THE LECTVRES OF SAMVEL BIRD OF IPSWIDGE VPON the 8. and 9. chap ters of the second Epistle to the Co rinthians Printed by Iohn Legate Prin ter to the Vniversitie of Cambridge 1598 HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE ⧠TO THE VVORSHIPFVLL M is MOORE AT TAL mage Hall in Briset THe motherly affection that you haue borne towardes many and towardes my selfe good M is Moore puts me out of all doubt that this speach of bountifulnes and liberalitie shal finde good entertainement at your hands And I the more willingly commend these my labours vnto you because of the blessed memorie of your good husband M. Moore vnto whose doings the Lord hath set a most visible seale by that blessing wherewith he hath blessed your children For whereas commonly the kindred especially the children are woont to coole the liberalitie of bountifull persons yet it hath pleased God so to blesse your children that they haue rather strengthened your handes in this worke This speach may perhaps seeme to some to haue some cunning in it But beeing priuie to my selfe of my simplicitie in this matter and knowing that the Apostle doth for the like respect make an open proclamation to all the world of the bountifulnes of the Macedonian Churches I haue thereby beene encouraged to say as I haue said Thus desiring the Lord to strēgthen you in euery good dutie and nothing doubting but that the God of all mercie which hath promised to shew mercie to the mercifull will most assuredly comfort you in any distresse of sicknes or any other trouble that your old yeares may bring in vpō you especially at the great day 2. Tim. 1. 18. with thankes for all your friendship I heartily wish you well to fare in the Lord. 1597. Decemb. 16. Samuel Bird. To the Christian Reader TO the ende good Christian Reader thou mightest see the strong arguments and the great varietie of thē which the Apostle doth vse in this treatise of liberalitie and beuntifulnes I thought it good first of all to Epitomise and to anatomise these two chapters and as it were in a glasse first generally to set them before thine eyes before I come to the particular handling of them For how soeuer coloured and rhetoricall brauerie as paintings loose their grace vnlesse they be looked vpon a fare off for after the sound of them if a man would call to minde what is the substance of that which he hath heard if a man in this manner shall come any thing neare to take a good view and survay of any such speach and shall looke vpon the ioynts of it the force thereof is gone On the other side toward sound arguments the nearer that a man approcheth vnto thē the more mightie are they to allure the beholder to a liking of them The second sight of them pleaseth a man better then the first 2. Corinth chap. 8. Vers 1. First therefore the Apostle doth mooue the Corinthians from the great worke and grace of God bestowed vpon the Macedonian Churches 2 Who notwithstanding they were in affliction and in great pouertie in which kinde of estate men commonly thinke that they are to be borne withall though they doe not thinke vpon the poore estate of other men yet euen in this poore estate they releeued their brethren 3 And that more then their estate with ease could beare 4 Neither did they tarrie vntill they were haled thereunto by the perswasion of other men but of their owne accord they offered and that with great intreatie that their reliefe for these poore men who notwithstanding their diuers infirmities were yet the Saints of God vpon whome all our delight should be set They desired therefore that their reliefe for them might be receiued 5 Thus was their bountifulnes euen beyond our exspectation neither were they thus liberall to be fauoured by the vertue thereof in some corruption as some haue beene which would giue riuers of oyle that they might be dispensed withall in their sinnes But they resigned euen themselues to the will of God 6 Neither did they content themselues with that that they were hardly able to giue but they mooued others also to doe this dutie 7 Wherefore Oye Corinthians to the intent that no disgrace may arise to that knowledge and faith and diligence that is in you let not this grace be wanting 8 Though it be the commandement of God that you should giue yet that this dutie may come more willingly from you I haue thought it good therefore rather to allure you thereunto by the examples of others 9 If a man shal thinke that the poore are not such worthy men that for their sake a man should diminish that which he hath howe much more then might Christ our Lord haue so thought 10 If you shall performe this duty you shall haue this comfort that it was a thinge done by aduise and counsell and therefore you may be bold to venture vpon it being such a duty as you your selues also are alredy perswaded that it ought to be done 11 I would haue you to consider that when you haue purposed to do this thing yet it is not therfore done except you stirre vp your selues anew to the doing of it 12 As for the charges of house-keeping or any such matter neuer obiect it for god only requires that we should giue of that which we haue 13 The Lord his meaning is not that we should giue vnto those that haue lesse neede then our selues 14 But that they in like manner should giue vnto you when you haue neede to be releeued