unprofitable the fig-tree or the apple-tree or others when they are unprofitable and beare no fruit you may make a pin of them to hang a vessell on but the vine what is it good for surely it is good for nothing but the fire from one end to the other of it you cannot make a pin to hang a vessell on So either there must be grapes there must be fruit or woe and eternall perdition To distribute and to doe good forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased Heb. 13.16 To doe good and to communicate forget not for with such sacrifices God is well pleased HEre is an Exhortation and the Reason to enforce it The Exhortation is To doe good and to communicate And then doe wee doe good when we doe communicate that good that God hath given us to the good of others Wee have done with the Exhortation Wee come to the Reason that the Apostle useth to enforce the Exhortation withall For with such sacrifices God is well pleased Hee saith not With such workes God is well pleased but with such sacrifices There are spirituall sacrifices Prayer is one and Thanksgiving another and Repentance another and Beneficence another But the thing that is offered to God in all these spirituall sacrifices is the heart A devout heart in Prayer a broken heart in Repentance a gratefull heart in Thanksgiving and a tender compassionate heart in Beneficence And it is the tendernesse and compassionatenesse and the charitablenesse of the heart that makes it a sacrifice to God and well-pleasing to him and accepted of him Againe hee doth not say This is such a sacrifice as God requires though hee doe require it too but This is such a sacrifice as God is well pleased with It is motive enough to perswade a good child to doe this or that if it be a thing that will please his father It is motive enough to perswade a faithfull honest-hearted servant to doe a thing to tell him This will please your Master It is enough to perswade any good subiect to doe this or that to assure him the thing will please his Soveraigne It is motive enough to a Christian heart to perswade him to doe good and communicate to assure him that this is a thing that God is well pleased with But yet it is not every work done not every thing that is in it of the substance of a good work that is pleasing to God there is more required then so to make a sacrifice acceptable to God There is something required in the doer and There is somewhat required in the thing done There is somewhat required in the doer First hee must be in Christ that will offer a sacrifice acceptable to God Take these Rules First If the person of a man please not God his works can never please him God accepted Abel and his sacrifice Abel first and then his sacrifice God never accepts a mans offering till first hee accept of his person Now God accepts of no mans person but in Christ this is hee in whom I am well pleased The Apostle calls Christ the Sonne of Gods love and there are none that ever God loves but hee loves them in his Sonne the Sonne of his love Col. 1.13 That is one ground Another is Though a work be good as it comes from the Spirit of God the Author of all goodnesse yet it cannot come thorow our fingers but wee soyle it All our righteousnesses are as menstruous cloaths If God should bee extreme to marke what is done amisse in our best works who were able to obide it Even as the offering of the children of Israel it was called a holy offering yet as holy as it was there was some iniquity in that holy offering but that was laid on Aaron and when hee bare the iniquity of all the other the men and their workes were accepted So it is here the workes of a Christian man may be good workes good in substance because they are works that God requires at his hands Then they may be good in the fountaine when they spring from the Author of all goodnesse And good in the end because they are done to the glory of God and the good of our brethren But yet as there was some iniquity did cleave to the holy offering of the children of Israel as holy as it was so there is some iniquity cleaves to our good worke how good soever it be when that iniquity that cleaves to our workes is laid upon Christ who in his owne body on the tree bare the iniquity of us all then our persons and workes are graciously accepted and all the iniquity that cleaves to our workes mercifully pardoned This is the first thing What is required in the doer to make his beneficence acceptable to God But here is not all there is something required in the thing done and that I shall shew you in the remainder of the time by Gods grace And I shall lay it down in foure Rules The first is about the end And you must not wonder that I begin at the end for howsoever the end is the thing last attained yet it is the thing first intended it is the first thing in a mans intention And besides God regards not so much quid as propter quid not so much what wee doe as for what we doe A man may doe good works for ill ends and then hee must not look that God should accept them It is the end that commends the action Now there are three ill ends of doing good works One end that some propound to themselves in doing good works is to make satisfaction to divine iustice for the sins they have committed The Apostle would have us doe good works for necessary uses but God never appointed this use of good works Our good works may be tokens of our secret predestination they may be fore-tokens of our future happinesse but to think that by doing good wee can make recompense and satisfaction to divine iustice and appease the infinite wrath of God for sinne before the which the very Angels themselves are not able to stand it is a senslesse and gracelesse fancie tending much to the dishonour of Christ and that all-sufficient satisfaction that hee hath made for the sinnes of the world when hee offered up his flesh a sacrifice of a sweet smelling savour to God That is one ill end Secondly some propound another end that is to merit eternall blisse by it And our English men Rhemists Romish English men by birth and Rhemists by education and Romish by profession oft times stand to it to prove that good works are truly and properly meritorious ex condigno even of very condignity In so much say they in their Comment upon Heb. 6. Good works are so farre meritorious that God were uniust if hee should not give heaven to our good works hee were uniust if hee should not yeild heaven to our good works This is the onely place wherein they can find the name of merit onely because the vulgar Latine hath it and they doe in this place stand to prove the Doctrine of Merit upon that word merit Give mee leave a little to shew you that good works cannot be meritorious I will give you these reasons One principall condition in a meritorious work is this I must be done by a mans selfe How can a man be said to merit any
thing by a work that himselfe doth not but another doth it by him or in him Now you know there is no good work that wee doe of our selves God works all our good works in us Hark how the faithfull pray in the Prophet Lord thou hast wrought all our works in us Isai 26.12 Our new translation reads in us our old for us The word in the Originall will beare either the one or the other take it as you will in us or for us God hath wrought the work Lord thou hast wrought all our works in us and for us First of all it is from Gods grace that we are enabled to doe good works what works soever they be it is grace that enableth us to doe them And then when we are enabled it is from grace that wee are willing to doe them both our ability and our willingnesse to doe good are from God Look how the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 8. saith he there I would have you know the grace that is bestowed on the Church of Macedonia The grace that was bestowed on them what grace was that You may see in the two next Verses nothing else but their willing bounty even above their power to doe good For saith the Apostle Vers 3. to their power I beare them record yea quoth hee above their power There was the grace that was bestowed on them they were willing to doe good So then have wee ability