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University of California Berkeley
The "Mercbancfife of a People
HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
A
SERMON,
Preached in part at the
TubHc^LeUure in *Bofton,
July I. I 7* ^
In part at a private Meeting
for Chanty to the Poor,
March 6. 1726.
And now publifhed as
A Than/tO/ering to GOD
for repeated furprifing Bounties
from LONDON
for Ufcs of Piety and Charity.
By Benjamin Colman> D. D.
And Paftor of a Church in Bojlo*.
2 Cor. ix. 9. He bath differed abroad, he hath given
to the Poor, bis Rigbtewfrcfs remaineth fo
B O S T O N) n e
Printed by J. Draper, in Ncwbury-^rect,
x 7 3 6.
To the HONOURABLE
Samuel Holden, Efq;
of LONDON:
S I R,
ejenerous Things You have been
doin s from Ycar to Ycar for y Co -
rr ^^ f' 01 ' m any of the Churches of Cbrift
in if > whom You have, cnrich'd with
Means of /;?oW Knowledge and pratti*
cal Religion and for the^ ^/>/ Puarterly
Meetings for Collections for the P#$r in QornhilL
Gentlemen,
H E N the following Difcourfe was
prea . ch ' d tor ^ a p^ rc .^ fic at thc
\V : />^/zV Letture, and a part in your more
private Meeting, You were then ad-
drefs'd in the Clofc of thofe Sermons
in the following #W/, which I think
good WOT^ to bring to your Remembrance, and alfo
to lay before Others.
" I fpeak unto a Trading Town, and I thank God
c unto a Peep/* us'd to Charities and //'for*/ Things.
[[ Need I provoke you to Emulrtu* by what is
B " written
ISOlJAD ()
" written of the Men of Tyre ? And God forbid
^V P^/or^ have Af^f fuffichnt and
Clothing. For with what Face and
7 a 5
B ^ e 3 as becometh Holinefs in holy Man-
" ner, with holy Frames, from holy Principles, for
holy Ends, to the Increale of holy Fruits in our
Hearts & Lives, to the Glory & Praife of God.
cc
"
cc Write now., if you pleafc, Holinejs to tie Lord on
thefe Doors (|, here opened to us for the fake of
" Charity and Devotion which two will never fail,
" no not when Faith and Hope (hall ceafe,, within
cc the Ho/y of Holies. The 7?;V/& are invited hither,
c not for their own fo much as for the Poors fake.
Cf 73&^ Low els of the Poor are refrefaed by Thee, Kr other,
c in your calling the Rich to your Hottfe : It is to feafl
c the poos, the maimed, the lame and the blind,and Thou
" Jhalt be recom fenced at the Refurretfio* of the Juft.
e get this Labour of Love, which you are Rowing to
6 his Name, in miniflring to his Saints.
" We have had a hard and long Winter t, which
" fome may think has impoverifhed the Town, but
|J Deacon WUi*m and Re-
nown for Trade and Wealth, fcituate on the Me-
diterranean ?./, near to the Lot of the Tribe of After.
It was built by fome Colony of the Zidonians, and
is therefore in our Context called the Daughter of
Zidon.
In David and Solomon's rime we find the Tynans
faithful Allies and Friends of IJrael. And as one
well obferves, a Trading Cities feldom prove dan-
" gerous Enemies to their Nei'bours $ for they ac-
" quire and maintain their Grandeur, not by the
" Conqueft of others,,but byCommerce with them.
The Inhabitants of Tyre were now grown the
mft skilful in Sea Affairs of any in the World. A-
bout the ninth Year of Hez,ekiab, Salmane&er the
^Jjyrian invaded and befieged them both by Sea and
Land. By Sea they beat the AJJyrian and Hanician
Fleet of fixty Sail, with twelve Ships only This
gave 'em a Name for War as well as Riches, and
made ? em the Terror of the Ocean. The AJJyrian
Army then block'd 'cm up by Land ; for Old Tyre
was built upon the Cent in ent y and the City after-
ward upon an Ifland ; which Siege they bare for
five Years, and were at laft delivered by the Death
of Salntanez,er. Upon this Succefs they were pufFd
up with new Pride, and grew hau'tier than ever,
which provoked the Holy God to utter the
Burden and Prophecy againft them, in the Chapter
before us, wherein is foretold, i. The miferable
Overthrow of the Tyrians by Nt-buchadneZt&ar and the
Chaldean Army ; and 2. Their Reftoratien, like their
Nei'bours the Jews^ after feventy Years ; when they
fhould recover their ancient Liberty, Trade & Ricbts
again This is the Danger and Mifery of Places
cf Qomme rce, that as they grow rich and ofulwt they
alfo
to the Lord. $
alfo grow fcnfual, propbane and Infolent, unjuft and
unrighteous , and io forfeit the Bleffings of Provi-
dence, and Incur its dreadful Judgments j as Tyre
did.
Nebuchadnezzar found it a hard peice of Work to
conquer Tyre *. He began its Siege about two
Years after the Deftrudion of JcrufaUm and the
Captivity of Judah. It held him thirteen Years be-
fore it was taken, when he took a terrible Revenge
and utterly ras'd it. An Account of this is given
us by the Prophet Ezektel, Chap. xxix. i/. 18. Son
of Man, Neluehadnezzer King of Babylon caufcd his
Army to ferve a great Service again ft Tyre ; every Head-
was made I'M and every Shoulder was peeled jet had,
he no Wages nor his Army for Tyre, for the Strvice that
he (erved agalnfl it. The fhort Account of this Mat-
ter is, " That the Tyrlans h'ndmg him too hard for
them by Land, while yet they were Mailers by Sea,
they built themfelves a new City on an Ijland about
half a Mile diftant from the Shore, into which they
removed the moft and beft of their Effects ,- Io that
when Nebuchadnezzar enter'd the old Clrj y after his
long Seige and hard Service of thirteen Years, he
found no Riches, no Spoil in the Place, to repay him
for his vaftExpence or to reward his Soldiers the
Inhabitants having pafs'd with their Scores into
the ntw City, which was afterwards a moft mighty
Maritime Power and Mart of the Nations, ftill caN
led TYRE; riling as a Phtsmx from the Aflies of
her Dam. It is probable, fays the noble Hlfto-
rian, that after the King of Babylon had deftroy'd
the Old 7ou>n, thole that rctir'd into the mw one
came into 7'erms and fubmitted to him and fo
* See the learned Dr. Prieleaux's Connexion of the Old and
New Teflt.-aent*
C continued
4 Merchandise and Hire
continued in a ftate of Reftraint and Servitude to
the B ibylonians and Perjians for Seventy Years ; al-
the/ they were not captivated and difperfed, were
not earned away to kabylon andCkaldea, as the Jews
were.
