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Ecchis. 4. (faith he) a Father to the Fatherless, and instead of a Husband unto their Mother; fo halt thou be as the Son of the Most High, and he shall love thee more than thy own Mother doth.

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On the other fide, if we will believe the Scripture, there is nothing more odious to God than the contrary Qualities and PraTim. 6. ctices. The Love of Money, which is the Foundation of all Uncharitablenefs, is in Scripture, called the Root of all Evil; as certainly the greatest Evils and Mischiefs in the World, do Eph. 5.5.Often take their Beginning from thence. Those that are covetous, are ftiled by the Name of Idolators, than which no more hateful Ap pellation can be given to a Man in the Sacred Language. It is faid of the Covetous, that God abhorreth them; which implies the utmost Averfion that the Divine Nature is capable of to any Sort of Men or Things. The uncharitable and hard-hearted Men God hath Jam. 2.13.declared, he will have no Mercy on; but they Shall have Fudgment without Mercy, that have fhewed no Mercy.

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Fourthly, and Laftly, A Neceffity there is, that thofe that are Rich in this World, should do Good, and be Rich in good Works, &c. upon their own Account. Though there were no other tie upon them, yet Self-love and Selfprefervation, would oblige them to it. I meddle not here, how far in Point of Worldly Intereft they are concerned to be CharitaBle, though even the Motives drawn from Hence are very confiderable. For certainly, Charity is a Means, not only to preserve and

fecure

fecure to them what they have, and to make them enjoy it more comfortably, but also to increase their Store. No Man is ever poorer for what he gives away in ufeful Charity; but on the contrary he thrives better for it. God feldom fails, in this World, amply to repay what is thus lent to him, befides the other Bleffings that accompany his Store, and go along with it to his Children after him. This, I am fure, is folemnly promised, and in the ordinary Difpenfations of Providence, we see it generally made good: Whereas to the greedy and penurious Man, all Things fall out quite contrary; he may have Wealth, but he hath little Comfort in it; for a Curse generally attends it, of which he feels the fad Effects in a various, miferable and vexatious Life, and often in either having none, or an unfortunate Pofterity.

But this is not the Thing that I mean to infift on. This World lafts but for a while, and it is no great matter how we fare in it; but we have Souls that muft live for ever! If therefore Men have any kindness for them, if they mean not to be undone to all Eternity, it is abfolutely neceffary they hould do good with what they have. O that Uncharitable Rich Men, would think upon that Woe that our Saviour pronounceth against them: Woe unto you that are Rich, for Luke6.246 ye have received your Confolation. O that they would ferioufly confider, and often remember thofe Words of Abraham to the Rich Man in Hell, Son, (faith he) remember that Luke 16. thou 25.

thou in thy Life receivedft thy good Things, and Lazarus evil Things; but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. Not that it is a Crime to be Rich, or to have good Things in our Life; no, it is the inordinate Love of their Wealth (to which thofe that have it are too freequently prone) and their not imploying it to thofe Purposes of doing Good, for which it was given; it is thefe Things that bring thefe Curses upon them, and really make it eafter, without an Hyperbole, for a Camel to go through the Eye of a Needle, than for a Rich Man to enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Luke 18. 24. Certain it is, there is no one Sin that can be named, doth more fatally exclude from Salvation, than this we are fpeaking of. We never find the Prophets or the Apoftles giving a Lift of those black Crimes that will involve all that are guilty of them in inevitable Destruction, but we are fure to meet with Covetoufnefs, and all the Attendants of it, among them; as many Instances might be given. Nay, fo great is this Sin of Uncharitablenefs, and not doing Good with our Wealth, that God in the final Sentence that he fhall pafs upon wicked Men, to their Condemnation at the laft Day, feems to take no Notice of the other Sins and Crimes of their Life, but only to cenfure them for Matth.25.this. Thus we find, that when the King 31, c. having gathered all Nations before him, O. comes to pronounce the Sentence upon thofe on his Left Hand, who are thofe that are doomed to everlasfting Fire, there is no men!

tion made of their Criminal Actions; they are not condemned for Fraud and Oppre fion, for Unbelief and Irreligion, for Lewdness and Debauchery, tho' any of these be enough to Damn a Man; but merely for their not doing Good, for their not relieving the Neceffitous, and exercising other Acts of Charity, when it was in their Power.

Since now from these Confiderations, it doth appear how neceffary, how indifpenfable a Duty it is to do Good with what we have, to be rich in good Works, to be ready to diftribute, and willing to communicate; let me, at this Time, charge all of you, that are Rich in this World, as you would not be unthankful to your Benefactor, nor unjust to your Neighbours; as you have any Piety towards God, or any Care of your own Souls, that you put it in Practice. And Two Inftances of this great Duty, the prefent Occasion, and the Exigence of Things, doth oblige me, more particularly, to recommend to you.

The Firft is, The Business of the Hospitals; the encouraging and promoting that Charity which the Piety of our Ancestors begun, and whofe Examples, their Succeffors have hitherto worthily followed, and of which we fee excellent Effects at this Day; for this we need no better Proof, than the Report given in of the great Number of poor Children, and other poor People maintained in the feveral Hofpitals, under the Pious Care of the Lord Mayor, Commonalty, and Citizens of London, the Year laft paft,

For

For these fo great Inftances of Charity what have we to do, but with all Gratitude to commemorate thofe noble and publick Spirits, that firft began them; and with all Devotion to put up our Prayers to God, for all those now alive, that have been Promoters and Encouragers of fuch good Works; and, Laftly, with all Cheartulness and Diligence, to follow these Patterns, by liberally Contributing to their Maintenance and Advancement. These are the Publick Banks and Treasuries, in which we may fafely lodge that Money which we lend out to God, and may from him expect the Intereft. O what Comfort will it be to us when we come to die, to be able to say to ourselves, That Portion of Goods that God hath in his Providence difpenfed to me, I have neither kept unprofitably in a Napkin, nor fquander'd it away upon my Lufts; but Part of it I have put out towards the reftoring my miferable Brethren to the right use of their Reafon and Underftanding; Part of it to the amending Mens Manners, and from idle and diffolute Perfons, redeeming them to Vertue and Sobriety, and making them fome Way profitable to the Publick; Part of it for the healing the Sick, and curing the Wounded, and relieving the Miferable and Neceffitous; and, Laftly, ano-.. ther Part of it, towards the Educating poor helpless Children, in Ufeful Arts for their Bodies, and in the Principles of true Religion for their Souls; that fo both in their Bodies, and Spirits, they may be in a Capacity to

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