He might have taken his Etymology with as great Reason from Elias and Moses and from that infer'd Charity comprehends the Whole Law and the Prophets But leaving Etymologies Alms is defined a work of Mercy Love and Liberality persormed only for GOD's sake to some necessitated Persons In the Work there is to be considered somewhat within us aliquid intus so as looking at home we find it a Christian Act of Mercy but if we look abroad it appears an external Act of Charity that is exerted in Obedience to the Divine Commandment We make it a Beauty by putting upon it the becoming Face of Liberality 'T is conceiv'd by Compassion but Love gives it the hand of Accomplishment A Bountiful Hand and Heart oblige even those that Hate you by making their Favours Publick and by this happy way of doing well bribe their Enemies into good Nature If you desire to see the Mother of Alms let me tell you first if she could appear in Human Shape nothing but Truth could vye Beauty with her for her Name is Charity She is spotted with Stars and spangled with Divine Graces Here give me leave to say That Alms-giving is a good Work and is Meritorious but the Merit is not plac'd upon the bare human Act but upon the Grace of GOD's Holy Spirit and upon his never-failing Promise which are the Grounds and constitutive Principles of all Merit 'T is not us but the Grace of God working in us and the Third Person of the Holy Trinity co-operates with us that deserves GOD's Notice and his Recompense Principia meritorum omnium sunt Divina Yet not excluding the Will and Disposition of the Alms-giver that hath the Honour in all good Works to co-operate with his Maker GOD is Love and all Works of Love partake so much of the Divine Nature that they must needs be Crowned But this Discourse relates to the Promise yet we were Treating of the Commandment which injoyns us to Give weighing the Receiver's Wants but over-looking his Deserts for we are not bidden to Taste those Waters that we are to cast our Bread upon to prove whether they are Sweet or Bitter for who-ever giveth Alms not because GOD hath so Commanded but because he supposeth either the Poor have Merited so much at his hands already or now do or will hereafter deserve his Charity that Person to speak properly giveth not an Alms but dischargeth the Debt and stateth an Account So he that giveth not meerly for the Lord's-sake but in hopes of some Human Requital instead of bestowing his Alms he purchaseth a Kindness and maketh himself an Interest The especial attract of Alms ought to be Divine Love without any by-respect to Temporal Returns or the Merits of the Receiver Why should I tyre you with Repetitions Effects of Love ought to be inlarg'd only to such as are really Necessitated for Want is the proper Object of Mercy Where there is no Want there may be Favours Gifts and Presents but no perfect Charity Thus far in reference to the Definition The Division of Alms hath anciently been in Seven Spiritual Acts respecting the Soul 1. To Pray for 2. To Forgive 3. To Admonish 4. To Instruct 5. To Counsel 6. To Comfort And 7. To Forbear And in Seven more as pertinent to the Body 1. To Feed the Hungry and give Drink to the Thirsty which some divide and make Two different Offices but I take it as one and the same Act of Benevolence putting in the second place viz. 2. Assistance or Protection of the Weak from Bodily Dangers 3. To Cloath the Naked 4. To Lodge the Harbourless 5. To Visit the Sick 6. To Bury the Dead And 7. To Redeem the Captive c. These are principal Acts of Charity which affords us a mighty Prospect into a large Field of Discourse but somewhat beside our present business I desire only to lead you to this Duty to that end setting before you how much good those best of Men that went before us have perform'd for our Example If we look no farther than the Jews GOD's Select People they were injoyn'd every Third Year To Tythe the encrease of their Lands a Second Time for Charitable Uses after they had Tythed it once for the maintenance of the Clergy So we read Deut. 14. They gave a Tythe extraordinary design'd for an Alms to Four sorts of People 1. The Stranger 2. The Fatherless 3. The Widow And 4. The Poor Infirm Levite that could not Officiate And in Harvest they were forbidden the Reaping every Corner of their Fields and might not gather up the Gleanings They were not permitted to pull every Cluster of Grapes in their Vintage Nor to beat every Bough of their Olives Nor to fetch a Sheaf forgotten These were Elemosynary parcels design'd for the Relief of all that were Poor and Afflicted These Statures are recorded Levit. 19. 