First, The worship of God, and things subservient and conducent thereunto; as maintaining poor scholars in the nurseries of the ministry, and schools of the prophets; comforting and encouraging the able and faithful ministers of the gospel. For which, Hezekiah and Nehemiah are by God honoured in the records of scripture. (2 Chron. xxx. 22, and xxxi. 4, 11. Nehem. xiii. 10, 14) "Let him that is taught in the word, communicate unto him that teacheth, in all good things." (Gal. vi. 6)" Honour the Lord with thy substance." (Prov. iii. 9) They who sow unto you spiritual things, it is equal that you minister unto them carnal things. (1 Cor. ix. 11) David would not, when he might, offer unto the Lord of that "which should cost him nothing." (2 Sam. xxiv. 24) Ministers, that are faithful, dare not offer unto you that which costs them nothing. It costs them their time, their studies, their strength, their prayers, possibly their tears and sorrows, to see their work fall as fast as they set it up; as Chrysostom sometimes complained. Nay, if you will have a learned ministry, it must cost their purses too. The utensils of a minister are chargeable things; and therefore it is a worthy, honourable, and most beneficial work, to contribute unto public libraries for the service of the ministry, in universities, cities, and public places.

Secondly, The necessities of men; and here, 1. Kindred, friends, acquaintance,

house.' (1 Tim. v. 8. Acts x. 24)

Those of our own

2. Those of the household of faith, who dwell before the Lord. (Gal. vi. 10. Isa. xxiii. 18) Pour your ointment above all, upon the feet of Christ.

3. Strangers. (1 Tim. v. 10)

4. Enemies themselves: "If thine enemy hunger, feed him." (Rom. xii. 20, 21)

In one word, All that are in misery and distress amongst them.

First, The most helpless, widows, fatherless, sick, maimed, aged, exiles, captives.

Secondly, The most hopeful, useful, and painful; as pregnant wits for learned education, or other necessary employ

ments.

For the manner how, the apostle directeth us,

First, To do good works richly: They who are divites

opibus,' must be divites operibus' too: their fruit must be plentiful as well as their estate. There may be a narrow heart, a starved charity, where there is a large estate, as in Nabal. And there may be a large and bountiful heart, where there is but a poor and narrow estate, as in the poor widow, who, as our Saviour tells us, "cast in more than all others," into the treasury; more in proportion, quia nemo sibi minus reliquit ;'-more in affection; she cast in her bowels; she cast in her prayers with her two mites. (Mark xii. 43) So the apostle testifieth of the Macedonians, that their poverty was deep, and yet their liberality was rich and abundant: (2 Cor. viii. 2) though they could not draw much out of their purse, yet they drew out their very soul to their brethren; (Isa. lviii. 10) as the apostle saith, That he "imparted his own soul" to the Thessalonians. (1 Thess. ii. 1) But you that are rich in estate, may be rich in good works, as well as in good affections; may be exercised to all bountifulness. (2 Cor. ix. 11). As there is a decentia status' for a man's expenses on himself; so is there for his bounty to the poor. The widow's two mites had been a mock, and not an alms, if a rich man had cast them in.

Secondly, To do them readily, superadóтous elva, To be easy, prompt, prone unto good works, not out of necessity, importunity, constraint, but willingly. This is a great mercy, when men are able to offer these sacrifices willingly. (1 Chron. xxix. 14) And hereunto are necessary such habits and principles, as do facilitate good works: As,

1. Piety to God; a desire to honour him with his own gifts, and to give him back again of his own, and thereby as to testify our professed subjection to the gospel, so to procure abundant thanksgiving unto God. (2 Cor. ix. 11, 12, 13)

2. Love to Christ, whose doctrine hereby we obey; (Luke xi. 41) whose example herein we imitate; (John xiii. 29) whose members hereby we refresh; and so, in his account, do it unto himself, (Matth. xxv. 40) and become his creditors: for "he that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord." (Prov. xix. 17)

3. Love to our neighbour, which worketh tender-heartedness towards him in his affliction, and large-heartedness for his relief. (Prov. xxxi. 30) God requireth the doing of judgement, which, in some cases, may be done with sorrow,

as in the punishment of malefactors; but he requireth the loving of mercy. We must never go unwillingly about that; (Mic. vi. 8) our bounty must be in our eye, and so affect our hearts. (Prov. xxii. 9)

4. Wisdom and skill, with prudent consideration to do a good work to the best advantage. A man is never ready and dexterous in a business, which he is unskilful in: therefore the Psalmist saith, "Blessed is he that considereth the poor." (Psalm xli. 1) We read (as I take it) in Seneca, or Plutarch, of one, who knowing the poverty and modesty of his friend, was fain to steal a gift under his pillow for him, who otherwise might have refused it.

5. Cheerfulness and speed, to do a good work without grudging or delay. "Say not to thy brother, go and come to-morrow." (Prov. iii. 28) Job did not withhold the poor from their desire. (Job xxxi. 16) He that sheweth mercy, must do it with cheerfulness; (Rom. xii. 8) for the Lord loveth a cheerful giver. (2 Cor. ix. 7) In many cases, delays are denials. A duty, done in season, is twice done.

