A sermon preach'd before the lord-mayor and Court of Alderman at S. Sepulchres-Church on Wednesday in Easter-week, A.D. MDCXC by William Wake ... Wake, William, 1657-1737. 1690 Approx. 87 KB of XML-encoded text transcribed from 22 1-bit group-IV TIFF page images. Text Creation Partnership, Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) : 2005-10 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1). A66348 Wing W265 ESTC R34698 14563353 ocm 14563353 102607 This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal . The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission. Early English books online. (EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A66348) Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 102607) Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1641-1700 ; 1078:8) A sermon preach'd before the lord-mayor and Court of Alderman at S. Sepulchres-Church on Wednesday in Easter-week, A.D. MDCXC by William Wake ... Wake, William, 1657-1737. [4], 38 p. Printed for Ric. Chiswell ... and W. Rogers ..., London : 1690. Reproduction of original in the Huntington Library. Created by converting TCP files to TEI P5 using tcp2tei.xsl, TEI @ Oxford. Re-processed by University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Northwestern, with changes to facilitate morpho-syntactic tagging. Gap elements of known extent have been transformed into placeholder characters or elements to simplify the filling in of gaps by user contributors. 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Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements). Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site . eng Bible. -- N.T. -- Galatians VI, 10 -- Sermons. Sermons, English -- 17th century. 2004-11 TCP Assigned for keying and markup 2004-12 Aptara Keyed and coded from ProQuest page images 2005-01 Andrew Kuster Sampled and proofread 2005-01 Andrew Kuster Text and markup reviewed and edited 2005-04 pfs Batch review (QC) and XML conversion Dr. WAKE 's SERMON AT S. SEPULCHRES-Church ; Before the LORD MAYOR , &c. On Wednesday in Easter-Week , 1690. Pilkington Mayor . Martis xxix o Aprilis 1690. Annoque Regni Regis & Reginae Wilhelmi & Mariae Angliae , &c. Secundo . THis Court doth desire Dr. Wake to Print his Sermon Preached on Wednesday in Easter Week last , before the Lord-Mayor , Aldermen , and Citizens of London , at St. Sepulchres . Wagstaffe . A SERMON Preach'd before the LORD-MAYOR , AND Court of Aldermen , AT S. SEPVLCHRES-Church , ON Wednesday in EASTER-Week , A. D. M.DC.XC . By WILLIAM WAKE , D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to Their Majesties : And Preacher to the Honourable Society of GRAYS-INN . LONDON : Printed for Ric. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard : And W. Rogers at the Sun over-against St. Dunstan's Church in Fleetstreet . 1690. GAL. VI. 10. As we have therefore Opportunity , let us do Good unto all Men , especially unto them that are of the Houshold of Faith. SAINT Paul having in the foregoing parts of this Epistle dispatch'd that Subject which was the Great Occasion of his writing of it ; and endeavour'd by many Arguments to perswade the Galatians not to suffer themselves to be mislead by those False-Teachers who were crept in amongst them , into a needless , and even dangerous mixture , of the Law of Moses together with the Gospel of Christ : Goes on in the Close of all , to exhort them to such Practical Duties as he thought most necessary to recommend to them in those Circumstances in which they then were . It was the unhappiness of that Church , as it generally is of all Others in the like Cases , that their diversity of Opinion , as to the Point before-mention'd , had set up a diversity of Parties and Interests amongst them ; and made them much more zealous for their own particular Tenents , in which they differ'd from one another , than for the Common Faith and Doctrine of Christ , in which they agreed together . Instead of glorifying God by a Holy Life , their business was to tear and worry one another about the Ceremonies of the Law of Moses . Religion was turn'd into Disputing ; And he was accounted the best man , not who was the most careful to live quietly , and to do his duty conscientiously , but who was the most violent to defend his Point , and to run down all those that were of a different Perswasion . In opposition to this furious and contentious Spirit , Saint Paul having first determined the Point which occasion'd all their difference , goes on finally to stir them up to such Duties , as he supposed would be most likely to reduce them to a Christian Temper of Love and Charity to one another . And 1st , Since the Law was that they were so zealous for , he desires them to reflect a little , what it was that the Law its self commanded them , Ch. v. 14. For all the law is fufilled in one word , even in this , Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self . 2dly , He represents to them , what the present Consequence of such Contentions would be likely to be : That while they thus quarrell'd with one another , they would give a fair opportunity to the common Enemy to destroy them all , v. 15. But if ye bite and devour one another , take heed that ye be not consumed one of another . 3dly , He bids them consider , that Hatred , Variance , Emulation , Strife , Seditions , Heresies , Envyings , and such like ; how fair soever the pretence may be of a concern for the Honour of God , and the Interests of Religion , are yet as much the Works of the Flesh , and as destructive of Salvation , as Adultery or Drunkenness , or any other the like Immoralities . And that , if they would approve themselves truly zealous in his Service , they must do it by a quite contrary Practice : By their Love , Peace , Long-suffering , Gentleness , Goodness , Meekness , and the like Fruits of that blessed Spirit , which evermore leads Men to be kind and charitable to one another . And having thus given them these General Cautions , he finally adds two or three particular Directions in such Instances , wherein they seemed more especially to stand in need of his Advice . As First , That they should not suffer their differences so far to transport them , as to make them be perpetually quarrelling and disputing with one another . For that this would be a means rather to keep up their differences , and embitter their Spirits , and set them farther from Agreement , than conduce to the composing of them , v. 26. Let us not be desirous of vain-glory , provoking one another , envying one another . Secondly , That much less should they indulge a peevish Temper so far , as to be glad of any occasion to expose one anothers Sins and Infirmities ; but rather should mutually endeavour to help , and bear one anothers burdens : And consider , that the best man in the World may some time or other be tempted , and overtaken in a fault , and so need the same Charity . To this end , Thirdly , That they should learn to be Humble : And instead of comparing themselves with other men , and valuing themselves upon their being Better or more Orthodox than their Neighbours , should examine themselves by the Rule of their Duty , and see how they stood with relation to that : And remember , that when we come before God in Judgment , the Enquiry will not be , whether we have not exceeded some others in our Piety , but whether we have liv'd so as we our selves might and ought to have done , v. 5. For every man shall bear his own burden . Fourthly and lastly , That above all , they should not suffer their differences in other things , to abate their Charity , or make them ever the less ready in all Good Offices , whether to their Teachers , or to one another . But should consider , that the Time is coming when God will call us to give an account of our stewardship ; how we have employed those Talents he has committed to us . And then they who have been so wise as to manage them as they ought to do , shall receive a Blessed Reward : Whilst those who have minded only their Lusts or their Interests ; who have either hoarded up their Riches without doing and Good at all with them , or have spent them only in Sin and Extravagance , shall be condemn'd to a miserable state of Everlasting Punishment : From whence he concludes in the Words of the Text ; As we have therefore Opportunity , let us do good unto all men , especially unto them who are of the houshold of Faith. From which Words I shall take Occasion to discourse on these Four Points : I st . Of that general obligation which our Christian Profession lays upon us to DO GOOD : As we have therefore opportunity , let us Do Good. II dly . Of the Time and Measure , When and How far we ought so to do ; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . As we have Opportunity ; According to our Ability ; for so also that Phrase may well enough be understood . III dly . Of the Persons to whom this Good is to be Done ; to All men , especially to them that are of the houshold of Faith. IV thly . Of the great Engagement we have to do this , express'd in the verse before , from