23. And the same Commands and Prohibitions we find Deut. 24. rendring this single as sufficient I am the Lord your God which adds force to the Mandate and puts a period to the Duty as if the Sacred Volume had thus declar'd Murmur not at these Orders nor grudge such considerable Leavings for I am the Lord you are but Tenants at Will All you possess is Mine It is an Honour I do you to give you the Title You hold your Lands your Lives your All of Me by certain Services and by Courtesie I am the Lord the Property Resides in Me There is nothing yours at most but by Will or by Copy so as you have no Right to Ingrose the good things of this Life or to hold them in durance I am the Lord from Me you receive all your Treasure therefore fear not Poverty I gave you this and can give you more take My Word your Alms shall be doubled in Blessings and restor'd into your Bosoms The Jews were Commanded not only to be Charitable in the Field but had a plain Statute for Alms-giving at their own Houses Deut. 15. If there is a Poor Man among thy Brethren within thy Gates thou shalt not harden thy Heart nor shut thy Hand from thy poor Brother but thou shalt open thy Hand wide and thy Heart shall not be grieved when thou Givest Observe in the Text Three Motives to Compassion 1. The Man is Poor 2. He is near in Blood One among thy Brethren 3. He is within thy Gates Let his Poverty make you sensible of his Want Let his Relation move you to Pity Let his Neighbourhood inflame your Affection And you may there take notice of Two directions in Giving 1. Dispence your Alms with a hand wide open that is Give Bountifully 2. With a willing Heart free from Grudging These latter Authorities are derived from the Law that was given at Mount Sinai Let us now here the Prophets David maketh it a Characteristical Note of a good Man to be Merciful and holdeth giving Alms the best use of an Estate Psal 72. 2. He nameth it the great work of
the Messiah to Defend the Poor Heal the Infirm and Succour the Afflicted Solomon his Son informs us Prov. 29. 7. A Righteous Man considereth the cause of the Poor adding in the 14. ver of the same Chapter The King that faithfully judgeth the Poor shall have his Throne Established And this is the Wisest of Monarchs You may read in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah The way to Divine and Eternal Honour is dealing thy Bread to the Hungry lodging Exiles covering the Naked and in a strange Phrase to draw out thy Soul to the Empty Then He continues Thy Light shall arise from Obscurity thy pristine Darkness shall become Light and resemble the Sun in its Glory This is the Evangelical Prophet We read in the 22. Chap. of Ezekiel GOD threatneth the Jews with many terrible Judgments for Oppressing the Stranger and Vexing the Fatherless and Widow This is the Priest of the Captives transferr'd with Jehoiachim Daniel maketh Alms the truest sign of sincere Repentance and will have Charity put into the definition of the Righteous This is the Man of Visions to whom all Changes which should concern the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity to the general Resurrection was Revealed These preceded the Messiah and their Writings make the biggest part of the Old Testament Let us now consult the Gospel To begin with the Baptist These Alms are the good Fruit He demands Fruit fit for Penitents to produce Our dear Master Preacheth the same Doctrine St. Luke II. Give Alms of such things as you have and behold all things are clean unto you As if C HRIST had told us Alms are instead of all Levitical Purifications and are accepted in Heaven sooner than the curious Prescription of Moses Love is a Flame that cleanseth better than the Legal Rites and a Fire that is consistent with Holy Water the small Sacrifices of Christian Love recommended in the New-Testament have Vertues Superior to the first Fruits and those greater ones of the Old-Testament They have power to Sanctifie our Whole Estate to make it Firm and Fertile and to propagate it with our Issue 'T is more Blessed to Give than to Receive that 's a Maxim of the Blessed JESVS which his Apostles and Disciples did approve and every true Christian will acknowledge St. Peter mightily presseth us to Christian Love and Hospitality 1. Ep. cap. 1. ver 22. Seeing you have purified your Souls in Obeying the Truth through the Spirit and to unfeigned love of the Brethren see that you love one another with pure Heart fervently This is the Prince of the Apostles St. John speaks of nothing so much as Love and Charity 1 Ep. St. John cap. 4 Let us Love one another for Love is of GOD c. This is the Beloved Disciple St. James extols good Works much and with some vehemence promotes Charity deriding the Solifidian Professors that have nothing 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 besides a strong credulity with which Julian upbraided some early Believers that expected Salvation by Faith only This James was the first Christian Bishop of the Holy City Jerusalem St. Paul whose Writings too many wrested to their own Destruction which was one cause some other Apostles wrote so little and some wrote nothing He was careful and zealous to deal with the first Christians of Rome and those in Greece and Asia for a Collection as St. Peter St. James and St. John had charged him when he first Travelled to make Proselytes Gal. 2. And this is the great Doctor of the Gentiles Will you have another added to these Four great Apostles The Author of that Learned Epistle to the Hebrews writeth in this manner To do Good and to Communicate forget not for with such Sacrifices GOD is well pleased If you will contend that Epistle was Written by St. Paul I shall be content to Humor you seeing the Doctrine of good Works shall receive no disparagement by his Authority Thus far the Duty hath been ratify'd by Precepts But Examples are more forcible motives to Well-doing and are as numerous in the Bible pointing out to Christians as so many Mercuries the direct way to Felicity Abraham sitting at the door of his Tent looketh