Discourses on Divers Texts of Scripture, Discourses 2 · Sermon 3

Discourses on Divers Texts of Scripture · Discourses 2 · Sermon 3

p. 285ACTS 10. 4.Acts 10 4.Acts 10:4

And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine Almes are come up for a memortall before God; or (as it is ver. 31.) are had in remembrance.

WHen the Jews had crucified our blessed Saviour, the Lord and Prince of Life, though their impiety were most horrible, and such as might seem to admit of no expiation or atonement, yet would not God for that reject them; but after he was risen from the dead, his Apostles, and Messengers were sent to offer and tender him once more unto them, if so be they would yet receive him as their Messiah and Redeemer, which was promised to come; telling them that what they had formerly done unto him, God would passe by it, (namely, according to our Saviours prayer upon the Crosse, Father forgive them, for they know not what they doe) as done of ignorance on their part, whilest himself was by the dispensation of his Providence, fulfilling that which was long before spoken by the mouth of all his Prophets, that Christ or Messiah should suffer death: All which you may reade in the Sermon which S. Peter preached unto them in the Temple, Acts 3. Thus the Lord shewed p. 286himself according to his style, A God gracious and mercifull, long-suffering, and slow to anger.

But when these Jews, notwithstanding this second tender, not only continued in their former obstinacy, refusing to accept him for their Redeemer, but also misused and persecuted his Ambassadors sent unto them, this their ingratitude was so hideous and hainous in the eyes of God, that he could bear with them no longer, but resolved thenceforth to cast them off, and choose himself a Church among the Gentiles.

To prepare a way whereunto, he sent a Vision much about the same time, both to Peter, (who was then by reason of the Jews persecution fled to Ioppa) and to Cornelius a Gentile, Captain of the Italian Band, living at Caesarea upon that coast; ordaining the one (Peter) to be the Messenger and Preacher; and the other (Cornelius) to be the first Gentile which should be partaker of the faith of Christ: Therefore accordingly Peters Vision was to admonish him, not to make scruple, as all Jews did, of conversing with a Gentile as unclean; signified by a sheet let down from heaven, wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the aire, that is, of all both clean and unclean; wherewith came also a voice, saying, Peter, kill and eat. Whereunto when Peter answered, Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten any thing that is common or unclean: the voice replies, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou unclean. Now as this Vision was to give Peter commission to go unto Cornelius; so was Cornelius his Vision to command him to send for Peter; For he saw a Vision at the ninth hour of the day, an Angell p. 287of the Lord comming unto him, and saying, Cornelius. Whom when Cornelius looked on, being afraid, he said, What is it, Lord? The Angel said unto him, Thy prayers and thine almes are come up for a memoriall, or had in remembrance before God. And now send men to Ioppa, and call for one Simon, whose sirname is Peter, and he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to doe. And thus have I brought the Story as far as my Text; which is as you see a part of this Message of the Angel to Cornelius, namely, his Report; And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine almes, &c.

Wherein two things are to be considered; First, who was the man, and what was the condition of this person to whom the Angel spake, namely, Cornelius. And the Angel said unto him. Secondly, what the Message or Report he brought importeth; Thy prayers and thine almesdeeds are come in remembrance before God. To begin with the first; The man here spoken to, (as you may read in the beginning of the Chapter, and as I have in some part told already) was Cornelius, a Gentile, Captain of the Italian Band at Caesarea, and so no doubt himself of that …tion. To understand which, ye must know, that at t… … the Land of Jury, like as most other Nations were, was under the Romane Empire, and ruled by a President of their appointing: which President had his Court and Seat at Caesarea, a great and magnificent City upon the Palestine coast, some seventy miles from Jerusalem, where was continually a guard of Souldiers both for the Presidents safety, and awing the subdued Jews: And among these was our Cornelius a Commander, being Captain of the Italian Band. But howsoever p. 288he were by race and breeding a Gentile, yet for Religion he was no Idolater, but a worshipper of the true God, the God of Israel, or God the Creator of heaven and earth: For the Text tels us, that he was a devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, who gave much almes to the people, and prayed to God alway: which is as much as to say, he was a Proselyte, for so were those converted Gentiles called, who left their false Gods, and worshipped the true. Yet was he not circumcised, nor had taken upon him the yoke of Moses Law, and so was not accounted a member of the Church of Israel: wherefore according to the Ordinances of the Law he was esteemed unclean, and so not lawfull for Peter, or any other circumcised Jew to accompany with him, had not God given Peter an Item that he should thenceforth call no man unclean, for as much as that badge of separation was now dissolved.

