pretend what they wil he that hath Grace or the love of God in his heart wil shew it in Works of mercy to the end that God may be honored and others won and edified thereby Blessed are the pure in heart faith our Saviour for they shall see God Matth. 5. 8. They must lead vertuous lives on Earth that ever expect in Heaven to see the Lord Jesus Now the inward disposition of the heart is outwardly ingraven in the life Shew methy faith by thy works sayes James Jam. 2. 18. That is by thy active obedience which consisteth in doing God's Commandments and passive obedience in suffering his Chastisements Though Faith be alone in Justification yet not in the justified as the Eye though alone in seeing yet not in him that seeth but joined with the Ears Nose Hands and many other members of the body Faith the Queen of Graces hath her Gentleman-Usher before and her Servants following after If you see not Repentance go before Faith nor Works attending on her know that it is not she There is a zeal without knowledge and there is a knowledge without zeal there is a faith without obedience and there is an obedience without faith there is a love without fear there is a fear without love both are hypocrites We are justified by faith sayes Paul Rom. 4. 3. We are justified by works says James Jam. 2. 21 St. James dealt with them that stood too much upon Faith without Works S. Paul dealt with them that stood too much upon Works without Faith Wirked men if we mark it are all for extreams and extreams onely bear rule in this World because there is still but one virtue for two vices which cowch so close beside her that the natural man can scarce see her as for instance you shall ever see Pride on the one side Rusticity on the other side and comeliness in the midst Flattery on the one side Malice on the other side and Love in the midst Diffidence on the one side Presumption on the other side and Faith in the midst Superstition on the one side Atheism on the other side and Religion in the midst Ignorance on the one side Curiosity on the other side and knowledge in the midst Carefulness on the one side Carelesness on the other side and Diligence in the midst Covetousness on the one side Prodigallity on the other side and Frugallity in the midst But to these Virtues or to keep the mean Worldlings are always to seek as hereafter they wil be of a blessing Gods Servants are known by this they square all their actions and intentions by the Rule of the Word as knowing that if they do never so much to satisfie anothers Will or their own it avails nothing with God if it be not done for God Therefore David prayes Teach me O Lord to do thy will not my Will for we need not be taught to do our own wills every man can go to Hell without a Guide Now he that wil do Gods Will and live by the direct Rule of his Word must repent and believe the Gospel Mark 1. 15. that is joyn with his faith in God's Promises obedience to his Precepts For Faith and Obedience are as inseparable as life and motion the Sun and its light And altbeit in our Justification Christ saith Fiat tibi secundum fidem tuam be it unto thee according to the Faith Matth 9. 29. Yet in our salvation Redditur unicuique secundum opera sua Every man shall be rewarded according to his works Matth. 16. 27. Neither wil Christ say when he shal sit upon his throne Ye have believed but you have done Come ye blessed Matth. 25. 35. and in Matth. 25. 21. Well done good Servants not wel known nor wel spoken nor wel purposed but wel done This is the perfect Rule Gal. 6. 16. And as many as walk according to this Rnle peace shall be upon them and mercy and upon the Israel of God Again it is not knowing or hearing or preaching or casting out Devils in Christs Name nor praying Lord Lord c. but he that doth his will and when he hath done it accounts himself an uprofitable 〈◊〉 that shal be saved Luke 17. 10. And 〈…〉 men were not wilfully blind and did not 〈…〉 follow the deceitfulness of their own 〈…〉 then believe God's Word It were impossible they should ever hope for mercy without filial Obedience since the scripture thoroughout continually calls for practice as to ad some instances to the former If you ask God who shall dwell in his holy Mountain he faith The man which walketh uprightly Psal. 15. 2. If ye ask Christ who shall enter into the Kingdom of heaven he saith Not they which cry Lord Lord though they cry twice Lord but they which do the will of my Father Mat. 7. 22. If you ask him again How you may come to Heaven he saith Keep the Commandments Luk. 18. 20. If you ask him again Who are blessed He saith Blessed are they that hear the Word of God and do it here are none but doers If you ask an Angel who are blessed he saith Blessed are they which keep the words of this Book Revel 22. 7. Here are none but doers If you ask David Who are blessed He saith Blessed are they that keep judgement and he that doth righteousness Psal. 106. 3. 103. 18. If you ask Solomon Who are blessed He faith The man is blessed that keepeth God's Law Prov. 29. 18. Here are none but doers If you ask Esay Who are blessed He saith He which doth this is blessed Esay 56. 2. If you ask St. James Who are blessed He saith The doer of the Word is blessed in his deed James 1. 25. Here is none but doers mentioned Matth. 7 21. Rom. 2. 13. So that blessedness and doing go always together For as the works that Christ did bore witness that he was Christ Job 10. 25. So the works that we do must bear witness that we are Christians And least any man should look to be blessed without obedience as Christ calleth Love the greatest Commandment so Solomon calleth Obedience the end of all as though without obedience all were to no end Eccles. 12. 13. When God created the Trees in Paradice Gen. 1. hee commanded them to bring forth fruit So when he createth a lively faith in any one he commandeth it to bring forth Works And when our Saviour would prove himself to John to be the true Messias indeed he said to his Disciples Tell John what what things you have heard and seen not only heard but seen Matth. 11. 4. So if we will prove our selves to be Christs Disciples indeed we must do that which may be seen as wel as heard Iohn was not onely called the Voyce of a Cryer but a Burning Lamp which might be seen James doth not say Let me hear thy Faith but let me see thy Faith As the Angels put on the shape of men that Abraham
