The Saints Sacrifice, Section 113
§. 113. Of giving to God.
II. WHat is warrantable muſt be given to God. The ſacrifices, whereof mention is here made, were by the Law preſcribed: and in all manner of ſacrifices by the Law preſcribed, ſomething was given to God. They therefore that appeared before the Lord without a ſacrifice, are ſaid to appeare aDeut. 16. 16. foreignempty: which was expreſly forbidden. The many bDeut 12. 11. Exo. 2…. 29. Neh. 10. 32, &cprecepts of bringing oblations, vow-offerings, free-will offerings, firſt-fruits, tithes, and other gifts unto the Lord, and c2 Chr. 31. 5, 10Gods gracious acceptation thereof: yea and the many dMal. 3. 8, 9.threatnings againſt thoſe who brought not thoſe gifts unto the Lord, and judgements executed upon them, give ſufficient proofe to the fore-mentioned muſt. The zeale of Iewes in giving to God.What is warrantable must be given to God. The pious Iewes manifeſted herein much zeale to the Lord. When the Tabernacle was firſt to be made, the people were ſo free-hearted and bountifull in bringing rammes skins, badgers skins, Shittim wood, oile, ſpices, ſweet incenſe, fine linnen, blue, purple and ſcarlet, braſſe, ſilver, gold, and all manner of precious ſtones, as they brought eEzo. 36. 5, 6.more then enough: a proclamation was made to restraine them. Wonderfull great and precious were the treaſures which f1 Chro. 29. 1, &c.David and his Princes prepared for the Lord towards the building of his houſe. At that time g—21.they offered burnt offerings to the Lord, a thouſand bullocks, a thouſand rammes, and a thouſand ſheepe, with their drink-offerings and ſacrifices in abundance. h2 Chro. 15. 114ſa and his people offered ſeven hundred oxen, and ſeven thouſand ſheepe. i—30. 24.Hezekiah and his people, two thouſand bullocks and ſeventeen thouſand ſheepe. k—35. 7▪ &cIoſiah and his people three thouſand and eight hundred bullocks, and thirty ſeven thouſand ſix hundred ſmall cattell. l—7, 5.Salomon went beyond all theſe, and offered a ſacrifice of two and twenty thouſand oxen, and an hundred and twenty thouſand ſheepe. Behold here what teſtimonies of gratitude were given to the Lord.
Object. To what end were ſuch oblations, when as God required them not, nor cared for them, Pſal. 40. 6.
How oblations were not accepted, and how acceptedAnſw. 1 Singly and ſimply in themſelves, as externall and earthly things, God tooke no delight in them, Pſal. 50. 8.
2 As meere ceremonies ſeparated from the ſubſtance and truth which they tipified, God neither enjoyned nor required them, Pſal. 40. 6.
3 As clokes for hypocrites to cover and colour their impieties and iniquities, God deteſted them, Iſa. 1. 10, &c. Iſa. 66. 3.
But as externall evidences of true piety, as types of Heavenly Truths, as parts of that outward worſhippe and ſervice which God preſcribed, as viſible demonſtrations of gratitude, hee was well pleaſed with theſe ſacrifices: they cauſed a ſweet ſavour to enter Oblations teſtimonies of our ſervice. Dedit populo praeceptum ſaciendarum oblationum, quamvis non indigcret eis, ut diſceret Deo ſervire. Iren. adverſ. Haer. l. 4 c. …4. What the pooreſt may give to God. Quiſquis benè cogitat quid vo vcat Domino, quae vola reddat, ſeipſum voveat, ſeipſum reddal: hoc exigitur, hoc debetur. Aug. Enar. in Pſal. 115.into his noſtrills, Geneſ. 8. 21. Exod. 29. 18. Levit. 1. 9.
Though God the Creator of all things ſtand in need of nothing that the creature hath, or can offer to him, yet by giving to him the things which in his Word we find to be acceptable to him, we manifeſt a willing and ready mind to do what lieth in our power: and give evidence that if any thing which we had, could ſtand the Lord in any ſtead, or do him any good, we would with all our hearts gratifie him therewith: which mind God doth as kindly and graciouſly accept, as if indeed he were profited by that which we offer unto him.