\
Such was the Accomplifhment of the Burden of
Tyre utter'd by Ifaiab\ So it was laidwafte, at which
all her Sbifs are call'd to hoivl. This was the End
of the joyous City, whofc Antiquity -was of ancient Days,
her own Feet carry 7 d her an>ay \ her Pride and High-
xefs of Spirit, the Sin of rich and thriving Places
did it I for it preiently runs a Place intolrreligion,
Senfuality and Unrighteoufnefs. The fame Pride,
thai caft down the Angels ; and deftroy'd Sodom ia
her Fulneis of Bread, leaving the polluted Cities as
the Iwagc on Earth of everlafting Burnings laid
Tyre, tbe crowning City, defblate whole Merchants
were Princes , and ber "Traffickers rbe honourable of the
Earth: The LORD OF HOSTS did it tofttin tbe
Tride of all Glory.
Thefe things are written for our Warning for a
warn'ng to the Maritime Powers of Europe, to Eng-
land and Holland in particular, on \vhvmtheEnds of
tht World are ewe. ^Q criminal is the Pride of Life
in the Eyes of a Holy God, and odious ! 'Sec
it in the Judgment of Tyre, as the moft eminent In-
ftance, E^ckiel xxviii- ink. " SVw of Man, fay to tbe
Prince of Tyre, Thus faitb tbe LORD GOD, Bccaufe
thine Heart is lifted up, And thou h&Jt fa id, I am a God,
(a kind of Ncvtune, God of the Seas) I fit in tbe Seat
of God, in the mid'} of the Seas : Tet thottart a Man and
9tot a God, tb& J thou fet thine Heart as tbe Heart of God :
Beheld tbou art wi/er than Daniel (who had it feems
fuch a Name and Fame for Wifdom, thro' the King-
doms and Provinces of the */, that it might pa^s
tor
ffolinefs to the Lore?. y
for a Proverb among them, cc as -wife as Daniel) and,
with thy H'ifflom afidUnderJtanaing thou haft gotten thee.
Riches, Gold and Silver into thy Treasuries, and thy Heart
Is lifted up ; (art a. golden God in thy own Eyes, ma-
king thy Gold thy Hope, and faying to it, " Thou an
my Confidence ! ") Therefore thus faith the Lord God, Be-
hold I witt bring Strangers upon thee, the fernble of the,
Nations, and they foatt draw their Sivords againft the
Beauty of thy Wifdont, and they fiall defi 'le thy Rrigh^
nefs ; they fliall bring thee down to the Pit, and thou jl alt
die the Deaths of the Slain in the midft of the Ssas : thott
Jbsilt be aMan and no God in the Hand of him that flayetb
thee.
All this God bro't on proud and hau'ty fyre for
her Sins. But in the Clofeof the Chapter, where my
fcxt is found, we have " a firne fix'd for the Con-
tinuance of her Judgment, and a Prophecy of the Re-
covery of her ancient Glory, " v. if. 2jre {hall be
forgotten feventy Tears, according to the Days of one King
after theEnd of feventyTears Jh*ll fjre {ing as an Harlot :
by the Days of one King we mult underftand the
Succeffion of one Family of theMonarchs of Babylon,
Nebtichadnez J '&ar, his Son and Grandfon ^ and by her
Jinging again as an Harlot,\ve muft underftand, " her
if Return to her State of former Vrofperity, Mer-
" chafidife and Traffic , and her ufing all Arts and
cc Means (as (he had done before) to draw Trade
cc and Cuftomers to her : Like as an Harlot that
ra, ot Mtat and Drink, and Oil
given to them of Zldun and o* fjre, to bring Cedar-^Trees
from Lebanon to the Sea of Joppa i according tv the Grant
by the Hand of Cyrus King of Perfia. Chap. iii. 7. So
early was the Merchandiie of new 3j*e Holinefs
to the Lord, for the rebuilding of his f*mfle, and
for the furnifhing of his Priefts and Worfl^perr. And
it is greatly to be obferVed to the Honour of tne
Syrians, 1 hat as the Fathers in old fj re had a fpe-
cial Hand in Materials for building the/r// Tem-
ple, fb had their Pojterity in the fecond.
"Butfecondfy, The Prophecy in my fext looks to be
fure to fome Time long after the Return of the J< ws
from fitibylon even to the Days of the Mjfiah and the
Converfien of fome in fjrt by the freached Go/pel*
The Prophecy plainly iuppoies that fjre would for
a /ow^Term of Years return into her old Courie and
Way of living, and continue Pagan; tho ; in a Way
ef&ttfch it might be friendly to the Jews their Nei'-
bours. In this there was little or no Religion ,
their Idol Gain and worldly Wealth was ferved in
It. But in the Day of the Converfion of the Nations
to the Chriftiaa Faith 3 fyre alfo received the Gof-
pel. And then it was that her Merchandife and
Hire became Holinefs to the Lord, being ufed by a
Number of Gods choicn and called there in the
Services of true Religion *nd Godlinefs, the Support
of his Worfhip, Minifters and Poor.
In Nehemiafrs Time we read of the Men of Tyre
^wetting at Jerufakm, and we may iuppofe from
that Time to the Day of Cbrift many a Gift and
Offering from Tyre to the Altar of God at Jerufa-
lem wherein the Words of David in the xlv T faint
might be fulfilled., as they doubtlefs were in his
own Day [[ The Daughter of Tyre flail be there with
a Gift. In
Holiness to the Lord. 9
In drift's Time we find many of Tyre and Zldon
better difpofed to have received Him and his Gofpel
than the Men of Ifrael ; for if his mighty Works bad
been done among them they would have repented in Duft
and A^es.