not part with his Heaven whereof he had present possession Whence our Saviour so bewails the miserable condition and difficulty of such mens being saved v. 17. to 26. And the Apostle the like Eph. 5. 5. 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. For if he that had so good affections made conscience of all his wayes was so desirous to be saved that Christ was taken with him What hope of this Wretch that hath a blockish seared and senseless Conscience that is past feeling and never made scruple of any thing from his infancy No these solid Arguments and strong inducements from Gods Word wil be so far from prevailing with him that it is rare if he do not slight and scorn what hath been spoken The covetous man knows no other God then his belly and desires no other Heaven then his Coffers full of Angels Thirdly and lastly admit the best that can be expected viz. that he shall not only lend a listening ear to all that hath been said but that it does also convince and almost perswade him to become liberal As I dare appeal to their own consciences that have hitherto heard what hath been alledged out of God's Word whether it hath not made their hearts burn within them whether they have not been convinced and with Agrippa almost perswaded to become merciful Acts 26. 28. Whether with Pharoah their spirits have not began to thaw a little Go do sacrifice to your God in this Land yea in their judgements yeilded to all that hath been demanded them and been ready to pray some Moses to pray for them And yet harden and knit again whereby all labour like Moses Message or the sweet words of Paul is utterly lost The covetous man though he be convinced in his confcience and doth resolve to be bountiful yet no hope of his doing it for his goodness is as a morning Cloud and as a morning dew it goeth away as the Lord once spake to Ephraim and Judah Hos 6. 4. Good thoughts to carnal covetous hearts are only as Passengers not Inhabitants they may make it a thorough-fare but they can never settle or remain there If at any time they melt with Pharoah they suddenly knit again Nor is there any heart made of flesh that wil not at some time or other relent Even Flint and Marble wil in some weather stand in drops It is not onely recorded of Pharoah that he did thus melt and of Agrippa that he was almost perswaded to become good but the holy Ghost further testifies that Esau wept Ahab put on Sackcloth that Judas repented and restored that Foelix trembled that Pilate took Christs part and washt his hands in witness that he was free from the blood of that just man that Balaam wisht to dye the death of the righteous that Herod delighted in Johns Ministry And yet we see that all came to nothing CHAP. L. GOod deeds flow from good men such as know themselves deputed Stewards not Independent Lords of their wealth as naturally as springs out of Rocks But with the covetous Cormorant it is far otherwise as good perswade a Caniball as the covetous to shew mercy To wrest any good deeds out of the Dive's of these dayes though there be millions in the case of Lazarus is far more hard then to wring Verjuice out of a Crab yea you may as wel press water out of a stone We read 1 Sam. 25. that churlish Laban Nabal I should say though the difference bee so smal that these two infamous Churls spel each other's Name backwards when distressed David askt him victuals he reviled him when he should have relieved him Nothing more cheape then good Words these he might have given and been never the poorer but his foul mouth doth not onely deny and give him nothing but that which was worse then nothing bad Language So fares it with these Churls when any David is driven to ask them Bread they give him stones instead thereof let them be moved by some one to give an Alms or do some charitable deed they cannot hear on that ear Or if this Wretch for his credit sake does speak fair all his good deeds be onely good words and he may be answered as that Beggar did the Bishop when instead of an Alms he gave him his blessing That if his blessing had been worth a penny he would not have been so bountiful So that if every house were of his profession Charities Hand would no longer hold up Poverties head Words from a dead man and deeds of Charity from a covetous man are both alike rare and hard to come by The Mountains are not more barren of fruit then he of goodness The Rocks are not so hard as his heart he is a friend to none but himself His Charity begins at home and there it ends To urge or perswade him to be liberal is all one as to intreat a Tyger to be tame and gentle or a Wolf to be pittiful and mercifull There is such an antipathy between his heart and one that is in distress that he hath not the patience to hear a poor man speake yea out of a desperate resolution to give him nothing he wil not vouchsafe to look upon him but turn his face or eyes another way as though the poore man were such an eye-sore as might not be endured And this he does for fear of being infected with the contagion of the poor mans misery or lest it should cause a spmpathy and scllow-feeling of his calamity or lest his conscious eyes should check his churlish heart and put him in mind of his barbarous inhumanity But let all such be assured that as they turn away their eyes from the poor in the day of their misery so the Lord wil turn away his face from them in the day of their calamity And as they have stopped their ears at the cry of the poor so they themselves shall cry and God will not hear them as it is Prov. 21. 13. And just it is that as the unmerciful wil not hear others when they stand in need so God should not regard them when they shal stand in need Blessed are the merciful saith our Saviour but that stands not with his disposition for the penny which comes out of his purse is like a drop of blood drawn from his heart and his reward shall be answerable The covetous man's heart is like his Chest ever close shut except it be to receive He is sparing niggardly in giving but open handed to receive whatsoever is brought like an Hog or Medler he never does good to any til he be dead and rotten He is like a Butlers earthen box out of which nothing can be drawn til it be broken Or some kinde of Vermine which is of no use til uncased He resembles a spunge that soaks up excessively but til Death comes with his Iron grasp to squeeze him he will not yeild one drop Onely then some good comes of his Goods Indeed it is
