forth, saith he, thy lightning, and tear them; shoot out thine arrows, and consume them (Ps. cxliv. 6); with such other manner of imprecations: yet ought we not to be offended at such prayers of David, being a prophet as he was, singularly beloved of God, and rapt in spirit, with an ardent zeal to God's glory. He spake not of a private hatred, and in a stomach against their persons; but wished spiritually the destruction of such corrupt errors and vices, which reigned in all devilish persons, set against God. He was of like mind as St. Paul was, when he did deliver Hymenæus and Alexander, with the notorious fornicator, to Satan, to their temporal confusion, that their spirit might be saved against the day of the Lord [1 Tim. i. 20; 1 Cor. v. 5]. And when David did profess in some places, that he hated the wicked, yet in other places of his Psalms he professeth, that he hated them with a perfect hate [Ps. cxxxix. 21, 22], not with a malicious hate, to the hurt of the soul. Which perfection of spirit, because it cannot be performed in us, so corrupted in affections as we be, we ought not to use in our private causes the like words in form, for that we cannot fulfil the like words in sense. Let us not therefore be offended, but search out the reason of such words, before we be offended, that we may the more reverently judge of such sayings, though strange to our carnal understandings, yet to them that be spiritually minded, judged to be zealously and godly pronounced.

God therefore, for his mercies' sake, vouchsafe to purify our minds through faith in his Son Jesus Christ, and to instil the heavenly drops of his grace into our hard stony hearts, to supple the same, that we be not contemners and deriders of his infallible word; but that with all humbleness of mind and Christian reverence, we may endeavour ourselves to hear and to read his sacred Scriptures, and inwardly so to digest them, as shall be to the comfort of our souls, and sanctification of his holy name; to whom, with the Son and the Holy Ghost, three Persons and one living God, be all laud, honour, and praise, for ever and ever. Amen.

[Suitable Prayers after reading the foregoing Homily. GRANT, O Lord, that by thy holy word.... read and preached

the hearers thereof may both perceive and know what things

they ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfil the same. Amen.-Form for the Consecration of Churches. FROM hardness of heart, and contempt of thy word and commandment, Good Lord, deliver us.-Litany.

The presenting of the Holy Bible.

OUR gracious Queen; we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; this is the Royal Law; these are the lively Oracles of God. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this Book; that keep and do the things contained in it. For these are the words of eternal life, able to make you wise and happy in this world, nay wise unto salvation, and so happy for evermore, through faith which is in Christ Jesus: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.-Coronation Service.

WE must not only hear and understand the word of God, but also with stedfast assent of mind embrace it as the truth of God descended from heaven, and heartily love it, yield ourselves to it desirous and apt to learn, and to frame our minds to obey it, that, being once planted in our hearts, it may take deep root therein, and bring forth the fruits of a godly life, &c. &c.

Forasmuch as it is the wisdom of God, men should vainly labour in either teaching or learning it, unless God would vouchsafe with the teaching of his Spirit to instruct our hearts, . . . . therefore we must with fervent prayer crave of God that with his Spirit he lighten our minds, being darkened with extreme darkness.

Nowell's Catechism, pp. 5, 6.

I KNOW not whence it proceeds, whether from reverence or conscience, or a despair of victory, that these men [Papists] always dread and shun the word of God as much as a thief does the gallows .. they see their cause is suffocated and ruined whenever it comes near the Scriptures, which are a sort of deadly poison to it. Therefore they accustom themselves to call the holy Scriptures . . . a cold, uncertain, unprofitable, dumb, killing, dead letter; which seems to us to be the same thing as if they should wholly deny them to be the word of God. . . . . . . These men, pretending that all their innovations were consigned to them by Christ and his Apostles, and desiring they should be accordingly esteemed, lest there should be any thing, anywhere extant, which might contradict these dreams and shams, either burn or suppress the Scriptures, and keep them from the people..... We have turned the Holy Scriptures into all languages, and they will scarcely allow them to be extant in any tongue ... We venerate the words of the Apostles and Prophets, they burn them.-Jewell's Apol. pp. 63, 65, 84.]

AN HOMILY OF ALMS-DEEDS, AND MERCIFULNESS TOWARD THE POOR AND NEEDY.

AMONGST the manifold duties that Almighty God requireth of his faithful servants the true Christians, by the which he would that both his name should be glorified, and the certainty of their vocation declared, there is none that is either more acceptable unto him, or more profitable for them, than are the works of mercy and pity shewed upon the poor, which be afflicted with any kind of misery. And yet this notwithstanding (such is the slothful sluggishness of our dull nature, to that which is good and godly) that we are almost in nothing more negligent and less careful than we are therein. It is therefore a very necessary thing, that God's people should awake their sleepy minds, and consider their duty on this behalf. And meet it is, that all true Christians should desirously seek and learn what God by his holy word doth herein require of them: that first knowing their duty (whereof many by their slackness seem to be very ignorant) they may afterwards diligently endeavour to perform the same. By the which both the godly charitable persons may be encouraged to go forwards and continue in their merciful deeds of alms-giving to the poor, and also such as hitherto have either neglected or contemned it, may yet now at length, when they shall hear how much it appertaineth to them, advisedly consider it, and virtuously apply themselves thereunto.

