Motives to persuade people to abstain from one meals meat in a week, and to give the value thereof unto the trusties for propagation of the Gospel: especially for maintaining hopeful poor Scholars at the UNIVERSITIES.  
Septemb: 15th 1646  
1. THere wanteth in England and Ireland at this day more than fifteen thousand Preachers, as will easily appear, if the unworthy be all put out, and the numbers of Churches, Chapels, Noble Families, Armies, Navies, foreign Plantations, and where Merchants have settled trade, be all reckoned up.  
2. When people use not the means to prevent spiritual famine, God usually sendeth corporal famine, Hag. chap. 1. and chap. 2. And when they provide to have plenty of spiritual food, God (Malach. 3.) biddeth them prove him if he will not send them plenty of corporal food: Prov. 3.9, 10. honour the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine. 2 Sam. 24.25. And David built there an Altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings, so the Lord was entreated for the land, and the plague was stayed. This was the Lord's prescription then for the cure of the pestilence.  
3. Nature teacheth every man and woman to give of their meat to such as be ready to starve; and Grace much more: Luke 3.11. And he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Isa. 58.7. Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry? Rom. 12.20. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him. Mat. 25.42. I was an hungry, and ye gave me meat. And our Saviour (Mark 3.4.) maketh it all one not to save life, and to kill. But what is feeding of bodies, compared to feeding of souls? or saving of lives, to saving of hungerstarved souls? If Paul (2 Cor. 8.) begged to save poor saints lives, ought not all Ministers much more to beg of their people to save poor souls? If Dives, Luk. 16. went to hell for not refreshing Lazarus his body with the crumbs which fell under his table; what hope can they have to go to heaven, that will not give one meal in a week to save many souls? And if, as Haggi, Malachi, and Paul have done, Ministers will not preach and press this duty at this time, how will they answer it to God another day? and thereupon if the people will not do it, are not their gods their bellies, as Paul (Phil. 3.19.) showeth them? All parents that are not unnatural, have a provident care how their little children shall live if they survive them, and bethink themselves who shall bring them up: and all parents that be more than carnal, will provide not only Guardians for their children, that they may the better live temporally; but also Preachers that they may live eternally.  
4. All other kind of alms costeth a man something; but if the meal be forborn, and the value given, this gift costeth a man nothing: For example; suppose a man would forbear his Sabbath days dinner, and only take a very small refection at noon that day, (so much as might stay his stomach till night) and at supper deduct or abate as much as that refection came unto; behold how many blessings would come thereby: First, no work would be hindered thereby, (as perhaps, if this abstinence were on a weekday, some would allege). Secondly, some more might be at God's public worship, when none stayed at home for cooking of meats. Thirdly, all drowsiness would be avoided, and many be much fit in the afternoon to worship God. Fourthly, at supper, the rich man would have the poor man's stomach; and much meat, which is now cast away in many houses, would then be eaten: experience of this we have in our monthly Fasts; for the fragments left the day before, are dainties upon the Fastday at night; especially for the first course: verifying that which Solomon writeth, Prov. 27. ver. 7. The full soul loatheth the honey comb, but unto the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.  
5. God promiseth a man Deut. 15.10. for opening his hand wide, and giving to his poor brother but bodily relief, to bless all that such a man putteth his hand unto: If so; O then how much more will God bless him for his charity to many souls? And with what peace of conscience and joy in the holy Ghost might such a one, each Sabbath day at night, go first to supper, and afterward to bed, and yet do all this without expense of one halfpenny?  
Object. It is contrary to the nature of the Sabbath (which should be a day of rejoicing) to fast.  
Answ. 1. Daniel, Chap. 9.3. and 10.3. fasted full three weeks; namely, each day from morning until night, and at night did eat no pleasant bread, nor did flesh or wine come in his mouth, neither did he anoint himself all that while: in which space there must needs be three sabbath-days; yet God was not offended, but greatly pleased with Daniel for this.  
2. We have the like cause; for the seventy weeks of our Captivity are now also expired.  
3. We fast not, but abstain somewhat, and prepare to sanctify the Sabbath the better, and that our ordinary supper might be more than a feast unto us at night after we have offered our dinners unto God in this service, and our praises and prayers in his public worship. And perhaps, if the practice of the Jews be well searched into, they did eat little or no dinners on their Sabbaths or feast-days; but first feasted their souls, and after their bodies: as the Master first feasteth, but the servant when he hath done.  
4. Let us prove, if we do thus, whether our ordinary suppers shall not be blessed, and go farther than otherwise they would, even as the five loaves and two fishes did. People often have such blessings, but too seldom do observe how the Lord doth make (many times) a little meat to fill many, and that much more at one time then at another.  
5. When this objection is well examined, perhaps it will appear to come out of the stomach and belly, rather than out of the head, or to have any weight of reason in it. Whatsoever some have written, and others said in their incogitancy, especially in regard that the abstinence here reasoned for (and a very small refection taken at noon) tendeth generally to the better sanctification of the Sabbath, which is the scope and end of the fourth Commandment: and whatsoever maketh for the better keeping of it, is virtually commanded in it. But if there be some few particular men and women, who (undeceived) find that feasting or eating liberally doth more fit them to sanctify a Sabbath; they, and they only may take such liberty: but all others doubtless shall do better to eat so as may the better fit them for the services of the day.  
