Honor The Lord With Your Possessions

A precept which makes it our duty to serve God with our estates: Honour the Lord with thy substance. It is the end of our creation and redemption to honour God, to be to him for a name and a praise we are no other way capable of serving him than in his honour. His honour we must show forth and the honour we have for him. We must honour him, not only with our bodies and spirits which are his, but with our estates too, for they also are his: we and all our appurtenances must be devoted to his glory. Worldly wealth is but poor substance, yet, such as it is, we must honour God with it, and then, if ever, it becomes substantial. We must honour God with our increase. Where riches increase we are tempted to honour ourselves (Deuteronomy 8:17) and to set our hearts upon the world (Psalm 62:10) but the more God gives us the more we should study to honour him. It is meant of the increase of the earth, for we live upon annual products, to keep us in constant dependence on God.

With all our increase. As God has prospered us in every thing, we must honour him. Our law will allow a prescription for a modus decimandi--a mode of tithing, but none de non decimando--for exemption from paying tithes.

With the first-fruits of all, as Abel, Genesis 4:4. This was the law (Exodus 23:19), and the prophets, Malachi 3:10. God, who is the first and best, must have the first and best of every thing his right is prior to all other, and therefore he must be served first. Note, It is our duty to make our worldly estates serviceable to our religion, to use them and the interest we have by them for the promoting of religion, to do good to the poor with what we have and abound in all works of piety and charity, devising liberal things.