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The XCI. ADVERTISEMENT.
A Great Prince in discharge of a Vow that he had made, car∣ries a rich Vessel to the Temple; which the Priest recei∣ving with shew of great sadness; The Prince desires the reason thereof, and receives satisfaction.
NOt many daies since, a Prince of great quality, carried a very rich Ves∣sel of God to the Temple, in acknowledgment of a singular favour which he had received from God. And because the Priest at the recei∣ving of it, appeared to be much afflicted, even to the shedding of tears, the Prince had the curiosity to know the occasion of his sadness, and de∣sired the Priest that he would tell it him. To the which, that man who feared God, in down-right weeping said, That he could not chuse but weep when he saw any gifts brought to the Temple, for that it put him in mind of the ancient piety of men in former times, who endeavoured to inrich the Temples with what they had of most pretious, and thought those Vessels of Gold and pretious Stones very necessary for Divine Worship, which men now adaies, unmindful of the true Religion, and more in love with their own accommodation, then with the honor of God, ap∣propriate to themselvs even in things of basest imployments: And that the present condition of the true Religion was in some States infinitely de∣plorable; for whereas formerly the wealth of sacred things served to aug∣ment true piety, and to add to the greatness and Majestie of Religion, they were now become T•…•…umpets which summoned Thieves to come from wicked caves, and rob the sacred Patrimony of God and of his Saints. And that they were the more wicked thefts, in that their authors were not ashamed to gild them over with the spacious name of Reformed Religi∣on. Nay the ignorance of some people is grown to such a height, as they suffer themselves to be perswaded, that to deform the ancient Religion, so constantly believed by their Fathers, Grandfathers, and great Grand∣fathers, by gormandizing, thefts, and by all sort of libidinousness, is the next way to reform it: As if to plunder a man, to rob and kill him, would be believed by any man that is in his right wits, to be the next way to clothe him, to honor him, and to raise him from death to life.