by them 15 That there might be equality and all indifferency vsed that may be 16 You may see that god his meaning is that you shoud giue in that he hath raysed vp such an excellent man to mooue you to this duty 17 For he was quickly mooued euen of his owne accord to performe that duty that is wont to be accounted so thankeles whereby you may vnderstād what a good forwardnesse he hoped for at your hands 18 It should be a meanes to make you giue more liberally because you see that the collectours are excellent men and will most certenly deliuer that which you shall giue 19 For how much you doe detract frō giuing so much doe you detract from the glory of god that is to be magnified in the fidellity of those men and so much the further of also are you from shewing a ready minde hauing such incouragements to go by For by the greatnes of those that goe vpon this embassage you may well thinke that the matter is great that is to be delt in 20 21 The manner also of the dealing of these men in the deliuery of that they are put in trust with all is such as none may doubt of their fidellitie in this busines 22 The diligence also that they will vse beeing incouraged therevnto by the good hope that they conceiue of you should not a little mooue you 23 In that Titus
with as little cost or trouble to him as if he gaue him nothing But because his meaning is to take a triall how well and louingly men will bestowe their goodes he doth therefore offer his seruants in their wants vnto them Abrahā considered that these men were weary in their iourney that their feete were weary with their trauell especially trauelling in the heate of the day Gen. 18. 1. 7. To refresh them that waies he offers them water for their feete and a coole feare to sit in vnder a greene tree that they might rest themselues and because he saw their hearts needed to be comforted after their trauell he tels them that they shall haue a little bread to comfort them that waies His meaning was to make them good cheere but least that the feare of putting him to too much cost should stay them from comming in vnto him as it staied Dauid from going to Absolon 2. Sam. 13. 25. He therefore onely maketh mention of a little bread and he doth reason with them from the prouidence of God that God his meaning was that they should come into his house and therefore he gaue them occasion to come that waies We see how courteously he behaued himselfe towardes them as if he had beene beholding to them and not they to him for comming into his house It is a rare thing not to be somwhat insolent and to thinke that they may somwhat ouer looke the parties to whome they haue giuen entertainment disdaining in the meane time to take the like entertainment at their handes vpon the like occasion Nowithstanding the Apostle would haue it to be made mutuall and so consequently cherefull cheerfull 1. Pet. 4. 9. For it taketh libertie away from a man when he hath to deale with those which are otherwise his equalls if there be refusall to haue the entertainment mutuall Abraham makes mention to his gests onely of a little bread but he goeth in to his wife and wills her to make ready with all the speed that might be fiue cakes and he caused butter and milke and veale to be brought in before them he would not say to his guests you fare not so wel euery day at home but he makes little of that which he set before them he standes by them to beare them company for it appeares he had dined before they came This cherfulnesse is highly commended by Christ Iefus and is more regarded then the meate it selfe Luke 7. 44. For though the Pharise set meate before Christ yet because he vsed no cheerefulnesse in entertaining of him he therefore magnifieth the poore womā before him saith I entred into thy house and thou gauest me no water for my feete thou gauest me no kisse thou didst not annoint my head with oyle as shee hath done Thus we see howe and why the Lord loueth a cheerefull giuer and that if we will haue assurance that God doth loue vs which loue of his is the cause of all the benefits which we receiue from him then may we giue cherefully 8 And God is able to make all grace to abound towards you that you alwaies hauing all sufficiency in all things may aboūd in euery good worke The cause of the vncheerefulnesse in the giuer is because he feareth himselfe should want the Apostle tels them that God is of tha power that they neede not feare any such matter but that they shal haue enough both for themselues and others The cause of all error is because men doe not beleeue the scripture nor the power of God as Christ telleth the Saduces he doth first therefore commend the power of God vnto them and afterward the scriptures The principall proppe that Abraham had to vphold his faith was to perswade himselfe that he which promised was able also to performe In all the articles of our faith it is most necessarie that we should be perswaded of the power of God for how shal we beleeue that God made heauen and earth that Christ was borne of a virgin but by beleuing that the power of the highest did ouershadow her the like may be said of all the other articles of our faith We hauing therefore the same word of god to warrant that which the Apostle here speaketh of why should we not beleeue the one as well as the other The