which our Text is the Inference : Let us not be weary in well-doing , for in due season we shall reap , if we faint not ; As we have therefore Opportunity , let us do Good unto All men , especially unto them that are of the household of Faith. I begin with the First of these ; I st . The general obligation which our Religion lays upon us to Do Good. For the better clearing whereof , I must observe , That the word in the Original is very emphatical ; it signifies not barely the doing good , but implies a care and choice in the Doing of it ; that we should do , 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 , the Good that particular Good , whatsoever it be which another wants , and wherein we may be capable of lending our assistance to him . Charity is a duty as comprehensive as it is excellent : It extends its self to all sorts of Good Offices whereby we may at any time be able to serve our neighbour , and do any real act of kindness to him . And indeed since God designed that to Do Good should be the indispensable duty of all Christians , it was but necessary to give such a Latitude to it , that no Christian whatsoever might have just cause to complain that he was not in a capacity , in some way or other , of fulfilling it . To run through all the several parts of this duty , and shew in how many Instances one man may be capable of Doing Good to another , were an undertaking as difficult and infinite , as it would be to draw a Scheme of all the Miseries and the Calamities , of all the Wants and the Necessities , which any man ever did , or ever shall fall into in this world . Suffice it in general to say , That by whatsoever Act of ours we do in any wise promote either the present Welfare , or the Eternal Happiness of our neighbour ; do in any sort contribute to make him more easie or comfortable in this life , or to further his everlasting felicity in the other ; in that we discharge this Duty of Doing Good to him , and which there is no man so mean or low in the World , but he may find frequent Opportunities of putting in practice . But tho this therefore be the general import of Doing good , and the undoubted duty of every Christian ; yet if we consider that expression according to the stile of the holy Scriptures , we shall find it commonly used there in a more limited sense , to signifie that particular kind of * Doing Good , which consists in acts of Mercy and Benificence . And so I conceive it is that we are in a more especial manner at least , to understand it in this place : And then taking this for the meaning of our Apostle in these words , I shall not need say much to shew what clear and forcible obligations our Religion has laid upon us , in this sense more particularly , to Do Good. In short , * If to have given the plainest and most express Commands for the exercise of such a Charity , and to have repeated those Commands more frequently , and to have enforced them more earnestly , than almost any other Precepts in the Gospel besides a : * b If to have set before us the Practice of it , as that whereby above all things we may the most nearly imitate the Perfection of God himself ; † and render him our debtor from whom we have received all , whatsoever we enjoy : * If to have made our Kindness and Charity to our Neighbour , the very mark whereby to try our Love and Duty to God ; and to have declared that no service we can do the One , shall be accepted , whilst we continue to neglect the Other . But above all , * If not only to have promised the Blessings of this life to the practice of it , but to have set forth to us the great and final Inquest of the Day of Judgment , as depending in a manner entirely on this one thing , and entailing either Eternal Happiness , or Eternal Misery upon us in the other World , according as we have been Charitable or not , in this : If , I say , all this may be thought sufficient to lay an obligation upon us to be very diligent and forward in the discharge of any Duty , there is then none to which our Religion has been more careful to excite and oblige us than this one of Charity , nor in which therefore a Christian will be less able to excuse himself , if after all this he shall still continue to neglect the performance of it . But of the Obligations which we lie under thus to Do Good , I shall have occasion to speak more fully in the Close of this Discourse : In the mean time having thus pointed out to you what that Good is I am now more particularly to recommend to your practice , and given you a general Prospect of our concern in it , I shall go on to the second Thing which I proposed to consider , II dly . Of the Time and Measure , When and How far it is our Duty to Do this good ; As we have Opportunity ; According to our Ability . I have before said , that the Phrase of St. Paul would well enough bear each of these Interpretations ; and I shall rather chuse both , than prefer either . They Both agree very well with the design of the Text , and will either of them afford some Useful and Seasonable reflections to us , to direct our Practice in the Duty of it . And 1 st . Of the Time , the Season of Doing Good. It has been the general Sence of the most Ancient Interpreters of this passage , to refer the Opportunity here spoken of to the Time of our present life ; as being indeed the only space we have for the Exercise of such a Charity . And accordingly the * Learned Translations , departing a little from the strictness of the Greek Original , have most of them render'd it not as we have here done , As we have therefore opportunity : But as it still stands in our Liturgy , Now while we have Time , let us Do Good unto all men . And thus it will agree very well with the Rest of the Context ; where the Apostle speaks of two different seasons , the One of sowing , the Other of harvest ; and Exhorts the Galatians not to neglect to sow now , and then they shall be sure to reap hereafter . And indeed this is a Remark , than which none can be more proper for our serious Consideration . It has pleased God to send us into this World , to exercise our selves , and to prepare our Souls for the Happiness of the Other . Here therefore is the Time of Labour ; the fatal season that must render us either Happy or Miserable to all Eternity . And I am sure , I need not tell you either how short , or how uncertain at the best this Time is . Our years run on apace ; whilst we are discoursing of it we draw nigher to the Grave . Every minute cuts off some portion of our Life ; and we cannot tell how soon death may overtake us , and deprive us of it all at once . And certainly then we ought to esteem it a very seasonable Admonition , which the Apostle here gives us , presently , whilst we have yet the Opportunity , to Do Good , seeing we cannot tell how little a space we may have lest us for the doing of it . It is the folly of a great part of the World , that in this , as well as in too many other Instances of their Duty , they love still to Procrastinate , and put off the doing of it as long as ever they can . They will Repent when they are Dying , and be Charitable when they are Dead : But will rather run the hazard of their Souls to all Eternity , than part either with their Sins or their Money before needs they must . And truly for those of the Other Communion , who believe that a little Sorrow and Confession at the last , is enough to discharge them of all the Guilt of their Sins ; and that by a Good Legacy left to the Church , for Prayers and Masses to be said for them , they shall soon get quit of the Punishment of them too ; What wonder if they reserve both their Riches and their Repentance , for so Seasonable a Time , and so Good an Occasion ? But for men who see through these delusions , and smile at such Bargains , and wonder how any Christians can suffer themselves to be so grosly cheated in a matter of so much concernment , as their Money commonly is to most , and as our Souls certainly ought to be to all of us ; nevertheless still to delay their doing Good , and neglect the Opportunity , and leave the issue of all to a death-bed Repentance , and a death-bed Charity : What can we conclude but that such persons as these , must have too great an affection both for their Riches and for their Lusts ; and that could these Men have lived for Ever , they would never have thought of being either Charitable or Religious ? Indeed for those who have been Liberal and Bountiful before , to finish their Race with Glory ; and adorn their Death , with the same Charity that had given a Luster and Ornament to them whilst they Lived ; This is so far from being worthy of any Censure , that it ought rather to make their Memory precious to all future Generations . But otherwise to tarry to the last hour , and never think of doing Good to others with the Portion which God has Given us , till we are no longer in a condition to enjoy it our selves ; this must certainly be very Sinful and Scandalous : And tho I will not say that such a Legacy , rather than Charity , at the last , shall utterly lose its Reward ; Yet as it wants much of that