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Sermon, 
 
 DELIVERED 
 
 ^ 
 w 
 
 BEFORE THE MEMBERlS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 FEMALE BENEVOLENT SOCIETYj 
 
 21^ 
 
 MONTREAL, 
 
 SEPTEMBER 8, 1816. 
 
 ' ■•■■'J i. 
 
 » - • 
 
 ' - • • » I 
 
 ,< ' « . t • 
 
 ... • • • • 
 
 
 
 * • ' . « ti feb^EilT 'EAfeTiftf , f . • . •* * ' f . ' 
 
 •IINISTER or THE PRESBTTBRIAN CHURCH, ST. PETER STRBST. 
 
 »V. 
 
 MONTREAL : 
 
 PRINTED BY NAHUM MOWER, 
 
 lSi6. 
 
 17- 
 
 # 
 
 fs 
 
 *«. 
 
REV. ROBERT EASTON, 
 Rev. Sir, 
 
 AT a special meeting of the Board of Managers 
 of the FEMALE BENEVOLENT SOCIETY this day, it 
 was unanimously voted to present the cordial thanks of the So- 
 ciety, to you Sir, for your excellent and appropriate Sermon, 
 preached before the Members of that Institution, and to request 
 a copy for the press. 
 
 By order, 
 
 H. W. BARRETT, 
 
 Secretary. 
 MoNTREALy September l^th, 1816. 
 
 MRS. H. W. BARRETT, Secretary, 
 Madam, 
 
 WHATEVER are the real merits of the discourse 
 delivered before the Members of the FEMALE BENEVO- 
 LENT SOCIETY, I am happy at least to find that the Man- 
 agers of the Instftufibi? ar? 'satisiied wjth my feeble efforts to 
 promote oad ijC'tlie' b£A tof cstns'es/- -Befare I received their 
 friendly rfe'9!ii^»t,*VRad.^o^sefited'f<? ^pn^tinig of the Sermon, 
 but upon' a» iyrfnciple-whicK'will leave tifie' proceeds of the sale 
 at the disposal of the Society, according to the intention of the 
 publishers, which is highly honourable to them. 
 I am, Madam, 
 
 with respect yours, &c. 
 
 R. EASrON. 
 Montreal, Septe.mser 16th, IS 16. 
 
 Vi; 
 
 
 1 
 
 i 
 
 ■•'S 
 
SERMON. 
 
 f«! 
 
 f, 
 
 LUKE, X. 29--37. 
 
 J3ut he, tullling to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And tvho is 
 my neighbour? 
 
 And Jesus ansvoering said, A certain man ixent doxanfromJerU' 
 salem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, xvhich stripped him of 
 his raiment, and mounded him, and departed, leaving him half 
 
 dead, . • i j 
 
 And by chance there came doxm a certain priest that way ; and 
 
 vchen he saiu him, he passed by on the other side. 
 And likewise a Levite, when he ivas at the j)lace, came and looked 
 
 on him, and pcsscd by on the other side. 
 But a certain Samaritan, as hejouniied, came where he was: and 
 
 tvhcn he saw him, he had compassion on him, 
 And we^it to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and 
 
 wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, 
 
 and took care of him. 
 And on the morrow, when he departed, he took out twopence, and 
 
 gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him : 
 
 and xvhatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again I will 
 
 repay thee. 
 Which now of these three, ihinkest ilipu, ivas neighbour unto him 
 
 that fell among the thieves '<' 
 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus 
 
 unto him, Go, and do ihou likewise. 
 
 '•^^ 
 
 i Compassion is one of our natural endow- 
 
 ments. The multiform trials and atRictioiis of this 
 
 W life produce frequent calls for tlie exercise of it. 
 
 i The christian religion, by exhorting us to hear one 
 
 
4f 
 
 another^ burdens^ to 'iveep xvith them 'who weep, exr 
 alts this natural instinct into an evangelical virtue, 
 and recommends it to our culture. 
 
 Whatever, then, tends to contract or enervate 
 the sympathetic feelings of our nature, may be 
 justly suspected of seducing us from the path of 
 our duty ; if it be religion, we may be sure that 
 such a religion is not from God. If we become 
 hard-hearted to our own flesh from particular views 
 of honor and interest, we may be no less certain 
 that our ideas of honor and interest are most erro- 
 neous. If our sympathy be confined to our kin- 
 4red, favourites, or fellow subjects in its very ut- 
 most extent ; if all beyond these limits be cold in- 
 sensibihty, or slender emotion : where is the proof 
 that we still possess the unadulterated sentiments 
 of nature, or act on the generous maxims of true 
 
 yeligion ? 
 
