Kaina kai palaia Things new and old, or, A store-house of similies, sentences, allegories, apophthegms, adagies, apologues, divine, morall, politicall, &c. : with their severall applications / collected and observed from the writings and sayings of the learned in all ages to this present by John Spencer ...

[ 1140] The great danger of sleighting Church-assemblies.

St Augustine out of the Parable concerning the Man that fell amongst Theives and was wounded and left halfe dead,* 1.1 notes of him, that he was going down from Jerusalem to Iericho,* 1.2 from the Church, I warrant you; Ierusalem was the Church of God,* 1.3 the holy City: Jericho was a cursed place, branded with an an∣cient curse since the days of Joshua,* 1.4 and thither lay his journey; Whereupon St. Augustine notes, Si non descendisset, fortasse in latrones non incidisset, Had he not been descending, and going downward from God, and from his Church, peradventure he had not fallen into the hands of Thieves;* 1.5 God would have protected him, the Lord would have safe-guarded him, that no evill should have betided him; But be∣caus he was going from the Church to a cursed place, & like enough about a naughty businesse, therefore God gave him over; As many therefore as desire Gods protection, and blessing, let them resort to the Church to serve and seek him.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Luk. 10. 30.
• * 1.2

  M. Gores Ser. at St. Pauls 1634.
• * 1.3

  Psalm. 87. 3.
• * 1.4

  Iosh. 6. 17.
• * 1.5

  Templa petas supplex & ve∣n••rare Deum. G. Lilius de moribus.