much more do his friends go far from him? Thus it is in SERM. vulgar practice: but the pious man is more judicious, XXXI. more juft, and more generous in the placing of his favours; he is courteous to purpose, he is good to thofe who need. He, as fuch, doth not make large entertainments for his Luke xiv. friends, his brethren, his kindred, his rich neighbours ; but 12, 13, 14. obferves that precept of our Lord, When thou makest a feaft, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be bleffed: for they cannot recompenfe thee; thou fhalt be recompenfed at the refurrection of the juft. Thus the pious man giveth, that is, with a free heart and pure intention beftoweth his goods on the indigent, without defigning any benefit, or hoping for any requital to himfelf; except from God, in confcience, refpect, and love to whom he doeth it. It may be also material to observe the form of speech here used in reference to the time: He hath difperfed, and he hath given; or, He doth difperfe, he doth give; (for in the Hebrew language the paft and prefent times are not diftinguished :) which manner of speaking may seem to intimate the reality, or the certainty, and the conftancy of his practice in this kind; for what is past or prefent, we are infallibly secure of; and in morals, what one is said to have done, or to do, is always understood according to habit or cuftom. It is not, He will difperfe, he will give; that were no fit description of a good man; to pretend to, would be no argument of piety; thofe words might import uncertainty, and delay in his practice. He that faith, I will give, may be fallacious in his profeffions, may be inconfiftent with his refolutions, may wilfully or negligently let flip the due feason of performing it. Our good man is not a Dofon, or Will-give, (like that king of Ma-'Eren cedon, who got that name from often fignifying an intention of giving, but never giving in effect;) he not only, σιεργὸς δὲ τῶν purposes well, and promises fairly for the future, but he . hath effectually done it, and perfeveres doing it upon Paulo Emil. every fit occafion. He puts not his neighbour into tedious expectations, nor puts him off with frivolous excufes, faying to him, as it is in the Proverbs, Go, and Prov. iii. 28. Δώσων ὡς ἐπο αγγελτικός Plut. in SERM. come again, and to-morrow I will give, when he hath it XXXI. by him: He bids him not have patience, or fays unto Jam. ii. 16. him, Depart in peace, when his need is urgent, and his pain impatient, when hunger or cold do then pinch him, when fickness inceffantly vexeth him, when present straits and burdens opprefs him; but he affordeth a ready, quick, and feasonable relief. He hath difperfed, and given, while he lives, not referving the difpofal of all at once upon his death, or by his last will; that unwilling will, whereby men would feem to give fomewhat, when they can keep nothing; drawing to themselves thofe commendations and thanks, which are only due to their mortality; whenas were they immortal, they would never be liberal: No; it is, he hath freely difperfed; not an inevitable neceffity will exAvarus, nifi tort it from him; it cannot be faid of him, that he never cum mori- does well, but when he dies; fo he hath done it really facit. Laber. and furely. tur, nil recte He also doth it conftantly, through all the course of his life, whenever good opportunity presents itself. He doth it not by fits, or by accident, according to unstable causes or circumftances moving him, (when bodily temper or humour inclineth him, when a fad object makes vehement impreffion on him, when shame obligeth him to comply with the practice of others, when he may thereby promote fome defign, or procure fome glory to himself,) but his practice is conftant and uniform, being drawn from steady principles, and guided by certain rules, proceeding from reverence to God, and good-will toward man, following the clear dictates and immutable laws of confcience. Thus hath the pious man difperfed, and given to the poor: and let thus much fuffice for explicatory reflection upon the firft words. The main drift and purport of which is, to represent the liberal exercifing of bounty and mercy to be the neceffary duty, the ordinary practice, and the proper character of a truly pious man; fo that performing fuch acts is a good fign of true piety; and omitting them is a certain argument of ungodlinefs. For the demonftration of which points, and for exciting us to a practice answerable, SERM. I fhall propound feveral confiderations, whereby the plain XXXI. reasonableness, the great weight, the high worth and excellency of this duty, together with its ftrict connection with other principal duties of piety, will appear. And first, I will fhew with what advantage the holy Scripture represents it to us, or preffes it upon us. difcourfe. 11. 1. We may confider, that there is no fort of duties I. Head of which God hath more exprefsly commanded, or more earneftly inculcated, than thefe of bounty and mercy toward our brethren: whence evidently the great moment of them, and their high value in God's efteem may be inferred. Even in the ancient law, we may observe very careful provifions made for engaging men to works of this kind, and the performance of them is with huge life and urgency prescribed: Thou shalt not harden thy heart, Deut. xv.7. nor fhut thine hand from thy poor brother.