For the better understanding of this, we must know, there were, while the legall worship stood, two sorts of Proselytes, or converted Gentiles: One sort which were called Proselytes of the Covenant; These were such as were circumcised, and submitted themselves to the whole Mosaicall paedagogy: These were counted as Jews, and conversed with as freely as those which were so born. But there was a second sort of Proselytes inferiour unto these, whom they called Proselytes of the Gate: These were not circumcised, nor conformed themselves to the Mosaicall Rites and Ordinances, onelyonly they were tyed to the obedience of those Commandements, which the Hebrew Doctors call the Commandements of Noah, that is, such p. 289as all the sons of Noah were bound to observe; which were, first, to worship God the Creator. Secondly, to disclaim the service of Idols. Thirdly, to abstain from blood, namely, both from the effusion of mans blood: and fourthly, from eating flesh with the blood therein. Fifthly, to abstain from fornication, and all unlawfull conjunction. Sixtly, to administer justice: and seventhly, to abstain from robbery, and do as they would be done to. And such Proselytes as these, howsoever they were accounted Gentiles, and such as with whom the Jews might not converse as being no free denizens of Israel; yet did they yeeld them a part in the life to come. Such a Proselyte was Naaman the Syrian, and of such there were many in our Saviours time; and such an one was our Cornelius.

Hence it was, that when afterward there arose a controversie in the Church, Whether or no the Gentiles which beleeved, were to be circumcised, and so bound to observe the Ordinances and rites of Moses; S. Peter in the Councell of the Apostles at Jerusalem determined, It was the will of God they should not; and that upon this ground, because Cornelius the first beleeving Gentile was no circumcised Proselyte, but a Proselyte of the Gate only, and yet neverthelesse when himself was sent (as ye have heard) to preach the Gospel of Christ to him and his house, the Holy Ghost came down upon them as well as upon the Circumcision; whereby it was manifest, that God would have the rest of the Gentiles which beleeved, to have no more imposed upon them, then Cornelius had: and accordingly the Councell concluded, that no other burden should be laid upon them, but onelyonly those p. 290precepts given to the sons of Noah; To abstain from pollutions of Idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from fornication, and the rest, which they had received already in becomming Christians, and so needed not to be expresly mentioned.

Now that I may not seem to have held you with so long a story without some matter of instruction: Let us observe by the example of this Cornelius, how great a favour and blessing of God it is, to live and dwell within the pale of his Church, where opportunity and means of salvation is to be had. If Cornelius had still dwelt among his Countrimen the Italians, where he was bred and born, or in any other Province of that Empire; he had in all likelihood never come to this saving and blessed knowledge of the true God, but dyed a Pagan as he was born. But by this occasion of living at Caesarea, within the confines of the land of Israel, where the Oracles and worship of the most high God were dayly resounded and professed; he became such an one as ye have heard, a blessed Convert unto the true God, whom with all his house he served and worshipped with acceptation.

If this be so, then should we our selves learn to be more thankfull to God then most of us use to be, for that condition wherein by his Providence we are born; for we might, if it had pleased him, have been born, and had our dwelling among Pagans and Gentiles, who had no knowledge of his word and promise; (and such our Nation once was:) But behold his goodnesse and mercy! we are born of Christian Parents, and dwell in a Christian Country, and so made partakers of the name and livery of Christ as p. 291soon as we were born: How great should our thankfulnesse be for his mercy? Nay, wee might have been born and bred in a Christian Nation too, and yet such an one where Idolatry, false worship, and Popery so reigned, as there had been little hopes or means to have been saved: But behold, we are born, bred, and dwell in a reformed Christian State, where the worship of God in Christ is truly taught and practised; where no God is worshipped but the Father, and in no other Mediator but his Son Jesus Christ. How should we then magnifie our good God for his so great and abundant mercy towards us? Luther, or some other tels a story of a German pesant, who on a time beholding an ugly Toad, fell into a most bitter lamentation and weeping, that he had been so unthankfull to Almighty God, who had made him a man, and not such an ugly creature as that was. O that we could in like manner bewail our ingratitude towards him who hath made us to have our birth and habitation, not among Pagans and barbarous Indians, a people without God in the world, but in a beleeving and Christian Nation, where the true God is known, and the means of salvation is to be had! Thankfulnesse for a lesse benefit is the way to obtain a greater: To acknowledge and prize Gods favour towards us in the means, is the way to obtain his grace to use them to our eternall advantage: whereas our neglect of thankfulnesse in the one, may cause God in his just judgement, to deprive us of his blessing in the other. Consider it.