to doe good it is of grace have wee willing hearts to doe good it is of grace Doe we then any good wee must shout as the people Zech. 4.2 and cry Grace grace unto it Double the word Grace Grace Grace in enabling us and grace in making us willing too All is of God So if a man doe a good work hee is more indebted to God for it God is not indebted to him but hee to God in making him able and he is indebted to grace for making him willing hee can merit nothing Then mark a second Reason how good works cannot be meritorious Merit is Opus indebitum it is above a mans desert it is a work that is not due that a man is not bound to doe for a man can merit nothing by doing that that hee is bound to doe already hee should transgresse if hee did not doe it but hee merits nothing by doing that that hee stands bound in many bonds to doe already Doth the Master thank his servant for doing that that is commanded Luke 17.9 Even so saith hee When you have done all you can say We are unprofitable servants If wee will merit any thing at Gods hands wee must doe somewhat that wee are not bound to doe I but how farre short come wee in the things we doe of that that wee are bound to doe we are so farre from doing more that when we have done all wee can wee are unprofitable servants How much more unprofitable saith Ierome when wee come short of that which God hath commanded Thirdly good works cannot be meritorious I prove it thus There must be some proportion between the work that is done and the reward that is given of condignity Now I pray consider but what that reward is that God hath promised not according to the worthinesse of our works you must not think so but of faith of free mercy hee hath promised a reward And what is it Look in 2 Cor. 4.17 see what it is the Apostle calls it there a farre more exceeding eternall weight of glory These light momentany afflictions saith hee procure to us a farre more exceeding eternall weight of glory Mark First it is glory that God hath promised for a reward Secondly it is more then so it is a weight of glory Nay yet more then so it is an eternall weight of glory Nay yet further an exceeding eternall weight of glory So farre our English can carry it but our English cannot carry it so farre as the Greek for there it is an exceeding exceeding The Apostle could not tell what to make of it it was so much He made as much as he could A glory a weight of glory an eternall an exceeding eternall weight of glory an exceeding exceeding weight of glory Now I would ask I pray what proportion can be between a little poore temporall service that wee doe and such an eternall exceeding exceeding eternall weight of glory I will say no more concerning this point of merit Let us never talk of merits they were all lost in the first Adam we lost all merit in him Let grace alone reigne in Christ Let us say with Bernard My merit is the Lords mercy Let me have no merit that will exclude grace and saith hee there is no place for grace to enter in when merit hath taken up all the roome before it comes Therefore that is no right end Thirdly there is a third end that some propound of doing good that is glory from men Vaine men seek vain-glory Thus did the Pharisees they would doe a great deale of good but they would doe it so that they might be seen of men to doe it And indeed it is lawfull for men to be seen to doe good and our Lord would have us so to doe good that wee may be seen of men to doe it to let our light so shine before men that they may see our good works and glorifie our Father which is in heaven If you be afraid of Spectators you shall have no Imitators If there be none to see you there will be none to follow you It is lawfull for a man to be seen to doe good but men must not doe good to be seen for then they shall have their reward of men they shall have none of their Father God There belong two things to every good work There is the Glory of the work There is the Reward of the work The reward God is pleased out of his free mercy to us in Christ to allow us that hee allowes us the reward but not the glory of the work that must be his owne and hee will not give that to another as hee saith If we deprive God of the one we must look that God should keep us from the other If wee keep from him the glory of the work God will keep us from the reward of it These are ill ends of good works We must not do them to satisfie the iustice of God for sin or with opinion of meriting eternall blisse or to be seen of men to doe them What is the end then of good works Briefly in one word The end
doing good the inward affection of the heart and the outward act of the hand they should not be parted they should goe together Not only the inward affection of the heart but the outward act of the hand nor only the outward act of the hand but it must proceed from the inward affection of the heart But thus much I can tell you one case wherein God accepts the inward affection without the outward act of the hand Sometimes God enables not a man to give a gift then hee accepts of the good affection and a pitifull heart to our brethren Where God doth not find an ability to performe there he accepts of a willing loving tender charitable heart to our brethren hee accepts of the inward affection to our brethren I can tell you I say this case wherein God accepts of the inward affection without the outward action but I cannot tell you any case wherein God ever accepts of the outward action without the inward affection The outward act of the hand it may be may be more acceptable to the man that stands in need and receives but the inward affection is that that makes it a sacrifice pleasing and acceptable to God That is my second Rule I come to the third and fourth I will but touch them briefly The third Rule is about the matter and substance of good works Good works must be done with that which is our owne It is a sacrifice wee find here and wee must not offer in sacrifice to God that which is not ours In 1 Chron. 21.24 David comes to Araunah the Iebusite to buy the threshing-floore to make an Altar there to God and Araunah bountifully offers him Nay my lord you shall not buy it of me I will give my lord this and my bullocks for a burnt-offering and I will give my threshing instruments to burne the offering with and I will give wheat for a meat-offering I will give all I will give saith hee No saith David I will take nothing of gift I will not offer to God any thing that cost me nothing nay if it cost me nothing I will not offer it to God but I will buy it at a price and then I will offer it to God We may not offer to God that that cost us nothing but that that cost us labour and industry and the sweat of our brows that that we have gotten by hard labour and paines in our calling let that come and it is welcome to God God cannot be pleased with a mocking sacrifice I pray who would be contented to be mocked The son of Syrach Ecclus. 34.18 hee tells us that he that offers an unrighteous sacrifice of unrighteous goods hee offers a mocking sacrifice to God It is a mocking sacrifice and will God be pleased to be mocked why our selves would not saith Gregory Whatsoever in our sacrifice that we offer to God is ill gotten it is so farre from appeasing the wrath of God that it provokes him much more It is a thing somewhat observable that in the Scripture our almes-deeds are called righteousnesse our beneficence is called righteousnesse in many places in Scripture The good man is mercifull and lendeth c. He scattereth abroad and gives to the poore his righteousnesse endureth for ever that is his almes-deeds Psal 112.9 And the Apostle prayes for the Corinthians that God would please to increase the fruits of their righteousnesse 2 Cor. 9.10 that is their beneficence beneficence is called righteousnesse And that which we read in Mat. 6.1 Take heed that you doe not your almes before men the vulgar Latine reads it Take beed that you doe not doe your righteousnesse before men Master Beza reads it so too and hee saith withall that in two of the ancientest Greek copies that hee hath it is so The Syriack Interpreter reads it so too Take heed that you