 Thou Shalt love thy Neighbour as thyself] is the 
 second commandment in the law. Do you ask, as 
 did the lawyer spoken of in the text, Who is my 
 neighbour? From the reply of the illustrious teach- 
 er of the world, we learn that every man is thus 
 nearly related to us, that whoever wears the human 
 form challenges our respect, and, being found in 
 a state of wretchedness, is entitled to relief. 
 
The duty of impartial charity, in every way an. 
 swerable to the cases of the necessitous, will occu- 
 py our attention ; after we have glanced 
 
 I. At that striking picture of inhumanity and 
 tenderness, which is presented to our view, in the 
 opposite behaviour of two Jewish priests and a Sa^ 
 
 maritan. 
 
 A certain man, travelling betwixt Jericho and 
 Jerusalem, fell in company with some merciless 
 highwaymen, who stript him of his clothes, and 
 left him so badly wounded, that he could in no 
 wise help himself. A misfortune of this kind is 
 peculiarly calculated to move compassion. The 
 man's unoffending character, his gaping wounds, 
 painful sensations, and forlorn condition spake a 
 language, which every passenger, who approached 
 him, might be supposed to feel. But it appears, 
 from unquestionable authority, that two passen- 
 gers, whose eyes and ears were necessarily attract- 
 ed by the novelty of the scene, behaved more like 
 brutes than men ; for they offered, neither to as- 
 sist him themselves, nor to interest others in his 
 behalf: but, crossing to the other side of the road, 
 they went on their journey as unconcerned, as the 
 robbers, who had doije the mischief. 
 
 Whilst no consideration can justify, or even ex- 
 tenuate such unfeeling neglect ; some circumstan- 
 
^ 
 
 ees heighten the enormity of the crime : if the 
 unfortunate man, as is commonly presumed, waa 
 a son of Abraham, he was the more entitled to the 
 condolence and aid of Jewish spectator!. One 
 might expect that a people, excessively prepossessed 
 against foreigners, as the Jews were, would at least 
 vie w4th one another, in expressions of respect and 
 kindness for members of their own community : 
 but the truth is, that, where any national preju- 
 dice is carried to a high pitch, it is so much asso- 
 ciated with pride and malice, as to afford no gua- 
 rantee of good usage, even within the bounds of 
 professed attachment — Another aggravating cir^ 
 cumstance in the conduct of these men arose from 
 their employment : the one is called a priest, the 
 other a Levite, professed ministers of a gracious 
 God, whose temple, whose altars, and institutions, 
 with which they were familiar, bore no other im. 
 press but that of mercy. What an odious con- 
 trast ! what a disgrace to their name and sacred 
 functions ! Ministers of religion, who live solely to 
 themselves, are of all God's creatures the most 
 hurtful ; for tlieir puling on of holy vestments, 
 and officiating at the altars of piety, are the very 
 channels, thro' which tliey convey, \vith too much 
 success, the poison of their selfish and immoral 
 lives. They are like gangrenes in the human bo- 
 

 1 
 
 dy : and the evil must terminate, either in theit 
 excision, or in the death of piety and virtue within 
 the sphere of their influence. 
 
 The apathy and selfishness of these proud ecclesi- 
 astics are finely contrasted, in the passage before 
 us, with the tenderness and natural simplicity of a 
 Samaritan, who came after them, had compassion 
 on the afflicted man, dressed his wounds, and took 
 every possible care of him. The Samaritan's in- 
 terest in a scene of so much distress banished all 
 other concerns from his mind ; till he had removed 
 this child of adversity from an exposure on the 
 public road, and placed him* under some auspicious 
 roof, where proper attention might be paid to his 
 recovery. Money in such a case was no object. 
 The gratification of pity, and the deliverance of an 
 unfortunate fellow creature were of far more value 
 than any earthly good. The Samaritan judged so ; 
 and, therefore, gave money to the host, perhaps all 
 he had, and promised more, on condition that ev- 
 ery thing was done, that could be done for the 
 
 poor man. 
 
 The conduct of this friend of humanity answers 
 our ideas of pure disinterested benevolence. He 
 could have no views of recompense for what he did* 
 The frigid distinction betwixt Jews and Samari- 
 tans, which tended to contract the heart and palsy 
 
 m 
 
8 
 
 h 
 
 the hand of khidness, had no such effect on hig 
 natural sensibility : laying aside all national anti- 
 pathies, attending exclusively to the claims of hu- 
 man nature in a suffering condition, he performed 
 an act of mercy, which, it seems, was too far be- 
 low the dignity of a Jewish priest and Levite to 
 
 perform. 
 
