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God hath referved to himself upon them; and therefore we may juftly expect every moment to be caft out of Poffeffion; or how foever though he may forbear us a while, yea fo long as we are in this World, what good, what benefit, what comfort fhall we have of our Estates in the World to come? Certainly no more than the rich Man in the Gospel had, when he lay fcorching in Hell-fire, and had not fo much as a drop of water to cool his enflamed tongue. Whereas on the other fide, if we do good with our Estates, if we devote them to the Service of God, and to the Relief of the Poor, by this means we fhall not only fecure the Poffeffion of them to our felves here, but fhall alfo receive comfort and benefit from them in the World to come; fo that our Eftates will not die with us, but we shall receive benefit by them, and have cause to blefs God for them unto all Eternity. The Apoftle himself affuring us. that by this means we fhall lay up for our felves a good foundation for the time to come, fo as to lay hold on eternal Life. V

THIS one Argument being duly weighed, I hope I need not use any more to perfuade Men to do good with what they have, and to make the best use of it they can. For I know I write to Chriftians, at least to fuch as profefs themfelves to be fo; and M 3

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therefore to fuch as believe there is another World befides this we live in, and by confequence that it concerns them to provide for that, which, as I have fhewn, we may do in a plentiful manner, by the right Improvement of what God hath entrusted with us in this World. What then do the generality of Men mean to be fo flack and remifs in laying hold on all opportunities of doing good! What, do they think it poffible to lofe any thing they do for God! or do they think it poffible to employ their Eftates better than for his Service and Honour who gave them to us! I cannot believe any think fo; and therefore must needs advise the Rich again and again not to lay up their Talent in a Napkin, but to ufe their Eftates to the beft advantage for God and their own Souls, that fo when they go from hence into the other World, they may be received into eternal Glory, with a Well done good and faithful Servants, enter you into your Mafter's Joy.

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BUT fearing left thefe moral Perfuafions may not prevail fo much upon my Readers as I defire they might, they must give me leave farther to tell them, that I am here commanded to charge them that are rich in this World, to be rich also in good works: And therefore feeing, as I have fhewn, there are few but who in a Scrip

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ture-sense are rich in this world, in obedience to this Command which here is laid upon me, in the Name of the most high God, I charge you, and not I only, but the eternal God himfelf, he wills and requires all those whom he hath bleffed with Riches in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor truft in uncertain Riches, but that they put their whole Truft and Confidence only in the Living God, whofe all things are, and who gives us whatsoever we have: That they do good with what he hath put into their hands, laying it out upon works of Piety towards him, and of Charity to the Poor, that his Worship may be decently performed, and the Poor liberally relieved, that they be rich in good works, ftriving to excel each other in doing good in their Generation; that they be ready every moment to diftribute, and always willing to communicate to every good work, wherein they can pay their Homage and exprefs their Thankfulnefs to him for what they have."

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Thoughts upon Self-denyal.

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HE moft glorious Sight queftion lefs that was ever to be feen upon the face of the Earth, was to fee the Son of God here, to see the fupreme Being and Governour of the World here; to fee the Creator of all things converfing here with his own Creatures; to fee God himself with the nature, and in the fhape of Man, walking about upon the furface of the Earth, and difcourfing with filly Mortals here and that with fo much Majesty and Humility mixed together, that every expression might feem a demonftration that he was both God and Man. It is true, we were not fo happy as to fee this bleffed Sight; howfoever, it is our Happiness that we have heard of it, and have it fo exactly defcribed to us, that we may as clearly apprehend it as if we had feen it: Yea, our Saviour himself hath pronounced those in a peculiar manner bleffed, who have not feen, and yet have believed, Joh. xx. 29. that is, who never faw Chrift in the Manger, nor in the Temple, who never faw him proftrate before his Father in the Garden, nor faftned by Men unto his Crofs; who never faw him preaching the Gofpel, nor work

ing Miracles to confirm it; who never faw him before his Paffion, nor after his Refurrection, and yet do as firmly believe whatfoever is recorded of him, as if they had seen it with their Eyes. Such Perfons our bleffed Saviour himself afferts to be truly bleffed, as having fuch a Faith as is the

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Sance of things hoped for, and the evi

dence of things not feen, Heb. xi. 1.

HENCE therefore, although we lived not in our Saviour's time, and therefore faw him not do as never Man did, nor heard him fpeak as never Man fpake, we may notwithstanding be as bleffed, or rather more blessed than they that did. If we do but give credit to what is afferted of him, and receive and believe what is represented to us in his holy Gofpels, where by Faith we may ftill fee him working Miracles, and hear him declaring his Will and Pleasure to his Difciples, as really as if we had then been by him. And therefore whatsoever we read in the Gofpel that he fpake, we are to hearken as diligently to it, as if we heard him fpeak it with our own Ears, and be as careful in the performance of it, as if we had received it from his own Mouth: for fo we do, though not immediately, yet by the infallible Pen of them that did fo. And feeing he never fpake in vain, or to no purpose, nor fuffe

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