ONE of â—srael Habak 1. 12. Art not thou from everlasting O LORD my God mine HOLY ONE Agreeably whereunto the Lord is said also now and then To swear by his HOLINESS that is by himself as in the Psalm before alledged v. 35. Once have I sworn by my HOLINESS that I will not lie unto David c. Amos 4. 2. The Lord God hath sworn by his HOLINESS that lo the days shall come upon you that he will take you away with â—ooks c. According to this sense I suppose also that of Amos 8. 7. is to be understood The LORD hath sworn by the Excellency of Iacob that is Jacobs most eminent and incommunicable One or by Iacobs HOLY ONE Surely I will never forget any of their works c. For indeed the Gods of the Nations were not properly and truly Holy because but partially and respectively onely Forasmuchas the Divine eminency which they were supposed to have was even in the opinion of those who worshipped them common to others with them and so not discriminated from nor exalted above all But the God of Israel was simply and absolutely such both in himself and to them ward who worshipped him as who might acknowledge no other and therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by way of distinction from all other Gods called Sanctus Israelis The Holy One of Israel i. That sole absolute and onely incommunicable One or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Author of the Book of Wisdome cals him chap. 14. v. 21. that God exalted above all and divided from all without pareil there being no other such besides him There is none Holy as the Lord saith Hannah for there is none besides thee The Septuagint none Holy besides thee neither is there any ROCâ— like our God Wherefore it is to be observed that although the Scripture every where vouchsafes the Gentiles Daemons the name of Gods yet it never I think cals them Holy Ones as indeed they were not Thus you see that as Holinesse in generall imports a state of eminency and separation so this of God as I have described it disagrees not from that generall notion when I affirm it to consist in a state of peerlesse or incommunicable Majesty for that which is such includes both the one and the other But would you understand it yet better Apply it then to his attributes whereby he is known unto us and know that The Lord is Holy is as much to say He is a Majesty of peerlesse Power of peerlesse Wisdome of peerlesse Goodnesse and so of the rest Such a one is our God and such is his Holinesse Now then to Sanctifie this peerlesse Name or Majesty of his must be by doing unto him according to that which his Holinesse challengeth in respect of the double importance thereof namely To serve and glorifie him because of his eminency and to doe it with a singular separate and incommunicated worship because He is Holy Not to doe the former is Irreligion and Atheisme as not to acknowledge God to be the chief and Soveraign eminency not to observe the second is Idolatry For as the Lord our God is a singular and peerlesse Majesty distinguished from and exalted above all things and eminencies else whatsoever so must his worship be singular incommunicable and proper to him alone Otherwise saith Ioshuah to the people You cannot serve the Lord. Why For saith he He is an Holy God he is a jealous God that can endure no corrivall he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins if ye forsake the Lord and serve strange gods c. Whence in Scripture those who communicate the worship given unto him with any besides him or together with him by way of Object that is whether immediately or but mediately are deemed to deny his incomparable Sanctity and therefore said to prophane his Holy Name See Ezek. 20. 39. 43. 7 8. In a word all that whole immediate Duty and service which we owe unto God whether inward or outward contained under the name of Divine worship when either we confesse praise pray unto call upon or swear by his Name yea all the worship both of men and Angels is nothing else but to acknowledge in thought word and work this peerlesse preheminence of his power of his wisdome of his goodnesse and other attributes that is His Holinesse by ascribing and giving unto him that which we give and ascribe to none besides him that is To sanctifie his most Holy Name This is that the Holy Ghost would teach us when describing how the Seraphims worship and glorifie God â—sa 6. he brings them in crying one unto another Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God of hosts the whole earth is full of his glory that is Sanctifying him From whence is derived that which we repeat every day in the Hymne To thee all Angels cry aloud the heavens and all the powers therein To thee Cherubim and Sâ—raphim continually doe cry Ho ly Holy Holy Lord God of Sabaoth Heaven and earth are full of the Majesty of thy Glory And because the pattern of Gods holy worship is not to be taken from earth but from heaven the same Spirit therefore in the Apocalypse expresseth the worship of God in the new Testament with the same form of hallowing or holying his Name which the heavenly Hoste useth For so the 4. Animalia representing the Catholique Church of Christ in the four quarters of the world are said when they give glory honour and thanks to him that sitteth upon the throne and liveth for ever and ever to doe it by singing day and night this Trisagium Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty which was and is and is to come that is the summe of all that they did was but to agnize his Sanctity or Holinesse or which is all one to Sanctifie his holy Name When therefore the same 4. Animalia are afterwards brought in chanting Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power riches wisdome and strength and honour and glory and blessing And again Blessing honour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the Throne and unto the Lamb for ever and ever all is to bee understood as comprehended within this generall Doxologie as being but an exemplification thereof and therefore the Elogies or blazons mentioned therein to be taken according to the style of Holinesse in an exclusive sense of such prerogatives as are peculiar to God alone And according to this notion of sanctifying Gods name which I contend for would the Lord have his Name Sanctified Esa. 8. 13. when he saith Fear ye not their Fear that is the Idolaters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Gods for so Fear here signifies to wit the thing feared neither dread ye it But Sanctifie the Lord of Hosts himself and let him be your Fear and let him be your Dread that is your God Again chap. 29. 23. They shall sanctifie my Name saith he even Sanctifie the holy