In the Days and Mis of the dfoflles we find
Cbriftians&t Tire, Chap. xxi. 3, f. with whom Paul
tarried fevtn Days, and who thro 7 the Spirit warn'd
him of his Danger and Sufferings if he went up to
Jeruftlem $ and when he departed from them they
brot him on bis Way with their Wives and Children, fo
reverend and fervent was their Love to him for the
Gofpels lake, till be was out of the City, where they
kneeled down on the Shore and prayed, and took Leave
one of another. After this Chriftianity flourifticd in
this trading City, and then her Merchandise became
, in part; to the Worfhip and Glory of Chrif-
So that we plainly find in my Text, i. A Pro-
phecy of the Converfion of the Tynans. 2. How they
fhould then u[e their Wealth that it would be con-
fecrated toGod in piousUies^ and holy to his Worihip.
3. This Spirit and Example of the Tyrians is for the
Learning and Imitation of other Places, Cities and
Countrys, among the Gentiles. Let the Chriftians
of Tyre teach us, that where ever the Gofpel is re-
ceived, in the Love aud Power of it, it will bring
forth this good Fruit ; the Merchandife and Hire of
the People will be Holinefs to the Lord. " So
" Cbnftians ihould ufe their Eftates in the Service
of God, and unto pious Ufes, and count thatbeft
" laid tfp,which is fo laid out. Both the Merchan-
e loved. Mai ii. n. Otherwife, In their fet Office
( fc in the Diicharge of their Office to which they
were fet apart ") they fanttlfed themfelves in Holinefs.
2 Chron. xxxi. 18. Then, and then only, were they
Hollnefs to the Lord, in Deed and in Truth. And
fo are we to Cbrift, if we are holy in Heart and
Life if we live to Him In all holy Confer fat f on 9 as in
pur bdptlfm we have bound our Selves.
4. And laftly. This Motto, Hollnefs to the LorJ,
lias a more particular Regard to thtM^orjhip of God,
his Minfjtry&vd Sanffuary, his Ordinances and In ft I-
tutions. So Ifrael as Worfhippers, and Aaron as a
Prieft, and the Sabbath as the Day of weekly Wor-
{hipj and the Firft-fmlts as offered in Worfhip,were
Dignified with this Style of Holy to the Lord. So
when u>e by the Grace of Gbd devote, ufe and ifri-
ploy our Souls and Bodies, our Gifts and Powers^
pur Time and Eftate, in the Services of Religion,
and for promoting his Worfliip, they become Holl~
'weft 19 the Lord We become in our ferfcns as
"fJo linefs to the Lcrtf. 1 5
es of the living God, and God is fanttifed in us
as in them that draw nigh to Him and our Powers
of Mind and Body, with the Fruit of our Bodies,
our Time and Eftate, our Inttreft in the World and
our Influence among Men, are as fo manyOfferivgs to
jGod at his Altar, which confecrates the Gifts.
Having thus enquired into the Meaning of the
Phrale Hotincfs to the Lord, I come now to enquire,
II. When the Traffic *nd Wealth, Merchandise and
Bufinefs of a Peribn or People may be fo called ?
To which I anfwer in three general Heads,
i. When Men ferioufly devote, dedicate & con-
fecrate, firft Themfelves and then of their worldly
Subftance, a due Part, to the Glory and Service of
God. 2. When what is fo confecrated to God out
of our Eftates is abtually ufed and implcyed in hisSer-
yice, according to his Will, In Afts of Piety and Cha~
rity. 3. Always provided that what we fo devote
and ufe is acquired honeflly & righteoufly inGod'sFear
and Way, and is given by us with a fpfritual Mind
and Heart.
I Then is our Merckandtfe and Trade, Wealth and
worldly Bufinefs, Hollnefs to the Lord y when we fe-
rioufly devote, dedicate and confecrate, a due Part of
our Subftance, together with our Selves, to the Glory
tnd Service of God.
Firft, I muft fay our Selves, for the Perfon muft be
facred and dedicated to God before his Eflate will
be fo,- the Perfon is firft holy and then hisG//>, This
is the Order of Nature and of Grace * : for which
* a Cor, viii. j. Matth, xxiii. 17.
is
I 6 Merchandise and Hire
is greater, the Gift or the Giver ! how much lefs is
a Mans Eftate before God, than the Man himfelf ?
according to the Apoftles juft Eftimation of the Ma*
eedonlans and their mini firing to the Saints, c Who fir ft
gave their own Selves to tke Lord. God looks to a
Mans Heart and Soul in all his Offerings to Him,
whether of Praife or Alms. It is the Perfon who
wears upon his Forehead the Infer iption, Holme fs
to the Lord. If the Perfon be unholy before Him,
Us Sacrifice Is an Abomination. He profanes and pol-
lutes his own Gift , asCain did his Offering, bring-
ing it with a wicked Mind. If we have not given
our Selves, our Hearts to God, we may give all eur
Goods to feed the Poor, or give it to the Church, (for
Them that dwell before the Lord) and yet there will be
nothing of Holinefs in the one or in the other [|.
Yet the Eftate muft go with the Perfon, as it is
in Marriage ; and it has pleafed God to efpoufe un-
to Himfelf the Soul that gives it felf to him j / Z
am married to y OH } faith the Lord.
The /r/ Offering from Man that we read of, ac-
ceptable to God, was the Perfon with a part of his
Eftate I mean Abets Offering. C// alio bro't of
the Fruit of the Ground, but God had no Refptfl to
his Offering becaufe he had not firft given hlmftlftQ
Him. Abraham having refigned up Himfelf to the
Divine Will and Call, gave his Tytbe of till unto tfa
frleft of the moft Hlph God ; the famous Type of his
Lord and' Saviour, after whofe Order Chrift is a Trleft
forever; and he was blejfed by him. So Jacob
vowed, firft that the Lord foould be his God, and then
a Tenth of all that God fhould give him. So David
having firft render'd his Heart to God in Flames of
Cor. xiii. 4. * Jererji. iii. 44.
Pevotioq
Holinefs to the Lore?. 17
Devotion, then gathered jaft Stores which he con-
fecrated for a Temple to theName of the Lord ; and
his Princes followed his Royal Example., i Chron.