Thirdly, To do them diffusively, xovaVIxoùs sivaι. We are not only to do good, to do it copiously, to do it readily and cheerfully, but to do it to many,' to 'community;' so to have the property in ourselves, as that the comfort may be diffusive, and redound to many others. And as here ȧyaloepyeiv and xovwvixol are put together, so elsewhere (Heb. xiii. 16) Evoila and xowavía, doing good and communicating, are put together; and so it is used, Phil. iv. 15.

The word seemeth to import, First, To do good, so as that many may be better for it, that it may be a common and a public good. Such are the works of God; his sun shines, his rain falls, on good and bad, upon the barren rocks, as well as the fruitful valleys. Such are public works, building and endowing of schools, of churches, of lectures, of workhouses, of hospitals, of manufactories; furnishing of libraries, maintaining of public professors, legacies to the poor, repairing ways and bridges, loans to set up poor tradesmen ; and other the like benefactions which have a common and public influence.

Secondly, To do it as in communion, as members one of another; communion natural, upon principles of humanity; and communion spiritual, upon principles of Christianity.

To remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them, and them which suffer adversity, as being ourselves in the body. (Heb. xiii. 3)

Thirdly, To do it sociably, modestly, humanely; to be not only bountiful, but to adorn both our wealth, and our good works, with suavity of conversation, with meekness, placidness, and facility of manners, with an amiable and communicative deportment towards all men. For a man's very charity may be so morose and austere, that tender stomachs may nauseate it; as physic that is wholesome, but bitter.

Give me leave to press this duty upon you, which the apostle doth by so many and emphatical expressions, with such considerations as these:

1. From the example of God himself, who requireth us to imitate him in works of mercy. (Luke vi. 36) "His mercy is in the heavens ;" (Psalm xxxvi. 5) "The earth is full of his goodness;" (Psalm xxxv. 5) "His bounty is over all his works;" (Psalm cxlv. 9) "He punisheth unwillingly;" (Lam. iii. 33) "He watcheth to be gracious." (Isa. xxxviii. 18) He chose mercy and grace as the choicest things, to make his name known unto his people by. (Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7)

He gave his Son, his spirit, his love, his grace, his glory, himself unto us; and yet his mercy is free; he is not, by any law, bound thereunto. "He sheweth mercy to whom he will shew mercy." (Rom. ix. 18) Whereas we are but his stewards; and have riches, as the sun hath light, to disperse to others. We have the custody, but the comfort belongeth unto others; it is called another man's,' and not our own. (Luke xvi. 12) If a man were master of the light of the sun, we should esteem him extremely barbarous and inhuman, if he should let it shine only into his own house:-our money, our bread, our clothing, is as necessary for our poor brother, as the light of the sun; and therefore the inhumanity as great to withhold the one, as it would be to monopolize the other.

Secondly, From the example of Christ. He was his Father's almoner; mercy was his office: it belonged unto him, as the Son of David, to shew mercy. (Matth. ix. 27) Mercy was his practice; "He went about doing good." (Acts x. 38) All his miracles were in works of mercy, feeding, healing, raising, comforting: and though he be now in glory, yet

he reckoneth the bounty, shewed to his members, as done to himself. (Matth. xxv. 35, 40) A sacrifice was offered to God, though eaten by the priest and the people; and our alms are called sacrifices.' (Heb. xiii. 16. Phil. iv. 18) The poor only are benefited; but God is honoured by them. And there is a connexion between his mercy and ours; we forfeit his, when we restrain our own. (Matth. v. 7. James ii. 13) And the argument is strong from his to ours; his was to enemies; ours, to brethren;-his, to debtors; ours, to fellow-servants;-his, free grace to me; mine, just debt to my brother;-(Rom. xiii. 8) his, for ever to me; mine, but for a moment to my brother;-his, in talents to me; mine, but in pence to my brother;-his, in blood to me; mine, but in bread to my brother;-his mercy enricheth me; mine leaves my brother poor still. If then I live by the mercy which I do enjoy, and must be saved by the mercy which I do expect; shall so much mercy shine on me, and none reflect from me upon my poor brother? Shall all the waters of life run from Christ unto me, as those of Jordan into a dead sea, to be lost and buried there? Wherefore doth the sun shine, and the rain fall on the earth, but that it may be fruitful? The mercies of God should be as dew and heat, as manure and culture, to the souls of men; that being thereby enriched, they may empty themselves, and draw out themselves into the bowels of others. Christ is the fountain, rich men the conduit, and poor men the vessels which are there and thence supplied.

Thirdly, From respect to ourselves. 1. Community of nature; we also are in the flesh. We may want mercy from others, as others do now from us. Who would have thought, that David should have stood in need of the bread of a churl? Good offices between men and men are not duties only, but trade and merchandise. I shew them to him now, and another time he may shew them to me: it is the apostle's argument, 2 Cor. viii. 14. 2. A special honour, when God makes us instruments for doing good; for "it is a more blessed thing to give, than to receive." (Acts xx. 35) Mercy is the seed of honour. (Psalm cxii. 9. Prov. xxi. 21)

Fourthly, From respect to our neighbour, to whom we owe this debt of love. For there is a debt of charity, as well as a debt of justice: a debt, whereby I owe him that