to die, and after Death comes Judgment; the Apprehenfion of which is dreadful, and the Presence of it is intolerable, unless by Religion and Sanctity we are disposed for fo venerable an Appearance.

9. To this may be useful that we consider the See the Great Ealiness of Christ's Yoke, the Excellencies and Sweet Exemplar. neffes that are in Religion, the Peace of Conscience, Part 3: Dic the Joy of the Holy Ghost, the rejoycing in God, the Eafinels of Simplicity and Pleasure of Verruezthe Intricacy, Christian Re Trgable and Bufiriefs of Sin golthe. Blessings and

ligion. Health and Rewardi lof that bothe Outfes, the Sick nefses and fad Confequerices of this, and that if we are weary of the Labourd of Religion, welmaf core tainly, fit ftill and do nothing b For whatsoever we do contrary too it; is infinitely madre full of Labouri Care, Difficulty and Vexationas Bhall's

to Condideritisalso, that Tediousnofs of Spirit is the beginwing of the most dangerous Condition and Efate in the whole World.h for it is a great Difpofition to the Sin againt the Holy Ghon le is apt to bring a Man to a Backfliding and the State of Unregeneration; to make him return to his: Vomit and his Sink, and either to make the Mah impatient, or his Condition fcrupulous, unsatisfied, irk fome and defperaté : 611 And it's better thar he had never knoront the way of Godlinefs, than after the Knowledge of it, that be foull fall away. There is not in the World a greater Sign that the Spirit of Reprobation is begin ning apon a Man, than when he is habitually and conkantly, a very frequently, weary, and nights or loaths Holy Offices.

11. The last Remedy that preserves the Hope of such a Man, and can reduce him to the State of Zeal and the Lovb of God, 'is á pungent, fad and a heavy Amiction mot defperate, but recreated with fome Intervals of Kindnefs or little Comforts, or enter tained with Hopes of Deliverance : Which Condition if a Man fhall fall into, by the Grace of God he is likely to recover, but if this help him not, it is infinite Odds but he will quionch the Spirit. Ra

SECT

di 10 SESC T... VIII. itids
OIS. 2 D'IL 1.000 ;

505DocOf Alms.of 1910, vi?
2.-2 od bilo je to. di lui vorr girls
?siqmoza T.Ove is communicated as Fire; as ibufie and as.

active, and it hath fourTwin-Daughters, extreme:
er like each other, and but that the Doctors of the

School have done as Thamar's Midwife did, who bound
CI,

a Scarlet Thread, something to distinguish them, it
would be very hand to call themasunder. Their Names
are 1. Mercys 2Benificence, or Well-doing, 3. Libe-
rality, and 4.Alms, which by ofpecial Privilege hath:
obtained to be called after the Mother's Name, and
įq cotamponly

called Charitga The firft op eldest is feat-,
ed in the Affection, and it is that which all the other)
mult attendonitor Merey,without Alms is acceptable,
when the Perfonnie idilabled to exprefsri outwardlyi
what he heartily defines / But Alms without Metcy
are like Prayerši without Devotioh ,00r Religion
without Hamility.biz. Benificence, lor Well-doing, isi
a Promptness and Nobleness of Mind; ismaking us to
do Offices of Lourtefie and Humanitystoall sorts of
Persons in their Need or out of their Needig. Liberes
rality is a Rifpofition of Mind oppofité to Covetouf,
ness, and conglts in the despite and negle& of Money:
upon-jult Occasions and relates torqur Friends, Chil:
dron, Kindred, Sexyastts, cand other Relatives. 4. But
Alms is a relieving of the Poorsand Needy. The firfti
and the last soply:are Duties ofi Chriftianity. The
second and third are Circumftances and Adjunets of
thefe Duties:2For Liberality increases the Degree of
Alnis, making our Gifr greater; and Benificence dx-t
tends it to more Persons and Orders of Men, foteade:
ing it wider. The former makes us fometimes to
give more than we are able ;, and the latter gives tol
more than need by the Necefsity of Beggars, and:
ferves the Needs and Conveniencies of Persons; i ands
fupplies Circumitances. Whereas properly, Alms are:
Doles and Largeftes to the necedi toks and calamitous

People,

1

People, supplying the Necessities of Nature, and giving Remedies to their Miferies.

Mercy and Alms are the Bady and Soul of that Charity which we must pay to our Neighbour's Need: And it'is à Precept which God therefore enjoyned to the World, that the great Inequality which he was pleased to suffer in the Poffeflions and Accidents of Men, might be reduced to fome Temper and Evénness, and the most miferable Person might be reconciled to fome Sense and Participation of Felicity, Works of Mercy, or the several Kinds of

Corporal Alms. The Works of Mercy are for many as the Affe&tions of Mercy have Objects, or as the World hath Kinds of Misery. Men want Meat,' or Drink, or Cloaths, or a House, or Liberty, ot Atrendance, or a Grave. In Proportion to these seven Works are usually assigned to Mercy, and there are seven Kinds of Corporal Alnis reckoned, 1. To feed the Hungry. 2. To Mat, 25. 3.5. give Drink to the Thirsty: 3. Or Cloaths to the Naked.