And to the intent that every one of you may the better understand that which is taught, and also easilier bear away, and so take more fruit of that shall be said, when several matters are severally handled; I mind particularly, and in this order, to speak and entreat of these points.

First, I will shew how earnestly Almighty God, in his holy word, doth exact the doing of alms-deeds of us, and how acceptable they be unto him.

Secondly, how profitable it is for us to use them, and what commodity and fruit they will bring unto us.

Thirdly and lastly, I will shew out of God's word, that whoso is liberal to the poor, and relieveth them plen

teously, shall notwithstanding have sufficient for himself, and evermore be without danger of penury and scarcity.

Concerning the first, which is the acceptation and dignity, or price of alms-deeds before God; know this, that to help and succour the poor in their need and misery, pleaseth God so much, that, as the Holy Scripture in sundry places recordeth, nothing can be more thankfully taken or accepted of God. For first we read, that Almighty God doth account that to be given and to be bestowed upon himself, that is bestowed upon the poor: for so doth the Holy Ghost testify unto us by the wise man, saying, He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord himself (Prov. xix. 17). And Christ in the Gospel avoucheth, and as a most certain truth bindeth it with an oath, that the alms bestowed upon the poor was bestowed upon Him, and so shall be reckoned at the last day. For thus he saith to the charitable alms-givers, when he sitteth as Judge in the doom, to give sentence of every man according to his deserts, Verily I say unto you, whatsoever good and merciful deed you did upon any of the least of these my brethren, ye did the same unto me (Matt. xxv. 40). In relieving their hunger, ye relieved mine; in quenching their thirst, ye quenched mine; in clothing them, ye clothed me; and when ye harboured them, ye lodged me also; when ye visited them, being sick or in prison, ye visited me. as he that receiveth a prince's ambassadors, and entertaineth them well, doth honour the prince from whom those ambassadors do come; so he that receiveth the poor and needy, and helpeth them in their affliction and distress, doth thereby receive and honour Christ their Master; who, as he was poor and needy himself whilst he lived here amongst us, to work the mystery of our salvation, so at his departure hence, he promised in his stead to send unto us those that were poor, by whose means his absence should be supplied; and therefore that we would do unto him, we must do unto them. And for this cause doth Almighty God say unto Moses, The land wherein you dwell shall never be without poor men (Deut. xv. 11; [Mark xiv. 7]); because he would have continual trial of his people, whether they loved him or no, that, in shewing themselves obedient unto his will, they might certainly assure themselves of his love and favour towards them, and

For

nothing doubt, but that as his law and ordinance (wherein he commanded them that they should open their hand unto their brethren that were poor and needy in the land) were accepted of them, and willingly performed; so he would on his part lovingly accept them, and truly perform his promises that he had made unto them.

The holy apostles and disciples of Christ, who, by reason of his daily conversation, saw by his deeds, and heard in his doctrine, how much he tendered the poor; the godly fathers also, that were both before and since Christ, endued without doubt with the Holy Ghost, and most certainly certified of God's holy will; they both do most earnestly exhort us, and in all their writings almost continually admonish us, that we would remember the poor, and bestow our charitable alms upon them. St. Paul crieth unto us after this sort, Comfort the feeble-minded, lift up the weak, and be charitable towards all men (1 Thess. v. 14). And again, To do good to the poor, and to distribute alms gladly, see that thou do not forget, for with such sacrifices God is pleased (Heb. xiii. 16). Isaiah the prophet teacheth on this wise, Deal thy bread to the hungry, and bring the poor wandering home to thy house. When thou seest the naked, see thou clothe him, and hide not thy face from thy poor neighbour, neither despise thou thine own flesh. (Isa. lviii. 7). And the holy father Tobit giveth this counsel, "Give alms (saith he) of thine own goods, and turn never thy face from the poor, eat thy bread with the hungry, and cover the naked with thy clothes" (Tobit iv.). And the learned and godly doctor Chrysostom giveth this admonition, "Let merciful alms be always with us as a garment;" that is, as mindful as we will be to put our garments upon us, to cover our nakedness, to defend us from the cold, and to shew ourselves comely; so mindful let us be at all times and seasons, that we give alms to the poor, and shew ourselves merciful towards them. But what mean these often admonitions and earnest exhortations of the prophets, apostles, fathers, and holy doctors? Surely, as they were faithful to Godward, and therefore discharged their duty truly, in telling us what was God's will; so of a singular love to us ward, they laboured not only to inform us, but also to persuade with us, that to give alms, and to succour the poor and needy, was a very acceptable thing, and an high sacrifice to God, wherein