The temple A sermon preached at Pauls Cross the fifth of August. 1624. By…The temple A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse the fifth of August. 1624. By…

Evil deeds may have sometimes good meanings; but those good meanings are answered with evil recompenses. Many bestow their labours, their goods, their bloods, and yet receive torments in stead of thanks. When the Apostle bids us mortify our earthly members, ¹he does not intend violence to our selves, but to our sins. ⟨p. 46⟩There is one mortification, to cast our selves out of the world: there is another mortification, to cast the world out of us. A body macerated with scourges, disabled with fastings, wearied with pilgrimages; was none of S. Pauls mortification. Who hath required this at your hands? Where is no command imposed, no reward proposed; no promise made, if you do; no punishment threatened, if you do not; what fruit can be expected but shame? Must we needs either do nothing, or that which is worse then nothing? Shall we offer so much, suffer so much, and all in vaine? Quis haec à vobis? Let him pay you your wages, that did set you on work. Never plead your own reason, where God hath set a plain interdiction. He that suffers his faith to be overruled by his reason, may have a fat reason, but a lean faith. That man is not worthy to be a follower of Christ, who hath not denied himself; therefore denied his Reason; for his reason is no small piece of himself. If Reason get the head in this divine business, it presently prevails with will, and will commands the affections: so this new Triumvirate shall govern the Christian, ²not Faith. But as when three Ambassadors were sent from Rome, to appease the discord between Nicomedes and Prusias; whereof one was troubled with a Megrim in his head, another had the Gout in his toes, and the third was a fool; Cato said merrily, that Embassy had neither Head, nor Foot, nor Heart. So that ⟨p. 47⟩man shall neither have a head to conceive the truth, nor a foot to walk in the ways of obedience, nor a heart to receive the comforts of salvation; that suffers his reason, will, and affections, to usurp upon his faith.

Euill deeds may haue sometimes good meanings; but those good meanings are answered with euill recompences. Many bestow their labors, their goods, their bloods, and yet receiue torments in stead of thanks. When the Apostle bids vs mortifie our earthly members,