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they, and none but they, were the houshold of faith; a principle, which I know not whether it hath more of Judaifm or of Popery in it.

5thly, After thefe, the merit of the perfons who are the objects of our charity, and all the circumftances belonging to them, are to be valued and confidered, and we accordingly to proportion our charity, and the degrees of it. I fhall inftance in fome particulars, by which a prudent man may judge of the reft.

Thofe who labour in an honeft calling, but yet are oppreffed with their charge, or difabled, for a time, by ficknefs, or fome other cafualty; thefe, many a time, need as much, and certainly deserve much better, than common beggars; for these are ufeful members of the common-wealth; and we cannot place our charity better, than upon these, who do what they can to fupport themselves.

Those likewife who are fallen from a rich and plentiful condition, without any fault or prodigality of their own, merely by the providence of God, or fome general calamity; these are more especially objects of our charity, and liberal relief.

And thofe alfo who have been charitable, and have liberally relieved others, when they were in condition to do it; or the children, or near relations of those who were eminently charitable and beneficial to mankind, do deferve a particular regard in our charity. Mankind being, as I may fay, bound in juftice, and for the honour of God's providence, to make good his promise, to preferve fuch from extreme neceffity.

And, laftly, Those whofe vifible wants, and great age and infirmities, do plead for more than ordinary pity, and do, at firft fight, convince every one that fees them, that they do not beg out of lazinefs, but of neceffity, and because they are not able to do any thing towards their own fupport and fubfiftence.

There are innumerable circumstances more, which it would be endless to reckon up; but thefe which I have mentioned are fome of the chief; and, by proportion to thefe, we may direct our felves in other cafes.

6thly, Those whom we certainly know to be true objects of charity are to be confidered by us, before those

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who are strangers to us, and whofe condition we do not know, yea though, in common charity, we do not difbelieve them; because, in reafon and prudence, we are obliged to prefer those who are certainly known to us; fince we find, by experience, that there are many cheats and counterfeit beggars, who can tell their story, and carry about teftimonials of their own making; and likewife, because we run the hazard of mifplacing our charity, when there are objects enough befides, where we are fure we shall place it right: and charity mifplaced, as it is in truth and reality no charity in itself, fo it is hardly any in us, when we fquander it fo imprudently, as to pafs by a certain and real object, and give it to thofe of whom we are not certain that they are true objects of charity. In this blind way a man may give all his goods to the poor, as he thinks, and yet do no real charity. And therefore, unless we be able to relieve every one that afks, we muft, of neceffity, make a difference, and ufe our best prudence in the choice of the most proper objects of our charity.

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And yet we ought not to obferve this rule fo ftrictly, as to fhut out all whom we do not know, without exception because their cafe, if it be true, may fometimes be much more pitiable, and of greater extremity, than the case of many whom we do know; and then it would be uncharitable to reject fuch, and to harden our hearts fo far against them as utterly to disbelieve them; because it is no fault of theirs, that we do not know them; no, their wants may be real notwithstanding that; especially when their extremity seems great, we ought not to ftand upon too rigorous a proof and evidence of it, but fhould accept of a fair probability.

7thly, Those who fuffer for the cause of religion, and are ftripped of all for the fake of it, ought to have a great precedence in our charity to most other cafes. And this of late hath been, and ftill is the cafe of many among us, who have fled hither for refuge, from the tyranny and cruelty of their perfecutors, and have been, by a moft extraordinary charity of the whole nation, more than once extended to them, most seasonably relieved; but especially by the bounty of this great city, whofe liberality, upon these occafions, hath been beyond

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all example, and even all belief. And I have often thought, that this very thing, next to the mercy and goodness of almighty God, hath had a particular influence upon our prefervation and deliverance from those terrible calamities which were juft ready to break in upon us; and, were we not fo ftupidly infenfible of this great deliverance which God hath wrought for us, and

horribly unthankful to him, and to the happy inftruments of it, might still be a means to continue the favour of God to us. And what caufe have we to thank God, who hath allotted to us this more bleffed, and more merciful part, to give, and not to receive; to be free from perfecution ourselves, that we might give refuge and relief to those that are perfecuted!

III. We mult confider the measure of our charity, ες καιρὸν ἔχομεν, which our tranflation renders, as we have opportunity; others, as we have ability: fo that this expreffion may refer either to the occafions of our charity, or to the feafon of it, or to the proportion and degree of it.

