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by a vain fear of what may happen to thyself or to others, after thou hast done it. "It is not "for thee to know the times and the feafons,

which the Father hath put in his power," Acts

7. This only thou knoweft, that the present feafon, whatever it be, is a season of beneficence. Do thy duty in it, and leave the event to providence: For whether thy work profper, or not, Thou thyself fhalt furely profper for the fake of it, and not mifs of thy reward. The bleffed Jefus went about doing good, under all the difcouraging circumstances imaginable. Let us imitate his example, and reprefs our curiofity as to the iffues of things, by carrying ever in our ears the reproof he gave to the over-inquifitive difciple, What is that to thee? follow thou me, John xxi. 22. If we will not impart the good things of life to others, till we are fatisfied that we fhall never want them ourfelves; we muft wholly fhut up. our hands and harden our hearts towards the poor: For no man, not even the most wealthy, and great, and powerful among the fons of inen, is exempt from the chances of human life, and the viciffitudes of fortune. If we will not encourage public works of beneficence, till we are fecure, that no storm fhall overturn what we help to build; there is no room for any exhortations to charity, fince there is no guarding against fuch hazards and accidents. However (bleffed be God!) thofe charities which we now meet to promote, ,do, of all others, the least lie open to fuch exceptions and furmifes. For they are not new fangled devices of yesterday, whereof we have had no knowledge, no experience; but are (moft

of

of them) as old as the reformation itseif, and have flourished together with it, and by it: fo that, after above an age and a half's trial of them, we can judge furely of their useful nature and tendency, and fafely prophefy their continuance. They have ftood the test of all times and revolu tions; even of fuch as fcarce spared any thing that was truly facred and venerable. When fa

crilegious and rebellious hands had razed the church, even to the foundation thereof, and laid the honour of the crown low in the duft; yet ftill, ftruck with a reverence for thefe awful charities, they fuffered them to stand undiminished, untouched, amidst the common ruins: and what the malice and frenzy of that time fpared, we have reason to hope, may continue for ever: But

III. There are many men fenfible enough of their obligations to charity, and refolved, fome time or other, to discharge them: but they defire to be excufed from that duty for the prefent, and put it off, perhaps, to a will and a death-bed, and think it fufficient, if they begin to do good in the world, any time before they leave it. A very fatal error! and very fruitful of ill confequences! For a death-bed charity is no better, in its kind, than a death-bed repentance; which ought not indeed to be neglected (because it is the best thing we can do in those circumftances), but yet it cannot be relied on. Seldom do either of these ceed from a principle of goodnefs; nor are they owing to a love of virtue, but to a fear of punishment. However, God forbid that I should con

pro

demn,

demn, or difcourage either of them, any further than is requifite to awaken us into an earlier sense of our duty, and of the dangers with which fuch delays are attended! Indeed, when a man has lived in the practice of charity, he may alfo die in it with comfort. But of what great worth can that facrifice be, which we never had the heart to offer, till it was going to be fnatched out of our hands? If we part with that only which we can keep no longer, what thanks have we? Whatfoever we employ in charitable uses, during our lives, is given away from ourselves; what we bequeth at our deaths, is given from others only, our nearest relations and friends, who elfe would enjoy it. Befides, how many teftamentary charities have been defeated by the negligence or fraud of executors? by the fuppreffion of a will? the fubornation of witneffes, or the corrupt fentence of a Judge? How prepofterous is it, never to fet about works of charity, whilft we ourselves can see them performed; and then only to intend the doing them, when it will be in the power of another to fruftrate this good intention? Nay, but be thou thy own'executor, in fuch cafes, as much as is poffible. Inure thyfelf betimes to the love and practice of good deeds for the longer thou deferreft to be acquainted with them, the lefs every day thou wilt find thyself disposed to them. Age itfelf, that weakens all other paffions and defires, adds to our unnatural love of money; and makes us then moft fondly hug and retain the good things of life, when we have the leaft prospect, ourselves, of enjoying them. He only, who hath had an early relish of the pleasures of beneficence,

will then be perfuaded to abound in it; will be ready to give glad to ftribute. Wherefore teach thyfelf this leffon, while it is to be taught; and begin this very day to practise it, by fetting apart fomething out of thy ftock, for the ufe of fome one of thefe excellent charities, which require fupplies from day to day: and why then, if thou art not unable, and doft ever intend, fhouldft thou at all defer, to beftow them? Again,

IV. It is alledged, that the increase of charity tends often to the increafing and multiplying the poor; and by that means, proves a mifchief to the commonwealth, inftead of a fupport and benefit. And it must be allowed, that, with regard to our private diftributions of charity, there may be fome truth in the obfervation. The pronefs of good men to commiferate want, in whatsoever shape it appears, and from whatever cause it may spring; their eafinefs to relieve cheats and vagabonds, and to be wrought upon by the importunities of clamorous beggars, are doubtlefs one reafon why our poor are so numerous; and encourage many to depend upon the merciful for their fupport, who might otherwife feek it from their own induftry and labour. And therefore, of the charity which we this way beftow, much I fear is mifapplyed; and I would far rather be an advocate for the retrenchment, than the increafe of it. But in our public charities (such particularly as adorn this great city, and beautify this folemnity) there is no danger of excefs; no room to fear, left, by the overflowing bounty of benefactors, they fhould ever fwell beyond the neceffities of those,

who

who have a real occafion for them. For they are not like the charitable foundations in the church of Rome, whofe number, wealth, and dazling fplendor, exceeds all the demands and the defign of charity, and raifes envy rather than compaffion, in the breafts of beholders. Thefe are indéed fuperfluous charities; conveniences to private perfons, but of no real advantage to the public: inftead of being receptacles for the truly poor, they tempt men to pretend poverty, in order to fhare advantages of them. The charitable institutions, for which I plead, are of another nature and tendency; calculated not for oftentation, but use; to answer the chief ends of human,life, and the neceffary wants of human nature and the more therefore they are enlarged, the more ufeful ftill will they be; nor can the liberal hand ever be too liberal in fupplying them. At leaft, that cannot happen, till fome ages hence; when, therefore, it will be time enough to enter on fuch a confidetation. The

Veh and laft thing (I fhall mention) by which we are apt to excufe our backwardness to good works. is, the ill fuccefs that hath been observed to attend well defigned charities; with relation both to the objects on which they are placed, and the hands through which they are conveyed. The first do often prove unworthy of our bounty, and the latter may fometimes divert and mifapply it. But what then? Shall we be difcouraged from any attempt of doing good by the pofliblity of our failing in it? How many of the best things, that were ever done for the world, would, at this rate, VOL. II. U

have