A01956:956
The happiness of the church, or, A description of those spiritual prerogatives wherewith Christ…The happines of the church, or, A description of those spirituall prerogatiues vvherewith Christ…
The happiness of the church, or, A description of those spiritual prerogatives wherewith Christ hath endowed her considered in some contemplations upon part of the 12. chapter of the Hebrews : together with certain other meditations and discourses upon other portions of Holy Scriptures, the titles whereof immediately precede the book : being the sum of diverse sermons preached in S. Gregory's London / by Thomas Adams ...The happines of the church, or, A description of those spirituall prerogatiues vvherewith Christ hath endowed her considered in some contemplations vpon part of the 12. chapter of the Hebrewes : together with certain other meditations and discourses vpon other portions of Holy Scriptures, the titles wherof immediately precede the booke : being the summe of diuerse sermons preached in S. Gregories London / by Thomas Adams ...
London: printed by G.P. for John Grismand, 1619London: printed by G.P. for Iohn Grismand, 1619
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
1. The Necessity, all that have hope of heaven, must be going. The servants of God under the Law, Exod. 12. 11. the sons of God under the Gospel, Ephes. 6. 15. are commanded to have their Feet shod: to witness their preparation of Going. God doth not only charge Elijah with a Surge, tArise; but also with a Vade, uGo. The sitting bird is easily shot; so long as she is flying in the air, the murdering piece is not levelled at her. There were two principal occasions of Davids sin, Otium & Oculus: Idleness and his Eye. The one gives Satan opportunity, the other conveniency to inject his temptation. ⟨p. 419⟩Otia si tollas, periere Cupidinis arcus. David, hast thou nothing to do? Come, walk with me on thy Palace roof, I will show thee beauty; a snare able to take a Saint. It is necessary therefore to be going; for so we are not so fair a mark for Satan. Adam, so long as he was at his work in the Garden, was safe enough: when he became lazy, and fell a dallying with Eve, Satan shot him. It was Jeromes counsel to Rusticus; Be ever doing, ut quando diabolus veniat, inueniat occupatum: that when the Devil comes with his business, he may find thee at thine own business. So thou shalt answer him knocking at thy door; I am busy; I have no time to talk, with you, Satan. Do you think the Devil could be so sure to meet his friends at the Theatre, Tavern, Brothel-house; but that mistress Idleness sends them thither? Yea by this he takes a worldling by the hand at Church: well met; you are so full of business all the week, that you break your sleeps, cannot take your rest: come, here be two Sermons on the Sunday, sleep out them. The Sabbath seems tedious to some, they have nothing to do? Nothing? Alas, they know not a Sabbaths days work. To pray, to hear, to read, to meditate, to confer, to visit, to pray again: is all this nothing? Because they labour not in their worldly calling, they think there needs no labour about their Christian calling: the working out their salvation they hold no pains; indeed they take no pains about it. If they did perform these duties, they should find the right spending the Sabbath, not Nullum laborem, sed alium: not no labour, but another kind of labour then ever they conceived. And this not Opus taedij, sed gaudij. Think on that sweet vicissitude of works and comforts;