The sacrifice of thankfulness A sermon preached at Pauls Cross, the third of December,…The sacrifice of thankefulnesse A sermon preached at Pauls Crosse, the third of December,…

4. The hand rageth and rangeth with violence, to take the bread it never sweat for, to enclose fields, to depopulate ⟨p. 34⟩Townes,¹ to lay waste whole countries. They covet fields, and houses, and vineyards, and take them, because their Hand hath power. There is a hand of extortion, as Ahab's was to Naboth; the greedy landlords to the poor tenant. There is a hand of fraud, and full of Legerdemain, as the usurers to his distressed borrower. There is a hand of bribery, as Judas, with his Quantum dabitis; what will you give me to betray the Lord of Life. There is a hand of lust, as Ammons to an incestuous rape. There is a hand of murder, as Joabs to Abner, or Absaloms to Ammon. O how unruly hath this member been! yet it hath been tamed: not by washing it in Pilates basin, but in Davids holy-Water, Innocence. I will wash my hands in innocency, and then, O Lord, will I compass thine altar. Hereupon he is bold to say; Lord, look if there be any iniquity in my hands. God did repudiate all the Jews sacrifices,² because their hands were full of blood. Davids ³hands had been besmeared with the aspersions of lust and blood; but he had penitently bathed them in his own tears: and because that could not get out the stains, he faithfully rinseth and cleanseth them in his Sons and Saviours fountain, the all-meritorious blood of Christ. This made them look white:⁴ whiter then Lilies in Gods sight. Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness: according to the cleanness of my hands in his eye-sight.

4. The hand rageth and rangeth with violence, to take the bread it never sweat for, to enclose fields, to depopulate ⟨p. 34⟩Townes,¹ to lay waste whole countries. They couet fields, and houses, and vineyards, and take them, because their Hand hath power. There is a hand of extortion, as Ahabs was to Naboth; the greedy landlords to the poore tenant. There is a hand of fraud, and full of Liegerdumaine, as the vsurers to his distressed borrower. There is a hand of bribery, as Iudas, with his Quantum dabitis; what will you giue me to betray the Lord of Life. There is a hand of lust, as Ammons to an incestuous rape. There is a hand of murder, as Ioabs to Abner, or Absolons to Ammon. O how vnruly hath this member beene! yet it hath beene tamed: not by washing it in Pilates basin, but in Davids holy-Water, Innocence. I will wash my hands in innocencie, and then, O Lord, will I compasse thine altar. Heereuppon hee is bolde to say; Lord, looke if there be any iniquitie in my hands. God did repudiate all the Iewes sacrifices,