mening of the Apostle is not to reason onely from the power of god as the Papists doe when they would make vs beleeue that the bread in the sacrament is turned into the body of Christ because god is able to make it so for Christ could haue turned stones into bread as Satan would haue had him to haue done but he would not do it so that although it be a good argument to reason from the power of god when we are already certified of his willingnes in the thing yet when we cannot be perswaded of his willingnes in a thing it is in vaine to speake of his power The scripture telleth vs that it is not the will of god to haue his body to be made of a peece of bread that the heauens must hold him vntill his secōd comming The word of god telleth vs that all the miracles that Christ wrought they were apparent to the outward senses of men in so much that they were astonished and said we neuer sawe the like in Israel In that therefore there is no such thing sene in the sacrament it is plaine that there is no transubstantiation but in a thousand places we are taught that god will aboundantly recompence the liberall person We see therefore that the reason of the Apostle is good although the reasons of the Popish Church be not good the Lord is able to fill them will all sufficiency for he is called the god of all sufficient By sufficiency he doth not meane that they shall haue that which is sufficient for their own vse which notwithstāding is a great mercie of God to soule and bodie For we see how many torment themselues that haue not a contented minde they are neuer satisfied for he that loueth siluer shall neuer be satisfied with siluer as Ecclesiastes saith neither shall such haue any vse of that they haue Ecclesiastes 5. 9. On the other side he whose heart God filleth with sufficiencie hath as much ioy continually as any other man hath for that little time he is at a feast Prov. 15. 15. For the Lord therefore to giue vs a contented minde is a great benefit euen in respect of our owne priuate vse But the sufficiencie that is here spoken of is also to giue to others as appeares by the latter part of the verse by which words we may also see to what ende we should vse that sufficiencie that the Lord hath giuen vs namly to abound in euery good work We see what good thoughts be in the hearts of the seruants of God when God giueth them aboundance in respect of the thoughts that be in the mindes of wicked men in their
will not be otherwise allured and euen those that at the first are drawne by violence to heare the word of God in continuance of time will come willingly therevnto for it is onely the word of god which must procure an appetite No man commeth vnto me saith Christ except my father araweth him And there is none of vs which doe now most willingly submit our selues vnto the gospell but at the first we came to heare it of custome because others did so or for noueltie or for some other such respect and we may hope so because the Lord hath promised a blessing to correction Correct the scorner sath Salomon and the foolish will take heede chasten this child for there is hope But as for these men their giuing was an argument or manifest shewe of their voluntary submitting of themselues to the Gospell because this releife was to be gathered by the consent or agreement of all churches chap. 8. 24. The reasons which haue beene alleadged to bring men by force vnto the gospel may serue also to prooue the like inforcement for releife if otherwise men will not be brought or incouraged therevnto 14 If we would but consider that the Lord hath put a blessing into the handes of distressed persons to bestowe vpon such as doe releeue them Iob 29. 13. then men would soone be brought to giue to the poore that they may pray for them Ezra 6. 10. It was the thing which made Darius so bountifull that they might pray for the kings life for the life of his sonne This releife shall make all good men desire after them greately which may be a very cheereful and comfortable assurance vnto vs that god himselfe doth regard vs when the seruants of god doth long after vs. As the Lord of Hoastes liueth saith Elisha vnto Ahab in whose sight sight I stand If it were not that I regarde the presence of Iehosaphat the king of Iuda I would not haue looked towards thee nor seene thee It is a great fauour to haue such a one speake a good word for vs to whose speech the prince wil most willingly harken but the poore beeing such as God hath promised to giue the hearing vnto it is therefore a greater benefit then we take it to be to haue them pray for vs. Those which reserue all their gifts vntill after their death doe neither giue any testimony that they trust not in vncertaine riches but in the liuing Lord neither haue they this benefit of prayer which is is here spoken of for to what purpose should men pray for them at such time when praier will do them no good As this benefit of praier should set more a worke at all times to be bountifull so when men are visited with sicknesse or any other greate trouble the hope of finding releife thereby should set them aworke to be bountifull for the Lord hath promised mercie to the mercifull 15 The Apostle beeing perswaded that he should not loose his wordes as if the thing which he perswads them vnto had beene already done he breaketh forth into thanksgiuing for it least any should thinke that he had spoken as much for releife as can possibly be saide or conceiued he saith that is an vnspekable gift of God and none of his ordinarie gifts to releiue the poore Saints of god the widows shewed the garments for the poore which Dorcas had made and that not after her death but whilest shee was aliue with them Act. 9. 39. thinking that if any thing would be a meanes to cause Peter to lift vp feruent grones vnto the Lord as he might restore her to them againe that would doe it FINIS