of thy life And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed It shall bruise thy head and thou shalt bruise his heel 414 MALACH 1. 11. For from the rising of the Sun even unto the going down of the same my Name shall be great among the Gentiles and in every place Incense shall be offered unto my Name and a pure offering for my Name shall be great among the Heathen saith the Lord of Hosts 471 Four other Treatises by the same Author formerly Printed viz. 1. The Name ALTAR or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THPION 2. CHURCHES that is Appropriate places for Christian Worship 1 COR. 11. 22. Have ye not Houses to eat and drink in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or despise ye the CHVRCH of God 31. B. 3. The Reverence of GODS HOVSE ECCLESIASTES 5. 1. Look to thy foot or feet when thou commest to the House of God and be more ready to obey then to offer the sacrifice of fools for they know not that they doe evill 81. B. 4. Daniels WEEKS DAN 9. 24 25 26 27. 24. Seventy Weeks are allotted for thy people and for thy holy City to finish transgression and make an end of sins and to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousnesse and to fulfill Vision and Prophecy and to anoint the most Holy 140. B. 25. Also know and understand that from the going forth of the Commandement to cause to return and to build Ierusalem unto MESSIAH the PRINCE shall be Sevens of Weeks even threescore and two Weeks the street shall be built again and the Wall even in a strait of Times 146. B. 26. And after threescore and two weeks shall MESSIAH be cut off but not for himself and the people of the Prince that shall come shall destroy the City and the Sanctuary and the end thereof shall be with a floud and unto the end of the Warre Desolations are determined 158. B. 27. And he shall confirm the Covenant with many for one Week and in the midst of the Week he shall cause the Sacrifice and the Oblation to cease and for the overspreading of Abominations he shall make it desolate even untill the consummation and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate 163. B. A CONTINVATION OF CERTAIN DISCOVRSES ON Sundry Texts of SCRIPTURE LUKE 2. 13 14. 13. And suddenly there was with the Angel a multitude of the heavenly Host praising God and saying 14. Glory be to God on high or in the highest and on earth peace good will towards men AT the Creation of the world when God laid the foundations of the earth and stretched out his line thereon the stars in the morning as God himself describes it Iob 38. 7. sang together and all the sons of God that is the holy Angels shouted for joy This in my Text is so like it that a man would think some new Creation were in hand nor were it much wide of truth to affirm it for if ever there were a day wherein the Almighty Power the incomparable Wisdom the wonderfull Goodness of God again the second time appeared as it did at the worlds Creation it was this day whereof S. Luke our Euangelist now treateth when the Son of God took upon him our flesh and was born of a Virgin to repair the breach between God and man and make all things new The news of which restauration was no sooner heard and made known to the Shepheards by an Angel sent from heaven but suddenly the heavenly Host descended from their celestiall mansions and sung this Carol of joy Glory be to God on high welcome peace on earth good-will towards men A Song renowned both for the singularity of the first example for untill this time unlesse it were once in a Propheticall Vision we shall not finde a Song of Angels heard by men in all the Scripture and from the custome of the Church who afterward took it up in her Liturgy and hath continued the singing thereof ever since the days of the Apostles untill these of ours Yet perhaps it is not so commonly understood as usually said or chaunted and therefore will be worth our labour to inquire into the meaning thereof and hear such instructions as may be learned therefrom Which that we may the better do I will consider first the Singers or Chaunters The heavenly Host Secondly the Caroll or Hymne it self Gloria in excelsis Deo Glory be to God on high c. For the first the heavenly host here spoken of is an Army of holy Angels For the Host of Heaven in the language of Scripture is twofold Visible and Invisible The Visible Host are the Stars which stand in their array like an Army Deut. 4. 19. Lest thou lift up thine eies saith the Lord there unto heaven and when thou seest the Sun Moon and Stars even all the Host of heaven shouldst be driven to worship and serve them The Invisible Host are the Angels the heavenly Guard according to that of Micaiah 1 King 22. 19. I saw the Lord sitting upon his Throne and all the Host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left So Psal. 103. Blesse the Lord ye his Angels that excell in strength that do his Commandements Blesse the Lord all ye his Hosts ye ministers of his that do his pleasure Where the latter words do but vary that which is expressed in the former From this it is that the Lord Jehovah the true and only God is so often styled the Lord or God of Sabaoth or of Hosts that is King both of Stars and Angels according to that Nehem. 9. Thou art God alone and the Host of Heaven worshippeth thee By which Title He is distinguished from the Gods of the Nations who were some of the Host to wit of the Stars or Angels but none of them the Lord of Hosts himself For the same reason and with the same meaning and sense in the Books written after the Captivity he is styled Deus coeli the God of heaven as in Ezra Nehemiah Daniel in which Books together with the last of Chronicles the title of Deus Sabaoth is not to be found but the title of Deus Coeli only and as may seem taken up for some reason in stead of the other But to return to what we have in hand It was the Angelicall Host as ye hear who sang this Song of joy and praise unto the most High God And wherefore For any restitution or addition of happinesse to themselves No but for Peace on Earth and Good-will towards men He that was now born took not upon him the Nature of Angels but of men He came not into the world to save Angels but for the salvation of men Nor was the state of Angels to receive advancement in glory by his comming but the state of men and that too in such a sort as might seem to impeach the dignity and dimme the lustre of those
