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SERMON XXXI.*

THE DUTY AND REWARD OF BOUNTY TO
THE POOR.

Verse 1.

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PSAL. cxii. 9.

He hath difperfed, he hath given to the poor; his righteoufness endureth for ever, his horn fhall be exalted with

honour.

SERM. As this whole Pfalm appears to have a double intent; XXXI. one to describe the proper actions and affections of a truly religious or pious man; (of a man who feareth the Lord, and delighteth greatly in his commandments ;) the other to declare the happiness of fuch a man's ftate, confequent upon those his affections and actions, whether in way of natural refult, or of gracious recompence from God: fo doth this verse particularly contain both a good part of a pious man's character, and fome confiderable inftances of his felicity. The first words (He hath difperfed, he hath given to the poor) express part of his character; the latter (His righteoufnefs endureth for ever, his horn fhall be exalted with honour) affign inftances of his felicity. So that our text hath two parts, one affording us good information concerning our duty, the other yielding great encouragement to the performance thereof; for we are obliged to follow the pious man's practice, and fo doing we shall affuredly partake of his condition. Thefe parts we shall in order profecute, endeavouring (by God's af

This Sermon was preached at the Spital upon Wednesday in Eafter Week, A. D. 1671.

fiftance) fomewhat to illuftrate the words themfelves, to SERM. confirm the truths couched in them, and to inculcate the XXXI. duties which they imply.

For the first part, He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; these words in general do import the liberal bounty and mercy which a pious man is wont to exercise; doing which doth in good part conftitute him pious, and fignally declareth him fuch; is a necessary ingredient of his piety, and a confpicuous mark thereof. But particularly they infinuate fome things concerning the nature, the matter, the manner, and the object of thofe acts.

He hath difperfed, he hath given. Those words being put indefinitely, or without determining what is dispersed and given by him, may be supposed to imply a kind of univerfality in the matter of his beneficence; that he bestoweth whatever he hath within compafs of his poffeffion, or his power; his rà úπápxovra, (the things which Luke xii. he hath,) and his Tà ivóvra, (the things which he may,) 33. xi. 41. according to the prescriptions of our Lord in the Gospel. Every thing, I fay, which he hath in substance, or can do by his endeavour, that may conduce to the support of the life, or the health, or the welfare in any kind of his neighbour, to the fuccour or relief of his indigency, to the removal or easement of his affliction, he may well here be understood to disperse and give. Feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, vifiting the fick, entertaining the ftranger, ranfoming the captive, eafing the oppressed, comforting the forrowful, affifting the weak, inftructing or advising the ignorant, together with all fuch kinds or inftances of beneficence, may be conceived either meant directly as the matter of the good man's difperfing and giving, or by juft analogy of reafon reducible thereto : fubftantial alms, as the moft fenfible and obvious matter of bounty, was (it is probable) especially intended, but thence no manner of expreffing it is to be excluded; for the fame reasons which oblige us, the fame affections which dispose us to bestow our money, or deal our bread, will equally bind and move us to contribute our endeavour and advice, for the fuftenance and comfort of our

SERM. poor neighbour. Answerably our discourse will more exXXXI. prefsly regard the principal matter, liberal communication of our goods; but it may be referred to all forts of beneficence.

Eph. iv. 28.

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 close to himself, for the gratifying his covetous humour, or nourishing his pride, or pampering his fenfuality; but fendeth them abroad for the ufe 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 disperse 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 D*word here used is otherwhere rendered: There is, faith the Wife Man, that scattereth, and yet increaseth: where we may remark, that this word fingly by itself, without any adjunct matter to limit or interpret it, is used to fignify this kind of practice. This his difperfing, I fay, also) denotes the extent of the pious man's bounty, that it is very large and diffufive, and in a manner unrestrained; 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 sowing: He,

• Οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τι χρήματ' ἔχειν, μὴ ἐπιμελόμενον, ὅπως ἔχῃ. Arif. Eth. iv. 1.

Gal. vi. 7,

Prov. xi.

faith St. Paul, which foweth Sparingly, shall also reap SERM. fparingly; and he which foweth bountifully, fhall also 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 cans. hold, fo far as the strength of his arm doth carry. It is 18. likewife called watering; (He that watereth, faith Solo- Prov. xi. mon, fhall be watered himfelf:) which expreffion alfo 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 affliction. So the good man doth not plant his bounty in one fmall hole, or spout it on one narrow spot, 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 those of his own fect and opinion, or of his humour and disposition; to fuch as ferve him, or oblige him, or please him; whom fome private interest ties, or fome particular affection endears him to; but fcatters it indifferently and unconfinedly toward all men that need it; toward mere strangers, 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 absence of need, nothing in himself but defect of ability, doth curb or limit his beneficence. In that podvuía, (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 dispersed. 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.

ὁ Ἐὰν ἴδης τινὰ κακῶς πάσχοντα, μηδὲν περιεργάζει λοιπόν· ἔχει τὸ δικαίωμα τῆς βοηθείας, τῷ κακῶς παθεῖν αὐτόν τῷ Θεῷ ἐσι, καν Ἕλλην, και ΙωδαίΘ. Chrys, 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

before in this Pfalm, fheweth mercy, and lendeth; and Pfal.xxxvii. otherwhere, The righteous is ever merciful, and lendeth;

26.

rich shall

furely come to want. Prov. xxii.

16.

34.

he, I say, 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 thofe 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 fo 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 fuch perfons (if they are not very fordid or very carelefs, and fuch men are not ufually 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 Luke vi. 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 fuperfluously kind in heaping favours on those whom fortune befriends, and whofe condition requires not their courtefy; every one almoft is ready to adopt himself into the kindred, or to fcrew himself into the friendship of the wealthy and profperous: but where kindred is of use, 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 feafon, (the time of adverfity, Prov. xiv for which a brother is born.) Men difclaim alliance with the needy, and fhun his acquaintance; fo the Wife Man Tobferved, a All the brethren of the poor do hate him; how

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Εὖ πράσσε

ὐδὲν, ἢν τις

dusuxã. Eurip.

c Ὅταν δ' ὁ δαίμων εὖ διδῷ, τί χρὴ φίλων ; ̓Αρκεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς ὠφελεῖν θέα 2. Eurip. in Oreft.

Τῶν εὐτυχούντων πάντες εἰσὶ συγγενεῖς.

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