A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

But if God gives all to us, let us give something to him. What shall I give him? Quid retributam Domino? non mea sed me; Not only my goods, but my self. Say as that Widow might, I am poor and have nothing to give, but my two mites; my body and soul; take them, and take all. When thou comest to offer thy sacrifice of thanks; do as Abraham was bidden; Occide unicum, charissimum peccatum: Slay (not thy dearest son, but) thy dearest sin. If we give our soul to GOD; as Abraham did Isaac, he will restore our soul to us with joy, as he did Isaac to Abraham: and that, as he did there to him, so here to us, not without the promises of life. There are that think every thing too much that God receives: as Leonides a steward told Alexander, that he bestowed too much frankincense on his gods. When Mary gave JESUS that ointment, Judas cries, Ad quid perditio haec? Why is this waste? he thought it lost. But he that hath given himself to God, will not stick at the rest. It is the Apostles argument of Gods liberality to us;^h He that spared not his only Son, but gave him for us, will not deny other things with him. So if thou have given him thy self, thou wilt never grudge him thy purse, or thy praise. It is a good desire of the soul, with that Father; Quicquid mihi vult dare Dominus, auferat totum & se mihi det; Whatsoever the Lord would give me, let him deny all and give me himself. So God requires of us,ⁱ not thousands of Rams, nor ten thousand rivers of oil; not the son of the body for the sin of the soul: but man, give me thy self. This instar omnium, super omnia, in stead of all, above all. As Seneca writes of Aeschines a poor scholar, to his master Socrates: Dono tibi unum quod habeo, meipsum; I offer thee that one thing I only have, my self. Others have given ⟨p. 67⟩much to thee, but they have kept more to themselves: but no man gives more, than he that keeps nothing back. Socrates kindly accepted and answered; I will take care, ut te meliorem tibi reddam quàm accecepii: that I may restore thee to thy self better than I received thee. So GOD deals with us, his return is better than our gift: we give to him our selves sinful and wretched, he restores us to our selves gracious and blessed.

But if God gives all to us, let us give something to him. What shall I give him? Quid retributam Domino? non mea sed me; Not onely my goods, but my selfe. Say as that Widow might, I am poore and have nothing to give, but my two mites; my body and soule; take them, and take all. When thou commest to offer thy sacrifice of thankes; doe as Abraham was bidden; Occide unicum, charissimum peccatum: Slay (not thy dearest sonne, but) thy dearest sinne. If we give our soule to GOD; as Abraham did Isaac, he will restore our soule to us with joy, as he did Isaac to Abraham: and that, as he did there to him, so here to us, not without the promises of life. There are that thinke every thing too much that God receives: as Leonides a steward told Alexander, that he bestowed too much frankincense on his gods. When Mary gave IESUS that ointment, Iudas cries, Ad quid perditio haec? Why is this waste? he thought it lost. But hee that hath given himselfe to God, will not sticke at the rest. It is the Apostles argument of Gods liberality to us;