Antiquitates christianæ, or, The history of the life and death of the holy Jesus as also the lives acts and martyrdoms of his Apostles : in two parts.

Ad SECT. VII. Considerations upon the Disputation of JESVS with the Do∣ctors in the Temple.

1. JOseph and Mary, being returned unto Nazareth, were sedulous to enjoy the pri∣viledges of their Countrey, the opportunities of Religion, the publick address to God, in the Rites of Festivals and Solemnities of the Temple: they had been long grieved with the impurities and Idol-rites which they with sorrow had observed to be done in Egypt; and being deprived of the blessings of those holy Societies and im∣ployments

they used to enjoy in Palestine, at their return came to the offices of their Religion with appetites of fire, and keen as the evening Wolf; and all the joys which they should have received in respersion and distinct emanations, if they had kept their Anniversaries at Jerusalem, all that united they received in the duplication of their joys at their return, and in the fulfilling themselves with the resection and holy Vi∣ands of Religion. For so God uses to satisfie the longings of holy people, when a Per∣secution has shut up the beautiful gates of the Temple, or denied to them opportunities of access: although God hears the Prayers they make with their windows towards Je∣rusalem, with their hearts opened with desires of the publick communions, and sends them a Prophet with a private meal, as Habakkuk came to Daniel; yet he fills their hearts when the year of Jubilee returns, and the people sing In convertendo, the Song of joy for their redemption. For as of all sorrows the deprivations and eclipses of Religion are the saddest, and of the worst and most inconvenient consequence; so in proportion are the joys of spiritual plenty and religious returns, the Communion of Saints be∣ing like the Primitive Corban, a 〈◊〉〈◊〉 to feed all the needs of the Church, or like a Taper joyned to a Torch, it self is kindled, and increases the other's flames.

2. They failed not to go to Jerusalem: for all those holy prayers and ravishments of love, those excellent meditations and entercourses with God, their private readings and discourses, were but entertainments and satisfaction of their necessities, they lived with them during their retirements; but it was a Feast when they went to Jerusa∣lem, and the freer and more indulgent resection of the Spirit; for in publick Solemni∣ties God opens his treasures, and pours out his grace more abundantly. Private De∣votions and secret Offices of Religion are like refreshing of a Garden with the distilling and petty drops of a Water-pot; but addresses to the Temple, and serving God in the publick communion of Saints, is like rain from Heaven, where the Offices are descri∣bed by a publick spirit, heightned by the greater portions of assistance, and receive ad∣vantages by the adunations and symbols of Charity, and increment by their distinct title to Promises appropriate even to their assembling, and mutual support, by the pie∣ty of Example, by the communication of Counsels, by the awfulness of publick Observation, and the engagements of* 1.1 holy Customs. For Religion is a publick vertue, it is the li∣gature of Souls, and the great instrument of the conservation of Bodies politick, and is united in a common object, the God of all the World, and is managed by publick ministeries, by Sacrifice, Adoration, and Prayer, in which with variety of circumstances indeed, but with infinite consent and union of design, all the sons of Adam are taught to worship God; and it is a publication of God's honour, its very pur∣pose being to declare to all the World how great things God hath done for us, whether in publick Donatives or private Missives; so that the very design, temper and consti∣tution of Religion is to be a publick address to God: and although God is present in Closets, and there also distills his blessings in small rain; yet to the Societies of Religi∣on and publication of Worship as we are invited by the great blessings and advantages of Communion, so also we are in some proportions more straitly limited by the analogy and exigence of the Duty. It is a Persecution when we are forced from publick Wor∣shippings;* 1.2 no man can hinder our private addresses to God, every man can build a Chappel in his breast, and himself be the Priest, and his heart the Sacrifice, and eve∣ry foot of glebe he treads on be the Altar; and this no Tyrant can prevent. If then there can be Persecution in the offices of Religion, it is the prohibition of publick pro∣fession and Communions, and therefore he that denies to himself the opportunities of publick rites and conventions, is his own Persecutor.