And thus much concerning the person to whom the Angel spake, Cornelius, And he said unto him. Now p. 292I come to the message it self, Thy prayers and thine almes are come into remembrance before God. Where before I make any further entrance, there is an Objection requires to be answered; namely, how Cornelius his service could be accepted of God, (as it is said to be) when as he had no knowledge of Christ, without whom no man can please God. I answer; Cornelius pleased God through his faith in the promise of Christ to come, as all just men under the Law did: which faith God did so long accept after Christ was come, till his comming and the mystery of Redemption wrought by him, were fully and clearly made known and preached, which had not been to Cornelius till this time: for though he had heard of his preaching in Galilee and Judaea, and that he was crucified by the Jews, yet he had not heard of his Resurrection from the dead, and Ascension into glory, or was not assured of it, till it was now confirm'd unto him, by one sent from God himself. And it is like that having heard somewhat of the Apostles preaching, and of the Jews opposing their testimony, and so knowing not what to beleeve, he had earnestly besought God in his Devotions to lead him in the way of truth, and make known unto him what to doe.

This being premised, I return again unto the Angels words; wherein I will consider three things: First, the conjunction or coupling of Almesdeeds with Prayer; Thy Prayers and thine Almes. Secondly, the efficacy of power they have with God; Thy Prayers and thine Almes are come up into remembrance before God. Thirdly, I will adde the reasons why God so much accepteth them; which are also so many Motives, p. 293why we should be carefull and diligent to practise them.

For the first, the joyning of Almesdeeds with prayer: Cornelius we see joyn'd them, and he is therefore in the verses before going commended for a devout man, and one that feared God. And by the Angels report from God himself, we hear how graciously he accepted them; giving us to understand, that a Devotion thus arm'd, was of all others the most powerfull to pierce into his dwelling place, and fetch a blessing from him. Therefore our Saviour likewise, Mat. 6. joyns the precepts of Alms and Prayer together, teaching us how to give alms, and how to pray in one Sermon, as things that ought to goe hand in hand, and not to be separated asunder. It was also the Ordinance of the Church in the Apostles times, that the first day of the week, which was the time of publike prayer, should be the time also of Alms. So saith S. Paul, 1 Cor. 16. 1. Now concerning the collection for the Saints (saith he) as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia, even so do ye. 2. VponUpon the first day of the week (that is, upon the Lords day) let every one of you lay by himself in store as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come. Which institution seems to be derived from the Commandement of God in the Law twice repeated; Let no man appear before the Lord empty: For the words annexed to that Law Deut. 16. (where it is applied Exo. 23. 15 Deu. 16. 16Exod 23:15Deut 16:16to the three great feasts, when all Israel was to assemble to pray before the Lord in his Tabernacle) the words I say there annexed, sound altogether like unto these of S. Paul concerning the Lords day; Three p. 294times a year (saith the Text there) shall all the males appear before the Lord: and they shall not appear before the Lord empty. Every one shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord thy God which he hath given thee. Is not this the same in sense with S. Pauls, Let every one lay by himself in store, as God hath prospered him? The Primitive Church after the Apostles followed the same president, and our own Reformed Church hath ordained the same in her Service-book, were it accordingly practised as was intended: For after the Epistle and Gospel she appoints divers choice sentences of Scripture to be read, which exhorts us to Almes and other Offerings to the honour of Almighty God; and then as supposing it to be done, in the Prayer for the whole estate of Christs Church, We humbly beseech him most mercifully to accept our Almes, and receive our prayers, which we offer unto his Divine Majesty.

