in their temple; but were commanded, while they went in to sweep the floor, to hold their wind, like those that dive for sponges at Samos, to the utmost length of time; and, when they would vent their suppressed air and change it for new, to go forth of the doors, and return with a fresh supply P. But we are sure the Ethiopian Christians are so holily mannerly, that they do not allow any man so much as to spit in their Churches; and, if such a defilement happen, they cause it to be speedily cleansed. What shall we then say, of the common profaneness of those careless Christians, that make no distinction, betwixt their church, and their barn; that care not to look unto their foul feet, when they come under this sacred roof; that, with equal irreverence, stumble into God's house and their tavern; that can find no fitter place for their ambulatory, their burse, their counting house, their sepulchre? It is recorded of St. Swithin', the (no less famous than humble) Bishop of Winchester, that, when he died, he gave charge that his body should not, in any case, be buried within the Church; but be laid, where his grave might be wet with rain, and open to weather and passengers: I suppose, as conceiving that sacred place too good for the repository of the best carcases. Surely, we cannot easily entertain too venerable an opinion, of the habitation of the Almighty. If our hearts have the honour to be the spiritual temples of God, we shall gladly give all due honour to his material temples: and, doubtless, in all experience, we shall so respect the house, as we are affected to the owner. It was the discipline and practice of the Hetruscans, from whom old Rome learned much of her skill in auguries, and many mysteries of religion, that those deities, whom they desired to harbour in their own breasts, as Virtue, Peace, Modesty, should have temples erected within their walls; but those, which were the presidents of wars and combustions, or pleasures and sensuality, as Mars, Venus, Vulcan, should take up with temples without their walls: and even so it is, and will be ever with us; if we have a holy regard to the P Rugianorum sacerdos non intra ædem Dei sui halitum emittebat ne &c. Hospinian De orgi. Festor. Mahumetan. Zago Zabae's Relation. Matth. Westmonast. 862. God of Heaven, and adore him as inhabiting our bosoms, we cannot but give all fair and venerable respects to those houses, which he hath taken up for his own worship and presence. [5.] Neither, lastly, can God's very Messengers, though partners of our own infirmities, escape some sensible reflections of our fear. It was the rule of the Jews', that the very prince of the people, if sengers of God. he would consult God's oracle, out of reverence to that divine pectoral, must reverently stand before that priest; who, at other times, was bound to give lowly obedience to his sovereign Lord. -to the Mes What Great Alexander did to the Jewish High Priest, who knows not? Neither hath the practice of the godly emperors in the Christian Church, through all successions of ages, savoured of less regard: even the late Cæsar Ferdinand, in the sight of our English, not long before his end, together with his empress, received an episcopal benediction publicly, upon their knees. Away with that insolent pomp of kissing of toes, which Justus Lipsius justly called once "foul and servile;" fit for a Caligula, or Maximinus the younger, or a Dioclesian: away with the proud horseing on shoulders, or treading on necks, or the lackeying of princes. It was a moderate word of Cardinal Zabarel, concerning his great master: "So is he to be honoured, that he be not adored." Surely, when religion was at the best, great peers thought it no scorn, to kiss the venerable hands of their spiritual fathers; and did not grudge them eminent titles of honour*. It was but a simple port, that Elijah carried in the world; who, after that astonishing wonder of fetching down fire and water from heaven, thought it no abasement, to be Ahab's lackey, from Carmel to Jezreel; 1 Kings xviii. 46: yet Obadiah, who was high steward to the king of Israel, even that day, could fall on his face to him, and say, Art thou that my Lord Elijah? Not much greater was the state of those Christian Bishops, who began now to breathe from the bloody persecutions of the heathen emperors: yet, with what dearness, did that gracious Constantine, in whom this island is proud to challenge no small share, kiss those scars, which they had received for the name of Christ! with what titles, did he dignify them! as one, that saw Christ in their faces; and meant, in their persons, to honour his Saviour. And, indeed, there is so close and indissoluble a relation, • Vide Schichardum De Jure Regio Hebr. 'Lipsius, Electorum lib. ii. turpem et servilem. Innocentii septimi et Benedicti. "Tract. de Schism. * Paulin. in vitâ Sancti Ambrosii. betwixt Christ and his Messengers, that their mutual interest can never be severed. What prince doth not hold himself concerned in the honours or affronts, that are done to his Ambassadors? Those keys, which God hath committed to our hands, lock us so fast to him, that no power in earth or hell can separate us; but still, that word must stand fast, in heaven: He, that despiseth you, despiseth me. In vain shall they, therefore, pretend to fear God, that contemn and disgrace their spiritual governors. There is a certain plant, which our Herbalists' call herbam impiam, or "wicked cudweed;" whose younger branches still yield flowers, to overtop the elder: such weeds grow too rife abroad: it is an ill soil, that produceth them. I am sure, that were the heart is manured and seasoned with a true fear of the Almighty, there cannot be but an awful regard to our spiritual pastors: well are those two charges conjoined, "Fear God, and honour his priests;" Ecclus. vii. 31. (6.) Hitherto having considered that part of Holy Fear, Of the humble which, consisting in an inward adoration of God, Subjection of expresseth itself in the awful respects to his Name, ourselves to the Word, Services, House, Messengers; we descend hand of God: to that other part, which consists in our humble subjection, and self-resignation to his good pleasure, in all things; whether to order, or correct: [1] The Suffering part is the harder. It was a gracious -in suffering resolution of old Eli; It is the Lord, let him do from him, meek whatsoever he will; 1 Sam. iii. 18. Surely, that "ly and paman, though he were but an ill father, to his worse tiently: the sons; yet he was a good son, to