Praise which the Early giver meets with among Men , so I think it may be justly doubted whether it shall find so Favourable an Acceptance in the sight of God. But ( 2 dly . ) This Phrase , As we have Opportunity , will admit of yet another consideration , and that more Agreeable to our litteral translation of it , viz. When ever a fitting Occasion presents its self , and we are in a Condition of doing of it . Not that we should suppose it to be our Duty , to give to every one indifferently that shall ask of us , and in the usual dialect of the streets , abuse the Sacred Name of Christ , to cover over their own Idleness and Vndeserving . There is a Prudence to be used in the Distribution of our Charity , as well as a Liberality to be shown in the proportion of it . And St. * Paul himself has told us there are some , who If they will not work , neither let them eat . But that whenever a true and worthy Object of Charity presents its self to us , we should then embrace the Occasion ; and look upon it that this is the Opportunity in which if we are able , we ought to do Good. Nay but yet farther , ( 3 dly . ) Tho it be most certain in the General , that whenever a titting Object of Charity calls upon us for our relief , we ought , if we are in a Condition , to lay hold on the Opportunity to do Good : yet some Special Seasons and Occasions there are , which will in a particular manner deserve to be look'd upon as the proper Times for this Duty . Such are 1 st . The Times of Want and Scarceness : Whether it happens by the Hand of God , or through the Sins and Violence of men ; Whether by some dearth or famine in the Land , or by the miseries of War and Tumults ; the Obstruction of Commerce abroad , and the natural consequence of that , the Decay of Trade at home . In these and the like Cases , the more the Necessities of the poor encrease , the greater should be our care and concern to relieve them : And we must not think , that an ordinary Charity will excuse us , when such Accidents and Calamities as these , call for an extraordinary bounty from us . But especially , 2 dly . Such is the Time of Tryals and Persecutions for righteousness sake : When it pleases God , whose Judgments are unsearchable , to expose ( as many times he does ) his own Church and Servants , to suffer for their Faith , and a good Conscience ; being persecuted in one City or Country , to fly into another : And thereby at the same time , that he does them the honour of making them Confessors for their Religion , offers us the Benefit , of being in some measure Partakers with them in their Afflictions ; by our careful provision for , and our generous reception of them . It was this consideration especially , that open'd so far the hearts of the first Converts to Christianity towards one another , that they accounted nothing they had their own ; but were even glad of the opportunity to do somewhat extraordinary in testimony of their Love to those , who shew'd so much Love and Constancy to their Blessed Master . And sure we ought in some measure to imitate the Primitive Charity of those Men , at a time when so many of our Brethren have follow'd their Example , in a Primitive zeal , and firmness to their Religion . This is the least return we can make to God , for the Peace and Tranquility we hitherto enjoy , when so many Thousands have been exposed to ruin for that Faith , which we count it our Glory and Happiness to profess . And certainly we ought to consider , if the storm should have broken first upon us , what we should have in that case expected from them , and let that inform us what we ought to do for them . And these are such Opportunities , as the Necessities of Others make for us : There are yet many special Occasions for Doing Good which our own circumstances will offer to us . So , 3dly . In the Times of our Happiness and Prosperity : When God does in any extraordinary manner give a Blessing to us , whether in our Persons or in our Affairs ; Whether in our own Private concerns only , or in the more General and Publick welfare of our Friends or Country . These are such Times in which not only our own Reason , and the Common Practice of Mankind , but even God himself has directed us to make our Charity to Others , one way of expressing our Grateful acknowledgments to Him : That whilst we rejoyce in the effects of his Mercy to us , our Brethren may find Cause to joyn thanks with us , for the Liberal expressions of our Love and Kindness to them . And therefore when God Commanded the Israelites in three Solemn Feasts every year , to keep up the Memory of the Blessings he had done for them in bringing them up out of Egypt , and planting them in that Good land which they possessed ; He took particular care that the Poor should not be forgot by them ; Deut. xvi . 11 , 14. Thou shalt , says he , rejoyce before the LORD : Thou , and thy Son , and thy Daughter , and thy Man-servant , and thy Maid-servant , and the Levite , and the Stranger , and the Fatherless , and the Widow , that are within thy gates . For which end there was a Publick Collection always to be made at those Feasts ; v. 16. 17. Three times in a year shall all thy Males appear before the LORD , in the place which he shall chuse , in the feast of unleavened bread , and in the feast of weeks , and in the feast of Tabernacles ; They shall not appear before the LORD Empty . Every man shall give , according to the Blessing of the LORD thy God , which he hath given thee . And not only if we have already received any Signal Blessings and Deliverances from God ; But 4thly , When we would implore his Favour for Future Mercies ; Whether to deliver us from any Evils or Calamities which either our Sins have deserved , or we may otherwise have just Cause to fear are ready to fall upon us ; Or else to send down some new Blessings upon us , or to continue , or to perfect those we have aleardy received : In all these , and the like Cases , there is nothing can more effectually appease God's Anger , and enliven our Prayers , and make our Piety and our Repentance acceptable in his sight , and so obtain those Mercies which we desire from him ; than to accompany all our other Service , with some extraordinary Acts of Charity , and thereby give a new Force , and Vigour to it . When Daniel had interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream , and therein discover'd to him the strange Judgment which God was about to bring upon him : How he should be driven from men , and have his dwelling with the Beasts of the field , and be made to eat grass as the Oxen , and be wet with the dew of Heaven ; The best Advice he could give him to stay the hand of God , and prevent the Evil that was denounced against him , was to do some extraordinary Act of Mercy and Charity to others , if perhaps he might thereby escape that Great Evil which was denounced against himself : ver . 27. Wherefore , says he , O King , let my counsel be acceptable unto Thee ; and break off thy sins by righteousness , and thine Iniquities by shewing mercy to the poor ; If it may be a lengthning to thy Tranquillity . And it was the Opinion of St. Jerome , That Nebuchadnezzar did accordingly take the Holy Prophet's Advice ; and that 't is to this we are to ascribe the delay which we read was made of this Judgment , for * one whole year ; till forgetting his danger , and returning again to his former course , he forfeited the continuance of that Tranquillity , which God had been pleased to lengthen to him upon the account of his Repentance and Charity . But , Fifthly , And to conclude this Point : We ought to esteem not only such extraordinary seasons as these to be in a more peculiar manner the proper Times for this duty ; But in general , Whenever either our own Piety , or publick Authority shall engage us to any especial , and singular Exercises of Religion ; In all these Cases , and upon all such Occasions , still our Prayers , our Thanksgivings , our Repentance , whatever our Devotion be , it must ever-more be accompanied withsome Expressions of our Bounty too ; And our Charity to our Neighbour , be the constant companion of our Piety towards God. It was this that made the devout Prayers of Cornelius , though a Gentile , so acceptable unto him , that he sent down an Angel from Heaven on purpose to assure him of it , and to direct him in the way for a better understanding of his Duty : Thy Prayers , says he , and thine Alms , are come up for a memorial before God. And 't is to the neglect of this , that we may , among other things , I fear , impute it ; that we now too often seem to lift up our Hearts in vain thither . I am sure the Wiseman has told us , That whoso stoppeth his Ears at the cry of the Poor , he also shall cry himself , and shall not be heard , And when the Israelites heretofore complained , with some Amazement , of the ineffectualness of all their Fasting and Prayers to implore God's favour ; And wonder'd what the meaning of it should be , that all their Crys and their Humiliations stood them in no stead , Isaiah LVIII : 3. Wherefore have we fasted , and thou seest not ? Wherefore have we afflicted our Souls , and thou takest no knowledge ? Nay , and this at the same time that God seems to bear witness to their Piety in other respects , ver . 