same prayer is again delivered in these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whē you pray say Our Father which art in heaven that is doe it in haec Verba For what other phrase is there to express such a meaning if this be not Besides in this of S. Luke the occasion would be considered It came to passe saith he as Iesus was praying in a certain place that when he ceased one of his Disciples said unto him Lord teach us to pray as Iohn also taught his Disciples From whence it may not improbably be gathered that this was the custome of the Doctors of Israel to deliver some certain form of Prayer unto their Disciples to use as it were a Badge and Symbolum of their Discipleship at least Iohn Baptist had done so unto his Disciples and thereupon our Saviours Disciples besought him that he also would give them in like manner some forme of his making that they might also pray with their Masters spirit as Iohns Disciples did with theirs For that either our Saviours or Iohns Disciples knew not how to pray till now were ridiculous to imagine they being both of them Jews who had their certaine set houres of prayer which they constantly observed as the third sixt and ninth It was therefore a forme of prayer of their Masters making which both Iohn is said to have given his Disciples and our Saviours Disciples besought him to give them For the fuller understanding whereof I must tell you something more and the rather because it is not commonly taken notice of and that is That this delivery of the Lords prayer in S. Luke is not the same with that related by S. Matthew but another at another time and upon another occasion That of S. Matthew in that famous Sermon of Christ upon the Mount whereof it is a part that of S. Luke upon a speciall motion of the Disciples at a time when himselfe had done praying That of S. Matthew in the second that of S. Luke in the third yeare after his Baptisme Consider the Text of both and you shall finde it impossible to bring them into one and the same whence it follows that the Disciples when it was first uttered understood not that their Master intended it for a forme of prayer unto them but for a pattern or example onely or it may be to instruct them in speciall in what manner to ask forgiveness of sins For if they had thought he had given them a forme of prayer then they would never have asked him for one now wherefore our Saviour this second time utters himselfe more expresly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When ye pray say Our Father which art in heaven Thus their inadvertency becomes our confirmation For as Ioseph said to Pharaoh The dreame is doubled unto Pharaoh because the thing is established by God so may wee say here The delivery of this prayer was doubled unto the Disciples that they and we might thereby know the more certainly that our Saviour intended and commended it for a set form of prayer unto his Church Thus much of that set forme of prayer which our Saviour gave unto his Disciples as a precedent and warrant to his Church to give the like forms to her Disciples or members a thing which from her infancy she used to doe But because her practice is called in question as not warranted by Scripture let us see what was the practice of the Church of the old Testament then whose example and use wee can have no better rule to follow in the New First therefore wee find two set forms of prayer or invocation appointed by God himself in the Law of Moses One the form wherewith the Priests were to blesse the people Num. 6. 23. On this wise saith he shall Aaron and his sons blesse the children of Israel saying unto them The Lord blesse thee and keepe thee the Lord make his face shine upon thee and be gracious unto thee The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee and give thee peace Is not this a set forme of Prayer For what is to blesse but to pray over or invocate God for another The second is the forme of profession and prayer to be used by him who had paid his Tithes every third yeare Deut. 26. 13. O Lord God I have brought away the hallowed things out of mine house and also have given them unto the Levite and unto the stranger to the Fatherlesse and unto the widow according to all thy commandements which thou hast commanded me I have not transgressed thy Commandements neither have I forgotten them 14. I have not eaten thereof in my mourning neither have I taken away ought thereof for any uncleane use c. 15. Look downe 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 Milke and honey But what need we seek thus for scattered Formes when wee have a whole booke of them together The Booke of Psalmes was the Jewish Liturgie or the chiefe part of the vocall service wherewith they worshipped God in the Temple This is evident by the Titles of the Psalms themselves which shew them to have beene commended to the severall Quires in the same to Asaph to the sonnes of Korah to Ieduthun and almost forty of them to the Magister Symphoniae in generall The like wee are to conceive of those which have no titles as for example of the 105 and 96 Psalmes which though they have no such Inscription in the Psalme-booke yet wee finde 1 Chron. 16. 7. That they were delivered by David into the hands of Asaph and his Brethren for formes to thanke the Lord. This a man would think were sufficient to take away all scruple in this point especially when 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 solve◠and all the reformed Churches use to sing the same Psalmes not onely as set formes but set in Meeter that is after a humane composure Are not the Psalmes set formes of Confession of Prayer and of Praising God And in case there had been no prayers amongst them yet what reason could be given why it should not bee as lawfull to pray unto God in a set forme as to praise him in such a one What therefore doe they say to this Why they tell us that the Psalmes are not sung in the Church unto God but so rehearsed for instruction of the people onely namely as the Chapters and Lessons are there read and no otherwise But if either wee doe ought or may sing the Psalmes in the Church with the same end and purpose that the Church of the old Testament did and it were absurd to say wee might not this exception will not subsist for what is more certaine then that the Church of Israel used the Psalmes for Formes of praising and invocating God What mean else those formes Cantemus Domino Psallite Domino and the like so frequent in them But there are more direct
that is common or unclean 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For know because that which is Holy ought to be kept pure and clean or rather because cleannesse imports a separation from filth as Holinesse doth from common thence clean and holy so also unholy and unclean are used the one for the other whence 1 Cor. 7. 14. Unclean and Holy are opposed But to goe on The voice from heaven answers S. Peter in the same language What God hath cleansed that is sanctified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 account not thou common So in 1 Mac. Chap. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are unclean beasts and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to eate unclean things The like Antithesis of holy and common is to bee found Heb. 10. 