Xxix. 1 6. 17. " O Lord our God, all this Store that we
have prepared cometh of thine Hand, and It if all thin*
ewn : I know alfo my God, that Thou triefl the Heart
and haft Pleafure In Uprightness : As for me In the Uf-
rightnefs of my Heart have I willingly offer d all thefe
Ih.ngs, &c. Here was rhe Offering 0f the Man af-
ter G y and is always a Part
of it, in their Self -Dedication to God But God's
Part is holy to Him whether we confider it or no j
and if we re-nder Him his Part, the whole is lan&i-
fied unto us. There is not Holtnefs to God written
! Ecclcf. v. 4) f> & P&lin
on
to the Lore?.
on our Perfons, Faculties and Powers, nor on our
Eftate, till both one and the other are ufed to
holy Ends and Purpofes, in actual Miniftrations to
the Glory of God. But if we are actually honou-
ring God with our whole Man, Soul and Body,
the Powers of the one, and the Endowments of the
other, the Sfirit of the Living God dwells and rules
in us, and has graven en us, as in Letters of Gold,
Holinefs to Himfelf. And if we are honouring the.
Lord with our Sub fiance, and with the Firft-fruits of our
Increafe, we may read with Pleafure the fame I* fir if*
tion on our Eflates, & others may fee it on us, 2 Cor.
iii. 2. Te are our Epiftle written In our Hearts, known
and rtad of all Men : 71? are manifeftly declared to be the.
Epiftle of Chrift, miniftred by us, written not with Ink,
but with the Spirit of the Living God $ not in Tables of
Stone, but inflefoly Tables of the Heart \
Now if it be ask'd, Wherein a Part of our worldly
Eftate is to be uid to the Glory of God t it is eafily
anfwer'd in the two general and known Inftancet,
Works of Piety and Charity. The frjt is the very
Thing in my Text, and the other is like unto It, and
never to be feparated , the /r/ is a more direct Ex-
preflion of Love to God, the other to our Neibour
on which two hang all the Law and the Prophets, and
confequently the whole of Holinefs to the Lord is
contained in them.
:#
Firfi then, Our Wealth and worldly Bufincfs is
Holinefs to the Lord, 'when with a true and right
Heart it is ufed and imployed in Works ofPitty to-
ward God, for the Support of his Worflrip. When it is
for them that dwell before the Lord to eat fitfficiently, and
for durable Clothing. That is to fay, When Men
make Conference of giving unto God a due Pro-
portion out of their Eftates for the Support of Re-
E
so Merchanc/ife and Hire
ligion and the Maintenance of God's Mlnlfters, to
feed and clothe them, and that fufficiently and ho-
nourably ; eno' to eat of plentifully, and to clothe
their Families decently, and leave fomething to
them when they die . The Tithes of old were
fuch aProvifion for the Levites. And as they that
ferved at the Altar liv'd of it, fo has the Lord
ordained that they -who preach the Gofpel JhoM live of
the Gofpel, i Cor. ix. 14. The Bread of Mlnlfters is
the Bread of God, and we muft allow Him to be a
good HoufhoUer, & to keep a good Table. He does
not feed his Houlhold by Miracles, but by his reler-
ved Dues out of the Eftates of his People. He will
have it done by their Hands,that they may do Him
Duty and Homage, and pay him Tribute. There is
always a part of your Moneys, whereof he fays to
you, cc Wbofe Image and Sttperfcription is this ? and
you muft anfwer, It is Gods. Then render to Go A the
Things that are his. Matth. xxii 21. Do it by mi-
niftring out of your Eftates to his Houfe and Wor-
ihip, according to the Ability which he gives you.
When People expend prudently and pioufly for
the letting up, and carrying on, the Worjhip of God
where they live, or in other Places j or in fending
the Gofpel to People deftitute thereof, and perifh-
ing for lack of Knowledge ; and in making Provi-
fion for a more private Inftru&ion of Children in
fuch Places theirWealth in thisU/e of it becomes
Hollncfs to the Lord. It comes into a Relation to di-
vine Worfhtp, even as Aaron and the Holy Things of
old belonging to the Tabernacle. - . But unto fuch
Works of Piety for the Support of God's Worjhip, we
muft add
Secondly, Works of Charity and Mercy, which are
as much in themfelves, and render us as much, Ho-
ltne/4
Holinefs to the Lorcf. 21
llnefs to theLord, as the other. Thcfe belong to the
fecond Table of the Law, as thofe to the frft- Pity to
the poor and needy, in Obedience t^ God & Con-
formity to Him, is Piety and Sanftlty in his Sight.
They are the Lord s Receivers as well as his Priefts,
and we have them always with us. And the pious
foor are among his fplritual Prie/ts, rich in Faith,
chofen of God and catted. He that gives to them,
for their comfortable Eating and Clothing, with a
right and charitable Frame of Spirit, lends to the.
Lord, And honours Him with his Subftance. Thefe are
fpiritual Sacrifices with which God is well fleafed.
There is Worfhip and Incenfe, an Odour of * fweet
Swell in them, as well as in Offerings at the Altar
of God. The Alms of Believers go up for a Memo*
rial before God, with their Prayers ; as did thofe o
Cornelius. The Great High Prieft, at the Gulden Altar
within the Fail, prefents the one and the other in
the Cloud of Incenfe 3 his own Merits & Interceffion.
He, the Holy One of God, was Holinefs to the Lori
above all the Sons of Men , and his Miracles of
Mercy were like his Prayers and Devotions beyond
number, and alike honorary to God. God will
have his foor fed, as well as his Mlnlfters. And why
not ? are they not together Heirs of his K'n^dom ?
and has hCfnot put them together again and^again,
the Levite and the Poor *, in his Peoples rejoicing
before him on hisfolewn
But give me leave more particularly to prove, by
three or four Arguments, that Works of Chanty to
the poor are proper Holinefs to the Lord.
I. They are Obedience to the Law of God which is
moft holy. The Wort of God is the Rule of Holi-
! Deut. xvi. Jfi, 14, *jm. u. 13,
E z Rft|
22 Merchancfife and Hire
nefs, and one of its grand Rules and Laws to us i$
jllws-dteds, and a6j:s of Charity. Theie arc an e-
roinent Branch of that Holimfs which the Lord re-
quires, ech vii 9. Thus faith the Lord, Shew Mercy
every one to his Brother. Only let what we do be done
in Obedience to God, for his Glory, and with a
pure Kefped: to his Will, not to befeen of Men ; ha-
ving true Compajfion one of another, loving as Brethren,
fit if #1, courteous, tender-heart ed\\ $ otherwise there is
no Hollnefs to the Lord, nor Reward frpm our Fa-
ther that is in
2. T> give to the poor out of our Eftates is Holt-
Ttefs to the Lord, becaufe it is ourConformity to God and,
Cbrift in their Bounties and Mercies to tfje indigent anel
wiferable. Conformity to (he Holy God is Hollnefs,
but Covif*]Ji',n and Mercy to the poor is Confor-
mity to God , "who maketh his Sun to rife and bis Rain
to fall on the evil and on the good , Be ye therefore per-
feft as your Father in Heaven is perfett. Mat.v. 45^48.