doe not your righteousnesse before men Nay I shall tell you more that Christ hee looked in on them that put or cast money in the Treasury Now what was that It was a chest at the doore as your poore mens box in which they were wont to cast money as they passed by out of the Temple And this the Hebrewes called The chest of righteousnesse not the chest of mercy or of charity but of righteousnesse Why should our almos-deeds be called righteousnesse I could give you many reasons but let this suffice now at this time Because God would have that to be righteously brought in that is charitably laid out we must lay nothing charitably out but that which is first righteously brought in that must be laid out to good uses that is gotten by good meanes let it be righteously gotten and then it will be a sacrifice pleasing and acceptable to God That is my third Rule It must be our owne that we give The fourth and last Rule that I will but name to you is this about the manner that it must be done cheerfully The first Rule was about the End It must be done to a good end The second Rule was about the Fountaine whence it must flow A pitifull heart The third Rule was about the Matter or Substance It must be our owne The last Rule is about the Manner It must bee done with alacrity and cheerfulnesse And this cheerfulnesse must appeare first in the countenance A man must not give with an angry unwilling countenance Then it must appeare in the words of a man for a man may peradventure undoe a good work with ill words hee may bring a blemish on a good work with ill words Fair words are as an honey-comb sweetnesse to the soule and health to the bones As there must be compassion and bowels so there must be grace and favour in the lips A good word sometimes may doe more good then a good deed to cheere and comfort a poore soule and revive it Thirdly our cheerfulnesse must be shevved by our speedy giving hee gives tvvice that gives quickly and a man blemisheth his good vvork that delayes it There is so much taken from the vvorth of every vvork by hovv much it sticks longer in the fingers of him that doth it Novv you see brethren hovv you may make good vvorks pleasing and acceptable to God Your persons must be first in Christ Then you must have a good End you must not propound to your selves to make satisfaction to divine iustice or to merit eternall blisse or to think thereby to be seen of men for vain-glory and popularity but your end must be Gods glory and your brethrens good And then this must flow out of a pitifull heart Pro. 14.21 Hee that hath pity on the poore blessed is hee Hee saith not He that gives to the poore yet he would not have it a barren fruitlesse pity but the meaning is this Hee that pities the poore and gives out of pity blessed is he Then again it must be your owne that you give it must not be a burnt-offering of goods gotten by rapine
remedie but the cords of your tabernacles must be fastned among the tents of Kedar among Idolaters then learne and remember how Noah lived in the old world hee walked with God when all the world walked from him Remember how Lot lived in Sodome how Joseph lived in the Court of Pharaoh and Obadiah in the Court of Ahab and Daniel in the Court of Babylon Remember how the Saints lived in Neros houshold Phil. 4.22 Remember a Church that held the Name of God and denied not the Faith that lived in such a place where Satan's throne was The fish keepes the fresh taste though it live in salt-water A Myrtle loseth not the nature it is a Myrtle still though it grow in the midst of netles It is a foule shame to live among good men in good places not be good but it is an high commendation to live among evill men in evill places and not be ill Thus much shall suffice concerning the Idoll It was a calfe and they learned to make it in Egypt I come now to their worke the making of it They made a calfe in Horeb. There are three circumstances in that making of it First who were they that made it They made it Secondly where did they make it In Horeb. Thirdly of what did they make it That my Text speakes not of here but wee must take it out of the story It was of the golden eare-rings that Aaron tooke out of the eares of the men and women of their sonnes and daughters and of that they made a calfe They made a calfe in Horeb. For the first the persons that made it They made it The Hebrewes the Jewes would very faine put this from themselves they say that there were some Egyptians that were mingled among them and indeed wee reade that there came out a great multitude a mixed confused company came out of Egypt but they were not these only that made the calf the Israelites themselves made it too They made it Yet I doe not thinke that all of them had a hand in making of it I make no question but some of them hated this calfe with a perfect hatred and them that made it them that worshipped it they were but some of the people that made it Harke what the Apostle saith Let us not be Idolaters as some of them were Idolaters 1 Corinth 10.7 But some of them were Idolaters yea a great company of them were Idolaters They made the calfe But how can it be said they made it for if you look in the story wee shall finde that Aaron made it Aaron threw their gold into the fornace Aaron polished the calfe Aaron set up an Altar Aaron proclaimed an holy day To morrow shall be an holy day unto the Lord. It was Aaron that made it why is it not said that Aaron made the calfe in Horeb but They made the calfe Marke those words where this storie is set downe Exod. 32. verse ult It is said there that God plagued the people for their sinne in making the calfe that Aaron made Marke God plagued the people for their sinne in making the calfe that Aaron made So the people and Aaron both made it the people first They made it Take these rules A man may have a hand hee may have fellowship in the unfruitfull workes of darknesse many waies foure especially It is the usuall phrase of Scripture 1. A man is said to doe that that he doth not himself but another man if he command it that is one So David slew Uriah the Hittite with the sword because hee commanded him to be set in the Army where he might be slaine with the sword of the Children of Ammon Secondly a man may be said to doe that that another man doth if hee doe counsell and perswade to it and entice and solicite to it Thus the High-Priests and the Scribes and Pharisees are said with their wicked hands to take Christ and to crucifie him and to hang him on a tree They with their wicked hands did not doe it but they perswaded Pilate to doe it with much importunity therefore they did it Thirdly a man may be said to doe that that another man doth if hee occasion the doing of it It is said of Judas that hee purchased a field Acts 1. ver 18. This man purchased a field Judas did not purchase it but Judas by returning the money to the treasury again for which he sold Christ gave them occasion to purchase it therefore this man purchased the field Fourthly a man may be said to doe that that another man doth if he doe not hinder the doing of it if he ought and might hinder it The men of Tyrus came upon the Sabbath day and sold wares in Jerusalem Nehemiah that good governour hee goes to the Rulers of the people and saith What is this that you doe and breake the Sabbath Nehem 13. They brake it because they should have hindred the breaking of it and did it not Wee have sinnes enough and too many of our own to answer for wee need not answer for the sins of others yet wee shall answer for the sins of others too for all those sinnes that other men have committed if either wee Command them Counsell them Occasion them Or not hinder them Aaron made the calfe but yet they made it because they would have him make it Aaron made it It is a thing to be considered a little Whether did Aaron sinne in making this calfe or no Did Aaron well in yielding to the people in making this calfe Tantum Sacerdotem condemnare non audemus c. saith S. Ambrose We dare not condemne so great an High-Priest and we cannot tell how to justifie and excuse him yet some in former time and one of late dayes in our time but a Papist hath written a book Munsius de AARONE purgato of Aaron purged Hee will free Aaron from all manner of sinne in making of this calfe but it will not be Should he purge him with Nitre and with Fullers sope seven times over hee could not doe it I see the Fathers are wondrous carefull in extenuating this sin and we may doe that excuse it we cannot we must needs acknowledge it a very great sin in this High-Priest First of all say they the people would have him doe it hee would not have done it else Well be it so hee was now a Governour left under Moses hee should have been more vigilant and have looked better to his government The permission of an evill is as great an evill as the commission of it Woe to that people that are humoured in their sins either by the Ministers or by the Magistrates the one should check them the other should punish them but woe to the people that are humoured in them But then you will say This people was set upon a mischief they would have it there would be no remedie Indeed Aaron told Moses so It is true they were so Be they so
