his Portion that Way, is not bound to enter into Prifons and redeem Captives: But we are obliged by the Presence of Circumftances, and the fpecial Difpofition of Providence, and the Pitiableness of an Object, to this or that particular Act of Charity. The Eye is the Senfe of Mercy, and the Bowels are its Organ, and that inkindles Pity, and Pity produces Alms when the Eye fees what it never faw, the Heart, will think what it never thought: But when we have an Object present to our Eye, then we muft pity, for there the Providence of God hath fitted our Charity with Circumstances. He that is in thy Sight, or in thy Neighbourhood, is fallen into the Lot of thy Charity of banor.in Chi ri da un 2 Cor. 8.12 16. If thou haft no Money, yet thou must have Luk. 12. 2. Mercy, and art bound to pity the Poor, and pray for Ads 3.6. them, and throw thy holy Defires and Devotions into offa non ti the Treasure of the Church: And if thou doeft what verrebbe thou art able, be it little or great, Corporal or Spiri- morta. tual, the Charity of Alms, or the Charity of Prayers, a Cup of Wine, or a Cup of Water; if it be but love to the brethren, or a defire to help all or any of Chrift's Poor, it fhall be accepted according to what a man hath, 1 Pet. 1. 22, not according to what he hath not. For Love is all this, and all the other Commandments: And it will exprefs itfelf where it can; and where it cannot, yet it is Love ftill, and it is alfo forry that it cannot. alah bryd arna Motives to Charity. The Motives to this Duty are fuch as Holy Scripture hath propounded to us by way of Confideration and Propofition of its Excellencies and confequent Reward. There is no one Duty which our Bleffed Saviour did recommend to his Difciples with fo repeated an Injunction as this of Charity and Alms. To which add the Words fpoken by our Lord, It is better Mat 6, 4. & to give than to receive. And when we confider how Mat. 13. 12, great a Bleffing it is that we beg not from Door to 33.& 25.15. Door, it is a ready Inftance of our Thankfulness to Luk, 11, 4% God, for his Sake to relieve them that do. 2. This Duty Phil. 4. 17. Sect. 8. Duty is that alone whereby the future Day of Judg ment fhall be tranfacted. For nothing but Charity and Alms is that whereby Chrift fhall declare the Juftice and Mercy of the Eternal Sentence. Martyrdom itfelf is not there expreffed, and no otherwife involved, but as it is the greatest Charity. 3. Christ made himfelf the greateft and daily Example of Alms or Charity. He went up and down doing Good, preaching the Gofpel, and healing all Difeafes: And God the Father is imitable by us in nothing but in Purity and Mercy. 4. Alins given to the Poor redound to the Emolument of the Giver both temporal and eternal. 5. They are inftrumental to the ReHeb. 13. 16. miffion of Sins. Our Forgiveness and Mercy to others Dan. 4. 27 being made the very Rule and Proportion of our Confidence and Hope and our Prayer to be forgiven ourfelves. 6. It is a Treafure in Heaven, it procures. Friends when we die. It is reckon'd as done to Chrift whatfoever we do to our poor Brother; and therefore when a poor Man begs for Chrift his Sake, if he have Reason to ask for Chrift his Sake, give it him if thou canft. Now every Man hath Title to ask for Ghrift's Sake whofe Need is great, and himfelf unable to cure Acts 10. 4. and if the Man be a Chriftian. Whatfoever Charity Chrift will reward, all that is given for Chrift's Sake, and therefore it may be asked in his Name: But every Man that uses that Sacred Name for an Endearment hath not a Title to it, neither he nor his Need. 7. It is one of the Wings of Prayer by which it flies to the Throne of Grace. 8. It crowns all the Works of Piety. 9. It caufes Thankfgiving to God on our Behalf. ro. And the Bowels of the Poor blefs us, and they pray for us. 11. And that Portion of our Eftate out of which a Tenth, or a Fifth, or a Twen memini me tieth, or fome Offering to God for Religion and the legiffe mala Poor goes forth, certainly returns with a great Bleffing tuum qui li upon all the reft. It is like the Effufion of Oil upon benter opera the Sidonian Woman; as long as the pours into empty charitatis ex-Veffels, it could never ceafe running: Or like the rom. Ep. ad Widow's Barrel of Meal; it confumes not as long as Nepot. fhe fed the Prophet. 