SERM. poor neighbour. Answerably our discourfe will more exXXXI. pressly regard the principal matter, liberal communication of our goods; but it may be referred to all forts of beneficence. Eph. iv. 28. * פזר Prov.xi. 24. Farther, the word difperfed intimateth the nature of his bounty, in exclufion of practices different from it. He difperfeth, and is therefore not tenacious, doth not hoard up his goods, or keep them clofe to himfelf, for the gratifying his covetous humour, or nourishing his pride, or pampering his fenfuality; but fendeth them abroad for the use and benefit of others. He difperfeth his goods, and therefore doth not fling them away altogether, as if he were angry with them, or weary of them, as if he loathed or despised them; but fairly and foftly with good confideration he difpofeth of them here and there, as reason and need do require. He difperfeth them to the poor, not diffipateth them among vain or lewd perfons in wanton or wicked profufions, in riotous exceffes, in idle divertisements, in expenfive curiofities, in hazardous gamings, in any fuch courfes which fwallow whole all that a man hath, or do fo cripple him, that he becomes unable to difperfe any thing: our good man is to be understood wifely provident, honeftly industrious, and foberly frugal, that he may have wherewith to be just first, and then liberal a. His difperfing alfo (or fcattering, fo the *Hebrew word here ufed is otherwhere rendered: There is, faith the Wife Man, that fcattereth, and yet increafeth: where we may remark, that this word fingly by itfelf, without any adjunct matter to limit or interpret it, is used to fignify this kind of practice. This his difperfing, I say, alfo) denotes the extent of the pious man's bounty, that it is very large and diffufive, and in a manner unreftrained; that it reacheth to many places, and is withheld from no perfons within the verge of his power, and opportunity to do good. This practice commonly by a like phrase (unto which perhaps this word refers) is termed Jowing: He, * Οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε χρήματ' ἔχειν, μὴ ἐπιμελώμενον, ὅπως ἔχῃ. Αrif. Eth. iv. 1. Gal. vi. 7, Prov. xi. 18. faith St. Paul, which foweth Sparingly, shall alfo reap SERM. Sparingly; and he which foweth bountifully, shall alfo XXXI. reap bountifully. Now, he that foweth, having chofen a 2 Cor. ix. good foil, and a fit season, doth not regard one particular 6. 10. spot, but throweth all about fo much as his hand can s. hold, fo far as the ftrength of his arm doth carry. It is hikewise called watering; (He that watereth, faith Solo-Prov. xi. mon, shall be watered himself:) which expreffion also 25. feemeth to import a plentiful and promifcuous effufion of good, dropping in fhowers upon dry and parched places; that is, upon perfons dry for want, or parched with affiction. So the good man doth not plant his bounty in one fmall hole, or spout it on one narrow fpot, but with an open hand diffeminates it, with an impartial regard diftils it all about. He ftints it not to his own family or relations; to his neighbours, or friends, or benefactors; to thofe of his own fect and opinion, or of his humour and difpofition; to fuch as ferve him, or oblige him, or please him; whom fome private interest ties, or some particular affection endears him to; but fcatters it indifferently and unconfinedly toward all men that need it; toward mere ftrangers, yea, toward known enemies ; toward fuch who never did him any good, or can ever be able to do any; yea, even toward them who have done evil to him, and may be prefumed ready to do more b. Nothing in his neighbour but abfence of need, nothing in himself but defect of ability, doth curb or limit his beneficence. In that poduula, (that proclivity and promp-2 Cor. viii. titude of mind) which St. Paul speaketh of, he doth good Ubicunque every where: wherever a man is, there is a room for his homo eft, wishing well, and doing good, if he can he obferves that cio locus rule of the Apostle, As we have opportunity, let us do eft. Sen. de good unto all men. So the pious man hath difperfed. It 24. follows, . 12. ibi benefi Vit. B. cap. Gal. vi. 10. 2 Cor. ix. He hath given to the poor. These words denote the 13. b Ἐὰν ἴδης τινὰ κακῶς πάσχοντα, μηδὲν περιεργάζει λοιπόν· ἔχει τὸ δικαίωμα. τῆς βοηθείας, τα κακῶς παθεῖν αὐτόντα Θεᾶ ἐσι, καν Ἕλλην, και Ιεδαλα. Chryf, in Heb. Orat. 10. SERM. freeness of his bounty, and determine the principal object XXXI. thereof: he not only lendeth (though he also doth that Pfal.cxii. 5. upon reasonable occafion; for, A good man, as it is faid 26. rich fhall furely come to want. Prov. xxii. 16. 34. before in this Pfalm, fheweth mercy, and lendeth; and Pfal.xxxvii. Otherwhere, The righteous is ever merciful, and lendeth; he, I fay, not only fometimes willingly lendeth) to those who in time may repay, or requite him; but he freely giveth to the poor, that is, to those from whom he can Qui diviti expect no retribution back. He doth not (as good and donat, petit pious, he doth not) present the rich: to do so is but a He that giveth to the cleanly way of begging, or a subtile kind of trade; it is hardly courtesy; it is furely no bounty; for such persons (if they are not very fordid or very careless, and fuch men are not usually much troubled with prefents) will, it is likely, overdo him, or at least will be even with him in kindness. In doing this, there is little virtue; for it there Lukevi. 