29. where the Apostle saith of a Beleever or Christian that lives an ungodly and wicked life He hath trodden under foot the Son of God and counted the bloud of the Covenant wherewith he was sanctified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a common thing that is he hath profaned it Our translation rendreth it an unholy thing the opposition thereof to sanctified witnessing that to be the meaning Now then if to be unholy or unclean be to be common surely it follows by the Law of opposition that to be holy is to be separated from the common and to be singular and appropriate in some manner or other Lastly it is to be observed that whereas in the Law given Numbers 6. concerning the Vow of Nazarisme which signifies separation of Nazar to separate the words To separate and separation come very often in the Text the vulgar Latine renders for them above ten times Consecrare consecratio sanctificare and sanctificatio which shews that this notion namely that Holinesse consists in a state of separation is no new conceit but such as Antiquity took notice of The nature of Holinesse wherein it consisteth according to the idiome of Scripture being thus found out and cleared that which was aimed at in this inquisition to wit what the same meaneth by To sanctifie and to be sanctified will be no hard matter to resolve For sanctity and to sanctifie being Conjugates or Denominatives as Logicians call them the one openeth the way to the knowledge of the other If therefore Sanctity or Holinesse be a condition of discretion and distinction from other things as we have shewed it to be then To sanctifie must either be to put a thing into that state which we call To consecrate or if it be such already To use and doe unto it as becomes the sanctity thereof that is Habere cum discrine to put a difference between it and other things by way of excellency or in a dignifying wise by appropriating and severing it in the use thereof from things of ordinary and common rank or which is all one To use it singularly appropriately and in a word uncommonly For not to use it so it being such were to abuse it which the Scripture cals to prophane to sanctifie and to prophane being opposites Whence Ezek. 22. 26. To prophane is expounded by not putting a difference The Priests saith the Lord have violated my Law and have prophaned my holy things they have put no difference between the holy and prophane This to be to sanctifie all the places almost which I have alledged out of the Law for the notion and nature of sanctity doe apparently proclaim for the one is so nearly linked to the other that they could not well be separated Thus was Israel Gods holy people to sanctifie themselves by a discriminative manner of living or usance because the Lord their God had discriminated or separated them from other people So Lev. 20. 24 25 c. I am the Lord your God which have separated you from other people Ye shall therefore put difference between clean beasts and unclean and between unclean fowls and clean and ye shall not make your souls abominable by beast or by fowl or by any manner of living thing that creepeth on the ground which I have separated from you as unclean But ye shall be holy unto me for I the Lord am holy and have severed you from other people that ye should be mine After the same manner were the Holy Ointment and Holy Perfume or Incense to be sanctified by a discriminative singular appropriate usance of them and not to be used as other Ointments and Perfumes to wit the one not to be poured upon mans flesh nor the other used for mans smelling unto yea none of the like composition to the one or the other to be made for any prophane or common use upon pain of his being cut off from his people who should dare to doe it That is not the particular or Individuum onely but even the whole kinde of that composition was to be accounted sacred otherwise this caution needed not since for the Individuall all sacred things ought to be appropriate and incommunicable in their use And to this notion it is not altogether improbable but the Apostle may allude 1 Cor. 11. 29. when he expresseth the prophanation of the Holy Supper in comming to it and using it as a common banquet by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by not differencing the Lords body i. not sanctifying it or using it as became so holy a thing HITHERTO I have considered the words of my Text apart but now let us put them again together and see how the Name of God ought to bee Sanctified in the manner now specified both in it self and in the things which it is called upon as in the beginning I distinguished For the better understanding of which we are to take notice of a twofold Holinesse One originall absolute and essentiall in God the other derived or relative in the things which are His properly according to the use of the Latine called Sacr◠Sacred things Both these have their severall and distinct Sanctifications belonging unto them for whatsoever is Holy ought to be sanctified according to the condition and proportion of the Holinesse it hath To speak of them distinctly The first originall or absolute Holinesse is nothing else but the incommunicable eminency of the divine Majesty exalted above all and divided from all other 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or Eminences whatsoever For that which a man takes to be and makes account of as his God whether it be such indeed or by him fancied onely he ascribes unto it in so doing a condition of eminency above and distinct from all other eminencies whatsoever that is of Holinesse Hence it comes that we find the LORD the God of Israel and the onely true God in Scripture so often styled Sanctus Israelis The Holy One of Israel that is Israels most eminent and incommunicable one or which is all one His God as namely Psal. 89. 18. The Lord is our defence the HOLY ONE of Israel is our King Esay 17. 7. At that day shall a man look unto his MAKER and his eyes shall have respect to the HOLY
of the Saints and so translated accordingly This tradition is farther testified by Ionathan ben Vziel the Chaldee Paraphrast Gen. 11. 7. where the Lords words spoken in the plurall number Venite descendamus confundamus linguam eorum are paraphrased in this manner Dixit Dominus septem Angelis qui stant coram eo Venite nunc c. Whether rightly or fitly in this place it matters not The testimony is sufficient for the Jewish tradition of seven Arch-angels that stand before the Throne of God This tradition Iunius saith is magicall and not a little triumphs therein as an undoubted Argument to evince the Book of Tobit not to be Canonicall But whatsoever the Book of Tobit be I hope to shew this tradition to have firm ground and footing in Scripture and not so rashly to be rejected The chief and most clear place is that I have now read which gives us to understand that these seven Angels were represented by that Candlestick of Seven Lamps which continually burned in the Temple before the vail over against the Mercy seat which was the Throne of God For in the beginning of the Chapter the Prophet being shewed this Seven-lamped Candlestick in a Vision and two