12. The Sum of all is contained Nunquam morte mor ercuit. S. Hi-L in the Words of our bleffed Saviour, Give Alms of fuch things as ye have, and behold all things are clean unto you. 13. To which may be added, That Charity or Mercy is the peculiar Character of God's Elect, and a Sign of Predeftination; which Advantage we are taught by St. Paul [Put on therefore as the Coloff. 3. £?. Elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercy, kindnefs, &c. Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any. The Refult of all which we may read in the Words of St. Chryfoftom; To know the art of Alms, is greater. than to be crowned with the Diadem of Kings. And get to convert one fout is greater than to pour out ten thou fand talents into the baskets of the poor. But becaufe giving Alms is an Act of the Vertue of Mercifulness, our Endeavour must be by proper Arts to mortifie the Parents of Unmercifulnefs, which are, 1. Envy; 2. Anger; 3. Covetoufnefs: In which we may be helped by the following Rules or Inftru ments. Remedies against Unmercifulness and Un 1. Against Envy; by way of Confideration. Against Envy fhall use the fame Arguments I would ufe to perfuade a Man from the Fever or the Dropfie. 1. Because it is a Difeafe, it is fo far from having Pleasure in it, or a Temptation to it, that it is full of Pain, a great Inftrument of Vexation; it eats the Flefh, and dries up the Marrow, and makes hol-. low Eyes, and lean Cheeks, and a pale Face. 2. It is nothing but a direct Refolution ever to enter into Heaven by the way of noble Pleasure taken in the Good of others. 3. It is moft contrary to God. 4. And a just contrary State to the Felicities and Actions of Heaven, where every Star encreafes the Light of the ether, and the Multitude of Guefts at the Supper of the the Lamb makes the eternal Meal more festival. 5. It is perfectly the State of Hell, and the Paffion of DeNemo alie. vils: For they do nothing but defpair in themselves, *and envy others Quiet or Safety, and yet cannot refatis confidit joyce either in their Good or in their Evil, although fuse, Cic.con- they endeavour to hinder that, and procure this, with tra M. Anton. all the Devices and Arts of Malice, and of a great næ virtuti invidet qui : Homerus Ther fit is malos morer defcribens, malitiæ fummum oppofuit. Pelida imprimis erit atque inimicus. Vlyffi. Understanding. 6. Envy can ferve no End in the World; it cannot pleafe any thing, nor do any thing, nor hinder any thing, but the Content and Felicity of him that hath it. 7. Envy can never pretend to Juftice, as Hatred and Uncharitablenefs fometimes may For there may be Caufes of Hatred; and I may have Wrong done me, and then Hatred hath fome Pretence, though no juft Argument. But no Man is unjuft or injurious, for being profperous or wife. 8. And therefore many Men profefs to hate one another, but no Man owns Envy, as being an Enbut Goodness or Felicity: Envious mity and Difpleasure for no Caufe Men being like Cantharides and Caterpillers, that delight moft to devour ripe and moft excellent Fruits. 9. It is of all Crimes the bafeft: For Malice and Anger are appeas'd with Benefits, but Envy is exafperated, as envying to fortunate Perfons both their Power and their Will to do Good; and never leaves murmuring till the envied Perfon be levelled, and then only the Vulture leaves to eat the Liver. For if his Neighbour be made miferable, the envious Man is apt to be troubled: Like him that is fo long unbuilding the Turrets till all the Roof is low or flat, or that the Stones fall upon the lower Buildings, and do a Mifchief that a Man repents of. 2. Remedies against Anger by way of Exercife. The next Enemy to Mercifulness and the Grace of Alms is Anger Against which there are proper Inftruments both in Prudence and Religion. : 1. Prayer 1. Prayer is the great Remedy against Anger : For Ira cùm pectus rapida occupavit, 3. Humility is the most excellent natural Cure for Anger in the World: For he that by daily confidering his own Infirmities and Failings, makes the Error of his Neighbour or Servant to be his own Cafe, and remembers that he daily needs God's Pardon and his Brother's Charity, will not be apt to rage at the Levities or Misfortunes, or Indifcretions of another; greater than which he confiders that he is very frequently and more inexcufably guilty of. 4. Confider the Example of the ever-bleffed Jefus, who fuffered all the Contradictions of Sinners and received all Affronts and Reproaches of malicious, rafh and foolish Perfons, and yet in all them was as difpaffionate and gentle as the Morning-Sun in Autumn : and |