 It is obvious that Jesus Christ, the author of 
 this instructive story, was highly pleased with the 
 amiable Samaritan ; and that the lawyer, with whom 
 he conversed, could not withhold his approbation. 
 The command, given to the latter, was an mference, 
 \vhich could not be controverted, and which is ap- 
 plicable to all J gOi and do thou likewise. It was 
 proposed in the 
 
 II. To consider the reasonableness of this com- 
 mand, to shew that merciful and benevolent atten- 
 tions form an indispensible duty ; and one, which 
 embraces all descriptions of human sufferers. The 
 «ame principle, which led the good Samaritan to 
 succour the wounded Jew, would have directed 
 him to bestow relief, in every other case of distress, 
 which came before him. Arguments, to enforce 
 this duty, crowd upon us from every quarter. The 
 benign attributes and beneficent works of the Al- 
 mighty, the compassions of the great high priest of 
 our profession, the unavoidable evils of this life/ 
 
 i 
 
 
 
m 
 
 the only np'.ural mode of softening them by the 
 voice of brotherly love and the hand of charity, 
 concur to manifest the importance of these religious 
 precepts ; look not every mem on hts own things, 
 but every man also on the things oj others. Thou 
 shalt open thy hand wide to thy brother, to thy poor, 
 to thy needy in the land. 
 
 As the time usually alloted to one discourse 
 would not allow our dwelling upon a variety of ar- 
 guments, I shall select three for our present medi- 
 tation : these shall be drawn from the plan of the 
 divine government with respect to mortals, trom 
 human responsibility, from the spirit and genius of 
 the gospel. 
 
 1. The plan of the divine government of this 
 world evidently points out the propriety and neces- 
 sity of being affectionate and charitable. The dis- 
 appointments, afflictions and sorrows, by which 
 some are severely tried, and to which all are liable, 
 never happen by chance. They come from the 
 hand of the supreme Ruler, who is wise in hearty 
 and mighty in stre?igth. Both the sunshine and 
 storms of human life, both its joyous events and 
 painful vicissitudes originate in the will of God, 
 and bear the marks of wisdom, as well as sovereign- 
 ty. One great design ol' the many varieties which 
 we see in human lots, is undoubtedly to pipve 
 
 B 
 
 
10 
 
 ,nen's love 6f one another. The providence of God 
 places some n.en in easy chxumstances, and leaves 
 others to struggle ^vith ^vant and misery. 1 he 
 bounties of Heaven are lavished npoh a few ; ^vlnlst 
 a multitude of others procure with difficulty a pit- 
 tance to alleV .te the calls of hunger, and to clothe 
 their nakedness : and, when their health is taken 
 away, or some disabling accklent hdppensto them, 
 their scanty means are immediately cut off Per- 
 bans in the vicinity of some dwelling, where no 
 wants are felt, where a plentiful board and smihng 
 ,oy are the order of every day, a flunily may be 
 found with hardly a mouthful of bread, shivering 
 over a few dyin;. embers in a cold winter»s night j 
 the father or mother lying in some corner of the 
 wretched apartment, at the point of death, with- 
 out cordials, withotit medical aid, without clothing 
 suited to their situation : merciful God 1 what else 
 c:m be thine intention, but that the possessors of 
 plenty slioukl look after the destitute, support and 
 comfort them ? Yea verily, Heaven created these 
 inequalities, that compassion and liberality on the 
 one -land, and gratitude on the other might be car- 
 ried through all varieties of human woe. In order 
 to promote the exercise of these virtues, the lender 
 Paretit of the hiunaii race has promised his blessing 
 to the uierciiui uum, ana uii^ntvu w.v.i ^ 
 
a 
 
 nerson and possessions of tUe churl : Ucsscd is h 
 ]hatcmiderclh the poor ; the Lord uill deliver hm 
 in the time of trouble : but whoso stoppeth his cars at 
 thecru of the poor, he also shall cry himself, and 
 
 shall not be heard. 
 