to their babes Psal. 17. 14. But my teeth shall not water after their dainties Wo be to you that are rich saith our Saviour for ye have received your consolation Luke 6. 24. All here none hereafter and hereupon they covet riches and honours and pleasures so excessively and insatiably Nor can it be otherwise in reason for nothing but the assurance of heavenly things makes us willing to part with earthly things Neither can he contemn this life that knows not the other But this is the priviledge of Piety The rich man hath not so much advantage of the poor in injoying as the religious poor hath of the rich in leaving Neither is the poor man so many pounds behind the rich for this world as he may be talents before him for the world to come So that there is no learning this art without being religious For you will be covetous untill you be gracious And during the time of your greedinesse you shall never be satisfied because happinesse is tied to goodnesse by the chain of Providence CHAP. XII Now if thou wouldest become godly in good earnest if thou wouldst have this change wrought in thee and have thy affections so altered as to find more sweetnesse in spiritual things than ever thou hast done in thy worldly enjoyments be sure to begin at the spring head I mean thy heart This is Gods own counsel to the men of Jerusalem Jer. 4. O Jerusalem wash thine heart from wickednesse that thou maist be saved How long shall thy wicked thoughts remain with thee vers 14. It is idle and to no purpose to purge the channell when the fountain is corrupt Had Elisha cast the salt into the brooks and ditches the remedy must have striven against the stream to reach up to the springs Now it was but one labour in curing the fountain Our heart is a well of bitter venomous water our actions are the streams in vain shall we cleanse our hands while our hearts are evil Whence the Apostle orderly bids us first be renewed in the spirit of our minds and then let him that stole steal no more Ephes. 4. 23 24 8. But alas how many are there that set the cart before the horse and begin to change their lives before their hearts but if we shall be advised so to do it is not advisedly It is most ridiculous to apply remedyes to the outer-parts when the distemper lies in the stomach He were an unskilfull Physician that when the head-ach is caused by the distemperature of the stomach would apply outward remedies to the head before he had purged the stomach where lies the matter that feeds the disease To what purpose is it to crop the top of the weeds or lop off the boughes of the tree when the root and stalk remain in the earth Cut off the sprig of a tree it grows still a bough an arm still it grows lop off the top yea saw it in the midst yet it will grow again stock it up by the root then and not till then it will grow no more Great Cities once expunged the Dorpes and Villages will soon come in of themselves Wherefore as the King of Syria said unto his Captains Fight neither against great nor small but against the King of Israel 1 Kings 22. 31. So especially we must set our selves against our mother and Master sinne the King being caught the rest will never stand out The heart is originally evil that is the treasure and storehouse of wickednesse As in generation so in regeneration Cor primum vivit life begins at the heart Yea the heart is the first in our Creation which is formed the first by reason of our fall by sinne which is deformed and the first in our regeneration that is reformed And whensoever God does savingly shine upon the understanding he giveth a soft and pliable heart For without a work upon the heart by the Spirit of God it will follow its own inclination to that which it affecteth whatsoever the judgment shall say to the contrary That must first be reformed which was first deformed Out of the abundance of the heart saith our Saviour the mouth speaketh Mat. 12. 34. Yea out of the abundance of the heart the head deviseth the eye seeth the ear heareth the hand worketh the foot walketh A man may apply his ears and his eyes as many blockheads do to his Book and yet never prove Scholar but from that day which a man begins to apply his heart unto wisdome he learneth more in a moneth after than he did in a year before nay than ever he did in all his life As you see the wicked because they apply their hearts to wickednesse how fast they proceed how easily and how quickly they become perfect Swearers perfect Drunkards cunning Deceivers c. The heart is like the fire which kindleth the sacrifice 1 Kings 18. 38. And indeed if the tongue or the hand or the ear think to serve God without the heart it is the irksomest occupation in the world But as the Sunne riseth first and then the beasts arise from their dens the fowles from their nests and men from their beds so when the heart sets forward to serve God all the members will follow after it the tongue will praise him the foot will follow him the ear will attend him the eye will watch him the hand will serve him nothing will stay after the heart but every one goes like Handmaids after their Mistresse Such as the heart is such are the actions of the body which proceed from the heart A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth evil things Matth. 12. 25. Therefore as Christ saith Make clean within and all will be clean Matth 35. 25 26. So see your hearts be sincere and single and then all your actions will be holy to the Lord. If we would be rid of noysome fowles the only way is to destroy their nests in every place A vain and lost labour it is to stop the current of a stream if you go not to the fountain Whence it is that God faith Give me thine heart Prov. 23. 26. As though he would teach us the pleasantest and easiest way to serve him without any grudging or toyl or wearisomenesse As let but the heart be changed and we shall attend the Ordinances and perform all duties with delighâ— cheerfulnesse and alacrity Whereas to a carnal heart holy duties as fasting praying hearing is so tedious and irksome that it thinks one Sabboth or Fast-day more tedious and burdensome than ten holy daies as their consciences will hear me witnesse Whereas the gracious soul is more delighted therewith than his body with a well relished meal Touch but the first linke of a chain and all the rest will follow so set but the heart a going and it is like the poyse of a clock which turns all