Olive-branches on each side ministring oyle to the Lamps thereof The Angel asketh him if he knew what these meant The Prophet answers No my Lord Then the Angel discoursing a little by way of Preface tels him what they were These seven saith he that is the seven Lamps are the seven eyes of the Lord which run to and fro through the whole earth that is those Seven Vigiles or prime Ministers of his Providence the seven Arch-angels As for the two Olive-trees on each side These are saith he two anointed ones which stand before the Lord of the whole earth that is Zorobabel and Iesua the Prince and Priest at that time which should be Gods two instruments on earth whereby his Church signified by the Candlestick should be re-established and his Temple builded and that not by force or strength as he saith in his Preface but by the Spirit of God working with them as the olive trees here conveyed oyle to the Candlestick not after a naturall and usuall but a supernaturall and secret manner This interpretation of the latter hath the suffrage of the best Expositors both Jews and Christians and so I shall need say no more of it but betake my self to make good the first concerning the words I chose for my Text That those seven eyes of God signified by the seven Lamps are seven Angels That this is so I prove out of two places in the Apocalypse derived from hence where as well the Seven Lamps before the Throne as the Lambs Seven eyes are said to be the Seven Spirits of God I saw saith Saint Iohn cap. 4. 5. Seven Lamps before the Throne which are the Seven Spirits of God And again cap. 5. 6. I saw in the midst of the Throne and of the four Beasts as we translate it and of the four and twenty Elders a Lamb as if he had been slain having seven horns and seven eyes which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth Here first we have Zacharies very words Seven eyes sent forth into all the earth Secondly That these seven eyes are the seven Spirits of God Thirdly that these seven Spirits were represented by the seven Lamps burning before the Throne If this be not sufficient to make my interpretation of Zacharie good I know not what can be For who can now but think that the Jews derived their tradition of these seven Angels from this place of Zachary and the Apocalypse from them both And that indeed the Jews supposed some such thing meant by the seven Lamps in the Temple appears by the report of Iosephus though depraved and fashioned unto the capacity of the Gentiles For he tels us both in his Antiquities Lib. 3. cap. 7. and in his De Bello Iudaico Lib. 6. cap. 14. that the seven Lamps signified the seven Planets and the most holy place within the vail ibid. cap. 5. the heaven of God or heaven of Glory and that therefore the Lamps stood slopewise as it were to expresse the obliquity of the Zodiack Now it is true that the Jewish Astrologians savouring of Gentilism make these seven Angels the prefects of the seven Planets which they seem to have learned in part from the Greek Philosophy which conceit howsoever it be vain and groundlesse yet may be as a key to understand the meaning of this of Iosephus And one thing more If the visible things of God may be learned as Saint Paul sayes from the Creation of the world why may not the invisible and intelligible world be learned from the Fabrick of the visible the one it may be being the pattern of the other But to let this passe and return again to the Apocalypse Where concerning the places alledged there may be two things objected First That the seven spirits there mentioned are and may be expounded of the Holy Ghost thus represented in respect of those seven-fold that is manifold Graces he communicates unto the Church I answer that many indeed have so taken it but besides the uncouthnesse of expressing one spirit by seven there is a reason in the Text why they cannot be so taken namely because not onely the seven Lamps are said to be those seven Spirits of God but the seven Eyes and seven Horns of the Lamb also to be the same Now it will be very hard and harsh to make the Holy Ghost the Horns and Eyes of Christ as he is the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world that is as he is a Man Above Angels indeed the Man Iesus is exalted and that too for the suffering of death that is as the Lamb but not above the Holy Ghost This made not onely Drusius but even Beza himself in his Notes upon this place to affirm it could not be meant of the Holy Ghost but of seven created Spirits A second scruple is how if they be created spirits Iohn could pray for Grace and Peace from them Grace be unto you saith he and peace from him which is which was and is to come and from the seven spirits which are before his Throne and from Iesus Christ the faithful witnesse c. would he pray for Grace and peace from Angels I answer Why not For first he prayes not to them but unto God unto whom such votes are tendered Secondly he prayes for Grace and Peace from them not as Authors but as the Instruments of God in the dispensation thereof Are they not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sent forth to minister for them who are heirs of salvation And if it be no Idolatry to pray unto God to give Grace and Peace from the outward Ministery of his word no more is it to pray unto him for it from the invisible Ministery For certainly it is lawfull to
excellent creatures when an inferiour nature the nature of man was now to be advanced into a Throne of Divine Majesty and to become Head and King not only of men but of the heavenly Host it self O ye blessed Angels what did these tidings concern you that ruined mankinde should be restored again and taken into favour whereas those of your own Host which fell likewise remained still in that gulf of perdition whereinto their sin had plunged them without hope of mercy or like promise of Deliverance what did it adde to your eminent Dignity the most excellent of the creatures of God that the Nature of man should be advanced above yours that at the Name of Iesus every knee should bow of things in Heaven and things in Earth and things under the Earth The Observation therefore which this Act of the Angels first presents unto us is the ingenuous goodnesse and sweet disposition of those immaculate and blessed spirits in whose bosomes Envy the Image of the Devil and deadly poison of charity hath no place at all For if any inclination to this cankered passion had been in these heavenly creatures never such an occasion offered nor greater could be to stir it up to envy But heaven admits of no such passion nor could such a torment consist with the blissefull condition of those who dwell therein It is the smoke of that bottomlesse pit a native of hell the character and cognisance of those Apostate Angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation and are reserved for chains of everlasting darknesse