Be liberall and bountifull to the Lord, whoſoever ye be that have any thing to give to the Lord. And who is it that hath not ſomething, yea that hath not much to give, if hee be no niggard of what he hath? The pooreſt that be, have as many calves, as Salomon had, to offer to the Lord: calves of their lips, (Hoſ. 14. 2.) Theſe are ſacrifices which may bee offered up to God, (Heb. 13. 15.) The pooreſt that be, have a body, which they may preſent as a living ſacrifice holy and acceptable to God, (Rom. 12. 1.) The pooreſt that be may every day morning and evening and at other times alſo direct their prayer to God as incenſe, (Pſal. 141. 2.) Yea they may mixe therewith the ſweeteſt incenſe of the interceſſion of Chriſt, and offer all up upon the golden altar which is before the throne, (Rev. 8. 3.) The pooreſt that be may bring to God a broken heart and a contrite ſpirit, which is a ſacrifice that God will not deſpiſe, (Pſal. 51. 17.) The pooreſt that be may do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly before God, which the Lord preferreth before burnt offerings, and calves of a yeare old: yea before thouſands of rammes, or ten thouſand rivers of oile, (Mic. 6. 8.) Theſe and other like offerings have all of all ſorts (not the pooreſt excepted) now under the Goſpell to bring and give unto the Hoc vos ſacrificium Deo offertis: hoc ſacrificium ſine intermiſſione die ac nocte celebratis: hoſtiae facti, &c. Cypr. Epiſt. l. 3. Ep. 23. Apta Deo ſacrificit ſunt opera virtutis. Amb. de Cam. & Abel c. 6. What rich men may give to God. Oblationes & il. lie: oblationes & hic. Sacrificia in populo: ſacrificia & in eccleſia…ſed eſt ſpecie. immutata tantum. Iren. adverſ. Haer. l. 4. c. 34.Lord. Theſe ſacrifices Saints offer to God. Theſe ſacrifices they ſolemnize without intermiſſion day and night, eſpecially that of giving themſelves to God. All good workes are ſacrifices fit for God, and acceptable to him. There are alſo ſeverall talents given to ſeverall perſons, though not to all alike, (for to one are given five, to another two, to another but one) yet to him that hath the leaſt ſo much is given, as by a good improvement thereof, hee may bring ſome increaſe and advantage to the Lord, and that ſo acceptably, as the Lord thereby wilbe moved to ſay, Well done thou good and faithfull ſervant, thou haſt been faithfull over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things, &c. (Mat. 25. 21.) As for rich men, they may yet further honour God with their ſubſtance, (Prov. 3. 9.) They may do good and diſtribute: for with ſuch ſacrifices God is well pleaſed, (Heb. 13. 16.) They may ſo communicate to the neceſſities, not onelyonly of the pooreſt Saints, but alſo of the Miniſters of Gods Word, as what they doe in this kind may be an odour of a ſweet ſmell, a ſacrifice acceptable and well pleaſing to God. (Phil. 4. 18.) Thus as there were ſacrifices of old, there are ſacrifices ſtill: as oblations of old, ſo oblations ſtill. OnelyOnly the kind of them is altered.
Theſe ſacrifices allowed, approved, accepted under the Goſpell, fPſal. 69. 31.Pleaſe the Lord much better then oxen and bullocks that have hornes and hoofes: yet to us are they nothing ſo chargeable, as the oblations, and ſacrifices were to the Iewes. Why then do we returne ſo little to the Lord? Are his mercies fewer in number, or leſſe in worth to us under the Goſpell, then they were to his people under the Law? If the difference betwixt the old and new covenant, betwixt Gods dealing with his Church before, and ſince Chriſt was exhibited, were thorowly diſcerned, we ſhould find juſt cauſe to ſay, He hath not dealt ſo with the Iewes, as he hath dealt with Chriſtians. We want thoſe zealous affections which the pious Iewes had. Were our inward diſpoſition anſwerable to theirs, we would not, we could not come ſo ſhort as we do of outward expreſſions of gratefulneſſe. Let us by due meditation of Gods ſurpaſſing kindneſſe to us, be ſtirred up willingly and chearefully to give what we Deo datori omnia tribuenda. Chryſ. Hom. 10 in 1 Cor. 3.ſhall underſtand to be acceptable to him. God gives all: to God againe let all be returned.