2. Yet they seek me daily , and delight to know my ways , as a Nation that did righteousness , and forsook not the Ordinance of their God : They ask of me the Ordinances of justice , they take delight in approaching to God : The prophet plainly tells them where the fault lay ; They were at Variance among themselves , and uncharitable to the Poor , and this spoiled all their other Piety ; Behold , says he , ye fast for strife and debate : Is it such a Fast that I have chosen ? A day for a man to afflict his soul ? Wilt thou call this a Fast , and an acceptable day to the LORD ? Is not this the Fast that I have chosen , to loose the bands of Wickedness , to undo the heavy burdens , and to let the Oppressed go free , and that ye break every yoke ? Is it not to deal thy Bread to the hungry and that thou bring the poor that are cast out , to thy House ? When thou seest the naked that thou cover him , and that thou hide not thy self from thine own flesh ? Then shalt thou call , and the LORD shall answer ; thou shalt cry , and he shall say , Here I am . &c. It were an easie matter to make a very particular Application of every one of these circumstances to our selves at this time ; and shew that perhaps never any People lay under greater Obligations to a liberal exercise of Charity , than we of this Country do at this day . But I have already enlarged my self too much upon these Reflections ; and must not forget that there is yet another meaning which some have given to the phrase of my Text which I have now been considering ; and which brings me to the other thing I proposed in this matter , 2dly , Of the Measure we are to observe in our Doing Good. Now that in general is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 As far as we are able , and our Capacities will permit us to do it . For so we find the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 sometimes used , not only in the best Greek Authors , but even in these very Epistles : and particularly Phil. IV. 10. where St. Paul excusing the Philippians that did not sooner send their relief to him , tells them they wanted no Good-will 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . But ye lacked Ability : a so the Syriac renders it ; and so * St. Chrysostome , not to mention any others , expresly tells us we are there to understand it . But now what that proportion in particular is , which every one ought to distribute in Works of Mercy and Charity , this is what I shall not undertake precisely to define . Thus much our Apostle tells us , that what a Man sows , the same he shall also reap : And that we are to understand this not only with Relation to the kind , but to the Measure and the Proportion too , himself shews us , 2 Cor. IX . 6. He which soweth sparingly shall reap sparingly , and he which soweth bountifully shall reap bountifully , every Man according as he purposeth in his heart , so let him give , not grudgingly or of necessity ; for God loveth a chearful giver . And from both which it is obvious to conclude , that though S. Paul would not prescribe any certain Bounds to Men's Charity , which ought to be a free-will Offering , large and voluntary , not narrow and constrained ; yet that in general he has plainly enough delivered his Opinion , that the more we give , the better God will accept of it ; and the greater and more certain shall our returns from Heaven be . And to a truly Charitable mind , there will need no other direction than this . But because such is the narrowness of most Men's Souls , that they are apt to think every little pittance that they bestow on Acts of Mercy to the Poor , to be abundantly sufficient to intitle them not only to an Acceptance , but to a Reward also : Though I shall not presume to set any bounds where the Gospel has not , by determining what men ought to lay aside for this Duty ; yet thus far I will adventure to correct their Mistakes , as to shew what that proportion is below which I suppose Men ought not , without some extraordinary Occasions , to fall ; or if they do , may have just cause to fear that they shall be look'd upon by God , as Vnmerciful and Vncharitable . Now in order hereunto , I shall in the first place take it for granted , that every Man ought to be the more liberal in his Charity to others , the more free and bountiful the Providence of God has been in its distributions to him . That is to say , that our Charity must bear a proportion to our Abilities , and that to whomsoever much is given , of him , in this sense also , much shall be required . This is what St. Paul seems to have laid down as the standing rule for the Corinthians to proceed by , 1 Epist. XVI . 2. That every one of them should lay aside according as God had prosper'd , or blessed him : Which was the very measure that we before saw Moses gave to the Jews heretofore ; Deut. XVI . 17. Every man shall give according to the Blessing of the LORD thy God which he hath given thee . And the same Apostle , in his 1st Epist. to Timothy , VI. 18. Bids Timothy charge them that were rich in this world , not only that they should be ready to give , and glad to distribute , but that they should be rich in good works ; i.e. should exceed others as much in their Charity , as they did in their Estates . And from all which it is very plain , that if those to whom God has given a larger Ability than others ; whose riches are greater , or whose occasions less ; who have neither so many to maintain now , nor to provide for hereafter ; do not in some proportion go beyond them in works of mercy and beneficence : They may justly be looked upon to come short of that Charity God expects from them , though otherwise they should chance to give in a lower and more scanty degree . But Secondly , and to come more closely to the point proposed . It cannot reasonably be doubted , But that as our Saviour himself tells us , that He came not to destroy the Law , but to fulfil it : So except our righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the Scribes and Pharisees , . the strictest and most diligent observers of the Law , We shall in no case enter into the Kingdom of Heaven . It remains therefore , that though the Gospel of Christ , has not particularly defined what proportion every man should give in works of Charity , yet that no Christians ought to give less now , than what the Jews heretofore were ordinarily obliged to do . Now the proportion of the Law was this . a That every third year they should set aside the tenth part of their yearly income for the use of the poor : b That they should permit them every Harvest to lease in their fields ; c That they should lend to them without Vsury ; d That they should not go over their Fields , their Vineyards , or their Olive-yards a second time to gather them clean ; or if they left any sheaf , or clusters , or bunches behind , that they should not go back to fetch them , but should leave all that escaped their first Gathering , together with a certain e Part of each field , which they called the Corner of the field , untouch'd , for the Stranger , for the Fatherless , and for the Widow ; besides some other Instances of the like kind , prescribed to them f . This was the Jew's righteousness , that is , his duty , his obligation : And if he transgress'd in any thing of all this , he broke the Law , and sinned against God. But they had Acts of Charity yet beyond this , and which they properly called by the Names of Mercy and Bounty . Such were all their Voluntary Offerings at their Feasts before mention'd : All their Occasional works of pity , upon extraordinary Emergencies : If for example God had given them a greater increase than ordinary in their fields or their Vineyards ; or they had met with any unexpected Good success in their Affairs : If their Children and their Flocks were multiplied unto them ; or else on the other hand , some greater sin was to be expiated , or some Calamity to be prevented , which seem'd ready to come upon them , unless they took care , by some extraordinary Acts of Charity and Repentance , to prevent the evil , and reconcile themselves to God. Such was the measure of the Jews Charity under the Law , and certainly the Christians ought not to be less . And therefore tho' I shall not pretend to determine what every man ought to do in this particular , and indeed amidst the great variety of Fortunes and Circumstances in the World , could not well give any certain rules for this matter ; yet thus much I am perswaded we may conclude . That no Christian can ordinarily excuse himself , who does not lay aside somewhat more than the thirtieth part of his yearly income for the Stranger , for the Fatherless , and for the Widow , besides all Occasional A●●s of Charity on extraordinary Emergencies ; which was the least that God required of the Jews heretofore , and is , I believe , the least that any Christian can reasonably presume shall be expected