Doing these Neceffary Works of Mercy. 'Tis dangerous to Ufe Ourfelves to be too Nice and Scrupulous in these Cafes, for he that will not part with any thing to the Relief of the Distress'd, 'till he is fatisfy'd of his Defert, as well as his Poverty, will ne ver want Reasons to be Excus'd, by Diftinguishing too narrowly, who is more and who lefs, and who not at all fitting to be Reliev'd; he may in time by degrees diftinguifh quite away all his Charity. And the moft Coverous and Tenacious Wretch in the World will always have ready a fofter Name for his Sin, and call his Want of Mercy, Abundance of Difcretion. But We can have no greater Example, no nobler Pattern in doing Good, than the Eternal Fountain of All Goodnefs, even God Himself, Whofe Mercy is Over All his Works. And as far as it is poffible, Our Love fhould be like His, Unbounded and Univerfal, Matt. 5. 45 That We may be the Children of our Father which is in Heaven, for He maketh His Sun to rife on the Evil and the Good, and fendeth Rain on the Just and the Unjust. Be we therefore, in this Particular Perfect, as Our Saviour fubjoins, as Our Father in Heaven is Perfect

4hly, Cafting Our Bread upon the Waters implies a generous Diftribution of our Goods without any Profpect of Advantage or Re

quital. So felfifh a Principle as that Prospect can never lodge in the fame Breaft with True Charity, it being One of the Diftinguishing marks of that Grace, Charity feeketh not its Own. Whenever we give with fo mean a defign, and fo ignoble hopes as to Receive, we are no longer acting the Christian but the Merchant, nor exercifing Religion but driving a Trade; and That of all Trades the most fordid and base, it not being to be carry'd on without Diffimulation and Deceit. For he that deals in this paltry Traffick, while he pretends nothing but free Love and generous Friendship, yet at the fame time whatever he beftows, his Gifts have ftill a Hook under them, nor are they Prefents to enrich his Friend, but Baits to take him. This poor and contemptible Artifice of making gain of them to whom we pretend to do good, is wholly inconfiftent with that largnefs and openness of Spirit, that freedom from Hypocrify and Defign, that becomes a Profeffor of Chriftianity. Therefore that we may be sure that we have no fuch by-Ends, no fuch little Designs lurking unperceiv'd within Us, Let Our Bread be Caft upon the Waters, Our Gifts fcatter'd among the Poor, and fuch from whom it would be as abfurd to hope for any Advantage or Return, as it would be to expect a Harveft from Seed caft into A 4

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the Sea. This is that excellent Charity which Our Saviour practis'd, and which he taught and commanded us, and which alone will be accepted and valuable in his fight. For if you, fays he, do Good to them that do Good to you, what thank have you? for Sinners, allo do even the fame. And if you lend to them of whom ye hope to receive,what thank have ye? for Sinners alfo lend to Sinners to receive as much again. But do good and lend, hoping for Nothing again, and your Reward shall be Great, and Te ball be the Children of the Higheft, for · He is kind even to the Unthankfull and the Evil.

Having thus with what brevity I could, according to the Senfe of the feveral Interpreters, Thewn in what manner this Duty is to be Exercis'd, I fhall proceed and endeavour to fhew the Reasonableness and the Excellence of it.

ift, The Reasonablenefs of it is apparent by its being fo implanted by God in Our Nature, fo woven into the frame of our very Being, that he must have quite put off all Humanity, who is not confcious to himfelf of an inbred forcible Inclination to it. The Natural Paffion of Pity was for this reafon born with Us, and made a part of Our Constitution, that we might by That be continually excited and stirr'd up to help and fuccour all that are in Neceffity and

Distress.

Diftrefs. Our Bowels naturally yearn at all miferable Objects, we cannot help, unless We have defac'd the first and most genuin impreffions of God upon our Souls, we cannot help, I fay, Feeling Within fomewhat anfwerable and A-kin to all the Misery that we see Without, and we do but Relieve Ourfelves when we remove the Afflictions of a Brother. And this is evident from that Pleasure which unavoidably results from thefe Offices of Love. Pleasure being always infeparable from Actions purely Natural. Now a good Man, after every feafonable refreshment of the Wretched and Neceffitous, finds an Unexpreffible Delight, an Eafe of Mind, a Complacency of Spirit, and a fecret irrefiftable Joy fpringing up in his Breaft. All the good which He defign'd to fhed abroad and part with to his poor Brother recoils back upon himself, he feels more Comfort Within then he fent Out, reaps infinitely greater Satisfaction in Doing Mercy, than the Other by having it Done to him, and finds experimentally confirm'd,that great Truth whichSt. Paul quotes from our Saviour's own Mouth, It is more Bleffed to Give than to Receive. So he determin'd, who was undoubtedly the best Judge that ever was in this Cafe, having had continual Experience of both Conditions, who, tho' He himself subsisted upon

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the Alms of thofe that Minifter'd to him out of their Subftance, yet even out of thofe Alms found wherewithall to supply daily the Neceffities of Others.

There is a Natural Obligation to this Duty, from the near Relation that every Man hath to the very meanett and most abject, the poorest and most miserable of his own Kind. We are all the Workmanship of the fame hands, made of the fame matter, moulded in the fame form, and copy'd from the fame Image, even that of God himfelf. Did not He that made Me in the Womb make Him? and did not One fashion us? fays holy Job. From the Confideration of which the Wife Man tells us more than once, that he that Regards not the Poor, Reproaches his Maker. And this is fo Unnatural,. that to deny Bread to the Hungry, Lodging to the Out-caft, and Covering to the Naked, is in that Elegant and Significant Expreffion of Ifaiah, 58. 9. For a Man to hide Himfelf from His own Flesh. But as ftrictly as we are oblig'd by the Tyes of Nature, the Communion of Saints lays yet a higher and more forcible Obligation upon us. For there is no Temporal Relation can be com par'd to that which is Spiritual and Eternal. As then there is a general Reason for our Mercy and Kindness to All Men, fo there is a particular One for our doing

Good

2.