benefits as that your being breathing life motion reason is from God That he hath given you a more noble nature than the rest of the creatures excellent faculties of mind perfection of senses soundnesse of body competency of estate seemlyness of condition fitnesse of calling preservation from dangers rescue out of miseries kindnesse of friends carefulnesse of education honesty of reputation liberty of recreations quietnesse of life opportunity of well-doing protection of Angels Then rise higher to his Spiritual favours though here on earth and strive to raise your affections with your thoughts Blesse God that you were born in the light of the Gospel for your profession of the truth for the honour of your vocation for your incorporating into the Church for the priviledge of the Sacraments the free use of the Scriptures the Communion of Saints the benifit of their prayers the aid of their counsels the pleasure of their conversation for the beginnings of Regeneration 〈◊〉 foot-steps of Faith Hope Love Zeal Patience Peace Joy conscionablenesse for any desire of more Then let your soul mount highest of all into her Heaven and acknowledge those Celestial Graces of her Election to Glory Redemption from Shame Death and Hell of the Intercession of her Saviour of the Preparation of her Place And there let her stay a while upon the meditation of her future Joyes This or the like do and it will teach you where to beg blessings when you want them and whom to thank when you have them For as the Sea is that great Cistern to recieve the confluence of all waters as first from that large and vast pond water is derived into all parts of the earth by veines and springs those springs 〈◊〉 into rivers and those rivers empty themselves again into the Sea so all blessings come from God and all praises must be returned to him If we have any thing that is good God is the giver of it If we do any thing well he is the Authour of it God is Alpha the fountain from which all grace springs and Omega the sea to which all glory runnes All blessings come from him like so many lines from the center to the circumference therefore we must return all praises to him like so many lines from the circumference to the center Rom. 11. 36. 1 Cor. 10. 31. His wisdom he communicates and his justice he distributes and his holinesse he imparts and his mercy he bestowes c. 1 Cor 1. 30 31. but his glory he will not give to another Isai. 42. 8. But this is not all yea what can we think of that can be thought sufficient to render unto the Lord our God so good and gracious in way of thankfulnesse for all these his mercies For in reason hath he contrived so many waies to save us and should not we take all occasions to glorifie him Hath he done so much for us and shall we deny him any thing that he requireth of us though it were our lives yea our souls much more our lusts We have exceeding hard hearts if the blood of the Lamb cannot soften them stony bowels if so many mercies cannot melt them Was Christ crucified for our sins and should we by our sins crucifie him again Now the meditation of what God and Christ hath done for thee will wonderfully inflame thee with the love of God and thy Redeemer and withall make thee abhor thy self for thy former unthankfulnesse It will make thee break out into some such expression as this Praised be the Lord even the God of our salvation who loadeth us daily with benefits Selah Psal. 68. 19. The eyes of all wait upon thee and thou givest them their meat in due season thou openest thine hand and fillest all things living of thy good pleasure Psal. 145. 15 16. To come to promotion is neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south but God is the Judge he maketh low and he maketh high Psal. 75. 6 7. And so of all other mercies and deliverances He that confers a Benefit upon a gratefull nature robs him of his liberty and self also and in one and the same act makes him a vassal and himself his Master Wherefore if we have any ingenuity in us it will make us to direct all our thoughts speeches and actions to his glory as he hath directed our eternal salvation thereunto But to help and further you herein if you be willing so to do take these few Directions First Let these things be never out of the minds memories and mouthes of those whom Christ hath done thus for O let us I say remember as we should never forget Si totum me debeo pro me◠facto quid jam reddam pro me refecto saith holy Bernard If I owed my whole self unto thee for giving me my self in my creation what have I left to pay for giving thy self for me to so cruel a death to procure my Redemption which was not so cheap as my Creation Great was the benifit that thou wouldst create me of nothing but what tongue can sufficiently expresse the greatnesse of this grace that thou didst redeem me with so dear a price when I was worse than nothing We are full of thy goodnesse O let our hearts run over with thankfulnesse Yea let so many of us as have either heart or brain in the next place say O Lord What is man that thou art so mindfull of him Psal. 8. 4. And O man what is God that thou art so unmindfull of him And then conclude with What shall I render unto thee O Lord for all these thy benefits but love thee my Creatour and Redeemer and become a new creature I will serve thee O Lord by the assistance of thy grace because thou hast given me my self but much more honour thee because thou hast given me thy Son Christ. Nor can any man in common reason meditate so unbottomed a love and not study and strive for an answerably thankfull demeanure If a friend had given us but a thousand part of what God hath we should heartily love him all our lives and think no thanks sufficient but to him that hath given me all things I have scarce given so much as thanks Yea I have striven to multiply offences against him and to make them as infinite in number as his blessings Thirdly The continual meditation of What God hath done for thee will make thee do what thou art able for him again For did God and Christ do all this for us and shall we do nothing for him again Like favours require like gratitude This then should at least make us part with our nearest dearest and sweetest darling sins to serve him in righteousnesse and holinesse every day every hour all the daies of our lives Even every sin for what sin should be so dear to us as Gods only Son was to him Do we then for Gods sake not spare our dearest sin when God for our sakes did not