Shall I now need to exhort Christians thus to furnish and strengthen their prayers which they daily offer unto God, to couple them with Almesdeeds, to come before God with a present, and not empty-handed? Whom neither Gods Commandement, the practice of his Church, the example of his Saints, nor the acceptance of such prayers as the hand which dealeth Almes, lifteth up to him; whom these will not move, no words of mine will do it. But some may say, Would you have us always give Alms when we pray? No; I say not so, but I would not have you appear before the Lord empry; that is, such as are not wont to give them, nor mean to do: for you may give them before, or second your prayers with them p. 295after; you may have set and appointed times for the one, as you have for the other; or when the Law of man injoyns you any thing in this kinde, do it heartily, faithfully, and with a willing minde, without grudging, that so God may accept it as a service done to him. Or lastly, thou maist doe as the holy men of Scripture were wont, vow and promise unto God if thy prayer be heard to offer something unto him either for relief of the poor, the Widow, the Orphan, and distressed one, or the maintenance of his service and worship. If God will be with me, (saith Iacob, Gen. 28.) and keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on, &c. Then shall the Lord be my God, and this stone which I have set for a pillar, shall be Gods house: and of all that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the tenth unto thee. (See the use of vowing by such as came to pray in Gods House, Eccles. 5. 4.) If thou commest before God in any of these ways, thou shalt not come empty-handed. But send not thy prayer single and alone; the prayer with Alms is the prayer God loveth: Hear what himself saith Psal. 50. 14. Offer unto God thanksgiving (Alms is an Offering of **Eccl. 35. 2Sir 35:2Thanksgiving) and pay thy vows unto the most High. So call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorifie me.

Now I come to the second thing I propounded, The power and efficacy which Prayer and Alms have with God. Thy prayers and thine alms (saith the Angel) are come up for a memoriall (or, are had in remembrance) in the sight of God. God is said to remember our prayers when he grants them, our Alms and good deeds when he rewards them, or in a word, when he p. 296answers either of them with a blessing: as on the contrary he is said to remember iniquity, when he sends some judgement for it. So God is said to remember Hanna, when he heard her prayer for a Son, 1 Sam. 1. 19. and Nehemiah speaking (cap. 5. 19.) of his deeds of mercy and bounty shewed unto his poor brethren returned from captivity, says, Think upon me, or remember me ô my God for good, according to all that I have done for this people. Thus were Cornelius his prayers and alms remembred. Prayers therefore and alms, be they performed as they should be, are powerfull and approved means to obtain a blessing at the hands of God. To speak first of prayer: What is it that prayer hath not obtain'd? It hath shut and opened heaven; see the story of Eliah. It hath made the Sun and Moon to stand still; reade the book of Ioshua. It is the key that openeth all Gods treasures and blessings both spirituall and corporall: for spirituall blessings, Cornelius we see obtained thereby illumination and instruction in Gods saving truth. And S. Iames saith, If any man lack wisdome let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally, and it shall be given him Ephraim in the 31. of Ieremy prays for converting grace, Turn thou me, ô Lord, and I shall be turned: To whom God presently replies, Is Ephraim my dear Son? Is he a pleasant Childe? For since I spake against him, I doe earnestly remember him still: Therefore my bowels are troubled for him, I will surely have mercy on him, saith the Lord. Prayer obtains remission of sins; I said (saith David Psal. 32.) I will confesse my transgressions unto the Lord, and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. For this shall every one that is godly p. 297pray unto thee in a time when thou maist be found. Prayer also obtaineth corporall blessings; When heaven was shut and it rained not, Eliah prayed for rain and it rained: Hannah prayed for a Son, and she conceived: If we be sick (saith S. Iames cap. 5.) The prayer of faith shall heal the sick: Nehemiah prayed that he might finde favour in the sight of King Artaxerxes, and found it. Chap. 2. 4.

