James i.

manner of wife worldly men amongst us is, that if they know a man of a meaner eftate than themselves to be in favour with the prince, or any other nobleman, whom they either fear or love, fuch a one they will be glad to benefit and pleasure, that, when they have need, they may become their spokefman, either to obtain a commodity, or to escape a difpleasure. Now furely it ought to be a fhame to us, that worldly men for temporal things, that laft but for a feafon, fhould be more wife and provident in procuring them, than we in heavenly. Our Saviour Chrift teftifieth of poor men, that they are dear unto him, and that he loveth them efpecially; for he calleth them his little ones, by a name of tender love: he faith they be his brethren. And St. James faith, that God hath chofen them to be the heirs of his kingdom. Hath not God, faith he, chofen the poor of this world to himself, to make them hereafter the rich beirs of that kingdom which be bath promifed to them that love him? And we know that the prayer which they make for us fhall be acceptable and regarded of God, their complaint fhall be heard alfo. Thereof doth Jefus the fon of Sirach certainly affure us, Ecclus. iv. faying, If the poor complain of thee in the bitterness of bis foul, his prayer fhall be beard; even be that made him ball bear him. Be courteous therefore unto the poor. We know alfo, that he who acknowledgeth himself to be their master and patron, and refufeth not to take them for his fervants, is both able to pleasure and difpleasure us, and that we ftand every hour in need of his help. Why fhould we then be either negligent or unwilling to procure their friendflip and favour, by the which alfo we may be affured to get his favour, that is both able and willing to do us all pleasures that are for our commodity and wealth? Chrift doth declare by this, how much he accepteth our charitable affection toward the poor, in that he promifeth a reward unto them that give but a cup of cold water in his name to them that have need thereof, and that reward is the kingdom of heaven. No doubt is it therefore that God regardeth highly that which he re wardeth fo liberally. For he that promifeth a princely recompence for a beggarly benevolence, declareth that he is more delighted with the giving, than with the gift, and that he as much efteemeth the doing of the thing, as the fruit and commodity that cometh of it. Whofo therefore hath hitherto neglected to give alms, let him know that God now requireth it of him; and he that hath been liberal to the poor, let him know that his godly do

ings are accepted, and thankfully taken at God's hands, which he will requite with double and treble. For fo faith the Wife Man: He which fheweth mercy to the poor, doth lay bis money in bank to the Lord, for a large intereft and gain; the gain being chiefly the poffeffion of the life everlasting, through the merits of our Saviour Jefus Chrift: to whom with the Father and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory for ever. Amen.

The Second Part of the Sermon of Alms-Deeds.

YE

E have heard before, dearly beloved, that to give alms unto the poor, and to help them in time of neceffity, is fo acceptable unto our Saviour Christ, that he counteth that to be done to himself, that we do for his fake unto them. Ye have heard alfo how earnestly both the Apostles, Prophets, holy Fathers, and Doctors, do exhort us unto the fame. And ye fee how well-beloved and dear unto God they were, whom the Scriptures report unto us to have been good almis-men. Wherefore if either their good examples, or the wholesome counfel of godly fathers, or the love of Chrift, whofe efpecial favour we may be affured by this means to obtain, may move us, or do any thing at all with us; let us provide us, that from henceforth we fhew unto God ward this thankful fervice, to be mindful and ready to help them that be poor and in mifery.

Now will I this fecond time that I entreat of almsdeeds, fhew unto you how profitable it is for us to exercife them, and what fruit thereby fhall arife unto us, if we do them faithfully. Our Saviour Chrift in the Gospel teacheth us, that it profiteth a man nothing to have in poffeffion all the riches of the whole world, and the wealth or glory thereof, if in the mean feafon he lose his foul, or do that thing whereby it fhould become captive unto death, fin, and hell-fire. By the which faying, he not only inftructeth us how much the foul's health is to be preferred before worldly commodities; but it alfo ferveth to ftir up our minds, and to prick us forwards to feek diligently, and learn by what means we may preferve and keep our fouls ever in fafety; that is, how we may recover our health, if it be loft or impaired, and how it may be defended and maintained, if once we have it. Yea, he teacheth us alfo thereby to efteem that as a precious medicine, and an inestimable jewel, that hath fuch

Y 4

strength

Luke xi.

ftrength and virtue in it, that can either procure or preferve fo incomparable a treasure. For if we greatly regard that medicine or falve, that is able to heal fundry and grievous difeafes of the body, much more will we esteem that which hath like power over the foul. And because we might be better affured both to know and to have in readiness that fo profitable a remedy; he, as a moft faithful and loving teacher, theweth himself both what it is, and where we may find it, and how we may use and apply. it. For when both he and his Difciples were grievously accused of the Pharifees, to have defiled their fouls in breaking the conftitutions of the Elders, because they went to meat, and washed not their hands before, according to the cuftom of the Jews; Chrift anfwering their fuperftitious complaint, teacheth them an especial remedy how to keep clean their fouls, notwithstanding the breach of fuch fuperftitious orders: Give alms, faith he, and be bold all things are clean unto you. He teacheth them, that to be merciful and charitable in helping the poor, is the means to keep the foul pure and clean in the fight of God. We are taught therefore by this, that merciful alms-dealing is profitable to purge the foul from the infection and filthy fpots of fin. The fame leffon doth the Holy Ghoft alfo teach in fundry places of the Scripture, Tobit iv. faying, Mercifulness and alms-giving purgeth from all fins, and delivereth from death, and fuffereth not the foul to come into darkness. A great confidence may they have before the high God, that fhew mercy and compaffion to them that are afflicted. The wife Preacher, the fon of Sirach, Ecclus. v. confirmeth the fame, when he faith, That as water quencheth burning fire, even fo mercy and alms refifleth and reconcileth fins. And fure it is, that mercifulness quaileth the heat of fin fo much, that they fhall not take hold upon man to hurt him; or if ye have by any infirmity or weaknefs been touched and annoyed with them, ftraightways fhall mercifulnefs wipe and wash away, as falves and remedies to heal their fores and grievous difeafes. And thereupon that holy father Cyprian taketh good occafion to exhort carneftly to the merciful works of giving alms and helping the poor, and there he admonisheth to confider how wholefome and profitable it is to relieve the needy, and help the afflicted, by the which we may purge our fins, and heal our wounded fouls.