could giue more for as in strait hearted men their wil is not so large as their gift though it be but a little that they doe giue So in open hearted men though they giue as much as they are able yet is their desire to doe good larger then the gift they are so mindeful to pleasure the party whome they loue that they forget themselues 1. Cor. 13. 5. The Apostle doth offer himselfe to be a witnesse to testify in this matter He no doubt required of their estate that he might be able to testifie otherwise the Corinthes might haue obiected that euery man euen those that haue mony enough when any good bargaine is offered yet when there is any speech of giuing they will then be accounted poore men The Apostle saith that he cā testify that it was not so with the Macedonians And we are to obserue that although other Churches did contribute as well as those of Macedonia as namely the Galatians 1. Cor. 16. 1. and the Romans Rom. 1. 5. 26. yet because those of Macedonia though poore were forwarder then the rest therefore doth he make choice of propounding their example both to the Corinths and also to the Romanes for the Lord looketh not to the greatnes of the gift but to the greatnes of the affection which cannot be great in a rich man except he giueth very much And therefore the Apostle doth not speake of the quantitie of money which they gaue but he propoundeth vnto them their giuing aboue their strength that thereby he might raise vp the like bountifull affections among the Corinthians 4 Their readines in giuing is further commended for they did not stay vntill they were intreated but they offer and that earnestly their liberalitie before they were intreated The common manner is to thinke that men haue neede when they begge or some others make request in their behalfe but these men saw that the Church of Ierusalem could not choose but want without any admonition This forcing of men to goe a begging is a very disorderly course for those that haue least neede will be forwardest in begging and therefore he that will not labour let him not eate saith the Apostle On the other side many will be in very great extremitie before they will begge This forcing of men to aske is a shaming of them nay it is a shaming of a man when another beggeth for him in his presence For if a man be ashamed when a man must bring forth his owne meate beeing but a poore diet and eate it in the presence of those that haue a more liberall diet before them 1. Cor. 11. 22. then is it a shame to begge other mens meate The relieuing of widdowes is called an honouring of them 1. Tim. 5. when we account them worthie to be relieued but shaming and honouring of them cannot stand together That reliefe is most acceptable vnto God that is most comfortable to the parties that be relieued but giuing without begging is most comfortable therefore that must needs be most acceptable A man his friend may doe many things for another which himselfe may not so well doe amongst which things this that is here spoken of is one of them In that the Macedonians did offer so earnestly before the Apostle would take it it may appeare that though the Apostle would faine haue the poore relieued yet he was warie circumspect of whome he did take it so that all that is offered must not be taken neither for our selues nor for others but consideration must be had what is conuenient When Absolon bad Dauid to a feast he refused to goe 2. Sam. 13. 25. for feare of beeing ouerchargeable for when inferiours inuite their superiours in a brauerie they are wont to be aboue measure in their prouision Dauid therefore would giue no encouragement to any such course Otherwise except there be some speciall occasion there is want of loue in it And therefore the Apostle doth make an apologie in his owne defence when he refuseth the kindnesse of the Corinthes 2. Cor. 11. 11. The cause wherefore he doth not receiue the liberality of the Macedonians before it was forced vpon him with great intreaty was because of their poore estate Other causes also there may be of this refusall as namely when a man seeth that the party that offers the gift his other behauiour is not answerable and sutable to this pretented kindnes but that he seeketh thereby to insult vpon his brother and to giue him to vnderstand thereby that he is able to bestowe somewhat vpon him When a man by receiuing a gift shall abridge himselfe of that liberty that it is meete a man should haue in his dealings conuersation with him then a man is to giue no allowance to any such matter as may appeare by the example of Abraham Gen. 14. 