for some weary Traveller to whom he may give an Instance of his Charity who for his repeated Works of Mercy deserv'd the Reverend Title of the Father of the Faithful Lot standing at the Gate of his City doth expect some distressed Stranger to make experiment of his Kindness and Taste his Hospitality He gave the wandring Passenger a Meeting lest he should be prevented in his Courtesies This was an Oriental Prince and Prelate Patron of the Five Cities and Lord of Zoar. It was the custom of Job to entertain the Fatherless in his House and invite the Poor to his own Table This Man if you will have it so was High-Priest of Hierapolis and Prince in Arabia Solomon in such Practises was Exemplary shewing himself in Love as well as Empire a Successor to his Father David This Man after God's own Heart thought himself not degraded by particular Acts of Devotion and Charity He knew how to reconcile Love and Honor and reputed himself no less a King for distributing at certain Seasons a Loaf of Bread a Flaggon of Wine and a Portion of Flesh to every single Person of his decay'd Subjects Observe how the Jews when they were return'd from their Captivity celebrated their Festivals with remarkable Contributions Their Forms of Devotion ended they did enjoy themselves in a generous participation of Delicacies they drank freely to Chearfulness not to Excess and dispatcht away Provisions to the Poorest Families that they might be sharers in the Joy and the Feast which they were not able to furnish and be made Partakers in the Gratitude they paid to Heaven by shewing themselves pleas'd for National Blessings We read Gen. 21. 33. of the Patriarchs Grove which the Rabbins inform us was planted purposely for Charitable Entertainments which they gather because the Letters of the Name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eshel a Grove signifie by Cabalism Meat Drink and Lodging viz. Achilah Sh 〈…〉 tyan Linah To pass from the Jews to the Christians How are the Churches of Achaia and Macedonia celebrated in St. Paul's Epistles for their generous Contributions The Prayers and Alms of Cornelius ascended to GOD shewing their Master the way to Heaven And tho' both are very laudable yet the Fathers ascribe to Alms the preheminence So to Live and practice Religion is to accomplish the Laws and comply with the Will of Solomon 'T is to do more than that comes to for Solomon was but a Type of Christ But to exercise Love is to follow the steps of Christ himself and to obey the Dictates of the Supream Master who having no Purse-bearer for Himself had always a Treasurer for the Distressed and daily wrought Miracles to satisfie their Wants in the Wilderness choosing rather to Fast Forty Days than to multiply Loaves for appeasing his own
is considered as a grievous Sin because it is inconsistent with the Love of God and directly contradicts the meaning of Divine Precepts That most eminent Seer puts the Question 1 Job 3.17 He that seeth his Brother in want and shutteth up his Bowels of Compassion from him how dwelleth the love of God in him The Querae there as in several other places in the Bible is put for a vehement Negative and imports that in obdurate hearts the Love of God cannot be Resident The Prayers of Uncharitable people are not answered for God giveth us because he percieves us free to give and forgive others He that stoppeth his ears at the cries of the Poor shall cry himself and not be heard was a Proverb in Jury and continues a great Truth all the World over Prov. 21. 13. for so God delights to retalliate with his Creatures Want of Love in us occasions our Wants and bespeaks Unhappiness for us in this Life and in the next everlasting Perdition There is not another Sin charg'd upon Damn'd Dives besides his want of Charity and those Wretches that are mentioned in St. Math. 25. were condemned only for their unkindness to the Brethren and their gross defects in the visible part of this Duty You would ask In what part of the Decalogue the Rule of Charity is contain'd Bellarmine following Aquinas refers it to the Fifth Commandment which includes all Rights appertaining to Superiors Equals and Inferiors and of this last sort the Poor are Principals And of all Duties belonging to the Poor Alms is most considerable and there is scarce any thing that we are oblig'd to do for them but comes within the Precincts of Charity Other Authors derive this Duty from the Eighth Commandment and will have Robbery to be but one and the same thing with Uncharitableness affirming That he that is able to Give and withholds his Alms from those that Want and call for his Relief Robs his poor Neighbour of his just Comfort and God of his Honour Therefore the Phraise is changed St. Luk. 16. 9. and Solomons Precept become an Evangelical Law where it is not left at our choice to do good but we are charged to make us Friends with the Mammon of Unrighteousness 'T is called Unrighteous Mammon saith S. Austin not only when it is unjustly acquir'd but also while it is Uncharitably detain'd from those that are Necessitated Is it commendable that I live in superfluous manner while my poor Brother wanteth to suffice Nature Sure it is a wrong to withhold from the Poor what I can easily spare in their Affliction and Extremity Superflua diviti necessaria sunt Pauperi aliena retinet qui ista tenet Augustine saith The Rich mans Exceedings are the Poor mans Portion so as he unjustly seems to Defraud others that reserves to himself more than is sufficient St. Ambrose in a rougher Dialect affirms It is no less Criminal for Rich persons to deny Necessitated people Relief than to take from them that they have and use violence to the Laws of Property Yes and some proceed further reducing these words of Solomon to the Sixth Commandment making Uncharitable Men no better than Thieves and Murderers agreeable to that of Eccles 34. 