The second tome of homilies of such matters as were promised, and entitled in…The second tome of homilees of such matters as were promised, and intituled in…

The same example of diligence in preaching the word of God in the Temple, shall ye find in the Apostles, and the people resorting unto them. Act. the. v. Howe the Apostles, although they had ben whipped and scourged the day before, and by the high priest commanded that they should preach no more in the name of Jesus, yet the day following they entered early in the morning into the Temple, and did not cease to teach and declare Jesus Christ. And in sundry other places of the story of the Acts, ye shall find like diligence both in the Apostles in ¹teaching, and in the people in coming to the temple to hear Gods word. And it is testified in the first of Luke, that when Zechariah the ²holy priest, and father to John baptist, did sacrifice within the temple, all the people stood without a long time praying, such was their zeal and fervency at that time. And in the second ³of Luke appeareth what great journeys men, women, yea and children took, to come to the temple on the feast day, there to serve the Lord, and specially the example of Joseph, the blessed virgin Mary mother to our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of our saviour Christ him self being yet but a child, whose examples are worthy for us to follow. So that if we would compare our negligence in resorting to the house of the Lord there to serve him, to the diligence of the Jews in coming daily very early, sometime ⟨p. 12⟩great journeys to their temple, and when the multitude could not be received within the temple, the fervent zeal that they had, declared in standing long without and praying: We may justly in this comparison condemn our slothfulness and negligence, yea plain contempt in coming to the Lords house, standing so near unto us, so seldom, and scarcely at none time. So far is it from a great many of us to come early in the morning, or give attendance without, who disdain to come into the temple, and yet we abhor the very name of the Jews when we hear it, as of a most wicked and ungodly people. But it is to be feared, that in this point we be far worse then the Jews, and that they shall rise at the day of judgement to our condemnation, who in comparison to them, show such slackness and contempt in resorting to the house of the Lord, there to serve him, according as we are of duty most bound.