XCIII.

fuch an iffue of his folly may every one expect, (tos ERM. be taken away from his eftate before he comes to enjoy it)" who layeth up treasures for himself, but is "not rich towards GoD;" but does not lay up riches with God. How is that? By works of mercy, and charity. This our SAVIOUR calls "laying up for "ourselves treafure in heaven;" Matt. vi. 20. And at the 33d verfe of this chapter, he calls giving of alms, "providing for ourselves bags which wax not "old, a treasure in the heavens which faileth not:" they who do thus, who "are rich in good works, tc ready to distribute, willing to communicate," are faid to lay up for themselves a good treasure against the time which is to come, that they may lay hold

on eternal life," 1 Tim. vi. 18, 19. Extra fortunam eft quicquid donatur; "whatsoever we give to "the poor is fafely difpofed, and put out of the "reach of fortune," because it is laid up in heaven, where we may expect the return and recompence of it. Charity to our poor brethren is a certain way of tranfmitting our riches into the other world to make way for our reception there. So our LORD tells us, Luke xvi. 9. "I fay unto you, make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteouf22 nefs, that when you fhall fail (that is, when ye "fhall leave this world, and the enjoyments of it) they may receive you into everlafting habitations."

દ

At the great day of judgment, when we fhall all appear before GOD, and, according to our SAVIOUR'S representation of the proceedings of that day, fhall hear him thus expoftulating with men. "I was hunઠંડ gry, and ye gave me no meat; thirfty, and ye gave

me no drink; naked, and ye clothed me not;
VOL. VI.
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" fick

SERM." fick, and in prison, and ye vifited me not;" what
-XCIII. would we then give, how much of our eftates, if we

had them then at our command, would we not be
willing to part withal, to have that comfortable-fen-
tence past upon us; "come, ye bleffed of my
"FATHER, inherit the kingdom prepared for you
"before the foundation of the world!"
But if we

be found among those who would fpare nothing out
of their abundance to any charitable use and pur-
pofe, I have not the heart to tell you how miferable
the condition of fuch perfons will be, and how dread-
ful a doom will be paffed upon them.

It is a fad confideration, that there are some perfons in the world, who seem to be only defective in this duty; like the young man in the gofpel, who lacked but "this one thing" to make him perfect;

he had kept the commandments from his youth;" and preserved himself from thofe grofs fins which the law did plainly forbid.; and yet for want of "this "one thing" he parted from his SAVIOUR, and, for any thing we know, fell fhort of eternal life. There are many who are very devout and religious, much in prayer and fasting, and all the other frugal exercifes of piety, which coft them no money; but yet are very defective in alms and charity, which in fcripture are fo frequently joined with the faftings and prayers of good men; and by this means, all their devotion and diligence in the other parts of religion is loft, and will not bring them to heaven. And is it not great pity, that they who "are not far from "the kingdom of GOD fhould fall short of it?" that they, who in most other things bid fo fair for heaven, fhould break with GOD upon this single point?

XCIII.

I know men have feveral ways to deceive their SER M. own hearts, and to defend themselves against ́ all, thefe affaults..

First, they fay, they are injurious to no man, in not being charitable. And it is true, that in human courts the poor can have no action against the rich for want of charity to them; but yet for all that, they do injuriously detain that which doth not of right belong to them. They are cruel and hard-hearted, and they are guilty of a high breach of trust, in respect of GOD, whose stewards they are, and who hath dealt fo liberally with them in the things of this life, on purpose to oblige them to be fo to others. That which thou storest up, without regard to the neceffities of others, is unlawfully detained by thee, fince GoD intended it should have been, "for bread to the hungry, and clothes to the naked," and for help and relief "of those who are ready to perish." For why art thou rich, and another poor? but that thou mightest exercise thy charity upon thofe fitting objects which the providence of GoD prefents to thee. It had been eafy for GOD (fince "the earth is his, and the ful"ness thereof") fo to have contrived things, that every man should have had a fufficiency, and have been in a moderate condition; but then a great many virtues would have been shut out of the world, and loft, for want of opportunity to exercise them. Where then had been the poor man's patience, and the rich man's pity? and the contentednefs of men of moderate fortune?

Secondly, men say that they have children to provide for. And do fo in GoD's name, for he allows us to do it liberally; but unless their condition and

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wealth

SERM wealth fet them above an ordinary calling, do not
XCIII. choose fo to provide for them, as to take them off

from all employment, left you put them in the ready
way to be undone; have a care of leaving them no
other bufinefs, but to spend what you have left them
if you do fo, they will in all probability do that work
very effectually, and make as much hafte to be poor,
as you
did to make them rich. If men could be but
contented to do that which is best for their children,
they might do a great deal better for themselves, by
difpofing what they have to fpare in charity.

Thirdly, others would fain excufe themfelves from this duty at prefent by telling what they intend to do when they come to die, that is, when they can keep what they have no longer. It seems then thou wilt leave it to thy executor to do good in thy ftead.. This fhews thou haft no great heart to the businefs, when thou deferreft it as long as ever thou canft. But why wilt thou truft another with the difpofal of thy charity, rather than thyfelf? This is hardly to offer either "a reafonable, or a living fa"crifice to GoD," to do good only when we are dead. It is well that God hath made all men mortal, and that "it is appointed for all men once to die;" otherwise fome men would never do good at all.

Wherefore fetting afide thefe, and all other excuses,. which will not be admitted, nor will any of us have the face to plead them at the day of judgment; I fay, fetting afide all excufes whatsoever, let us refolve to do good with what we have whilft we can; and to that end let us lay aside fome portion of what God hath bleft us withal, for the ufes of piety and charity, and let it bear fome decent proportion to what God hath given us.

There

1

There is never want of proper objects for our largeft charity, and now less than ever. Befides thefe at home, which present themfelves to us in great numbers every day, God hath fent us many from abroad, who call loud upon us for our pity and help, both as they are reduced to the greatest extremity, and are fufferers in the best cause, that of our common religion, which ought now to be dearer to us than ever. Let us fhew mercy now, as we expect mercy from others, in any day of our diftrefs in this world, and as ever we hope whenever we come to appear before the judgment-. feat of CHRIST, "to find mercy with the LORD in that day."

Confider what I have faid upon this argument, and let this extraordinary kind of caution which our SAVIOUR here gives, make a deep impreffion upon your minds; " take heed, and beware of covetouf"nefs; for a man's life confifteth not in the abundance of the things which he poffeffeth."

SERMON

XCIV.

Religion, our firft and great con

cernment.

MATTH. vi. 33.

But feek ye first the Kingdom of GOD, and his Righteoufnefs; and all these things fhall be added unto you.

IN

N the latter part of this chapter, our SAVIOUR SERM. doth in a long difcourfe caution his difciples XCIV. against an inordinate care about the things of this

life, which he concludes with a strict charge to make