21. The Bread of the Needy is their Life he that defraudeth them thereof is a Man of Blood So that we see to detain necessary Provision from them that Want is to shorten the lives of Poor men and as much as in us lies to deprive him of Succession it is to Famish our afflicted Neighbour the sharpest of all Deaths and in him to seek to Murther his Posterity You hear how this Edict of Alms has been referred to Three of the Ten Commandments yet more properly belongs to the Second Table referring to the general Law of our Neighbour which Law as St. John expounds it cap. 3. 18. Consists not in words alone but in Truth and real Testimonies of Affection Who shall believe we Love indeed without apparent works of Love and Charity The Scripture teacheth us a Method of doing Mercy 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not talking of it only for then are acts of Charity best perform'd when fewest words are made of the Benevolence Giving of Alms is at one and the same time to Love God and honour Him in his Image to make a Friend and to relieve a Neighbour Our Blessed Saviour calleth it An evil Generation who demanded a sign of their Redemption And we cannot Repute it a better that ask Where is the Mandate for well doing A small excuse Men are willing to make use of to save their Estates and where the Commandment is Positive they seek for their own sakes more than their Neighbours to dwindle the Precept into a Councel Yet is this more than a meer matter of Advice for it is a Breviate of what our dear Master left us in Charge at his Ascension viz. That we Love one another which Love admits of no proof inferior to that of Almsgiving Holy Writ and all the Tomes of the Fathers abounds with Exhortation to this Duty But this is added to poor Mens miseries they now live in a cold Age of the World and here in a very chill Climate 'T is a wonder to hear Men every where boast of Faith without Mercy and when they shew no fruits of a living Faith still do boast of Godliness For Charitate ipsa nihil Charius Love and its Effects are some of our greatest Rarities When we speak of Christians none can be mistaken where we find Charity but the Giver and he not easily but admitting he may loose part of his Reward by valuing his Gift at too great a Rate or by wronging himself by the manner of Giving we have a great assurance that he that pretends to Faith without Works deceives himself and the whole World and offers to put a Cheat upon his Master for he doth undervalue at one and the same time his Afflicted Brethren and the Truth of Divine Promises Some tells of three sorts of Commandmandments that occur in Scripture Affirmative Negative and Mixt The Decalogue consists of such as are mostly Negative though some of them are Affirmative As Keep holy the Sabbath Honour thy Parents c. And more of that sort we have in the Bible as Mourn for thy Sins Shew Mercy Do Penance c. There are also Commandments of a Mixt nature as of Restoration and Forgiveness c. A Negative Commandment doth oblige all Persons at all Times every where and Eternally Affirmative Precepts are binding for ever but not in all Times nor in all Places Mixt Commandments oblige us at all Times and in all Places but not always I shall not determine to which of these Sorts the Words of Solomon may best be reduc'd but am certain they oblige all persons of Ability to Confer Benefits and pay good Offices according to their power to all persons without Excuse or Exemption that entreat their Assistance Cast thy Bread upon the
Intail his Lands and enterprize all he may to confirm his Title or inlarge his Possessions Let him call Good Works a kind of Community and oppose Alms as much as levelling Let him say All that I hold is mine and what wrong can I commit by keeping my own to my self For my part Sir I love Peace and Plenty your Speech-making ought to be directed to them that affect Lawless Lives or Civil-Wars seeking to deprive others of their Rights and their Inheritance I should like Religion better if the Teachers were not as so many Leaches Give give continually I love to hear them Preach up Christ Crucify'd and forbear their old Popish Stories of Alms and Good-Works You know there was no Beggar in Israel and were I Task-Master General there should be none lest in England But I think of all poor People the poor Gentleman is the most importunate his Hands is always full of Briefs and Letters of Request and I seldom see one of that Tribe but I am feeling in my Pocket When you have spoken your pleasure Nabal against Christian Love and Charitable Contributions it is but one way of wounding your self with your own Weapon seeing the way to make that you possess your own is by your power of disposal Which if it be never put into Act how can you be assured you have such a Power By