But some man wil say, If prayer have such power and efficacy, how comes it to passe that many even godly men, oft pray, and yet speed not? I answer, There are divers causes thereof; Either we pray not as we ought, or we are not disposed as we ought to be when we pray; We pray not as we ought, either when we pray not heartily, or not constantly: For God regards not formall and superficiall prayer, but prayer that comes from the heart, and loves to be importuned before he grant, as our Saviour tels us in the parable of the woman and the unjust Judge, whom though at first he would not hear, yet importunity made him doe her justice. Or secondly, we rely not upon God as we ought, when we pray, but trust more to second means, to our wit, to our friends or the like, then to him. And this seems to be that wavering in prayer S. Iames speaks of, when he bids us pray in faith, without wavering, Chap. 1. that is, without reeling from God to rest upon second means: but as with our mouth we pray to him, so should our hearts rely upon him to give us what we ask; we often pray to God for fashion, but indeed we look to speed by others; and so God takes himself mocked, and then no marvell if he hears us not: If it were our own case p. 298we would not listen to such suiters. Or thirdly, we pray and speed not, when we make not Gods glory the end of what we ask; Ye ask (saith S. Iames) and receive not, because ye ask amisse, that ye might consume it upon your lusts. Or fourthly, we may ask something that crosseth the rule of Divine providence and justice, and then also we must not look to speed: David prayed for the life of his childe by Bathsheba, Vriahs Wife, but was not heard, because it stood not with the rule of Divine justice, that so scandalous a sin, which made the Enemies of God to blaspheme, should not have an exemplary punishment. In like manner sundry times when the children of Israel rebelled against the Lord, and murmured against Moses and Aaron their Governors; Moses poured forth very earnest prayers to God for removing his judgements from off the people, but God would not hear him, because their sins were scandalous, and committed with so high a hand, that it could not stand with the rule of his justice, not to inflict punishment for them.

Again, sometimes, and that too often, we are indisposed for God to grant our request; as first, when some sin unrepented of lies at the door, and keeps Gods blessing out; Psal 66. 18. If I regard (saith David) iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. Psal. 50. 16.Ps 50:16And his Son Solomon observed it, Prov. 28. 9. where he says, He that turneth away his eare from hearing the Law, even his prayer shall be abomination. So God would not hear Ioshua praying for the Israelites, when they fled before the men of Ai, because of Achans Sacriledge; Get thee up, (saith God) why liest thou thus p. 299upon thy face? Israel hath sinned—for they have taken of the accursed thing; that is, the thing that cursed were those that medled therewith: Therefore the children of Israel could not stand before their Enemies,—because they were accursed: Neither will I be with you any more, except ye put the accursed thing from among you.

Or lastly, our Prayers often are not heard, because we appear before the Lord empty; we do not as Cornelius did, send up prayers and alms together: we should have two strings to our bow, when we have but one. This is another indisposition, which unfits us to receive what we ask of God: For how can we look that God should hear us in our need, when we turn away our face from our brother in his need? When we refuse to give to God, or for his sake, what he requires, why should he grant to us what we request? Hear what an ancient Father of the Church, S. Basil by name, in concione ad Deum; Novi quosdam (saith he) qui jejunarunt, qui orarunt, qui ingemuerunt, verùm ne unum quidem obolum in egenos expenderunt: Quae utilitas hîc est reliquae virtutis? I have known, saith he, many who would fast, who would pray, who would sigh; but not bestow one half-peny upon the poor: But what then will their other devotion profit them?

Adde to all these reasons of displeasure, a reason of favour, why God sometimes grants not our requests; namely, because we ask that which he knows would be hurtfull for us, though we think not so. We ask sometimes that which if he granted us would utterly undoe us: As therefore a wise and loving Father will not give his child a knife, or some other hurtfull p. 300thing, though it cries never so much unto him for it: so does God deale with his children. And how wise soever we think our selves, we are often as ignorant in that which concerns our good, as very babes are, and therefore we must submit our selves to be ordered by the wisdome of our heavenly Father.

Moreover, we must know and beleeve, that God often hears our prayers, when we think he doth not; and that three manner of ways: As namely first, when he changes the means, but brings the end we desire another way to passe: we ask to have a thing by our means, but he likes not our way, but gives it us by another means which he thinks better. S. Paul that he might the better glorifie God in serving him, desires the prick of the flesh might be taken from him: God denies him that means, but grants him grace sufficient for him; that so being humbled by the sight of his own infirmity, he might glorifie God for his power in mans weaknesse. And is it not all one, whether a Physitian quench the thirst of his Patient by giving him Barberies, or some other comfortable drink, as by giving him Beer which he cals for? Secondly, God often grants our request, but not at that time we would have it, but defers it till some other time which he thinks best. Daniel prays for the return of the Captivity in the first year of Darius, but God defers it till the first of Cyrus: we must not therefore take Gods delays for denials. The souls of the Saints under the Altar, Rev. 6. cry out aloud for vengeance; God hears that cry, and cannot deny the importunate cry of innocent blood; yet he defers it for a little season, saith the Text; and why? because their fellowservants p. 301and Brethren that should be slain as they were, might be fulfilled. Lastly, God sometimes grants not the things we ask, but gives us in stead thereof something which is as good, or better: And then we are not to think, but that he hears us.