33, will be finall reward. For, If you do good to them who do good to you, (or whom you conceive able and disposed to requite you,) wola xápis, what thanks are due to you? For that, faith our Saviour, even finners (even men notoriously bad) do the fame: And if you lend to them from whom you hope to receive, what thanks have you? For finners even lend to finners, to receive as much again. All men commonly, the bad no less than the good, are apt to be superfluously kind in heaping favours on those whom fortune befriends, and whose condition requires not their courtefy; every one almost is ready to adopt himself into the kindred, or to screw himself into the friendship of the wealthy and profperous: but where kindred is of ufe, there it is feldom found; it is commonly fo deaf, as not to hear when it is called; fo blind, as not to difcern its Prov. xvii. proper object and natural season, (the time of adverfity, for which a brother is born.) Men disclaim alliance with 7,4. the needy, and fhun his acquaintance; fo the Wife Man Ledro obferved, & All the brethren of the poor do hate him; how 17. d Prov. xiv. τὰ φίλων δ' ·¿diy, йy Tis δυσυχῇ. Eurip. • Ὅταν δ ̓ ὁ δαίμων εὖ διδῷ, τί χρὴ φίλων; Αρκεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὠφελεῖν θέσ Aav. Eurip. in Oreft. Τῶν εὐτυχούντων πάντες εἰσὶ συγγενείς. much more do his friends go far from him? Thus it is in SERM. vulgar practice: but the pious man is more judicious, XXXI. more juft, and more generous in the placing of his favours; he is courteous to purpose, he is good to those who need. He, as fuch, doth not make large entertainments for his Luke xiv. friends, his brethren, his kindred, his rich neighbours; but 12, 13, 14. obferves that precept of our Lord, When thou makest a feaft, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and thou shalt be bleffed: for they cannot recompenfe thee; thou fhalt be recompenfed at the refurrection of the juft. Thus the pious man giveth, that is, with a free heart and pure intention bestoweth his goods on the indigent, without defigning any benefit, or hoping for any requital to himfelf; except from God, in confcience, refpect, and love to whom he doeth it. It may be alfo material to observe the form of fpeech here used in reference to the time: He hath difperfed, and he hath given; or, He doth difperfe, he doth give; (for in the Hebrew language the past and prefent times are not diftinguished :) which manner of fpeaking may seem to intimate the reality, or the certainty, and the conftancy of his practice in this kind; for what is past or present, we are infallibly fecure of; and in morals, what one is faid to have done, or to do, is always understood according to habit or cuftom, It is not, He will difperfe, he will give; that were no fit description of a good man; to pretend to, would be no argument of piety; thofe words might import uncertainty, and delay in his practice. He that faith, I will give, may be fallacious in his profeffions, may be inconfiftent with his refolutions, may wilfully or negligently let flip the due season of performing it. Our good man is not a Dofon, or Will-give, (like that king of Ma- 'Exè cedon, who got that name from often fignifying an intention of giving, but never giving in effect;) he not only, purposes well, and promises fairly for the future, but he is. bath effectually done it, and perseveres doing it upon Paulo Emil. every fit occafion. He puts not his neighbour intò tedious expectations, nor puts him off with frivolous excufes, faying to him, as it is in the Proverbs, Go, and Prov.iii. 28. Δώσων ὡς ἐπο αγγελτικός σιεργὸς δὲ τῶν Plut. in SERM. come again, and to-morrow I will give, when he hath it XXXI. by him: He bids him not have patience, or fays unto Jám. ii. 16. him, Depart in peace, when his need is urgent, and his pain impatient, when hunger or cold do then pinch him, when fickness inceffantly vexeth him, when present straits and burdens opprefs him; but he affordeth a ready, quick, and feasonable relief. He hath difperfed, and given, while he lives, not referving the difpofal of all at once upon his death, or by his last will; that unwilling will, whereby men would feem to give somewhat, when they can keep nothing; drawing to themselves those commendations and thanks, which are only due to their mortality; whenas were they immortal, they would never be liberal: No; it is, he hath freely dispersed; not an inevitable neceffity will exAvarus, nifi tort it from him; it cannot be faid of him, that he never cum mori- does well, but when he dies; fo he hath done it really facit. Laber. and furely. tur, nil recte He alfo doth it conftantly, through all the course of his life, whenever good opportunity presents itself. He doth it not by fits, or by accident, according to unstable causes or circumstances moving him, (when bodily temper or humour inclineth him, when a sad object makes vehement impreffion on him, when fhame obligeth him to comply with the practice of others, when he may thereby promote fome defign, or procure fome glory to himself,) but his practice is conftant and uniform, being drawn from steady principles, and guided by certain rules, proceeding from reverence to God, and good-will toward man, following the clear dictates and immutable laws of confcience. Thus hath the pious man difperfed, and given to the poor: and let thus much fuffice for explicatory reflection upon the first words. The main drift and purport of which is, to represent the liberal exercifing of bounty and mercy to be the neceffary duty, the ordinary practice, and the proper character of a truly pious man; fo that performing fuch acts is a good fign of true piety; and omitting them is a certain argument of ungodlinefs. For the demonstration of |