but if we sow these seeds of our beneficence believing Gods promises and hoping for a happy harvest we shall never sail of our expectation because God who is infinite in power and truth having promised a fruitfull crop no outward accident is able to hinder it But lest what hath been said should not be sufficient to prevail with men to be mercifull to the poore let them hearken to and mind well the many other reasons and inducements that propound themselves and then I doubt not but they will if wise do good to others if it be but to do a greater good to themselves For of all other graces the grace of charity and bounty hath the most and primest promises of reward to us and ours both here and hereafter of which I will mention some CHAP. XXIII Thirdly God hath further promised to confirm strengthen and continue as well as increase his prosperous and flourishing estate and that in sundry places of scripture already cited and elsewhere He is gracious and full of compassion he sheweth favour and lendeth he hath given to the poore c. And what shall be his reward Wealth and Riches shall be in his house he shall not be moved for ever his righteousness aye and his riches too as is implied in the close shall endure for ever he shall be in everlasting remembrance he shall not be afraid of evill tidings his heart is fixed trusting in the Lord his horn shall be exalted with honour Psal. 112. 1. to 10. All grace shall abound towards him that he always having al sufficiency in all things may abound to every good work and hold out to the end 2 Cor. 9. He deviseth liberâ—ll things and by his liberallity he shall stand Isa. 32. 8. He drawes out his soul to the hungry and comforteth the afflicted therefore his light shall rise in obscurity and his darkness shall be as the noon day and the Lord shall guide him continually and satisfie his soul in draught and make fat his bones he shall be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not and they that shall be of him shall build the old waste places he shall raise up the foundations of many generations â—nd he shall be called the repairer of the breach the restorer of pathes to dwell in Isa. 58. 6 to 13. And the like Pro. 28. 27. He that giveth unto the poor shall not lack And so Psalm 37. 25. I have been young and now am old y â— have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread and why so He is ever merciful and lendeth and his seed is blessed as it followes in the next verse and in the next to that He that does good shall dwell for ever more Verse 27. He shall not be forsaken but the Lord will preserve him for ever Verse 28. He shall inherit the Land and dwell therein for ever Vers. 29. and a great deal more to the same effect Verse 31 33 34 37 39 40. See more Jer 17. 25. Psal. 1. 3. and 32. 10. Job 1. 10. which are all pregnant places and full to the point in hand But I may not stand upon it Onely read these Scriptures and remember them Fourthly he shall be blessed in his person and that many waies yea the benefits and blessings temporall spirituall and corporall for soul and body which God hath promised to bestow upon the mercifull for a reward of their bounty are infinite of which observe with me these few First touching corporall benefits and blessings Blessed is the saith the Psalmist that considereth the poore the Lord shall deliver him in the time of trouble he will keep and preserve him alive he shall be blessed upon the earth and not delivered unto the will of his enemies Psalm 41. 1 2 3. Great priviledges but to these are added Isa. 58. If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry then shall thy health spring forth speedily c. verse 7. 8. But admit the mercifull man be long sick God will preserve him alive strengthen him upon the bed of languishing yea make all his bed in his sickness the Lord will stir up the feathers under him his soul shall be at ease and his body sweetly refreshed mercy shall be his cordiall or pillow of repose untill he be raised up again Psalm 41. 1. to 11. CHAP. XXIV But see how God hath rewarded many particular persons for this most excellent vertue Abraham in his old age was blessed with an Isaac a godly son and heir a glorious type of the worlds Redeemer and entertained Angels by his hospitality yea the Son of God the Lord of Angels as Sinesius observes The Shunamâ—te that entertained the Prophet Elisha received above a Prophets reward namely the promise and gift of a son when she was old and the raising of him to life when he was dead and the restoring of her house and land lost in her long absence for the samine 2 Kings 4 and 8. Chapters Rebeccah got so good and great an Husband by her hospitality as Chrysostom observes Lot was honoured with the entertainment of Angels and preserved alive with his whole family from the destruction of Sodom by his hospitality The Widow of Sarepta was blessed with a miraculous increase of her meal and oyl with the preservation of her family in the time of famine with the resurrection of her son by her relieving the Prophet in his banishment 1 Kings 17. Revell or Jethro for it is the same man under two divers names as Calvin proves upon Exod. 2. for this was rewarded with such a son in law as Moses and by him better instructed in the true worship of God Publius the chief man of the Island Melita by entertaining St Paul and his companions gat his father healed of a feaver and of a bloody flux Acts 28. 8. It is likewise storied of Stephen King of Hungary and of Oswald King of England that their right hands did never putresie because so much exercâ—sed in relieving the necessities of such as were afflicted Again Fifthly It bringeth the blessings of God upon all we 〈◊〉 or do And we know that the blessing of God in effect is all and does all Thou shalt surely give to thy poore Brother and thy heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him because for this thing the Lord thy God shall blesse thee in all thy work and in all that thou puttest thine hand to Deut. 15. 10. And the like Prov. 22. 9. Luke 14. 14. It were endless to name the particulars wherein God hath promised to bless the mercifull see onely Isa. 58. Psal. 112. Prov. 10. and 22. Chapters 2 Chron. 31. 10. Deut. 14 28 29. Ezek. 44. 30. Or turn to Luke 11. and there you shall see that as fasting sanctifieth the body and prayer the soul so Almes does sanctifie the substance Give almes of those things which ye have saies our Saviour and behold all things shall