of Grace those are many The principall work whereupon all others depend is the Incarnation of the Son of God that great mystery of godlinesse God manifest in our flesh that was the great work of grace Then redemption of mankinde by his blood The electing of some to salvation before the foundations of the world were laid The vocation of them in Gods good time The justification of them in the blood of our crucified Jesus The sanctification of them by Gods blessed Spirit the resurrection of their bodies and the glorification of them All these are workes of grace Now all the workes of God whether they be workes of nature or of grace they are all great workes There is not a worke of Creation but it is a great worke The Pis-mire is a little creature yet it is a great worke the making of a Pis-mire is as great a worke as the creation of an Elephant It is all one with God hee can as easily make an Elephant as a Pis-mire nay Deus maximus in minimis a man may truely say it God is greatest in the least creatures If you marke it you may see how great God is in every little creature The lesse the Watch is that you carry about you to know the time of the day the greater is the skill of the work-man And surely in every little worke it appeares how great God is There is never a worke so little but it is a great work if it be well considered Workes of Creation are great workes But there are some workes greater then other Those workes wherein the Divine attributes are most manifested such workes wherein appeares the great wisedome of God or the great goodnesse of God or the great power of God or the great truth of God or the great mercy of God or the great justice of God Those workes wherein these attributes of Divine majesty are most apparent those are called great workes Therefore the workes of redemption are greater workes then the workes of creation The workes of grace are greater workes then the workes of nature But now this people had seen great workes in both kindes Great workes of Nature Great workes of Grace There were workes of nature let mee name but one or two of them The multiplication of them in Egypt When they came to Egypt at first there were but seventy souls of them seventy souls that came out of the loines of Jacob no more They were in Egypt but two hundred and fifteene years no longer A great part of this time they lived under oppression loaden with burthens loaden with blowes loaden with injuries yet see how they multiplied this same bleeding vine bare abundance of fruit this Camomile that was thus trodden downe it prospered exceedingly They grew in two hundred and fifteene yeares to be so many that at their coming out of Egypt there were numbred six hundred thousand men from twenty yeares old and upward besides women and children This multiplication was a great work of God a work of Nature Then consider their preservation there how wonderfully they were preserved in the despight of their enemies and how all things were preserved that were theirs As the land of Goshen preserved from those same swarmes of flies with which all the rest of Egypt was pestred Their cattell in the land of Goshen preserved from that murraine of which the cattell through the land of Egypt died The land of Goshen was light when all Egypt besides was darknesse This wonderfull preservation of that that they had and the preservation of their first-born when all the first-born died in the land of Egypt This preservation of them was a great worke There is another work which I know not whether it be the greater their eduction and bringing out of Egypt Their preservation was great their bringing out was as great they came out in despight of Pharaoh and his servants and they came out with vigour of body their veins full of bloud and their bones full of marrow There was not one feeble person among their Tribes Here were great Works but all these were works of nature either of multiplication or preservation Then will you heare the great workes of Grace The adoption of this people to be Gods first-borne the separation of this people from all the people of the earth to be to God a holy Nation a Royall Priest hood his peculiar treasure The revealing of his promises especially that great promise that out of their loines should come that blessed seed that blessed Lord in whom all the Nations of the earth were to be blessed The promulgation of the Law no Nation had it but they God had not dealt so with other Nations the heathens had not the knowledge of his Lawes Here were great workes of Nature great works of Grace yet this was the unthankfulnesse of this people they forgat God their Saviour that had done these great things for them in Egypt Then Wonderfull things too Mirabilia There be foure sorts of Mirabilia of wonderfull things There be mirabilia naturae wondrous works of nature secret wondrous works of nature That the load-stone should draw Iron to it That this power of the load-stone should be restrained if the Adamant be neare it That the Adamant cannot be broken upon an anvile with an hammer that is easily broken if it be anointed with goats bloud That the flesh of a dead Peacocke should not putrefie Saint Austine saith hee observed it himselfe hee took an experiment of it in an whole twelve-month hee tried it that it putrefied not That a fountaine in Lybia should send forth water so cold in the day that none could drink it and so hote in the night that none can touch it These and a thousand more are mirabilia naturae wonderfull things in nature no man is able to give the reason of it yet it is God that did these wonderfull things in nature Then againe there be mirabilia artis wonderfull things in art There were seven buildings that were wont to be called the Wonders of the world one of them was in Egypt the Pyramides another of them above all other was a wonder me thinks above all wonders a wonder of Art It were too long to tell you what a wonder it was It was nothing but a prodigall monument of prodigality and vaine-glory prodigality and vaine-glory that was the sin of them that built it but the skill in making it that came from God Thirdly there be mirabilia Satanae there be wonderfull things of Satan wondrous works that Satan and his instruments Magicians and Sorcerers can doe God did not punish the apostate Angels at the first as the School-men say in their naturall skill and power that is as great now to doe a mischiefe as the skill and power of good Angels is to doe that that is good The Divell hee can doe wonderfull things hee can compasse the whole earth in a little time you finde in the booke of Job that he can raise