23. For it is al one as if a mā should sell his birth right for a messe of pottage It falls out sometimes that when a man is to deale with a chapman he will bidde him to dinner but he will make him pay deerely for it in the bargaine He doth againe call the gift of the Macedonians a grace thereby to drawe men the rather to giue For that which makes men so loth to giue is because they thinke that it is their own not considering that they are onely disposers of the manifold graces of god 1. Pet. 4. 10. as stewards and must be countable to their master for them whether they haue vsed them to the best advantage of their masters credit Luke 16. 1. The name of grace will also take away the opinion of desert Rom. 11. 6. And therefore Dauid when he had made such goodly preparation for the most glorious temple that euer was in the world 1. Chro. 29. 14. yet saith he we haue giuen thee that which is thine owne He calleth it the fellowship of the ministring because the Apostle did go with the releefe that was gathered 1. Cor. 16. 4. For then will men be willing when they knowe that the party that doth carrie it will distribute it faithfully On the other side we see howe vnwilling men be to giue to proctours of whose trust faithfulnes they may very well doubt and that the poore houses for whome they gather shall haue but a litle of the collection If therefore we will haue men willing to giue we must be very carefull to appoint such collectours as are of great credit with the consciences of such as are to giue It is not also to be omitted that the poore here and throughout these two chapters are tearmed by the name of Saints which is an honourable title and therefore when he will put the Corinths in minde of the excellencie of their estate he telleth them that they are Saints by calling 1. Cor. 1. 2. by sanctification is the image of God renued within vs. The Saints of God be those vpon whome all our delight should be set Psal 16. 3. to
is to be vnderstood of the Saints that doe now liue least imagining them onely to be Saints that are dead we doe as the Papists doe who in the scarsitie of all things had their dead imagined saints clad and couered with golde silke garments pretious iewells hauing waxe candles set before thē within without the church at noone daies when many true Saints of God had no succour bestowed vpon thē 16 And thanks be vnto God which hath put in the heart of Titus the same care for you 17. Because he accepted the exhortation yea he was so carefull that of his owne accord he went vnto you To mooue the Corinthians to relieue their brethren he tells them what excellēt men God raised vp to deale in this matter with them and as before he accounted it a grace to giue so doth he now account it a grace to stirre vp to giuing Men are loth to deale in such a matter as men commonly are hardly drawne to performe and a man of a good dispositiō if he hath wherwithall had rather giue all out of his owne purse then to be troubled with such a kind of businesse if dutie did not mooue him thereunto What a tedious piece of work is it for a man to gather that which men are rated at notwithstanding they cannot chuse but account it as due debt that which they are set at how loath may men then be thought to be to part from that wherein they thinke that they haue more libertie It is the Lord without whose prouidence not so much as a sparrow lighteth vpon the ground He hath a worke in euery mans minde as it pleaseth him VVhen Apollos was requested to goe to the Corinthians he had no minde to goe at that time 1. Cor. 16. 12. The Lord might haue disposed so in like manner of the heart of Titus But in that the Lord did otherwise dispose of his heart they must needes see that it came of God and therefore they were to yeelde to the motion of Titus in this matter Gen. 24 50. As the Apostle tels the Galathians that they were not to doe as they did because it came not of God Gal. 5. 8. Iames 3. 6. So they were to yeeld to Titus because God stirred him vp in this duty And he thankes God for it for the good workes of the seruants of god should cause vs to glorify our father which is in heauen is the author of thē Mat. 5. 16. Titus was mooued by mem but it was the Lord which put into his heart to yeeld to the exhortation And we are to marke the exhortation and the worke of God his spirit are ioyned together 17. He is said to be very ready of his owne accord without any great hailing therevnto And yet as there is no matter be it neuer so ready to take fire that can be set on fire be put to it no though a man be ready to every good worke yet he had need to be exhorted therevnto and the Lord accepteth of it when by exhortation we are brought vnto duty Heb. 11. 11. Act. 16. 14. The readines which was in Titus to come is worthy of obseruation for commonly our hearts are like paper oyled that hardly receiueth the print of the pen. Fire is the thing whereby we dispatch most of our busines in our houses and a slacke fire doth hinder our matters greatly so doth a slack affection about any duty And it was to great purpose to tell the Corinthes howe willing Titus was to come vnto them for it was a signe that he had a good liking of them A man is loth to go to a place where he thinkes he shall not be welcome It is hope which sets a man a worke to goe to any place It is that which lifteth vp their feete to goe any iourney which was a very good meanes to make them answere that good exhortation which he had of them 18 And we haue also sent with him the brother whose praise is in the Gospell throughout all the Churches 19 And not so onely But is also chosen of the churches to be a fellow in our iourney concerning this grace that is ministered by vs vnto the glory of the same Lord and declaration of your prompt minde 18 Barnabas is the party that he speakes of Act. 11. 