of him now . And as we may justly suppose this to be the very lowest degree that is fit to be mention'd among Christians for the ordinary discharge of this duty . So , Thirdly , On extraordinary Occasions , such as those we before laid down , 't is certain , that this will by no means suffice . Here we must set no bounds to our doing Good , but what our want of Ability , or Opportunity prescribes to us . Charity indeed does not only allow , but oblige us first to provide for our own : And when that is prudently and moderately done , what further remains , tho' it be ours , yet it is ours only in trust for the supply of the wants and necessities of our Neighbours . And if the Exigences of the Poor be great , and they cannot otherwise be supplied , we must resolve rather to part with all that we can spare , than to see them languish and perish for want of it . And woe be to that man who indulges either his Covetousness or his Vanity with that , for the lack of which his poor Brother perishes ! What our Saviour once pronounced against the rich Man in St. Luke , shall become his Sentence ; Son , remember that thou in thy life-time hast received thy Good things , and likewise Lazarus evil things , but now he is comforted and thou art tormented . And this may suffice for our second point , of the Time and Measure of our doing Good. Let us consider IIIdly . To what Persons we are to do this ; to All Men , Especially unto them that are of the Houshold of Faith. 1st . We must do Good unto All Men. It was the Opinion of St. Chrysostome , that St. Paul design'd this part of my Text to be a reproach to the narrow-spirited Temper of the Jews ; who confined the greatest part of their Charity to such as were of the same Country , or at least of the same Religion with themselves , and to raise us up to a more generous and extensive practice of it . 'T is true we find several Passages in the Law directing them to a concern not only for their own people , but also for the strangers that were amongst them . So Levit. XXV . 35. If thy Brother be waxen poor and fallen into decay with thee , then shalt thou relieve him , yea tho' he be a Stranger or a Sojourner , that he may live with thee . And in those particular Precepts , Deut. XXIV . there is an express provision made for them , at the 19th and following Verses : When thou cuttest down thy Harvest in thy Field , & hast forgot a sheaf in thy field , thou shalt not go again to fetch it ; It shall be for the Stranger , for the Fatherless , and for the Widow . When thou beatest thine Olive-Tree thou shalt not go over the Boughs again , it shall be for the Stranger , for the Fatherless , and for the Widow . When thou gatherest the Grapes of thy Vineyard , the shalt not glean it afterwards ; It shall be for the Stranger , for the Fatherless , and for the Widow . But as in many other Cases they were but ill Interpreters of the Law , so we find that in all these and the like places , they understood by the † Stranger , a Proselyte , one that worshipped the same God with them : Or if they chanced to go farther , as in those Instances of Charity before mentioned , we are told in particular that they did , so as to allow the Gentiles also a part in it ; Yet alas ! It was but a very small one , viz. That they would not hinder them from taking what remained of their Gleanings after all their own poor had gathered what they thought good ; but permit them to carry away that which must otherwise have been left for the Beasts and Birds . But the Christian's Charity must not be dispensed by any such scanty Measures as these . He must love All men ; and for a proof that he does so , he must as he has Opportunity do good unto All men . 'T is not a Country , much less a difference in Religion that must set bounds to his Beneficence . But as God dispenses his Blessings to all the parts of the Earth indifferently ; Makes his Sun to rise , and his rain to fall upon the just and unjust , upon those who profess his true Religion , and upon those who persecute their Brethren for professing of it : So must the Christian follow his Example , and be Merciful as his Father which is in Heaven is merciful . Such must in general the Christians Love and Beneficence be : But then as God himself , though he is kind to the Vnthankful and Evil , has yet a particular regard to his own Servants ; and even amongst them , does in a more especial manner promise to favour such as we are now speaking of , the Liberal , and Charitable Christians above all others , so ought we also to do : We must , as we have Opportunity , Do Good , unto all men ; But yet 2ly , Especially to them who are of the Houshold of Faith. By those who are of the Houshold of Faith we may understand , either first , more largely , All Christians in general , who in the Scripture Phrase are often called God's Houshold , Ephes. II. 19. Or secondly , more particularly , those of whom the Apostle was speaking ver . 6. Let him that is taught in the Word , communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things . And in which soever of these two senses we take the Expression , the Rule of our Text will hold good in both : That we ought in a more especial manner to be careful to do Good to them , beyond such others as we are not so particularly engaged to . Nay but , secondly , and to carry this Reflection yet farther : We may in the exercise of our Charity not only make a distinction betwixt Christians and others , and among them prefer those chiefly who labour in the word among us ; but should even with respect to all others , take care as far as we can to give to those first who either the best deserve , or at least the most stand in need of our assistance . For since the largest fortune is not enough to enable a man to relieve all ; and 't is certain that not only the wants of some may be much more urgent than those of others , and so more fit to be consider'd by us ; but also that there are many , and those commonly the most clamorous and importunate , that are utterly unworthy to be regarded by us : He who will Do Good with that prudence and discretion he ought to do , must take all the care he can to distinguish between the one and the other of these , that since he cannot be a Common Benefactor to all , he may at least become so to them that the most deserve his Pity . And , ( 1st . ) There are many who finding Begging not only a more easie and agreeable , but sometimes a more profitable Employment too , not only neglect to work themselves , but even train up their Children to the same Trade of Idleness , and of living upon the Charity of others . As soon as they are born , before they can yet speak for themselves , their Looks and Cries serve for a new Topick to encrease the Importunity of their Parents : And no sooner are they able to use their Limbs , and have attain'd so much of Christianity as may suffice for their purpose , to engage the Compassion of unwary and good-natur'd men , but from thenceforth they are set free to shift for themselves , and live as their friends have done before them . Now , tho' I will not say a man commits a Sin that relieves one of these , and do confess , that sometimes he who gives to all , may chance to light on a true Object of Charity among many that are much otherwise ; yet certainly it is for the most part a good deed misplac'd : And though I know St. Chrysostome seems to exhort us to give to all , upon this consideration , That sometimes thereby we shall hit aright ; yet I can no more believe that the bare possibility of this should make a man charitable without distinction , than that the passage of St. Paul , which he urges for it , should engage us to receive indifferently all that pass by , into our Houses , because by so doing some have entertained Angels unawares . But , ( 2dly , ) There is another sort of men , who by their own fault are reduced to Poverty , and are now no longer in a condition to help themselves , tho' 't is in a great measure owing to their former sins and neglects that they are not . I do not think that such ought wholly to be passed by , especially if they are at last come to a due sense of their Folly , and to a serious Repentance for it . But yet if we have before us better men , and as necessitous as the other ; Such as have wrought whilst they were able , and are now fallen into Poverty , because either their Employment fails them , or their Strength is gone through former Labours : If a decrepit Age has overtaken them , or it may be a numerous Family keeps them still under , notwithstanding all their Pains and Industry ; certainly such persons as these ought first to be consider'd , and take place of those , who have not so fair a pretence to our Assistance . And this brings me to a ( 3d. ) Reflection ; and which will yet more direct us in the wise discharge of this Duty . There are many every where no less necessitous , but much more modest , than the rude and clamorous Street-Beggar ; Who are fearful and scrupulous ; Who mourn in secret , and complain to GOD in their Extremities , but cannot tell how to make their