Vers. 9. But they that haue gathe∣red it, shall eate it, and praise the Lord, and the gatherers thereof shall drinke it in the Courts of my sanctuary.
SEe heere both the exposition and confir∣mation of the former sentence.* 1.1 For hauing protested that hee would no more suffer the goods of the church to be exposed for a pray, he now addes, that shee shall inioy them. In the meane while he shewes, that we may iust∣ly call wheate and wine ours, when wee haue obtained them by our honest labour: for those who rob others of their bread, or get it by vnlawfull meanes, hold it not by any right from the Lord; neither can they attribute goods so gotten, to his blessing, as if they iust∣ly possessed them. To which also, answers that in Psal 228.2. Thou shalt eate the labour of thine hands: thou shalt be blessed, and it shall goe vvell vvith thee.
But seeing he assignes food to such as shall till the ground; wherefore saith he, [Obiect.] that they shall giue thanks to God? Wherefore should men praise the Lord when they reape the corne, and gather in the grapes by their labour and in∣dustrie? This might seeme to be but a fained thanksgiuing, seeing it is attributed to mens good husbandry, and that God should de∣serue no thanks for that which a man hath at∣chieued by his honest paines. [Ans.] But wee must note that after the Prophet hath taught them the lawfull meanes of getting their li∣uing, he therewithall addes, that our labour shall be in vaine, if the Lord himselfe doe not by his blessing of the same, furnish vs with things necessarie. For all that we inioy, be∣longs of right to him: and to him alone, ought we to giue the honor of all that which we haue gotten.
When he addes, in my holy courts: he alludes to the solemnitie of the sacrifices. They might drinke any where else: it was in euery ones power to eate at home. But he alludes to the custome which they held in sacrificing their first fruits vnto God, at what time they con∣secrated the reuenues of the whole yeere, as the Law inioined them: Leuit. 2.12. and 23.10. And this sentence is very frequent in the bookes of Moses; Thou shalt eate and reioice in the presence of thy God: Deut. 12.18.