These indeed grieve no lesse at the happinesse of men then the Angels joy witnesse the name of their Prince Satan which signifies the Fiend or malicious one who out of envy overthrew mankinde in the beginning out of envy he and all his fellow-fiends are so restlesse and indefatigable to seduce him still The Use of this Observation will not be far to seek if we remember the admonition our Saviour hath given us in the prayer left unto his Church which is To make the Angels the pattern of our imitation in doing the will of our heavenly Father for so he teacheth us to pray Let thy will be done in earth as it is done in heaven that is Grant us ô Lord to do thy will here as thy holy Angels do it there And as we should imitate them in all things else so in this affection towards the happinesse and prosperity of others And good reason I think if we mean at all to approve our selves unto God our Father why we should endeavour rather to be like unto them then unto Devils But in nothing can we be more like them then in this to rejoyce at the good and not repine at the happinesse of our brethren Hoc enim Angelicum est This is the Character of the Angelicall nature and consequently of those who one day shall have fellowship with them To be contrarily affected Diabolicum est the badge and brand of Devils and Fiends and those who wear their Livery reason good they should keep them company Let every one therefore examine his own heart concerning this point that he may learn upon what terms he stands with God and what he may promise himself of the blessednesse to come Do the gifts of God Doth his favour or blessing vouchsafed to thy brother when thou seest or hearest of them torment and crucifie thy soul Dost thou make their happinesse thy misery Is thine eye evill to thy Brother because Gods is good If this be so without doubt thy heart is not right before God nor doth his Spirit but the spirit of Devils or Fiends reign therein But if the contrary appear in any reasonable measure with a desire to increase it for we must not look to attain the perfection of Angels in this life but in some measure and degree only if thou canst rejoyce at anothers good though it concerns not thy self the Spirit of God rests upon thee For emulations and envyings saith the Apostle Gal. 5. are the fruits of the flesh but the fruits of the Spirit are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 kindnesse and goodnesse So he cals the opposite vertues to those former vices But as any good that betides our brother ought to affect us with some degree of joy and not with grief and envy so chiefly and most of all his spirituall good and that which concerns his salvation ought so to do This was that the holy Angels praised God for in my Text on the behalf of men that unto them a Saviour was born who should save them from their sins and reconcile them unto God Which sweet disposition of those good and blessed spirits our Saviour himself further witnesseth when he saith Luk. 15. 17. There is joy in heaven namely among the holy Angels for one sinner that repenteth But is there any man will you say such a son of Beliall as will not do this will not imitate the holy Angels in this Judge ye There is an evil disease which commonly attends upon Sects and Differences in opinion that as men are curious and inquisitive into the lives and actions of the adverse party so are they willing to finde them faulty and rejoyce at their fals and slips hear and relate them with delight namely because they suppose it makes much for their own side that the contrary should by such means be scandalized and the Patrons and followers thereof disreputed But should that be the matter of our grief whereat the Angels joy or that the matter of our joy whereat the Angels grieve How is this to do our Fathers will on earth as the Angels do in heaven Nay if this be not to put on the robes of darknesse and to shake hands with hellish fiends I know not what is O my soul come not thou into their secret unto their assembly mine honour be not thou united There is another Lesson yet more to be learned from this act of the Angels namely that if they glorifie God for our happinesse and the favour of God towards us in Christ much more should we glorifie and magnifie his goodnesse our selves to whom solely this Birth and the benefit of this Birth redounds If they sing Glory be to God on high for his favour toward men we to whom such favour is shown must not hold our peace for shall they for us and not we for our selves No the Quire of heaven did but set us in we are to bear a part and it should be a chief part since the best part is ours As therefore the Church in her publick Service hath ever since kept it up so must every one of us in particular never let it goe down or dye on our hands Thus much of the Quaere Now come we to the Antheme or Song it self whose contents are two First the Doxology or Praise Glory be to God on high Secondly a gratulation rendring the reason thereof Because of
Gloriam tibi tribuo which I think is the better So also in this Chapter Luke 2. 38. it is said of Anna 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deo laudes gratiasque agebat So Heb. 13. 15. By him therefore that is by Christ let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the fruit of our lips confessing to his Name By all which it is evident that to praise and give glory unto God whether by praise at large or prayer and thanksgiving in speciall is nothing else as I have said but to confesse and acknowledge his peerlesse Majesty over all and in all which the Scripture cals his glory And if ever there were a work of God wherein all these peerlesse Prerogatives of Power Wisdome and Goodnesse all together appeared in the highest degree it was undoubtedly in this wonderfull work of the Incarnation of the Son of God for mans redemption well therefore might the heavenly Host sing Gloria in excelsis Deo The Power the Wisdom and Goodnesse of the glorious God be acknowledged by the holy Angels and all the Host of heaven for ever and ever This is the meaning of the Doxology Come we now to the gratulation which contains the cause thereof glory be to God on high for ô factum benè ô happy news there is peace on earth good-will towards men One and the same thing two ways expressed for it is an Apposition or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the latter words declaring the meaning of the former Peace on earth that is good-will towards men 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ' Ev for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to wit in imitation of the Hebrew construction where 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 verbs which signifie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the nown signifying 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are construed