So Cbrift approvedHimfelf to be the Holy One in the
Days of his Flefh, by filling up his Life with Ads
Of God-like Chtrity andMercy. They cried after Him,
laid themfclves in his Way, and he heakd them all.
This was Hvlinefs to his father, and in the Sight of
Men., and we Ihould lay up in our Hearts his me-
iporable Words, Ads XX. 35-. It is mere blejjed to give
than to receive.
* A right and charitable Difpofition is the Fruit
tf the Holy Spirit in us, & therefore can be no other
than Holinefs to the Lord. " The Ftuit of the Spirit is
Love t. There is much of the Spirit of God in
Bpwels pf Pity to one another. " If there be any
Matth. vi. i. i Pet. Hi. 8. Ephef. iy. 32. f Gal. V. 32.
Phil. ii. j. Col. iij, is.
Holinefs to the Lord. 23
Fettowflrip of the Spirit, If any Bow eh and Mercies.
Communion of the Holy Ghof, and thcCommunion
of Saints j.s experienced & exhibited in thefeBowels,
which we are therefore exhorted to put on, as the
Elctf of God, holy and beloved ^ and becaufe this Cha-
rity is the Bond of~Perfettnefs. Sec the Argument and
Demon/lration of the Apome James on this Head,
Jam. ii. iy, 16. If a Brother or Sifter be naked, an
deftitute of daily Food $ and one of you fay unto them 9
Depart in Feace^be you 'warmed & fitted : notwithftand*
ing ye 'give them not thofe Things which are needful to
the Body ; -what doth it profit ? q. d. WhatFruit,what
Evidence of any true Holinefs is there, in a Soul or
Life deftitute of the Fruits
4. Is the Sabbath and its Worfoif Holinefs to the
Lord ? So are Charities and Mercies. There is fuch
uStnttity in theie, that they belong to & are a Part
pt the S*ntfipf*tio* of the Sabbath. Yea fuchRegard
is had by God to an A& of Mercy to our poor
Nei'bour, that He has made his own Worfhip to
vail and give place thereto for the Time *. cc Go
ye and learn this, I witt have Mercy and ntt Sacrifice.
Which of you having an Ox orAfs fallen into a Pit, will
not ftraightwty full him out on the Sabbath day ? And if
a good and devout Man muft fhow this Mercy to
Jiis Brute-Creature on the Sabbath day, the Holinefs of
God dire&ing him io to do how much more muft
fcot A&s of Companion and Mercy to our poor and
needy Brethren, and to the neceffitous Members of
Jefus Chrift, be efteemed by the Lord of the Sabbath
to be Holinefs to himfelf? The Zealfot God'sHoufe
and Day eat up our Holy Saviour, but more his Zeal
for an A& tf' Mercy to a poor Woman ; Luke xiii.
I o 3 17. He was teaching in one of the Synagogues on
* Mat A. xii. 7. Luke xiy. 5.
the
Merchandise and Hire
the Sabbath-day, and behold there was a Woman which
bad A Spirit of Infirmity eighteen Tears y and was boweA
tevether, and could in no wife lift upberSelf: An A when
Jefus faw her. he called her to him and f aid to her, WQ-
wan thoti art loofed of thine Infirmity ! And he laid his
Hands on her^ and immediately (he was made ftralght^mel
glorified God. Tell me now which was molt Holi-
vefs to the Lord, the Sermon of Chi lit on that biefled
Sabbath, or this his Ad: of Healing the poor Wo-
man ? truly both alike.
Moreover, Offerings out of our Eftates, and C/-
le&ions for the poor, do both belong to the Jewyk
of God and to his Sahbaths. St Luke tells us of a
Treasury \\ of God in the Temple of Old, and that on
a Time as Cbrift was looking on the rich Men that
caft their Gifts into the Treafury, he faw alfo a cer-
tain foor Widow who threw in two Mites, and faid,
" Of aTruth She has caft in more than they aU. bo from
Heaven the Lord Jejus ftill looks with Approbation
and Pleafure, on the free-will-Offerings of his Wor-
ihipers in his Houfe of Prayer, on Lord's Days and
at other appointed Times , che pocnr as well as the
rider. . And fo near a Kit* are God's Worfrip and
Contributions for the poor, that they are joyned by
the Lord in Affinity., and equally declared to be Ho*
linefs to Him, in that sJpoftolical Conflitution and Di-
re&ion * 3 " Now concerning Gjlletfions for the Saints y
as I have given Order to thcChurches of Galatia, fo do ye
Upon the fir ft Day of the Wetk let every one of you lay Ij
him in Store, as God hath proffer d him, &C Your
Prayers andHearing the Word this Evening f are not
more Holinefs to 'he Lord than your Cotteftion is. The
jj Luke xxi. i, 2, 3.
f At a quarter Meeting for Charity the Lord d*y Evening,
March 6. 1716.
fame
ffolinefs to the Lord. $
fameGod has fa;d to us, " Remember the S Math-day
to keep it holy, and hath alfo faid, c t o do Good and
to communicate forget not 3 for with fucb Sacrifices God Is
$. And laftly, The Promifes made byGod to thofc
that are merciful and bountiful to the poor, do a-
bundantly declare that there is Holincfs to the Lori
in true Ads ot religious Charity and Mercy. He
that is Holy would not be fb well pleafed with our
Charities to ths poor and needy, if there were not
tnuchHjlinefs. in them. He has therefore blejjed the
tnercirulj and laid that they fall find Mercy. He is
not uniigtotcous to forget this Work and Labour of Lo~Jt.
