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A96106
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A plea for almes delivered in a sermon at the spital, before a solemn assembly of the city, on Tuesday in Easter week, April. 13. 1658. / By Thomas Watson Minister of Stephens Walbrook. Lond.
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Watson, Thomas, d. 1686.
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1658
(1658)
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Wing W1137; Thomason E2125_1; ESTC R230810
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21,949
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77
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given to Christs poor is hoarded up in heaven That is a blessed kinde of giving which though it makes the purse lighter it makes the Crown heavier Whatever Almes you distribute 1. You shall have good security Prov. 19. 17. He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord and that which he hath given will he pay him again * There is Gods counter-band to save you harmlesse which is better security than any publick faith yet here is our Unbelief and Atheisme we will not take Gods Bond we commonly put our deeds of mercy among our desperate debts 2. You shall be paid with over-plus For a wedge of gold which you have parted with you shall have a weight of glory For a Cup of cold water you shall have Rivers of pleasure which runne at Gods right hand for evermore The Interest comes to infinitely more than the Principal Pliny writes of a Countrey in Affrica where the people for every bushel of seed they sow receive an hundred and fifty fold encrease For every penny you drop into Christs Treasury you shall receive above a thousand fold encrease Your after-crop of glory will be so great that though you are still reaping you will never be able to inne the whole harvest Let this perswade rich men to honour the Lord with their substance Before I conclude let me lay down some rules briefly concerning your Charity that it may be the sacrifice of a sweet-smelling savour to God Rule 1 1. Your Charity must be free Deut. 15. 10. Thou shalt give and thy heart shall not be grieved c. that is thou shalt not be troubled at parting with thy money he that gives grievingly gives grudgingly Charity must flow like spring water * The heart must be the spring the hand the pipe the poor the cistern God loves a chearful giver be not like the Crab which hath all the verjuyce squeez'd and pressed out You must not give to the poor as if you were delivering your purse on the high-way Charity without Alacrity is rather a fine than an offering 't is rather doing of pennance than giving of Almes Charity must be like the myrrhe which drops from the Tree without cutting or forcing * Rule 2 2. We must give that which is our own Isaiah 58. 7. To deal thy bread to the hungry It must be de tuo pane The word for almes in the Syriack signifies justice to shew that Almes must be of that which is justly gotten The Scripture puts them together Micah 6. 8. To do justice to love mercy we must not make ex rapina holocaustum a sacrifice of sacriledge Isaiah 61. 8. For I the Lord love judgment I hate robbery for burnt-offering He that shall build an Hospital with goods ill-gotten displayes the Ensigne of his Pride and sets up the Monument of his shame Rule 3 3. Do all in Christ and for Christ 1. Do all in Christ Labour that your persons may be in Christ We are accepted in him Ephesians 1. 6. Origen Chrysostome and Peter Martyr affirme that the best workes not springing from a root of faith are lost The Pelagians thought to have posed Austin with that question whether it was sinne in the Heathen to clothe the naked Austin answered rightly the doing of good is not in it self simply evil but proceeding of infidelity it becomes evil * Titus 1. 15. To them that are unbelieving is nothing pure That fruit is most sweet and genine which is brought forth in the Vine John 15. 4. Out of Christ all our Almes-deeds are but the fruit of the Wild-Olive * They are not good workes but dead works 2. Do all for Christ viz. For his sake that you may testifie your love to him love mellowes and ripens our Almes-deeds it makes them a precious perfume to God * As Mary did out of love bring her oyntments and sweet spices to anoint Christs dead body so out of love to Christ bring your oyntments and anoint his living body his Saints and Members Rule 4 Works of mercy are to be done in humility Away with ostentation the Worme breeds in the fairest fruit the Moth in the finest Cloth Pride will be creepint into our best things beware of this dead fly in the Box of ointment When Moses face did shine he put a vaile over it so while your light shines before men and they see your good workes cover your selves with the vaile of humility As the silk-worme while she weaves her curious works hides her self within the silke and is not seen so we should hide our selves from Pride and Vain-glory 'T was the sinne of the Pharisees while they were distributing Almes * they did buccina canere blow the Trumpet Mat. 6. 2. They did not give their Almes but sell them for applause A proud man casts his bread upon the waters as the Fisherman casts his angle upon the waters he angles for vain glory I have read of one Cosmus Medices a Rich Citizen of Florence that he confessed to a near friend of his he built so many magnificent Structures and spent so muâ—h on Scholars and Libraries not for any love to Learning but to raise up to himselfe the Trophyes of Fame and Renown An humble soul denies himself yea even annihilates himself he thinks how little it is he can do for God * and if he could do more it were but a due debt therefore lookes upon all his workes as if he had done nothing * The Saints are brought in at the last day â—as disowning their workes of Charity Matthew 25. 37. Lord when saw we thee an hungred and fed thee or thirsty and gave thee drink A good Christian doth not onely empty his hand of Almes but empties his heart of pride while he raiseth the poore out of the dust he qaies himselfe in the dust * Workes of mercy must be like the Cassia which is a sweet spice but growes low Rule 5 5. Dispose your Almes prudentially * 'T is said of the merciful man he orders his affairs with discretion Psalme 112. 5. There is a great deale of wisdome in distinguishing between them that have sinned themselves into poverty and who by the hand of God are brought into poverty Discretion in the Distribution of Almes consists in two things 1. In finding out a fit object 2. In taking the fit season 1. In finding out a fit object and that comes under a double notion 1. Give to those who are in most need * Raise the hedge where it is lowest feed the Lamp which is going out 2. Give to those who may probably be most serviceable Though we bestow cost and dressing upon a weak plant yet not upon a dead plant Breed up such as may help to build the house of Israel Ruth 4. 11. That may be pillars in Church and State not Caterpillars making your Charity to blush 2. Discretion in giving Almes is in taking the
