SERMON VIII.

LUKE, xxi. 3.

OF A TRUTH I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT THIS POOR WIDOW HATH CAST IN MORE THAN THEY ALL: FOR ALL THESE HAVE OF THEIR ABUNDANCE CAST IN UNTO THE OFFERINGS OF GOD, BUT SHE OF HER PENURY HATH CAST IN ALL THE LIVING THAT SHE HAD.

AS our bleffed Saviour was paffing with his disciples through one of the courts of the temple, he obferved the people throwing their offerings into the treafury. The treasury here meant was a cheft with an opening at the top to collect the alms of the people, which were intended to furnish neceffaries for the temple-service; the overplus was given to the poor. Into this cheft many who were rich, threw plentifully. But among them came a poor widow, we read, who

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threw

threw in what fhe had, which was not more in value than a farthing. Jefus turning to his dif ciples, faid, Of a truth I fay unto you, that this poor widow hath caft in more than they all: for all these have of their abundance caft in unto the offerings of God, but he of her penury hath caft in all the living that he had.

From these words I fhall examine, first, what it was that gave fo fingular a value to the flender offering of this poor woman.-And fhall, Secondly apply her cafe to ourselves.

In the first place, what gave value to her offer ing was, her giving all he could. But here is a little difficulty. It is faid, fhe gave all her living. Now, if she had literally done that, it is plain, fhe would have made herself a greater object than thofe fhe wifhed to relieve, which there is no reafon to fuppofe. Befides, the fum was fo fmall, that she could not poffibly have lived upon it, if the had kept it all to herself. For though the fum mentioned would have purchased considerably more at that time, than the fame fum would purchase now, yet it is mentioned as a very small fum, and undoubtedly was not proportioned to a livelihood. It will

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remove the difficulty, either if we fuppose this little fum was all fhe had about her-or that it was all the provision fhe had made for her next meal; which the might probably have denied herself for the fake of a charitable action: fo that in either of these senses, she may be faid to have given what she had.

But now, all that is mentioned in Scripture to the credit of this worthy woman is, that she gave all she could: yet as one virtue is generally accompanied with others, it may reasonably be fuppofed, that in all other respects fhe did all she could. God places mankind, for the benefit of fociety, in variòus ftations. Of course, he gives them various means and opportunities of performing their duty: and according to thefe he expects a return. So that the poor man, who faithfully discharges the trust however fmall, which God hath given him, does all, however little, which God requires. In giving, the poor widow gave all fhe could but as we have fuppofed the fame good principle ran through all the offices of her life, she was, no doubt, exemplary in them all.

Yet ftill it must be obferved, that merely doing what he did, would not have entitled her to commendation, unless fhe had done it on a good motive. The Chriftian religion is a religion of the VOL. III.

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heart.

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heart. It is not fo much the action which God regards, as the good motive on which the action is performed. The Chriftian religion therefore is a religion of motives. Faith in Christ is the great mean; and to please God, the great motive on which all our actions fhould be performed. This gives a value to the meaneft trifle. Whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, if we do it to the glory of God-that is, with a fincere defire to please God, it will be accepted. Even in common life, the motive gives a value to

the action. If a perfon does you an act of kindness, you are grateful. But if you have just ground to believe, he did it not to ferve you, but merely to serve himselfor through vanity perhaps or fome other motive, your gratitude towards him decreases in proportion to your knowledge of the unfriendlinefs of the motive. On the other hand, if you should be received at the time of fome extremity, in the cottage of the poorest person, who should set before you the meanest fare, but with the best good-will to affift you, and where there could be no felf-interest to serve, your heart would in earnest feel the kindnefs, and atteft it with gratitude.

Our heavenly father accepts our motives in the fame manner-only with him there is this differ

ence:

ence: He fees all our motives at once; whereas men only guess at the motives of each other; and therefore ought to be cautious in affigning them.Thus then, however religious our actions may appear to men, if they do not proceed from a motive of duty, and a defire to please God, they are unacceptable in his fight.-Every action, in short, is made up of two parts-the deed itfelf-and the motive, or intention, on which the deed was performed. The law confiders only the deed. If you commit a trespass against your neighbour, though you had no intention to do it, you must abide the confequence. The gospel is more gentle. It confiders the intention more than the deed; inasmuch as it takes cognisance of the heart, which the law cannot do.-In all our actions therefore, it is the motive which gives them value in the fight of God and this, no doubt, was the cafe of the widow's mite. It would not otherwife have been accepted.

Having thus feen, that the poor widow did more than they all, by doing what she could, and likewise by doing it on a good motive, let me now, as I proposed, secondly, apply her cafe to ourfelves.