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16, &c.

who having got mighty Poffeffions, and filled his Barns, thought of nothing farther; but Luke 12. presently faith to himself, Soul, take thy Eafe, Eat, Drink, and be Merry, for thou haft Goods laid up for many Tears: But the Conclufion of that Parable doth fufficiently fhew the Vanity and Ridiculousness of this trufting in our Riches; for à Meffage comes to him from God, Thou Fool, this Night fall thy Soul be required of thee; and then whofe fball all thefe Things be that thou haft provided? It is the greateft Madness in the World to pleafe, or fpeak Peace to ourselves upon Account of that, which we are not fure to enjoy a Day, but we may, for any Thing we know, be fnatch'd away the next Moment into another World, and fo must leave the Joy and Pride of our Hearts, to we know not whom.

But fuppofing we had fome Certainty of our Lives, and could promife ourselves, that we fhould not leave our Wealth for fome competent Time, yet we have no Certainty that our Wealth will not leave us. How profperous foever our prefent Circumstances be, yet we cannot enfure the Continuance of them ; there are a Thousand Accidents may happen every Day, which may ftrip us as naked as when we came into the World; and we may be reduced to the Extremities of thofe who are now the greatest Objects of our Compaffion and Charity; and this is that which St. Paul in the Text infinuates, when he calls them uncertain Riches. But what are we then to trust in, if not in these Things? This St.

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Paul

Paul fhews in the Words following, which make

The Third Inftance of the Rich Man's Duty, Let them (faith he) truft in the living God, who giveth to all Men richly to enjoy. The Sente of it is this; Let them, from the Bottom of their Hearts, acknowledge God to be the Author and Giver of all that they poffefs: How much foever their Heads projected, or their Hands laboured, or their Parents and Friends were kind to them, yet it is the Providence of the Almighty to which they owe all. The fame Divine Forefight and Contrivance that feeds the Fowls of the Air, and cloaths the Flowers of the Field, doth alfo give them richly all Things to enjoy; and therefore upon that Providence are they entirely to depend, as much exercifing Faith in God, and repofing Confidence in Him, as if they had no vifible Provifions made for them: And as heartily returning Thanks to their great Benefactor for every Bleffing they have, (feem it never fo much their own already) as a hungry Man, that knows not where to get a Meal, would to him that should give him a plentiful Entertainment. In a Word, those that have all Things in this World must as devoutly look up to God, both in gratefully afcribing to him every Enjoyment either. paft or prefent, and in a full Trust and Reliance upon him for what is to come, as those that live from Hand to Mouth; fince it is the fame Divine Providence that feeds and maintains both the Poor and the Rich, and of his

Infinite

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Infinite Goodnefs, gives to all that fear him, even to the Poor as well as the Rich, all Things to enjoy; and though to the one more plentifully, yet to the other, perhaps, with as much Content, though not in fo great Abundance.

The Fourth and laft Part of the Rich Man's Duty here mentioned, concerns the right Use of that Wealth that God hath given him. Now the right Ufe of Riches according to the Text, doth confift in these Things: That those that have them do Good with them, that they be rich in good Works, that they be ready to diftribute, willing to communicate.

If we fuppofe every one of these distinct Phrases in the Text, to denote a diftin&t Thing, then we are to give this Account of the Paffage, That St. Paul here useth a Gradation in his Speech, begins with the lowest and most general Expreffion of Charity, and fo goes on to higher Degrees of it; in each following Phrafe intending to fay fomething more great or particular than what he had faid in the former, which is a most usual and elegant Scheme of Rhetorick. According to this Account (as the Words are very capable of it) there are Four Things here prescribed to the Rich Man, in the Ufe of his Riches.

1. That he do Good with them, that is the most general Point: that is, That he employ them fome way or other for the Benefit of others. He must not live to himself alone, he muft defign greater Things than the get

ting an Estate, or the raifing a Family; if others be not advantaged by him, he is rich to no purpose. And therefore it will concern him to do Kindneffes and good Offices where he can, to be liberal and hofpitable, to oblige his Friends and Relations all ways poffible, to affift all about him with his Counfel, to encourage them by his Example; in a Word, to make use of that Intereft and Reputation that his Fortune hath given him above others, to do Kindneffes to them.

2. He must not think it fufficient to do this Good now and then, upon particular and more rare Occafions; but he must abound in Acts of Goodness: That is the Meaning of the Apostle's fecond Expreffion of being rich in good Works. He muft fo ftudy and improve in the Art of doing Good, that his good Deeds do equal his Riches; nay, the Words import, that his true Riches are only placed in, and to be measured by his good Deeds. He is not to think himself farther rich than he is rich in good Works. The more plentifully God hath bleffed him with worldly Wealth, the more diligent, and induftrious, and folicitous he must be to do Good with it; otherwise he is poorer than thofe that perhaps he now and then out of Charity relieves. And,

3. Left this doing Good, and being rich in good Works, fhould only be interpreted of doing fuch Kindneffes and good Deeds that cost us nothing but the Expence of our Time, or the Employment of our Pains, or the Use of our Intereft with others; the Apoftle adds this

farther

farther Thing; that the Rich Man must be ready to diftribute; that is, very free to part with his Money, according to the Proportion God hath bleffed him with, upon every Occafion of real and useful Charity: 1. Whe ther that Charity be of a more publick Nature; as, for Inftance, When it is expreffed for the advancing Religion, and the Service of God, or for the making ftanding Provifion for the Poor; or, laftly, Any way for the ferving the Neceffities, or increafing the Conveniencies of the Place where we live, by any publick useful Benefaction: Or, 2. Whether this Charity be of a more private Nature, extending no farther than to particular Perfons that come in our way, whom we are convinced to be real Objects of it; to these likewise we must be ready to diftribute; every poor neceffitous Perfon hath a Right to part of what we have, if we can really fatisfie ourselves, that our Alms will do him a real Good, and will not be any great Prejudice to us. But,

4. And Laftly, The Apostle adds another Thing to all this; and that is, that the Rich Man must be willing to communicate. If the Senfe of this Phrafe be different from the for mer, it will feem to import yet a higher De gree of Liberality. It will import, that Rich Men fhould be of fuch publick Spirits, and fo little efteem their Wealth their own, that it fhould in a manner be made a common Thing, wherein all fhould fhare as there was Occafion. This is the Notion of xoravia, or com→ municating

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