Wants known to their fellow-Christians . They labour diligently ; they neglect no Care to support themselves , and those for whom they are concerned to provide . But alas ! they labour in vain ; Either a decay of Trade , or it may be unavoidable Losses in it ; Want of Business , Fire , Sickness , a thousand other Misfortunes keep them low and miserable : They cannot tell how to ask our Charity , and yet are ready to perish for want of it . Such Men as these ought , I do not say to be relieved with all chearfulness when known , but to be enquired after and found out , that they may be both assisted and encouraged by us . And our Charity should descend like the Dew of Heaven upon them ; in the most soft and easie , the most courteous and obliging manner that is possible . We should take care to consult their modesty as well as their wants ; and if possible not let them know from what hand their help comes , or to whom it is , besides God , they are to return their thanks for it . The truth is , these are a sort of Men , that do as much deserve our Charity , as the common sort of Beggars , for the most part , do our Refusal . And if it be some kind of Reproach to our Country , that these latter are not more suppressed , and set on work ; it is certainly a great deal more both our Sin and our Scandal , that the others should not be more carefully provided for , and encouraged by us . I shall add yet one remark more , ( 4thly ) and which will bring me still nearer to the Command of my Text ; As we have opportunity let us Do Good unto all Men ; especially unto them that are of the Houshold of Faith. I have before said , that by those of the Houshold of Faith we might understand , either all Christians in general ; or else in particular , those who labour in the Word among us : And I am sorry I should have any Occasion to give you a third meaning of it , for such Christians as are of the same particular Faith and Church with one Another , or have any reflections to offer thereupon to you . But , alas ! both our Divisions are too great to be dissembled at any Time , and the Consequences of them too deplorable , to be utterly passed by at such a Time , and in such a Discourse as this . We live in an Age , wherein Men's different Opinions in Points of Christian Doctrine , have so far transported them , as to make them almost utterly forget all the Measures of Christian Love and Charity towards one another . I need not tell you how sad the Effects of a misguided Zeal have been , both in our own and other Countries ? What desolations it has wrought ? How many thousands it has ruined ? What Wars and Disturbances it has raised , almost in all the parts of the Christian World ? We have seen with our Eyes , and it has been told unto us , what Calamities our Brethren have undergone abroad : And to what extream Miseries they are reduced in the midst of us , no Man can be ignorant , though I fear but few of us lay it so effectually to heart as we ought to do . And all this for the sake of that Religion which by the blessing of God we yet enjoy in peace and security . In such an unhappy state as this ; When the numbers of our distressed Brethren are so great , their cause so Good , and their Wants so pressing , though I would not be so uncharitable as to say that we should withdraw either our Affection or Assistance from any other Christians , no not from those who have been their Persecutors ; yet certainly I may , without abusing the Design of my Text , say thus much ; That we ought , in the first place , to give to those who are of the same Houshold of Faith with our selves , before such as do not stand in so near a Relation to us . And , blessed be God , who has not only hitherto continued his favours to us , it may be , for this very end that we might be able to minister to the necessities of these his Saints , but has in some measure opened our Hearts too , and made us willing to do it . Only let us take the Exhortation of our Apostle in this place , as well as his Direction ; and since their needs still continue , let us consider how we may still go on to provide for them ; And let us not be weary in well-doing , for in due season we shall reap , if we faint not . Which brings me to the last thing proposed , Vthly , To consider the great Engagement we have to the fulfilling of this Duty , in that Glorious Reward which God has promised to the performance of it . Among all the Arguments which either the Authority of Holy Scripture , or the Common principles of Reason afford to us , to stir us up to the practice of this Duty , there is none that strikes so forcibly upon the minds of all sorts of Men , as the Consideration of those great Blessings which God has promised to the diligent performance of it ; and of those severe Judgments which he will one day execute upon those that shall continue to neglect and disregard it . Other reflections may serve to convince Men of the Justice and Reasonableness of such a practice , and which indeed is so very clear that there are few so ill-natured and insensible as to deny it : But this shews the Necessity of it . Others may force us to confess it to be very titting that we should be thus kind and charitable to one another : But this speaks with Authority , and makes us resolve in good earnest so to be . He that tells me how highly reasonable it is that I should do all the Good I can with the portion which God has given me , * That for this end I have received it , and to this end ought especially to employ it : * That my riches are not my own , but committed to me in trust for the Benefit of others , as well as for my own use ; and that I shall be false to that trust , if I do no Good to others by them : * That I ought to express my Gratitude to God for his extraordinary Favours to me , by being Bountiful to those who have not received so large a portion of him : * That this will , above any thing , render me most like unto God , and most beloved of Men : * That the poorest person in the World is yet my Brother , partaker of the same Nature and Constitution , it may be of the same Promise of Grace too with my self ; and therefore that it will be highly , not only un-Christian , but even unnatural and inhumane , not to have some sense and feeling of his Miseries : In a word , * That our Riches are very uncertain , and we should consider , that what is the Condition of many Thousands now , but lately in as flourishing an Estate as our selves , may , for ought we know , the next Year be our own , if God , for our Vncharitableness , shall think sit to let us also fall into the hands of the same Cruel and Merciless men ; and therefore that we ought to think what we should judge reasonable for others in such a Case , to do to us ; and then remember the Great Rule both of Nature and the Gospel , and do even so unto them ; does certainly speak a great deal of Sense , and may justly move my Assent to his Arguments . But 't is the man who can draw aside the Vail , and set Life and Death , Blessing and Cursing before me ; and then make it appear upon such Grounds as I cannot deny , or even doubt of , that my Happiness or Misery , both in this World and the other , depends upon my Observance or Neglect of this Duty , that will awaken all the Powers of my Soul , and at the same time both convince and force to a compliance . And such is the Argument we have here before us , and from which therefore the Apostle concludes the necessity of our doing Good , as a matter that would admit of no debate : Be not , says he , deceived ; God is not mocked : For whatsoever a man soweth , that he shall also reap . He that soweth to his flesh , that is , that either spends what he has on the sensual Enjoyments of the Flesh , or else hoards it together to the Covetous satisfying the desires of it , shall of the flesh reap corruption : But he that soweth to the Spirit , i.e. as the next Verses interpret it , does good , makes a wise , and pious , and charitable use of what he has , shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting . Wherefore , let us not be weary in well-doing ; for in due season we shall reap , if we faint not . Many are the Promises of the like kind which we meet with in other places of Holy Scripture : And from all which it is obvious to conclude , that if we have any regard either to our present Happiness , or to our future Glory , there is nothing wherein we ought to be more careful , than by our Charity to establish our selves in both . For , 1st . As to this Present Life . What is it possible for any one to desire to make him a happy man in this World , that God has not freely promised to the merciful and liberal ? Would he secure his Riches ? Would he confirm the Enjoyment of them both to himself whilst he lives , and deliver them down in peace to his posterity when he comes to dye ? This Charity has the promise of above any thing besides : He that giveth to the poor , says Solomon , shall not lack . And in another place , he gives this as the very reason of it , Prov. xxii . 