and the most that can be made of these things Whereupon St. Austin thus exhorts Si vis esse mercator optimus faenerator egregius da quod non potes â—etinere ut recepias quod non poteris amittere da modicum ut recipas centâ—plum da tempotalem possessionem ut consequaris here ditalem aternan Wouldest thou be a good Merchant a great Vsurer give that thou canst not keep that thou maist receive that which cannot be lost Give though but a little that thou maist receive a thousand sold give thy earthly goods that thou maist obtain eternall life though indeed this giving is rather a receiving then a giving a receiving of treasure for trash and for things that cannot be kept a treasure that cannot be lost as another hath it Nor do the poore so much gain by what we give them as we do The deeds of the charitable do far more profit the giver then the receiver and he who gives an almes doth himself a greater almes Neither is it so much given as laid up for we may truly say what I gave that I have what I kept that I lost as one caused it to be set upon his gravestone What the charitable man gives here is but sent for he shall receive it again by Bill of Exchange in Heaven and that with unspeakable increase Yea it shall be a notable advantage to us at the hour of death for when all other riches shall fail what we have bestowed this way shall let us in to heave God freely cronwing his own grace in us Make your selues friends of the MaÌ„mon of unrighteousness that when ye faile they may receive you into everlasting habitations Luke 16. 9. The poore saith Gregory Nicen are appointed Potters to let their rich Benefactors into Heaven So that to give much is to keep much and that what would otherwise be lost by keeping the charitable man keeps by loosing And so proves richer under ground then ever he was above it which makes one say He is not wise who knowing he must hence In worldly building maketh great expence But he that buildeth for the world to come Is wise expend he never so great a summe And another he shall depart a beggar out of this world who sends not a portion of his estate before him unto eternall blisse Nay it manifestly proves that heaven is none of our Countrey if we will send none of our wealth thither before us Or rather that we thinke Heaven nothing worth when we will not give a little base pelse to compasse it CHAP. XXX But if giving might not properly be called gaining why is it compated to sowing Experieence proves that if we keep our seed by us it will corrupt but cast it into the earth we shall have it againe with manifold increase A man treasures up no more of his riches thou what he contributes in almes The foole in the Gospell filled his barnes in filling the bellies of the poore he had done more wisely I confesse this is a point of Doctrine which the world will not receive let God say what he will 〈◊〉 godly Chrysostome both affirmes and proves that the rich are more beholding to the poore then the poore to the rich The poor receive onely a single almes the rich have returned them an hundred-fold here and everlasting happinesse hereafter Mat. 5. 7. 25. 35. Luke 16. 9. wherein the prayers of their poore suppliants carry no small stroak For which see Cor. 9. 11. to 16. The poore are but the ground into which these seeds are cast But we are the Husbandmen who disperse and scatter them Now as the seed is chiefly for his benefit who soweth it and not for the benefit of the ground into which it is cast so the poor have but the present use and possession of this seed of almes-deed but the benefit of the crop or harvest belongeth to those good Husbandmen who sow in these grounds the seeds of their beneficence Again the poor receive onely things transitory and but of small 〈◊〉 but they that give things spirituall and eternall most inestimable and heavenly riches Why say we then we give to the poor when as it may more truly be said that we give unto our selves rather then unto them Dan. 4. 27. Prov. 11. 24. Why then should we thinke the poor so mightily bound and beholding unto us for our scrape and superfluius reliques or that we do such a meritorious businesse whenwe largely relieve them And not rather thinke our selves beholding unto them and to God for them seeing they are the occasions of such inestimable gaine for such trifling disbursements as Austine speaks And to speak rightly giving is not more an act of Charity then of Christian policy since we shall not onely receive our own again but have a far greater return then can be expected upon an adventure to the East Indies Since we are more happy that there are poore upon whom we may exercise our charity then they are that there are rich who do relieve their wants though with never so great supply for as Austine speaks if there were not some to receive thine alms thou couldest not give Earth and receive Heaven Wherefore give thanks unto him who hath given thee means by such a small prise to procure a thing so precious Besides we may boldly aver with Chrysostom that without poverty riches would be unprofitable As consider that if with Adam and Eve we had a whole world but no body to make ready provision and to attend upon us nor do any thing for us what joy could great men take of their riches if there were not poore men to do mean offices for them what low imployments should the highest be forced to descend unto if there were no inferious to perform them How then should not a considerate man love be liberall to them and exceedingly bless God for them and not do as do the most scorne them and not think them worthy a familiar-wordâ—râ— courteous look CHAP. XXXI And certainly he wants both grace and wit who does not admire the bounty and goodness of God in that he hath offered us the opportunity of such sowing such reaping yea O Lord what are we that thou shouldst give us plenty of all things here also which unto them thou hast denied so that every way it is as our Saviour tells us a more blessed thing to give then to receive which the Apostle would have us to remember Acts 20 34 35. Yet no reason can we alleadge on our behalf but O the depth Rom. 11. 33. Wherefore do thou O my God and Redeemer inlarge my heart with thankfulnesse and implant this grace in my heart O make me liberall of my mony as thou wast of thy blood O let me have an heart to give Food and Rayment to those for whom thou gavest thy self a ransome Yea of all other graces inlarge my heart with Christian Charity and compassion since it is a grace so