And thus much concerning the power and efficacy of prayer. Now I come also to shew the like of Alms, how powerfull a means they are to procure a blessing from God: Not thy prayer onelyonly, saith the Angel, but thine Almes also are come up for a remembrance in the sight of God. For Alms is a kinde of prayer, namely, a visible one, and such an one as prevails as strongly with God for a blessing, as any other. Hear David in the 41. Psalm, Blessed is he that considereth the poor, the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. 2 The Lord preserve him and keep him alive, and he shall be blessed upon earth; and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. 3. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sicknesse. A place so evident as flashes in a mans eye. But hear Solomon speak too, Prov. 19. 17. He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord, and that which he hath given, he will pay him again. And Pro. 28. 27. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack; but he that hideth his eyes shall have many a curse. Also Prov. 11. 25. The liberall soule shall be made fat; and Pro. 21. 13.Prov 21:13he that watereth, shall be watered also himself. Likewise Eccles. 11. 1. Cast thy bread upon the waters, for thou shalt finde it after many days. These are for corporall blessings, and of this life; but hear also for spirituall blessings, and those of the life to come. David, Psal. 112. (quoted by S. Paul, 2 Cor. 9.) He hath dispersed, p. 302he hath given to the poor, his righteousnesse remaineth for ever, &c. That is, he shall be remembred, not onelyonly in this life, but in the life to come. Luke 16. Make to your selves (saith our Saviour) friends of the unrighteous Mammon, (that is, of these deceitfull and uncertain riches) that when you fail, they (that is, the friends you have made) may receive you into everlasting Tabernacles: that is, that God looking upon the Almesdeeds you have done, and hearing the prayers and blessings of the poor, may reward you with eternall life. So S. Paul, 1 Tim. 6. 17, &c. Charge them that be rich in this world,—that they trust not in uncertain riches, but in the living God,—That they doe good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate: Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternall life. Non memini (saith S. Hierome) me legere mala morte mortuum, qui libenter opera charitatis exercuit, habet enim multos intercessores, & impossibile est multorum preces non exaudiri. What should I say more? Shall we not receive our sentence at the last day according to our works of mercy? Come ye blessed of my Father, and inherite the Kingdome prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For when I was hungry, ye gave me meat, when I was thirsty, ye gave me drink, &c. ye know the rest: O the wonderfull efficacy of Alms in prevailing with God! What favour doe they finde in his sight? how are they remembred? but not for any merit in them, which is none, but of his meer mercy and mercifull promise, who accepts them in Christ our Saviour. Whence is that prayer of Nehemiah c. 12. p. 303concerning this case of good works, Remember me ô my God, concerning this, and spare me according to the greatnesse of thy mercy.

Thus much of the efficacy and prevalency which prayer and Alms have with Almighty God, to procure a blessing from him. Now I come to the third thing propounded, The reasons why God requires them, and why they are so pleasing unto him: which reasons when they are known, will be also strong motives to us why we should frequent them: For though indeed their efficacy alone were a motive sufficient to invite any reasonable man to do them; yet will these reasons adde a further enforcement thereunto. To begin then with prayer; the reasons why God requires this duty at our hands (I will name but the chief) are these: First, that we might acknowledge the property he hath in the gifts he bestows upon us: otherwise we would forget in what tenure we hold those blessings we receive from his hands; Though therefore he be willing to bestow his benefits upon us, yet he will have us ask them before he doth it. Even as Fathers do with their children, though they intend to bestow such things upon them as are needfull, yet they will have their children to ask them. Unlesse therefore we ask of God the things which are his to give, as we shall not receive what we have not, so we cannot lawfully use any thing we have.

Secondly, Another reason is, that we might be acquainted with God: Acquaint now thy self with God, saith Eliphaz Job 22. 21. and be at peace; thereby good shall come unto thee. Now acquaintance we know grows amongst men by conversing together, by intercourse p. 304and speaking to one another. So it is here, by accustoming to speak to God in prayer we grow acquainted with him: otherwise if we grow strangers to him, and he to us, we shall not dare to behold him.