1. It may refer to the occafions of our charity, as we have opportunity, let us do good, that is, according as the occafions of doing good shall present themselves to us, fo often as an opportunity is offered. And this is an argument of a very good and charitable difpofition, gladly to lay hold of the occafions of doing good, as it were to meet opportunities when they are coming towards us. This forwardnefs of mind in the work of charity, the Apoltle commends in the Corinthians, 2 Cor. ix. 2. I know the forwardness of your minds, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia: and this he requires of all Christians, Tit. iii. 8. that they should be ready to every good work; and, 1 Tim. vi. 18. that we be ready to diftribute, willing to communicate. Some are very ready to decline thefe opportunities, and to get out of the way of them; and when they thruft themfelves upon them, and they cannot avoid them, they do what they do grudgingly, and not with a willing mind.

2. It may refer to the feafon of this duty, s napov ἔχομεν, "whilft we have time;" as for eas, "whilft "this life lafts;" fo Grotius does underftand and interpret this phrafe: and then the Apoftle does hereby VOL. VII.

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intimate to them the uncertainty of their lives, espeIcially in thofe times of perfecution. And this confideration holds in all times, in fome degree, that our lives are fhort and uncertain; that it is but a little while that we can ferve God in this kind, namely, while we are in this world, in this vale of mifery and wants. In the next world there will be no occafion, no opportunity for it; we shall then have nothing to do, but to reap the reward of the good we have done in this life, and to receive that bleffed fentence from the mouth of the great Judge of the world, Come, ye bleffed of my Fa ther, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world: for I was hungry, and ye gave me meat, &c. And, Euge, bone ferve! Well done, good and faithful fervant! thou hast been faithful in a little, and I will make thee ruler over much. God will then declare his bounty and goodness to us, and open those inexhauftible treasures of glory and happiness, which all good men fhall partake of, in proportion to the good which. they have done in this world. Or elfe,

3. Which I take to be the moft probable meaning of this phrafe, it may refer to the degree of this duty, in proportion to our ability and eftate; as we have ability, let us do good unto all men. And this the phrase will bear, as learned men have observed; and it is very reasonable to take it in this fenfe, at least as part of the meaning of it, either expreffed, or implied: for, without this, we cannot exercife charity, though there were never fo many occafions for it; and then this precept will be of the fame importance with that of the fon of Sirach, Ecclef. xxxv. 10. Give unto the Most High according as he hath enriched thee; and with that counfel, Tob. iv. 7. Give alms, ex тav úπаρXóνтov, according to thy fubfrance; and, ver. 8. If thou haft abundance, give alms accordingly. And this may be reasonably expected from us; for where-ever his providence gives a man an eftate, it is but in truft for certain ufes and purposes, among which charity and alms is the chief: and we must be accountable to him, whether we have difpofed it faithfully to the ends for which it was committed to us. It is an eafy thing with him, to level mens estates, and to give every man a competency; but he does on pur

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pofe fuffer things to be diftributed fo unequally, to try and exercise the virtues of men in feveral ways; the faith and patience of the poor, the contentedness of those in a middle condition, the charity and bounty of the rich. And, in truth, wealth and riches, that is, an eftate above what fufficeth our real occafions and neceffities, is in no other fense a bleffing, than as it is an opportunity put into our hands, by the providence of God, of doing more good; and if we do not faithfully employ it to this end, it is but a temptation and a fnare; and the ruft of our filver and our gold will be a witness against us, and we do but heap up treasures together against the laft day.

But what proportion our charity ought to bear to our eftates, I fhall not undertake to determine: the circumstances of men have too much variety in them to admit of any certain rule; fome may do well, and others may do better; every man as God hath put into his heart, and according to his belief of the recompence which Shall be made at the refurrection of the juft. I fhall only fay, in general, that if there be first a free and willing mind, that will make a man charitable to his power; for the liberal man will devife liberal things. And we cannot propofe a better pattern to ourfelves in this kind, than the King and Queen, who are, as they ought to be, (but as it very feldom happens) the moft bright and fhining examples of this greatest of all graces and virtues, charity and compaffion to the poor and perfecuted. I proceed to the

IV. Thing confiderable in the text, viz. Our unwearied perfeverance in this work of doing good; Let us not be weary in well-doing. After we have done fome few acts of charity, yea, though they fhould be very confiderable, we mult not fit down, and fay we have done enough: there will still be new objects, new occafions, new opportunities for the exercise of our charity, fpringing up and prefenting themfelves to us. Let us never think that we can do enough in the way of doing good. The beft and the happieft beings are moft conftant and unwearied in this work of doing good. The holy angels of God are continually employed in miniftring for the good of those who fhall be heirs of fal

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