But yet fome will fay unto me, If alms-giving, and our charitable works towards the poor, be able to wash away fins, to reconcile us to God, to deliver us from the peril

of

of damnation, and make us the fons and heirs of God's kingdom; then are Chrift's merits defaced, and his blood fhed in vain; then are we justified by works, and by our deeds may we merit heaven; then do we in vain believe that Chrift died for to put away our fins, and that he rose for our juftification, as St. Paul teacheth. But ye fhall understand, dearly beloved, that neither thofe places of the Scripture before alleged, neither the doctrine of the bleffed martyr Cyprian, neither any other godly and learned man, when they, in extolling the dignity, profit, fruit, and effect of virtuous and liberal alms, do fay that it wafheth away fins, and bringeth us to the favour of God, do mean, that our work and charitable deed is the original cause of our acception before God, or that for the dignity or worthinefs thereof our fins may be washed away, and we purged and cleanfed of all the fpots of our iniquity; for that were indeed to deface Chrift, and to defraud him of his glory. But they mean this, and this is the understanding of thofe and fuch like fayings, that God of his mercy and fpecial favour towards them, whom he hath appointed to everlafting falvation, hath fo offered his grace efpecially, and they have fo received it fruitfully, that although, by reafon of their finful living outwardly, they feemed before to have been the children of wrath and perdition; yet now the Spirit of God mightily working in them, unto obedience to God's will and commandments, they declare by their outward deeds and life, in the fhewing of mercy and charity, (which cannot come but of the Spirit of God, and his efpecial grace) that they are the undoubted children of God appointed to everlafting life. And fo, as by their wickednefs and ungodly living they fhewed themfelves according to the judgment of men, which follow the outward appearance, to be reprobates and caftaways; fo now by their obedience. unto God's holy will, and by their mercifulnefs and tender pity, (wherein they fhew themfelves to be like unto God, who is the fountain and fpring of all mercy,) they declare openly and manifeftly unto the fight of men, that they are the fons of God, and elect of him unto falvation. For as the good fruit is not the cause that the tree is good, but the tree muft firft be good before it can bring forth good fruit; fo the good deeds of man are not the caufe that maketh man good, but he is first made good by the spirit and grace of God, that effectually worketh in him, and afterward he bringeth forth good fruits. And then as the good fruit doth argue the goodness of the

tree,

tree, fo doth the good and merciful deed of the man ar gue and certainly prove the goodness of him that doth it, according to Chrift's fayings: Ye shall know them by their fruits. And if any man will object, that evil and naughty men do fometimes by their deeds appear to be very godly and virtuous; I will anfwer, fo doth the crab and choak-pear feem outwardly to have fometime as fair a red, and as mellow a colour, as the fruit that is good indeed. But he that will bite and take a taste, shall eafily judge betwixt the four bitterness of the one, and the fweet favourinefs of the other. And as the true Chriftian man, in thankfulness of his heart, for the redemption of his foul purchased by Chrift's death, fheweth kindly by the fruit of his faith his obedience to God; fo the other, as a merchant with God, doth all for his own gain, thinking to win heaven by the merit of his works, and fo defaceth and obfcureth the price of Chrift's blood, who only wrought our purgation. The meaning then of thefe fayings in the Scriptures and other holy writings; Alms-deeds do wash away our fins; and, Mercy to the poor doth blot out our offences, is, that we doing these things according to God's will and our duty, have our fins indeed washed away, and our offences blotted out; not for the worthiness of them, but by the grace of God which worketh all in all, and that for the promise that God hath made to them that are obedient unto his commandment, that he which is the truth might be justified in performing the truth due to his true promife. Almsdeeds do wash away our fins, because God doth vouchsafe then to repute us as clean and pure, when we do them for his fake, and not because they deferve or merit our purging, or for that they have any fuch ftrength and virtue in themfelves. I know that fome men, too much addict to the advancing of their works, will not be contented with this anfwer; and no marvel, for fuch men can no answer content or fuffice. Wherefore leaving them to their own wilful fenfe, we will rather have regard to the reasonable and godly, who as they moft certainly know and perfuade themfelves, that all goodness, all bounty, all mercy, all benefits, all forgiveness of fins, and whatfoever can be named good and profitable, either for the body or for the foul, do come only of God's mercy and mere favour, and not of themselves; fo though they do never fo many and fo excellent good deeds, yet are they never puffed up with the vain confidence of them. And though they hear and read in God's word, and

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