Thirdly, Prayer is the way to keep our hearts in order: For to come often into the presence of God, breeds an holy awe in our hearts: It makes us to call our sins to remembrance with sorrow and shame, and to be afraid to commit them: we may know it by experience; men are afraid to offend those into whose presence they must often come to ask and sue for favours, and if they have offended, they are presently ashamed, and the first thing they do, will be to sue for pardon.

These are the reasons for prayer: Now let us see the reasons also why Alms are required; which are near of kinde to those for prayer. For first, we are to offer Alms to testifie our acknowledgement of whom we received, and of whom we hold what we have. For as by prayer we ask Gods creatures before we can enjoy them; so when we have them, there is another homage due for them, namely, of thanksgiving, without which the use of the creature, which God gives us, is unclean and unlawfull to us. Every creature of God (saith S. Paul, 1 Tim. 4.) is good, if it be received with thanksgiving; not else. And the same Apostle 1 Cor. 10. tels us, that even those things, which according to the manner of the Gentiles, were offered unto Idols, (that is, to Devils) a Christian might lawfully eat, so it were done with thanksgiving to the true and onelyonly God: for so he should professe, p. 305he eat not meat of the Devils gift, or Devils Table, but of the Lords, whose of right was the earth, and the fulnesse thereof: Whether therefore, saith he, ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do else, do all to the glory of God; that is, give him the glory of the Lordship of his creature by your thanksgiving. Now our thanksgiving to God for his creature, must not expresse it self in words only, but it must be also in work and deed; that is, we must yeeld him a rent and tribute of what we enjoy by his favour and blessing, which if we doe not, we lose our Tenure. This Rent is twofold; either that which is offered unto God, for the maintenance of his worship and Ministers; or that which is given for the relief of the poor, the Orphan and the Widow, which is called Alms. For not onelyonly our riches, but our Alms are an offering unto Almighty God; So Prov. 19. 17. He that hath pity on the poore, lendeth to the Lord: and Chap. 14. 31. He that hath mercy on the poor, honoureth his Maker. And our Saviour will tell us at the day of Judgement, that what was done unto them, was done unto him. This then is the reason why we must give Alms, because they are the tribute of our thanksgiving, whereby we acknowledge we are Gods Tenants, and hold all we have of him; that is, of the Mannor of heaven, without which duty and service we have not the lawfull use of what we possesse. Whence our Saviour tels the Pharisees, who stood so much upon the washing of the Cup and Platter, lest their meat and drink should be unclean; Give alms, saith he, of such things as you have, and behold all things are clean to you. Luke 11. 41.

p. 306Now that this acknowledgement of Gods Dominion was the end of the Offerings of the Law, both those wherewith the Priests and Levites were maintained, and those wherewith the poor, and the Orphan, and the Widow were relieved, appears by the solemne profession of those who paid them were to make, Deut. 26. where he that brought a basket of first-fruits to the house of God, was to say, I professe this day unto the Lord, that I am come unto the Country which the Lord sware unto our Fathers for to give us. And when the Priest had taken the basket, he was to say thus; A Syrian ready to perish was my Father, and he went down into Egypt and sojourned there with a few, and became there a Nation great and mighty, and populous. And the Egyptians evil intreated us, &c. And the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and out-stretched arm, &c. And brought us into this land, and hath given us this land, even a land that floweth with milk and honey. And now, behold, I have brought thee the first-fruits of the land, which thou … Lord hast given me: and thou shalt set it (saith the Text) before the Lord thy God, and worship before the Lord thy God. This was to be done every year. But for Tithes the profession was made every third year, because then the course of all manner of Tithing came about. For two years they paid the Levites Tithe and the Festivall Tithe, the third year they paid the Levites Tithe and the poor mans Tithe: So that year the course of Tithing being finished, the party was to make a solemne profession: When thou hast made an end (saith the Lord) of Tithing all the Tithes of thine increase, the third year, which is the year of Tithing, p. 307(that is, when the Tithing course finisheth) and hast given it to the Levite, the Stranger, the Fatherlesse, and the Widow, that they may eat within thy gates and be filled: Then thou shalt say before the Lord thy God; I have brought away the hallowed thing out of mine house, and also have given it to the Levite, and to the Stranger, to the Fatherlesse, and to the Widow, according to all the Commandements which thou hast commanded me.—Look down from thy holy habitation from heaven, and blesse thy people Israel, and the land which thou hast given us, as thou swarest to our Fathers, a land that floweth with milk and honey.