giving it a-way we come to know it is yours and as without Property there can be no Charity so Charity in its several Acts doth best confirm Property From the Laws of Thine and Mine you bring an ill Inference whereas by Giving those Laws are best put in Execution You must give not only for the Preservation of Discipline and Order but also for the maintenance of your Title Unless the Bread be yours how can you dispose of it There is neither Giving nor Obligation by Gift where all is in common If you peruse the principal Causes of the first distinction between Mine and Thine long ago confirm'd by Custom by the Positive Laws of GOD and of all Nations you will find these among others 1. Encouragement to Labour to prevent Idleness for where the most Industrious and the most Negl gent Person were to be sharers alike of a common Fund too many would lye basking in the Sun while others were Sweating at their Imployment 2. For Preservation of Peace they being most remote from War that have most to lose who cannot soon be induc'd to Fight so long as they can quietly enjoy their Effects and Fruits of their Labour and Industry 3. To distinguish Families because it appears the Will of Heaven that some Houses should be remarkable for Blessings some for Vertues and that some should be stiled from their Inheriting of Ancient Riches Generous and Noble while others should be noted for a Dull and Idle Generation born under Command to remain Slaves and Peasants With this distinction of Thine and Mine began a Subordination of Men in Civil Societies for the sake of Government But of all these causes of difference of Estates none is greater than this That there might be some Endowed with Riches to impart and that there might be some poor People to make tryal of the Rich Man's Faith in GOD's Promises and design'd for his own Good to make Experiment upon his Charity That by contributing much in this Life he might obtain in the next a more Illustrious and lasting Inheritance Art thou a Propriator yet you must own a Lord in chief of all your Substance The Earth is the Lord's and the Fulness thereof all Lands are held of him in Capire So to alleadge Property when GOD Commands you to dirburse something upon his Account is to say somewhat that is answer'd by the Laws of Supream Right and suspended by the degrees of Charity It is enough that you have the Honour and the Happiness of Distribution and to reserve enough for your own Uses Take what sufficeth for your Family defraud not your Successors and behold those poor People yonder are sent to be Sharers of all that is to be spar'd from You and your Posterity If this or that be needless to you the same presently becomes one of their Necessaries And what you reserve cannot be so much your own because it is over-plus to your Use every way unless you put it to Interest to that Company of Beads-Men For at the Instant you dispose it to them the same is entered in the Day-Book of Heaven and out of that Treasure you shall be Repaid And you shall find it After many Days infinitely multiply'd Observe how Nature communicates The Sun out of his abundance of Light gives a Largess of it to the Moon Lucinoe gives Alms of the Light she receives to the Earth that is founded in Darkness This Earth having no Light to spare freely imparts such useful Matters as she carries though of another Growth and Temper to her ingrateful Inhabitants The Clouds newly replenisht with Rain empty their Stores upon the parched Mountains they discharging themselves into the Rivers that over-flow pay Tribute to the wide Ocean Nilus and Euphrates are proud in swelling over their Banks to make the adjoyning Meadows Fertile The glutted Bear and Tyger have sometimes quitted their Prey to others half pin'd and to Beasts less Ravenous while the more Civiller Creatures of every Species have been famous in Story for many tokens of Affection shewing how all things from the highest to the lowest correspond for a mutual Relief Here and there is an accursed Shimei or a churlish Nabal excepted that says Who is David Talk not to me of the King or the Prophet I know not that Man in the World for whose sake I would little my Estate Shall I take my Bread and give it to Strangers It is enough Churle that you know the Petitioners to be Men and that you may know every Man is of more value than a Mint of Gold and Silver Would you lose a Man for a Morsel of Bread Shall I take my Bread and give it away dost thou say 'T is thy Bread indeed by the Favour of a better Master than thou art but so that it is not always and every way thine There is a certain Clause in the Conveyance that speaks it thy Bread to Give not thine to with-hold 'T is yours to dispose of not to detain the disposal of which looks toward the Communion of Saints that is on Earth with those in Heaven There is Bread of participation in every House as the Eucharistical Bread is eminently such in Churches And for maintaining a Correspondence between Divine and Humane Love and their Effects we are taught to make daily Petitions 'T is you Miser that makes bold to change our Lord's Form of Prayer calling that Your Bread in your selfish Language which is call'd Our Bread in the Language of our Redeemer And that is and ought to be the Idiom of all good Christians Which word Our doth import a Christian Communication Shall