SER M. of his life, whenever good opportunity prefents itself. XXII. He doth it not by fits, or by accident, according to unftable causes or circumftances moving him, (when bodily temper or humour inclineth him, when a fad object makes vehement impreffion on him, when fhame obligeth him to comply with the practice of others, when he may thereby promote fome defign, or procure fome glory to himfelf,) but his practice is conftant and uniform, being drawn from fleady principles, and guided by certain rules, proceeding from reverence to God, and good-will toward man, following the clear dictates and immutable laws of confcience. Thus hath the pious man difperfed, and given to the poor and let thus much fuffice for explicatory reflection upon the firft words.

The main drift and purport of which is, to reprefent the liberal exercifing of bounty and mercy, to be the neccffary duty, the ordinary practice, and the proper character of a truly pious man; fo that performing fuch acts is a good fign of true piety; and omitting them is a certain argument of ungodliness. For the demonftration of which points, and for exciting us to a practice anfwerable, I fhall propound feveral confiderations, whereby the plain reasonableness, the great weight, the high worth and excellency of this duty, together with its ftrict connection with other principal duties of piety, will appear. And first, I will thew with what advantage the holy Scripture reprefents it to us, or preffes it upon us.

I. Head of 1. We may confider, that there is no fort of duties difcourfe. which God hath more exprefsly commanded, or

more earnestly inculcated, than these of bounty and mercy toward our brethren: whence evidently the great moment of them, and their high value in God's efteem may be inferred. Even in the ancient law, we may obferve very careful provifions made for engaging men to works of this kind, and the performance of them is with huge life and urgency Deut. xv. 7.prefcribed. Thou shalt not harden thy heart, nor Shut

thine hand from thy poor brother.-Thou shalt open thy s ER M. hand wide unto thy brother, unto thy poor, and to thy xx11. needy in the land. So did Mofes, in God's name, with language very fignificant and emphatical, enjoin to Deut.xv.11. the children of Ifrael. The holy prophets alfo do commonly with an especial heat and vigour prefs thefe duties, moft fmartly reproving the tranfgreffion or neglect of them; elpecially when they reclaim men from their wicked courfes, urging them seriously to return unto God and goodness, they propofe this practice as a fingular inftance most expreffive of their converfion, moft apt to appeafe God's wrath, most effectual to the recovery of his favour. Wash you, faith Isa. i. 16, God in Isaiah, make you clean; put away the evil of your 17. doings from before mine eyes; ceafe to do evil, learn to do well. So in general he exhorts to repentance: then immediately he fubjoins these choice inftances thereof: Seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, Ifa. i. 17, plead for the widow.-Come now, then he adds, let us.18. Jer. vii. 5,6. reafon together though your fins be as fcarlet, they fhall be as white as fnow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. When Daniel would prefcribe to king Nebuchadnezzar the best way of amendment and the fureft means of averting God's judgments impendent on him, he thus fpeaks: Wherefore, O Dan. iv. 27. king, let my counfel be acceptable unto thee; break off thy fins by righteoufnefs, and thine iniquities by fhewing mercy to the poor d. This he culled out as of all pious acts chiefly grateful to God, and clearly teftifying repentance; and, fo very impious a perfon was alms able to juftify, fays the Father thereupon. So allo when God himself would declare what thofe acts are which render penitential devotions moft agreeable

4 Τὰς ἁμαρτίας σε ἐλεημοσύναις λύτρωσαι fo the LXX render those words, reading, it seems, ♫ for pre.

• Ναβεχοδονόσορ, τὸν τοιῦτον ἀσεβῆ, ἴσχισεν ἡ ἐλεημοσύνη δικαιῶσαι. Atban. ad Antioch. Quæft. 87.

to

SER M. to him, and most effectual, he thus expreffeth his XXII. mind: Is not this the fast which I have chofen? To loose

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the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burthens, to let Ifa. Iviii. 6, the oppresjed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are caft out to thine houfe? when thou feeft the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyfelf from thine own flesh? Of fo great confideration and moment was this fort of duties, even under that old difpenfation of weaknefs, fervility, and fear; fo much tenderness of compaffion and benignity did God exact even from that hardhearted and worldly people, who were fo little capable of the best rules, and had en-, couragements, in comparifon, fo mean toward performances of this nature. The fame we may well conceive, under the more perfect difcipline of univerfal amity, of ingenuity, of fpiritual grace and goodness in a higher ftrain, with more force and greater obligation to be impofed on us, who have fo much stronger engagements, and immenfely greater encouragements to them. And fo indeed it is: for Luke xii. thofe precepts delivered by our Lord, Sell all that 33. vi. 30. have, and give alms; If thou wilt be perfect, fell all Matt. xix. that thou haft, and give to the poor; Give to every man 21. vi. 19. that afketh thee; Treafure not up to yourselves treasures

xi. 41.