 2. We are responsible to the Ahuiglity for 
 whatever we receive from him : and he is the au- 
 tlior of every blessing, which we enjoy ; for ever,, 
 good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and 
 comeih dov.n from the Father of lights. As men 
 sprang from nothing, what can they have which 
 they do not receive ? Their mental endowments 
 and external possessions originate in the power 
 and goodness of that Being, who made the worlds. 
 His will, therefore, with regard to our application 
 of his bounty, ought to be consulted ; unless it can 
 be proved that our receipts contain a surrender ot 
 all original right and title to the tiungs bestowed : 
 but this cannot be proved. The infinitely w.se 
 Jehovah retains his right. His grants concern 
 merely the use of his property. None of his intel- 
 ligent creatures are invested with a discretionary 
 power to act iheir pleasure, without being unswera- 
 We for what they do. The earth has been given to 
 the children of men, yet the earth is still the Lord's, 
 and tlte fullness tha-eof Tlie silver and gold are 
 !iis, th.' l:ax and n-ool, the vine-and oil, the cattle 
 
1« 
 
 i I 
 
 a/gon a thousand lulls— \Ve arc only the servants 
 and stewards of the Ahnighty. Duty and interest 
 require a steward to be faithful, to observe the 
 rules laid down to him. If he squanders his mas- 
 ter's property, or hoards it up for his own gratifica- 
 tion, he runs the risk of being deprived of his 
 stewardship, and punished for injustice and breach 
 of trust. 
 
 Let us, then, see what are the instructions of 
 the great Proprietor, and adhere to them, as the 
 ride, by which our conduct will be finally approved 
 or condemned. How does he wish us to employ 
 our thoughts and the organ of speech, in relatior. 
 to our neighbours? Surely not in uevising their 
 hurt and speaking evil of them ; most assuredly in 
 promoting their welfare, in teaching the ignorant, 
 reprehending the vicious, warning tlie refractojy, 
 cheering the disconsolate, soothing the anguish'd 
 jieart. Be ye all ofoiie mind, says he, h(i:ing com- 
 passion one of another ; love as hrcihren, he pitijulf 
 he cotirteoiis : 7iot rendering eriljbr etil, or railing 
 Jor railing ; but contrarimse hlessing, 
 
 Vv'iiat is to be done with a superfluity of the good 
 things of this life ? Hearken, in hke manner, to the 
 voice of God, and you cannot go v rong. He je- 
 commends a distribution of it among the needy of 
 our spicecs. Thou shall not harden thine heart, nor 
 
i 
 
 shut thine hand from t oor brother. Is not thin 
 the fast that I have chosen ?^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 thyself 
 from thine own fesh ? To do goody and to communis 
 cate forget not : for with such sacrifices God is well 
 pleased. 
 
 Since the Lord of the creation is thus particular 
 in stating his will, with regard to the management 
 of his lent property j can we conceive a greater 
 violation of the laws of equity and goodness, than 
 to apply it to sinister and contrary purposes ? That 
 tnan, who sports with the character and feelings of 
 others, whose thoughts and tongue are under the 
 direction of envy, pride and hatred, is as unfaith- 
 ful to the author of his being, as he is injurious to 
 society. The miser also, who heaps up wealth for 
 the odd pleasure of having and seeing it, and that 
 benefactor, who grudges to do any thing for the 
 relief of those who do not belong to the narrow 
 circle of his kindred and familiars, are in fact 
 more to be pitied than the objects of their oppres- 
 sion and neglect : for the latter are only accounta- 
 ble for the rags which cover them, for that pittance 
 of bread which keeps ti\ein from starving ; but the 
 former must ;uibwer to the giver of all good for 
 
 
11^ 
 
 14. 
 
 siiiltting their bowels from their own flesh in j^. 
 
 state of want. 
 
 Some reaso^ in a strange manner agamst an ex- 
 tension of usefulness with the property they pos- 
 sess J lest, by such liberaHty, they bring them- 
 selves into similar circumstances of dependence 
 and need : thus reversing- a proverb, which is foun- 
 ded on the certainty of an overruling providence 
 in human affaii^. There is that scattereth and yet 
 mcreaseth ; and there is that xdthholdeth more than 
 is meet, hut it tendeih topoverti/. 
 
 I would not be understood, however, as argu- 
 ing a-ainst a judicious prudence in doing good, 
 far less against a free enjoyment of what is put in- 
 to a man's hands, by a bounteous God. Every 
 holder of Heaven is allowed to appropriate to his 
 own use, whatever is necessary for tlie support of 
 his rank and credit in the world. But, after this 
 appropriation has been made, the beneficiaries of 
 God, in general, will still find that enough remains 
 to render them obliging and higldy useful to those- 
 who are not so well provided for ; nor will they 
 ever be backward in doing what may be expected 
 of tiiem, if the will and favour of the most High 
 are more to them, than any selfish and unnecessary 
 gratifications. 
 
 IS) 
 
 m t 
 
IS 
 
 3. Believing the truth and importance of the 
 ^osJ)cl, we are particularly caUcd to put on bowk 
 If mercies, kindness ; for the christian religion is 
 all benevolence. It represents the human race as 
 depraved and wretched, the love cf God the Fa. 
 ther a« falling upon a singular contrivance for the 
 recovery and happiness of an apostate world, v.2. 
 by the sacrifice of his only begotten and well be- 
 loved Son, who was himself a perfect model of the 
 gentle virtues : the law of kindness dwelt upon 
 the lips of Messiah : charity burned in his breast, 
 and shone thro' all his actions with a refulgent and 
 steady lustre. He could never hear the voice of 
 misery among friends or foes, without exerting 
 himself to produce a change of circumstances ; in 
 one instance, where hardened guilt, and the awful 
 consequences belonging to it. remained unalterable, 
 he felt so keenly, that the tears flowed from his 
 eyes. His whole life was spent in the service of 
 the wretched. Neither the stings of ingratitude, 
 nor the shafts of malice could deter him, for one 
 moment, from benevolent pursuits. His very last 
 remains of life, his dying breath were consecrated 
 to the same cause, for which he had spent his days ; 
 that of alleviating temporal, and preventing eter- 
 nal miseries— :;« wonder that such an ailectionatc 
 and a zealous benefactor thought well of the tender 
 
IG 
 
 iiearted Samaritan, and held him up as an exam- 
 ple, worthy of being followed. 
 
 Can you contemplate, my brethren, the out- 
 lines of Christianity, or the portrait of its author, 
 without coming to this conclusion, that, ij God so 
 loved usy we ought also to love one another ? Do 
 you not perceive that a great part of the proof of 
 your christian character consists, in sympathizing 
 with the children of sorrow, and helping them as 
 much as lies in your power ? Can those men or 
 women be actually partakers of the blessings of the 
 . gospel, or followers of Jesus Christ; who are shut lip 
 in tliemselves, whose bowels seldom yearn at the 
 sight of foreign woe, and whose hands are still more 
 seldom raised to succour poverty in distress, or wipe 
 the tears of silent sorrow from the faces of the 
 widow and fatherless ? What resemblance do such 
 characters bear, in spirit and conduct, to the Fa- 
 ther of mercies and the Saviour of tlie world ? 
 Whoso hath this worid^s good, and seeih his brother 
 have ?ieedy and shutteth up his bowels from him, hots 
 dwelleth the love of God in him / 
 
 The primitive christians were famous for an 
 open hearted and a liberal conduct. At one time, 
 they had all things common for the better support 
 of the indigent ; at another, their attention to the 
 wants of the poor and the sorrows of the afflicted 
 
was !56 great, that their very enemies imputed the 
 triumphs of the cross in heathen lands to this 
 cause. Institutions purely charitable, combining 
 the efforts of many, followed the introduction of 
 Christianity. And wherever the principles of the 
 man of isorrows are duly respected, and human 
 wants are urgent, such institutions will always arise, 
 and meet with liberal encouragement. 
 
 Thus, my brethren, let the designs of the Au« 
 thor of life by so many varieties of human con- 
 dition, the U^s of Heaven regulating the use of 
 talents and prot)erty, and the spirit and genius of 
 the christian religion, let these be properly under- 
 stood and strictly regarded ; and we shall find, in 
 our own breasts, an irresistible plea for indigence 
 and sorrow, a very strong inducement to attend to 
 those of our species, who require counsel, support 
 and aid. Indeed, how can we better express our 
 gratitude for a happier lot, or better please our- 
 selves, than by indulging the best feelings of our 
 nature, and performing the most important duties 
 
 of social life. 
 
 If such considerations are admitted, in reference 
 
 to the humane object of our present meeting, it 
 may be presumed that all, who compose this as- 
 sembly, will readily conclude that it is inore hksscO 
 to frive than to receive. 
 
i 
 
 18 
 
 We are ir^et this night, at the request of a num- 
 ber of ladies, who have formed themselves into a 
 society for the very laudable purpose of relieving 
 indigent 'women mth small children, the sick, the 
 aged, and irfirm. How far they have succeeded ; 
 how far it is possible for them to succeed in a place, 
 where few in want of such assistance were once 
 supposed to exist, I am glad it is in my power, by 
 a statement of facts, to give the most satisfactory 
 evidence. At a meeting of the Society last week, 
 it was ascertained that, in the space of six months, 
 ffti/. individuals, some of whom were connected 
 Avith families, had received essential benefit from 
 the institution. Some of these might have been in 
 their graves, if the assiduity of female tenderness 
 and care had not been the means of their preserva- 
 tion : others of them, who are dead, have carried 
 with them into the world of spirits, a memorial of 
 kindness, which is put to the credit of the society 
 hi the books of God— Ah, my hearers, besides 
 that description of poor, who are never backward 
 to make known their wants ; I do assure you that 
 faere are in Montreal, as well as in other cities, 
 . .;ses which neither force themselves on the public 
 ; ve, nor appear before your doors. It is partly 
 : \ic business of this amiable society, to search for 
 
19 
 
 miknowTi and hidden sufferers, and bring thcra 
 from under the shades which conceal their distress. 
 Much good has been already done ; and it is 
 done with so much discrimination, and affectionate 
 inquiry into the circumstances of cases, that there 
 can hardly be a misapplication of charity •, and none 
 ofthat distant and austere mode of bestowing it. 
 which, to a delicate mind, is a remedy worse than 
 
 the disease. 
 
 Before I conclude, my judgment and feelings 
 direct me to observe to you, who are managers and 
 members of this institution, that yoii have entered 
 a path consecrated by the example of ages, and the 
 present walk of many other christian females, to 
 your immortal honor and theirs, to the satisfaction 
 of your God, to the praise of your Redeemer's prin- 
 ciples, and to the great benefit of frail and dying 
 flesh. Go on, my worthy friends, continue to 
 make the nidoia's heart, to sing for joy y to search out 
 the cause -which you knew not : continue to anoint 
 the sick, to soften the painful wounds of destiny, 
 with the sacred oil of christian compassion. The 
 eye, which sees you thus employed, will bear mt^ 
 ness to you : J)ecause you delivered the poor tJutt 
 cried, and the fatherless, and him that had none 
 to help him. You may me^t with a few difficul- 
 ties : buc it t not these discourage you from pursu- 
 
20 
 
 ing » plan of bcuevolence, wluch is as becoming- irt 
 your sex, as it is highly profitable. I congratulate 
 mothers on the formation of a society, which ena- 
 * bles them, in educating their daughters, to give the 
 best finishing to the female character, by training 
 it tp worh ofiMrcif and labours of love. 
 
 la fine, I would not disgrace the i^^ime pf i^^^^* 
 fjjr less the character of a christian, ^y supposing 
 that there is an individual, in this assembly, in the 
 smallest degree averse to the support of an institur 
 tiqn so necessary, efficient, liberal. Godlike. In 
 f^Gt it is doing all of you a favpur, to present you 
 \vi|:li an opportunity of offering to the Lord a part 
 of that whole, which is his own. Remaining in 
 your own possession, it may be useful to the poor ; 
 but in the possession of a charitable society, dis- 
 criminating betwixt real and fictitious distress, and 
 betwixt different degrees of wretchedness, and 
 guarding against all abuses from immoral habits ; 
 it cannot fail to be useful. What you may be dis- 
 posed to give this night goes, you may be assured, 
 to ease some dying pains, to banish want and the 
 fear of greater from some reduced and heart-bro- 
 ken family, to put the fallen staff into the hand of 
 some weary pilgrim, and conduct him or her to 
 some shelter from the raging storm.— Besides, if 
 you give from right motives, you are not spending 
 
^1 
 
 property ; you are laying up treasure in heaven, 
 where you will receive it back with the highest in- 
 terest. A parsimonious and an illiberal disposition 
 might be ready to blame the widow who cast her 
 whole living into the treasury : but her conduct met 
 the approbation of him, who was conscious of hav- 
 ing it in his power to recompense her in this life 
 and at the resurrection of the just. If this instance 
 of generosity is not a rule to others, the approba- 
 tion of our Lord is at least a decided evidence of 
 the high rank, which charity holds among the 
 graces. This, therefore, I sat/, he who soxveth spar- 
 ingly shall reap also sparingli/ ; and he 'who sowetk 
 hounti/ullt/ shall reap also bountifully. Every man 
 according as he purpose th in his heart, so lei him 
 give ; not grudgingly, or of necessity : for 0oM 
 loveth a clwerful giver. 
 
 
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