is of somewhat larger extent then the former The first word doth signifie an almes-deed or such reliefe as wee give the poore that is Well-doing The second word Communicate containes under it all mutuall offices of love and kindnesse that passe between man and man For the better knowing of that communicating what it is to communicate let me first tell you that as severall Countries have their severall commodities as you know one Country abounds with good corne another Country hath good wine another hath good fruit another Country hath good breed of cattell Solomon had his oaks from Bashan but his cedars from Lebanon his firre from Shebar his Almug-trees and gold from Ophir his spices and sweet odours from Arabia his fine linnen and horses were brought out of Egypt his ivory apes and peacocks were brought out of Selvesia by his navy and fleet of Tharshish As severall Countries have their severall commodities so severall men have severall gifts or blessings which they are to communicate to others as every Countrey by Merchants communicate the commodities that abound in them to other Countries and they from other Countries receive in other commodities they want God would have one Country to stand in need of another for some commodity or other So it is among men God hath so disposed of his blessings as that there is no man but stands in need one of another There is a necessity of receiving and communicating Solomon Eccles 5.9 tells us The King is served by the tillage of the field the very King stands in need of husbandry The Citizens sometime stand in need of the Country man and the Country man another time hath as much need of the Citizen The poore man cannot stand in so much need of the rich man at one time but the rich man at another time stands in as much need of the poore There is never a member of the body can say to another I have no need of thee as the Apostle tells us The eye cannot say to the hand I have no need of thee nor the head cannot say to the foot I have no need of you Nay quoth the Apostle those members that are feeble are necessary Those poore men that peradventure are contemptible in the sight of the world are necessary God hath so disposed of his gifts and dispensed them with such wisdome as that hee would still have an intercourse of kindnesse betweene man and man There is a necessity of receiving a necessity of communicating of gifts Some men can tell how to receive but they know not how to communicate Nabal and his servants received a great deale of kindnesse at the hands of David and his servants they confessed it Davids servants was a wall about them by day and by night they protected and defended them from all dangers all the while they were in the wildernesse but when David sent to Nabal for some reliefe in the day of Nabals sheep-shearing What quoth the Churle Shall I take my bread see how hee appropriates things still My bread and my water and my flesh that I have prepared for my shearers and give them to men that I know not whence they come 2 Sam. 25.11 Hee knew how to receive kindnesses but he knew not how to communicate As God hath established a distinction of proprieties among men while every man governes his owne house and rules his own servants and tills his owne land and feeds his owne cattell and mannageth his owne affaires I say while God doth thus every man finds sweet experience of Gods particular providence As God hath established thus a distinction of propriety of house and goods and land among men so God on the other side hath established a Communion of Saints and Communion of Saints doth not abolish the distinction of Propriety nor the distinction of Propriety doth not abolish the Communion of Saints they may both stand together a distinction of the Propriety and the Communion of Saints God will have us in regard of possession to have things private and severall that are our owne but God would have us make these things common in regard of use upon severall occasions and then a man doth good when he communicates that good that God hath given him to the good of others Every man must consider with himselfe wherein hath God enabled me to doe the greatest good as Sampson knew wherein his strength lay and then to his uttermost power to doe good and communicate to others of that which God hath given him Forget not to doe this for with such sacrifices God is well pleased This same doing of good and communicating may be done many wayes and mark them because there is no body may be exempted from this precept of the Apostle it concernes every man and every man may doe good and communicate some way or other Wee are forbid to call our brother Racha which in the Syriack signifies empty vacuous A man empty saith St. Ierome upon that word how can a man be said to be bare and empty whom the Spirit of God hath filled and replenished with some gift or other that hee may communicate and in so doing doe good There are many wayes of doing good First a man may doe good to the Publike or hee may doe good to the Private hee may doe good to the Church and Common-wealth in generall or a man may doe good to some speciall persons in the Church or Common-wealth in particular And to distribute and doe good both to the one and to the other forget not For the first to the Publike a man may doe good many wayes These wayes especially come to my mind First a man may doe good to the Publike by the building or enlarging or adorning Churches and Chappels and Oratories for the service of God A man may doe good to the Publike by erecting and endowing of Schools and Colledges for the education of youth A man may doe good to the Publike by making High-wayes and Causies and Bridges for the Travellers A man may doe good to the Publike by the conveyance of water that may be usefull either to City or Countrey and many other things There are many wayes more that a man may doe good to the Publike in and to doe good to the Publike forget not for with such sacrifice God is pleased For some such works as I have named the memory of some good men is blessed to this day and will be hereafter from generation to generation for such publike works Then secondly a man may doe good to some speciall person in Church and Common wealth and that two wayes 1. A man may doe good to the body or 2. To the soule The good that a man communicates may be either a Corporall or Spirituall good Then doth a man good to the body to the outward estate I meane when hee communicates such a thing as is a means of his comfortable being in the state of Nature But a man doth good to the
soule when he doth communicate such a thing as may be a means of a wel-being here in the state of grace and of his eternall wel-being hereafter in the state of glory Now to doe good both to the soule and body of thy brother forget not for with such sacrifice c. I begin with the soule first that is the principall part Doest thou see thy brother ignorant of some truth that hee should know that is necessary to salvation Thou canst not doe him a greater good then to instruct him Doest thou see him doubtfull what to doe Why then doe him good to direct him Doest thou see them over-taken with some infirmity Why then testore them againe as the Apostle saith Brethren if any of you be over-taken with infirmity you that are spirituall restore such a man The Greek word is put him in ioynt againe hee is out of ioynt set him right put him in ioynt with the spirit of meeknesse and gentlenesse Doest thou see thy brother unruly and rush into sinne as the horse into the battaile Thou mayest doe a great deale of good to admonish and reprove him to pluck him as Iude saith in his Epistle out of the fire that hee perish not Doest thou see thy poore brother feeble and weak-hearted Thou shalt doe a great deale of good then to encourage him Doest thou see him deiected and cast downe and almost swallowed up of despaire Thou canst not doe a greater good then comfort him These things you may doe And if thou see thy brother past all help from men then thou canst not doe a greater good then to pray and beg help for him at Gods hand And in very deed that sweet Communion of Saints that we believe in the Creed I believe the Communion of Saints that Communion of Saints appears in nothing more then the doing of good thus to the soule one man of another to edifie and build up one another in our holy faith to exhort one another to holinesse of life to provoke one another to love and good works to comfort one another in sicknesse to mourne one over another for your corruptions This they may doe when they are together And then pray one for another and