you

upon the earth, do indeed found high, but are not infignificant or impertinent. They cannot fignify or defign lefs, than that we should be always, in affection and difpofition of mind, ready to part with any thing we have for the fuccour of our poor brethren; that to the utmost of our ability (according to moral eftimation prudently rated) upon all occafions we fhould really exprefs that difpofition in our practice; that we are exceedingly obliged to the continual exercife of these duties in a very eminent degree. Thefe indeed were the duties which our Lord, as he did frequently in his difcourfe commend and prefcribe, fo he did moft fignally exemplify in his practice; his whole life being in effect but one continual act

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of moft liberal bounty and mercy toward mankind ; SERM. in charity to whom he outdid his own severest rules, XXII. being content never to poffefs any wealth, never to enjoy any ease in this world. And therein (both as to doctrine and practice) did the holy Apoftles closely follow their Mafter: As poor, yet enriching many; as 2 Cor. vi. having nothing, yet poffeffing all things. So they throughly in deeds practifed thefe duties, which in words they taught, and earnestly preffed ; admonishing their converts to diftribute to the neceffities of the Rom. xii. faints, to do good to all men; to do good, and to com- Gal. vi. municate not to forget; to fhew mercy with cheerfulness, Heb. xiii. to put on bowels of mercy; to be kind and tenderhearted one toward another; to abound in the grace of Coloff. ii. liberality. Such are their directions and injunctions Eph. iv. to all Chriftian people; fo did they preach them- 32 felves, and fo they enjoined others to preach. Charger. the rich in this world, faith St. Paul to his fcholar Timothy, that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate: and, These things, faith he likewise, advising bifhop Titus, Tit. iii. 8. I will that thou affirm conftantly, that they which believe in God may be careful to maintain good works: what good works he meaneth, the reafon adjoined doth Thew; For thefe things, faith he, are good and profitable

unto men.

2. It is indeed obfervable, that as in every kind that which is moft excellent doth commonly affume to itself the name of the whole kind; fo among the parts of righteoufnefs, (which word is ufed to comprehend all virtue and goodness) this of exercifing bounty and mercy is peculiarly called righteousness; fo that righteousness and mercifulness, (or alms-deeds) the righteous and bountiful perfon, are in Scripture expreffion ordinarily confounded, as it were, or undiftinguishably put one for the other; it being often, when commendations are given to righteoufnefs, and rewards promifed to righteous perfons, hard to difcern, whether the general obfervance of

VOL. II.

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1 Tim. vi.

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SER M. God's law, or the fpecial practice of thefe duties, XXII. are concerned in them. Likewife works of this nature are in way of peculiar excellency termed good works; and to perform them is ufually ftyled, to do * Aas ix. good, and to do well; (aàɣædòv igyúÇεodaι, brakir 1 Tim. v. ποιεῖν, ἀγαθοεργεῖν, ἀγαθοποιεῖν, εὐποιεῖν, εὐεργετεῖν, 10. vi. 18. are words applied to this purpofe) which manners of Tit. iii. 8. expreffion do argue the eminent dignity of thefe per

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3. We may alfo confequently mark, that in those Luke vi. places of Scripture where the divine law is abridged, Heb. xii, and religion fummed up into a few particulars of main importance, thefe duties conftantly make a part: fo when the Prophet Micah briefly reckons up thofe things which are beft in the law, and chiefly required by God, the whole catalogue of them confifting but of three particulars, mercy comes in for Micah vi.8. one; He hath fhewed thee, O man, faith he, what is good: and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? Likewife of thofe (Bagútega т vóμa, thofe) more fubftantial and weighty things of God's law, the neglect of which our Saviour objecteth as an argument of impiety, and a caule of woe, to thofe preMatt. xxiii. tending zealots, this is one: Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharifees, hypocrites; for ye pay tithe of mint and cumin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith. The fum of St. John the Baptift's inftruction of the people is by St. Luke reLuke iii.ro, duced to this point; The people asked him, faying, What shall we do? He anfwering faith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that bath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewife. St. Jam. i. 27. James's fyftem of religion is this; Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this, to vifit the fatherless and widow in their affliction, (that is, to comfort and relieve all diftreffed and helpless perfons) and to keep himself unfpotted from the world. St. Paul Gal. vi. 2. feems to be yet more compendious and clofe: Bear

23.

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ye,