What we have seen in these two sorts, is to be supposed to be the end of all other Offerings in pios usus, (which were not sacrifices) namely, to acknowledge God to be the Lord and giver of all. As we see in that royall Offering which David with the Princes and Chieftains of Israel made for the building of the Temple, 1 Chron. 29. where David acknowledgeth thus; Thine ô Lord is the Kingdom, and thou art exalted as Head over all: Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all, and in thine hand is power and might, and in thine hand it is, to make great and to give strength unto all. Now therefore our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious Name.—For all things come of thee, and of thine hand have we given thee.

For this reason there was never time since God first gave the Earth to the sons of men, wherein this acknowledgement was not made by setting apart of something of that he had given them, to that purpose. In the state of Paradise among all the trees in the garden, p. 308which God gave man freely to enjoy, one tree was Noli me tangere, and reserved to God as holy, in token that he was Lord of the garden: So that the first sin of Mankinde for the species of the fact was Sacriledge, in profaning that which was holy. For which he was cast out of Paradise, and the Earth cursed for his sake, because he had violated the signe of his fealty unto the great Landlord of the whole earth. Might I not say, that many a man unto this day is cast out of his Paradise, and the labours of his hands cursed for the same sin? But to go on.

After mans ejection out of Paradise, the first service that ever we read was performed unto God, was of this kinde: Abel bringing the best of his flock, and Cain of the fruit of his ground for an Offering or Present unto the Lord. The first spoils that ever we read gotten from an Enemy in war, paid tithes to Melchisedek the Priest of the most high God, as an acknowledgement that he had given Abraham the Victory. Melchisedek blessing God in his name to be the possessor of heaven and earth, and to have delivered his enemies into his hand. To which Abraham said Amen by paying him Tithes of all. Iacob promiseth God, that if he would give him any thing, (for at that time he had nothing) he would give him the tenth of what he should give him: Which is as much to say, as he would acknowledge and professe him to be the giver, after the accustomed manner.

For the time of the Law, I may skip over that; it is well enough known, no man will deny it. But let us come to the time of the Gospel, which though it hath freed us from the bondage of typicall Elements, p. 309yet hath it not freed us from the possession of our Fealty unto God as Lord of the whole earth. 'Twere strange me thinks to affirm it: I am sure the ancient Church next the Apostles thought otherwise. I will quote for a witnesse Irenaeus, who Lib. 4. cap. 32. tels us that our Saviour, when he took part of the Viands of his last Supper, and giving thanks with them, consecrated them into a Sacrament of his body and blood, set his Church an example of dedicating part of the creature in Dominicos usus; Dominus (saith he) dans discipulis suis consilium primitias Deo offerre ex suis creaturis, non quasi indigenti, sed ut ipsi nec infructuosi, nec ingrati sint, eum qui ex creatura panis est, accepit & gratias egit, &c. Et novi Testamenti novam docuit oblationem, quam Ecclesia ab Apostolis accipiens in universo mundo offert Deo, ei qui alimenta nobis praestat, primitias suorum munerum in novo Testamento. But this is no proper occasion to follow this argument any further: I will therefore leave it, and adde a second reason why God requires Alms and such like offerings at our hands.

Namely, that we might not forget God: our blessed Saviour Mat. 6. and Luk. 12. 33, &c. speaking of this very matter of alms, Lay not up (saith he) for your selves treasures upon earth; but …ay up for your selves treasures in heaven:—For where your treasure is, there will your heart be. The proper evill of abundance is to forget God and our dependence upon him: the remedy whereof most genuine and naturall is, to pay him a rent of what we have: So shall we always think of our Landlord, and lift up our hearts to heaven in whatsoever we receive and enjoy. p. 310Yea, when this service is so acceptable to God, that he promiseth a great reward to those who thus honour and acknowledge him, how can it choose but detain our hearts in heaven in that respect also; when we shall so often think of God, not onelyonly as the Lord and giver of what we have, but as the rewarder also of the acknowledgement we perform?