his Father in good examples Heaven: for, nothing but a true filial awe could thereof. make the heart thus pliant; that represents ourselves to us, as the clay, and our God to us, as the potter; and therefore shows us how unjustly we should repine at any form or use, that is by his hand put upon us. I could envy that word, which is said to have fallen from the mouth of Francis of Assisse, in his great extremity: "I thank thee, O Lord God, for all my pain; and I beseech thee, if thou think good, to add unto it a hundred fold more." Neither was it much different from that, which I have read, as reported of Pope Adrian: but, I am sure, was spoken by a worthy divine, within my time and knowledge, of the University of Cambridge, whose labours are of much note and use in the Church of God, Master Perkins; who, when he lay in his last, and killing torment of the stone, hearing the by-standers to pray for a mitigation of his pain, willed them, not to pray for an ease of his complaint, but for an increase of his patience. These speeches y Gerard, page 642. * Lib. i. Conform. Fruct. 12. a Binius, &c. cannot but proceed from subdued, and meek, and mortified souls; more intentive upon the glory of their Maker, than their own peace and relaxation. And, certainly, the heart, thus seasoned, cannot but be equally tempered to all conditions; as humbly acknowledging the same hand, both in good and evil: and, therefore, even frying in Phalaris's bull, as the Philosopher said of a wise man, will be able to say, Quàm suave! "How pleasant!" Was it true of that heathen martyr, Socrates, that, as, in his lifetime, he was not wont to change his countenance, upon any alteration of events: so, when he should come to drink his hemlock, as Plato' reports it, no difference could be descried, either in his hand or face; no paleness in his face, no trembling in his hand; but a stedfast and fearless taking of that fatal cup, as if it differed not from the wine of his meals? Even this resolution was no other, than an effect of the acknowledgment of that one God, for which he suffered. If so, I cannot less magnify that man for his temper, than the oracle did for his wisdom: but I can do no less, than bless and admire the known courage and patience of those Christian martyrs, who, out of a loving fear of him, that only can save, and cast both bodies and souls into hell, despised shame, pain, death, and manfully insulted upon their persecutors. Blessed Ignatius could profess to challenge and provoke the furious lions, to his dilaniation: blessed Cyprian could pray, that the tyrant would not repent of the purpose of dooming him to death: and that other holy Bishop, when his hand was threatened to be cut off, could say, Seca ambas, "Cut off both." It is not for me to transcribe volumes of Martyrologies. All that holy army of conquering Saints began their victories, in an humble awe of him, whose they were; and cheerfully triumphed over irons, and racks, and gibbets, and wheels, and fires, out of a meek and obedient submission to the will and call of their ever-blessed God, and most dear Redeemer: insomuch as St. Chrysostom professes to find patterns and parallels for himself, in all varieties of torments, and whatsoever several forms of execution: and the blessed Apostle hath left us a Red Calendar of these constant witnesses of God; whose memory is still on earth, their crown in heaven; Heb. xi. 36, 37, 38. [2.] Neither is it thus, only in the undaunted sufferings for the causes of God; but our awe subjects us also --in all Changes to the good will of God, in all whatsoever Changes of Estates. of Estate. Do I smart with afflictions? I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against • Μάλα ίλεως· οὐδὲ τρέσας, οὐδὲ διαφθείρας, ούτε του χρώματος, ούτε τοῦ προσώπου· ἀλλ ̓ ὥσπερ είωθει, ταυρηδὸν ὑποβλέψας. Plat. Apol. &c. him; Mich. vii. 9. I held my peace, because thou, Lord, hast done it. Do I abound in blessings? Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my father's house, that thou hast brought me hitherto? 2 Sam. vii. 18. In both; I have learned, in what condition soever I am, to be therewith content; Phil. iv. 11. 2. Thus do we bow the knees of our hearts to God, in our Of our Child- adoration of his Majesty: both in duly magnifying like Care of a his greatness and goodness; and in our humble secret Approv- submission to his holy and gracious pleasure. ing ourselves to There remains that other signature of our awful God, and disposition, which consists in a TENDER AND Avoiding his CHILD-LIKE CARE, BOTH OF HIS SECRET APPROBA- PLEASURE AND OUR OFFENCE TOWARDS HIM: these two part not asunder; for, he, that desires to be approved, would be loth to displease. с The heart, that is rightly affected to God, is ambitious, above all things, under heaven, of the Secret Allowance of the Almighty and, therefore, is careful to pass a continual and exact inquisition upon all his thoughts; much more, upon his actions; what acceptation or censure they find above: like as some timorous child, upon every stitch that she takes in her first sampler, looks tremblingly in the face of her mistress, to see how she likes it: as well knowing, that the Law of God was not given us, as some have said of Benedict's rule, only to profess, but to perform; and that, accordingly, the conscience shall find, either peace or tumult. As we are wont, therefore, to say of the dove, that, at the picking up of every grain, she casts her eyes up to heaven; so will our godly fear teach us to do, after all our speeches and actions. For which cause, it will be necessary to exercise our hearts, with very frequent, if not continual, ejaculations. I remember the story tells us of that famous Irish Saint, of whom there are many monuments in these western parts, that he was wont to sign himself no less than a hundred times in a hour. Away with all superstition: although Cardinal Bellarmin' tells us, not improbably, that, in the practice of those ancient Christians, their crossing was no other, than a silent kind of invocation of that Saviour, who was crucified for us: surely, I should envy any man, that hath the leisure and grace, to lift up his heart, thus often, to his God; let the glance be never so short: neither can such a one choose, but be full of religious fear. I like not the fashion of the Euchites; that were all prayer, and no practice but the mixture of these holy elevations of the Error Tho. Aqui. Quodlib. art. 20. Hospin. in Notis ad Regul. Benedicti In one of his Prefaces to his Controversy. |