to the hand that fed 'em, and have an abfolute and immediate Dependence upon God alone. But his Thoughts are not as our Thoughts, nor his Ways as our Ways. He as much furpaffes us in Wisdom as in Power and for wife and juft Reasons has rather chose to send Man to Man for a Relief,both as a Tryal, as has been said, of our Faith and Affection to Him, and alfo on purpose to endear us to Each other, and diffuse continually thro' the whole Creation that Divine Principle which mov'd Him firft to Create, Love. By which he exalts our Nature to the highest Pitch of Dignity and Happyness that it is capable of, for questionless 'tis both the greatest Honour, and the perfecteft Felicity, to be like God, and it is Certain that Nothing makes Man fo like God as Charity. Nay, it makes a Man be inftead of God (what can be faid or imagin'd higher) to his wanting Brother. And as the Poor are the Reprefentatives of Chrift in his Weak and Suffering Humanity; fo the CharitableRich, who feed and fuftain them, Reprefent Him in his Powerfull and Allfufficient Divinity. And does not this way of God's providing for his poor Creatures, by thus powerfully inclining Men's AffeЄtions to execute the Good that he Wills, (for all our Charity to Others proceeds meerly from God's Grace to us) redound

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as much to his Honour, as if he fed them himself immediately from Heaven? Nay does it not more? Since to turn the Heart of Man is a more illuftrious Proof of a Divine Power, than to ftrike a River out of a Rock, or to spread a Table in the Wilderness. And fince hereby he does good, not only to Those he relieves, but much more to the Relievers themselves, those that he honours fo far as to be the Inftruments and Conveyers of his Goodness, This brings in, both from the Givers and Receivers, a never-failing Tribute of Adoration and Praise to the Almighty; and as the Apostle speaks,The Administration of this Service, not only fupplies theWant of the Saints,but is abundant alfo by Many Thanksgivings unto God; Whilft by the Experiment of this Miniftration, they glorify God for your profefs'dSubjection to the Gospel of Christ, and for your beral Diftribution unto them, and unto all Men. 2 Cor. 9. 12,13. When Tour Light thus fbines before Men, when your Beams do not only Enlighten, but your Influence and Heat Cherish and Warm 'em too; when they do not only See, but Feel your Good Works, how can they choose but Glorify your Father which is in Heaven?

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There is yet behind One great Inftance of the Excellence of Charity, and that is, its fingular Virtue in the purging us from Sin, which

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which our Saviour intimates in that Saying of his, Give Alms and all things are clean unto Tou. By Mercy, fays Solomon, Iniquity is purg'd, Prov. 16.6. and the Son of Sirach, Water will quench a flaming Fire, and Alms make an Atonement for Sins, Ecclus 3. 30. To which we may add that of St. Peter, tho' I know it is interpreted fometimes in another Sense,Charity covers a multitude of Sins.Without doubt We may, with a well-grounded Confidence, hope, that this our daily Prayer will be graciously heard, Forgive Us our Debts, when by having fhewn Mercy to the Poor, we have made God, or rather God has made himself, our Debtor.

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Indeed there are so Great and Glorious things to be faid, and truly faid, of Bounty to the Poor, that the only danger is, left we fhould carry our Opinion of it beyond its Bounds; and by fetting too great a Value upon our Good Works in our own Eyes, make 'em not only of no Value at all, but even Sinfull and Abominable in the Eyes of God.

And this we should do, if we fhould think that by their Efficacy, they could cleanfe us from Guilt, or that upon the Score of their inherent Worth, God were oblig'd to forgive us our Sins, or that in ftrict Juftice,and of Condignity,they merited an Everlasting Reward. This were impiously to Equal Our felves with God, to

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come to terms,and drive a bargain with our Maker; and, which is the highest of all Impieties, facrilegiously to rob Chrift of the Merits of his Sufferings, whofe Blood only can wash away Sin. To do good and to diftribute, are indeed Sacrifices of a sweet fmelling Savour unto God, and Offerings in which he declares himself well-pleas'd; yet by their ownEfficacy can no more atone for Sin, than the Old Legal Sacrifices could, which had all their Virtue from that One perfect Oblation, which they were all but Figures and Shadows of, even That which was once for all offer'd up by our Saviour on the Cross. In fhort, Good Works inftrumentally conduce to, and are indifpenfable Conditions,but not meritorious Causes of Salvation. Without God's favourable Acceptance of 'em thro'Chrift's Merits, we must own that our beft Deeds are but as Drofs, and We ourselves but unprofitable Servants.

And here, let no Patron of the Romish Merit object, that this Doctrine is any Difcouragement to the Works of Charity, or that it cuts off all Plea to a Recompence for our Chriftian Obedience at the hands of God. What? because we dare not arrogantly and falfly plead Defert, have we no other Plea? Yes, and a much furer too: God be ever bleffed for it, there are other Attributes of his, that oblige Him in his Tranf

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Transactions with Men, as much as his Juftice can. Such are his Mercy and Truth, which are here met together. He looking upon us thro' Chrift, has exprefsly promis'd a plentifull and glorious Reward, to very mean and unproportion'd Performances: which Promife,tho' meerGrace induc'd him to make, yet, when made, his Essential Veracity and Juftice ftand oblig'd to fee perform'd. And from the Confidence of this, we have in all reason, as strong and enforcing Motives to raise our Minds to the higheft and most heroick Acts of Christian Charity, as if every fuch fingle Act could, by its own intrinfick Worth, merit an Eternal Weight of Glory: Since in the Natural course of things it is plain, that the chief Excitement to undertake any Performance, is not so much a Perfwafion of the Merit of our Work, as the Affurance of the Certainty of our Reward:

Which naturally leads to the fecond thing propos'd to be confider'd in the Text; and that is, the promis'd Reward.

And here, we may take notice in general, that it is too fine a Notion, which fome Men, with more Zeal than Knowledge, to fpeak the moft Charitably of them, have. advanc'd; namely,That God and Goodness are fo excellent in their own Nature, that

the