9. He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed , for he giveth of his bread to the poor . And holy David confirms the truth of this Remark not only from the Promise of God , but also from his own Experience , Psal. xxxvii . 25. I have been young , and now am old , yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken , nor his seed begging their bread . He is ever merciful and lendeth , and his seed is blessed . For the LORD loveth judgment , and forsaketh not his saints : they are preserved for ever . But the seed of the wicked shall be cut off : The righteous shall inherit the land , and shall dwell therein for ever . Nay , but would he do yet more ? Would he even encrease his Wealth , and grow more prosperous in the Enjoyment of it ? 'T is a strange Assertion , but yet by the Blessing and Promise of God , a very true one , that by giving it thus away , he shall encrease it . There is , says Solomon , that scattereth , and yet encreaseth . And would you know who that is ? He will tell you in the next Verse : The liberal soul shall be made fat , and he that watereth , shall be watered also himself . Would he provide himself a security amidst all the uncertain , and many times miserable Varieties of this World ? And be safe even in the midst of all its Dangers ? Charity is the best defence , the surest preservative against all Calamities : Blessed is the man , says David , that considereth the poor and needy , the LORD will deliver him in the time of trouble . The LORD will preserve him , and keep him alive , and he shall be blessed upon the earth , and not deliver him into the will of his enemies . In short , would he be blessed in all things that he putteth his hand unto , and have every thing prosper according to his hearts desire ? It was the promise of God to the Jews heretofore , and I see no reason why we should not in proportion apply it to our selves now , that he would deal with them , according as they did with other men , Deut. xv . 7. If there be among you a poor man of one of thy brethren within any of thy gates , in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee : Thou shalt not harden thy heart , nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother — Thou shalt surely give him ; because that for this thing the LORD thy God shall bless thee in all that thou puttest thine hand unto . These are some of the present Promises which God has made to the Charitable man. I might to all this add the severe Threatnings even of present Evils to the Covetous Miser ; to him who has no bowels of Mercy towards any others , and therefore deserves no compassion himself either from God or Man. He hath swallow'd down Riches , says Job , and he shall vomit them up again ; God shall cast them out of his belly : and that for this very reason , ver . 19. Because he hath oppressed and forsaken the poor . But this is yet the least part of this Argument , and therefore I will not insist any longer upon it . And indeed the portion of the Cross , which every good Christian must expect more or less to meet with in this world , may often times make these present Promises much less certain to us now , than they were to the Jews heretofore . But the other part of the Consideration is without Exception , viz. 2dly , That if we be not weary in well doing , then in due season , when the great day of Retribution comes , we shall infallibly reap , if we faint not . And here I shall presume , that no One will so far mistake the meaning of St. Paul in these words , as to imagine , that this , or any other Vertue alone , will be sufficient to our Eternal Salvation : So that if a man does but give liberally to the poor , 't is no great matter how he lives , or what he does with the rest of his Estate . No , this is by no means the meaning of this Promise . Charity is indeed a most excellent Vertue , and will go as far , it may be farther towards the securing our Salvation , than any One thing besides in the World. St. Peter has told us , that it shall cover the multitude of sins : that is , shall obtain the forgiveness of them . And St. John prescribes it as the best means to assure our hearts before God : that is , to enable us to appear with confidence before him in Judgment . And a Greater than both has told us , that if we give Alms of such things as we have , all things shall be clean unto us . But yet when all is done , neither this , nor any other Vertue alone can save us . There must be an Vniversal Holiness in all other respects too , and without which no man shall ever see the LORD . And yet perhaps even in this Case also , tho by our neglect in other matters we should be so unhappy as to come short of Heaven , our Charity nevertheless may not lose its reward ; but may serve to make us less miserable , if not more glorious ; to allay our Damnation , if not to encrease our Reward . But not to pursue these Imaginations : That which the Apostle here promises is plainly this ; That if we be not wanting to our selves , our Charity shall be sure to meet with a proportionable recompence from God-Almighty : and we shall reap among others , these Three great Advantages by it * ; First , That it shall prepare the way for the more certain and easie forgiveness of our sins : Secondly , It shall procure us a more large and comfortable portion of Gods Grace , to enable us to discharge our duty the better now : And Thirdly , * If we faint not , but persevere in this and all other parts of our duty , it shall Crown us with a more exceeding weight of Glory hereafter . Whilst the sordid , covetous Miser , were it possible for him otherwise to abound , in all the highest perfection of Christian Piety , yet for want of this One Vertue , shall lose his Reward , and be cast out , with the † unprofitable Servant , who hid his Talent , and made no use of it , did no Good with it , into utter darkness , where is weeping , and wailing , and gnashing of Teeth . And what then remains but that having all these Encouragements to stir us up to a warm and vigorous discharge of this duty , we now suffer our selves to be perswaded , in the words of our Saviour Christ , to provide our selves Bags which wax not old , a Treasure in Heaven that faileth not , where no Thief approacheth , neither Moth corrupteth . Or as Himself elsewhere expresses it , with more immediate reference to our last consideration ; To make to our selves friends of the Mammon of Vnrighteousness , that when we fail they may receive us into Everlasting Habitations . And yet I cannot conclude without adding one consideration more , and which I hope may , I am sure should be of very Great weight with us . It has been one of the chiefest Reproaches which those of the Church of Rome have endeavoured to fix upon our Reformed Religion , that it has not only put a stop to Charity ; but has moreover cut off the very Ground and Foundation of it ; and all this only for rejecting those superstitions by which they principally have their Gain . How false this imputation is as to the latter part of it , we have now pretty largely seen . God be thanked , Christianity affords Motives and Engagements enough to Charity , without running to any vain and superstitious pretences for the support of it . He who believes the singular Efficacy of this practise both by the promise of God , and through the prayers of those whom He relieves to obtain the forgiveness of his sins , and to deliver his Soul from Eternal damnation , will need no Vision of Purgatory to open his Heart to the Poor . He may indeed turn his Charity another way ; instead of bartering his Money with the Priests for Masses and Prayers ; for Pardons and Indulgences ; for Holy Trifles to prevent or expiate Sins , He may bequeath it to the Poor which is a great deal better . And if this be the Charity which our Religion has put an end to , we shall neither be afraid or ashamed to confess it . And for the former ; It might easily be made appear , that laying aside the Superstitions we but now mention'd , there has much more been done since the Reformation in works of wise and true Charity , than ever was done in twice that time from the first rise of Popery among us to its going off . And how much soever some of late have thought fit to Magnifie the Piety of Rome and Paris , yet upon these Principles we may venture to say , that in this as well as all other Advantages , our own City do's exceed them . To run through a particular comparison in this point , were both to abuse your Patience , and the Design of this discourse . Let the Account of what has been done in its publick Hospitals only this last Year serve as a short but sufficient Evidence whereby to judge with how little reason we are tax'd with a decay of Charity amongst us . A True report , &c. Such was the Effect of the last Years Piety : And how much of all this has been wholly Established since the Reformation ; what vast additions have been made to what was indeed begun before ; how faithfully these great Trusts have been , and are still administred ; and kept up not withstanding the mighty losses they have sustain'd , and the other frequent misfortunes under which they