with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Greek and accordingly both the Septuagint and New Testament expresse the same But the Vulgar Interpreter reads here Pax in terris hominibus bonae voluntatis as if the Greek were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as now all our Copies constantly read and I beleeve ever did yet Beza seems here to favour the Vulgar Latine expounding Homines bonae voluntatis of those whom God wils well to to wit of the Elect to whom this Peace by Christ belongeth and from the conveniency of this sense inclines to beleeve that the Greek anciently read so quoting to this end Irenaeus Origen and Chrysostome as he saith in divers places But he trusted too much the Latine Translation of Chrysostome for the Greek Chrysostome hath no such matter but both in those places Beza points to and in divers others reads constantly 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as our Copies doe And so I make no question Irenaeus and Origen did too in the Greek Originals if we had them to look into But the Latine Translators thought not fit to alter the words of the Hymne so ordinarily sung in the Liturgy and so expressed it in Latine as the Latine Church used And for the meaning I beleeve the Vulgar Latine aim'd at no other sense then what the Greek implies namely that this Peace was no earthly peace but the peace of Gods good-will to man referring the Genitive Case voluntatis not to hominibus but to pax Pax in terris what pax Pax bonae voluntatis hominibus That which makes me think so is because Origen and his Translator in the place Beza quotes for this reading expresly expounds it so And so there will not be a pin to choose save that the Greek expresseth this sense by way of Apposition more naturally the Latine by way of Rection somwhat harshly and yet perhaps the Translatour thought lesse ambiguously Well then this peace on earth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gods good-will or favour to men and Gods 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is the peace on earth the Angels gratulate namely the reconciliation of God to men in Christ For by reason of Sin heaven and earth God and man were till now at enmity but by Christ this enmity is taken away and man by the forgivenesse of his sin restored unto peace and favour with God And as by this Nativity God and man became one Person so by this conjunction Heaven and earth Angels and men become one Fellowship one City and Kingdome of God the Kingdome of Satan that Prince of the powers of the Aire who by reason of sin had captivated and brought under his service the whole Earth and thereby held the same at open war and enmity with Heaven being now by degrees to be destroyed and rooted out And this is that admirable mystery of our Redemption by Christ which the Angelicall Host here gratulates by the name of Peace on earth and good-will towards men And that we may not doubt but we have hit the meaning that this peace on earth is Gods good-will to men and therefore expounded by it besides that in the Old Testament peace is often taken for Gods favour and mercy to men as in that of Isay 54. 10. The mountains shall depart and the hils be removed but my kindnesse shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee So if we examine the Use thereof in the New Testament we shall finde it in speciall applied to this our Reconciliation to God in Christ by remission of sin S. Peter to Cornelius Act. 10. describes the Gospel thus The word which God sent to the children of Israel preaching peace by Iesus Christ. And S. Paul Col. 1. It pleased God the Father that in Christ all fulnesse should dwell And having made peace through the bloud of his Crosse by him to reconcile all things unto himself What can be plainer then this The same as I take it he means Eph. 2. when he tels us That Christ came to preach peace both to those that were afarre off and to them that were nigh that is both to Jew and Gentile But what peace namely that through him we both might have accesse by one Spirit unto the Father Hence the Gospel is called the Gospel of peace and God so often in the New Testament the God of peace that is of reconcilement and favour and the Euangelicall salutation is Grace mercy and peace from God our Father and Iesus Christ our Lord. The meaning of this Angelicall gratulation being thus cleared let us see now what may be learned and observed therefrom Where my first Observation shall be this S. Peter tels Cornelius That to Christ give all the Prophets witnesse that through his name whosoever beleeveth in him shall receive remission of sins Our Saviour after his Resurrection expounding the Scriptures to his Apostles sayes the same Luke 24. 47. Thus it is written saith he and thus it behoved Christ to suffer
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 which 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 yet hath it not freed us from the possession of our Fealty unto God as Lord of the whole earth 'T were 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 â—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 Yea 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 onely as the Lord and giver of what we have but as the rewarder also of the acknowledgement we perform PSAL. 112. 6. The Righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance A Word fitly spoken saith Solomon is like Apples of Gold in pictures of Silver that is gracefull and comely so is a Text of Scripture fitly chosen and rightly applied to the occasion Such an one as I take it is this I have now read not chosen by me but appointed by order to be used at these times of commemoration I shall need no other preface to commend it to your attention Let us therefore see what is the sense and meaning thereof The Righteous that is the bountifull shall be in everlasting remembrance In remembrance with God in remembrance with men with God in the world to come and in this world with men how and in what manner These are the severall heads I shall treat of and first of the first the Subject The Righteous or the bountifull man Righteousnesse in a speciall sense in the Hebrew and the rest of the Orientall Tongues of kinde to it signifies Beneficence or Bounty both the Virtue and the work and therefore by the Hellenists or Septuagint is it translated 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the word so frequent in the New Testament for that we call Alms. 'T is a known place Dan. 4. according both to the Septuagint and vulgar Latine Peccata tua Eleemosynis redime iniquitates tuas misericordi is pauperum where in the Originall for Eleemosyna is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iustitia as we in our English render it Break off thy sins by righteousnesse and thine iniquity by shewing mercy to the poor This notion of righteousnesse is to be found thrice together in the 12. of Tobit ver 8. Prayer saith old Tobit