30. whose praise was in preaching of the Gospell For not onely the history but the preaching of the Gospell is called the gospell Rom. 2. 16. Gal. 3. 1. because it is a meanes to make them giue more liberally when they see that such are the collectours as will certenly deliuer it to the parties to whome it is giuen therefore he meaneth these excellent men And to the ende that they might not doubt of the deliuery of that which was giuen he tels thē that those shall go with it whom they thēselues shall appoint 1. 16. 3. Diuers will not giue though they be neuer so faithfull which are appointed the distributers of it they are wont to alleadge that they will giue it themselues where they thinke meete But if euery man should doe so what a confusion would there be And we see how the poore are forced to steale and to beg when euery one that should giue is left in this manner to his owne deuotion For this is a true saying that which all men regard no man regardes But when there be parties appointed fit for the purpose then the poore shall be regarded Men are wont to alleadge that they meane to giue more then all the world shall be acquainted withall but indeede the truth is that none giue lesse priuately then those that draw backe in a publique collection The thing which Christ reprooueth Matth. 6. is when men giue priuately to be seene of men they will doe it in such manner as all the world must know it such boasting in deede is like the cackling of an henne who when shee hath laide an egge euery bodie must know what a worthie act shee hath done But otherwise for a man to giue as his neighbours doe in a publike collection vpon a publike agreement this is not to blow a trumpet before him when he giueth his almes and if he meanes to giue any further reliefe priuately he may doe it as closely and as secretly as he doth desire Christ doth not condemne but he doth greatly allow the fact of the poore widow that in a publike collection shewed her forwardnes in giuing as others did publikely and more franckly considering her poore estate then any of the rest 19 He the ambassadour I meane that was to goe with the money was not onely commended for preaching but he was accounted wise and faithfull and therefore fit for this present busines As much therefore as they did detract from this busines and ministration so much did they detract from the glorie of God and from the declaration of their readie minde that was sought therein For according to the greatnes of those which
occupied in duties in out-houses where they shall seldome see their master though these seruices belong to the seruing of their master yet being out of their masters sight they think that they are out of their mind and therefore they had rather choose the former seruices that were spokē of before rather thē the other The Apostle therfore tels vs that the giuing of almes is the best kinde of seruice that a man can deuise Christ calls those the great commaundements that concerne god himselfe and the other that concernes men are like vnto them This therefore in some sence being one of those great commaundements the Lord in mercy must needs giue a great reward therevnto it is saide that releife supplieth the necessities of god his seruants men it may be had rather do duty to those that haue not such neede of their helpe but this kinde of seruice is more acceptable vnto God for it is a better proofe and argument of sound loue then that seruice is which is imploied about those that be rich and so by consequence the lord must needs like better of the one then of the other It is a common saying that true loue doth descend and not ascend and therefore it is obserued that the grandfather or the father doth loue the child or the nephew better then the childe or the nephewe doth loue the grādfather or the father In giuing we must haue respect to the necessities of mē which is a thing not so wel thought vpon whereof it commeth to passe that men wil haue much speach about the prouision for some but about the prouision for some other they will haue no speach at all though their necessitie be much greater To hane respect vnto the necessities of men in giuing is much more acceptable thē to giue hand ouer head therfore if men would sit downe and inquire and take the names of such as stand in neede of helpe in the places where they dwell to consider of thē accordingly this though it be troublesome yet it is a great deale more acceptable then penny or two-pēny doole For the thinge which a man must aime at in giuing is to distribute to the necessities of the Saints Rom. 12. 13. Act. 2. 45. For men must honour the poore in their kinde as they honour the rich in their kinde And as to giue the more honour to him which is lesse honorable can not be done without offering wrong to the more honorable persō So to honor those poore saints that haue most neede with the les releife can not be doone without offeringe contempt vnto them The other good that comes by giuing is thanksgiuing vnto god we must be thākful vnto the means as the scripture techeth vs Kings 8. 