I am but as a Tinckling Symball 'T is better to be charitable as a Saint than eloquent as an Angel Such as are cruel to the poor let me tell you you unchristian your selves Unmercifulnesse is the sinne of the Heathen Rom. 1. 31. while you put off the bowels of charitie you put off the badge of Christianitie St. James speaks a sad word Jam. 2. 13. for he shall have judgement without mercy that shewed no mercy Dives denied Lazarus a crumb of bread and Dives was denied a drop of water at the last day behold the sinners indightment Mat. 25. 42. I was an hungred and ye gave me no meat I was thirsty and ye gave me no drink Christ doth not say ye took away my meat but ye gave me none ye did not feed my members Then followes the sentence ite maledicti Depart from me ye cursed When Christs poor come to your doores and you bid them depart from you the time may come when you shall knock at heaven Gate and Christ will say go from my doore depart from me ye cursed In short Covetousnesse is a foolish sinne God gave the Rich man in the Gospel that appellation {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Thou fool Luke 12. 20. The Covetous man doth not enjoy what he doth possesse He imbitters his own life he discruciates himself with care either how to get or how to encrease or how to secure an estate and what is the issue and result often as a just reward of sordid penuriousnesse God doth blast and wither him in his outward estate That saying of Gregory Nazianzene is to be seriously weighed God many times lets the thief take away and the Moth consume that which is injuriously and uncharitably with-held from the poore Before I leave this use I am sorry that any who go for honest men should be brought into the indightment I mean that any Professors should be impeached as guilty of this sinne of covetousnesse and unmercifulnesse Sure I am Gods Elect put on bowels Coloss. 3. 12. I tell you these devout Misers are the reproach of Christianity they are wens and spots in the face of Religion Truly I know not well what to make of them I remember Aelian in his History reports that in India there is a Griffin having foure feet and wings his bill like the Eagles 'T is hard whether to rank him among the beasts or the fowle So I may say of Penurious Votaries they have the wings of profession by which they seem to fly to heaven but the feet of beasts walking on the earth and even licking the dust 'T is hard where to rank these whether among the godly or the wicked Oh take heed that seeing your Religion will not destroy your Covetousnesse at last your Covetousnesse doth not destroy your Religion The Fabulist tells us a story of the Hedg-hog that came to the Cony-burroughs in stormy weather and desired harbour promising that he would be a quiet ghuest but when once he had gotten entertainment he set up his prickles and did never leave till he had thrust the poore conies out of their burroughs So covetousnesse though it hath many faire pleas to insinuate and wind it self into the heart yet assoon as you have let it in this thorne will never leave pricking till it hath choaked all good beginnings and thrust all Religion out of your hearts Use 3 Use 3. I proceed next to the exhortation to beseech you all who heare me this day to put on bowels of mercies be ready to indulge the miseries and necessities of others St. Ambrose calls charitie the summe of Christianity and the Apostle makes it the verie definition of Religion Jam. 1. ult. Pure Religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this to visit the fatherlesse and the widows in their affliction The poor are tanquam in sepulchro as it were in the grave the comfort of their life is buried O help with your merciful hands to raise them out of the Sepulchre God sendeth his springs into the vallies Psal. 104. 10. let the springs of your charitie run among the vallies of poverty Your sweetest and most benigne influences should fall upon the lower grounds what is all your seeming devotion without bountie and mercifulnesse I have known many saith Basil praie and fast but relieve not such as are in distresse they are for a zeale that puts them to no charges * what are they the better saith he for all their seeming vertue We read the incense was to be laid upon the fire Lev. 16. 13. The flame of devotion must be perfum'd with the incense of Charitie Aaron was to have a bell and a Pomgranate The Pomgranate as some of the learned observe was a Symbol of good works They want the Pomgranate saith Gregory Nazianzene who have no good works The wise men did not onlie bow the knee to Christ but present him with gold mirrh and Frankincense Mat. 2. 11. Pretences of zeal are insufficient we must not onely worship Christ but bestow something upon his members this is to present Christ with gold and frankincense Isaac would not blesse Jacob by the voice but he feels and handles him and supposing them to be Esaus hands he blessed him God will not blesse you by your voice your loud praiers your devout discourses but if he feel Esaus hands if your hands have wrought good works then he will blesse you * Let me exhort you therefore to deeds of mercie let your fingers drop with the mirrh of liberality Sow your golden seed in this sense it is lawful to put out your monie to use when you lay it out for good uses Remember that excellent saying of St. Austin give those things to the poor which you cannot keep that you may receive those things which you cannot lose * There are many occasions of exercising your pious charitie Pauper ubique jacet heare the Orphans cry pity the Widows tears Some there are who want employment it would do well to set their wheele a going others who are past employment be as eyes to the blind and feet to the lame Some whole families are sinking if your merciful hands do not help to shore them up I cannot be unmindful of the Universities which are ecclesiae plantaria as Chemnitius calls them the nurceries of the Church They may be compared to that Persian Tree Theophrastus speaks of which doth bud blossome and beare ripe fruit at the same time Oh let these plants be watered with your silver drops cast not salt but gold into these springs that from thence may flow forth many Celestial streames both of learning and piety to refresh THIS CITY of our God Before I come to presse you with arguments to liberalitie and munificence there are three objections lie in the way which I shall endeavour to remove Object 1 1 We may give and so in time our selves come to want Answ Answ. Let Basil answer