the rich gave out of their abundance; but it SER M. was all the had left in the world; and there- XVII. fore it was impoffible for her to be out-done. It was this that rendered her's fuch an excellent and exemplary charity; and if the widow's farthing was fo well accepted because it was all her ftock; nothing is plainer from hence than that the rich man's alms will not be accepted, if it be but a little out of his abundance.

A man who gives but a little to pious and charitable uses out of an eafy and plentiful fortune, is the very reverse of this widow; and for the fame reafon her alms proved an acceptable facrifice, his will be rejected as an abomination in the fight of God; who has told us that he that foweth little, that is little in respect of his wealth and riches, shall reap little, i. e. in fcripture language, nothing at all; whereas otherwife we are taught by this pas fage, that he who foweth little out of a meant fortune, fhall reap much.

There are in fcripture fo many woes pronounced against rich men, and fo much faid of the danger of acquiring riches, that it is enough to ftartle the minds of any who have them in poffeffion; and fill them with anxious fears, and even defpondency, with respect to their future ftate, who are not awakened with a fenfe of their danger, and perpetually on their guard. Go to now, fays St. James, v. 1. Ye rich men, weep and howl for the miferies

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SER M. that shall come upon you. Verse 3. Your gold XVII. and filver is cankered, and the ruft of them fall be a witness against you, i. e. at the day of judgment. And fhall eat your flesh as it were fire; fubject both foul and body to everlafting fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days, a mafs of wealth. to inflame your account in the great day of accounts. Verfe 5. Ye have lived in pleafure upon the earth, indulging your cafe and humour in every thing, and therefore it will fall the heavier upon you in another world: And all this is pursuant to our Saviour's own doctrine, 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.

Would not the confideration of this make any man thoughtful who had wealth or money in ftore, and who had any ferious purpofes of faving his foul, and efcaping the damnation of hell? For furely there muft be fome reafon extraordinary for pronouncing thus pofitively and in general upon the condition of the rich, without any exprefs exception or referve; and this can be no other than the infuperable reluctance they always find in themselves to the performance of this duty of diftributing to charitable and pious ufes, in fuch quantities as fhall bear a reafonable proportion to their worldly substance. The great difficulty they are under of making a friend in time of the Mammon of unrighteouf

nefs,

nefs, which will otherwife prove their greateftSER M. enemy; that falfe and treacherous Mammon XVII. which, it is odds, will deceive them to their utter ruin and deftruction; but rightly managed will at last become their greatest friend, and receive them into everlasting habitations.

As harfh and fevere as these sayings of our bleffed Saviour and his Apoftle feem, yet how remarkably do we fee them verified in the generality of the rich men of this world? For how few of them are there who give alms of fuch things as they have, i. e. a good fhare of what God has bleffed them with, and who forget not to do good; and to difiribute according to their Abilities? Who lay up in ftore for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may attain eternal life. i. e. Lay out fo much of their fortune in charities, as fhall be a comfortable ground for hope of falvation? How few of them confider they are but stewards, and do not look upon their riches to be all their own? And accordingly either heap them up for their posterity, or elfe live to the height of what they have, or even beyond it; and so put it out of their power to perform works of charity in fuch degrees as God will require at their hands? They live as if they were not one day to account with him for every penny, who has allow'd them part of their substance for a falary, and as to the remainder has left them Trustees only and managers for the poor. A lamentable reckoning too many of

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SER M. them will have with their great master at that XVII. time when their fouls fhall be required of them. So much expended in pomp and equipage; fo much in gawdy cloathing, and coftly dainties; fuch and fuch fums laid out in mode, and fashion, and gallantry: And at the foot of the account perhaps fome fcattered pence or farthings to the poor; as if they were to imitate this widow in nothing else but the bulk and fize of her offering. But how very different from this will her account be? So much given at a happy opportunity to a publick and excellent charity, and nothing left to depend on but God's providence for a meal's meat. Learn from this Woman, who could want her food rather than be wanting in the difcharge of this duty; learn I fay from her, at least to part with all your fuperfluities; to contract your expences, and keep within compass, and cut off many unneceffary forms only of living; that you may not be under a neceffity of robbing God in his offerings, and of coming fhort of fuch a quantity to be diftributed for that purpofe as fhall bear a good proportion to your worldly fubftance. And this leads me to the

IIId. Thing obfervable from the text; namely, that whatever is the quantity of our alms, whether greater or lefs, yet God chiefly regards the heart it is given with. It is true the better a man's heart is, the more it will difpose him to distribute; but no quantity or

proportion

proportion our alms bear to our worldly fub- SER M. stance, is a fure indication of their proceeding XVII. from a truly charitable principle. They may proceed from vanity, or oftentation; or from fome other felfish or unworthy motive; accordingly St. Paul fuppofes that a man may beftow all his goods to feed the poor, and yet it may profit him nothing, for want of that inward difpofition of foul, which was fo vifible in her who was the subject of our Saviour's remark.

She was in no danger of vain glory from a gift fo fmall and inconfiderable, that it seemed not worth the notice of any there prefent, except our bleffed Saviour: And if she had not conveyed it into the corban or cheft with privacy, that which was fo approved and commended by him, would in all likelihood have met with contempt and ridicule from the Scribes and Pharifees, who gave their alms to be feen of men. Nor could he have any felfish or worldly motive; for what worldly motive could be stronger than prefent food for an hungry ftomach? And the who could deny the cravings and neceffities of nature rather than lofe the opportunity of doing an excellent charity, could not have done it in prospect of any other worldly good. Befides, the alacrity and chearfulness, with which it was performed, is not obfcurely intimated in the particular mention of her giving two mites, which was ftill more than if the had given one farthing, though they were of equal value. Had it been

one