whereof is concerning sacrifices There God saith Gather my Saints together unto me which make covenant with me by sacrifice 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And vers 16. of the sacrifices of the wicked and such as amend not their lives Vnto the wicked God saith What hast thou to do to declare my statutes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and take my Covenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest instruction c. Statutes here are Rites and Ordinances and particularly those of Sacrifice which who so bringeth unto God and thereby supplicates and cals upon his Name is said to take the covenant of God in his mouth Forasmuch as to invocate God with this Rite was to do it by way of commemoration of his Covenant and to say Remember Lord thy Covenant and for thy Covenants sake Lord hear my prayer and supplication For what hath man to do with God to beg any favour at his hands unlesse he be in Covenant with him whereby appears the reason why mankinde from the beginning of the world used to approach their God by this Rite of sacrificing that is ritu foederali I adde in this last place for a farther confirmation That when God was to make a Covenant with Abraham Gen. 15. he commanded him to offer him a Sacrifice Offer unto me saith he so it should be turned a heifer a she-goat and aram each of three years old a turtle Dove and a young pigeon All which he offered accordingly and divided them in the midst laying each piece or moity one against the other and when the sun went down God in the likenesse of a smoaking furnace and burning lamp past between the pieces and so as the Text sayes made a Covenant with Abraham saying Vnto thy seed will I give this land c. By which Rite of passing through the parts God condescended to the manner of men And note here that the Gentiles and Jews likewise in their more solemn covenants between men and men which were made under pain of curse or execration used this Rite of Sacrifice whereby men covenanted with their God as it were to make their God both a witnesse and a party with them And here the Jews cut the Sacrifice in sunder and past between the parts thereof as God did here with Abraham which was as much as if they had said Thus let me be divided and cut in pieces if I violate the oath I have now made in the presence of my God The Gentiles besides other ceremonies used not to eat at all of these sacrifices but to fling them into the sea or bury them in the earth as if they had said If I break Covenant thus let me be excluded from all amity and favour with my God as I am now from eating of his Sacrifice Hence came those phrases secare foedus in the Hebrew of ferire percutere icere foedus in Latine of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in Homer à feriendis percutiendis secandis sacrificiis in foederibus sanciendis Though this manner of speech may be also derived from their ordinary Epula foederales wherein they killed beasts which the Ancients in their ordinary diet did not Having thus seen what is the nature of a Sacrifice and wherein the ratio thereof consisteth it will not be hard to judge whether the ancient Christians did rightly in giving the Eucharist that name or not For that the Lords supper is Epulum foederale we all grant and our Saviour expresly affirms it of the Cup in the stitution 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This Cup is the Rite of the new Covenant in my Blood which is powred out for many for the remission of sins evidently implying that the bloody sacrifices of the Law with their meat and drink-offerings were Rites of an old covenant and that this succeeded them as the rite of the new That that was contracted with the blood of beevs sheep and goats but this founded in the blood of Christ This parallel is so plain as I think none will deny it There is nothing then remains to make this sacred Epulum a full sacrifice but that the Viands thereof should be first offered unto God that he may be the Convivator we the Convivae or the guests SECT V. MY last task was to prove that the rite of the Lords Supper is indeed a Sacrifice not in a Metaphoricall but a proper sense and this if the nature of Sacrifice be truly defined is no whit repugnant to the reformed Religion To evidence which I shewed that a Sacrifice was nothing else but a Sacred-feast wherein God mystically entertained man at his own Table in token of amity and friendship with him which that he might do the Viands of that feast were first made Gods by oblation and so eaten of not as of Mans but Gods provision There is nothing then wanting to make this sacred Epulum of which we speak full out a Sacrifice but that we shew that the Viands thereof were in like manner first offered unto God that so being his he might be the Convivator man the Conviva or the guest And this the ancient Church was wont to do this they beleeved our blessed Saviour himself did when at the institution of this holy Rite he took the Bread and the Cup into his sacred hands and looking up to heaven gave thanks and blessed And after his example they first offered the Bread and Wine unto God to agnize him the Lord of the Creature and then received them from him again in a Banquet as the Symbols of the Body and Blood of his Son This is that I am now to prove out of the testimonies of Antiquity not long after but next unto the Apostles times when it is not likely the Church had altered the form they left her for the celebration of this Mystery I will begin with Irenaeus as the most full and copious in this point He in his fourth Book cap. xxxii speaks thus Dominus Discipulis suis dans consilium Primitias Deo offerre ex suis Creaturis non quasi indigenti sed ut ipsi nec infructuosi nec ingrati sint eum qui ex Creatura est panis accepit gratias egit dicens Hoc est corpus meum Calicem similiter qul ex Creatura est quae est secundum nos suum sanguinem con fessus est Novo Testamento novam docuit oblationem quam Ecclesia ab Apostolis accipiens offert Deo ei qui alimenta nobis praestat primitias suorum munerum in Novo Testamento And Cap. xxxiii Igitur Ecclesiae oblatio quam Dominus docuit offerri in universo mundo purum sacrificium reputatum est apud Deum acceptum est ei non quod indigeat à nobis sacrificium sed quoniam is qui offert glorificatur ipse in eo quod offert si acceptetur munus ejus Per munus enim erga Regem honos affâ—ctio ostenditur He alludes to that in the first of Malachi I am a great King
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 and 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 onely God for so he should professe he 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 onely 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. Now 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 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