that they may do when they are a thousand miles asunder This is the Communion of Saints Thus wee may doe good to the soules of our brethren and to doe this good to the soules of your brethren forget not with this sacrifice God is well pleased To the body we may doe good in the outward estate many wayes I will think of these three especially First wee may doe them good defendendo by defending of our brother by defending his person from violence by defending his goods from ruine by defending his name from reproach and dishonour Pro. 24.11 Deliver him that is appointed to die if it be in thy power Deliverance it is a thing that holy Iob among other works of his hee speaks of this I delivered the poore when hee cryed and helped him that was fatherlesse I brake the iawes of the wicked in pieces and took the prey out of his teeth If thou canst doe it by thy calling if thy calling will allow thee to doe it thou art bound to doe it to doe that good to right them when they suffer wrong either in their person or goods or good name if it be in thy power to right thy brother doe good that way defend him That is one way Secondly thou mayest doe good accommodando by lending and indeed sometimes a man may doe as much good by lending as by giving And this is a work of mercy that God requires of his people mark that place Deut. 15.7,8 Thou shalt not harden thy heart nor shut thy hand from thy poore brother But thou shalt open thine hand wide unto him and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth Thou shalt help and help him wide so the word is Thou shalt open wide to thy brethren and shalt surely lend to them The Originall word doubles it in lending thou shalt lend that is thou shalt surely lend and lend sufficiently according to his need So the Old Testament And Christ in the New Testament saith Lend looking for nothing again Luke 6.35 And it is the commendation given to the righteous man A righteous man is mercifull and lendeth Psal 112.5 but then mark the words that follow after too hee guides his affaires with discretion That is the second way Thirdly a man may doe good donando by free giving Of what That which is according to the necessity of our brother If he be hungry then we shall doe good to feed him to give him bread if hee be thirsty we must give him drink if hee be naked we must give him clothes if hee be sick if it be in our power wee are to give him remedy if hee be dead then to give him buriall decent buriall and among the works of charity and works of mercy you shall ever find reckoned in Scripture the buriall of the dead When the Traitor Iudas grudged at the box of Spikenard that was bestowed upon our blessed Saviour saith hee Let her alone shee hath done a good work towards my buriall And The Lord shew mercy saith David to the men of Iabesh-Gilead because they shewed mercy to his Master Saul What mercy Marry They buried his bones It is a work of mercy Thus you see how many wayes there be of doing good and communicating A man may doe good you see to the Publike many wayes And then to the Private a man may doe good to the soule to the body To the soule by instructing by directing by admonishing by reproving by encouraging by comforting by praying for them A man may doe good to the body by defending them from wrong by lending that which is necessary by giving according to their necessity that aske And thus to doe good to the Publike to Private to the soules and bodies of our brethren when it is in our power forget not it is a sacrifice with which God is pleased Seeing there are so many wayes of doing good thus I will set down two Correllaries and Consectaries two things follow on it The first is this Since there are so many wayes of doing good certainly as long as wee live here in this life wee can never want oportunity of doing good some way or other That is the first We cannot want oportunities of doing good there be so many wayes to doe it either a man shall find some ignorant poore body that hee may instruct as David did Come yee children hearken unto mee I will teach you the feare of the Lord. Or a man may find some person wronged whom hee may help and succour as Iob did Or a man may sit in his tent doore and find some stranger passe by that hee may entertaine as Abraham did Or a man may find some fatherlesse children that hee may bring up as Pharaohs daughter
brought up Moses Or a man may find some naked person that hee may clothe as Dorcas did Or a man may find some wounded person which if hee have the gift and skill of healing hee may heale as the good Samaritane did I might goe further It is impossible while thou art here but thou shalt meet with oportunities of good doing wee cannot want them Let none excuse themselves with this that they have no oportunity of doing good they may have daily either to doe good to the soules or the bodies of some or perhaps both to soule and body I must worke saith our Lord while it is day the night commeth when no man can work The day is the time of life we must follow our Lord in this work while it is day while you have now time here is the time to work good The night comes when death comes there is no more time then to doe good Eccles 9.10 whatsoever thine hand shall find to doe saith Solomon there that is whatsoever God hath enabled thee to doe whatsoever good doe it with all thy power Why there is neither working nor iudgement nor knowledge nor invention in the grave whither thou goest Thinke of that you are going now to your grave you know not how long or how short a time it may be before you come there therefore whatsoever thy hand shall find to doe whatever good God hath enabled thee to doe doe it with thy power for there is no doing of good in the grave whither thou art going Titus the Romane Emperour is commended by St. Ierome and hee deserved commendations indeed and Ierome propounds his example and saying to others as commendable Titus the Romane Emperour would every night call himselfe to account what good he had done that day and if he found that all the day long there had been no good done hee would cry out to his friend Friend I have lost a day A great losse it seemed to him but to us Christians a greater losse that know we must make account to God for every day of our life what good wee have done in it And surely considering in our selves how much good God requires at our hands first in our generall calling as wee are Christians and then in our particular calling according to the places wee hold in Church and Common-wealth and in our private families it were not good to lose a day every day to doe somewhat as that Painter that would never have a day passe over his head without some line drawing wee should not suffer one day to passe over our heads without some good work done some good worke every day Since there are so many oportunities of doing good every day never suffer a day to goe over our heads without some good The Scripture saith of the devill hee bestirres himselfe and the reason is because hee knoweth that his time is short How much more should wee bestirre our selves then to doe good knowing that our time is shorter then his While wee have time saith the Apostle let us doe good to all The word is not in the Greek but while wee have oportunity so wee read it in the new Translation While wee have oportunity to doe good Gal. 6.10 Now as long as wee live here a charitable heart will never want oportunity of doing good we shall still have oportunity to doe good but when wee are gone there is no oportunity of doing good there is no doing good after but then wee are to receive for that wee have done already whether good or evill Excellently Origen with which I will conclude this point saith hee The six ages of our life are as the six dayes of the week they are dayes to gather Manna in but the day of death that is our Sabbath there is no Manna then to be gathered it is no day to gather Manna when wee are dead but then we shall eat that we have gathered before There is no doing good when wee are dead but wee then come to receive for the good wee have done before if wee have done it therefore To doe good and to communicate forget