3. But when Jesus was twelve years old, and his Parents had finished their Offices, and returned filled with the pleasures of Religion, they missed the Child, and sought him amongst their kindred, but there they found him not; for whoever seeks Jesus must seek him in the Offices of Religion, in the Temple, not amongst the engagements and pursuit of worldly interests: I forgat also mine own Father's house, said 〈◊〉〈◊〉, the Fa∣ther of this Holy Child; and so must we, when we run in an enquiry after the Son of David. But our relinquishing must not be a dereliction of duty, but of engagement; our affections toward kindred must always be with charity, and according to the en∣dearments of our relation, but without immersion, and such adherencies as either con∣tradict or lessen our duty towards God.

4. It was a sad effect of their pious journey to lose the joy of their Family, and the hopes of all the World: but it often happens that after spiritual imployments God seems to absent himself, and withdraw the sensible effects of his presence, that we may seek him with the same diligence and care and holy fears with which the Holy Virgin∣Mother sought the Blessed Jesus. And it is a design of great mercy in God to take off the light from the eyes of a holy person, that he may not be abused with complacencies and too confident opinions and reflexions upon his fair performances. For we usually judge of the well or ill of our Devotions and services by what we feel; and we think God rewards every thing in the present, and by proportion to our own expectations; and if we feel a present rejoycing of Spirit, all is well with us, the smoak of the Sacri∣fice ascended right in a holy Cloud: but if we feel nothing of comfort, then we count it a prodigy and ominous, and we suspect our selves, (and most commonly we have reason.) Such irradiations of chearfulness are always welcom, but it is not always anger that takes them away: the Cloud removed from before the camp of Israel, and stood before the host of Pharaoh; but this was a design of ruine to the Egyptians, and of security to Israel: and if those bright Angels that go with us to direct our journeys, remove out of our sight and stand behind us, it is not always an argument that the an∣ger of the Lord is gone out against us; but such decays of sense and clouds of spirit are excellent conservators of Humility, and restrain those intemperances and vainer thoughts which we are prompted to in the gayety of our spirits.

5. But we often give God cause to remove and for a while to absent himself, and his doing of it sometimes upon the just provocations of our demerits makes us at other times with good reason to suspect our selves even in our best actions. But sometimes we are vain, or remiss, or pride invades us in the darkness and incuriousness of our spirits, and we have a secret sin which God would have us to enquire after; and when we suspect every thing, and condemn our selves with strictest and most angry sentence, then, it may be, God will with a ray of light break through the cloud; if not, it is no∣thing the worse for us: for although the visible remonstrance and face of things in all the absences and withdrawings of Jesus be the same, yet if a sin be the cause of it, the withdrawing is a taking away his Favour and his love; but if God does it to secure thy Piety, and to enflame thy desires, or to prevent a crime, then he withdraws a Gift on∣ly, nothing of his Love, and yet the darkness of the spirit and sadness seem equal. It is hard in these cases to discover the cause, as it is nice to judge the condition of the ef∣fect; and therefore it is prudent to ascertain our condition by improving our care and our Religion; and in all accidents to make no judgment concerning God's Favour by what we feel, but by what we do.

6. When the Holy Virgin with much Religion and sadness had sought her joy, at last she found him disputing among the Doctors, hearing them, and asking them questions; and besides that he now first opened a fontinel, and there sprang out an excellent rivu∣let from his abyss of Wisdom, he consigned this Truth to his Disciples, That they who mean to be Doctors and teach others, must in their first accesses and degrees of disci∣pline learn of those whom God and publick Order hath set over us in the Mysteries of Religion.

Notes

• * 1.1

  〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 privilegium 〈◊〉〈◊〉, ut 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 quod publicâ lege 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 quod 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 dependitur. Leo De 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 7. 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 Serm. A. Publica 〈◊◊〉〈◊◊〉 privatis, & 〈◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊〉 devotio, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 in 〈◊◊◊◊〉〈◊◊◊◊〉 unus est animus & 〈◊〉〈◊〉 sensus.
• * 1.2

  Heb. 10. 25.