have fallen , is well known to most of you in this Assembly . Could I to all this Add the summ of what in such a doubtful , and discouraging Year as this , according to common Estimate has been , has nevertheless been expended within this One City in more private Acts of Mercy : What liberality has been shown in Collections twice made for our Exiled Brethren , after two before gather'd for our Neighbours of the French Churches on the same occasion : Not to mention all other Occurrences , from which no Day , scarce any Hour is exempted ; We should then have enough not only to silence , but to shame the Cavils of our Enemies , and to engage us to bless God , who has in some measure opened our Hearts to the Cries of the Poor , and not suffer'd them in vain to call upon us . But yet since this is the Reproach they would now endeavour to tix upon us ; let us be as ready by our Practice to confute this , as we have been , with good success , by our Arguments , to answer all their other Objections against us . Let us shew them , that tho' our Religion will neither allow us to boast of our Good Works to Men , nor to pretend to Merit by them of God ; yet it teaches us to he no less , nay in truth to be much more studious than themselves in the performance of them . And the more to engage us to this Care , let us often represent to our selves the Great Motive which St. Paul has here set before us , to stir us up to a free and ready Discharge of this Great Duty . Let us consider , that the Time is coming , when we must give a strict account of our selves , and of all the Abilities and Opportunities that we have had of Doing Good , and what Vse we have made of them . That the Enquiry then will not so much be what our Opinions or Persuasions were in such or such controverted Points of Christianity ? To what Church we have belong'd ? or , How well we have determined the many Questions that so fatally distract and divide mens minds in matters of Religion ? But rather , How well we have lived ? How charitable we have been to those who have differ'd from us ? and in particular , How kind and bountiful to the Poor and Needy ? This is what our Saviour assures us , in the Great Account which he has left us of the day of Judgment ; And with which , as being the noblest Argument that ever was or could have been invented for the enforcing of this duty , and a short Summary of all that I have here been laying before you to excite you to it , I shall conclude this whole Discourse . When the Son of Man shall come in his Glory , and all the Holy Angels with him , then shall he sit upon the Throne of his Glory . And before him shall be gathered all Nations , and he shall separate them One from Another , as a Shepherd divideth his Sheep from the Goats . And he shall set the Sheep on his right-hand , and the Goats on his left . Then shall be say unto them on his right-hand : Come ye Blessed of my Father ; inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foudation of the World. FOR I was an Hungred , and ye gave me Meat ; I was Thirsty , and ye gave me Drink ; I was a Stranger , and ye took me in ; Naked , and ye cloathed me ; I was Sick , and ye visited me ; I was in Prison , and ye came unto me . Then shall the Righteous answer him , saying , LORD , when saw we thee an Hungred , and fed thee ? or Thirsty , and gave thee Drink ? When saw we thee a Stranger , and took thee in ? or Naked , and cloathed thee ? Or when saw we thee Sick or in Prison , and came unto thee ? And the King shall answer and say unto them ; Verily I say unto you , inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my Brethren , ye have done it unto me . Then shall he also say unto them on the Left-hand ; Depart from me ye Cursed , into everlasting Fire , prepared for the Devil and his Angels . FOR I was an Hungred , and ye gave me no Meat ; I was Thirsty , and ye gave me no Drink ; I was a Stranger , and ye took me not in ; Naked , and ye cloathed me not ; Sick , and in Prison , and ye visited me not . Then shall they also answer him , saying LORD , when saw we thee an Hungred , or a-thirst , or a Stranger , or Naked , or Sick , or in Prison , and did not minister unto thee ? Then shall he answer them , saying ; Verily I say unto you , inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these , ye did it not to me . And these shall go away into Everlasting Punishment , but the Righteous into Life Eternal . FINIS . BOOKS publish'd by the Reverend Dr. Wake . And Printed for Ric. Chiswell and Will. Rogers . AN Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England , in the several Articles proposed by the late BISHOP of CONDOM , [ in his Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholick Church . ] Quarto . A Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England , against the Exceptions of Monsieur de Meaux , late Bishop of Condom , and his Vindicator . A Second Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England , against the new Exceptions of Monsieur de Meaux , late Bishop of Condom , and his Vindicator . The FIRST PART . Second Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England , against Monsieur de Meaux and his Vindicator . The SECOND PART . A Discourse of the Holy Eucharist , in the two great Points of the Real Presence , and the Adoration of the Host : in Answer to the Two Discourses lately Printed at Oxford , on this Subject . To which is prefixed a Large Historical Preface , relating to the same Argument . Two Discourses of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead . A Continuation of the Controversie between the Church of England and the Church of Rome , being a full Account of the Books that have been of late written on Both Sides . Preparation for Death ; being a Letter sent to a Young Gentlewoman in France , in a Distemper of which she died . 12 o. A Discourse concerning the Nature of Idolatry ; in which a late Author , viz. the Bishop of Oxford's true and only Notion of Idolatry is considered and confuted . The Sum of a Conference between Dr. Clagett and F. P. Gooden , about Transubstantiation . Published by this Author , with a Preface . Sermons and Discourses on several Occasions . 8 o. A Sermon preached before the Queen at Whitehall , April 2. 1690. being the Fifth Wednesday in Lent. A Sermon preach'd before the Lord Mayor and Court of Aldermen , at S. Sepulchres Church , on Wednesday in Easter-week , 1690. A Sermon preach'd at Paris , on the Thirtieth of January , S. V. 1684 / 5. The Present State of the Controversie . Now in the Press , A Sermon preach'd before the King and Queen at Whitehall , May 4. 1690. Published by Their Majesties Special Command . Notes, typically marginal, from the original text Notes for div A66348-e400 Gal. v. 15. Verse 14. Ch. v. 15. V. 16 , 19 , 20 , &c. Ch. v. 22 , 23 , 24 , 25. Ch. v. 26. Chap. vi . Verse 1 , 2. Verse 3. Vs. 6 , 7 , 8 , 9. * Act. x. 38. — ix 36. 2. Cor. i● 8. 2. Th●●s●l . iii 〈◊〉 . 1 Tim v. 10. 〈…〉 Se● Chrys. in hoc . a Mat. vi . 19. — xix . 21. Luk. vi . 30. — xi . 41. — xii . 33. Rom. xii . 13. 2 Cor. viii . 7. Colos. iii. 12 , &c. b Mat. v. 48. comp . with S. Luk. vi . 36. † Prov. xix . 17. 1 Jo. iii. 6. — iv . 12 , 20 , 21. See below , iv . Point . See Chrys. Hieron , &c. in loc . * Vulg. Lat. Syriac . Arab. Communion Serv. Vs s. 7 , 8. — 9. * 2 Thes. iii. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 . in loc . p. 394. E. — 27. Hieronym . i● Dan. c. IV. L. H. Edit . Erasin . * Dam. IV. 29. Chrys. in Act. Hom. X. p. 210. A. Act. X. 4. Prov. XXI . 13 Isaiah LVIII . 3. Ibid. ver . 2. Ver. 4. — 5. — 6. — 7. — 8. — 9 , &c. a Non ●●●tis tis compotes . * Chrys in Phil ▪ Hom. XV. p. 135. E. 2 Cor. IX . 6. Mat. v. 17. — 20. a ●eat . xiv . 28. xxvi . 12. b Levit. xix . 9 , 10. Ib. xxiii . 22. c Exod. xxii . 25. Levitie . xxv . 35 , 36. Deut xxiii . 19 d Deut. xxiv . 19. e Levit. xix . 19. Deut. xxiv . 19. f See Deut. xxiv . 14. &c. See Dr. Hammond's Pract. Cat. l. 3. Sect. 1. Chrys. de Lazar . conc . 2. p. 50. C. D. Edit . Par. Gr. Lat. Luke x. 25. Chrys. in Loc. Deut. xxiv . — 19. — 20. — 21. † See Ainsworth on Lev. xix . 10. Fagius , Vatablus , on Exod. xxii . 21. Grotius on Levit. xxv . 35. Mat. 5. 44 , 45. Senec. de Benef. l. 1. c. 1. Luke vi . 36. — 36. Chrys. in loc . p. 859. A. Hieron . in loc . D. See Ambros. de Offic. l. 2. c. 15. 〈…〉 sit , &c. Ambros. Ibid. c. 16. Chrys. Hom. in Laz. 2. p. 51. B. C. p. 52. D. Heb. xiii . 2. Videndus est ille qui te non videt : Requirendus ille qui erubescit videri . Ambros. de Offic. l. 2. c. 15 , 16. Eccles. xi . 1 , 2. Mat. vii . 12. Prov. xxiii . 27. Prov. xxii . 9. Psal. xxxvii . — 25. — 26. — 27. — 28. Prov. xi . 24. — 25. Psal. xli . i. — 2. Deut. xv . 7. — 10. Job xx . 15. — 19. 1 Peter iv . 8. 1 John iii. 19. Luke xi . 41. Heb. xii . 14. * Prov. x. 12. Dan. iv . 27. 1 Pet. iv . 8. Acts x. 4. 2 Cor. ix . 14. Hebr. vi . 10. * Mat. xix . 21. Luke xvi . 9. 2 Cor. ix . 6 , 7. 1 Tim. vi . 19 , &c. † Mat. xxv . 25 , 30. Luke xii 33. Luke xvi . 9. 2 Cor. ix . 14. Mat. xxv . Ver. 31 , &c. Ver. 34 , &c. Ver. 37 , &c. Ver. 41 , &c. Ver. 44 , &c. Ver. 46.