Object. Yet the Devil, who would not have this to be done, will suggest, that the family will eat as much more at night as was spared at noon.  
Answ. But that will not be so, if the Governors or Governesses of families do their duties as (for the good of the Commonwealth, sparing of victual, avoiding of famine, and causing plenty) they ought to do: and may more easily do, then is done in besieged Cities: for a man or woman may better proportion the victual of an house, than a Governor can do it in a whole City; and yet we have often seen that done in Cities by the Governors.  
Object. But you will hardly get people to abstain.  
Answ. 1. Yet it is a lesson worthy to be taught, learned and pactised.  
2. The voluntary meal first yielded (after an Ordinance enforcing all to pay it) brought many families in London to observe it ever since; and our enemies in the King's Quarters to do the like: And if this was done without Ministers pressing it in the pulpit, because people found the benefit; and hath been the cause that we have had, and have at this day the more plenty, and England in some degree hath thereby been cured of her former gluttony: if Ministers hereafter do their duties, and do but urge these reasons (as they will, and many more) why may we not hope to bring the people willingly unto their good, that are too much disposed to novelties and new fashions, though in their own nature, and apparent reason they be so unprofitable and noxious?  
3. In all godly families let the Governors but allege these reasons, and then ask their children and servants if they will be contented to give their parts, and they shall find that none will deny it, lest those that be willing should make those ashamed that be unwilling; and these leading, the rest will follow, or may be driven: and this will be not only no charge to the Governors, but a gain; for (if it become general) it will make victual so much cheaper; so that their money will be restored to them again, as jacob's sons were, Genes. 42.28. and with interest also, if afterwards by means thereof they pay less for victual.  
6. The money thus raised is better both to Church and to Commonwealth, then if some foreign State gave it; for we by this means not only have it for nothing, but have it as it were wrapped up also in so much victual as by this means is saved.  
7. When people have once learned this way of sparing, any famine foreseen, with God's blessing may be prevented thereby. Suppose we had now but half so much victuals in England as would furnish us with two meals a day, until God sent us more, if betimes we did eat but one meal in a day, our victual would hold out until the Lord did relieve us.  
8. The poorer any one is, the more reason he hath to give a meal, if this may be a means to prevent dearth; for famine killeth the poor, before it killeth the rich; and the poorest of all first of all.  
9 It is a Godly policy in time of plenty to teach and to bring people to such a diet, that when need requireth they may save their lives by offering of it.  
10. Solomon telleth us of a poor Wiseman Eccles. 9 that saved his City. But 2 Sam. 20. We read of the Wise-woman of Abel, that saved that City, when all the Wisemen in it either could not, or would not: Women (in London especially) have the charge of meats in all Families: and are there no Godly and Wisewomen that will undertake this work, and get a meal a week to be spared, and the value given, and promise and become sureties for God that he shall bless so the meal in the barrel, and oil in the cruse (I mean the rest of the victual in every house that doth so) that it shall go farther, and fatten also; as daniel's and his fellows water and pulse did: This Christ will take to be more kindness showed unto him, than those women's ministering unto him of their substance, Luk. 8. Also, if that Woman's pouring the precious ointment on his head Matth. 26. should be told for a memorial of her wheresoever the Gospel should be preached, surely such women as by this means shall procure maintenance for poor Scholars at the Universities, whereby Christ may have many more Ministers bred up, shall have a most honourable memorial wheresoever the Gospel shall hereafter be preached by such poor Scholars; yea by many thousands more.  
Truly if men shall not stir herein, nor Ministers move them (which God forbidden) I shall pray that Women may do this work, and have the honour thereof from men, and the reward thereof from God.  
That Mother that like Hannah breedeth but one Samuel for the Lord, doubt less she shall not lose her reward: much less shall those Women that are the means of breeding and bringing up of multitudes of samuel's.  
If all the Men and Women that were  did▪ so cheerfully work with their hands for the Tabernacle in the time of the Law, that they wrought and brought too much, and were commanded to bring no more: will men and women now for Gospel Tabernacles not do that which will ask but some of them a little labour, and none of them any cost at all, but be so pleasant and profitable as hath been showed, and refuse the honour to be instrumental in the enlargement of Christ's Kingdom, and their own and their posterities temporal & eternal happiness? But in this offering unto the Lord, Let none (as Ananias and Saphyra) keep back apart (by undervaluing their meal) but rather make God good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over; and then pray as Nehemiah, Nehem. 13.14. Remember me O my God concerning this, and wipe not out my good deeds that I have done for the House of my God, and for the Offices thereof: and then expect God's blessing, and the like honour that Nehemiah hath had and shall have in all after Ages.  
FINIS.   

Imprimatur:  
JAMES CRANFORD. Septemb. 11. 1646.