Net that there is any Merit or Defert herein, but
there is of his own Holinefs in it. If it were not fo,
dims would never come up for a Memorial before
Him. Nor would they be fb remembred,mention'd
and rewarded in theDay of Judgment, as Chrift has
told us they will be ; " Then (hall the King fay to them
en his right Handy Come ye bleffed of my Father, inherit
the Kingdom prepared J or you from the feundation of the
World j for I -was hungry and ye gave me Meat, thirfty
and yt gave me Drink, a Stranger and ye took me In 3
'naked and ye clothed me, &c. Thefe high and ever-
lafting Rewards of the Charities of baints^provethem
to be Holtvcfs to the Lord. Bleffed and Holy is he that
tas Part in theie Promiles *.
And thus we have feen that the altualUfe & Im~
frovement of ur Eftates in the Service of God, in
Works of Piety and Charity, renders them Holinefs
to the Lord. But there muft be fomething added
by way of Caution and Limitation, and that is
f Marth. v 7. Heb. yi- Jo. Aft$X. 4. Matth. xxv. 3 *
Key. xx. 6.
HI. Always
a 6 Mefchanc/ife and Hire
HI. Always provided that what we fo devote and
ufe is acquired honeflly and rtghtewjly in the Fear of
God and* in his Way ; and is given by us 'with a fpi-
rltutl Mind) Heart and Affection.
i. What we have and give muft be gotten in God's
Way, which is the Way of Hollnefs. If we go out of
that we fin, and whatever we get in finful Ways is
neceflarily unholy before the Lord, and abominable
in his Eyes. Now that what we get may be ac-
quired in God's holy Way,
Flrfl y Our Dependence muft be oti God for his
Bkjfing to make our lawful Endeavours profpcrous ;
For it is the Bleffing of God that makes rich, and it
Is He that gives usPower to get Wealth it is therefore
frofbane and unholy to a&in our worldly Bufinefs but
with a Dependance on the Governing and over-
ruling Providence of a wife and Sovereign God :
James iv. 14. Go to now you that fay, To Day or
to Morrow we will be here or there, do this or that,
and make Gain ; Whereas ye ought to fay, IftheLord will
we (hall do fo. Let Jacob teach us how to begin
and go thro' the World: Gen. xxviii. 20. If God
will be with me In the Way I go, and give, me Bread t9 j
eat and Rtlment to fttt en.
Secondly, We muft daily commit our worldly Af-
fairs toGod in Prayer, and more efpecially atTirnes
our more important Concerns and Interefts. Our
Lord has taught us to bring thefe before God in
our Prayers : We pray for them in that Directory or
Form for Prayer which he has given us, the fourth
Petition in it. We pray cc that of God's free Gift
Cf we may receive a competent Portion of the good
H~
tual and heavenly. cc From Men of the World which
cc have their Portion in this Life -As for me, I will
c behold thy Face in Right eoufnejs ! I foal I be fat is fad
e when I awake in thy Likenefs. C( Many there be that
fC f a j) Who will jhew us any Good ? Lord, lift Thou up
I! the Light oftkj Countenance upon us / Thou haft put
F 2 << Gladneft
go Merchandise and Hire
(C Gladnefs In my Heart, mwe than in the 'Time that tkeir
c: Corn and their Wine Increased *. . Again, We
mult be ready, thro' Grace, to part with, andfubmit
to the Will of God in the lofs of all worldly Things ;
learning In what fatter State -we are therewith to be con-
tent, both how to be abafed and to abound^ to be full and
to be hungry. Let this be our Frame and Temper in
the Acquifkion andUfe of our worldly Eftate, and
.G od will write Holinefs unto Himfelf on us and it.
Only it mult be added, to the Glory of Chrift,
That our Per fins and our Efiate are Holinefs to the
Lord only by Faith In his Holinefs and Right eoufnefs 9
who is our Great High-PrieJt within theHolj of Holies,
ever living to make Inter ceffion for us, in whom and
for whofe Sake it is that repenting believing Sin-
ners are accepted as Holy in the Sight of God. Aaron
within theyail was the eminent^/u? of Jefus entring
*by his own blood. He is of God made to us Holinefs,
and we the Holinefs of God in Him. He y the Holy One
of God was made / for us, that we Sinners may by
Faith in Him become Holinefs to the Lord. With
the Heart Man believeth in Him untp Righteouf-
jiefs, and God is f an ft i fed therein while his Mercy
abounds unto the Chief of Sinners. Coming to Him,
we are built up a fpiritual Houfe^ a holy Priefthood. As
He went to the Crofs, he faid, cc For thtir Sakes I
janffify my Self, that they 'may be ftn&ifed. He was
ftp xr ate from 5/X tnat we nia Y corne boldly to the Throne
*f Grace (|. Bear this in Mind, That no Saint is Hp-
linels to theLord from any lnhercntHQ\ii\t($ in him,
nor /or any Works of Rigbteoufnefs done by hint, but for
the peried and glorious Holinefs of Chrlft Beckon 'd
to him.
* Pfalm Iv. 6. xvii. ult. Phil. iv. rr. J! Hebrews x. Jp, a j
i Cor- v. :i- J Pet. ii. 4, 5. Heb. vii. 26. Phil. iii. 9.
And
mm
Holiness to the Lord. 31
And having thus faid, When theTraffic& Wealth
of a People is Hoiinefr to the Lord, I come (as was
propofed) in the third and laft place to enquire,
III. Why it muft be fo ? Why our Mtrclandife and
Hire fhould be bro't, with our Selves, under a holy
Consecration to God, and Uft for Him.
I might eafily enter into, and enlarge on, many
Reafons of this Duty, which are alfo Motives to it,
and muft pray you to give 'em a juft Confederation,
and fo make th explication of all that has been faid
every one to himielf.
I.It is the bigheft End & be ft Ufe of Man and of all
that belongs to him, his fr(t and /^/End, to be Holy
1o God. " The Earth is the Lord's, and theFidneft there-
of, the World and they that dwell therein. The Hea-
vens, with all their bright Inhabitants, ferve to no
higher End. " Angels are miniftringSp irits, fent forth
te mini ft tr to the Heirs of Salvation from this Earth
of ours. Thofe Watchers and Holy Ones on High
ufe and imfley all their Powers and Riches, in Boun-
ties to the poor and needy Children of Men, the
poor Saints below. And can we do better than They
to ferve the Ends of Holiness, and the Glory ofGod ?
fc Whether they be Thrones,or Dominions or Principalities y
or whether we be higher or lower in Rank andE-
ftateon Earth, all are created by Him and for Him $ t&
Whom be Glory for ever *.
