and eftates; the breaking bulk, and giving SER M. alms out of the main flock, and very fubftance XVII. of their fortune; and that the precept is not to be trained beyond this is plain, for that St. John had a house of his own long after it was given. And that even thus much is not always matter of neceffary duty to all chrif tians, is evident beyond doubt, from St. Peter's difcourfe to Ananias, Acts v. 4.

The Church of Rome understands this advice to the young man, to be a counsel only of perfection; as if by that fingle act of felling all they have, and giving to the poor; or by vows of a voluntary poverty, men were immediately in a more exalted state of holiness, in a condition above all other Chriftians, and entitled to greater degrees of glory and to an higher ftation in Heaven; this being a great fund of merit both for themselves and others. Whereas there is no fuch thing as a flate or condition of perfection in the performance of any fingle virtue, or the attainment of any one particular grace in the highest degree: But true chriftian perfection confifts in a complication of all manner of evangelical virtues and graces; in the gradual increase of universal piety and holiness; and in fuch fettled and confirmed habits of them in all inftances that they become the prevailing temper and difpofition of foul and body: And even this is fo far from perfection in the ftrict sense of the word, that after all we are but unprofitable fervants. Their ftraining of the precept thus beyond

SER M. beyond the plain and natural import of it, XVII. has given occafion to others to run into the

quite contrary extreme, and take off all its force of perfuafion and influence upon the confciences of men; and in fhort to render it no motive at all to the performance of this great duty. But as I faid, this was defigned for our inftruction as well as his to whom it was fpoke; and though it be no counsel of perfection in the ftrict fenfe of the word, nor matter of positive command to all Christians, yet from thence we learn these three things.

1. That felling a man's eftate or parting with the bulk or fubftance of his fortune to be difpofed of in charitable uses, is always thus far a degree of perfection; that when it is performed with a good heart, it is a great and exalted degree of this virtue of charity, and ever highly acceptable in the fight of God, and will not fail of a suitable reward in another world: That is where it is truly our own; and that hereby no wrong or injuftice is done to others; which in all likelihood was the cafe of this man who was young, and therefore as yet without neceffary dependants and family.

2. We are hereby taught that sometimes this giving all or much the greater part of our fubftance to the poor, is very commendable and highly convenient; as in fuch cafes of great extremity, when our abundance may be a neceffary fupply to the wants and miferies of many of cur fellow-chriftians. This was

the

the condition of the first profeffors of the Gof- SER M. pel; who many of them, Acts 4. fold their XVII. lands and poffeffions, and difiribution was made unto every man according as he had need. And St. Paul tells us, 2 Cor. viii. 2. of the chriftians of Macedonia, that in a great tryal of affliction their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality, i. e. that at a time when they were under great ftreights and difficulties themfelves, they out of their poverty gave abundance, even beyond their power, for the supply of their chriftian brethren in Judæa.

A 3d thing plainly implied in our Saviour's difcourfe with the young man, is, that in fome cases the felling all we have and giving it to charitable ufes may become even matter of duty, and highly necessary to falvation. This was his very cafe; and that he understood it as a pofitive command to him, is plain by his going away forrowful; for he would have gone away chearful if he had thought he might have entered into the kingdom of heaven without obeying what was a counfel only of perfection, and no neceffary condition of falvation. It was to him an immediate call to follow Christ in person as the Apoftles did, which he could not then do without quitting his great poffeffions; nor could he be fincere in his faith if he failed in that tryal of it which Christ then laid upon him, namely to fell his eftate and diftribute it in charities. And this will have the binding force of a command in refpect of all other chriftians likewife when VOL. II.

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God

SER M. God fhall call them to it by any publick and XVII. general calamities, and that the neceffities and miferies of God's church and people plainly require it from them."

There is another cafe which may turn this advice into a pofitive and neceffary command ; and that is, when the frame and temper of a man's mind is fuch that a great fortune is an invincible temptation to him, and leads him into fuch occafions of fin as he finds by experience he is not able to overcome, but muft inevitably be hurried away with a conftant supply of those allurements which are thrown in his way by it. In this cafe the parting with great poffeffions, or at least quitting the use of them, is no more than a neceffary act of selfdenial founded on these fayings of our Saviour's, where a man's treasure is, there will his beart be alfo. And again, what shall it profit a man to gain the whole world, and lose his own foul? For what worldly weight or confideration can a man throw into the ballance against his foul? And furely then it becomes incumbent upon us to fell all we have, and give to the poor, and follow Chrift, when we cannot follow him without fo doing. When riches become any way inconfiftent with our eternal lalvation, we must part with them as we muft cut off a right band, or pluck out a right eye. It is more than probable this was the very cafe of that youth; and that Chrift who knew what was in man, and could fore

fee

fee how far he was from overcoming the SER M. temptations of a great fortune, from thence XVII. made his obfervation, how difficult it was for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. Does not our own experience fhew us how this is daily verified, infomuch that alas? there are not many inftances to the contrary? How most who come young into plentiful fortunes are for ever undone by them; hurried into all manner of vice and extravagance; and contract fuch a habit and relish of fin in their younger years, and do fo entirely lavish away that portion of grace afforded them for their first setting out in the world, that they rarely or never after are brought to any feeling fenfe of revealed religion; infomuch that the chrif tian is entirely funk and loft in the gentleman. So great are the temptations of riches that Chrift himself did not prevail for the performance of this in the circumftance of a perfon where he faw it neceffary; much less may others hope to prevail on any in a like cafe to act up to this precept of his. Though like that young man, they go away with no other impreffion than that of fome fecret forrow or regret at the hearing of this doctrine, yet let them take this with them, and remember that this faying of our Saviour holds good to this day, that it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.

If there are any fo prejudiced in favour of the things of this world that they cannot reC 2

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