fo far from being in danger to be loft or thrown away, that they are no better way fecur'd to Us than by being difpens'd to the Indigent and Needy: and that this Duty is attended with all the Bleffings of this Life.

I fhall mention but a few Texts out of many that affure us of this infallible Truth. And ift, as foon as Mofes had given that remarkable Command in Deuteronomy 15. of Giving Willingly and Plentifully to the Poor, he thus enforces it: Because for this thing the Lord thy God fhall bless thee in all thy Works, and in all that thou putteft thine hand unto. He that giveth unto the Poor, fays the Wifeft of Men, Jhall not lack: and again, The liberal Soul fhall be made fat, and he that watereth fhall be water'd also himself, Prov.11.25. Nor is this a tranfient but a durable Bleffing, nor enriches only the Present but provides for Pofterity. David tells us from his own Experience; I have been Young and now am Old, yet have I not feen the Righteous, that is the Charitable, forfaken, nor his Seed begging their Bread, Pf. 37.25. And his Son Solomon affures us, A good Man leaves an Inheritance to his Children's Children, and the Wealth of the Sinner is laid up for the Fuft; but He that by unjust Gain encreaseth his Subftance, be fball gather it for Him that will pity the Poor. 'Tis the Son of Sirach's advice therefore, Ecclus 29. 11. Lay up thy Treasure ac

cording

cording to the Commandments of the Moft High, and it fhall bring thee more Profit than Gold. Riches that are kept profit not in the day of Wrath, but fout up Alms in thy Storehouses, and it fhall deliver Thee from all Affliction, it shall fight for Thee against thine Enemys better than a mighty fheild or ftrong Spear. Can any One, that reads these and many other the like Texts and pretends that he believes the Scripture to be the Word of God, have the least Apprehenfion that his Charity should ever make even his Worldly Condition worfe, or waft or diminish his Substance? Nay, can any One that is a true Believer of God's Word doubt, but that by Exercifing this Godlike Virtue he fhall increase, or at least bless and fanctify what he has ?

But further 2dly. It is an Unreasonable Miftruft to fear that our Alms or Good Deeds to the Poor, tho' never so liberal, if within the compass of Prudence and Difcretion, which few have need in this Cafe to be advis'd not to tranfgrefs, fhould ever bring any Man into Want or Diftrefs. Let every One confult his own Experience, and confider if this be not true in what he has obferv'd in the World. Who ever knew an Eftate impair'd by Charity? by Love of our Brethren? But by Love of Ourselves, how many? By Luxury, by Prodigality, by Love of the World, by the very Defire of encreaf

ing

ing and multiplying, how many? These are the ways that Providence has taken care fhould deftroy Riches, that the Sin may appear in the Punishment, and the Caufe in the Effect. These are the Wings that Riches moft ufually take to themselves, when they fly away, and then as the Wife Man fpeaks, what Profit has he that labour'd for the Wind? Ecclef. 5. 16. The best and fecureft way to fix these Uncertain and Fleeting things even in a Worldly Senfe is to lay 'em up where it is impoffible they should be loft. Whatever is bestow'd in Charity is ftill our Own, the Satisfaction of having done Good lives within us, and can never be ftollen or spent. Quas dederis folas femper habebis Opes, was the Saying even of an Heathen. The Riches that we give are thofe Only that we shall always have. What Care, what Caution do the wealthy Worldlings take about Securities? and yet how often is all their Care and niceft Circumfpection defeated, and all their Riches fo cautiously Secur'd dwindled into a notch'd Stick or an useless piece of Parchment and Wax? But what is beftow'd on the Poor and Needy is ever Ours, fubject to no Casualties of Water or Fire, and out of the Reach of a breaking Banker or fraudulent Conveyancer, fo Ours as even ftill to blefs and encrease the Heap out of which it was taken.

But

But there is yet a more valuable and certain Reward for this Duty; namely, that which every Faithfull Chriftian knows to be referv'd for it in the World to come. Let us not therefore, as St Pauls exhorts, be weary in well doing, for in due feafon we shall reap, if we faint not.

For laftly, tho' many days have past and we yet meet with no Return here, let us not faint or be difcourag'd. There shall at laft come a day, when our long Expectation fhall be abundantly fatisfy'd, and the Delay of our Reward more than compenfated by the Greatnefs and Excellency and Eternity of it. That day fhall come when the Grand Inquifition which our Judge will make fhall be not How frequent or How long our Prayers have been, or what Powerfull Preachers with what eagerness we have follow'd; not how often we have faid unto him, Lord, Lord; not what Edifying Difcourfes we have liften'd to, or even made; not fo much what good Things we have faid or heard, as what we have done? What Acts of Mercy and Charity we have exercis'd to our diftrefs'd Brethren upon Earth, What Hungry we have fed, what naked we have cloath'd, what Sick, what Prisoners we have vifited? It fhall then be made manifeft in the Sight of Angels and Men, how

high

high a Value our gracious Mafter puts upon the leaft of these Services perform'd in Sincerity and Love. When a few perishing earthly Things fhall intitle us to Immortal Riches and Everlafting Glory, nay even a Cup of cold Water to a Kingdom. When We fhall hear that joyfull Sentence, Come Ye blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepar'd for You from the Beginning of the World; For I was an hungry, and ye gave me meat; thirsty, and ye gave me drink; naked, and ye cloathed me. We fhall then to our unfpeakable Comfort find how prudent a Forecast it was to remove in time our Effects hence where we have no abiding, and to transferr 'em into the Country where we were to live for Ever; to lay up before hand Treafures in Heaven, and by the righteous Use of the Mammon of Unrighteousness secure to Ourselves an Everlasting Habitation.

To which God of his Infinite Mercy bring us all, thro' Fefus Chrift our Lord, to Whom with the Father and the Holy Ghoft be afcrib'd, as is moft due, all Might, Majefty, and Dominion, both now and for evermore. Amen.

SERMON II.