2-Thi s is therefore the prefer it ed, cemwanded Ufe of
our worldly Riches,that they be holy to God. "This
is the Witt of God in Chrifl Jefus concerning us, and Our
* Pfalna >xiv. a. Heb, i. 14. Daniel iv. 13. Col. i. 16
SanAificatioa,
3 2 MerchanJife and Hire
San&ification. God cannot will letter concerning
ns ? than that we and all that belongs to us be My to
Him. This is hh good and acceptable, his royal anel
ferfett Witt. Let us put our Amen to it and fay,
" Father, thy Will be done on Earth as It is in Heaven [|
**"
;. It is the greateft Honour and 'Dignity put on us,
and our worldly State, that we and that \>t Holinefs
to the Lord. cc This Honour have all the Saints, and
only They ; pralfe ye the Lord \ The Glory of God is
his Holiness. He is the High and Lofty One, whole
Name is Holy *. A Ray from his excettentGlory fhines
on Angels above,, and on Saints on Earthed makes
them Stars in his Firmament. This was the peculiar
Honour of Ifrael, " Te Jhall be a holy "People unto Me.
God has not a brighter Stone in his ownCrown than
his Holinefs, nor a brighter Crown for the Head of
Creatures than to make them holy.
But it is remarkable, and the World may well
wonder at the Bcaft, That the vaineft and -proudeft
Creature on Earth affe&s this facred & lofty Style,
His Holinefs ! He takes the Name of God in vain, in
the moft horrid and monftrous manner, and the
Lord will not hold him guilt lefs. The Man of Sin
calls himfelf HisHolinefs 1 was ever any thing more
ab(urd, and yet more natural ? Only the Man of Sin
durft take the molt bleilcd and incommunicable
Name. The jealous God will confume that wickedOne.
Nothing on this fide Hell can be further from the
Holinefs of God. t The Scarlet Whore, drunken with
the Blood of Saints, impudently and biafphemoufly
calls hcrfelf His Holinejs ! Monftruw, lnforme y ingens!
\\ i Thef. v. 1 8. iv. 3. Rom. xii. 2. Jam. ii. 8. i Pet. ii. 9,
* Ifai.lvii. 15. Dan. xii. 3. Deut. ii. 21. t 2 Thef. ii.
\Holinefs to the Lore/.
No, the Honours of Heaven go with the poor In Spi-
rit, the meek and lowly and merciful. All the
Riches and Dignities of Kings are below thefe poor
of Chrift's little Flock, to Whom it is the Pleafurc
of the Father to give the Kingdom.
4. Our worldly Goods will be vilely abufed to the
Difoonour of God, and the Hurt of our Selves and o-
thers, if they be not holy to God. They are the
Mammon of Unrlghteoufnefs for want of this,and gen-
der to all UngddUmft. They become a Provifion
for the Flcfato fulfil tbcLufts thereof '; the Fuel of Pride
and Vanity, Gluttony and Drunkennefs, Lewdnefr
and Uncleannefs. Or thro' Co'vetoufnefs they be-
come Idolatry. The Love of Money Is the Root of all
Evil, Sin and Sorrow, to our Selves and others ;
ruinous to our own Families,and alfo to our Nei"-
bours, by Diftioaefty and Unrighteoufnefs, Deceit
and Fraud, Extortion and Oppreffion. For where
Charities and Mercies fail, and Works of Piety,the
forenamed odious Vices grow up in their ftead, of-
fcnfive to God and Man , Roots of Rltternefs, bearing
Gall and Wormwood, all manner of Corruption and
Iniquity,Calamity and Mifchief. But let ourMer*
chandife and Hire be holy to God> and all this is pre-
vented, and our Goodnefs extendeth to the needy and
the excellent of the Earth, In whom jheuld be all our De-
light and we become Eyes to the blind, and Feet to
the lame, and Fathers to the poor, and abundant Mlcf-
fings in our Generation *.
$. The Merchandife and Hire of Perfons and
Places fhould be Holinefs to the Lord, that the Lord
their God may blefs them In att the Works of their Hands.
* P&Un xyi. 2. Jobxxix. u, it. Philem. v. 7.
The
34 Merchanctife and Hire
The Way of Holinefs is the Way of BkJJlng. Goi
has promifcd to blefs hisPcople in this his required
Way. It is He chat gives us To-wer to get Wealth.
Read his Promifes to an Obedient holy People,
Deut. xxviii. " All thefe HkJJings flail come upon thec,
Bleffed fialt thou be in the City and in the Field ^C.
He has threatned to curfe an unholy People in the
famelnftances. If he blow upon 'em they are blafled.
God juftly iwpoverifoes the Places that rob him of
his Offerings and Alms. To with-hold his Dues
tends to Poverty. But prove me now y faith the Lord,if
I do not pciur out a, Blejfing, when you pay to Me and
mine my Part out of your Eftates f. " Alas ! fays
* c an excellent Divine, that Men have generally fo
cc little Faith in God's Providence or Promifes !
" Few believe Him when he fays, " Let there be
e.f in worldly Things, and reaps in
Spiritual : Like the Woman of Samaria who gave
Chrift a Uttle common Water,and received of Him.
f Deut. xxviii. 15, 16, 17* Hag, j. 9, Proy. *i. 24,
Mai. iii. 8, *2*
a
jHolinefsto the Lord.
a Well of living Water, within her Self, ff ringing up
into everlafting Life. i
7. Let your Merchandife and Hire be Holinefs
to the Lord, And you fly all have Riches in Heaven. So
our Lord propofed to the yeung Man that came to
him. The Promifc is, (C He that (oweth to the Spirit ,
Jhall of thsSpirlt reap Life Everlafting. The Promifes
of this Nature are multiplied (| in the Book of God,
becaufe our carnal Minds are fo averfe to the Be-
lief of them. But will Chrift fail us in aPoint that
he has fo often repeated ? He has faid, " Thy Father
cc which fees In fecret will reward thee openly. Thou.
" foalt be recompenfed at tke Refurreliion of the Juft*
" Make to your felvcs Friends of the Mammon of Un~
Cff right coufncfS) that when ye fail they m*y receive you.