To redeem Captives. 5. To visit the Sick. 6. To entertain: Strangers. 7. To bury the Dead. * But many more may be added. Such as are, ş. To "Mat. 26.12. give Phyfick to fick Persons, 9.To bring cold and 2 Sam. 2 s. Harved

People to Warmth and to the Fire; for sometimes Cloathing will not do it, or this may be done when we cannot do the other. 1o. To lead the Blind in right Ways. in. To lend Money. 12. To forgive Debts. 13. To remit Forfeitures. 14. To mend Highways and Bridges. 15. To reduce or guide wandring Travellers. 16. To ease their Labours by accommodating their Work with apt Instruments, or their Journey with Beasts of Carriage. 17. To deliver the Poor from their Oppressors. 18. To die for my Brother. *. 19: To pay Maidens Dowries, and to procure for them honest and chaft Marriages

Nobilis hæc effet pietatis rixa duobus,
Q:lod pro fiatre mori veller uterque prior, Mart.

Works

R 3

wavering and inconstant. Spirits. 11. To confirm

dens from Proftitution and uncation

Works of Spiritual Alms and Mercy are,
To teach the ignorant, 20

To counsel doubt-
ing
Persons,

3.

To admonish Sinners diligently, prudently, seasonably, and charitably : To which

also may be reduced, provoking and encouraging to Heb. io. 24: good Works,

To comfort the amicted. 5. To 1 Thef. s.14. pardon Offenders. 6. To succour and support the weak.

To

pray for all Eltates of Men, and for Relief to all their Neceflities. To which may be added. 8. To punish or corre& Refractoriness. 9. To be gentle and charitable in cenfuring the Actions of others. 1o. To establish the fcrupulous, the strong

12. Not to give Scandal. 13To quit a Man of his Fear, 14.* To redeem Maidies,

* Puella profternit fed ad pedes ; Miferere virginitátis meæ, ně prostituas hoc corpus Clb cam turpi titulo, Hift. Apoł. Tyan,

To both these kinds a third also may be added of

a mixt Nature, partly corporeal, and partly spiritual. Laudi due. Such are, 1. Reconciling Enemies ; -2. Erecting pubtumapudvét. lick Schools of Learnings 3. Maintaining Lectures of Aitá z Divinity ; 4 Erecting Colleges of Religion, and Re

tirement from the Noises and more frequent Tempta-
vere.
masu ukvas tions of the World ; 3. Finding Employment for un-
*glinaver. bufied Persons, and putting Children to honeftTrades.

For the Particulars of Merey or Alms cannot be diar
rower than Mens Needs are. And the old Method of
Alms 'is too narrow to comprize them all ; and yet
the Kinds are too many to be discoursed of particu
larly. Only our blessed Saviour in the Precept of
Alms, uses the Instances of relieving the Poor, and
Forgiveness of Injuries; and by Proportion to these,
the rest whose Duty is plain, simple, eafie and necef-
sary, may be determined. But Alms in general are
to be dispos'd of according to the following Rules.

Rules

Rules for giving Alms.

1. Let no Man do Alms of that which is none of his own :

For of that he is to make Restitution ; S. Greg.7' that is due to the Owners, not to the Poor : For 110. Epist, every Man hath Need of his own, and that is first to be provided

for ; and then you must think of the Needs of the Poor. He that gives the Poor what is not his own, makes himself a Thief, and the Poor to be the Receivers. This is not to be understood as if it were unlawful for a Man that is not able to pay his Debts, to give smaller Alms to the Poor. He may not give such Portions as can in any Sense more præbeat mi. difáble him to do Justice ; but fuck which if they fericordi aur were saved could not advance the other Duty, mayjuftitia. retire to this, and do here what they may, since in S. Aug. the other Duty, they cannot do what they should. Prov. 3. 9. But generally Cheaters and Robbers cannot give Alms of what they have cheated and robbed, unless they cannot tell the Persons whom they have injured; or the Proportions, and in such cases they are to give those unknown Portions to the Poor by way of Reftitution, for it is no Alms : Only God is the Supream Lord to whoin those Escheats devolve, and the Poor are his Receivers.

2. Of Money unjustly taken, and yet voluntarily parted with, we may and are bound to give Alms : such as is Money given and taken for falle Witness, Bribes, Simoniacal Contracts : Because the Receiver hath no Right to keep it, nor the Giver ány Right to recall it, it is unjust Money, and yet payable to none but the supream Lord (who is the Person injured) and to his Delegates, that is, the Poor. To which I insert thele Cautions. 1. If the Person injured by the unjust Sentence of a bribed Judge, or by falfe Witness, be poor, he is the proper Object and Bofom to whom the Reftitution is to be made. 2. In Case of Simony, Decret. Fip: the Church, to whom the Simony was injurious, tit

. de Sitno is the Lap into which the Restitution is to be pou-tia, red; and if it be poor and out of Repair, the Alms,