pure, and nothing so corrupt as it hath been of late Hoм. XIII. days. And yet we willingly, either by absenting ourselves from the house of the Lord, do, as it were, excommunicate ourselves from the Church and fellowship of the saints of God; or else, coming thither, by uncomely and unreverent behaviour there, by hasty, rash, yea, unclean and wicked thoughts and words before the Lord our God, horribly dishonour his holy house, the church of God, and his holy name and majesty, to the great danger of our souls, yea, and certain damnation also, if we do not speedily and earnestly repent us of this wickedness.

Thus ye have heard, dearly beloved, out of God's word, what reverence is due to the holy house of the Lord; how all godly persons ought with diligence at times appointed thither to repair; how they ought to behave themselves there, with reverence and dread before the Lord; what plagues and punishments, as well temporal as eternal, the Lord in his holy word threateneth, as well to such as neglect to come to his holy house, as also to such who, coming thither, do unreverently by gesture or talk there behave themselves. Wherefore, if we desire to have seasonable weather, and thereby to enjoy the good fruits of the earth; if we will avoid drought and barrenness, thirst and hunger, which are plagues threatened unto such as make haste to go to their own houses, to alehouses and taverns, and leave the house of the Lord empty and desolate; if we abhor to be scourged, not with whips made of cords, out of the material temple only our Saviour Christ served the defilers of the house of God in Jerusalem-but also to be beaten and driven out of the eternal temple and house of the Lord, which is his heavenly kingdom, with the iron rod of everlasting damnation, and cast into utter darkness, where is weeping and gnashing of teeth: if we fear, dread, and abhor this, I say-as we have most just cause to do-then let us amend this our negligence and contempt in coming to the house of the Lord, this our unreverent behaviour in the house of the Lord; and resorting thither diligently

as

HOM. XIII. together, let us there, with reverent hearing of the

Lord's holy word, calling on the Lord's holy name, giving of hearty thanks unto the Lord for his manifold and inestimable benefits daily and hourly bestowed upon us, celebrating also reverently the Lord's holy sacraments, serve the Lord in his holy house, as becometh the servants of the Lord, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life and then we shall be assured after this life to rest in his holy hill, and to dwell in his tabernacle, there to praise and magnify his holy name in the congregation of his Saints, in the holy house of his eternal kingdom of heaven, which he hath purchased for us by the death and shedding of the precious blood of his Son our Saviour Jesus Christ: To whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, one immortal Majesty of God, be all honour, glory, praise, and thanksgiving, world without end. Amen.

"All godly men did ever abhor that any kneeling and worshipping.... should be used to themselves, when they were alive....as appeareth.... by St. Paul and Barnabas, forbidding the same to the citizens in Lystra." (See p. 180 and Acts xiv.)

AN HOMILY

AGAINST

In what points the true ornaments of the church or HOM. XIV. temple of God do consist and stand, hath been declared in the two last Homilies, treating of the Right Use of the Temple or House of God, and of the due Reverence that all true Christian people are bound to give unto the same. The sum whereof is, That the church or house of God is a place appointed by the Holy Scriptures, where the lively word of God ought to be read, taught, and heard, the Lord's holy name called upon by public prayer, hearty. thanks given to his Majesty for his infinite and unspeakable benefits bestowed upon us, his holy Sacraments duly and reverently ministered; and that therefore all that be godly indeed ought both with diligence, at times appointed, to repair together to the said church, and there with all reverence to use and behave themselves before the Lord: and that the said church, thus godly used by the servants

HOM. XIV. of the Lord, in the Lord's true service, for the effectual presence of God's grace wherewith he doth by his holy word and promises endue his people, there present and assembled, to the attainment, as well of commodities worldly, necessary for us, as also of all heavenly gifts, and life everlasting-is called by the word of God, as it is indeed, the temple of the Lord, and the house of God; and that therefore the due reverence thereof is stirred up in the hearts of the godly, by the consideration of these true ornaments of the said house of God, and not by any outward ceremonies or costly and glorious decking of the said house or temple of the Lord. Contrary to the which most manifest doctrine of the Scriptures; and contrary to the usage of the primitive church, which was most pure and uncorrupt; and contrary to the sentences and judgments of the most ancient, learned, and godly Doctors of the Church-as hereafter shall appearthe corruption of these latter days hath brought into the church infinite multitudes of images; and the same with other parts of the temple also, have decked with gold and silver, painted with colours, set them with stone and pearl, clothed them with silks and precious vestures, fancying untruly that to be the chief decking and adorning of the temple or house of God, and that all people should be the more moved to the due reverence of the same, if all corners thereof were glorious, and glistering with gold and precious stones. Whereas indeed they by the said images, and such glorious decking of the temple, have nothing at all profited such as were wise and of understanding; but have thereby greatly hurt the simple and unwise, occasioning them thereby to commit most horrible idolatry; and the covetous persons, by the same occasion, seeming to worship and peradventure worshipping indeed-not only the images, but also the matter of them, gold and silver; as that vice is of all others in the Scriptures peculiarly called idolatry, or worshipping of images.

Eph. v.

Colos. iii.

Against the which foul abuses and great enormi

ties shall be alleged unto you; first, the authority HOм. XIV. of God's holy word, as well out of the Old Testament, as of the New. And secondly, the testimonies of the holy and ancient learned Fathers and Doctors, out of their own works and ancient histories ecclesiastical; both that you may at once know their judgments, and withal understand what manner of ornaments were in the temples in the primitive church, in those times which were most pure and sincere. Thirdly, the reasons and arguments made for the defence of images or idols, and the outrageous decking of temples and churches with gold, silver, pearl, and precious stones, shall be confuted; and so this whole matter concluded.

But lest any should take occasion, by the way, of doubting by words or names, it is thought good here to note first of all, that although in common speech we use to call the likeness or similitudes of men or other things, images, and not idols; yet the Scriptures use the said two words, Idols and Images, indifferently for one thing alway. They be words of divers tongues and sounds, but one in sense and signification in the Scriptures. The one is taken of the Greek word Ei`dwλov, an idol; and the other of the Latin word Imago, an image; and so both used as English terms in the translating of Scriptures indifferently, according as the Septuaginta have in their translation in Greek Edwλa, and St. Jerome in his translation of the same places in Latin hath Simulachra; in English, Images. And in the New Testament, that which St. John calleth Eidwλov, St. John v. Jerome likewise translateth Simulachrum, as in all other like places of Scripture usually he doth so translate. And Tertullian, a most ancient Doctor, and well learned in both the tongues, Greek and Latin, interpreting this place of St. John, Beware of Idols-that is to say, saith Tertullian, of the images themselves-the Latin words which he useth be, Effigies and Imago, that is to say, an image. And therefore it skilleth not, whether in this process we use the one term or the other, or both together, seeing they both-though not in common

Lib. de co

rona militis.