not That is the first Correllary The second is this that Since there are so many wayes of doing good there is no man exempted from doing good there is no man but may doe good some way or other Indeed rich men must be rich in good workes they that have a great deale of goods must doe a great deale of good But there is no man so poore that may challenge freedome from this doing good because hee is poore Harke what the Apostle saith Ephes 4.28 Let him that stole steale no more but let him labour with his hands working that which is good that hee may communicate to thens that need See the poore labouring man that labours with his hands hee must not bee free from doing good Iohn Baptist when hee was asked of the people What shall wee doe Marry saith hee Hee that hath two coats let him impart to him that hath none and hee that hath meat let him doe likewise Luke 3.11 Let him that hath two coats hee saith not Let him that hath ten coats a number of coats but him that hath two coats let him part to him that hath none Our blessed Lord did live upon that which good women gave him that you shall see if you look Luke 8.3 there it is said that Mary Magdalene out of whom hee had cast seven devils and Ioanna the wife of Chuza Herods steward and Susanna and other women ministred unto him of their substance Christ lived upon that that good persons gave unto him yet out of that that was given him hee was wont to give almes you may perceive that by that speech of the Apostles when our Lord had bidden Iudas That hee did doe quickly they did not know what he meant but did think that hee would have them provide somewhat or to give somewhat to the poore Ioh. 13.29 To give somewhat to the poore Our Lord himselfe lived upon that which was given him yet hee himselfe out of that which was given him gave to the poore The Macedonians are commended by St. Paul for their great liberality that whereas they were poore I deeply poore it was deep poverty so the word is profound poverty deep poverty as the Apostle speaks 2 Cor. 8.2 it was poverty deeply poverty yet they abounded in liberality for all that You know the woman in the Gospel cast in but two mytes into the Treasury but it was all that ever shee had it was but a little money but it was great charity a great worke of charity all that ever shee had When the Creple asked an almes of Peter and Iohn coming to the Temple say they Silver and gold wee have none but such as wee have give wee thee If thou have no silver and gold to give that thou canst not give that yet give such things as thou hast The widow of Sarepta had no gold
of all good works is the glory of God in the good of our brethren And Gods glory is such a thing as we are born to that end to set forth the glory of God As the Grace of God is our Alpha so the Glory of God must be our Omega As the Grace of God is the beginning from whence all things come so the Glory of God must be the end to which all things must be referred Of him and through him are all things to him be glory for ever and ever And we cannot bring greater glory to God and his holy Truth and Religion that we professe then by doing good works When men see our good works and see how pitifull and tender-hearted we be what bowels of compassion we have to our poore afflicted brethren they cannot chuse but glorifie God and acknowledge and say Surely this is the seed that God hath blessed Isai 61.9 So much concerning the first Rule that I give you Would you make your beneficence and good works that you doe toward your poore visited brethren pleasing and acceptable to God doe them to a right end to Gods glory and your brethrens good I come to a second Rule the former was about the End the second is about the Fountaine from whence our good works must flow And what is that Compassion If we will make our good works pleasing and acceptable to God they must flow out of a pitifull heart If you instruct an ignorant man which is a good work it must be out of pity of his ignorance if you feeda hungry man it must be out of pity of his misery The distribution of our goods to the poore is accounted a work of charity and so it is a great work of charit if a man should doe as Zacheus made an offer give halfe his goods to the poore and if I have wronged any man I will restore it foure-fold you would account that a great work of charity but suppose a man should give all his goods to the poore you would say that were a transcendent work of charity and it is true indeed Yet see a man may do even this transcendent work of charity and have no charity For mark the Apostles speech 1 Cor. 13.3 If saith the Apostle I should give all my goods to the poore and have no charity See a man may give all that ever he hath to the poore and yet have no charity because that which hee gives comes not from a charitable compassionate heart Holy Iob doth not only tell of his works of charity but hee tells out of what ground hee did those works of charity out of what fountaine those works of charity flowed and what was that His compassion Did not I weep for them that were in misery was not my soule grieved for the poore Iob 30.25 The works that a man doth if hee will make them a pleasing and acceptable sacrifice to God they must come out of a fellow-feeling of his brethrens necessities It is said of our blessed Saviour in the Scriptures He went about doing good It is true he did his whole life was nothing else but a going about doing good And be pleased to mark what you read again in the Gospel you shall find that some of our Lords works that hee did were works of charity and that he did he did it out of compassion and the Scripture notes it to us that it was out of compassion he did it Let me shew some for example Our blessed Lord cleansed Lepers and it was out of very compassion to them that hee cleansed them the Scripture observes it so Iesus had compassion on them and said I will be thou cleane Mark 1.41 In another place wee find they brought many sick to Christ and our Lord laid his hands on them and healed them all and it was out of compassion that hee healed them Hee had compassion on them and healed their sick Mat. 14.14 In another place you know the miracle that our Lord wrought he fed foure thousand men besides women and children and with a few barley loaves and fishes yet it was out of compassion so hee tells his Disciples I have compassion on the multitude they have been with me three dayes fasting Mat. 15.32 Againe in another place our blessed Saviour touched the eyes of the two blind men and they received their sight and followed him and it was out of very compassion that he touched them himself was touched with compassion before he touched their eyes So Iesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes Mat. 20. ult I will alledge no more places but one You find that our blessed Saviour raised a young man at Naim but was dead and carrying to buriall hee touched the coffin and raised him again to life and it was out of compassion not to the young man for it may be his estate was happy but to his mother the Scripture gives the reason shee was a widow and the name Widow is a name of compassion therefore out of compassion hee saith Weep not and hee touched the coffin and restored her sonne to life Luke 7.13 I could alledge many places more but these shall suffice Mark I pray onely a phrase of Scripture you shall find Isai 58.10 If saith the Prophet there thou shalt draw out thy soule to the hungry he saith not If thou shalt draw out thy purse though that be somewhat or draw thy meat out of thy cupboard or thy garments out of thy presse and give to a poore wretch but If thou shalt draw out thy soule The soule must be drawn out first and if a man can once draw out his soule to a poore wretch it will make him draw out his purse if hee have it he cannot but draw out his purse if hee have drawn out his soule Therefore saith Iohn 1 Ioh. 3.17 If a man saith hee hath this worlds goods and shall shut up the bowels of compassion upon men hee doth not say If hee shut his purse but if hee shut up the bowels of compassion upon them how dwelleth the love of God in him And while I name the bowels of compassion let me tell you that word where it is said that Christ was moved with compassion the Greek is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wee cannot expresse it in English it is a name from bowels he was moved in his bowels That compassion in Christ and that that hee would have us to shew to our brethren it is from the bowels Therefore Mr. Beza translates the word he knowes not how to expresse it in one word it must be an inward motion I think wee call it the yerning of the bowels the bowels must yerne in us When wee see poore miserable wretches wee must not onely relieve them but this reliefe must be done out of pity and compassion and tendernesse of heart to their misery If we would have our sacrifice of beneficence acceptable and pleasing to God there are two things in beneficence in
