Selected quad for the lemma: lord_n
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A30386
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The true Christian-man's duty both to God and the King deliver'd in a sermon preached in the Temple-Church on Sunday, November VI, 1670 / by Richard Ball ...
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Ball, Richard, 1608 or 9-1684.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing B583; ESTC R15132
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10,490
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26
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provides two Calves for them to worship as good enough for them who had no more wit the story is to be seen 1 King 12. But to speak one word more fit for your polite and gentle Ears let me put you in mind that Jesus our Lord and Saviour did not only pay the Tribute but wrought a Miracle to do it and would not use or dispute his freedom with them Mat. 17. 27. I know here two Questions may easily be ask'd Quantum Quomodo How much must we give How shall we raise it Be not afraid for me I shall leave these two Questions which are above my Sphere to the great Counsel of this Kingdom and humbly pray that God will direct them wisely and safely to determine Of our Duty to Caesar I shall say no more Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's II. Our Duty unto God that is the other branch of my Text And to God the things that are God's What is God's Right and Due that must be resolved here the Answer in general is this All that we have and are are due to God for we have all from him what have we that we have not received Eccles 1. 7. All Rivers run into the Sea unto the place from whence the Rivers come thither they return again so it should be with Man What ever we have from God it came and to him in justice and gratitude it ought to return But to descend to particulars 1. We must give to God our Soul so saith Tertullian speaking of the words of my Text Imaginem Caesaris Caesari quae in nummo est imaginem Dei Deo quae in homine est ut Caesari quidem pecuniam reddas Deo temetipsum The Image of Caesar which is in thy Money give to Caesar the Image of God which is in Man give to God give thy Money to Caesar and thy self to God Thy Soul present to God by holy Fear and Reverence by ardent Love and Affection by a just admiration of his glorious Excellencies which no Tongue can speak no Heart conceive Let thy Soul fervently ascend to God in these words of David Psal 73. 25. Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none on Earth that I desire in comparison of thee Thus the Soul of St. Augustine as with full-spread Wings ascends to God Quid est tota terra Quid est totum mare Quid est totum caelum Quid stellae Quid sol Omnium istorum Creatorem scio ipsum esurio ipsum sitio 2. We must give to God our Bodies Rom. 12. 1. I beseech you Brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your Bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God Present your Bodies by an humble Adoration when you come into his Presence by kneeling before him as to a Father when you beg his Blessing Psal 84. 2. My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God Upon which words St. Augustine moves this Question Was it not enough for him to say Cor meum exultavit in Deum vivum nisi addidisset caro mea No both are necessary The Heart rejoyceth in God by pious and heavenly Meditations Our flesh Quando pudica est quando sobria quando nullâ impuritate polluitur When it is sober and chast and pure let our Eyes be lifted up to Heaven by Devotion our Hands extended by Alms and Charity our Feet daily carry us to the House of God our Ears attentive to hear his Words our Mouth to sing his Praises This is to present our Bodies a Sacrifice unto God 3. We must give to God our Life from him we have received it Job 10. 12. Thou hast granted me Life This we must give to God by Obedience serving him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our life This Life we must give to God by a willing and chearful resignation of it when he shall call My time saith David is in thy hand He can shut or open his hand as it pleaseth him When he shuts it he doth preserve it when he opens it it flies away We must live in a readiness to say with David Psal 31. 6. Into thine hand I commit my Spirit It is a common Proverb that Money hath no where a greater value than where it is coin'd our Soul is no where more dear and precious than in Heaven before God and his holy Angels where it was created Let us chearfully resign it unto him when he shall call and this not only by a natural and quiet Death but by Martyrdom if Providence shall try us and honour us so far I count not my Life dear unto my self that I might finish my Course with joy saith St. Paul Acts 20. 24. This is no more than Jesus hath done for us Sanguinem solvit sanguinem debes ille pro te solvit tu pro te redde saith St. Ambrose Antisiodorensis observes that Christ was crucified with his Head downward his very posture speaking this Language I suffer for Sinners those who live upon the Earth But St. Peter was crucified with his Face looking up towards Heaven his posture spake this Language I suffer for that Kingdom which is above This is the voice of Justice and Equity Redde mihi vitam tuam pro quâ meam dedi 4. Lastly we must give to God some part of our Estates Prov. 3. 9. Honour the Lord with thy Substance Our Wealth and Riches are not so our own but some part belong unto God and to detain it is to rob him Mal. 3. 8. Will a man rob God One would think a Man should not do it who hath received all things from him The people there did not think it possible for a Man to do it and therefore they reply and dispute Wherein have we robbed thee The answer is there given In Tythes and Offerings This sin of Sacrilege was the sin of Adam in Paradise let no Man wonder that it sticks so close unto our Nature God reserved to himself one only Tree in Paradise and commanded Adam not to eat of it and I verily think that it was the first Fruit that Adam tasted God's reserved Apple is fairest and sweetest to our Eye and Pallate The World hath made too much a sport of this Sin Dionysius of Syracuse when he took a golden Robe from Jupiter Olympus he added this jeer to his Sacrilege That it was too heavy for Summer and too cold for Winter therefore he put upon him one of Wool which better fitted both Seasons and when he had taken away the Cups and Crowns of Gold which the Images of their Gods held forth he said He took nothing but what they offer'd him Julian when he robb'd and spoil'd the Christians made but a Jest of it saying Beati pauperes Blessed are the Poor and some do think at this day that it were fit the Clergy should be poor as Christ and his Apostles were But I wonder what those Men would do when they should hear us preach upon that Text 1 Cor. 11. 1. Be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ surely they would suffer us to go alone in the imitation of his Poverty Let us be serious and tremble to rob God of that which is his let us set before us Acham in the time of the Old Law and Ananias and Saphira in the times of the Gospel Their Sin was Sacrilege their End was miserable Let us honour God again with our Substance by giving Alms unto the Poor by building Churches where they are wanting by repairing and beautifying them where they are decayed Thus let us give to God some part of our Estates from whose Goodness and bounty we have received all Thus have I stated the Rights both of Caesar and of God and have done with my Text the Applications shall be these 1. From the word Reddite Render I raise an use of Exhortation If it be a rendering not a giving then it is a just Debt upon us both to Caesar and to God and in all honesty we are bound to pay our Debts 2. If you will read the Text with that word Date Give as several Translations do from that I raise an use of Direction That we part with Caesar's and God's Rights willingly What is more free than Gift Hilarem datorem diligit God loveth a chearful giver That which is done otherwise it is as not done Quod voluntas non facit non fit 3. Because this act of Giving is difficult and unpleasing to our pinch'd-starv'd humours from those two words Caesar and God I raise an use of Encouragement Caesar is our King Caesar is the Lord 's Anointed Caesar is our nursing Father Caesar is the breath of our Nostrils Lam. 4. 20. Caesar is the Son of such a Caesar who was a Martyr who laid down his Life to preserve us from slavery Our Caesar hath been miraculously preserved and miraculously restored nothing can be too much nothing can be too dear for such a Caesar And as for God he hath given us our Being and hath promised to us an Eternal Being with himself in Glory To which blessed place God in his due time bring us Amen FINIS