indeed what can be a more forcible reason to make our hearts relent though they be never so stony and our bowels to yearn with pity and compassion towards the poor though they were of brasse and iron Then to consider that our dear Lord and Saviour in them doth crave reliefe for who is so more then bruâ—ishly ungratefull that can turne him away empty handed Who being infinitely rich in all glory and happinesse was contented for our sakes to become poore that by his povertly he might communicate unto us his heavenly riches Who would not give Christ lodging Yea even if need should require the use of his own bed if hee remember that Christ was content so far to abase himselfe for our sakes as to make a stable his chamber and a manger his lodging that we might be admitted into his heavenly and everlasting mansious Who would deny to cloath him being naked who hath cloathed our nakedness and covered our filthinesse with the precious robe of his righteousnesse in which we stand accepted before God and receive the blessing of eternall happinesse Who would not spare food out of his owne belly to relieve poore Christ who hath given unto us his blessed body to be our meat and his precious blood to be our drinke whereby our soules and bodies are nourished unto everlasting life Who would not leave all pleasure and profit to go and visit him in his sicknesse and imprisonment that left heaven and his Fathers bosome that he might come to visit and redeem us with the inestimable price of himselfe Yea if wise we will count it an honour whereof we are very unworthy As most unworthy we are of such an honour as to relieve hungry thirsty and naked Christ in his poor members whence the Macedonians counted and called it a favour that they might have their hand in so good a worke 2 Cor. 8. 1 2 3 4. And that David thanks God that of his owne he would take an offering 1 Chron. 29. 9. And this is another reason to convince men that it is most just and equall they should be liberall to the poor members of Jesus Christ. And so much touching the reasons and motives to this Christian duty Then which there cannot he either more or clearer or stronger or weightier inducements to perswade to any one thing in the world then there is to this if men have either hearts or braines CHAP. XXXVII The next to be considered is The time when we are to give and that is two-fold First when an opportunity of doing good offers it selfe do it speedily without delay readily entertain the first â—ot on with-hold not good from thy Neighbour when it is in thy power to do it Say not to him that is in present need goe and come again and to morrow I will give thee when thou hast it by thee Prov. 3. 27 28. When Lazarus is iâ— need of refreshment let him not wait or lye long at thy door Luke 16. 20. 21 22. For nothing is more tedious then to hang long in suspence and we endure with more patience to have our hopes beheaded and quickly dispatcht then to be racked and tortured with long delayes according to that Prov. 13. 12. Hope deferred maketh the heart sicke but when the desire cometh it is a tree of life For as 〈◊〉 saith Beneficentia est virtus que 〈◊〉 non patitur Beneficence is a vertue which disliketh all delayes And as Seneca telleth us 〈…〉 â—it as properat All goodnesse is quick of hand and swift of foot and hateth aswell the paralyticall â—â—â—king and staggering of those who doubt whether to give or no as the gouty lamenesse of such as after they are resolved to give make but slow hast The greater speed the greater love for love can abide no lingring Then does a benefit loose his grace when it sticks in his fingers who is about to bestow it as though it were not given but plucke from him and so the receiver praiseth not his Benefactors bounty but his owne importunity because he doth not seem to have given but to have held one weakely against his violence These delayes shew unwillingnesse Et qui moratur neganti proximus est He that delayes a benefit is the next door to him that denyeth it Even as on the other side a quick hand is an evident signe of a free heart For proximum est libenter facientis citâ— facere It is the property of him that giveth willingly to give speedily Being of Boaâ— his spirit of whom Nâ—â—â—y could say out of a common fame That he would not be in rest untill he had finished the good which was propounded to him Ruth 3. 18. And as speed in bestowing graceth the gift yea doubles it in respect of the giver so it doubleth the benefit to him that receiveth it Nam bis dat qui cito dat he gives twice that giveth quickly and the swifter that a benefit cometh the sweeter it tasteth Present relief to present want makes a bounty weightier And he cannot but esteem the benefit that unexpectedly receives help in his deepest distresse Whereas a benefit deferred loses the thanks many times proves unprofitable to him that expects it Joshuah marches all night and fights all day for the Gibeonites else he had as good have saved his labour And possibly through these delays thy almes may come too late like a good gale of winde after shipwracke When his health is lost for want of relief or state ruâ—ed for want of seasonable helpe and so thy late and untimely almes will do him little good For it fareth with men in their strength and state as with a leake in ship or a breach of waters which may be easily stopped and stayed at the first appearing but if let alone will within a while grow remedilesse There must then be no stay in these actions of beneficence but onely that which is caused through the receivers shamefastnesse But specially we must avoyd delays in giving after we have granted for there is nothing more bitter then to be forced to make a new 〈◊〉 for that which hath already heen obtained and to finde more difficulty in the delivery then in the grant CHAP. XXXVIII Another thing required in doing good works is constancy and assiduity the which is also implyed in the Metaphor of sowing seed for the Husbandman contenteth not himselfe to have sowed his seed in former years but he continueth to sow it still to the end of his life and though the Crop be sometimes so small that the feed it selfe is scarce returned yet he will not be discouraged but will again cast it into the ground in hope of better successe And this must we do in sowing the seeds of our beneficience casting them daily into the ground which we finde fitted and prepared and not thinke it enough to aâ—â—orne our selves with them as with our best apparell which we onely put on in high and Festivall dayes We must