66. Rom 16. 4. But the lord must be the centure and the restinge place of our thanks this thankfulnes is said to be better then any sacrifise psal 50. we are much called vpon for it as psal 107. the passeouer the sacramēt of the supper were of purpose ordeined to stir vs vp to thankfulnes The cause wherfore the forbidding of meats is acounted the doctrine of diuils is because it taketh away occasiō of thankfulnes 1. Timo 4. 3. The thing wherby the seruants of god haue mooued the lord to looke mercifully vpon them in their affliction hath bene the vowing of thankfulnesse The thing which hath troubled the godly in their troubles and griefes hath beene this namely that the duty of thankfulnesse hath then beene greately diminished Ioel 1. 13. Seeing therefore that this excellent duty is procured by giuing releife this should be a notable motion to make vs forward this waies and he doth amplify the matter when he saith that thanks shall be giuen by many Many knowing the hardnesse of those times no doubt prayed vnto God to open the hearts of men to regard their poore brethren and when they heard that God had opened mens hearts they could not choose but be thankefull 2. Cor. 1. 11. When many ioyne together in the duty of tankefulnesse it makes those which doe giue thankes to be more feruēt in that duty euen as many stickes beeing laid vpon the fire makes the flame the greater and the Lord loueth feruent praier and feruent thankefulnesse Iam. 5. 16. The honour of a King consisteth in the multitude of subiects so doth the honour of God consist in the multitude os those which are truely thankefull vnto him 13 They will praise God not onely for their maintenance and releife but because that thereby they testifie their true subiection to the Gospel as chap. 8. 5. for the gospel came from the Iewes whome they were to relieue for we read Act. 8. 4. that by the persecution of Steven those that kept altogether at Ierusalem before were now scattered and preached the word euery where amongst the Gentiles in so much that it is alleadged as a reason by the Apostle wherefore he would haue the Gentiles contribute to Ierusalem because the Law came out of Sion If the Gentiles be made partakers of their spiritual things their dutie is also to minister vnto them in carnall things Rom. 15. 27. saith the Apostle We of the Gentiles were wild oliues and therefore were to be planted into the naturall oliue before we could thriue It is said Zachar. 8. 23. that tenne men of all languages of the nations shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Iew and say we will goe with you for we haue heard that God is with you so that we see that the thanks that God should haue by this should not be onely for relieuing of them but for a greater and a more excellent consideration So that we are taught hereby especially such of vs as are ministers of the word of God wherefore and for what cause we should especially reioyce when God mooues his people to haue any comfortable consideration of vs namely not so much because our bodies receiues some refreshing thereby as it is an argument that they haue felt sweetnes and comfort in our ministerie this should make vs triumph for ioy for it makes the Angels in heauen to reioyce Luk. 15. as it did also the people of the Iewes Act. 11. They did professe the gospel before but this that the Apostle here speakes of was an argument that it was the gospel I meane with much power amongst them In that the Apostle doth so much commend the voluntarie submitting of a mans selfe to the truth it is a question with some whether men are to be forced to the exercises of religion but it is plaine that they are to be forced thereunto by such as haue authoritie For though the Lord doth not like of that mans seruice that commeth to the place where his honour dwelleth with a constreyned minde yet he liketh well of the seruice of the magistrates in this forme of duty which is so willing to haue others be brought to religion that he forceth them therevnto when they
aboundance Is not this great Babel saith Nabuchadnezzar that I haue built Dan. 4. 27. Hamon bragged that he was promoted aboue the princes of the King Ester 4. 11. Soule soule take thy rest saith the rich man Luk. 12. 19. But what saith Dauid after his glorious victories what an indignitie is it saith he that I should dwell in an house of Cedar and that the arke of God should remain in curtaines 2. Sam. 7. 2. Is there any left of Sauls house saith he that I may shew kindnes vnto him for Ionathans sake 2. Sam. 9. 1. He sent to all the places where he had beene entertained 2. Sam. 30. 26. We must not bestow a litle and the worst of our goods vpon the poore and vpon good vses but our first fruits or the chiefe of our goods Prov. 3. 9. Exod. 34. 26. Gen. 4. 4. the fattest must be bestowed vpon the seruice of god Malach 3. 10. Worldly minded men that are onely giuen to getting when they should entertaine straungers which haue occasion to come to towne thinke the time lost that is spent that waies and that such matters should not be stoode vpon notwithstanding the Apostle saith giue your selues to hospitalitie Rom. 12. 