" into everlafting Habitations. Provide Bags which
u wax not oldy a Treasure in Heaven that faileth nof 9
cc where no Thief approacheth, nor Moth corrupteth. . *
Thefe are true Sayings of God, He is faithful ihat
hath.promifid. Both in our Devotions and Cha-
rities we mould have Refpect unto the Recompenfe of
Reward : Knowing (fays the Apcftle) that in Heaven
ye have a better and mere enduring Subjtance Cafl net
away therefore your Confidence which hath great Recom*
pence of Reward.
You muft be juft to God and your Selves, and
make theie Riafons of your Duty fo many Motives:
to it.
You fee i. That the meanefc Things may be of
good and great Ufe to the Glory of God - and the
moil contrary Things be made to turn to our Salva-
tion. We may (o ferve God and our Selves o
* John iv. 14. Prov. xi. 25. Gal. yi. 8, [I Luke xiv. 14
xvi. 9. xii. 33, Heb. x. 24.
Merchandise and Hire
as to make it a Friend to Him and our
Souls. We may extract Holiness out of the Dirt
and Clay of this World, the thick Claj wherewith
fo many load themfelves and bury themfclves. God
'fits as a Refiner and does this for us. Grace turns all
it touches into Gold. It is a Stone thatattrads arid
fixes the very Iron to its Pole, which is Hollnefs,
Heaven and God. AsPfylofcpby has found out the
richer! Virtues in the meanett Herbs and Plants, fo
pivinity teaches us how to improve^and ufe the
mean Things of this World to the rnoft fpiritual
and heavenly Ends : And when we ferve God and
our Souls of earthly Things, then are they indeed
wifely and rightly ufed.
2. Let us be humbled for the 111 Ufe we have wade,
of our worldly Bufinefs and Gains, our si I? ufe of them
unto Unbolinefs and Sin. What is more" Enmity to
God and our Selves than this ? Mens worldly Af-
fairs engrofs and eat them up \ eat out the Heart of that
little Religion they profefs. The Cares of the World
.find the Deceitful fie ft of Riches choke the Word. Men
go, one to hlsFarm and another to his Merchzndife. God,
and the poor, and their own Souls are forgotten
and negleded by them. They trup In uncertain
Riches, and renounce thtlMngGed* They fall in-
O Temptations, and Snares, and many foelijl) and hurt-
ful Lufts^hich drown them inDcftruttlon and Perdition.
They are filled, and they fill the World, with allUn-
r'igititeoufnefs, Fornication, Wickednefs, Covet ON fnefs t
\Vhat a fhamcful Abufe is this of the Bounties of
Providence ! and a turning his Glory Into Shame !
3. See the Honour &nd Happiucfs of a religious People.
They and all that belongs to them are Hellnefsto the,
\ Luke viii. 14. Matth. xxii-5. J Tim.vi.p, 17. Rcm. f.
Holiness to the tord. 37
Lord. Bleffed & holy is He that hath part in this.
They are in God's Church here in the Image of
Jefus, the great High Prieft of their Profeffion.
They are a holy Priefthood,* fpiritttal Heufe, the Houfe-
hold of Faith. What can Angels be, and what can
Heaven be more than this, Holinefi to the Lord ? Jefos
is this, within the Holy cf Holies, at the right Hand
of God. He calls his cholen into Ftlbw/kif -with
Him, and with his Angels. His People are a King-
dom ofPrie/ts, a holy Nation. There are Garments of
Glory and Beauty provided for them, wherein fhortly
to enter the Holieft of all So the Afoftle falutes
and fuperfcribes , * " To the Church of God
fc which is at Corinth, (anttifiedin Jcfus Chri ft, called
f to be Saints with all that in every Place call upon the
cc Name of fefus Qhrifc our Lord, bcth theirs and ours /
cc I thank my God always on your behalf, for the Grace of
fc God that is given youby Jefus Chrift.
4. andlaftly, I befeech you brethren, by the Mer-
cies of God, that you prefent your Selves, Children,
Families, Sub fiance, Gifts, Talents, all you are and
have, as living Offerings to God, holy and accepta-
ble thro Jefus Ghrifl. How fhould an unholy Perfon
offer to v God in a holy manner ? The Perfon is
more than his Eftate. Chrift feeks not yours but you.
The Soul is his, and all Souls are fo. There are the
Riches of Souls, their noble Faculties and Powers
with every natural and acquired Gift ; and what
fliould be thy Gift to God but The.fe \ thy whole
Self ; Body, Soul and Spirit, which is your reafonable
Service. Prov. xxiii. 26. My Son, give me thy Heart.
Next to thy */fare thy Children : Give theft to
God as thy beft Riches, thy richeft Jewels. They
are holy to Him by Covenant, as the Family of Abra-
Ccr. i. :. i Pet. ii, 5, 9. Exod, xix. 6.
ham
g 8
and Hire
haw was. This Bkjfing is come upon us Gent.L
thro Faith in that BleJJ'ed Seed, In Whom the Familis*
of the Earth are blejfid : and thro' Whom the Offerings
f the Gentiles are acceptable to God, being fan&ified by
the Holy Ghoft. What can a Man give to God in Ex-
change for his Soul and the Souls of his Houfe ? will
he give his EJtate, and think it will be accepted ? I
trow not.
God values our Hearts and Spirit's above all our
Silver or Gold, our Herds and Flocks. If a Man
would give all tkeSubftance of his Houfe injtead of Love ,
the Loves of his Soul and the Souls ok his Houfc,
it would be contemned. Thoufands of Rams were a
Jo?s-neck in lieu of the Lwe of one Soul.
"We owe the firft and greateft Piety and Charity to
our Selves and at Home. We and ours are mad* for
ever, if we are holy to the Lord : But we are profane
and miferable without it.
The rich and the foor equally owe Them / lives to
God, and are equally able to render it. The Lord Is
the Maker of them both, and they are alike acceptable
to Him. The one muft be rich in gotd Works, ready
to distribute, willing to communicate ; and the other
rnuft be rich in Faith, Heirs of the Kingdom.
It is a holy Thing to givs unto fucb as the fc, from
.Faith and Love 'which is 'in Chrift Jejus.
1 will read you, the be ft Offering that any Man
can make to God ! read it and bUt&e it, and I have
done: Gen, xviii. -19. I know Abraham, that he will
command his Children and his Houfoold after him y and
they Jhall keep the Way of the Lord ; that the Lord
way bring upon Abraham that which He hath fpokcn cf
him.
FINIS.
ERRATUM.
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