-Thou shalt Deut. xv. open thy hand wide unto thy brother, unto thy poor, and to thy needy in the land. So did Mofes, in God's name, with language very fignificant and emphatical, enjoin to the children of Ifrael. The holy prophets alfo do commonly with an especial heat and vigour press these duties, most smartly reproving the tranfgreffion or neglect of them; efpecially when they reclaim men from their wicked courses, urging them seriously to return unto God and goodness, they propose this practice as a fingular instance moft expreffive of their converfion, most apt to appease God's wrath, moft effectual to the recovery of his favour. Wash you, faith God in Ifaiah, make you Ifa. i. 16, clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine 17. eyes; ceafe to do evil, learn to do well. So in general he exhorts to repentance: then immediately he fubjoins thefe choice inftances thereof: Seek judgment, relieve the Ifa. i. 17, oppreffed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.-Come 18. now, then he adds, let us reafon together: though your fins be as fcarlet, they shall be as white as fnow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. When Daniel would prescribe to king Nebuchadnezzar the best way of amendment, and the fureft means of averting God's Jer.vii. 5, 6. SERM. judgments impendent on him, he thus fpeaks: WhereXXXI. fore, O king, let my counfel be acceptable unto thee; break Dan. iv. 27. off thy fins by righteousness, and thine iniquities by fhewing 7. mercy to the poord. This he culled out as of all pious acts chiefly grateful to God, and clearly testifying repentance; and, fo very impious a perfon was alms able to juftify, fays the Father thereupon. So alfo when God himself would declare what thofe acts are which render penitential devotions most agreeable to him, and most efIfa. lviii. 6, fectual, he thus expreffeth his mind: Is not this the fas which I have chofen? To loofe the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppreffed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are caft out to thine houfe? when thou feeft the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Of fo great confideration and moment was this fort of duties, even under that old difpenfation of weakness, fervility, and fear; fo much tendernefs of compaffion and benignity did God exact even from that hardhearted and worldly people, who were fo little capable of the best rules, and had encouragements, in comparifon, fo mean toward performances of this nature. The fame we may well conceive, under the more perfect difcipline of univerfal amity, of ingenuity, of spiritual grace and goodnefs, in a higher ftrain, with more force and greater obligation to be impofed on us, who have so much stronger engagements, and immenfely greater encouragements to them. And fo indeed it is: for thofe precepts delivered Luke xii. by our Lord, Sell all that you have, and give alms; If 33. vi. 30. thou wilt be perfect, fell all that thou haft, and give to the Matt. xix. poor; Give to every man that asketh thee; Treasure not up to yourselves treafures upon the earth, do indeed found high, but are not infignificant or impertinent. They can xi. 41. 21. vi. 19. 4 Τὰς ἁμαρτίας σου ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι fo the LXX. render thore words, פרק for פרת reading, it feems • Ναβουχοδονόσορ, τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀσεβῆ, ἴσχυσεν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη δικαιῶσαι. Athan, ad Antioch, Quæft. 87. not fignify or defign lefs, than that we should be always, SERM. in affection and difpofition of mind, ready to part with XXXI.. any thing we have for the fuccour of our poor brethren; that to the utmost of our ability (according to moral eftimation prudently rated) upon all occafions we should really exprefs that difpofition in our practice; that we are exceedingly obliged to the continual exercife of these duties in a very eminent degree. These indeed were the duties which our Lord, as he did frequently in his discourse commend and prescribe, fo he did moft fignally exemplify in his practice; his whole life being in effect but one continual act of most liberal bounty and mercy toward mankind; in charity to whom he outdid his own severest rules, being content never to poffefs any wealth, never to enjoy any ease in this world. And therein (both as to doctrine and practice) did the holy Apostles closely follow their Mafter: As poor, yet enriching many; as having no- 2 Cor. vi. thing, yet poffeffing all things. So they throughly in 10. deeds practifed these duties, which in words they taught and earnestly preffed; admonishing their converts to a dif-Rom. xii. tribute to the neceffities of the faints, to bdo good to all Gal. vi. men; to do good, and to communicate not to forget; to 10. fhew mercy with cheerfulness, to put on bowels of mercy ; 16. to be kind and tender-hearted one toward another; to Coloff. iii. abound in the grace of liberality. Such are their directions Eph. iv. and injunctions to all Chriftian people; fo did they preach Cor. viii. themselves, and fo they enjoined others to preach. Charge7. the rich in this world, faith St. Paul to his fcholar Timo- 1 Tim. vi. thy, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate; and, Thefe Tit. iii. 8. things, faith he likewife, advising bifhop Titus, I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they which believe in God may be careful to maintain good works; what good works he meaneth, the reason adjoined doth fhew; For these things, faith he, are good and profitable unto men. 2. It is indeed obfervable, that as in every kind that which is most excellent doth commonly affume to itself the name of the whole kind; fo among the parts of righteousness (which word is used to comprehend all vir 13. c Heb. xiii. 12. 32. 2 17, 18. |