13. And why should men thinke that the bestowing of time about the well vsing of their goods should not be much more acceptable vnto God then the getting of them especially seeing the Scripture whē it speaketh of the getting of them it saith vse the world as if you vsed it not 1. Cor. 7. But whē it speaks of the well imployment of them it saith giue your selues thereunto be not forgetful of it Ebr. 13. 2. 9 As it is written He hath sparsed abroad and hath giuen to the poore his beneuolence remaineth for euer The Apostle prooueth the truth of that which he had affirmed in the former verse namely that those which giue shall haue wherewithall to giue still He doth prooue it by the scripture The scripture is so certen a thing that if any that hath liued amongst vs with whome we haue beene very well acquainted should rise from the dead and tel vs from the experience of that which he had seene that vnmercifull rich men are tormented in fire yet should we beleeue the scripture a thousand times more then his report They haue the writings of Moses and the Puophets saith Christ if they beleeue not them neither will they beleeue though one rise from the dead Luk. 16. The Church of Rome doth goe about to lesson the authoritie of this argument by saying that if any make a question about the meaning of any place of Scripture then the scripture must not be iudge in this case but the Church But we read in the 4. of Matthew that when Satan abused the scripture and saide It is written He shall giue his angels charge ouer thee that thou dash not thy foot against a stone that Christ did not flie to the iudgement of any other but makes the scripture alone of it selfe to iustifie and to vphold it selfe It is written saith he thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God He that giueth to the poore saith Salomon lendeth vnto the Lord. The Lord giues them a bill of his hand that he will see them paide with advantage And it is a straunge case that men will beleeue euery meane man vpon a bill of his hand and yet the Lord as if he were a bankerout when he offers his bill it will not be taken The blessings that the Lord hath bestowed already vpon the rich in making them as it were the elder brothers should make them to be good to their yōger brothers But this because it is blacke-worke the Lord will not stand vpon it because in any case he would haue them prouided for he is content to enter into bondes and to become surety for the payment thereof The poore are the men that we should giue vnto for howesoeuer rich friends may feast one another sometimes yet our vsuall feasting should be for the poore Luk. 14. 12. We being much giuen to outward things because bidding of the poore hath not so much shewe nor glorie in it as hath the bidding of the rich therefore we are wont to delight more in the one then in the other But if we shall consider we must avoide the lust of the flesh the lust of the eye and the pride of life and that those things which are highly accounted of amongst men are abhominable vnto god then we shall be of another minde giue strong arinke vnto him that is readie to perish Prov. 31. saith Salomon We must bid the poore to our houses notwithstandingour collection money for there was a collection in Christ his time Marke 12. 43. And yet we are taught that we should bid the poore the blinde and the lame many be the things which may incourage vs vnto this duty In respect of God he liketh best of those duties which are done to our brethrē without hauing any respect vnto our selues whē they are done with a single eye not to rebound vpon our selues In respect also of the poore it must needes be more comfortable to them then to other guestes for it may be they eate not one good meale in a moneth and the full dispiseth an honycōbe but to the hungry man euery sowre thing is sweete It will helpe men also against that disdaine which is naturally in men for when we admit them to eate at our table it is a token that we doe not disdaine them It is a meanes to stirre vp our selues otherwise to be mercifull vnto them for when we see nothing but plenty when we heare of nothing but plentie it is an hard matter then to consider of the estate of poore men but when we see thē and talke with them if it be done warily without vpbraiding of thē by their poore estate then are we besides feeding of them otherwise comfortable vnto them for because they were not brought vp as we haue beene they cannot tell howe to apply themselues in their speech vnto vs therefore should we apply our selues vnto thē We must consider that as no other duty so is not this pleasant vnto our nature but when Christ commandeth it that should make it pleasant If we would consider that euery duty doth consist the denying of our selues then we shall easily see that this pleaseth God better then the beeing in more delightfull company and it should make it delightfull when we consider that those that doe thus Christ will set them downe at his table he good himselfe and in his own person attend vpon them Luk. 1237. his meaning is that he wil giue them most comfortable entertainment It remaineth now to speake of the ende for the which this testimony of scripture was especially alleadged by the Apostle namely to assure those which giue that they shall haue wherewithall to giue still And we may see the truth of this as it were by a demonstration when rich