on day be the case of all covetous men Indeed at present none are wise but they for they account poor honesty but a kind of simplicity but then they wil acknowledge themselves to have been of all fools the greatest nor deserve they any pity Who pities that man's death that having the Medicine by him which can help him dyes and will not take it If ever you see a drowning man refuse help conclude him a wilful Murtherer O my Brethren â— look not for Dives nor Judas to come out of Hell to warn you since all this that I have said and much more is written for your learning and warning lest if fare with you as it did with the Greeks of Constantinople who had store of Wealth but because they would spare none to the reparation of the Walls and maintenance of the Souldiers they lost all to the Turks which afterwards no money could recover Or as it fared with Hedelburough which was lost through the Citizens Covetousness for being full of Gold and Silver they would not pay the Souldiers that should have defended them Though neither their folly nor loss was comparable to this of yours For what is the Loss of Life or Countrey to the loss of a man's Soul and the Kingdom of Heaven The covetous Jews spoken of by Josephus loved their money dearly when being besieged they did in gorge their Gold for all the night and seek it in their close Stooles the next morning But nothing so wel as these Cormorants I am speaking of who by covetousness and overmuch sparing resolve to lose Life Substance Soul Heaven Salvation and all O wretched wicked and foolish generation CHAP. LIV. FOurthly If there needs no other ground of our last and heaviest doom than Ye have not given Ye have not visited If the main point which Christ wil scan at the day of Judgement is the point of mercy If he wil accuse the Wicked at the last day not onely for taking the meat out of the poors mouths or plucking their apparel off their backs but for not feeding them and putting cloaths upon their backs as is evident by Matth. 25. and as I have made plain then are all Negative Christians in an ill taking It is strange to see how many several ways men have to deceive themselves One thinks it enough that he is of the outward visible Church born of Christian Parents hath been baptized c. Another so confidently hopes for Salvation by Faith that he little regards honesty or true dealing amongst men Another sort flatter themselves with promises of mercy as Christ suffered for all God would have all to be saved At what time soever a sinner repents he shall be forgiven and the like and with these they batten their own presumptuous confidence be their lives never so licentious Yea where is the man that wil not boast of his love to Christ though they even hate all that any way resemble him but of all others such as live harmless Lives and do no hurt think it sufficient and that it greatly matters not for doing good so they do no evil And in these conceits they go on to the end of their lives without once questioning how they shal enter in at the straight Gate Their deceitful hearts serve them as Jael did Sizera who flatteringly said to him Come in my Lord giving him Milk and covering him with a Mantle but withal nailing his head to the ground As see how the Rich Glutton flattered himself with hopes until he was in Hel-flames For notwithstanding he had denied poor Lazarus the very crumbs that fell from his Table yet he could challenge Abraham for his Father saying Father Abraham have mercy on me c. Luk. 16 But refused he was because he had not the works nor indeed the Faith of Ahraham though he might seem to profess and pretend it And the like of those Jews John 8. For they could boast to Christ that Abraham was their Father but he gave them a cutting Answer If ye were Abraham's Children ye would do the works of Abraham ver 39. Vainly do they speak of their love to Christ who yet are wanting to his members Neither can there be a truer argument of a godless person then unmercifulness If we know a man unmerciful we may boldly say He is ungodly John 3. 17. The lack of Charity is the conviction of Hypocrisie 1 Cor. 13. 1 2 c. The righteous is merciful and giveth Psal. 37. 21 22. But the Wicked are so far from this that they borrow and pay not again The Father of Mercies hath no Children but the merciful Matth. 5. 7. He that is not a feeling Member of others miseries is not of that Mystical Body whereof Christ is the Head It is not who is called a Christian or who is baptized for in that number we shall find abundance of Hereticks no fewer Hypocrites and inn imerable ungodly persons some not informed in their Judgements the rest not reformed in their lives Neither is it enough that we are civil honest men whom none can justly accuse for we are commanded 1 Pet. 3. 11. to eschue evil and to do good to eschue evil is the first lesson of Christianity but not all to do good is the second and greater half 2 Tim. 2. 19. Let every one that calls on the Name of the Lord depart from iniquity that is one step but not high enough We must also do the will of our Father John 7. 17. Every Tree that brings not forth good fruit for all it brings forth no bad shall be cut down for the Fire And the servant that doth not imploy and increase his Talent for all he returns it safe and whole to his Master shall be bound hand and foot and cast into utter darkness Matth. 25. 30. Thou hast a servant who is neither Thiefe nor Drunkard nor Swearer no none is able to tax him with any vice or unthriftiness yet because he sits all day with his hand in his bosom and does nothing thou correctest him Why what harm hath he done Thou canst not charge him with any thing but his not doing of something yet he deserves chastisement So in this case there needs no more to prove thee wicked and to make thee of the number of those Goats which shall be placed at Christ's left hand and to whom he shall say Depart ye cursed then that thou hast not done these works of mercy which are no less commanded then the wickedst actions are forbidden Good deeds are such that no man is saved for them nor without them Indeed Faith is the life of a Christian but the breath whereby he is known to live is Charity 1 Cor. 13. 3. Faith doth justifie our works do testifie that we are justified Therefore justifie thy Faith that thy Faith may justifie thee There is much Faith talked of but little faithfulness manifested abundance of love but not a spark of Charity Gal. 5. 22. But let men