A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

This I thought good to urge, because as if we had been taught to be proud, there is little reverence among us: I am ashamed to speak it; many sit in the Church as at a Theatre: their hands are too idle to uncover their heads, their knees too stiff to bow to Christ. Even to the Gospel, which must save them, or they shall never be saved, their regard is little better than contempt. For shame of men, and Angels, where is our reverence? Do you come hither to give God a blessing, or to take it? Will a Petitioner sue to a Peer with a covered head, or an unmoved knee?^s Ye shall reverence my Sanctuary, I am the Lord. If the Law challenged such reverence, what doth the Gospel? If the blood of goats had such respect, what requires the Lamb of God, the blood of our Lord Jesus? What is this, but to give the sacrifice of fools? Eccl. 5.1. God will dwell with him, that trembleth at his Word, Isaiah 66.2. We tremble like mountains; yea, the mountains quake at Gods presence, saith the Psalmist: we are not moved. But as for me, I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercies;^t and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy Temple O for one dram of this reverence! But indeed it is in vain to bend the knees, with unbended souls: it is a poor worship, to move our hats, not our hearts. But he doth best, that expresseth before men his zeal by his reverence, and commends before GOD his reverence by his zeal. It is fabled, that when Juno on a day had proclaimed a great reward to him that brought her the best present; ⟨p. 148⟩there came in a Physician, a Poet, a Merchant, a Philosopher, and a Beggar. The Physician presented a hidden secret of nature; a prescript able to make an old man young again. The Poet an Encomiastic Ode of her bird, the Peacock. The Merchant, a rare hollow Jewell to hang at her ear. The Philosopher, a book of strange mysteries. The poor quaking Beggar, only a bended knee, saying, I have nothing worth acceptance; Accipe meipsum, Take my self. Some come hither with prescripts of their own; they have receipts enow already, they care for no more. Other like the Poet, come to admire Peacocks, the gaudy Popinjays, and fashionists of the time, blustering in their painted feathers. Other like the Merchant, present Jewels; but they are hollow: come with critical or hypocritical humours: