XV. Some it highly displeaseth, that so great expenses this way are employed. “The mother of such magnificence” (they think) “is but only a proud ambitious desire to be spoken of far and wide. Suppose we that God himself delighteth to dwell sumptuously, or taketh pleasure in chargeable pomp? No; then was the Lord most acceptably served, when his temples were rooms borrowed within the houses of poor men. This was suitable unto the nakedness of Jesus Christ and the simplicity of his Gospel.”
What thoughts or cogitations they had which were authors of those things, the use and benefit whereof hath descended unto ourselves, as we do not know, so we need not search. It cometh we grant many times to pass, that the works of men being the same, their drifts and purposes therein are divers. The charge of Herod about the temple of God was ambitious, yet Salomon’s virtuous, Constantine’s holy. But howsoever their hearts are disposed by whom any such thing is done in the world, shall we think that it baneth1 the work which they leave behind them, or taketh away from others the use and benefit thereof?
Touching God himself, hath he any where revealed that it is his delight to dwell beggarly? And that he taketh no pleasure to be worshipped saving only in poor cottages? Even then was the Lord as acceptably honoured of his people as ever, when the stateliest places and things in the whole world were sought out to adorn his temple. This most suitable2, decent, and fit for the greatness of Jesus Christ, for the sublimity of his gospel; except we think of Christ and his gospel as the officers of Julian did3. As therefore the son of Sirach giveth verdict concerning those things which God hath wrought, “A man need not say, ‘this is worse than that, this more acceptable to God, that less;’ for in their season they are all worthy praise4:” the like we may also conclude as touching these two so contrary ways of providing in meaner or in costlier sort for the honour of Almighty God, “A man need not say, ‘this is worse than that, this more acceptable to God, that less;’ for with him they are in their season both allowable:” the one when the state of the Church is poor, the other when God hath enriched it with plenty.
When they, which had seen the beauty of the first temple built by Salomon in the days of his great prosperity and peace, beheld how far it excelled the second which had not builders of like ability, the tears of their grieved eyes the prophets endeavoured with comforts to wipe away5. Whereas if the house of God were by so much the more perfect by how much the glory thereof is less, they should have done better to rejoice than weep, their prophets better to reprove than comfort.
It being objected against the Church in the times of universal persecution, that her service done to God was not solemnly performed in temples fit for the honour of divine majesty, their most convenient answer was, that “The best temples which we can dedicate to God, are our sanctified souls and bodies6.” Whereby it plainly appeareth how the Fathers, when they were upbraided with that defect, comforted themselves with the meditation of God’s most gracious and merciful nature, who did not therefore the less accept of their hearty affection and zeal, rather than took any great delight, or imagined any high perfection in such their want of external ornaments, which when they wanted, the cause was their only lack of ability; ability serving, they wanted them not. Before the emperor Constantine’s time7, under Severus, Gordian, Philip, and Galienus, the state of Christian affairs being tolerable, the former buildings which were but of mean and small estate contented them not, spacious and ample churches they erected throughout every city. No envy was able to be their hinderance, no practice of Satan or fraud of men available against their proceedings herein, while they continued as yet worthy to feel the aid of the arm of God extended over them for their safety. These churches Diocletian8 caused by solemn edict to be afterwards overthrown. Maximinus with like authority giving leave to erect them, the hearts of all men were even rapt with divine joy, to see those places, which tyrannous impiety had laid waste, recovered as it were out of mortal calamity, Churches9 “reared up to an height immeasurable, and adorned with far more beauty in their restoration, than their founders before had given them.” Whereby we see how most Christian minds stood then affected, we see how joyful they were to behold the sumptuous stateliness of houses built unto God’s glory.
If we should, over and besides this, allege the care which was had, that all things about the tabernacle of Moses might be as beautiful, gorgeous, and rich, as art could make them; or what travail and cost was bestowed that the goodliness of the temple might be a spectacle of admiration to all the world: this they will say was figurative, and served by God’s appointment but for a time, to shadow out the true everlasting glory of a more divine sanctuary; whereinto Christ being long sithence entered, it seemeth that all those curious exornations should rather cease. Which thing we also ourselves would grant, if the use thereof had been merely and only mystical. But sith the Prophet David doth mention a natural conveniency which such kind of bounteous expenses have, as well for that we do thereby give unto God a testimony of our10 cheerful affection which thinketh nothing too dear to be bestowed about the furniture of his service; as also because it serveth to the world for a witness of his11 almightiness, whom we outwardly honour with the chiefest of outward things, as being of all things himself incomparably the greatest12. Besides, were it not also strange, if God should have made such store of glorious creatures on earth, and leave them all to be consumed in secular vanity, allowing none but the baser sort to be employed in his own service? To set forth the 13majesty of kings his vicegerents in this world, the most gorgeous and rare treasures which the world hath are procured. We think belike that he will accept what the meanest of them would disdain14.
If there be great care to build and beautify these corruptible sanctuaries, little or none that the living temples of the Holy Ghost, the dearly redeemed souls of the people of God, may be edified; huge expenses upon timber and stone, but towards the relief of the poor small devotion; cost this way infinite, and in the meanwhile charity cold: we have in such case just occasion to make complaint as St. Jerome did, “The walls of the Church there are enow contented to build, and to underset it with goodly pillars, the marbles are polished, the roofs shine with gold, the altar hath precious stones to adorn it; and of Christ’s ministers no choice at all15.” The same Jerome both in that place and16 elsewhere debaseth with like intent the glory of such magnificence, (a thing whereunto men’s affection in those times needed no spur,) thereby to extol the necessity sometimes of charity and alms, sometimes of other the most principal duties belonging unto Christian men; which duties were neither so highly esteemed as they ought, and being compared with that in question, the directest sentence we can give of them both, as unto me it seemeth, is this: “God, who requireth the one as necessary, accepteth the other also as being an honourable work.”
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Footnotes
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[“To give ten thousand ducats to have it baned.” Merch. of Ven. iv. 1. 46.] 1886. ↩
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Ἔργον τὸ μεγα καὶ καλὸν τίμιον· του̑ γὰρ τοιούτου ἡ θεωρία θαυμαστή. Arist. Eth. lib. iv. c. 2. Τὰ αἰσθήσει καλὰ καὶ νοήσει καλω̑ν εἰκόνες. Philo Jud. ↩
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“Felix, thesauri imperialis quæstor, conspicatus sacrorum vasorum pretia; En, inquit, qualibus vasis ministratur Mariæ filio!” Theodoret. Hist. Eccles. lib. iii. c. 12. ↩
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Ecclus. xxxix. 34. ↩
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Hag. ii. 5, 10. ↩
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Minuc. Fel. (second or third cent.) in Octav. [c. 32. “Putatis autem nos occultare quod colimus, si delubra et aras non habemus? … Nonne melius in nostra dedicandus est mente? in nostro imo consecrandus est pectore?”] ↩
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Euseb. lib. viii. c. 1. [Πω̑ς δ’ ἄν τις διαγράψειε τὰς μυριάνδρους ἐκείνας ἐπισυναγωγὰς καὶ τὰ πλήθη τω̑ν κατὰ πα̑σαν πόλιν ἀθροισμάτων, τάς τε ἐπισήμους ἐν τοι̑ς προσευκτηρίοις συνδρομάς; ὠ̑ν δὴ ἕνεκα μηδαμω̑ς ἔτι τοι̑ς παλαιοι̑ς οἰκοδομήμασιν ἀρκούμενοι, εὐρείας εἰς πλάτος ἀαὰ πα̑σας τὰς πόλεις ἐκ θεμελίων ἀνίστων ἐκκλησίας· ταυ̑τα δὲ τοι̑ς χρόνοις προἴοντα, ὁσημέραι τε εἰς αὔξησιν καὶ μέγεθος ἐπιδίδοντα, οὐδεὶς ἀνει̑ργε ϕθόνος. οὐδέ τις δαίμων πονηρὸς οἷός τε ἠ̑ν βασκαίνειν, οὐδ’ ἀνθρώπων ἐπιβουλαι̑ς κωλύειν, ἐς ὅσον ἡ θεία καὶ οὐράνιος χεὶρ ἔσκεπέ τε καὶ ἐϕρούρει, οἷα δὴ ἄξιον ὄντα τὸν ἑαυτη̑ς λαόν.] ↩
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[Ibid. c. 2. τω̑ν προσευκτηρίων τοὺς οἴκους ἐξ ὕψους εἰς ἔδαϕος αὐτοι̑ς θεμελίοις καταρριπτουμένους … . αὐτοι̑ς ἐπείδομεν ὀϕθαλμοι̑ς.] ↩
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Euseb. lib. x. c. 2. [καί τις ἔνθεος ἅπασιν ἐπήνθει χάρα, πάντα τόπον τὸν πρὸ μικρου̑ ται̑ς τω̑ν τυράννων δυσσεβείαις ἠρειπωμένον, ὥσπερ ἐκ μακρα̑ς καὶ θανατηϕόρου λύμης ἀναβιώσκοντα θεωμένοις, νεώς τε εὐθὺς ἐκ βάθρων εἰς ὕψος ἄπειρον ἐγειρομένους, καὶ πολὺ κρείττονα τὴν ἀγλαἲαν τω̑ν πάλαι πεπολιορκημένων ἀπολαμβάνοντας.] ↩
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1 Chron. xxviii. 14. [xxix. 2, 3, 6, 9, 14.] ↩
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2 Chron. ii. 5. ↩
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[The apodosis of the sentence is wanting, unless the punctuation (A. C.) is wrong, and there should be a semicolon after “greatest.”] 1886. ↩
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Matt. vi. 29. ↩
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Mal. i. 8. ↩
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Ad Nepotian. de vita Cleric. [§ 10. “Multi ædificant parietes, et columnas Ecclesiæ substruunt; marmora nitent, auro splendent laquearia, gemmis altare distinguitur; et ministrorum Christi nulla electio est.”] ↩
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Ad Demetriad. [Ep. 8. al. 97. “Alii ædificent Ecclesias, vestiant parietes marmorum crustis, columnarum moles advehant, earumque deaurent capita, pretiosum ornatum non sentientia; ebore argentoque valvas, et gemmis aurata distinguant altaria. Non reprehendo, non abnuo. Unusquisque in sensu suo abundet. Meliusque est hoc facere, quam repositis opibus incubare. Sed tibi aliud propositum est: Christum vestire in pauperibus; visitare in languentibus; pascere in esurientibus; suscipere in his qui tecto indigent, et maxime in domesticis fidei; virginum alere monasteria; servorum Dei et pauperum spiritu habere curam, qui diebus et noctibus serviant Domino tuo.” t. i. p. 69.] Ad Gaudentium, Epist. 12. [al. 98. 1. 100. “Proh nefas, orbis terrarum ruit, in nobis peccata non ruunt! Urbs inclyta et Romani imperii caput, uno hausta est incendio. Nulla est regio, quæ non exules Romanos habeat. In cineres ac favillas sacræ quondam Ecclesiæ conciderunt, et tamen studemus avaritiæ. Vivimus quasi altera die morituri, et ædificamus quasi semper in hoc sæculo victuri. Auro parietes, auro laquearia, auro fulgent capita columnarum, et nudus atque esuriens ante fores nostras Christus in paupere moritur.” t. i. p. 100. This passage however seems to relate to private, not to church, expenses.] ↩