Arminianisme The Lord Primate of Armagh never to be mentioned without honour for his unparallel'd Workes and many others whereof some are fallen asleep and some remain to this day and long may they live to the performances of the like services Who hath so plainly discovered unto us a See Bishop Morton his Book of that Argument THE GRAND IMPOSTURE OF THE now CHURCH OF ROME Who hath so openly laid before us b See his Institution of the Sacrament the superstitious sacrilegious and idolatrous abominations of the Romish Masse Who hath so fully manifested c See his Catholike Appeale with many other of his accurate and learned Treatises against the Romanists the Antiquity of our Religion and satisfied all scrupulous Objections which have been urged against us Who hath so evidently demonstrated d See Bish Downham his Diatribe de Antichristo Bish Abbot of the same Argument the Pope to be The Antichrist Who hath so fully cleared that high point of e See Bish Downham his Treatises of Justification Justification and overthrown the Popish Doctrine of Merits Who hath so clearely set downe f See Bish Usher his Historica Explicatio of that subject the beginning progresse and encrease of the mystery of Iniquity from the birth of Antichrist to his full age out of manifold Records of Antiquity Who hath given us so wholesome a g See Bish Hall of the old Religion Preservative against all Popish Insinuations In a word who have more approved themselves the worthiest Champions most willing most ready most able to oppose all Popish Antichristian Arminian Pelagian Doctrine then some of These who have been stiled in the late pamphlets Popish Antichristian Arminian Pelagian Bishops It is no open enemy that hath done this wrong but the men of this Land and children as they would be thought to be of this Church that have dishonoured these Worthies that have been an Honour to this Church and Land As for us Ministers of the Gospel of inferiour rank who have alwaies preached the same divine Truth some of us in the dayes of Queen Elizabeth and have received that mercy from God to be faithfull 〈◊〉 holding the same profession without wavering or warping unto this day how are we at this time only because we walk in the way of the Church and study the peace of it desirous to yeeld obedience to God and our Superiours how are wee I say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 brought upon the Stage Heb. 10.33 traduced as Baals Priests derided contumeliously used reproached in our streets our Churches our Pulpits accounted 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the filth of the world and the off-scouring of all things a spectacle to Angels and men But holy Brethren to come to my third point wherein I shall make the use of all this Wee may approve our selves to be the true Ministers of Jesus Christ if that neither honour puffeth us up nor dishonour disheartneth us if neither a good report doth make us proud nor an evill report faint-hearted but can passe through all these honour and dishonour evill report and good report counting nothing in life nor life it selfe dear to us so as we may finish our course with joy and the Ministration which we have received of the Lord Jesus Christ To that end let me tender these things briefly to our consideration First that this vicissitude of honour and dishonour evill report and good report is from the Lord who must be allowed to doe what seemeth good in his eyes The time was wee doe confesse with thankfulnesse that the people did esteem us as the Ministers of Jesus Christ that they knew us and did acknowledge us worthy and accordingly had us in exceeding great love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for our works sake that they might shew that they could have pulled their eyes out of their head to have done us good that they honoured us with much honour and laded us with necessaries and plentifull provision for our encouragement to the worke of the Ministery Have wee received so much good at the hand of God and may we not now with patience receive some evill There is no evill done in the City in this kinde but the Lord hath done it Amos 3.6 God hath bidden them to curse us and revile us and traduce us and load us with all these contumelies and reproaches and it may be these things being sanctified to us God may doe us good for all our reproaches this day wee should consider that as it cometh not without due desert seeing God is just 〈◊〉 shall not passe away without due profit seeing God is good Consider againe That there is nothing can come from the hand of this God to his servants but it cometh in the nature of a mercy while wee were honoured it was in mercy to encourage us and now wee are dishonoured and our soules filled with contempt it is done in mercy to admonish us to walke both more humbly with God and more warily with men Againe It is but the pride of our hearts that makes us so impatient of every light dishonour for if wee were as wee should be vile in our own eyes it were nothing nothing to be vile in the eyes of others Besides hear what our Lord sayes to his Disciples Blessed are you when men shall say all manner of evill of you falsly for my sake Rejoyce and be glad For so persecuted they the Prophets that were before you Matt. 5.11,12 The Prophets before the Apostles were thus persecuted the Apostles and all the Worthies since the Apostles dayes have bin so persecuted in their severall Generations and our blessed Lord the Head both of Prophets and Apostles hath been as you heard before persecuted in like manner Now the disciple must not look to be above his Master nor the servant above his Lord. It is enough for the Disciple that hee be as his Master and the servant as his Lord. If they have called the Master of the house Beelzebub how much more shall they call them of his houshold Mat. 10.24,25 Lastly Behold there is a crown in the right hand of Christ and the word upon it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to him that overcometh Brethren let us hold fast that which we have and let no man take away our crown let us hold on still 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to divide the Word of God aright and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to walk with a right foot in the profession of it Et innocenter agere scienter praedicare not studying so much to have our gifts commended as to have God glorified the consciences of people edified their lives reformed and their souls saved And then if wee finde favour in Gods sight God may bring us againe into favour with men but if hee thus say I have no delight in you nor in your services behold here are we let him doe to us as he pleaseth He that passing through honour and dishonour as St. Paul did can say as St. Paul 〈◊〉 I have fought the good fight I have finished my cours◠I have kept the faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have kept it may assure himselfe of a crowne of Righteousnesse laid up for him which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give him that day and to all them that love the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ To whom with the Father and the blessed Spirit Three Persons one True Immortall Invisible onely Wise God be given all Honour Glory Dominion and Power now and for ever Amen FINIS